"Raise the sails! Set sail!" Big Goldtooth shouted, and the goblins began chanting in unison as they heaved together. The sails on all three masts rose. As the sea breeze caught them, Big Goldtooth's ship quickly sailed out of Ratchet's harbor. Big Goldtooth had also forgotten one of his ship's advantages: it was incredibly fast.
Andy sat in the cabin, feeling the ship rock on the sea. At first, it didn't seem too bad, but after two days of sailing, he finally got a real taste of Big Goldtooth's ship!
That night, a fierce wind suddenly swept across the sea, whipping up rain and enormous waves that rolled over the water one after another. Big Goldtooth was fast asleep when the ship suddenly lurched violently. He tumbled right out of bed.
"Damn it!" Sensing something was wrong, Big Goldtooth hurriedly threw on his clothes. He had barely poked his head out when a wave slapped him back inside. Once dressed, he darted out of the cabin and roused all his pirate brothers. Amid the chaos, Big Goldtooth managed to steady his ship.
Andy sat in the hold, tossed around by the sudden storm until he was completely disoriented. His stomach kept churning, and he couldn't help cursing, "Big Goldtooth, you bastard! You said your ship was steady, but it's rocking so hard I'm about to puke!"
"Shut up!" a goblin shouted. "You're not the only one who's about to puke!"
After a night of being tossed about, the wind and waves gradually died down. But none of Big Goldtooth's men could stand up; some were exhausted, while others were still reeling from the motion. Fortunately, they had made it through safely, and Andy could finally relax. Over the course of that stormy night, he'd repeatedly thought he was going to end up at the bottom of the sea along with Big Goldtooth!
After several more days at sea, the goblins on deck burst into cheers.
"We're here!" Big Goldtooth shouted. "We've reached Booty Bay!"
The cheering woke Andy. Just then, a goblin came to rouse him and tell him to get ready to disembark.
"Hey, Big Goldtooth! You're still alive!" Heavyfist, who had arrived earlier, spotted Goldtooth at Booty Bay's harbor and laughed. "I heard there were huge waves a few nights ago. I thought you'd drowned!"
"Heavyfist, do you really want me dead that badly? If I died, who'd pay you back?" Big Goldtooth grumbled.
"One gold coin, as usual!" An old goblin in charge of the ships at the dock held out his hand.
Goldtooth looked at the man's outstretched palm and chuckled. "Uncle One-Eye, you see, I just went through a terrible storm and suffered some losses. Could you let me off this time?"
"One-Eye, don't listen to him. He caught an elf!" Heavyfist promptly let the cat out of the bag.
"Damn it, mind your own business!" Goldtooth glared at Heavyfist and snapped. Then he looked at One-Eye. Seeing that the old goblin had no intention of lowering his hand, Goldtooth muttered, "Just my luck!" He pulled a gold coin from his pocket and tossed it into One-Eye's hand.
"All right, keep a good eye on my ship. I'm going to take care of the paperwork!" Goldtooth said, starting to head inland.
"Hold on, there's no rush!" One-Eye stopped Big Goldtooth. "Take a look at this first." He stepped aside, revealing a notice board behind him.
"All ships arriving here must pay one week's harbor fee before entering port. Ten gold coins for large ships, eight for small ships!" the notice read.
"Well? Got a good look?" One-Eye asked, holding his hand out to Goldtooth again.
"Th-this is ridiculous! Who came up with this rule? It wasn't here the last time I came. You're just making up fees! I'm going to protest! I'm going to see the boss and get him to decide!" Big Goldtooth grumbled, baring his gold teeth. It wasn't that he didn't have the money; he was just making a fuss in the hope of paying a little less.
"What's the matter, Goldtooth? Don't like the rule I made?" a sharp voice called from behind him.
At the sound of that voice, Big Goldtooth instantly deflated like a punctured balloon. He slowly turned around. The newcomer was an older goblin, sturdy in build, wearing a cap that looked like an officer's. Two bodyguards dressed in black stood beside him.
"Boss, I wouldn't dare! I'll pay right now!" Reluctantly, Big Goldtooth pulled another eight gold coins from his pocket and tossed them into One-Eye's hand.
"It's ten!" the goblin boss said. "Your ship counts as a large one!"
"What? But that's—" Big Goldtooth started to protest, but when he saw the goblin boss glaring at him and the cold glint in the bodyguards' eyes, he quickly pulled out two more gold coins and placed them in One-Eye's hand.
"Hmph!" the goblin boss snorted. "That's more like it!" Then he left with his men.
Through a small porthole in the ship, Andy had seen everything that happened at the dock. He wished Big Goldtooth had been fleeced—he should've been charged even more! But when he saw the goblin boss wearing the officer's cap, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. It wasn't strange for Booty Bay's boss to be a goblin, since the place had been built by goblins. But the two bodyguards behind him were human—unmistakably human!
After the goblin boss left, Big Goldtooth sulkily made his way out of the dock and headed toward the nearest administrative office, muttering curses as he went. Heavyfist watched him go with a broad grin, absolutely delighted. His ship was considerably bigger than Big Goldtooth's, yet he'd only been charged eight gold coins!
"Hurry up! I need to take care of the paperwork!" Big Goldtooth dropped into a chair at the administrative office and said irritably.
"Well, well, if it isn't Goldtooth!" A goblin looked up at him. "What happened?"
Pouting, Big Goldtooth briefly explained what had happened at the dock, making everyone in the office roar with laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" Big Goldtooth gritted his teeth. "Hurry up and process my paperwork. I've got cargo to auction off this time!"
"Oh? What are you looking to auction, Goldtooth?" the goblin asked with a smile.
"Slaves!" Big Goldtooth said. "And there's one more—uh, count that one as a slave too!"
"All right, a slave auction!" The goblin quickly filled out a form. After having Big Goldtooth check it over, he said, "There are quite a few items in this auction, so it'll be held three days from now. If everything looks right, pay a five-gold-coin fee and you can take this form and go!"
"What!" Big Goldtooth nearly fell out of his chair. "Three days from now? That's ages! And why's the fee gone up? Wasn't it three gold coins?"
"It used to be three gold coins. Now it's five," the goblin in charge said. "The auction house is still swamped as it is! If you have a problem with that, you can go talk to the boss!"
The moment he heard the word "boss," Big Goldtooth wilted. Resigned, he dropped five gold coins on the desk, shoved the form into his shirt, and turned to leave the office.
"What a mess! I haven't even done anything, and they've already swindled me out of sixteen gold coins!" Big Goldtooth grumbled as he headed back toward his ship. But when he thought of the elf in his hold, he felt a little better.
Worst comes to worst, I'll set the elf's price a little higher. Someone's bound to buy! Big Goldtooth made up his mind, grinned, and climbed aboard his ship.
Before you continue