Several months had passed since Captain James had docked at Pandora and the captain could sense that his destination would soon be upon him. It was a clear day, thank the Gods, and James stood proudly behind the wheel of the Atlantis, watching as his crew scurried about completing various tasks. The Captain surveyed the horizon, hoping to see some sign of land, but instead only saw an endless expanse of light gray. Maybe his intuition was getting a bit rusty after all these years at sea....
And then, a shout from above: "Captain! Land ho!"
All of the crew then dropped what the were doing and rushed to the starboard bow of the ship, each of them hoping to get a glimpse of the unknown land to which they were heading. The Captain, too, peered into the distance from where he stood behind the helm, hoping to get a first look at the mysterious island. They had no such luck; the land was still much to far away to see unaided and it still appeared as a slightly blackish skid across an otherwise monotonous landscape.
"All hands on deck, men; let's go get some treasure!" James commanded loudly, his voice excited. Immediately all of the men picked up their previously abandoned tasks. This time, though, there was an energy almost like electricity buzzing among them as they worked. The sun was starting to fall in the sky by the time the Atlantis was close enough to the island to dock. The entire process of dropping anchor went without a hitch and soon James was leading an expedition of ten men onto the shore. "Told her I'd get here first," James thought absently, having seen no sign of his rival's ship. "She always gets lost." The captain was still lost in his wandering thoughts when a shout from the other boat roused him.
"Uhm, Capt'n? There's a ship heading straight for ours," the man, who James remembered went by the name of Smith, pointed back out to see and James wanted to groan with frustration when his eyes recognized Captain Coreliss's ship. "But I guess sometimes she doesn't get as lost as others." James shook his head and then turned back to face the island who's shore was now within meters.
"Don't worry about Captain Coreliss- that book will be ours." The Captain hopped out of the small boat and his men did the same, cheering at his words as they finally stepped foot on the sand.
The beach was untouched and pristine, the sand a creamy white color that glittered underneath the late day sun. A swift breeze was starting up and James looked over his shoulder at the Atlantis and noted that the clouds in the distance were starting to darken and accumulate. The sea was unpredictable and, no matter how sunny and perfect the day had been early on, a strong storm could spring up at any time. The strong winds swayed the tall coconut palms and James couldn't help but notice how utterly serene this place was. Could this island really be home to an ancient city? It looked as if people had never set foot here, let alone thrive.
All of Jame's doubts vanished, however, when the landing party rounded the tip of the seemingly-small island. A vast expanse of shore and cliffs and jungle lined the coast, almost as far as the eye could see. But something stood out among the nature: a crumbling stone building. Several crumbling stone buildings. And one in particular was grabbing James's attention: there, nestled on the edge of a tall ragged cliff, was a rather large structure that had remained relatively intact. Not even the jungle had taken hold of the old, gray stone walls. The Captain found this fairly odd and decided that there must be something different about that structure. "Up there," he pointed, calling out to his men, "There is where we will find our book, gentlemen."
After another hour of traipsing through thick jungle growth, the party finally reached the steps of the mysteriously untouched stone structure. Amazingly, the doors were intact and operational so the party had no problem making their way inside. James and the rest of his crew stood in a shocked silence as they stepped inside, marveling at the condition of everything around them. They had somehow stumbled upon an ancient library of sorts and old tomes and scrolls lined every available wall, filling every shelf to the brim. It was.....amazing. How could something like this survive here without someone to maintain it? How had this place not fallen to the wills of the sea?
James didn't know the exact reason for this places's existence but he did know one thing: he was definitely in the right place.
((.....I kind of got excited. Oops. ))
