Goddess Complete

by Michael Anderle

  She turned on her heel. She had no time to channel the etheric and preserve mana, so she threw her palms at the ground and created a Scorching Trail with her Purple Blaze spell.

  She was just quick enough to stop an infected that had dived straight at her, its body now melting in the fire. She saw the flames rise and smiled as she spotted Gideon channeling his own trail, thinner and weaker than hers but still a useful deterrent.

  A few infected managed to sneak past, but they were picked off by the gate guards’ spears and arrows. Chloe and Gideon focused their power, making the trail ever wider until it reached in an arc from wall to wall, protecting them from the infected.

  The infected screeched in anger. A few jumped through the flames in frustration, only to burn and die on the ground on the other side. Chloe turned and leaped through Gideon’s flames, praying that her armor would protect her from their heat.

  It did.

  “Come on,” she said, tugging at his sleeve. “They won’t hold forever.”

  She ran toward the gate, realizing in a sudden panic that they were already closing it.

  “Hey! Wait!” she called. She could see the KieraSlayers through the gap. Could hear their calls begging the guards to stop.

  She was almost at the gate doors when someone called, “Heather! Just leave it!”

  Chloe turned to see a young woman doubled over and struggling to walk. In her hands, she gripped the frayed shirt of an infected as she dragged it toward the gate with great effort.

  “Gideon, would you do the honors?” Chloe requested.

  Gideon hesitated, then nodded.

  The cackling glee of the infected got louder as the fire barrier began to dwindle. Chloe’s heart rose into her throat as the gap in the gates shrank.

  She closed her eyes and took a second to channel the etheric before casting Telekinesis on the gates. They paused, the guards on the other side audibly struggling, confused as to why the gate had suddenly frozen.

  Gideon, meanwhile, tore over to the woman named Heather and grabbed her clothes. “Leave them alone. What are you doing? Now’s not the time to play hero. They’re beyond healing.”

  She turned to him, face earnest and raw emotion in her eyes. “How do you know? I’m a cleric. We heal. That’s what we do. I need to know what caused this.”

  Gideon ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. His attention was caught by the infected now breaking free.

  “We need to go.”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s my brother,” Heather said sharply.

  Gideon froze.

  “He’s a cleric too. He was trying to heal these people.”

  Gideon looked from the infected to her, then over to the creatures sprinting toward them.

  He found his resolve and made a decision. Without a word, he picked the infected up and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

  Heather pulled herself to her feet and they ran for the gate, the gap growing ever smaller between them and the infected.

  Gideon sprinted past Chloe, Heather taking the lead. Chloe kept her power focused and made her way through to the other side. When she was there, she focused on moving the gates, snapping them shut as the first infected dived through, the gate’s closure trapping and squishing him in the middle.

  Chloe sat down, struggling for breath. She swallowed and said, “Man, he sure ended up in a jam.”

  Gideon dumped the body on the ground and rolled his eyes. “Really? That’s what you’re going with?”

  Before Chloe could answer, she was bathed in a golden glow. Finally, she had made it to level 15.

  Chloe held her breath, waited to see the notification telling her of what grand steps awaited her now that she’d gained another level.

  Nothing came.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The call to arms rang out almost immediately after the gates closed. A signal was sent from the gate guards all the way through the levels of the city until it reached the ears of the king.

  King Abaxis was sitting on his balcony enjoying the night air when the summons came—a series of sharp horn blasts, growing louder as they worked up the chain.

  There was a knock on his door.

  “Who is it?”

  “Therese.”

  “Come in.”

  Therese joined him on the balcony to stare out over the city. “What is it?”

  “Danger,” Abe said, simply, staring toward the gate, where he could see the dying purple fire. For a brief second, he saw the darkened silhouettes of dozens of bodies in the light. “We’re under attack.”

  Therese’s eyes widened. “My party is down there. They need me.”

  “How do you know?”

  Therese was already halfway out the door. She paused only to say, “Because I know them.”

  Abe grinned, loving the ferocity and fire in his bride-to-be. He walked over to the other side of the room to where a mouthpiece was hidden in the wall, a security measure for kings to keep themselves safe should danger ever find its way into their keep.

  He placed his lips on the mouth of the horn and blew, initiating the Royal Quest sequence that would alert all NPCs and blessed alike that the kingdom needed protecting.

  Chloe took up a position on the top of the gates with Ben beside her, shooting projectiles down into the fray as the infected swarmed before the gate.

  “I can’t believe it. Nothing. I got nothing for that.”

  Ben aimed his bow at the infected. “What made you think there would be something?”

  “I don’t know. It was a hunch, okay? I thought, well, increments of five.”

  Ben shrugged. “Fair enough.” He tracked his arrow as it arced down into the mass of bodies.

  There were several hundred of them now. A great writhing mass of the creatures pushed at the gate, climbing on top of each other in an attempt to make it inside.

  Ben loosed arrow after arrow, putting the accuracy of the gate guards to shame. While their arrows inevitably hit something in the crowd—it would be harder to miss than it would be to hit the mass of bodies—Ben’s found the weak spots, taking out infected by piercing their hearts, eyes, and heads.

  “They’re really falling head over heels for you.” Chloe smirked as she watched an arrow hit an infected that had climbed on the shoulders of two others. It tumbled to the ground, rotating several times before landing in a clumsy heap.

  “What can I say? I’ve got a certain charm.”

  Laughter sounded nearby as a blessed Chloe had never seen before took a position along the gate’s perimeter. A mixture of men and elves mingled with the dwarves. There were now axe-throwers, rangers, and even a few spellcasters.

  These Chloe looked at with disdain, still remembering the reception she had received at the Mages’ School.

  Sure, get involved when the damn king asks, but when I need you to help the whole damn world…

  The rest of her new party arrayed themselves near the gate, bracing against the stone to stop the pressure from the countless bodies from forcing it open.

  Blueballs led the charge, his fur matted with blood. Though he was the strongest of the lot by far, he was worn out. His eyes were hazy, and he took deep, heavy breaths.

  “Are you okay, buddy?” Leonie asked, stroking his fur.

  She saw several small scratches on his skin.

  “Oh, no,” she said quietly, realization dawning. She called to the others, “Move. We need to get Blueballs out of here. He needs help.”

  The others were hesitant until they saw the scratches. Their minds all reached the same conclusion: If Blueballs has been hurt by infected, what does that mean for him? Imagine him rabid and infected…

  Leonie led the toffet away from the crowd, moving through more and more bodies as new players migrated to the gates, ready to partake in the king’s party quest and mine some experience. They didn’t realize until they saw the enemies beyond the gate what they were up against.<
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  They were pouring in now. Chloe could see them coming down the streets behind her, hundreds of active players ready to protect the city. She couldn’t believe the sheer numbers. Soon enough, the walls were overcrowded, filled with players fighting to get involved and get experience.

  Even Therese had come down from her castle on high, hammer in hand, ready to join the battle.

  Arrows flew, rocks tumbled down, and fires blazed and roared. The infected screeched and cried, desperate to try to make it through the gate as the night wore on.

  A few times the infected managed to stack high enough on top of each other to grab the collars of fighters on the gate, but the casualties were few and far between, and immediately countered as all projectiles targeted the stacks and brought them back down.

  Slowly the mass of infected began to dwindle. Stragglers arrived from the forest, mindlessly joining the fray in a constant trickle, but the bulk of them were dead.

  Chloe spotted a few at the back of the crowds peel off and begin to work their way toward the houses and farmhouses in the rural land beyond.

  “Doris and Burdock. We have to help them,” she called to Ben.

  “What do you expect them to do?” Ben asked. “There are too many people up here and at the gates to get down and chase after them. Besides, they’re not going to open the gates while they’re under attack.”

  Chloe searched frantically for a solution. She pictured the sweet, lovely lady and her peacocks. She imagined Burdock and his wife at home, hiding in fear of the passing horde.

  She couldn’t allow them to end up like these creatures.

  Glancing below, she saw that there were small gaps that opened and closed like the lungs of some living thing, and when she spied a gap large enough to land without fear of instant attack, Chloe leaped.

  It might have been considered a reckless move by some. However, Chloe had faith in her skills.

  Her Acrobatics skill kicked in, helping her leap in a long arc.

  Impressive stuff, KieraFreya said.

  You haven’t seen anything yet.

  KieraFreya chuckled. What have you got in mind?

  Chloe grinned. Don’t hate me for this.

  She landed softly on her feet, standing up and noticing something odd.

  The infected were still moving, but they were moving at half speed around her. When she investigated further, she was surprised to see that the fire was moving in slow motion too.

  “What’s going on?” Chloe asked.

  KieraFreya brought up her notifications. Chloe scanned them, seeing a few very nice bonuses.

  Skill increased: Reckless (Lv 7)

  Okay, okay. We get it. You’re craaazy! Since you’re determined to risk your neck and go down unwise routes, you have gained an exclusive “time-slow” buff anytime you do something considered reckless.

  Bonuses: +17 strength, +12 endurance

  (NOTE: Increases in skill override any previous bonuses gained from the skill).

  Woah! Time has slowed.

  Thanks to your Reckless skill, you’ve received the Time Slow buff.

  Effects: Time has slowed by 25%

  Duration: 2 minutes

  “Well, isn’t that just—”

  “Chloe! Watch out!”

  Chloe flicked away her menu in time to see an arm slowly swiping toward her. She banged it to the side with her forearm and ducked out of the way.

  The infected was knocked off-balance and fell slowly, as if underwater.

  “Nice,” Chloe said aloud, impressed. “Now for phase two.”

  “What’s phase two?” KieraFreya asked.

  “The bit you might not like.”

  Though KieraFreya babbled, Chloe didn’t listen. She fell into her thoughts, focusing on the etheric and finding her familiar. She was surprised to see that the rabbit’s horns had evolved from stumps to what she could only describe as spikes. The creature obeyed her command, connecting her with the magic she needed.

  All of a sudden, Chloe burst into flames.

  “Woah! Chloe! What have you done?” KieraFreya called. “Put it out. Put it out!”

  But Chloe wasn’t listening. This was exactly what she had planned. Every inch of her metallic armor was now imbued with Purple Blaze. She was an effigy of purple flame, a bonfire in human form.

  She gritted her teeth and screwed her eyes shut. Out of all the risks she had taken in her gaming career, this one felt the most stupid. She had seen what Purple Blaze did to her enemies, and now she was casting it on herself.

  She half-expected to feel the intensity of heat. She was trapped in metal, a known conductor of heat, so she waited for the moment when her skin started to bubble so she could turn off the magic and try another method.

  But she didn’t feel the heat.

  She could barely even hear the crackling of the flames.

  Skill increased: Etheric Manipulation (Lv 4)

  With every level increase in Etheric Manipulation, the worlds open up to you. Not just your world, but that of the etheric.

  There are many bonuses to this. Accuracy of casting and reduced spell cost, but most importantly, you are now immune to your own spells.

  No longer will you have to live under the threat of friendly fire. Accidentally shoot lightning at your own foot? Don’t worry about it.

  Accidentally cast a spell of aging into your nostril? Forget about it.

  The possibilities are endless. See what you can do.

  Bonuses: +10 etheric potential, spell cast cost dramatically reduced, immunity to friendly fire

  (NOTE: Increases in spells override any previous bonuses gained from the spell).

  “Nice!” Chloe beamed as she strode through the horde, feeling more powerful than ever as the infected stepped back and gave her clearance to pass.

  She drew her sword, imbued the blade once more with flame, and took down any and all that dared to get within her reach before spotting the shadows disappearing into the darkness ahead and giving chase.

  Her sights were fixed on a band of five infected that tore off toward Burdock’s house. She frowned and sprinted after them.

  Gideon and Heather secured the final leather straps on either side of the large wooden table and stepped back.

  Gideon shuddered. He hated the idea of being dirty, much less having touched the naked skin of an infected who had, until very recently, been fully conscious and ready to attack and bite them.

  What if the disease made its way into him?

  Heather stared down at her brother with a solemn expression on her face. His breath was coming in short gasps and his eyes were firmly closed.

  Gideon shuddered again.

  At first, Gideon thought that he had been flogging a dead horse. That Heather had managed to convince him to bring back a corpse on which she could do her experimentation in order to find a cure.

  It wasn’t until he had carried him to the small room located within the guard’s sentry post that he realized that his chest was rising and falling. Her brother was somehow still very much among the living.

  “He looks so peaceful,” she whispered.

  Gideon looked at Heather incredulously. He hadn’t realized it at the time, them both being under the threat of death, and all, but she was a very pretty girl. Freckled cheeks and red hair. Plump lips, perfect for kissing.

  She realized he was staring at her.

  “Sure, sure…” Gideon recovered.

  Heather tottered around the room, pulling various ingredients out of a small satchel she wore belted around her waist. Gideon saw various leaves and liquids, as well as a book with illustrations of various ailments and infections and instructions on best methods to heal and aid.

  “What do you think it is?” Gideon asked, taking a seat beside the table. They could hear the onslaught of battle outside, the din of raised voices and battle cries. Part of him wanted to go out and help, but he knew there were enough people out there to cover the field. He had received the same quest as everyo
ne else.

  Heather shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Illnesses can take from people. Can drain them dry and keep them in bed, believing they will never get better. But it’s rare to see an illness that drives a host into a frenzied state such as this.”

  “So, zombies?” Gideon said, rather bluntly.

  Heather glanced up from under her eyelids. “Excuse me?”

  “You know, zombies? The undead.” He turned his fingers into claws and pretended to chomp the air. “Zombies.”

  Despite herself, Heather laughed, the sound a tinkling of bells juxtaposed against the battle outside.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You’re stupid,” she replied, the words not intended to hurt, judging from her smile.

  Their eyes met briefly. Gideon smiled goofily back.

  Heather returned her focus to her brother, her hand gently touching the dark veins on his body. “It looks like a darkness in the blood. Something that has worked its way into his body and seized control. See here? Where the pupils are dilated? That’s an overabundance of adrenaline. An overload of a stimulus meant to drive survival. For all we know, their minds are in there, but they’re telling them we’re the enemy.”

  Her hand slid down his body as she continued. “His heart rate is fast. Too fast. Even unconscious, their bodies are working overtime. We need something to slow down the blood flow around his body. Something to calm down his frenzied state and try to bring back a semblance of recognition.”

  “You think he’s forgotten who you are?”

  “Maybe,” Heather said. “At least, for now. I don’t think it’ll be gone forever.”

  “How do you know so much about medicine?” Gideon asked.

  Heather blushed. “I was a trainee nurse in real life. Well, at one point, anyway. I spent several years practicing and studying medicine, delving deep into the anatomy of the human body.”

  “Sounds fascinating.”

  “It was,” she said sadly. There was memory deep in her eyes, and some sadness. “An endless search down the rabbit hole of knowledge for the betterment of people. Who could ask for more?”

  “So, what happened?” Gideon asked softly.