I could tell that the murlocs were armed and that made them quite dangerous, but I also could see something that made me catch my breath. Like the tip of an iceberg far out in Northrend, there was a ship's mast jutting out of the water and it was fairly close to the land. Was this the Silver Dawning? It had to be.
To my good fortune, I had always found it a simple task to meld into the shadows. I blended easily into the rocks just above the cove and watched the murlocs scurrying around. When darkness fell, I would make my move towards the wreck. In the meantime, I rested--occasionally turning to observe a group of thistle bears and striders behind me. I could make bear steaks later, if I hungered, but for now I was satisfied just to wait.
I was at that place where I was too tired to sleep but the peacefulness of the evening was rejuvenating and by the time the stars began to peek from their hiding places above me, I was ready. Creeping into the water just south of the gigantic shell and its inhabitants, I began to swim towards the submerged vessel. Just before reaching the mast, I drank the first sip of the potion Steelhand had given me. Miraculously, I found I could breathe normally, even when I put my head beneath the surface. And so I dove.
The wrecked ship looked black, its shape barely discernible in the inky sea. I swam toward the place where I knew it would be, waiting for my sight to adjust. I hadn't counted on the fact that murlocs can also breathe underwater. No sooner had I begun my descent into the hull of the ship, than they came at me, their little spears like so many miniature tridents and their squeals seemingly of delight.
The simple bow I carried was almost not enough to subdue these creatures. They may have been dumb, as the old man had told me, but they were sneaky. Four of the five of them had magic. As I darted here and there, bow twanging, they were casting at me as fast as I could dodge. Several times I was stunned by their spells and finally I melded and hid in the shadows. The vicious little monsters soon thought that I was gone and, with the skill of a rogue, I passed by the sentries and into the belly of the Silver Dawning.
At first I could not see anything, and I dared not use any light even though I carried a Star of Elune in my traveler's pack. The creatures just above my head were making a strange chattering noise that was unnerving but helped me to pinpoint their location. I searched somewhat randomly, trying to avoid broken beams in the great cavity that was once a mighty hold. Then, as I drank my second swig of potion, I saw it. Tucked away, in the farthest and darkest corner of what might have been the captain's quarters, something emitted a faint sparkle.
I had to investigate as it was almost beckoning me forward. When I had swum towards the shiny particles, they slowly took shape. It was a box. A lock box--small, with a little metal handle that caught the moonlight and caused the glistening. I tried to pop the lock but it wouldn't open. This did not deter me. I felt that this was Captain Kenundrom's secret box deep in the roots of my believing. Hiding it beneath my dark brown tabard, I began the ascent to the surface.
Surprisingly, the murlocs appeared to be gone when I got back to the deck. There was one body lying where I had left it, so I checked the corpse and found a stash of clam shells. They popped open and revealed some raw clam meat. This would make an excellent supper and I began to feel the pangs of hunger. The thistle bear, the grouper and the clam meat...what the humans would call surf and turf. I laughed out loud. This almost proved to be my undoing.
Out of the murky sea there came a creature much more intense than the murlocs. It had four legs that were short and chunky, a long neck that arched, and a tail that seemed to create balance as it swished through the waters. A thresher! I had only heard tell of threshers in my Tomes of Learning, but I knew that they bit so severely that the bite could become infected and prove fatal. With a swift kick up from the deck, I grabbed hold of the mast where it jutted above the surface just as the thresher reached me. At first I thought it was going to crawl right up into the crow's nest with me. Then it satisfied itself with an arrogant snap of its jaws and disappeared beneath the waves. I waited for quite awhile, clinging precariously to the ship and wondering if this is what the captain had done as she sank beneath him. I realized I was growing fatigued and my breathing was reverting to normal. Quickly I downed my third draught and continued my watch. Then, when I was certain that the thresher was no longer nearby, I swam for the shore.
Too tired to hunt, I made a meagre meal of the clams and fish over a small camp fire. I had learned cooking from a man in Dolanaar and it had already served me well several times although I was not very advanced. When sated, I tried to open the lock box once more. It was impossible. I tried to pick it with my dagger and almost broke the blade. Even swiping at it with my sword was to no avail. Back at the inn, I had an axe. It was my weapon of choice for battle but even this would not suffice. I knew nothing was going to open this box, except a rogue with lock picking skills.
I had heard of those called rogues and in fact had suspected several of the dwarfs and gnomes that had passed by way in Darnassus as being of this profession. They would sit gathered in the inns, swilling strange brews and telling tales that were uproarious to each other. I had never joined into this frivolity, being much too serious and much to deep into my studies. Now I wish I had befriended a few, for they might have been able to help me. I decided that I should try my luck by the morning light and with a tip of head in salute to the Silver Dawning, I hearthed back to Auberdine and some much needed rest.
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