Message in a Bottle

With the challenge Nessingwary Jr. gave me finally completed, I decided to go back to Booty Bay to finally complete some tasks. After healing my wounds and getting some much needed rest, I greeted the soldiers at the Rebel Camp up north and took a Gryphon southward toward the port side city.

Booty Bay was just as I left it, eclectic and confusing. With a list of quests already in my hand, I grabbed a few more for good measure. Looking at all the tasks ahead of me, it seemed everyone wanted to destroy the local pirates. I would be able to finish a good portion of jobs if I focused on defeating this nuisance.

So I left the heavily guarded cove, and took a left. Sure enough, right outside the city the beach was swarming with pirates in red outfits, camped out throughout the area. As I readied my weapons, I saw something glimmer at the shoreline.

I crouched down and noticed that the green flash was a bottle with a note inside. Curious, I took the note out and read. A woman had written the note. She said she was imprisoned on a small island across the water. I put the note in my bag and looked off into the distance. There was a tiny island a few miles out. Putting the pirates aside for now, I decided to see if I could help.

I swam through in the clear, warm water, looking up every so often until I made it to that island. Taking in my surroundings, I was surprised to see that the buzzing, chirping and rustling that I was used to hearing around the jungle was strangely silent.

Using the note as a guide, I found the author chained up at the top of a small hill. She explained that this island was home to Skymane King Mukla. He held the key to unshackle her from her bindings. I assured her that I’d get her out of there by nightfall. How hard could it possibly be to kill a Gorilla?

As I readied my weapons, I saw something glimmer at the shoreline.

I walked through the silent, shady brush, looking for a gorilla with a key. As I walked, I began to think about how ludicrous this really was. How could these animals have the mental capacity to lock a Tauren to a rock, let alone carry around a key? Was she just looking for attention?

Off in the distance, I saw a dark mound of dirt that appeared to move. Rubbing my eyes, I thought maybe it was just the hazy evening sun playing tricks on me. Then the mound disappeared right before my eyes. Curious I ran toward the anomaly. As I turned the corner, I dropped my axe to the floor and stood in place, shocked at what I saw.

Before me stood the biggest animal I’d ever seen. King Mukla was enormous! I bent down to pick up my axe, and the great ape noticed my movement. The ground shook violently as he hurtled towards me. I knew my weapons were no match for this behemoth. I ran for my life towards the thick forest.

The trees were uprooted as I ran straight ahead. In the chaos I lost my footing and fell into a ditch. I covered myself with my shield and braced for impact. Then I heard an ear-shattering scream and then, silence. After a few agonizing minutes, I carefully climbed out of the dirt and looked around. To my utter amazement, the King laid dead in front of me, impaled with an old, dead tree. I carefully grabbed the key from around his neck. With a jerk the gorilla lurched forward in a final attempt for the key, but it was too late. I ran away with the key in hand.

I hastily unshackled the Tauren from her bindings covered head to toe in dirt and tree leaves. She turned to thank me, but I had already had enough of this place. I rode as quickly as I could towards the coastline. That was the first and last time I’d reply to a message in a bottle.