Chip, Chop and the False Messiah: A Story about Drama and ESports (Part 1)

CHIP, CHOP AND THE FALSE MESSIAH: A STORY ABOUT DRAMA AND ESPORTS (Part 1)

The most powerful warriors in The Mists were trembling upon the news. Only the most skilled could see the jail where the legendary beast was imprisoned. A beast so powerful that it is said The Mists completely changed after its appearance, that the equilibrium, the nature of the place was changed forever. Peace reigned, as opposed to the constant raging war between living beings of all kinds, seeking to fight at any cost.

“S-sir, what should we do? We won’t be able to contain it, we… we are not prepared” a fighter known to have won countless fights outnumbered was nearly crying due to the pressure, fear consumed him.

God was sitting on his big chair, trying not to lose his concentration. “You know I can’t move, or else the beast will be freed and escape to Tyria, the real world’s realm.” He was motionless. “Please, send my words to him. He shall be known as the False Messiah.” I am sorry, you will go through hard paths. But it is necessary, as you will save the world once again.

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Why does no one believe me when I tell them I helped slay Zhaitan. Do they really think that their “Hero” alone could press a button that fast? He sure couldn’t. And I’m being called a liar, I am so mad right now. The guy was constantly moving, trying not to lose composure. He didn’t have a home anymore, nor friends. He lost everything, no one believed him. “How you dare try to mess with the Hero’s name!” they say.

“Greetings, Messiah.” The deep voice from the Messenger echoed in the False Messiah’s head. He sounded calm, the trembling gone for good.

“Oh, no. This can’t be happening. Not you again. You and “your God” ruined my life. No one believes me, I lost my job, my friends, everything.” I will never forgive you. Never.

“Wait, didn’t you get the prize we promised you?”

“No! It has been a month and nothing. I curse the day I thought it was a good idea to help you.”

“Oh no… we are deeply sorry about it. Customer Support always takes some time to deliver their prizes. They have to check every gem is there, you know how it works…”

“But one damn month for it? This is not serious!” He lost it at that moment, starting a rant that would catch everyone’s attention in map chat.

Everyone was trying to calm him down, others just enjoyed to light him up even more, agreeing with him. In the end, what he didn’t realize at the moment, is that everyone knew who he was and what he will always be, a liar.

I hope he’s done ranting soon. Time is short. “Okay. I personally will give you this Sword I have if you help us.” He said, moving around the legendary sword “Bolt”. The False Messiah quickly calmed down and stared at the sword and the beautifulness surrounding it. Something priceless, that would fix his life forever. “If you are interested in it, cross through the portal towards Heart of the Mists, I’ll be waiting there.”

“Do you want me to kill any…-“ suddenly, the man disappeared before his eyes, not being able to finish the sentence. “Well, I have nothing to lose, right? As they say, You Only Live Once.” Rage apparently gone after Bolt was mentioned, he started to move towards his destiny.

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The place was packed with people of any kind you could imagine. From Asura to Human, from Thief to Mesmer. I wonder where that guy is, he told me to come here but not where to find him. He looked around, with the thought he just got pranked again.

As he got to the bank attendee to check if he had everything needed, a terrifying sound echoed across the whole plaza. Nobody knew how to describe it, but it was clear. Most people started to freak out, running around like chickens while the False Messiah was observing how the far away island and its apparent castle started crumbling. If the sound had to come from somewhere, it came from there.

“You can see it, right?” Said a familiar voice behind the man, who came back from his trance, jumping by the surprise. “It is said that only the most skilled warriors can actually see it.”

“I am not good at fighting or anything. That is impossible.”

“You are eSpecial. There was a reason we chose you again to carry out this important mission.”

“Eh, I have never killed anyone. I have never come here. I don’t know how to fight other people. This is insane!”

The guy shook again Bolt. “Remember you are doing this for your personal good as well, if this motivates you by any chance.” The False Messiah looked at his prize again, doubts vanishing from his mind. My life… will be fixed. I won’t need to work, I won’t depend on anyone.

He sighed. “What do I need to do?”

“Queue up for a match. You will see first-hand what’s the problem here.”

“Do I have to go in Solo? What the hell man, I need someone to help me.”

“No. You might find someone while fighting, so don’t get depressed over this. You are the False Messiah, not the others.”

“Dude, you better pay me better for this.” He said, as the guy again vanished into nothingness. I wonder how the hell he does that, but well, as long as he gives me the sword I’m fine, it’s not like I’ll get much gold here.

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I have been fighting countless matches this afternoon and I haven’t won a single one! This is infuriating. I am not even doing that bad, am I? It feels so unfair. Even more so, who the hell decides who fights against who? That guy is terrible at his job. He was whispering his thoughts, until two Asura approached him.

“Hey, that “guy” is called Matchmaking. He’s everything but a person.” Said a feminine voice, the smaller of the two Asura.

“Yeah, you should stop worrying about that. No one knows how to change it. Not even if someone was in charge of changing it, it is pretty terrible.” Said the other one.

“Oh hell. More incredibly good news that I needed. Thank you for cheering me up!” Said the False Messiah ironically.

“Yo, don’t test our kindness. We were just giving you information, because you were acting like a crazy wizard of some kind, muttering words here.”

“Eh, yeah, well, you’ll see… what are your names?”

“Mine’s Chip!” Said the smaller one.

“Mine is Chop. Yours?”

“Good question. You can call me the False Messiah.”

“But that’s not a name!”

“Hell, take for granted that if I had a name I’d tell you!”

Chop seemed thoughtful for a moment upon hearing the “name”. “Oh I think I know who you are. The legendary liar who no one believes, the crazy man who keeps on spreading the word that he helped kill Zhaitan. That the “Hero” would not have defeated him without your help.”

“Yes. Please, don’t start laughing at me as everyone does.”

“Why should we?” Said Chip, with trust in her eyes. She was apparently believing his story, with certain joy, as if she had met a superhero of some kind.

The False Messiah started to tell them his whole story. From the “appearance” of the Messenger up until now. “He told me to fight, to see the problem with my own eyes. But I don’t see anything. Everything seems normal, I don’t get it.”

“Can’t you call him or something?”

“How am I supposed to do so, I don’t know. He has superpowers or something. I’d not be surprised if he was hearing us talking right now.”

“You should let us help you out. Do you mind if we queue up with you? It would be an honour” said Chop, with determination in his eyes. “I would say your story was moving enough to make me feel sympathetic.”

“Yes! Let us help!” Said with excitement. “I’m a Necromancer and Chop is a Warrior. What are you?”

“I think I’m a Necromancer too.”

“You think? How can you… eh, not be sure?”

“Well, you’ll see, I don’t know almost anything about fighting. I don’t even know how I survived inside the ship that killed Zhaitan.”

He had not arrived there by his merits at all. He just followed the instructions that the Messenger gave him about the operation. He ended up inside the ship, lurking around trying not to die, until he found a way to help slay Zhaitan. It didn’t matter all the skills the Hero could use, how good he was at fighting, because the False Messiah was capable of pressing 2 and fire faster. The situation was certainly shameful.

They decided to queue up together, trying to play their best. The False Messiah didn’t realize he was not alone anymore in his little tale. Little he knew, everything would have a dark end.

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He barely stomped the enemy on far point. “Noob class” he said, just before dying and waiting to respawn. I have become much better at this. As well, I’m starting to notice the problems the Messenger talked about. He captured the point and walked towards mid. He remembered he was not fighting with Chip and Chop and immediately lost trust on his team, jumping into the middle of the teamfight. I have to win this by myself. He transformed himself into the Lich Form, skill he had learnt recently. “So much skill, dude, wow” heard from almost dead enemies. People were not happy, people didn’t recognize a loss. Is that it? The match ended there, a win for the False Messiah.

“You are not bored of fighting now after a month, are you?” Said Chop, who recently woke up.

“I think I figured out what’s happening. I need to head back to Tyria and check some things in the Durmand Priory library. They must have useful information.”

“Can I come with you? I do not want to fight at all now… I feel like I am more of a burden to the team than a help.”

“As you wish. Shouldn’t you tell Chip?”

“There is no need. It is not like she will die or something.”

They started moving towards the library. The False Messiah could not get off his head this strange feeling. “Are you okay, Chop?” He noded, but it didn’t feel like an honest answer. He’s hiding something. Maybe he’ll find what he’s seeking in the library.

Chop was surprised at the size of the place. “This place must be pretty important, right?” He was curious to know more about which kind of information he could get from this place.

“Yes. It has an unmeasurable amount of knowledge. Is there anything you want to check especially?”

“Is there information about The Mists?”

“A whole section talking about it. I’ll go to the “Legends” section, if you need anything.”

They parted ways. It was a mystery what attracted Chop so much to read about The Mists. The False Messiah started reading about ancient Legends, trying to find one related to The Mists, in any way. Bingo, I think this is the one:

“Once upon a time, Heart of the Mists was a peaceful place. Warriors gathered there to test their skills, one against the other. They were respectful to each other, they knew how to take a loss. No matchmaking was needed, since everyone helped each other. If you had a low skill, other fellow fighters would offer their knowledge after the match ended helping as best as they could.

Everything seemed perfect, until two baby “beasts” appeared out of nothing. They didn’t know what they were, nor if they were good or evil. Though, it didn’t matter. Each fighter loved them and the two little beasts liked to play with them.

They grew, and grew, and grew, until the catastrophe happened. For unknown reasons, one of the beasts killed the other one. Some people tell they could hear the beasts speaking, though they were treated like lunatics. Even so, everything started to change. Fighters were not happy anymore. They started arguing, to be destructive to each other… until the beast started to wreak havoc, killing people.

Yes. The beast had the strange power to actually kill people in The Mists. Then, everyone united. They made a plan to seal the beast for a long time, in a faraway island, inside a castle-like jail. Should it escape, someone had to sacrifice themself to an eternal life holding the beast through magic.

More about the plan can be found somewhere into the Heart of the Mists undergrounds. May only the strongest warriors venture down there to discover the secrets this story holds.”

He closed the book, with excitement in his eyes. I know where I have to go now. We are venturing into forbidden lands of the Heart of the Mists. He left in a rush, knowing that Chop had already gone back to the Mists, satisfied with what he found.

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“Where the hell have you been? Where’s Chop? Answer me!” She had tearful eyes. “I thought you two left me! You never disappeared like this before. Where’s Chop?”

“Calm down. He’s fine. We were at the Priory’s library, searching information. I thought he came back here before me, satisfied with his research.”

“No. I have not seen him.” Her voice now with a worried tone. “I wonder where he must have left.”

“I’m sure he will be fine. I need to go to the old water-training area, the Obrin Ruins, do you want to join me?”

“But that place is forbidden…”

“Yes. But I am sure that’s the place where the legends talk about. There are secrets about the catastrophe that happened long ago here.”

“That sounds exciting!” It feels even as if she had completely forgot about Chop and its disappearance.

“Let’s not waste more time then.”

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Chop arrived at the place the book talked about. Oh yes.  Here it is. I will become stronger.

“Who dares interrupt my awakening” said a voice directly into Chop’s mind.

“Who… how… what?”

“I don’t need disturbances.” Said the voice again. Could it be the… thing, speaking directly into my mind?

“I seek power.”

“I see. You do know who I am, right?”

“Yes. And I know you can grant power to those who need it.”

“At a price. It’s a miracle that you stand before me.”

“I do not need anything from you but power.”

“I shall grant your wish. But you shall repay me.”

“What do you need, exactly?”

“You will know when the time is due.”

The energy that the creature emanated started to get into Chop’s body. He started to crumble as the energy went through him. What is this… am I not a Warrior anymore?

“No. You are not a Warrior anymore. You have transcended.”

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“What am I, then? I feel different.” He started to feel dizzy again, as if something tried to conquer his body. Leave my body! I need this power.

“Why do you need it?” Chop hesitated at the question. He didn’t know the reason that leaded him to do all of this. I… why?

“I… don’t know why.”

“Maybe you are jealous of Chip, because she was born as a Necromancer, being gifted with power. You were just a mere Warrior. You can’t even stand before your enemies without failing. You are afraid of losing. You need to be the best.”

“No! That’s not… what… damn.” Chop was still battling against his strange feeling. “I have been having this weird feeling inside me this last year… the more time passed, the more useless I become.” He seemed confused about himself. “But Chip… she is my friend. I cannot… hate her.” He hesitated again at this affirmation. He was no longer sure what he felt. There were two beings inside him battling, one raging for competitiveness and the other calling for friendship.

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She was lost in thought, probably still thinking about Chop’s disappearance. The last year they had been inseparable, but it felt as if she never knew him. An inner fight started in her mind about their friendship. Did I do something wrong? Should  I have helped him in some way? I don’t know… she felt no hatred towards Chop. He was always depressed because he felt like a nuisance for the team, more than a help. She tried to convey her thoughts, trying to not lose composure. Anyways, I need to help the False Messiah first.

They reached the place, locked shut. “Okay so, any idea how will we be able to get past this?” he asked Chip.

“We simply break the padlock and enter. Nobody will see us, nor will look for anything inside here, right?

“Rude but effective I guess.”

They broke the door, getting into the forbidden area rather easily. “This cannot be so easy. Let’s look for the tunnel we have to go in.”

Everything was too silent for the situation. They couldn’t hear nor see anyone, yet they felt a presence. “Be ready Chip, someone is going to attack us!” They drew weapons, ready to fight the unavoidable, at the same time a figure appeared from The Mists themselves, attacking them both with Unrelenting Assaults.

“Who the hell are you?” Screamed Chip at the strange figure with a blindfold.

“I want to test my powers” said the Asura, with a familiar voice. “I do not need this other guy around. Here is the door to the place you seek” he said, marking a door that was not there when they first entered, or so they thought.

Chip looked at the False Messiah. She knew what was at stake and that she had to know who this strange, yet so familiar Asura was. “Please, go. I’ll be fine, remember I’m a Necromancer, I’m superior to any other class.”

“I have never seen the powers this dude uses. Be careful, don’t risk it”. He started to run towards the door. She has taught me everything I know about Necromancy, she is not going down so easily. Though, this mysterious guy really worries me. Could he be… Chop?

Both Asura looked to each other. No one would want to do the first attack, since a bad move could mean to lose. “What are you? You don’t seem like any other class I’ve seen before” she said, still holding her first move. “Why do you want to fight me specifically? He was a Necromancer as well. Who are you?”

“Too many questions.” He shadowstepped towards her with unmatchable speed, aiming to stab with his sword right into her heart. “Nice reflexes” he said as Chip tried to cast her marks into the ground. He quickly dodged backwards a great distance, nullifying any kind of impairment condition she should have inflicted. “I am still not complete. But I am like nothing you have ever seen.” He started charging in and dodging away from her constantly, effectively creating confusion.

I have not done anything this whole time. I am tired of his approach to this fight. “Who are you again, before I crush you?”

“My name is of no importance now, Chip.” He charged again, trying to repeat the same pattern, but this time around she turned into the Death Shroud, giving her new control powers. “Then let’s finish this!” She purposely took the stab this time, just so she could reach him. An uncontrollable fear took control of him, unable to move, while the Tainted Shackles started to form between the two. “You are mine now.”

He got control over himself again, and tried to evade backwards to break the chains, but the Dark Path claws from Chip were already sent, touching him and bringing her with it. “You are not going anywhere” she whispered, with a cold gaze staring right into his eyes.

“You must be kidding me!” He laughed, as he quickly jumped and started again another round of Unrelenting Assaults to her, this time severely damaging her. Just as she was preparing for a counterattack, the enemy changed his weapon to a staff, charging forward, constantly knocking her back, as if it were like a Surge of the Mists.

She was barely standing up. “I… I’m sorry, but I’ve won” she said as she saw the enemy starting to crumble. “The poison and bleeding are finally starting to do their work.”

No, no, no! How could she beat me? I need to get out of here as soon as I can. He fused again with the Mists and disappeared into nothingness, he was gone for the moment.

She immediately fell to the ground, trembling. It’s cold here. But I don’t want to rest, not like this. She was ready to battle against herself trying not to die, but suddenly the False Messiah came back from the door.

“Chip?” He started to look around at the mess the battle of the two Asura made, until he saw her lying on the ground, looking to the sky with tears in her face. “Chip! Are you okay, Chip? Answer me, please!”

“I am… fine. I let him run away.”

“Why would you do that!?”

“You don’t know, but when you kill another person outside the specific maps we fight on… they don’t come back to life. They are gone forever.” She started to cry again. “A-and… h-he was Chop. H-how would I ever k-kill him? W-why did he try to kill me? I don’t understand it.”

“He… he is not our friend anymore.” She lost consciousness.

End of Part 1