VanCleef

As Cruxis charged the goblin pirate that lounged upon the wooden platform, a shout tore thru the air at the top of the ship. A twisted green face that sported a pirate’s hat peered over the edge of the rail, his expression one of fury. Then it disappeared, and the sound of running feet could be heard all along the causeway. A sense of dread filled Drissilda’s heart as she glanced at the next ramp they would have ascended. Her arms were raised in mid-heal, the Refresh spell she had been about to apply to their Life-tapping warlock forgotten for the moment.

“Cruxis...” Her voice was shallow with fear, a mere whisper. “Cruxis, THEY’VE SEEN US! RUN!”

Kale glanced up from where he had been busily stabbing the goblin worker in the back, his eyes widening as about fifteen of the crew poured down the ramp, lead by the notorious Captain Greenskin. The rogue never had a chance; they had hacked the young human to pieces before Drissilda even had a chance to heal him. Merlinda gave a shriek of fear from the corner she had been blasting fireballs from, taking an unwise step backwards and plummeting to her death on the deck below. Plea grabbed Drissilda’s arm, dragging the young Priestess away from the sight of her brother Cruxis, who was going down under a wave of slashing blades and one wicked looking harpoon.

“JUMP!” Screamed the warlock, as she gave her Night-elf friend a push towards the edge of the platform. The group of pirates had finished hacking apart the young warrior, and now had their sights set on the two robed women. Trying to buy some time, Plea sent Klathgorg into the fray, the giant blueberry of a Voidwalker blocking them from sight for a moment. Drissilda stood stunned, staring out at the huge wheel that seemed so far away. She could never jump to there, could she? A mighty shove from the delicate looking human decided for her. She was forced to leap for the wheel, her legs giving way as she landed on the very edge of it. Remembering her friend, the girl quickly scrambled away from the edge, giving Plea room as she landed beside her, swaying unsteadily. Drissilda reached up, catching the brown-haired girl’s arm before she could fall backwards to her death. The two women clambered up to the topmost part of the wheel, clinging to one another in shaky fear as they watched Klathgorg finally dissipate under the salvo of weaponry that the pirates wielded. Now the defias-clad pirates were crowding around the edge of the causeway, arguing about who should attempt the neck-breaking jump to slaughter the two trapped survivors. Green arms parted the crowd, shoving the humans aside as their captain pushed his way to the forefront. His beady yellow eyes narrowed at the sight of the warlock and priest huddled in relative safety atop the gargantuan wheel. Adopting a greasy sort of smile, he would call out to the two of them.

“Ladies, why dontcha hop down offa that hunk o’ wood? I promise these ‘ere ruffians won’t do you no ‘arm… I just wants to ask ye a couple ‘o questions, then ye can be on yer merry way.” His squeaky voice rang of insincerity, and those glowing eyes bespoke murder or worse in their gaze. Plea especially did not like how they lingered on her slender form, raping it with his gaze. In answer to his false claim, she would fling out her hand, a curse of agony warping him for a second into the screaming monstrosity he truly was. As the curse faded from his shuddering body, he would cast a murderous look at the two of them, making Drissilda flinch under the Death she saw in that gaze.

“So be it… I’ll get ye down from there, even if I has to blast ye down with a cannon! Don’t be thinkin’ I need yer selves alive and in one piece fer what I want!” A snap of his gnarled fingers, and half of the defias pirates went back to their normal patrols and positions. The eight or so left he directed to begin to move a cannon from the top deck to the bottom, where the base of the wheel could be blown off. Knowing that their safety lay in the perch that they had secured, the two women peppered the pirates with Curses and Words of Pain. The going was slow agony for the pirates, only their fear of the captain who loomed over them keeping them going thru the pain. But as one after the other came to a groaning halt, Captain Greenskin made a face. Waving his hand to halt the cannon moving, he redirected the Pirates to positions slightly out of the range of the two casters, and bade them merely not allow an escape. Turning his glare upon the Night elf and her human companion, his words would hiss from between his cracked lips.

“Ye can’t stay vigilant an’ strong forever. That magick ye be usin’ will burn out sooner or later, an’ ye’ll have to stop for a rest. I’ll be waitin’ when that ‘appens, don’t ye forget that!” Plea, ever the rebellious one, makes a rude sign in his direction, facial expression hardened against the fear she felt inside.

“Go boil your ugly green head, pirate! You’ll never lay a finger on either of us, you hear me?!” Her bravado falls upon deaf ears as the Pirate captain storms away, back up to the top of the ship, leaving them under heavy guard. Shaking arms wrap around the warlock’s waist, as the priestess buries her head in the girl’s shoulder, bursting into quiet sobs. Sorrow at the loss of their three companions falls over Plea like a veil, and she returns the hug, tears leaking from the corners of her fawn brown eyes. A soft whispering echo’d over the water as Drissilda gave the fallen three a final prayer. Her brother’s she lingered over the longest, speaking the words in their native tongue with a voice that shook and choked. Her purplish pink skin was stained with tear tracks by the time she finished, and the girl wiped her glowing eyes upon an increasingly damp sleeve. They huddled there on their scant refuge, unaware of a pair of piercing blue eyes that viewed them from above.

Captain Greenskin approached Vancleef with something akin to fear, taking off his shoddy hat and giving the man a deep bow. His long ears flopped as he straightened, replacing the hat.

“As Yer Lordship can see, we have ‘ad five intruders. They killed me two brothers, me firs’ mate, and wounded the Ogre pretty badly as well. We thought ‘e were dead at firs’, but it was justa ‘arsh beatin’. Our medics managed ta patch the brick ‘ead up just fine. We suspect they was after the bounty on yer Lordship’s ‘ead. Three o’ ‘em be already dead on the decks, an’ I promise ye these two will join ‘em before long…” Nervously, the Goblin captain awaited an answer from the black-clad male that gazed down upon the two women from the shadows of the ship’s deck rail. No doubt the noise had disturbed the man into coming out to see this ruckus’s origin. Captain Greenskin did not know what to make of the quiet, deadly man and the Defias that were his loyal servants. His insane anger at Stormwind and its nobles had driven the cunning mind to evil and sadistic purposes. Purposes he considered completely justified given his treatment by the people of Stormwind. It was hard to fathom what he was thinking behind the blood red mask that he wore just below those startling blue eyes. The captain shifted nervously, awaiting his master’s beratement for allowing the intruders to get so far and disrupt his plans. When Edwin VanCleef spoke, it was a soft, deadly voice one might associate with a poisonous snake.

“I don’t like screw-ups, Captain. And this was very nearly a complete disaster.” Blue eyes shifted from the trapped adventures to the jumpy goblin. “…They have meddled so closely that I very nearly had to deal with them personally. This is… Unsatisfactory.” Pinning the pirate with his distasteful gaze, he let the man writhe in fear for a moment before releasing him from the stare. Once again he let it fall upon the two women. He could vaguely hear the voice of the Night Elf as she offered up prayers for the dead. His gaze lingered upon her, as if trying to pierce her very soul.

“…I have decided, Captain. Their punishment will be a bit more painful than death.”

“But sir,” Sputtered the unfortunate goblin, “I’m not sure we can get ‘em down from there alive. Dead is easy, but those little witches can curse the skin right off ye if’n ye try to drag ‘em down…” The green skinned man wilted beneath that soulless gaze once more.

“Then I’ll take care of it myself.”