Goddess Complete

by Michael Anderle

  “Like some kind of grizzly Robin Hood?” Leonie asked.

  “Nah, he does crap with money, right?” Huk answered.

  “Did you ever see the Disney movie? Therese said. “One of my favorites. That one’s a classic.”

  Chloe laughed. “Can we focus, please? Talbot, you were saying?”

  “Yes, well… All this talk of the Wrangler’s appearance and the tales of the forest protector got me thinking. Why don’t we stage something to draw him out of hiding?”

  Ben nodded. “That might work. We use someone as bait—get them lost in the woods and about to be mauled by ravenous wargs— and when the big guy appears, invite him for a quick chat and a cup of tea.”

  “That sounds like sarcasm,” Talbot said.

  “You think?”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Chloe chipped in. “It’s worth a shot, I suppose. Lure him out of his abode and grab the chance to speak with him. The only real question is who we put forward as bait.”

  As one, all eyes turned to Therese.

  “Oh, come on. Seriously? Me?”

  “Who better to stand their ground and fend off maulers than our very own tank?”

  Therese rolled her eyes and drained her drink. “Fine. Makes me really wish Tag was here right now. Maybe he could’ve been bait.”

  Chloe felt a small jolt of emotion. Tag’s name had hardly been mentioned since they’d arrived, and it was a sore spot for her. She hadn’t enjoyed having to leave him behind, but they’d had no choice. She certainly hoped he was okay, and that he would come back to join them all soon.

  “One thing we haven’t asked ourselves,” Leonie added, drawing attention away from Therese. “If this guy guards the forest and protects those who are in danger, why didn’t we see him when we were attacked by an army of ghouls?”

  “Because we were never in any real danger,” Ben replied. “With the wargs, there were many of them, and we were caught off-guard. It would’ve been one hell of a battle, with many casualties on either side.

  “With the ghouls, they never stood a chance. Not really. Particularly with Blueballs on our side. We could outfight them easily.”

  Blueballs growled in agreement.

  “So, what we need to do is put Therese in some real danger,” Veronica said, placing a hand on her companion’s shoulder. “Oh, this could be fun!”

  Therese grumbled and disappeared inside to refill her drink.

  Chapter Six

  Chloe,

  How goes the hunt for Shika…Shikroko…KF’s horse?

  It’s still so crazy watching all that you’re doing on the big screen. The study’s projector definitely offers a better cinematic experience for Mia and me. I can’t imagine all the kids and geeks watching your adventures on their mobile devices. They’re missing out on so much of the picture!

  As requested, attached are your latest reports on Praxis Ltd. as well as your royalties and earnings in advertising from Fractured Reality. They keep sending us packages with official merchandise (presumably to keep you from suing them). Seems they’ve finally caught up with the trend.

  To give you an overview before you deep-dive into stats and figures, you’re doing very well from this whole venture. I have to admit, I’m impressed. Not only are you making a fortune on your investment in the fastest-rising gaming company in the history of the digital world, but you’re only a few points off being the top-watched player in Obsidian, and that comes with a lot of financial benefits also.

  To answer the other questions you sent over yesterday:

  - Your parents are doing fine. Your whole family is doing what they do best—ignoring each other and getting deep into their own businesses. Henry and Henrietta have gone quiet, which could be a good thing, but in this line of business, you should always be wary of silence.

  - Mia and I are doing well. She’s working all hours of the day and night at the moment with Praxis and coming to grips with management. She’ll do great once the dust has settled, but for now, it’s a problem to keep her away from her computer for five minutes. I suppose it will benefit you in the long run.

  - Speaking of that, she still hasn’t come up with anything concrete regarding the relationship between the blackouts of the viewers and your experiences when you and KF go supernova together. There’s a hunch she’s following, and she might have found some evidence of what’s causing the AI to blip out. I’ll keep you posted on that one.

  For now, keep doing what you’re doing. You’re taking the Obsidian world by storm, Chloe. A little longer, and I predict you’ll be ranked the #1 player. From what I’ve heard, that brings with it its own rewards.

  Peace out

  Doc

  Chloe laughed, then composed a quick reply and blinked away the message. The doc had informed her of the situation during their showdown with Fukmos and his aide, and how the static had found its way onto the screens of thousands of viewers once again when Chloe had allowed KieraFreya to control her body, the pair working in unison to take down the enemy.

  The whole thing seemed bizarre. For Chloe, the experience was seamless. She entered into a near-perfect alignment with the goddess and felt her power grow.

  The viewers had missed all the action, their feeds showing nothing but a blizzard on their screen.

  This was a problem to be fixed if Chloe was to take the #1 spot in the Obsidian player ranks. Every time it occurred, the doc informed her that her viewership had dropped.

  Although it was a small drop, due mostly to frustrated players wanting to see all the action and feeling cheated of the excitement, it was a drop all the same, and viewership grew slower after each occasion.

  “Do we really think she can handle this?” Gideon asked, breaking Chloe from her thoughts.

  Chloe looked ahead, to where Therese was leading the procession. She already had her shield in hand and her hammer drawn as the tree line drew ever closer.

  “Undoubtedly,” Chloe replied. “She’s a tank dwarf. It’s what they’re made for.”

  Gideon looked doubtful. “That’s what I’m worried about. If the Wrangler was smart enough to know that we didn’t need help with the ghouls, who’s to say he won’t sense what’s going on here?”

  Chloe thought about this, then asked, “What’s the alternative, Gid? Hang around for days or weeks on end until another god decides to try to stop our quest? I don’t know how many of them there are, but we know they’re out there now. They’re actively trying to break our mission. Any day lost is a day gained for them.”

  “She speaks wisely,” KieraFreya added. “Fukmos is but one of the dark gods. Who knows who might have their eyes trained on us, now that he has failed?”

  Gideon fell silent.

  Ben led them all into the forest, taking the trail he had taken yesterday with the rangers. To the others, it seemed impossible that he could navigate through the trees with such confidence; every square inch looked the same to them.

  Just trees. All they could see was green.

  “Here. This is the spot,” Ben said, pointing to a piece of flattened earth where the bulk of the warg had lain.

  Therese took her place, crouched to one knee on the ground. She held her shield in front of her with her left hand, her hammer ready in her right.

  Chloe and the rest of the KieraSlayers found nearby trees to shinny up and take residence in. Even Blueballs demonstrated an impressive ability to climb, shouldering Huk and pawing his way up a thick, knotted branch a few meters away from where Therese waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  They waited in near-enough silence, listening for any sign or sound of the wargs. They could hear creatures scurrying around the undergrowth, the flapping wings of birds taking flights, and the chirruping of some winged insect, but nothing close to a warg.

  Chloe began to grow impatient. A few times, Therese looked up and shrugged. Chloe caught Ben’s eye in a neighboring tree and signaled the ranger to check his messages.

 
FROM: Chloe

  Dude, how do we know when they’ll arrive?

  FROM: Benjamin Summers

  I don’t know. Yesterday they were just here, so I assumed this would be their hunting territory.

  FROM: Talbot

  I knew you wouldn’t be patient and sit it out [laughing emoji]

  FROM: Therese

  So, what do you want me to do here? I’m literally a sitting duck right now. My knees and back hurt and I’m bored.

  FROM: Gideon Fleetwood

  Anyone got any meat ?

  FROM: Chloe

  How can you be thinking about food at a time like this?

  FROM: Gideon Fleetwood

  Not for me. To attract the wargs. Maybe some raw meat will draw them closer to us?

  FROM: Huk

  Nothing from me.

  FROM: Leonie

  Nor me

  FROM: Veronica

  Me neither

  Chloe’s attention was drawn back out of her messages when she heard the whistle and thunk of an arrow speeding through the air.

  “There,” Ben mouthed smugly, nodding at the small fox that now lay pinned to the soft ground by the arrow. “Food.”

  Their attention returned to the spot where Therese waited, but still nothing came. Five minutes passed, then twenty. Therese grumbled as she stood up and cracked her back, stretching from the discomfort of her long-held defensive position.

  She turned to the party in the trees. “Guys, I don’t think this is working. I’m getting achy and tired, and I can smell is decomposing fox…”

  Her words trailed off. Therese was staring into the undergrowth, where a large figure waited in reverent silence.

  From where Chloe perched, however, she couldn’t see the figure. All she saw was the terrified look come over Therese’s face as she flopped into position near the ground and hid behind her shield.

  Why has she gone quiet? Chloe wondered. She shimmied around on the bough to get a better look, but she needn’t have bothered, for the next thing she knew, the clearing was filled with the thunderous roars of a gigantic bear.

  Chloe’s body reared up for action, her muscles coiled. She was ready to jump down to help her friend.

  If it hadn’t had been for KieraFreya, she would have been down on the ground with Therese. No, Chloe. Remember, this is the plan. She needs to do this alone if we want it to work.

  Chloe nodded, realizing what she had been about to do. She couldn’t help it. It was instinctual. If a friend was in danger, she wanted to help. Had to help. It took every ounce of effort now to remain in position as the bear strode toward Therese. Even lumbering on all fours, it towered above her, and it walked over her toward where the fox lay dead.

  Therese pivoted, facing the back end of the bear as he sniffed (for it was clearly male) and chomped into the fox. Only once or twice did he turn his attention to Therese, not bothered in the least by her presence.

  What’s it doing? Chloe asked.

  Feeding, KieraFreya replied. Contrary to popular belief, even the largest predators will often go for the easy prey if they don’t feel threatened by what’s around them.

  Interesting, Chloe thought.

  The bear made short work of the fox. Therese waited patiently, eyes peeking over the top of her shield. A few moments later, the bear grumbled, licked his lips, and began moving away and back into the forest.

  Therese looked at the others for help.

  “Oh, for goodness sake,” Chloe murmured, creating an ice shard and throwing it at the bear.

  The shard sped through the air toward one of the bear’s massive paws. The tip grazed its skin as it passed, finally half-embedding itself in the forest floor.

  The bear growled and looked back, his eyes dark. In the tree above, Talbot stripped several pinecones from the branches and pelted the bear with them. The pinecones bounced off his hard skull, and his nostrils flared.

  Unaware of where the projectiles were coming from, the bear focused his attention on the girl in front of him. He stood on his hind legs and roared to the sky, the sound shaking the trees. The next thing she knew, the massive bulk of the bear was sprinting toward her.

  That’s more like it, KieraFreya said.

  Chloe was alarmed by the hint of pleasure she detected in KieraFreya’s words.

  Therese ducked behind the shield as the bear smacked into her, sending her tiny form flying several feet backward.

  “Therese!” Chloe couldn’t help yelling.

  The bear seemed not to notice, his eyes now locked on the dwarf. Therese took her position again, her hammer raised. As the bear neared, she smacked him on the nose. The beast growled and swiped at her.

  The sound of claws on steel rang out and Therese was swept sideways, rolling several times before regaining her footing. Chloe had a brief flashback to her first moments in Obsidian, when players could feel everything because their pain receptors hadn’t been properly adjusted.

  She reminded herself that that wasn’t the case now and Therese would be fine. Even the deepest of scratches would feel like little more than a paper cut.

  Chloe hated paper cuts.

  Therese, her pride unable to cope with not attacking back, let out a scream as she sprinted toward the bear. His eyes widened and he snapped at the dwarf, who dropped onto her knees and skidded beneath him.

  What’s she doing? KieraFreya asked.

  Chloe didn’t respond.

  Therese slashed at the bear’s stomach, the thick hide absorbing the majority of the blow. She crawled out from the under the bear and swung her hammer like a baseball bat, audibly impacting on the bear’s knee.

  The bear’s leg folded and he cried out in pain.

  “Therese, remember, you have to let it get you,” Chloe called through cupped hands. “If there’s no danger, he won’t come.”

  “That’s certainly how I like it,” Veronica called back, tongue poking out the side of her mouth.

  Chloe couldn’t help snorting.

  “How about one of you volunteers to come down and get smashed around by a bear? I don’t see anyone else offering to step in and help.”

  “You’re doing great, buddy,” Huk shouted. “Keep it up.”

  Therese cursed, the game covering the words with its grating censorship beep. Even the bear was momentarily jarred by the sound, limping toward Therese with saliva dribbling out of his mouth.

  “Let it bite you!” Ben shouted.

  “You guys are crazy,” Therese said. “Let him bite me? Do you realize how demeaning that would be?”

  “Take one for the team,” Talbot encouraged.

  “Yeah, you got this!” Leonie shouted.

  Therese rolled her eyes, letting her shield drop to the ground. Her eyes narrowed, fixing on the bear’s, seeing the bloodlust within. The bear growled as he hobbled toward her. When he was only a few inches away, he sniffed at Therese, clearly taken aback by the dwarf’s sudden change in stance.

  Therese froze, feeling the bear’s wet tongue on her face. His breath was rank and thick, his snarls finding their way into the marrow of her bones.

  The whole party watched on tenterhooks. Talbot leaned so far forward it looked as though he were going to fall out of the tree.

  The bear snorted a blast of warm air in Therese’s face and growled. His eyes were black as coal.

  “C’mon…” Chloe urged under her breath, more than aware of the lunacy of the situation.

  And then came more pinecones, the last kick into action. Talbot rained the objects on the bear’s head.

  Unfortunately, the bear looked up, seeing Talbot leaning from the boughs above. Once again, the bear moved over Therese, this time thrusting his large claws into the tree and dragging himself up. His broken leg hung limply as the others worked to compensate.

  Talbot’s eyes widened. He called to the others for help.

  Ben shrugged from the opposite tree. “I suppose it doesn’t matter who it is, buddy. Someone has to make the sacrifice.”


  The blood drained from Talbot’s face. He tried to kick the animal away, but the bear was already on him, dragging him down to the ground. He landed with a large exhalation of air, the bear turning around and going for him now.

  It bounded toward him as best it could, dragging its leg. Talbot retreated on his hands and knees, crawling as fast as he could, but soon the bear’s teeth gripped his leg.

  The bear pulled him back, throwing him across the forest until he slammed into a tree. Talbot coughed and scrambled to get to his feet.

  “Great work!” KieraFreya shouted. “Keep it up.”

  “Keep what up? He’s not doing anything! He’s just getting pummeled.”

  “Yeah, like we wanted him to. Well, actually, the dwarf, but I’m okay with either.”

  Therese simply watched from the sidelines, mouth agape. The bear picked Talbot up in his mouth, shaking his head furiously before tossing him once again.

  “How are you doing, Tal?” Veronica called down, her face pained.

  Talbot, to his credit, stared up at them with keen eyes. He gave them a thumbs-up, a fire apparently lit in his belly by the chance to help the group.

  Chloe didn’t know how much the warrior could take. Although he had picked warrior for his class, Talbot was hardly a fighter. He’d proven himself in wits and smarts, but he was no more than average when it came to a blade.

  The bear roared loudly once more and made a final charge. The KieraSlayers closed their eyes, not wanting to see what came next. Chloe hoped the Wrangler was nearby and their plan would work, but there was no sign of him. The forest seemed to have cleared for their battle.

  Or so she thought.

  The bear was almost on Talbot when a blur of brown fur sped toward them. The black bear was huge in comparison to the other bears they’d met, but this latest addition was even bigger. Its skull was the size of a boulder, and it smashed into the side of the black bear.

  Talbot yelled in a mixture of relief and shock.

  The brown bear reared, its maw gaping. The black bear rolled twice over, then slowly turned around, his eyes flashing.