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“Where the hell are these wretched coming from?” The goblin had killed three more in just the ten minutes they were amongst the trees on Quel’Danas Isle. The wretched fell dead at the elf’s feet as he sat with his back against a tree. Each time the damned elves died, Cris noticed the faint white wisps of light rushing toward his large center shark tooth, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger he was feeling.
“These…things only have…enough soul to live. Not…enough for me.”
Ziggly scratched his black slicked-back hair. “Well fuck, that means…” He gazed at the distance, looking at the Shattered Sun Offensive officers. “…That means that you need to kill those asses over there.”
With enough energy to lift his head and twist to glance around the tree, Cristianno’s blue-green eyes looked at the officers and he quickly closed his eyes as he turned back to place. “Unless we can find somewhere else to go before…” The pains in his chest had been going for almost twenty hours. He had twenty-four hours to replenish the tooth before his time was up. Trying to lift his sweat-soaked back off the tree, he leaned forward, only to fall to his side. Ziggly noticed him and sighed.
“Ain’t no way we’re going anywhere. You’ll die on me.” Ziggly sheathed his daggers and ran to Cris’ side, trying to lift him back up. The Captain chuckled, but to Ziggly, he looked miserable. His eyes were sunken in and his moist, glistening skin was starting to look pale. Cris reached for his brown leather-bound book with a shaky hand and leaned his head back against the tree.
“I ain’t gonna die…Zig.”
“Yeah. You should take a look at yourself. I bet your wench would be in tears if she were to see you now.”
Cris forced a smile on his face, but he thought of Niela and how miserable she had been the past few days. This was not something she needed right now. “No…I’m…I’m glad she…isn’t here.”
“Don’t go too far, noobie! You don’t know what those wretched are capable of!”
Ziggly’s ears perked at the shout and looked around the tree, watching a young elf in the SSO uniform walking toward the woods. “I think we have a winner, Wolf.”
Cris opened his eyes and sighed. “What’s...what’s the plan?”
Almost as if his life depended on it, or rather Cris’ life, Ziggly nodded. “Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. That new guy over there is gonna see you on the ground. I’m gonna disappear and pull a few of those wretched over here. They’ll have to attack the guy ‘cause he’s in uniform. They hate it. If new guy kills them, then we kill him. If they kill him, take the soul and I’ll kill the fuckers. Either way, the wretched will be to blame. “
Ziggly glanced around the tree once more. Cris smiled, licking his lips. “You thought it all out, eh? What if they see me leaving?”
“We’ll get you on that dragonhawk quickly and I’ll sneak back to the ship. No one’s going to notice dead guy until you’re completely out of the area. Don’t go straight to Silvermoon. Just…go. For all they know, you left right after you paid the ship fees, so this bastard will be killed by the wretch—Here he comes. Look pathetic!”
“Oh…yeah…sure.” Cris turned his head to his left, waiting for the young officer to walk nearby before he started to moan, a task that wasn’t too hard because he had a strong chest pain at that very moment.
The young elf turned and saw Cristianno lying on the ground. “Sir! Are you alright there?”
“Just…got…attacked by those…things.”
“We need to get you out of here before they come here. But…you look like you’re turning into one of them.”
Cris’ eyes shot open. Fuck, he thought. “What? No, that’s not possible. I’m not a magi—“
The new officer elf leaned toward Cris and grabbed his shirt. “You could be used as a research subject.” He tried to lift him, to which Cris tried hard to resist.
“I just need help getting up. I’ll be fine.”
“Sir, you’re under arrest in the name of the SSO. You will be taken to …”
“…I said I was fine! I was just attacked!”
“…a secure location where we will further investigate your condition…”
“Let me go, fucker!”
“SIR! You WILL come with me now!”
As they struggled, Cris reached for his dagger and finding an opening around his plate armor, he gathered his strength and stabbed his torso. The young elf gasped and released Cris, stumbling backwards. His green eyes were wide open and he was about to scream when Cris fell on top of him, dragging his dagger across the elf’s neck. The scream immediately became a gurgle as blood began to spill down his neck and onto the grass.
“Or that works,” Ziggly whispered from the shadows.
Cris glanced down at the elf, who was barely alive. “I’m sorry, but you need to die now,” he whispered.
“Uh.. Cris… someone’s coming.” The elf seemed to be clinging on to some desire to live and as much as Cris pleaded with him to die, he simply didn’t, in spite of the blood loss. Ziggly became slightly visible and shook Cris, “Seriously, hurry the fuck up!”
“He won’t die!”
“Then keep slicing him! Hurry!”
Cris took his dagger and kept cutting at the elf’s neck, tearing through muscles, tendons, and having blood droplets fall onto his own skin. When he reached the bone, he noticed a white wisp of light heading toward the shark tooth, which was also splattered with blood. Cris looked at the elf’s dead face, his eyes wide open.
“Got it?” Ziggly grabbed Cris’ shirt and felt him shiver. “This way then.” Cris held on tightly to his dagger, his energy returning to him almost instantly, as well as his color and composure, with the exception that he had just viciously killed someone. They hid behind the large tree trunk as the SSO officers approached the body.
“Noobie! Damn it, I told you to watch out! Get more out here. These wretched must die.”
Ziggly saw another tree closer to the shore and tugged Cris in that direction. “Just go. Straight into the water. Wash up. GO!” The shuffling of the officers’ plate armor was loud enough to hide Cris’ shuffle into the water. Ziggly, still hidden, tried hard to hide any blood trail. He waited by the tree to make sure that no one saw Cris disappear.
“Sir, this doesn’t look like a wretched attack.”
“Yes, I noticed that, but there’s no one else around.” Ziggly watched their faces and their eyes as they surveyed the area. “Check the guest ships we have at dock. Make sure that everyone is where they’re supposed to be.” Ziggly cursed silently and sprinted toward the ship, faster than the officers who were heading in that direction. As soon as Ziggly boarded the ship, he glanced over the boat, hoping that Cris would not get caught.
“Lucky Wench!” The officer called out. Ziggly took a deep breath and leaned over the side of the ship.
“What? I ain’t no wench!”
“Where’s your captain?”
“What?” Ziggly’s beady eyes glanced around. “I can’t hear you!”
“Where is your captain!” As soon as the officer finished repeating his question, someone emerged from the water near the ship. His auburn hair was slicked back and the water simply rolled down his bare chest.
“Something the matter, officer?” Cris said with a smile.
“And where were you?”
“Me? I jumped off my ship a while ago to go for a swim. Do I need to pay an extra fee for that?”
The officer glanced him over once, “Since when does one swim with his boots and weapons?”
Cris shrugged and chuckled. “It was a spur of the moment thing. I just dove in. Hell, even that dumbass didn’t notice I was gone.” He pointed up at Ziggly, who rolled his eyes.
“Oh… is that where you went, Captain.” He glared at Cris for a moment and forced out through clenched teeth “My bad.”
“And the weapons?”
“What if I faced a shark? Or better yet, dinner? What’s with all the questions, officer?”
“One of our own has been killed, but although we are assuming it was one of those wretched out there, it doesn’t appear that they would kill him like that.”
“That’s a shame,” Cris shook his head. “If we hear anything, we’ll let you know.”
“Just watch out…Captain.” The officer’s eyes turned to Cris’ large shark tooth. “Interesting piece you have there.”
“Oh this old thing? I’ve had it for years.”
“I’ll say. It has an old blood stain still on it.”
Ziggly closed his eyes and tried really hard to avoid groaning. Cris smiled and shrugged. “When we killed it, we got some blood on it. Been trying to get that damn thing off for years, but nothing works. It gives it personality, don’t you think?”
“Hm, yes, I suppose. Watch your back, Captain. If it wasn’t a wretched, we may have a killer on the loose on the island. Whoever it may be, we’ll catch him.” The officer walked away, heading toward another ship. Cris looked up at Ziggly and he let out a deep breath. Returning to the edge of the water, he reached under the sand for his shirt, rolled it into a ball and carried it onto the ship.
“You didn’t wash the damn tooth!” Ziggly whispered eagerly.
“I did! It’s stained.”
“At least you left your bloody shirt underwater. Did you wash that too?”
“Zig, I’m not stupid. I tried. I’ll have to take it with me.”
“You need to get the fuck out.”
“I will. Just let me get clothes from the cabin and I’m out.”
Ziggly followed Cris toward the cabin and threw the book on the bed. “Almost forgot this, idiot.”
Cris looked back at the book and closed his eyes. “Fuck. Thanks.”
“Hey, no problem. The least this dumbass could do, right?”
“Zig, you know why I said that.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Placing the wet shirt in his bag, he gathered new shirts and threw his book into the bag. “My hair will dry later. I’m going to Silvermoon to bathe and then heading to Thunder Bluff. Send a letter out to everyone. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. And we need to find a new dock. This place isn’t safe for now.” Ziggly nodded and Cris walked out of the cabin.
“We leave when?”
“End of the week. I’ll tell Tia when I see her. Just get a hold of Amy and Laerchel and let Gerty know that we’re heading back to Stormwind.” Cris looked at Ziggly and extended his right arm at him. “Thanks, man.”
Without any hesitations, Ziggly reached out and took his hand. “Hey no prob. How long is that one lasting?”
“Not too long, but I’ll be ready for the next one.” Cris left the ship and walked toward the dragonhawk trainer. So far, he had escaped any further questions, until he had paid the trainer.
“Captain? Leaving us so soon?” Cris stopped and turned, forcing a smile on his face when he saw the same officer walking up from behind him.
“I have to finish my business, officer. We’re planning on leaving by the end of the week.”
“Hm, yes, because leaving now would be suspicious, right?”
Cris laughed. “Wait, are you saying that me leaving now is suspicious?”
“Am I saying that?”
“Look officer, I came here, I paid my fees, I wanted to swim today, and now I have to collect my business before we leave. I’m sorry that it seems coincidental to you, but I’m just doing what must be done.”
“Well, then Captain, by all means, go about your work.” Cris nodded and as he was about to mount the dragonhawk, the officer smiled at Cris. “Be safe out there. I’m sure there are more killers on the mainland than on our little island.”
With a grin, Cris nodded and held on to the reigns tightly. “You have no idea what I’ve seen out there, officer. Be safe.” The dragonhawk took off, taking Cris back to Silvermoon as the officer watched him fly away.
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