Shadow Trails in Azeroth

Pirates who make a living on the endless sea are all eager to have a nickname of their own. It doesn't have to be majestic, it can be funny, but it must be unique enough.

Make sure that others know who the name refers to when they hear it.

For example, the "second in command" of Black's North Sea Outlaws gang, the guy named "Match Leg" Dan.

His nickname is very distinctive.

On the one hand, it is used to mark his broken left leg made of wood.

On the other hand, it was because when his ship was in danger, Dan bravely and cunningly used his wooden legs to light his sails and was able to escape with his subordinates.

Therefore this funny nickname is in a sense a "compliment" to Captain Dan's past career.

Another example is the three unlucky dwarf pirates in front of me. They each have a nickname. Swift Eric means that the dwarf Eric is very flexible and has a good brain.

Strong Olaf refers to the strong physique of the dwarf Olaf. His big belly looks fat, but it is actually all muscle. He is also extremely strong and can kill a cow with a shield.

The mighty Ballog refers to the dwarf Ballog who is brave and courageous in battle. He takes the lead in every naval battle and robbery and is never afraid of death.

Moreover, Ballogo has a well-proportioned figure and strong muscles like a handsome man among dwarves, which attracts many dwarf girls to fall in love with him.

As the saying goes, there are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames.

For a pirate who has already succeeded in his career, nicknames are a very serious matter. They cannot be used casually as a joke, and they must not be used casually.

After all, nicknames are given by others.

After the Battle of the Palatine, in which the Gilnean fleet was crippled, the reputation of the undead pirates rose to prominence, and the captains under Black's command all had their own nicknames.

"Immortal" Maimu Blackhand refers to Maimu who dared to lead a boat to block the charging Dai Lin. This was almost the same as sending him to death, but Maimu survived after being captured.

This is simply a legend.

"Cunning Fox" Eudora is not only a summary of Eudora's race, but also a compliment to the evil wisdom of the fox captain.

"Black Mandala" Annares Yuejun, while praising her cunning, also summarized her appearance and skin color.

The others have not received nicknames yet, but as the undead pirates continue to develop, it will be a matter of time before they get their own nicknames. The only one who is more embarrassed is Black Shaw.

The Stinky Pirates got the nickname.

But it's not what he wants.

The so-called "Two-Face" nickname came along with Blake's naval bounty.

This strange nickname is somewhat unclear, but according to well-informed sources, it was decided by Admiral Daelin Proudmoore himself.

Some people explain that this is because Black once served as an "Alliance Warrior" and made great contributions in the war against the orcs. He was supposed to be a hero who protected the people, but he was guided by dark wisdom and became a pirate who robbed homes and homes.

This is Dai Lin mocking this young pirate who has risen to fame.

This explanation makes sense.

But only a few people know the meaning of this nickname. This is Dai Lin's way of telling Blake that he already knows Blake's identity.

This once made the stinky pirate very, very annoyed. This was completely different from the "father and son meeting" situation he wanted.

This was Dai Lin deliberately provoking him, and it was a "tacit understanding" between their father and son.

For this reason, Blake was very disgusted with this title.

Recently, after seven or eight unlucky guys were hung up on the mast and wailed in succession, it has become the consensus of everyone on the undead pirates not to mention this name in front of the captain.

Unfortunately, the three dwarf pirates flattered the horse's legs, which offended Black's taboo as soon as they landed.

"I said, these three are the captains I hired to go to Zandalar to pick up my brother. Please tell your men to restrain themselves and don't break them."

On the way from the dock to the South Island, Muradin, who was riding on the fox-man hyena, looked back from time to time at the anxious dock, where a lively "big melee" was going on.

Black's captains are fighting with the Troublesome Trio's pirates.

This attracted the attention of many pirates who were drinking in the town, and more and more people were joining in. Facing Muradin's words, Black, who was riding on the back of his warg Frostclaw, said with an unhappy expression:

"They are deliberately messing with me. You heard it too. They called me by the wrong nickname! This is a terrible provocation! Since it is a provocation, it must be responded to with a heavy blow!

And isn’t this what you asked me to teach them? "

"Actually, they were right."

Muradin complained, immediately earning a glare from the magic eye on Black's shoulder.

The smelly pirate said:

"Do you also want to play in my newly built gladiatorial arena? My dwarf friend? I have invited a top gladiator to sit there.

If you wanted to challenge him, you had to capture a greased pig and knock out a hundred slave boxers. I think you must be fine.

Do you want me to help you arrange it?

The dwarf prince enters the arena to fight. This gimmick will definitely attract a lot of idle guys to come and support him. We rough and dirty pirates like nothing more than to see big men catching pigs in the mud. "

"Okay, pretend I didn't say that."

Muradin shrugged and said:

"But you won't really throw the three of them into the arena to fight to death, right? Although the three of them look unreliable, if they really attack, the pirates under your command may not be your opponents."

"This trio of troublesome people can challenge a legendary warrior together. Of course I have heard of their names."

Blake snorted and said:

"Don't worry, I understand your concerns. You don't want to have too much interaction with our undead fleet. It's understandable. After all, you have a distinguished status.

Since you hired the captain, I won't make it difficult for them.

Throw them into the arena to catch pigs, and then you can leave after winning ten games in a row. But that ironclad ship of yours."

"That's not my private property! Don't take advantage of it!"

Muradin immediately became serious and warned:

“That is a new type of warship developed by Ironforge and Gnomeregan Council of Craftsmen, and this trip to Zandalar Island is also its first sailing test.

Those dwarfs said that this new ship would lead to profound changes in the pattern of the sea, and would even directly affect the pattern of naval battles.

I don't really believe this, I don't know much about naval warfare, but if you try to detain that ship, you're messing with both dwarves and gnomes. I don't think a wise guy like you would take such a risk for a ship that's still in the process of being tested. "

"Indeed, a new ship that has not yet been finalized cannot take such a big risk."

The smelly pirate nodded and said:

"In addition, the dwarfs are thinking too well. They want to change the pattern of naval battles with just a ship that is far from powerful? Should I say they are optimistic, or should I say they are arrogant?"

"Dwarfs are a little nervous. You can't believe what they say, at least not entirely."

Muradin did not want to talk about this issue anymore.

He drove the fox man and coyote and followed Blake on the connecting bridge to the South Island. Looking at the South Island, which was much quieter than the hustle and bustle of the North Island and surrounded by mountains, the old dwarf said with some suspicion:

"You invited me here and said you wanted to forge something? What specifically?"

"a lot."

Black took out a hunting bullet for his short-barreled double-barreled shotgun from the bullet bag on his waist and threw it to Muradin.

The galloping dwarf took the bullet, and the moment he took it, Muradin's expression changed.

As a legendary blacksmith, he immediately felt the strangeness of this bullet.

He held the object in front of his eyes and looked at it carefully.

There is nothing much to say about the appearance of the bullet. It is a fixed-load bullet that is forged from a mold and filled with gunpowder. It can be used repeatedly.

But the material of the casing and warhead made Muradin frown.

He looked at the cold bullet shining with a strange arc in the sun, closed his eyes again, felt the weight of the bullet with his fingers, and then said:

"There's something wrong with this metal. It's very dense, but very light. It's a bit like mithril, but its strength is comparable to fine gold! This reminds me of the legendary arcane crystal smelted with thorium. Gold and iron.

While ensuring sturdiness, it can also give weapons and armor a certain amount of magical power.

But I've also crafted arcane weapons.

I'm pretty sure this isn't arcane, so Black, what kind of exotic metal is this? "

The dwarf's tone was already excited.

This is normal. As a warrior and blacksmith, he has always been very concerned about these rare metals with strange properties. Unknown metal means unknown forging process, which means the opportunity for breakthrough in forging skills.

For dwarves who like mining, drinking, and blacksmithing, this is an irresistible temptation.

And Blake didn't show any concern.

He explained calmly:

"This is elemental steel, my friend. It's normal that you don't recognize it, because it does not come from the material world. This is a strange metal that can only be born from the Deep Rock Continent in the elemental realm.

For thousands of years, the method of forging it has been in the hands of the evil black dragonflight, but now, I have understood its secrets.

Elemental steel is the strongest metal we can find in this world.

Unless some rare elemental magic is used, it cannot guide magic at all, but even if it does not guide magic, it is enough to make the weapons and armor forged from this metal have the highest level of sturdiness.

If you are skilled enough, you can even forge utensils that will never wear out.

This is why I invite you here. "

Blake coughed and said:

"I have prepared enough elemental steel for you. I need you to forge the parts of two war crossbows for me, strengthen the elemental steel for my existing weapons, and also need the armor that I asked you to modify before. Plated with source steel layer.

Finally, I need you to forge a sword for me! "

Having said this, the stinky pirate blinked his eyes, waved his hands in the air to indicate the shape of the weapon, and said in a pleasant tone:

"I want a peerless weapon that is thick and hard, tough and sharp, and can both cut people and shine! Of course, I may have very few chances to use it, but it is among the things I will do next. occupies a very important position.

I will use it wisely.

Maybe in the end, I'll sell it to someone who appreciates it

Or maybe I could use it as a gift to appease some old man after I pissed him off so much one day.

Well, with my current behavior, it is only a matter of time before I offend His Majesty Faol. I don’t want to be the target of the Holy Light Crusade. Fortunately, the old man is not pedantic, and he also has his own price tag. "

"A peerless weapon?"

Muradin blinked, and the bold old dwarf said in a suspicious tone:

"I don't doubt your ambition, I just doubt your ability. Although you have magical materials like source steel in your hands, I can't create a peerless weapon with these things alone.

You have to understand, Blake.

This is a magical world. Anything that can be called a peerless weapon must be related to magic or other strange powers. I am very confident in my blacksmithing skills.

But without enough perfect materials, I can't make what you want. "

"Material?"

The pirate snorted and said disdainfully:

"Don't mention any materials in front of me. Do you think I spent more than a year in vain? I have already prepared it for you, but it may need a little minor processing.

But don't worry, I'll take care of it.

Calculating the time, you should have enough time to complete these things before old Brian returns from Zandalar. "

"Okay, since I promised you, I will try my best to do it."

Muradin was generous and did not push back, but soon the pirates saw the cunningness of the dwarves. The dwarf prince coughed, rubbed his fingers, and said to Black businesslikely:

"In Ironforge, someone asked me to forge weapons for a price of 10,000 gold coins at a time. The materials were brought with me. If I were to provide the materials, the price would go up.

Let me do the math.

You mentioned the forging of the parts of the two war crossbows, plus the steel plating of the weapons, and the strengthening of your strange set of armor, and finally the cost of my time.

Well, we are friends, and you bring your own materials, so you can just pay some processing fee. "

Muradin coughed and said:

"One hundred thousand gold coins, no problem?"

"Why don't you go and grab it?"

Blake retorted angrily:

"Don't forget that your brother is still in my hands!"

"Then kill him. That guy will only cause trouble for me and my brother."

The dwarf prince rolled his eyes and said:

"You don't want to spend money, right? You're a stingy guy. You really do act like a pirate, so why not? Let's each take a step back. I don't want the money anymore.

Give me some of your Origin Steel. "

Muradin touched the small silver-gray Luna Steel warhammer at his waist, his cunning eyes narrowed, and he said in a long voice:

"Just like we did last time, I don't ask for much. Give me any scraps left after this job is done, or you can pay in advance.

I also want to get myself a new set of armor.

Alas, I have worn this armor for a hundred years. I wanted to make a new set imitating the armor inherited by our King of the Hill, but I couldn't find the right materials.

Alas, this is really a headache. "