The Sinking Ship

The doors to the dingy tavern swung open as Celessarae stepped into the warm interior of the building. The run-down little tavern was located deep within the ruins of Silvermoon City, surrounded by wandering undead and the crumbling remains of a once great people. Given the clientele of the tavern, the dreary, out of the way location served perfectly. The place didn't even have a name, just a creaky wooden sign with the picture of a tankard drawn clumsily on it.

As Celessarae surveyed the interior of the room, she stopped to take in the atmosphere. Beyond the pungent scent of unwashed bodies and smoke the sheer rush of noise that greeted her entry told her that the place was packed for the evening. Everywhere sailors, cutthroats, thieves, and less than reputable businessmen sat, gambled, drank, and fought in the dimly lit room. A few sharp glances around the place told Celessarae that the person she had come to meet would be in the back, towards the better tables closer to the roaring hearth.

She began to weave her way through the crowd, her eyes constantly scanning for her contact while taking in any threats that the place might hold. She saw a few familiar faces amongst the crowd, most notably a large contingent of crewmen from one of her sister ships, the Eversong's Revenge. Crewed mostly by Sin'dorei, she had come to know the sailors of that ship, and their captain, on a personal basis. She nodded greeting to a few of the sailors as she passed, her eyes still searching.

A hand reached out and gave her bottom a firm squeeze as she passed a table filled with particularly inebriated tavern-goers. She paused and looked down at the Quel'dorei elf who still had his hand on her. With a sly smirk she reached over and grabbed his tankard of ale, draining it down in one long gulp and then slamming the heavy pewter object down hard on the elf's other hand. As he waved the wounded appendage frantically to get the feeling back in his fingers, she casually stomped down on his instep with her thick boots, leaving him doubled-over near the table's edge, his friends laughing at him.

She walked deeper into the tavern, snagging another ale from a serving girl as her eyes finally found the person she was seeking near the back of the establishment. The goblin sat at the head of a larger table, as if he were a king presiding over a royal banquet. In some ways he was; the goblin known as Rustbolt was a kingpin in the underworld of shady business and commanded a large number of followers and hired thugs. Nevertheless, Celessarae made her way directly towards the green skinned little figure, her face a cold mask.

The goblin looked at her with a toothy grin as she sat down at the other end of his table without being invited and said, "Well well, if it ain't the captain of the aptly named Shattered Blade. Or should I be callin' ya that anymore? Last I be hearin', a captain needs to have a ship that'll sail before bein' called such."

Celessarae scowled and took a long pull on her ale before slamming down the tankard and wiping her mouth. "Shut it Rusty. You know why I'm here, so let's just cut out the jabber and get on with business hmmm?"

The goblin eyed her with wry amusement. They both knew that she needed his help to repair the magical engine deep within the hull of the Shattered Blade. The device had been damaged during the Shattering of Azeroth when a giant wave had swept over the ship's bow, cracking the mainmast and driving pieces of it through the deck and into the device. Without the engine, the Shattered Blade's sails wouldn't give it enough speed to outrun pursuers, and her days as a privateer would be over.

"You'll be changin' yer tone with me, or you'll be sittin' high and dry for a long time...captain," the goblin replied. "As it is, you'll be payin' four times the normal fee, and givin' me a portion of your next prize when you take one!"

Celessarae's eyes widened in surprise and her lip curled up in a sneer of anger as she replied, "I think you're forgetting about all of the ships that the steamwheedle cartel lost over the past year. Ships that were directly competing with YOUR business. Perhaps they'd like to be hearing about that? Or maybe you want to rethink the price."

Now it was the goblin's turn to scowl at the Sin'dorei as he sat silently. His eyes appraised her, as if calculating risks and profit margins. As his eyes roamed over Celessarae's body, he smirked and said, "There be other ways you can be payin' I reckon. I think I'll be havin' my payment one way or the other. Way I see it, ain't no place fer you to go if you don't deal here. That cousin o' yours ain't gonna fix a pirate ship up all nice and let it sail off."

Celessarae laughed and leaned back in her chair, putting her feet up on the table and placing her hands behind her head. "I have the gold for the standard payment, here and now. I'll throw in half of my next prize when I take one, and that's my final offer."

Even as the words came out, Celessarae realized that she had made a mistake with Rustbolt. The goblins greedy little eyes lit up with excitement on hearing that she had payment on her. He nodded at her and said, "I think I'll be takin' that now then, AND be sellin' you if you survive." He nodded and several of his thugs moved in behind Celessarae at the gesture. One took out a short dagger and plunged it into her side before she even had time to get her feet back under her.

The thug pulled the knife back as Rustbolt smirked at her, only to blink in confusion a moment later as he saw the dagger's point was bent. Through the neat hole in Celessarae's clothing could be seen the glitter of metal. She was wearing a specially crafted shirt of interlocking scales under her doublet, a type that only a Sin'dorei could fit into and clearly magically enhanced to keep it light but strong.

Celessarae smirked as she planted her feet on the floor and said, "Wrong answer." With that, she heaved up the edge of the table, flipping it into Rustbolt's face as the other thugs seated scrambled to get out of the way. She whirled around and her fist connected solidly with the thug that was holding the dagger, laying him flat across a nearby table. The patrons at that table surged to their feet, charging at the thugs standing around Celessarae, thinking it was their fault that their ale was spilled. In seconds the fight spread to other neighboring tables, and soon fists, bottles, and occassionally throwing daggers were flying all of the place as a general melee started.

Ducking under a punch, Celessarae tumbled and rolled past one of the thugs that had been attacking her, sweeping her legs under him and knocking him to the floor where he was promptly stepped on by one of his friends. She leapt to her feet and ran over to the fallen table, heaving it aside to find the bloody-nosed Rustbolt lying prone beneath it, eyes glazed. She bent down and whispered into his ear, "Have the part for me by next week, or I'll come looking for you, and you won't like it when I find you. You'll be getting half the gold I originally offered now by the way. Oh, and one more thing..."

She reached down and picked up a nearby bottle, smashing it over the goblin's head and knocking him out cold. She looked down on the unconscious creature with a smirk, "Don't EVER try to cheat me again. Next time you do, I'll be taking you for a trip on the Shattered Blade, and you won't like the destination, cause it'll be your watery grave."

With that she arose and lithely dodged through the melee all around her, avoiding serious injury with her quick reflexes and concealed body armor. She gave a few people parting shots here and there as they blocked her path, elbowing one particularly persistant patron in the gut and knocking him to the floor before she finally made it to the door. She paused for a moment before stepping outside, almost enjoying the sounds of the fight behind her.

Maybe coming home hadn't been such a waste after all. Who said you couldn't have a good time catching up with old friends and family? With a laugh she stepped out into the haunted ruins, heading back towards her ship.