Goldtooth Pirates

"Fine, if you've made up your mind, I won't keep you any longer," Nak sighed. "Just remember that you have a friend here!" Nak didn't ask anything else; as far as he was concerned, whether Andy was an Elf or some other race didn't matter—he had done him a huge favor.

Two days later, Andy set off toward the south. Based on his memories of World of Warcraft, there was a vast swamp beyond the southeastern corner of the Barrens. On the eastern coast of that swamp stood a human fortress known as Theramore Fortress. It was the only stronghold the northern human kingdom of Lordaeron had built on this continent. Although he didn't know if the fortress had been constructed at this point in time, he was homeless anyway, so he might as well try his luck there.

Andy bid farewell to Nak and set out alone. The only difference was that this time he carried drinking water and food, unlike his first trek into the Barrens where he had to live off the land. He still had a long way to go from the Crossroads to reach Theramore.

After five days of stop-and-go travel, his water and food were nearly exhausted. Andy rummaged through his pack and shook his head helplessly. It seemed he would have to worry about food again; after all, it wasn't realistic to carry a massive bag filled with all the necessities for the road. Unless, of course, he could get his hands on a magic satchel—a specially stitched bag enchanted by a high-level mage to possess an immense interior space while remaining the size of a small backpack.

Andy scrimped and saved, using the remaining food to last another two days, until finally, at noon that day, his last bit of rations ran out. Fortunately, he spotted what looked like an oasis not far away. Andy walked toward it for a while, and once he confirmed it wasn't a mirage, he quickened his pace. Reaching it sooner meant not only replenishing his water but surely finding food as well.

The oasis wasn't very large, but Andy spotted a strange creature. Dinosaurs! He wasn't seeing things—they were dinosaurs! A species that had been extinct on Earth for countless centuries was actually alive in this world. Although the ones Andy saw weren't the colossal beasts of legend, he decided to wait for them to leave before going out to scavenge.

In truth, what Andy saw weren't real dinosaurs, but rather beasts that looked remarkably similar, known as Raptors; the locals sometimes called them Velociraptors. Their heads bore a striking resemblance to the dragonkin of this world.

The pack of about ten Raptors drank their fill and slowly departed from the small oasis, heading southwest until they gradually vanished from sight. Andy took his waterskin, knelt before the pool of clear water, cupped his hands to drink his fill, and then topped off his skin.

A fish suddenly leaped out from the depths of the pool. "Hey, there's fish!" Andy was overjoyed. Without a second thought, he decided to catch a few to satisfy his hunger. He pulled an arrow from his quiver—a new one, as Nak had made him a full bag of them—and aimed at a fish in the water, thrusting the arrow downward. The fish "whooshed" away.

Andy didn't lose heart. He waited quietly for the right moment, and after a dozen attempts, he finally caught one. The fish was quite plump, and he was sure it would taste good. Andy grabbed the fish and was about to stand up to pick some wild fruit he had seen in the oasis when he arrived.

The moment he started to rise, Andy's eyes narrowed; there was movement behind him. He activated Evasion in secret; if one looked closely, his body seemed to be covered in a faint, shimmering glow. He suddenly put strength into his legs and kicked backward. With a "bang," his foot struck an object.

With a "slap" sound, Andy instinctively dodged to the side. With his Evasion skill active, dodging any attack was effortless. But when he turned around, he couldn't help but be shocked. A group of short, green little monsters had slowly formed a circle behind him. With their large heads, pointed ears, and buckteeth, each one held a dark, pipe-like object, aiming it coldly at him.

Goblins! He hadn't expected to run into these profit-driven creatures in such a godforsaken place.

Andy instantly raised his hands, not daring to make another move. Was this the world's version of a firearm? No wonder that sound from earlier had seemed familiar! Andy stood with his hands raised, staring at them coldly. His Evasion skill had a time limit; there was no way he could dodge so many bullets at once. Besides, these firearms fired iron shot, and he didn't want to experience the taste of a volley.

"Damn it!" a roar came from the nearby bushes. "How is this brat so strong!"

A large Goblin crawled out of the bushes, spitting out grass clippings, and waddled over. Andy was also shocked by his own performance; after his recent advancement, his strength had increased significantly, enough to kick this Goblin six or seven meters away.

"Brat, you're unlucky to have run into me!" the large Goblin glared. "Strip him of all his weapons!" As he spoke, two Goblins swarmed forward, taking Andy's bow, arrows, curved blade, and even his skinning knife. Another Goblin rummaged through Andy's pack, finding nothing but the waterskin. "He's a pauper!" the Goblin muttered.

"Brat, do you know who I am?" the large Goblin asked, shaking his head.

Andy looked at the Goblin with a cold sneer. The creature wore three earrings in a row on his right ear and two large rings on his left hand that looked like gold. When the large Goblin opened his mouth, two large gold teeth were embedded in his buckteeth, one on the top and one on the bottom.

Andy shook his head and said nothing.

"This brat doesn't even know who you are, yet he dares to wander here. I think he's tired of living!" one of the Goblins said to the large one, brandishing his firearm.

"Hmph, tell him who we are!" the large Goblin commanded.

"Listen up, brat! We are the Big Goldtooth Pirate Crew, and this is our boss, Master Goldtooth!" the Goblin said, looking incredibly proud.

Andy stared blankly at the large Goblin. Goldtooth? Wasn't Goldtooth a Kobold? When did he become a Goblin? It must be a coincidence of names. Andy chuckled and said, "To be this arrogant and proud while being a pirate, that's really something! Tell me, 'Goldtooth' or whatever, can you not share a name with a dog?"

"Damn it, you're tired of living!" the Goblin cursed. "I'll finish you!" He raised his firearm and prepared to pull the trigger.

Andy was ready to activate Evasion again to dodge the Goblins' attack. It was only because he knew his skill was ready that he dared to mock the pirate.

"Wait!" the large Goblin suddenly shouted. He circled Andy with a pistol in hand, poking his body with the long barrel before continuing, "This looks like an Elf! Oh my, we've struck gold! It was worth coming out here. Elves are hot commodities in the pleasure dens; we're going to make a fortune!"

"Yeah, yeah! It really is an Elf, this is great!" the Goblin who had threatened to shoot Andy cheered as well.

Andy stared at the group of Goblins, dumbfounded. It turned out they were planning to sell him!