The Black Pearl

"Haha, take him away, take him away!" Goldtooth laughed. "Make sure he's kept under tight guard!"

The goblins answered in unison. One untied a rope from his body and bound Andy tightly. After nearly a full day of jostling him along, they finally reached a small pier by the sea.

"Big Goldtooth, when the hell are you going to pay me back?" a deep, muffled voice called from behind.

"So that's who it is. The famous Mr. Heavyfist!" Goldtooth said with a grin. "Why are you in such a hurry? Take a look at this!" As he spoke, Goldtooth pointed at Andy.

"Whoa, an Elf!" Mr. Heavyfist exclaimed in surprise. "How'd you catch one?"

Only when Heavyfist came right up to him did Andy get a good look at this so-called Mr. Heavyfist. A huge bull's head sat atop broad shoulders. A pair of glossy black horns, gleaming with dark light, rose from his head. A glittering gold nose ring hung from his enormous nostrils.

A Tauren!

Andy thought, But weren't the Tauren supposed to be a race that stayed out of worldly conflicts? Why was one of them a pirate?

"Give me the Elf, and we'll call it even. How about it?" Tauren Heavyfist lowered his voice as he spoke to Goldtooth.

"Heavyfist, do you think I'm an idiot?" Goldtooth scoffed. "I only owe you thirty gold from gambling. I could sell this Elf for at least eighty or a hundred. Give him to you? Dream on! I'll pay you back after I sell him!"

Heavyfist still wouldn't give up, and kept pestering Goldtooth. At last, Goldtooth lost patience, waved him off, and said goodbye. Heavyfist shouted a curse after him, reminded him one last time to pay up soon, then stormed off.

"That Heavyfist thinks he can pull a fast one on me. Hmph!" Goldtooth escorted Andy to a small inn by the harbor. "Innkeeper, get me another room!"

"Sure thing!" A bespectacled goblin called to one of the staff as he answered. "Xiao Si, hurry and get the room at the far left upstairs ready. Big Goldtooth needs it for something important!"

Xiao Si was a goblin too. He quickly answered and dashed upstairs.

"Keep a close eye on him. Once we get back, we'll set sail as soon as possible!" Goldtooth ordered. He left four goblins to guard Andy, then took the others and their guns and headed out again.

"Hey, Xiao Si, can I ask you something?" Andy lay bound on the floor of the room. The only thing he could still move was his mouth.

"Oh, honestly, you should've been more careful. How'd you let Big Goldtooth catch you?" Xiao Si glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice. "You don't know who they are? They're all pirates! They kill without blinking. You're really unlucky!"

"Where is this place?" Andy asked.

"This is Ratchet. You mean you don't even know that?" Xiao Si blinked. Seeing Andy's bewildered expression, he sighed. "No wonder you got caught. You don't even know where you are!"

"Ratchet was the first city the goblins built on this continent. Though really, it's more of a harbor than a city. Over time, the harbor saw less use and became a stopover for pirates instead. Luckily for those of us who stayed here, that gave us a way to make a living." Xiao Si gave him a brief rundown.

"Who's that Tauren? I don't understand why a Tauren would be a pirate."

"You mean Heavyfist?" Xiao Si said. "The Tauren really don't get involved in outside affairs much. They keep to Thunder Bluff. Heavyfist must be an odd one out. He was a troublemaker back in Thunder Bluff, and eventually killed someone by accident and fled. He came to Ratchet and joined a pirate crew. After a few voyages, he came back as the first mate of a ship. I heard his crew's called the Defias Pirate Crew, supposedly a branch of the Defias Brotherhood!"

"Xiao Si, are you done yet?" A goblin came in and asked. "Big Goldtooth said you're not to talk to this Elf, and no one else is allowed near him!"

"Yeah, I'm done!" Xiao Si replied. He gave Andy a pitying look, then carried the basin of water out.

Good heavens, the Defias Brotherhood! Andy was astonished. They've even branched out into piracy!

For the next few days, Big Goldtooth and the other goblins came and went through the small harbor town, hauling in fresh water, food, and some "cargo." The cargo was really just loot from their raids, along with some slaves—all Quilboar.

Andy took a few looks at the Quilboar. They were different from Nak's tribe. Every one of them looked listless, as if they'd resigned themselves to being slaves. He only learned where they came from when Xiao Si came upstairs to clean.

These Quilboar had been born into slavery and had spent who knew how many years in the hands of slave traders. The traders couldn't capture slaves from other races, so most of the slaves were Quilboar. There were also some captured pirates, as well as goblins who already held low status among their own kind.

After several days of preparations, Big Goldtooth was ready to set sail. His water and food supplies were stocked, and his cargo had all been loaded aboard. The other pirate crews were doing the same.

"All right, lads!" Big Goldtooth shouted from beside the ship. "Time to set sail! Take that Elf down to the lower deck and make sure he's tied up tight!"

"Don't worry, boss!" one goblin replied. "He's not going anywhere!"

"Big Goldtooth, we're setting off first!" Tauren Heavyfist yelled to him. "Make sure you pay me back when you get there!"

"Why are you so stingy?" Big Goldtooth shouted back. "I'll pay you, I promise!"

As Andy was taken to the ship, he passed Big Goldtooth, who laughed and said, "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl!"

"W-what ship?" Andy thought he'd misheard.

"The Black Pearl!" Big Goldtooth glanced at Andy. "Got a problem with that?"

Andy held back his laughter as he looked at the little ship. He'd be lucky if he didn't drown out at sea. The ship had two decks and three masts, but it was only a little over thirty meters long and probably no more than ten meters wide. Compared with Heavyfist's ship, it was like night and day.

"Hmph, my ship may be small, but it's stable! Heavyfist's ship is big, but it rocks like crazy in rough seas." Goldtooth seemed to have guessed what Andy was thinking.

Two goblins took Andy down to the hold, which was crammed with Quilboar slaves and other cargo. A foul stench filled the entire ship's hold. "So where are we going?" Andy asked.

A goblin tightened the bindings on Andy's hands and feet. "A paradise beyond your wildest dreams: Booty Bay!" The goblin's face glowed with longing as he said it.