(The Port of Riverfall) Sunset Voyages (Galys)(Flashback)

[Imass]

Timestamp: TBD

Imass looked out at the setting sun. In another bell the day would turn to night. Instead of golden rays piercing the mists of the water fall, the night would bring moon beams and stars instead. The waters of the Bluevein River roared in the background. The sound had been the same for years and years. The noise behind the waterfall was standard for the citizens of Riverfall. Imass was no different.

Holding his Lakan in hand, Imass leaned over one of the dock districts stone pillars. The air was warm and humid. Imass was slightly sweaty, but this did not bother him. He was deep in thought. Although the docks where a busy place, no one would question a quiet Akalak standing off to the side.
Imass was deep in thought. He was under the impression his dark side was taking over. He could never tell for sure until it was too late though. He had to always second guess himself when his dark side was beginning to dominate. All he could do now was stare at the horizon out at sea and meditate. He breathed in and out.

He pictured himself at sea; salty, dry, wind blowing at his face. He saw himself creeping away from the Bluevien River. He was escaping. No, that wasn’t the right word; Riverfall was his home, so why would that word come to his mind. Escape. Maybe this was his dark side’s influence. Maybe not a magic spell, but he sure wished it was one. Anything is better than his dark side taking over.

He was second guessing himself now. He tried to meditate again. Closing his eyes, he tried to think of his responsibilities for the next day. Perhaps focusing on the necessities in life would bring him back into tune with his light side. He thought of all the chores with his father. There was the cleaning of the tools and the heating of thick iron. Not much to do. His meditation faded just as quickly as it came.

Opening his eyes again, his thoughts returned to the high seas. The vain attempt at meditation forced Imass into desperation. He clenched his heart and closed his eyes again. He tried to dig deep into his soul. Despite his efforts all his mind could think about was sailing away into the horizon. It was almost a romantic notion.

Imass gave up. The medium sized Akalak tied his hair back and fixed his tunic. The youngster was impeccable. There was no dirt on his shirt or pants. Everything was crisp and clean. He carried a backpack, with a stash totaling in ten gold coins. The most valuable thing he carried was his father’s Lakan. One could tell that Imass gave up meditation altogether based on the look on his body. The youngster’s face expression was serious and stubborn.

It was time to take action.

Stepping forward into the mixed crowd, Imass voiced out a request for ferry, “I seek ferry to Syliras! Shall any strike a deal with a grown Akalak?”

Edit: Fixing title.

[Galys]

Galys, scruffy as ever, had put briefly into port in Riverfall on his way northward. He'd only just dropped off his passenger that morning – a fairly wealthy woman, whom had been insufferable the whole way and barely paid him enough to survive a trip up into Alvadas and the Northern Suvan. Having spent the rest of the day resupplying, and hastening to return to his ship by nightfall, Galys trotted through the streets of Riverfall toward the docks, hefting a large crate filled with supplies. Only once he’d stopped, to stare at the majestic waterfall cascading downward to the Suvan Sea. It wasn’t the first time he’d been in the city, granted, but it always took his breath away – and beyond that, the waterfall reminded him of whom he was. Always, no matter where his travels took him, he would end up back on the Suvan Sea. It had been a long day, far too long away from Laviku’s Wind. Now was the time to return to his ship and set off, to get as far from the docks as possible before sleeping. The open sea was dangerous, yes, but nothing compared to city life as far as Galys was concerned. He might as well set a sign on his ship, “Available for theft. Please steal me.” The thought brought a wry smile to Galys’ face when he heard one of the blue men of the city shouting out for a ferry. His grin deepened – where there was a passenger, there was money. Where there was money, there was food. Where there was food, there was a living, breathing Svenfra – and while it was easy enough to share and share alike when amongst his own people, Galys had found most of the people who lived on land bizarrely finicky about sharing or trading unless Mizas were involved. Galys had scars which could attest to that. The ragged blond Svenfra approached the Akalak, still carrying his crate of provisions. He'd heard of them, warriors all - maybe he'd get a chance to practice his fighting. Pirates were never a fun thing to be at the mercy of, particularly when one lived alone on the seas. Stopping a short distance to the blue man’s left, he called back in common,The language I'm naturally assuming you were using to voice your request “Yer lookin’ for a ship? I’m settin’ off ‘fore dark, an’ yer welcome t’ join up wit’ me. There’s room for more’n one on a Casinor.”

[Imass]

Imass’s beacon was answered immeadatly. It seemed as if no one would let even a single gold coin escape their own greedy claws. A human male approached the young Akalak. The man had fair, light skin compared to Imass. His blonde colored hair and gleaming blue eyes stood out to the Akalak. He didn’t know what it was, but this salty man was different from the other humans walking around. Despite the man’s small stature, the sailor walked around the port as if he owned it. Imass liked this man’s swagger. To the Akalak, it showed experience and toughness. This was exactly the type of man he would entrust his life out at sea.

The man quickly asked the blue man if he wanted to join the crew. The man spoke in broken common, which was a little difficult for Imass to understand. Despite the language barrier, Imass understood him perfectly though. Some of the man’s words almost made Imass laugh, but he held it in at a grin.

“Yes. I wish to leave for Syliras as soon as you can. I have less than ten gold coins to my name and no sailing experience. I am afraid I will be little use to you on the vessal. Is there some form of payment you will accept from me other than payment upfront in gold coins? Also what experience do you have at sea? How do you plan to get to the city? I would like to come upon an simple agreement swiftly, that’s why I ask these questions in advance.”

Imass spoke openly and honestly. There was no point in lying. If the Akalak lied about his sailing experience, the salty human would notice in mere moments. As he talked to Galys, there was an uneasy look on the young warrior’s face. He was experiencing enormous waves of doubt and dread about leaving Riverfall. He would ignore them though. He would not succumb to terror and fear. Imass would remain courageous for the trials that awaited him.

[Galys]

Straightforward, clear, honest - yeah, Galys could work with this guy. It took a shykeload of bravery to tell a sailor that you can't really pay him for transportation over half the Suvan, but who was Galys to say no? Besides, watching this Akalak get his sea legs; he may even stop vomiting by the time they reached the northern Suvan! Galys silently made a bet with himself on the subject and replied sharply, feigning indignation, "What experience do I 'ave at sea? I've spent me life on the Suvan. There's no' a wave, nor a current, nor so much as a tuna what I ain't seen. Asides, I don' see many others linin' up t' ferry y' away," he paused then and stared at his ship for a moment, apparently lost in thought - Galys had learned that people generally took better stock of his opinions when he did this - before continuing, "I can bring ye up north to Alvadas, which'll be no more'n ten days, an' then sailin' t' Syliras'll may be anoth'r twelve. Course, that's all dependin' on the weather. Whole journey could be over twice 's fast, if the wind favors... an' I'll tell ye what," Galys squinted, lowered his voice, and edged closer to the Akalak, "I kin take ye to Syliras fer nothin’ provided yer buyin' yer own food 'n water, an' helpin' where ye can." Stepping back to a normal conversation distance, Galys looked over the Akalak more thoroughly - he never could get quite used to their blue skin, for all the times he'd stopped in Riverfall. As with most things, it reminded him in the Suvan, awakening his natural love of the sea and making him homesick even when at port. The Akalak was sturdy, strong looking, like most others of his race. If nothing else, Galys was sure the potential passenger could batter any rogue squids to come aboard ship.

[Imass]

The Akalak listened silently to the salty man's proposal. With the occasional nod, Imass would approve of the man's words. The seaman's resume was more than good enough to Imass. He did not project any foul play on the seas. He also was very optimistic for the weather; the forecast was either fast or faster. Everything the salty Svefran was selling was good stuff in the naive Akalak's mind.

"Your credentials are great. I will not detest your skill on the high sea," Imass said. Despite the awesome deal, Imass could not leave it at that. He would have to drive the bargain even lower than it was. Starting off with some quick calculations, the young Akalak counted the money required for food, "Listen. You said a total of twenty-two days in total to reach Syliras? How many times a day do you eat on a voyage? Once or twice? Okay so adding it up... Two gold, sixty silver, and four copper for food supply for the trip. Okay, I will pay you a flat rate of 3 gold for supplies. If you get me there fast you will make some money!"

The tall Akalak looked Galys in the eyes and smiled brightly. Hopefully the Svefra would take the bet and be motivated to take him as quick as possible to Syliras. Imass would forgive any misfortune begot on the finely craftily vessel, but he also didn't want to stop for days at Alvadas or anything. Other than that, Imass was willing to help the captain in any way needed. He would do anything required, no matter how dangerous or tedious.

He was in the presence of a man with real sea swagger. There was no option but to be as masculine as possible. Imass needed to show his worth, despite no experience on the high seas.

[Galys]

Galys met the Akalak's gaze, suppressing a chuckle - clearly the Akalak hadn't dealt with Svenfra often before. Gold, Mizas - you could hardly cook either, or make either into a weapon, rope, or fishing hook, so what was it really worth? Still, three gold mizas - or, rather, whatever was left over when food and drink were taken - would be enough to eat on land cities and keep the ship shipshape from one port to another, if he was lucky. He adjusted his grip on the crate as it began to slip and replied, "Aye, three gold should be jus' fine, then, so long as ye'r willin' t'learn some naut'cal skills an' ye don' get us wreck't. M'name's Galys, by the by. Galys Whitecap. We'll have to set off today if we want to make it to Alvadas soon enough. D'ye s'pose there'll be any more peddlers peddlin' 'bout between here'n the port?" Having done the math, the amount of food in the hold plus the supplies he'd picked up that day would doubtless be enough to carry them both to Alvadas on fairly tight rations - they wouldn't be anything close to comfortable unless they were to pick up some extra food before leaving the city, but they'd survive. Still, it never paid to be unprepared for anything on the Suvan - a lesson he'd learned the hard way. Unpleasant memories tried to creep into the forefront, but Galys shoved them back out unceremoniously, his inner struggle unrepresented but for a slight shift in weight from his left foot to his right. Regardless, the blue warrior would doubtless be an asset during the journey. Having another man to belay while he figured out their heading would make the trip far less life threatening than it normally would be.

[Imass]

Imass nodded at the seaman's deal. The Akalak would not mind doing chores on a ship. He was young and full of energy. Long days working on a boat would make the time pass faster too. Afterall, if he sat too long out in open water, his mind might get scrambled just like Galys broken commen. Yes it would be an excellent deal. Both the Svefra and the Akalak had absolutely nothing to loose so they both took big risks in one another. This did not matter to them though. They would do it no matter what.

Imass reached out as if to shake Galys whitecap's hand, but instead dropped three gold coins in his hand, "I am known as Imass and I accept your offer! As long as I am traveling with your worthy vessal I am your sailor and you are my captain. Although I have no experience, I will follow every command you give." It was astonishing how quickly the two men had stricken a deal.

The Akalak smiled at the salty man and picked up his single backpack. After he accepted the proposal officially, a wave of relief sunk down his spine. It was set in stone now. There was no way to get out of this. Imass would travel to Syliras or die trying. No more doubt, no more dread, just acceptance. Imass just made a deal with Galys and there was nothing he could do about it anymore.

"Very well. It is less than an hour until sunset. Shall we be off then?" Imass said casually as he looked at the vessal they would be traveling in, "What do I do captain?" Imass looked at the coils of ropes sitting around, the crates of supplies, and other articles. Almost everything on the ship was foreign to him. He had no idea what every other sailor's tool did. Looking at all the knots and hooks scared him a little.

Taking a deep breathe, Imass was ready for everything, but unfortunately not prepared for anything.

[Galys]

Having gone aboard shipI assume. I'm not sure exactly where we are, but there aren't really any coils of rope, crates, etc anywhere but inside of the ship's interior, so you'd have to be on the ship in order to see the pieces of equipment you described and set down the crate in the fore hold, Galys empied the three coins into his pocket and replied, "Welcome to Laviku's Wind. Ye can start off grabbin' ahold o' that rope, there, an' readyin' ta haul away on me mark." He set about then untying the ship from its tethers to the docks. Thankfully, she'd not been stolen during his time in the town. She bobbed in the tide - Laviku's Wind, a wizened old Casinor, had long ago settled into a steady rhythm as she rocked back and forth, fore and aft. Galys and his mentor had made some changes to the ship, that the living cabin laid between two holds; one hold sat aft of the cabin and the other to its fore. Several hammocks were strewn about the cabin, one hanging in the aft, starboard corner. A table was fastened to the ground by aid of nails, an upturned bucket lying next to it, serving as a seat, and a carven wooden bench sat attached to the wall on either side of the room. There were other knick knacks and random seeming pieces of equipment lying about, but overall the Casinor's cabin was relatively empty.

[Imass]

Imass stared at Laviku's Wind in all its glory. Despite being a small boat, it seemed to be finely crafted and expertly maintained. The ignorant Akalak reveled in the moment. The thirty foot long ship had a cabin between holds. The ship was perfect for the expedition; there was an awesome cabin and hammocks for people to sleep.

The young Akalak openly praised Laviku's Wind, "It is a fine vessel Mr. Galys. The ship's tall sail must propel the ship at tremendous speeds. Also the compact size of the boat will make it easier to navigate through difficult shallows?" Imass made it apparent right away that he would be asking questions. Everything the Akalak did, he tried to be the best. Also it was important that the youngster channel his energy into the task ahead of him or else his mind would wander and his dark side would emerge.

Taking a deep breathe, Imass stepped forward and stopped to the threshold of the dock. Taking a long look over his shoulder, Imass knew this was the last chance to change his mind. Once he stepped on the boat it was onward to Alvadas and then Syliras. If he wanted to stay back he would have to decide now. Imass tried to meditate for just a moment to find his answer. He knew right away that meditation wasn't going to happen. He would not chicken out now.

The young Akalak turned his back on Riverfall and boarded the vessel. He grabbed onto the rope that Galys indicated and held on strong, "What do you need me to do?"

[Galys]

Sitting near the rudder and pointing toward a collection of ropes tied securely to belaying pins he uttered, "If’n ye want’a get ‘elpful, get ta haulin' the halyard so's we can get out'a port, I'll keep us from wreckin' on th'other ships in port. Keep 'er steady, only let out a bit'o' sail at a time, we don' want'a rip the sails clean off.” Obviously, that wouldn’t happen in these winds, but keeping newer sailors on their toes around Laviku’s Wind was always a concern. She was an old gal, and no matter how well maintained she was, she still groaned in mild protest as she made her way slowly out of port, waiting for her sails to be unfurled, even slightly.