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11:25 pm, Monday:
The apartment smelled a little of fish, even though there was no seafood to speak of on the entire level. It was a slight mess, with a few dishes misplaced here, some pillows piled there, and a box of munitions sitting in the corner. However, one box seemed to stand out amongst the clutter. A bright red, leather case, a small note of parchment next to it reading "In the Bedroom", and inside a golden, reflective shell with beautiful and intriguing lines curving and wrapping around it's surface in an elaborate design. It was connected to a leather string, making it a necklace that was destined to fit Ebonbreeze just right.
Inside the bedroom, however, lay Nishk. Asleep on the pile of mammoth and rhino furs he called a bed, with a bottle of wine in one hand a pair of glasses in the other. He looked a little beaten and bruised, maybe a few places where his fur looked like it had a run in with Abominus, but nothing too bad.
9:59 pm, Monday
The creaky old supply ship motored it's way back towards the coast, the lush pine-wood forests of the Grizzly hills visible in the far off distance. At the helm of the wheel stood an old orc, his green skin having dulled long ago into an almost gray color, and his face wrinkled and scarred. He wore an eye patch, which didn't seem necessary as it was a mystery how he saw anything the way he would squint, his good eye more like just another line in his face. Clenched between his teeth was a pipe, a small pillar of smoke flowing out of it. "Mmr, sm bmmy, mm mr wurt t?" he mummbled through clenched teeth to the battered and bloody tauren slumped against a pile of coiled rope. Nishk was in his full armor, covered in black slime, seaweed and a bit of blood. He was just coming to, his eyes only opening up enough to examine the old captain who drove him.
He took a moment to try and figure out what exactly he was being asked before the old orc turned to him, taking the pipe from his mouth and repeating his inquiry. However, it seemed it was equally impossible to make out what he was trying to say even without the pipe, so Nishk simply smiled and nodded. It was the safest rout to go, as in Nishks' experience, the gesture could either be taken as a straight "yes", a sarcastic "no", or a simple "I don't know", and more then often the other person would just fill in which specific response it's supposed to be on their own. The captain must have taken it as a positive response, as he smiled and nodded at the bull before returning his attention to the waters ahead.
Clenched in the hunters fist, a majestic golden shell that gleamed in the moonlight.
9:02 pm, Monday
"Nishk!" she said, her voice sweet yet stern "Nishk, my dear dear explorer..." The high elf looked over the bull as he was held restrained by her crew. The ship swayed back and forth in the churning waters as it was bombarded by sheets of rain from the black skies above. The captain herself was a gorgeous woman, given all the things a man wanted. A figure eight curve, hair that never seemed to fizzle or grease, and a face that could make the heavens cry with envy and the earth tremble with lust. She was Captain Teala Blacksworn, and she was a long time "friend" of Nishk.
"You know, I bet you thought you lost me in that glacier field, didn't you?" she smiled sweetly, cupping the bulls chin "But not quite, the Maiden here is made of stern stuff. A little ice is hardly enough to deter her. But enough about your childishly antics, running away from an old friend." Her grin seemed to twirl and the edges, her fingers running down the bulls chest. He scowled and struggled, but the ogre that held his arm back was twice his size, and ten times stronger then he. "Now where is it? The Mermaids heart? I know that you have it, otherwise you'd be dead, and in the belly of an army of murlocs." She examined him once more, folding back torn flaps of leather and cloth as she did a quick glance. "Don't be stubborn dear, just tell me and I'll let you go. I'm sure you'll have no trouble swimming back to shore." The collective mass of pirates surrounding them shared a chuckle. "Or, I can have Durg just...tear you apart and find it." She looked Nishk in the eye, her own filled with such malice and intent to kill, that it was usually more then enough to get what she wanted. But not with this bull, no. He'd learned long ago that, even as terrifying as she was, she wasn't as capable as her menacing aura would suggest.
But right now, Teala didn't need to stare him into submission. He had two choices that were clear cut and simple: Surrender the treasure and be tossed into the sea, or refuse and get torn to shreds. And it wasn't like Nishk to be the martyr. "It's in my quiver. Towards the bottom." he muttered, hanging his head in defeat. Teala tore the leather quiver from his side, cutting the strap with her sword before dumping the arrows onto the floor. They clattered about before a defining thud, the golden clam hitting the floor without so much as a bounce.
The elf picked it up and grinned, taking a knife from her side and gently placing the blade between the "lips" of the clam. She took great care as she wiggled the steel up and down, persuading it to open as carefully as she could so not to damage the goods. And with a click and sudden blinding flash of crimson light, the treasure sprang open. The light burned bright as the elf and the rest of her crew shielded their eyes. The red pierced the sky's, parting the clouds directly above them in a violent twist of wind, revealing the dimming sky above before the clouds plugged the hole. It took a moment, but Teala finally adjusted her eyes just enough to view the true prize. The Heart of the Mermaid, a blood red pearl. It emitted a glow and seemed to steam a little bit, red vapors twisting around the precious "stone". She was struck with awe, as were the rest of those who viewed it in all it's glory. Slowly, the captain reached for it, plucking it with her fingers and letting it roll into her palm as she turned her hand over. A warm pulse throbbed forth from the pearl, the glow pulsating with it- it was beating, just like an actual heart. Slowly, the pace grew, the beating became faster and faster and Teala was helpless to look away. She was in a trance, totally oblivious to the blood-red raid that now fell on the ship, or the winds that tore the sails from their masts, or the bright red veins that were becoming visible in her pale face. A small bead of blood ran from her nose, and her eyes shifted from a strong blue glow to a matching crimson red. Her crew, however, were all too aware of the events suddenly taking place, members being thrown overboard and scattering for cover as the storm raged around them.
Nishk, however, found it gave him the exact opportunity he needed, as the ogre released him when a bolt of red lightning punched a hole through his skull. The bull barreled forward, pushing his way past panicking sailors who were to busy trying to survive to detain him. Almost to the edge of the ship, he paused and looked over at the high elf, her skin turning a ghastly white while red veins pulsed visibly just beneath the alabaster flesh. She was still entranced with the pearl, holding it in both hands as his pulsed a violent red light. But at her feet, shimmered the two golden halves that housed the ancient force that seemed determined to end all those a board the Widowed Maiden. As quickly as possible, he ran towards her, snatching up his prize and driving as hard as possible towards the edge of the ship. A swift kick off the railing, and he found himself air-born, clutching the treasure against his chest as tight as possible. Time seemed to slow as he plunged towards the churning sea, the sounds of panic and screams behind him barely audible over the winds and waters. The sky was black as red rain fell on them, however it did little to fight the fires that had started from lightning strikes aboard the ship. Crew men ran and dove over-board as well, while in the center of the chaos stood Teala, her pose unchanged even as waves rocked the boat with such violent intents to capsize it, that it threw men over board. The water itself, the tauren quickly found, was cold. And that cold sensation was the last thing he felt before a part of the mast broke free from its rigging, and crashed down on the bull.
7:26 pm, Monday
The horrific shriek that emitted from the massive murloc was in itself enough to kill a man. It flailed and twisted as the icy-blue tip of the hunters staff, shaped like a scorpions tail, pierced through the scaly flesh of the Bllrgblug, King of Murlocs. The two struggled on the top of a massive pillar of rock that jutted out of the twisting ocean. Scaling the stony sides where the minions of Bllrgblug, hundreds of murlocs crawling forth from the sea and climbing to join their master in the fray at the peak. They were like a shifting coat of color from the distance, as greens, blues, and oranges scampered higher and higher.
They were almost to the top, and when that happened, Nishk knew damn well that he'd be torn asunder by the legions of fish men. But their King was far from down for the count, as a webbed claw swung for the bulls head. A quick duck and counter-attack were met with another round of horrible shrieks from the beast. It wasnt enough, and without any extra space to draw his bow, the hunter knew damn well that he wasn't going to make this without some sort of intervention from Por Ah, and out on the violent sea with nothing but howling winds and hard rains coming from the heavens, it seemed Por Ah would not be able to aid the bull.
Suddenly, without warning, a blazing ball of flame soared through the air and smashed into the stone pillar sending flaming murlocs flying in every which way direction. From below, a ship fired again, the burning projectile exploding on impact and sent tremors up the structure. It was enough to make both Nishk and the Murloc King to take pause, glancing down at the vessel. It was a sturdy ship, either human or goblin in design, with black sails and many a canon on deck to launch another volley of fiery death. "Teala..." Nishk grumbled under his breath. Glancing back at the still startled monster, the bull took the opportunity to put some distance between them. His bow was off his back and arrows notched before the fish-demon knew the fight had begun once again, the arrows that pierced his chest were his only notice. Not enough to fell him, but any damage the hunter could inflict was a plus. The battle resumed once more, the two twisting and battling one another, occasionally staggering back and regaining their balance as more explosives collided with the platform.
The battle raged on for a few minutes, some extra time earned by the pirates that bombarded the advancing waves of murlocs. A swift jab to Bllrgblugs eye proved more helpful then planned as the spikes adorned on the weapons head scratched the beasts eye, causing it to stagger back in pain, swinging blindly. And then, an opening was made. The beast flailed and twisted in an attempt to deter Nishk as he charged forward, batting a wild claw strike with his fore arm, and thrusting his spear through the Murloc Lords belly and out his back.
The shriek that followed was horrible, a painful wail that pierced every other sound that stormy night. No thunder nor wind nor explosion could cover the bitter death-song of the Bllrglblug. It was joined by a chorus of lighter shrieks, as layer upon layer of murloc cried out to their dying king, and in the height of their cries, they began to peel off the rocky walls and plunged into the churning waters below. Hundreds and hundreds of murlocs dove, screaming into the water, like whistling bombs of living flesh. And then, it was over. No murloc remained clinging to the walls, save a few burnt ones that were unlucky enough to be caught near a fiery explosion. All that remained on the cliff was Nishk and the now slain murloc king. His carcass, with all it's twisted and grotesque features, seemed much worse now that it was dead. Taking a knee, the bull removed his weapon and put it aside. Slowly, he opened the murlocs jaws and reached down it's throat. So deep, that he found himself shoulder deep when he found what he was looking for. From the slimey stomach of the hideous beast came a beautiful and elegant clam, it shined even though there was no light in the sky to reflect.
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Grant me the serenity to accept that which I cannot change, the courage to change that which I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
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