Exalted Realms Online was his one true escape; he was somebody unique in-game, something he never had in real-life. Now he was on a mission to restore honor to the people of Coronus by defeating Yorub. Without wasting any time, Eli suited up and went in-game.
***
Nurox sat at the Slippery Eel—a dank tavern at the end of a pier in the coastal town of Nakash—awaiting Josie and Darkwind. They decided to meet here since they would need to hire a ship to take them to Yorub’s hideout on an uncharted island in the Pastel Sea. Josie would guide them, but first they needed to find the captain of a ship to take them there.
Nurox sipped from a frothy mug of Barulan ale. He liked the light, woodsy flavor that was accentuated with a hint of citrus. He scanned the room for Darkwind and Josie before he drained the remainder of his drink.
A pair of crusty sailors clanked mugs together and laughed, cheering over the loot they found on a recent haul. They looked as if they smelled like brine; their whiskers were wiry and wild, and they were missing teeth just the same. One could guess these two had seen their fair share of a brawl, maybe even a deck-fight or two. Nurox watched as they guzzled their brews and asked for more, tossing bits of golden treasure at the barkeep.
Nurox signaled for another drink and the barkeep nodded. He looked around the room, studying the walls, which were covered in trinkets from travelers of the past. Weapons that were lost in a bet or yielded to the barkeep hung on the wall behind the bar. The barkeep, Erneston, was never in need of a weapon (he also kept ‘Big Rosie’, his double-barreled magic plasma crossbow under the bar, in case things ever got hairy.) There were even virtual photos of the many players that had once visited the Slippery Eel. An anchor hung from the ceiling like a chandelier, along with dusty cobwebs that fluttered in the breeze coming through the porthole windows. Nurox could taste the salty sea air that hung in the room.
Suddenly, the door swung open and Darkwind entered. Max balanced on Darkwind’s shoulder as he strode inside the pub. It didn’t take long for Darkwind to spot Nurox in the corner drinking sullenly.
“You really need to lighten up,” Darkwind surprised Nurox from behind. Nurox spat out his mouthful of brew.
“Dammit!” Nurox fumed.
“See? Relax,” Darkwind said.
Nurox started to get up. “You’re an awful person, you know that?”
“Thank you.”
“I hope you know that if the Regent didn’t send you, I’d—”
“You’d what?”
Nurox looked down, dejected.
Darkwind scraped a handful of kooro nuts from a dish on the table and fed them to Max, whose ears perked up in anticipation as Darkwind tossed each nut into the air for him to catch. “So where is that girl… what’s her name?”
“Josie. I’m not sure, but I know she’ll be here,” Nurox said, looking out the window.
“Yeah, well, I haven’t got all day and this Yorub quest is a real bummer. I mean, there’s nothing I’d like to do more than hang around with you,” Darkwind said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Nurox rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to be here with you either. Let’s just take care of this Yorub creature and then we can go our own ways.”
“Tsk-tsk, little Nuroxy,” Darkwind began. “You talked a lot of trash about me online and when we’re done with our little mission, you and I are going to have swords.”
“You mean words,” said Nurox. “We’ll have words.”
“No, I mean swords. I’m going to cut your head off and hand it to you as a parting gift.”
Nurox gulped. Wished Josie was here right now…
Josie finally arrived after Darkwind was two drinks down. The tension between he and Nurox subsided, and they were discussing their procurement of a seaworthy vessel. The boys did not notice her approach their seats.
“And what do we have here? A couple of scoundrels ready to take on a demon?” Josie smiled. Nurox smiled back at her.
Josie took a seat, and Darkwind and Nurox filled her in on their plan to ask the two drunken sailors at the bar if they could charter their ship. They were going on about it for the past two hours. How they had sailed from Belakuta to Pilori and back, through a hundred storms and on the back of a leviathan (Darkwind doubted their inebriated tales, but they were fun to listen to nonetheless.)
“That sounds great, but I got us a ship,” Josie revealed as she exited the Slippery Eel. Nurox and Darkwind sat there for a moment, mouths agape.
Nurox looked at Josie with stars in his eyes. “She’s… astounding!”
“C’mon, loverboy,” Darkwind said as he knocked past Nurox, following Josie outside. Nurox then caught up.
The trio marched down the pier to the very end and to a sleek red, wooden vessel about thirty feet long and ten feet wide, with a large mast and riggings flying a dark blue sail with a golden crest of leaves embroidered on it—the sigil of the Jaggar, a fleet of mercenaries and treasure hunters, who happened to be personal friends of Josie’s.
As they approached the gangplank, they were greeted by Rolfon, the captain of the Visage, the ship that would taxi them to the isle where Yorub had escaped to. “And what do we have here?” his voice scratched.
“Permission to come aboard, Captain,” Josie saluted.
“Aye, you may.”
“Rolfon, this is Darkwind and Nurox, my companions on this trip. They won’t be any trouble,” Josie assured the man, whose eye scanned her comrades incredulously.
“Is that so?” Rolfon asked. “I’ve heard of you, Darkwind.”
“My reputation precedes me everywhere in Half-World. You don’t get to be notorious for nothing,” Darkwind replied.
“Try anything on my ship, and I’ll put you on the menu for the sambo sharks, got it?” His one eye glared at Darkwind, who didn’t even smirk.
“Understood, Captain,” he replied.
“What’s your excuse?” Rolfon snapped at Nurox.
“I pledged to get revenge for the people of Coronus for the murder of their king,” Nurox responded.
Rolfon laughed. “You think you’re some kind of hero?”
Nurox tried not to show his contempt for the remark.
“Do you know about this Yorub demon? He will rip you in two with his wind magic. I’ve seen him on the high seas. He’s sunk entire ships and carried off their loot on the tradewinds. Cheer up, lad! You might have a fighting chance,” he bellowed as he walked off and prepared to disembark.
The seas were calm for the most part. The waves were small and even. Nurox found Josie peering off the bow of the ship. She watched as some gulls dipped through the air, swooping down near the water’s surface only to turn at the last second and shoot upwards in a graceful dance.
“Hey, Josie,” Nurox said as he came up behind her.
“Oh, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Just thought I’d see what you’re up to. How much longer until we reach our destination?”
“Maybe a day or two. We’ll have some rough seas ahead, especially when we enter the olassis, which is a series of whirlpools that Yorub created as a barrier to his secret island. Luckily, I know how to navigate them and Rolfon is one of the best captains around.”
Nurox gulped. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they got caught in one of the watery vortexes, but he trusted Josie and knew if anyone could get them to Yorub’s hideout, it was her. He watched her as her velvet-black mane fluttered in the wind; her frame’s silhouette against the waning sun; the spray of the water as it crested over the bow brought the salty taste of the sea to their lips.
Nurox propped a leg up on a small crate and gazed over the side. He saw schools of hammer fish keeping pace with the ship, which was cruising at a good speed. Their shimmering bodies glided through the water as if they were liquid themselves, sparkling in the twilight waters of purple and black, like stars shooting across the midnight sky. “They say if you catch a hammer f
ish, it’s good luck,” Nurox said matter-of-factly.
“And a great horned-bear’s eye will bring one fortune,” Josie sneered. “You’re a bit simple, aren’t you?”
Nurox lowered his head in shame. “I know it’s just an old wives tale.”
Josie prodded him with her shoulder. “Relax, Golden Boy. I’m just messin’ with you,” she said as she walked off. “Captain’s going to want dinner soon and we’re earning our trip,” she trailed off.
Nurox realized they were basically Captain Rolfon’s ship-slaves for the duration of their trek. His eyes widened. “Wait, Josie—!”
***
Darkwind and Rolfon sat in the captain’s quarters, drinking elderberry wine from a large wooden cask wrapped in a tightly woven wrapping. The gruff captain regaled Darkwind with how he came into possession of such a large quantity of such a fine wine: he had been pillaging the Outer Isles (which still lay ahead of them on their journey) with his crew and a dozen men from the surrounding ports of Carlisle and Mantuk, when the Regent of the city of Jaribel gave them an entire warehouse full of the brilliant wine (along with all the town’s treasure) in exchange for his life.
Rolfon was a fair but stern captain, and he’d seen plenty on the high seas. Darkwind immediately took to his tough personality, and he looked the part of a rugged pirate with a take-no-crap attitude, with his eye patch and one wild eye, his dreadlocked hair and gray beard that hung to his chest, and his attire which consisted of a navy-and-white captain’s hat, black coat, black t-shirt with white type that read LIFE OF THE PARTY, and a pair of tan pants tucked into black boots. He was strapped with several belts, which held his four pistols as well as his twin scabbards. He was quite a frightening and formidable foe in battle. Even Darkwind respected the man on his ship. And the two were becoming fast friends as they bonded over tales of ruthlessness only two of their kind understood.
While Josie and Nurox prepared dinner, Darkwind and Rolfon played a hand of chabok, a back-alley game adored by scoundrels everywhere from Lassetter to Lorbas. The game was always played mano a mano. The deck consisted of 150 cards which were evenly split between the two players. When one player put a card into play, the other player must draw a card; if the card drawn was not powerful enough to defeat the card in play, that player must “pass”, thereby holding onto that card until another card was put into play that it would be able to defeat. If the drawn card was stronger and could defeat it, that player discarded those cards (and any others underneath the top card). The goal was to be the first player to remove your entire deck from play.
Chabok was never Darkwind’s strong suit, but he indulged Rolfon since he had been so generous with his ship. By the time dinner was served, Darkwind was indebted to Rolfon for 300 gold and a handful of Resculan rubies, which Darkwind assured him he had in his inventory. Rolfon took his chabok very seriously. One time, he took both of a player’s hands when he couldn’t pay his debt. So, yeah, he was serious, even in a friendly game. Darkwind didn’t mind losing a bit of gold if it helped pass time. It was a paltry sum compared to what the bloodthirsty mercenary earned from his exploits anyway.
During dinner, there was a low bellow off the port side, which sent the entire group top-side to see what could’ve made the frightening sound. The sea was as black as the night sky, save for the moonlight that flickered on the surface, the stars swirling into the darkness as they met the horizon. The waves were slight, and then a sudden crest in the water. A large body emerged near the ship. It was a festoon whale, a massive sea creature known for examining ships that venture into their waters. If it deemed them a threat, it would likely sink the ship. Another bellow. This time, the sound was met with a muffled response. Then, on the starboard side, a mass of bubbles rose to the surface and a second one pushed through to greet the ship.
They traveled these waters frequently and this pod knew his ship. Rolfon went to the rear of the ship and opened a cask of fish. He dumped it overboard along with two others. “A little treat for you, my friends,” he said as the whales scooped up the bounty in their mouths. The ship continued on its way.
“Magnificent creatures,” noted Josie as they passed.
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” said Darkwind. “So they’re huge and can swim. I could probably take one out, no problem. A couple of hits with Helga and they’d be done for.”
“Shut up,” said Nurox. He was getting tired of Darkwind pompousness. “You don’t get anything that isn’t killing and death and chaos.”
“Strike a nerve, Nurox? Let me tell you something. I’m doing this because I owe the Regent a favor. I could be solving my character arc, but I'm stuck doing this Yorub job because you’re too weak to do it on your own.”
“Why do you owe the Regent a favor?” Nurox prodded.
“It’s none of your damn business,” Darkwind chided. He stepped towards Nurox.
Josie stepped between them. “Alright, boys. We all get it. You’re a bigger badass than any of us, Darkwind. And you’re more honorable, Nurox. But right now, we need both of you to work together or we’re not going to defeat Yorub. Got it?”
The two sneered at each other, and ultimately backed down. Darkwind went below to his quarters. Nurox started heading for the stern to go sulk.
“I think it’s time we all go on watch,” said Rolfon. He turned to Darkwind and pointed to his sword. “If you’re as good as you say you are with that thing, we’ll need you as we approach the island. There are some nasty monsters that could take us down if we’re not careful.”
Darkwind nodded.
“Nurox, you take first watch,” said the captain. “Then Josie, then Darkwind. You better get your rest. You’ll need all your strength come tomorrow.”
***
The ship swayed with the current. Nurox stood on the deck and cast his eyes toward the horizon, which was only differentiated from the water by the clouds that were gathered in the distance. Small flashes of lightning sparked from within the clouds. Nurox could feel that they were headed for a storm.
Below deck, Darkwind and Josie slept in their quarters. Max was curled up on Darkwind’s chest; he could feel her tiny deermat heart beating quickly as she slumbered. Darkwind ran his finger across the top of her head and back. A soft tuft of fur covered the back of her neck and her cinnamon-colored fur kept her warm in this dank ship. Darkwind’s hammock rocked to-and-fro, which put him fast asleep.
Josie fared just as well. Rolfon had offered her his bed, but she wouldn’t have it. This made Nurox feel much better, as he didn’t want to think of the grimy sea captain putting his barnacled hands on her. Nurox also thought he’d caught Josie looking at him on deck earlier, like actually looking at him. He didn’t have the nerve to find out, as that would’ve required that he go talk to her. Even in virtual reality, Nurox sucked when it came to girls. He was smitten by Josie who, unfortunately for Nurox, didn’t reciprocate his feelings. She seemed to see him as nothing more than an annoying little brother she was stuck questing with, despite that night they had shared (or had they really? Nurox wasn’t so sure anymore.)
The storm began to move closer and Nurox felt the wind on his face. He ran over the deck bell and began ringing it. Rolfon and the others scrambled to the deck. “What the hell’s going on out here?!” exclaimed Rolfon after being dragged out of his bed.
“There’s a nasty storm on the horizon,” Nurox pointed out to the captain.
Rolfon peered out in the direction of the storm. “Argh, that doesn’t look nice, now does it?” He moved to the helm and gripped the steering wheel, guiding the rudder to the right. “Changing course,” he called out over the rain.
The storm was almost on top of them. The water was getting choppy, but Rolfon had escaped these types of storms before. The rain became a deluge on deck. The cold droplets stung the crew’s faces as the wind whipped over the ship, whose sails were billowed out as they collected the wind.
The ship skirted the edge of t
he storm, which had grown wild. The ship rocked as it tried to stay ahead of the storm. Rolfon’s knuckles were white as he maneuvered his ship gracefully through a maze of a craggy outcrop of rocks that shot out from the shoreline of a nearby atoll. This region was known to sailors as Dead Man’s Passage, because of the graveyard of ships that lay below the surface, whose watery deaths were caused by storms, sea monsters, treacherous terrain, poor sailing, or any combination of those. Rolfon knew he could account for his sailing, and he’d faced storms and terrain such as this before, but whether they’d have to contend with any sea monsters was the one variable he did not have on his mind as he tried to steady the ship to keep her from capsizing in the now-giant waves they were riding.
The rain battered the deck and Nurox clung to the railing to keep himself from going overboard.
“Is this the best you’ve got?!” Rolfon bellowed over the wind, cursing the sea gods. He gritted his teeth as he pulled hard on the wheel. The rudder nearly snapped as it worked to steady the ship.
Max scurried under Darkwind’s tunic to stay dry. Josie stood on deck. Rolfon’s crew maintained the rigging as it flapped in the violent gusts. Water crashed over the side of the ship, and one sailor was swept off altogether. He would never be found.
Rolfon corrected his course only moments before they were to crash into the rocks ahead, which brought a sigh of relief to his traveling companions. “See? It’s all in the reflexes!” he laughed as the sea sprayed him when it crashed onto the deck.
The ship swung back in the opposite direction and the ship glided over the surface of the water, up against time as a growing wave on their starboard pushed them closer to the rocks on their port side. Rolfon would have to outrun the wave or be smashed against the rocks.
Exalted Realms Online- Harbinger of Chaos Page 9