Out in the middle of the sea, a ship sailed freely and headed toward Stormwind. The sails were black with a red wolf emblem prominent in the center of the mainsail. The sailors, different men and women of either faction, were mopping the deck and several were singing and laughing as they cleaned the ship. At the ship’s wheel, the captain looked down at his men. They were a rowdy bunch this time around, but something made him rather uneasy.
His second noticed and the goblin jumped up upon a rail and took a seat. “What the fuck has your attention?” the goblin said, looking down at the rugged bunch of sailors.
“Something’s not right,” the captain said. He locked the wheel in place and walked toward his companion. Red strands of hair flowed around his face as his blue-green eyes peered at the deck below.
“Well, no shit. Look at that scum we hired. Bunch of fucking losers!” the goblin shouted and the sailors below cheered. The goblin chuckled, but the captain wasn’t amused.
“No...” He took his spyglass off his utility belt and looked down below. “One of these is not... One of these is a Rat.”
“A rat. They’re all scoundrels, Wolf.”
Captain Seawolf shook his head and closed his spyglass. “A Rat. One of those Ratz.” He turned to look at the goblin. “Ziggly...a Rat.”
The goblin grimaced and looked down once more. “Fuck. I thought they were going to leave us alone.”
“He’s not spying on us, but he’s here.”
“How the fuck did you figure this out?”
Captain Seawolf smiled and walked away from his friend. “A seahorse warned me before we set sail.”
“What the fucking hell, Wolf? A seahorse? I mean, ok, you communicate with animals with this fucking weird talent of yours, but seriously...a seahorse?” He jumped off the rail and followed the Captain down to the main deck as another sailor ran up to the wheel. “When the fuck do you have time to talk to seahorses?”
Seawolf laughed and he stood on the deck before the main one. “Back at the tavern, before we set sail, you were fucking flirting with the whores.”
“Aye, and I could have fucked them if you weren’t all ‘Let’s get the fuck out of here.’ So?”
“So, I was talking to one of the ladies there...and she warned me.”
Ziggly furrowed his brows as he tried to remember every single whore he flirted with. His eyes widened and he chuckled. “Wait, wait...seahorse. That blonde with the seahorse tattoo on her boob?” The Captain nodded. “OH! Well, ok then. She said there’s a Rat here?”
“Pointed him out and everything.”
“And we’re going to exterminate some rats today?”
“Let’s see what the fuck he wants and if it’s not worth our time, we’ll see how well a Rat can swim, hm?” Captain Seawolf chuckled and placed a hand on his pistol as he walked down to the main deck. “I don’t want any fucking Rat King shit on my ship.”
Ziggly laughed and rubbed his hands together. “I love seeing Ratz walk the fucking plank!”
The bells rang in Booty Bay and sailors began to stock ships. They laughed and sang. New crew members were being hired and drunken sailors were trying to avoid getting caught off-guard and falling off the plank. Being used to stocking his ship early, the crew of The Darkmoon Rising was almost done with their supplies and goods. At the wheel, Captain Seawolf gazed out at the sea, checking out the waves and the breeze.
“Seems like we’re good to go, Wolf,” the dark haired goblin said as he wiped his nose. “Let’s blow this fucking joint and go home.”
Seawolf smiled and nodded. “Alright, let me go pay the innkeeper and we’ll get on our way.” The Captain walked away and his goblin companion nodded.
“It’ll be good to go home,” he said, turning away toward the crew.
“As long as we get there safely and without trouble.” When Seawolf turned to walk off the ship, he stopped and his smile quickly disappeared. “Oh fuck...”
An elegantly dressed undead man in a pinstripe suit, black wing-tipped shoes, and a large brimmed hat stood on the dock, smiling at him from behind rose-tinted glasses. “Captain Seawolf. You look rather shocked to see me. Perhaps a bit disappointed.”
“Understatement.”
“Oh, now Captain, I’m not the one you should be afraid of,” the undead said, smiling brightly.
“It isn’t fear. It’s the fucking anticipation of what the fuck you’re going to ask. What do you want, Flea?”
“I heard you were heading to the tavern. Perhaps we can sit and chat for a while? I’m sure your ship won’t sail without you. I mean, you are the captain, right?” The Flea smiled, stepping off to the side and making room for the Captain to step onto the dock. “It shouldn’t take long if all goes well.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Captain Seawolf turned back and looked at Ziggly, the goblin, who was chuckling from afar. He shook he head and walked away as the Captain continued on. “Come on. I’m busy.” The Flea nodded and walked beside him.
“I didn’t know you were back in Booty Bay. Last I heard, you had disappeared off the face of Azeroth. No one knew where to find you. It would be so much easier if you simply gave me a strand of your lovely red hair.”
“You are not taking anything from me,” the Captain muttered as he continued to walk toward the tavern. The Flea acknowledged his discomfort and walked in silence until they reached the tavern. The Captain glanced at the bartender and walked to the second floor, where the table he usually accustomed was within sight. He walked to the seat in the corner and gestured for the Flea to have a seat.
“You seem tense, Captain. Perhaps I can buy you a drink?”
“Get to the damn point, Flea.”
The undead smirked and nodded. “Very well. You provided the Rat King a crate of potions a while back with the intent of bringing more. However, his preferences are very specific and while they did the intended job, he wanted something…stronger. As of today, we seem to have lost our connection to these narcotics he was attaining and you are the next one in line for us to contact. We would like to get another crate of potions and to have you continuously deliver them until things are rather settled.”
Seawolf smirked as he leaned back in his seat, his red ponytail resting on his shoulder and his blue-green eyes glowing in the shadows where he sat. “The so-called King needs drugs? Well, that’s a first, isn’t it? What happened to your connections? Dead?” The Captain laughed softly and noticed that the Flea had only offered him a half smile. “I may have to refuse this time. My alchemist may not be interested in doing this, and frankly, I don’t blame them.”
The Flea chuckled dryly and looked down to his cuff, adjusting it a bit. “I don’t think you understand what I’m saying here. I’m not asking to see if you could get us another crate. I’m asking when we could get another crate. A few days? Tomorrow?”
The blood elf narrowed his eyes at the undead. “You have no precedence here, Flea. You do not simply give orders.”
“Captain, do you understand how many Ratz are wandering about here in this disgusting town? Better yet, do you know how many Ratz are on your ship right now?” The Flea leaned forward, his golden glowing eyes vibrant as he got closer into the shadows where the Captain sat.
Seawolf stared at the undead man. He despised undead abominations, even if they seemed somewhat civilized, but this was no ordinary undead. This was a Rat and he hated Ratz worse than undead. “I’ll speak to my alchemist. And since these are negotiations, one hundred thousand gold pieces a crate.”
The Flea laughed. “One hundred thousand?”
“Is your King not worth that much?”
Straightening his head, the Flea smiled. “Forty thousand.”
This time, the Captain laughed. “Forty thousand! No deal. I have to get going.”
“Tell me, Captain, what could the Kingdom offer you?”
“Offer me?” Seawolf laughed and slammed his hands on the table. “I have it all, Flea. I have money, happiness, peace. I don’t need anything from the Kingdom or it’s foolish self-proclaimed monarch! The only thing I want from you all is to leave me the fuck alone!”
“Done.”
“What?”
“Forty thousand gold pieces and we leave you the fuck alone.” The Flea smiled brightly as he tipped his glasses upward.
“That’s not what I meant…”
“By all means, Captain Seawolf, walk away from the bargaining table but remember this: you are alive and living in peace because we will it. At any moment, we could follow you and end your dreams.” He stared at the Captain, who glared at the undead man. His hands rolled into fists and the Flea licked his lips. “Forty thousand gold and we leave you the fuck alone.”
“Don’t you fucking threaten me, Flea. This place doesn’t respect your kind.”
“Undead?”
“Rats.”
The Flea chuckled and folded his hands in front of him on the table. “By when will I be expecting the crate? And where? Here? Where Ratz are not welcome?”
The Captain took a deep breath and exhaled, looking away. “Four days. I have to sail.”
“Where to?”
“None of your fucking business.”
“I only ask to see if maybe I could meet you there. No need to be defensive, Captain,” the Flea said softly.
“I doubt you would go there, but I have some business in Pandaria.”
“I can meet you there.”
Captain Seawolf hesitated as he tapped his fingers on the table. “Fine. Jade Forest. Three days. You be there and nowhere else or the deal is over and we’ll see who’s chasing whom.”
The Flea nodded and smiled. “It is always a pleasure doing business with you, Captain Seawolf. I will see you in three days. Come through with this and we will keep our end of the bargain.” The Flea rose from his seat and adjusted his hat. “There’s no need for violence, Captain. We will be just fine.” He took a few steps away from the table. “Goodbye, Ziggly,” he called out to no one in particular and he walked down the stairs and out the tavern.
The goblin stepped out of the shadows and looked on as the undead left. “How does he fucking do that?” Ziggly turned and looked at Seawolf. “Man you’re fucked.”
Captain Seawolf sighed and leaned back against the chair, a hand over his eyes. “I need to tell Alaia,” he whispered enough for the goblin to hear him.
Ziggly snickered and patted his friend’s knee. “Like I said, man, you’re fucked.”
"Well, there's a voice I haven't heard in a time," the Courier took a brief moment from settling business in Dalaran reply to the familiar voice coming over her Ethereal's beacon. It was with a small fondness she spoke. "Is the Red Wolf staying safe out there? Are you rolling in children yet?" A soft snicker.
“Red. It has been a long time, hasn’t it? I’m strolling about in Dalaran at the moment and for some reason, I thought about contacting you.”
Immediately the meeting was set and the red head elf was singing softly when he stopped and smiled, looking at the woman before him. He placed his hands on the straps around his shoulders and smiled that charming smile he always flashed at women. “Good day to you, beautiful,” the pirate said, bowing his head just slightly enough for respect. “You look especially well. Look at you. It has been a while since we have spoken. And as for the children question you asked earlier…”
The pirate rang out a high pitched whistle and three children ran to him from the store fronts: a set of small twins, a boy and a girl with red flowing hair, and a young boy with sandy hair, older than the twins. They stood beside the Captain and looked up at the woman in red. Captain Seawolf smiled at Safrona and said, pointing to the twins, “Red, this is Lyra and Marcus. You have Taran over here.” He placed an arm around the boy and he turned around to show the baby he was carrying on his back. The child had a tuft of red on his head, his eyes not as fel green as the others, more like his father’s eyes. “And this little one is Cristopher.” The pirate laughed and nodded. “Yes, it appears I’m rolling with children. These are my pride. My pack.”
He laughed heartily. “What have you been doing? We haven’t done business in a while, but the seas have been difficult lately. Tensions between Horde and Alliance strained a bit and it got difficult to walk into Stormwind as easily as I could for a while. And while I hate the feel of magic around here, I feel safer wandering around Dalaran now that I heard that they’ve cleaned up the sewers.” He stared at Safrona for a moment and he smiled. “Their mother is working on the Broken Shore and here I am, touring this blasted city with the children.” He shrugged. “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. How are you, Red?”
The children fidgeted a bit and the twins ran off with Taran to a nearby store to look at the toys through the window.
Select a single gif depicting a secret your character has that few, if any, know. Give zero explanation, be mysterious. Please tag me so I can read them. Here we go!
