Dagger made an impressive profile, standing at the front of the zep, her new first mate slightly behind her and to the left. The other passengers looked on, gambling to pass the time as they passed over the last stretch of clear ocean water.

"What's your name, anyway?" She asked, barely turning to look over her shoulder at him.

He grinned a toothy grin. "Was wonderin when you be askin me dat." He ran a large thumb along the underside of his tusk. "I be Zarq Sharptusk, o da Darkspear tribe."

"Zarq…" she repeated, rolling the name around her mouth. She smiled, deciding she liked the name.

Duratar came swiftly into view, and she whooped. The waters were quickly becoming shallow. Zarq was about to ask her if she wanted to go get her things, but she suddenly turned and grinned wildly at him.

"Can ya swim, laddie?" and fell over the edge. He scrambled up to look over, watching her body plummet down, the water splashing when she hit.

Acting quickly, he ran back to their room as the other passengers crowded around the edge to see where she was. Her booty in hand, he leapt from the stairs and stopped when he saw the wall of bodies between him and his escape. Blinking, he looked up, and saw the rope nets on the side, five feet above him. Setting his jaw, he strapped her money to his pack and leapt in the air, grabbing the rope for a second before swinging himself forward, over open space. When he released the rope, he looked down, and his stomach dropped a mile.

At first it was scary, but then he began to revel in the feel of the wind. Whooping, he did a few flips, before diving feet first into the water.

Now it was scary again.

He struggled against the weight of his weapons, armor, and packs, using hard, long strokes to reach the surface. The water seemed to crush him forever, before his head broke the surface, and he gulped in fresh air before going under again. Presently, he made it to a small rock and held himself above the water, trying to catch his breath as the lasts shouts from the zeppelin faded away.

"Atta way to think, boy!" he heard a female shout. Turning, he caught sight of the crazy woman who was the reason he leapt in the first place.

"Always grab the money!" When she was close enough to see her face, he saw she was grinning, before she ducked under the water and swam for shore.

"Hey!" He shouted, indignant that she would make him carry the load. Sighing, he released his hold and gulped a full lung of air, before sinking to the bottom.

Suddenly an idea hit him, and he rummaged in his packs for a moment before coming up with a potion. Holding it as close to his mouth as possible, he uncorked the flask and gulped the contents, trying to not let water in his nose.

A prickling sensation tickled his neck for a moment, and he reached up to gently touch the spots. Little ridges now stood out on his neck, and he experimentally took a breath.

He didn't drown.

Grimly, he trudged along the floor of the ocean, slowly moving up the slope towards shore.

His potion ran out when he was still ten minutes out, and had to splash around until his feet touched bottom and head touched air. Cursing wildly, he threw himself on the beach and inhaled deeply.

He awoke to a foot nudging his tusk. Growling, he raised himself on his elbows and glared up at Dagger.

"Whatchu want?" he asked,

"Booty."

He blinked stupidly, and reached to protect his bum.

She rolled her eyes.

"Is the seawater goin to yer head? Gimme my money!" She knelt next to him and reached her hands in his face, wiggling her long, slender fingers.

Memory returning to him, he rose, and she followed, still twitching her fingers as she looked expectantly up at him.

"BE YOU CRAZY MON!?!" he shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "YA LEFT ME TA FREAKIN DROWN OUT THERE! DRAGGIN YER DAMN BOOTY THA ENTIRE WAY!" he huffed slightly.

Her eye twitched. "MONEY! NOW!"

He froze, watching her jerk.

Suddenly his eyes widened.

"Yer addicted to dem sparkles, aintcha?" he asked softly. She made a soft huffing noise, eye still twitching.

"I CAN QUIT THE TWINK WHENEVER I WANT!" she replied, shouting. He leaned away from her, and dug around, pulling out a coin. Slowly, he turned it over in his fingers, before flicking it lightly in the air.

With a feral growl, she leapt at it, falling short by about a foot. Zarq, however, plucked it easily from the air, and waved it in her face.

Seeing she was nearing tears, he dropped the gold coin in her outstretched hands.

"That's all ya get fo now…" he said, but she wasn't listening. Faintly smiling, she was dancing the coin over her knuckles.

Shaking his head, mumbeling something about a cute, crazy pirate, he looked around.

After a moment of the soft clinking of gold on silver, and of the tall troll looking around, he frowned.

"Where da bloody hell are we?"