Exalted Realms Online- Harbinger of Chaos

by Jamie O'Leary

  It was like any other job, but Chezzy approached each new job with a fresh mind, so he could focus on the task at hand. The town of Dunsbane paid him quite a hefty sum, so it must’ve been important. He didn’t quarrel or haggle the price, he simply did his job. He was known for getting the bounty every time, and he raged inside at himself for being stupid enough to let the perp get away. He could be anywhere by now. Chezzy knew he wouldn’t be able to show his face in Dunsbane again until he could deliver their suspect. With Rebus just over the plains, he didn’t doubt that it was where his prisoner had fled to.

  Chezzy was not a large character. In fact, he was a short and stout gnome, who carried various weapons that he’d forged himself, including his net gun that fired a weighted net over a target. He also had a set of Lakian daggers that he liked to use when he had to get up-close and personal.

  He had a pretty good setup when it came to working in-game. He had friends who aspired to be a blacksmith or a noble thief (the kind of thief who only steals from the corrupt), but Chezzy knew that someone had to police this uncharted territory.

  Bounty hunting was huge business in Half-World, and business was booming for Chezzy. He was not about to let this one job ruin his reputation and career. So he pressed on towards Rebus, which he could see faintly in the distance.

  Rebus was a rather boring little town. There were a few shops, a tavern called the Tainted Monkey, and several homes that were made from mud and stone. The population of the town was only a couple hundred players strong, most of the citizens of Rebus were artisans and craftspeople, so they would be sitting ducks if Chezzy didn’t find and capture him fast. There wasn’t much time now, so Chezzy walked as quickly as his little gnome legs could carry him.

  The grassy plains that surrounded Rebus made it easy to traverse, and the weather here was mild. It wasn’t like trekking across the great northern ice fields near Timpiak and Hoster, where you would freeze if you didn’t keep moving. Of course, there was the smell. The nearby sulfur lakes made the air rank, but these lakes acted as a defense for Rebus, as the town didn’t have much to pillage and most enemies didn’t want to deal with the smell. The townsfolk in Rebus were used to it and didn’t think twice about the stench. Chezzy kept a rag, dipped in some perfume, tied around his face to keep the smell from overpowering him.

  After a while, Chezzy finally arrived at Rebus. He pounded on the gate. A moment later, a head popped out through a small door in the gate. It was an old man with short balding hair and a long, white beard.

  “State your business,” the old man said.

  “I’m called Chezzy, and I’m here on the orders of the Regent Cordessa of Dunsbane. There is a dangerous criminal that I believe is hiding behind your walls. I ask that you allow me to conduct an investigation and root the scoundrel out.”

  “Do you have papers?” the old man asked.

  Chezzy pulled out a decree signed by the Regent, which authorized his bounty. He showed the decree to the old man, who examined it carefully before handing it back to Chezzy. One moment, the old man closed the small door and the next moment, Chezzy heard the gate opening.

  The town of Rebus was small and underdeveloped. Most of the town was filled with miners that took to the surrounding caves to extract the ore used to craft weapons and armor. Despite the once-booming mining business in Rebus, the town never grew the way that places like Coronus or Mevalon did. Those were large and metropolitan, with thousands of players going in and out of their respective gates every day. Chezzy decided to go to the nearest pub, where he would surely find some information on his bounty.

  Chezzy was one of the rare magic-using bounty hunters, and his temper was known for being as explosive as his magic. He was known for wielding powerful fire magic, and would sometimes run into trouble collecting bounties when he would show up with a bag of ashes. If the body was burned beyond recognition, Chezzy would have to collect a personal artifact (i.e. a piece of jewelry or gold tooth) from the victim to verify the bounty. Many players in Half-World were bounty hunters in their spare time, but Chezzy had made it his full-time gig. It was more interesting than playing the story mode, in his opinion. Plus he was getting rich in-game, so he couldn’t complain. It was a dangerous trade though, and Chezzy was the first to admit that, but he loved it all the same.

  A dark blue, woolen cloak was draped over his short frame, and he had his hood pulled back. He liked to feel the sun on his face, and today the sun peeked out from behind some clouds. He carried no weapons to speak of, but he had a variety of potions dangling from his hip, and he carried a satchel that held several tomes. These were his spellbooks, most of which he had memorized. He looked out of place in the mining town with his blonde hair, green eyes, and clean face. He had childish features about him even though he was fully an adult, which made him less menacing and able to get closer to his targets.

  Darkwind had been at the top of every bounty hunter’s list for as long as there had been bounty hunters in Half-World. Chezzy never outright sought after Darkwind before, but the price on his head was getting too high to ignore anymore. He personally didn’t believe that he could best Darkwind in battle, but he would face the notorious scoundrel when it ever came right down to it, especially for more than five million gold. He was in the town of Rebus searching for Koreli, the local alchemist. Chezzy needed to synthesize some “boom powder”, as it was called by the cave dwellers in the region, which was simple gunpowder that Chezzy used to make flash bombs for distraction or escape in battle.

  Koreli’s laboratory was on the northern border of the town. The townsfolk told him that he had to live by the edge of town because his experiments often resulted in explosions that annoyed the rest of the community. He was a loner anyways, so it didn’t matter to him as long as he got to do his experiments.

  Chezzy walked inside Koreli’s lab. The old man was hunched over his table, mixing who-knows-what. “Be careful not to blow your head off, old man,” Chezzy said.

  Koreli turned around at the sound of Chezzy’s voice. “You’re lucky I know your voice, otherwise I could’ve turned you to stone.”

  “It’s good to see you, too.”

  “What do you need from me this time?”

  “Gunpowder, and lots of it.”

  “Don’t have any.”

  “Then make some. That’s what you do, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, yes, but it’ll take some time. Who’s on your hit list now?”

  “Don’t worry about it, old man. Just be quick about it. I’m paying you good money for this.”

  “Indeed. I’ll get right on that. Be ready in two days.”

  Chezzy nodded. “See you in two days.”

  Chezzy exited the lab. Koreli scratched his bald head. “Kids these days, they have no respect for their elders anymore. Pfft.”

  ***

  Rolfon hauled the anchor as Darkwind, Nurox, and Josie boarded the ship. His crew hoisted the mainsail and tended to the riggings. They were so quick about it and, in order, they all knew exactly what their jobs were and how to do them. Darkwind even admitted that Rolfon ran one tight ship, and the captain couldn’t disagree.

  His single gold tooth shined in the sunlight as he let out a hearty bellow. “Ah, the sea is calling me, lads! After I drop you off, I’m afraid it’s the end of the line for us. I’ve got to sail all the way to Sunderland, so you won’t be seeing me.”

  The foam sprayed off the bow and misted everyone on deck. The ship was gaining speed now. Rolfon called out some orders and the crew hustled to meet them.

  Josie leaned against the starboard railing and gazed out at the horizon. The mountains and Yorub’s castle slowly disappeared behind them until it was a speck in the twilight. Darkwind approached her.

  “So what was the deal with you and Yorub?”

  “None of your business,” Josie said.

  “Okay, okay. No need to be so jumpy.”

  “No need to be so nosy.”

&
nbsp; “Okay, that’s fair,” Darkwind replied. “Then what about you and Nurox?”

  Josie blushed.

  “Oh, do I detect an in-game crush, little miss Josie?” Darkwind teased.

  “Shut up!”

  “Fine. You do you, boo,” Darkwind said as he sauntered off.

  That Darkwind is such a jerk!

  ***

  The waning sunlight glistened on the trees in the distance. The rolling hills in this area were gorgeous in the springtime and this was a popular route for players since the terrain was easy to traverse. Darkwind, Nurox, and Josie were getting tired and losing ground as they continued to trudge on. They weren’t far from the village of Nedo, a farming town tucked away at the foothills in the lush, green valley.

  “My feet are going to fall off,” complained Nurox.

  “Maybe you should try not wearing such heavy armor next time,” Josie mused.

  “C’mon, Nurox, if you can’t trek from here to Nedo, Yorub was right, you are pathetic,” said Darkwind.

  Nurox fumed under his armor. “Darkwind, if you weren’t helping Josie and I—”

  “You’ll what? You want to fight me? Really?”

  Nurox glared at Darkwind. Darkwind glared back. “Let’s go.”

  “You boys are going to have to work out your differences or else I’m outta here,” Josie said, holding the Wind Crest.

  “I’ll do it for your sake, Josie,” said Nurox as he backed down.

  Darkwind was already walking away. He waved for them to follow.

  “I promise you, you’ll like Nedo, Nurox. I’ll even buy you a brew.”

  “This was a bad idea,” Nurox said to Josie as he shook his head.

  She smiled. “I’d take the free drink if I were you.”

  They followed Darkwind over the hill toward the valley where Nedo sat.

  ***

  Chezzy walked through Gilden Woods, heading northeast towards Mevalon. He knew that if he was going to collect the reward on Darkwind’s head he’d have to go to Mevalon, where Darkwind was most notorious. The problem with all these other players trying to kill Darkwind is that they continued to go up against him with steel, when it’s magic that would be his downfall. Chezzy was certain he could defeat Half-World’s Most Wanted with his powerful spells. He just needed to find him first.

  The gates of Mevalon could be seen in the distance. Chezzy read through one of his spellbooks as he walked. It helped pass the time. He cast the spell of “second-sight”, which allowed him to still see what’s happening around him even if his mind (and eyes) were elsewhere. He also cast a float spell on the book, which hung out in front of his face so he could easily read.

  He occasionally would practice his offensive spells, and he nearly caught the woods on fire when he cast a fire stream from his hand. It may be a little too powerful for these woods, but it’s just right for battling Darkwind. He cast an ice spell to quell the fire. The remaining charred knot of trees was encased in ice and the fire was immediately extinguished. Chezzy was pleased with himself.

  The spell that Chezzy was working on the most was a master detect spell, which could call up every player that was online and he could pinpoint anyone, even Darkwind. He continued reading the passages in the book. The art of spellcasting was more than just learning the incantations. You had to know the spell in every tongue it was written in, and during magic school, mages were taught all the histories behind each spell. If you didn’t understand their origins and uses, then you would be unfit to wield a wizard’s staff. Chezzy took his studies seriously. He even attended the Wraithmore Institute of Sorcery, one of the premier magic schools in Half-World.

  Before graduating Wraithmore, Chezzy began in alchemy, but his heart was with spellcasting. He switched majors in his final year and amazed his professors (he never told anyone that he secretly was practicing spellcasting with some old books he found.) He thought he’d found his calling. That is until he discovered bounty hunting.

  He was fresh out of school and struggling to find work as a spellcaster in Mevalon. All the best ones had already taken the positions with their respective wizards, and were busy performing whatever their wizards told them to. As he was drowning his sorrows at one of the many street pubs, he realized that he didn’t want to be a slave to any wizard, wringing out their robes and cleaning their toilets, no way! Chezzy then saw an opportunity.

  A man dashed past him carrying a large purse.

  “Help! Stop that guy! He stole my purse of gold. Stop him, please!”

  The man in pursuit ran out of breath.

  “I can stop him. For a price,” Chezzy said.

  “Anything, just stop him,” the man pleaded.

  Chezzy stood up. He shook his sleeves and spat into his hands. He slapped his hands on the clay and they came back red. He clasped his hands together, his fingers pointing directly at the fleeing bandit, who was getting smaller now.

  “He’s getting away!” cried the owner of the purse.

  “Ohm ma chek. Talos osra menos. Mek cha,” chanted Chezzy.

  He repeated this until his hands began to glow like steel in a foundry.

  “Mek cha!”

  A fireball shot from his hands and just before the bandit disappeared over the horizon, he fell. A crowd of people began running toward the explosion where the fireball met its target. The owner of the bag ran as fast as he could.

  “The bag is mine, everyone! Don’t touch it or I’ll have your hide!” he called out as he nearly tripped over himself.

  “That was pretty neat, mister” said a voice.

  Chezzy looked around, then down. It was a fairy. She was hovering low in his shadow to keep cool. The summers in Mevalon seemed more like the blazes of the Inferno Keep. “You should go into bounty hunting.”

  Chezzy thought about it for a moment. He did save that guy his gold.

  “I’m NessaSara. Follow me if you want to put those powers to use. It can be dangerous, but it pays better than any of these slave jobs.”

  Chezzy was sold. “I’m Chezzy. I think this was quite a fortuitous meeting.”

  “Yes, I think so,” replied NessaSara.

  ***

  Chezzy heard the gallops of horses nearby. He stepped off the road to make way for them. The horses rounded the corner. There were four of them—each one mounted with a player. They were dressed as a gang, all in black. The equines whinnied as the leader of the pack pulled hard on the reins. The others stopped in-tow.

  “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” the leader asked rhetorically.

  “Who are you?” asked Chezzy.

  “I’m Satanica Killgore, leader of the Scumbats.

  Chezzy laughed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but ‘scumbats’? C’mon.”

  Satanica pulled out a long knife, its edge freshly sharpened. It gleamed as he twisted it in his hand. “I’m going to make you regret that.”

  He twirled his hands in a circular motion. “Me hai no sok.” Several symbols appeared around him. “Okay, make me regret it.”

  Satanica charged at him, but he was suddenly thrown back. He slid across the dirt, which scuffed his clothes.

  “I’ll kill you!” He charged again, but was sent reeling once more.

  Chezzy had cast a protection spell, which was a force-field against melee attacks.

  “What are you waiting for?” he scowled at his mates. “Get him!”

  The others shook their heads.

  “Let it go, boss,” one of the other bandits said.

  “Yeah, we won’t say a thing,” said another.

  Satanica, in his humiliation, reluctantly yielded. “See that you don’t.”

  XVI

  A cool breeze fell over the plains. It looked like a storm was brewing up ahead. A fog rolled in from the mountains that flanked the valley. Darkwind, Josie, and Nurox continued on. They were only a day’s hike from Coronus. They had been on foot since Rolfon dropped the
m off a couple of days earlier. Nurox wasn’t complaining about the discomforts of the outdoors, which was excellent for Darkwind, who had, in turn, complained about Nurox’s whines. How did he end up here, searching for some magic crests with a couple of noobs?

  Max galloped out ahead of the party, sniffing the wildflowers and marking his territory, periodically checking to see that they were still following.

  “What exactly did you owe the Regent for?” asked Josie matter-of-factly.

  “It’s not something I want to talk about, particularly not with my present company,” Darkwind replied.

  “Whatever you say, Darkwind,” said Josie. “I’ll find out one way or the other.”

  “Why do you even care?” Darkwind snapped.

  “I figure since we’re going to be working together, I’d get to know you.”

  “You figured wrong. You asked me to come with you, so here I am. I’m not going to disclose my life story to you just because we’re on mission together.”

  “He’s a cranky one,” Nurox whispered to Josie. “Let it go.”

  Suddenly, Max stopped and stood up straight on his hind legs. His ears perked up. He started to growl, baring his tiny teeth as he stared straight ahead.

  Darkwind drew Helga and crept towards Max. “What do you see, buddy?”

  Max barked at seemingly nothing, but Darkwind had a bad feeling about this. Nurox and Josie also drew their weapons and waited to see what had aroused the little deermat. Darkwind squinted into the distance. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

  Then, branches cracked and leaves rustled up ahead, as the trees bent and swayed. Something big was in that canopy and it was coming towards them.

  Out of the forest barreled a barely-together Larristan ground tank. It looked as if it had been patched together using all the spare parts that the mechanics behind this monstrosity could find, and what they couldn’t find looked to be handmade original parts. Darkwind had seen plenty of these turkeys on the battlefield. Larristan surpassed Mevalon in terms of size, strength, and influence in Half-World, and they often engaged in skirmishes that were merely displays of power, something the current rulers could use to later summon funds from their respective citizens. Mevalon was Darkwind’s old stomping ground and he’d participated in more than a few skirmishes with the boys wearing Larristan green, and he knew the weak point in the ground tank’s design.