Goddess Complete

by Michael Anderle

  When she was satisfied she’d hit them all, she sprinted across the cave, narrowly avoiding the lashing tongue, and dived into the orb.

  “Now what?” Gid asked.

  “Now, we wait.”

  A few moments passed. The purple flames hungrily ate their fill of the mushrooms. Soon, the flames died down, and the cave became dark apart from the Aqua Orb.

  “Okay, time to trip the switch. When the defenses are lowered, keep swinging and attacking anything around you. Should you get in trouble in the dark, then use ‘Flimble’ as the safe word. Me and Gid will light this mother up and rescue you in a heartbeat.”

  “What are you going to do?” Tag asked.

  Chloe grinned. “I’ve got my Dark Vision. I’ll be fine. Okay, all set?”

  “Wait!” Tag exclaimed.

  “What?”

  “Why ‘Flimble?’”

  Chloe shrugged. “It’s a funny word that you’re otherwise unlikely to hear in a situation such as this. Am I wrong?”

  Tag shook his head. Ben chuckled.

  “Okay, now!”

  Gideon dissolved the orb, and the group scrambled. They could hear each other swinging their weapons, but the fish were clearly confused. A couple of times, some of the larger fish glowed with light in the dark, but it was hardly anything to see by. Even the mother was clearly distressed now.

  Chloe sprinted through the dark until she was away from the fish. She swooped behind Big Mama and looked for a place to climb.

  The creature’s back was as smooth as anything she had ever seen. Its skin was wet and slick. How was she going to get up there?

  Gan’gor appeared beside her. “Need a hand?”

  Chloe jumped. “Shh. Don’t scare me like that. What are you doing?”

  “Helping out.”

  “You can see in the dark?”

  “Have you seen these eyes? I can see you as clearly as you can see me.”

  Chloe chuckled quietly. “Fair enough. How do you propose to help?”

  “With these hands.” Gan’gor held up his flat, wide appendages. “They’re built for gripping wet surfaces and climbing. We might not get to use them much these days, but if we can trust evolution, we should be fine.”

  “What do you know about evolution?” Chloe asked, wondering how creatures of a medieval world would know the concept of genetic adaptation over millennia.

  “Everyone knows about it.” Gan’gor shrugged.

  That clears that up, Chloe thought sarcastically.

  “Hop on.”

  Chloe stood behind Gan’gor and tentatively placed her hands on his shoulders. The feeling was strange, like holding onto a moss-covered rock. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clutched with her knees.

  “Oof, you’re heavier than I thought you’d be.”

  “Don’t you know enough not to comment on a woman’s weight?”

  “No,” Gan’gor said flatly. “Hold on.”

  And then they were up. Gan’gor moved quickly, hands gripping the fish’s back with ease. The monstrous creature began to shake and writhe with rage as he felt the two on his back. Its back legs kicked and bucked, but Gan’gor held on fast.

  When they reached its “shoulders,” Chloe hopped off Gan’gor and grabbed the ancient’s fin.

  “What’s your plan?” Gan’gor asked, practically shouting over the creature’s screeches. Below them were the occasional flicker of blimp fish illuminating and the grunted efforts of the guys fighting them off.

  “Go for the big organs,” Chloe said. “That’s all I’ve got.”

  She made her way to the top of the creature’s dome and fought for balance. Gan’gor was beside her and acted like a crutch, a place she could grasp when balance got too difficult. It took her a while to get there, but eventually, she made it.

  “Here goes nothing,” Chloe muttered. She raised her sword above her head and brought it down with every ounce of strength she could muster…

  The fish lurched.

  Chloe tumbled to the ground. She landed with a thud and was distressed to see a substantial portion of her strength vanish.

  Beep!

  “Watch that mouth, girl,” KieraFreya quipped.

  Chloe ignored her, diving out of the way of a colossal foot as it moved to tread on her.

  “How’s that plan going, Chloe?” Ben called through the darkness.

  “It’s not,” she called back. “Change of tactics.”

  She got to her feet and summoned Purple Blaze, the cavern illuminating instantly. She was alarmed to see Gideon batting away fish and Tag on the floor under a horde of the creatures.

  “What happened to ‘Flimble?’”

  Tag couldn’t reply since his face was pushed against the floor. Gideon merely flapped his arms and made strange sounds with his mouth.

  Chloe rolled her eyes and, together with Ben, managed to free them both rapidly.

  The beast whipped out his tongue, this time connecting with Chloe’s ankle.

  She fell to the floor and hit her head. Scrambling for purchase, she managed to clutch a stalactite. She held on for dear life, fighting the power of the fish’s pull.

  Her fingers started to slip.

  “Guys? A little help?”

  Another tug and she was gone, sailing through the air toward the creature’s mouth.

  But she was not alone.

  “This might not have been such a good idea.” Gideon gulped.

  Chloe burst into laughter, surprised to see that Gideon had taken her hands. Behind him, Tag, Ben, and Gan’gor were being swept up by the creature’s tongue.

  “Just remember, no matter what happens, I love you,” Ben shouted.

  Chloe’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I’m just kiddin’! Well, I do love you all. Platonically, I mean.”

  Ben was cut off as the group started toward the ancient blimp fish’s gullet.

  “Now would be a great time for Telekinesis!” Gideon cried.

  Chloe screamed, “It doesn’t work like that!”

  They tumbled down and down, and the darkness closed in around them. The creature’s breath was a fetid stench.

  “Okay, here goes nothing,” Chloe said, an idea popping into her head. “Listen up!”

  She rapidly barked orders at the group, wondering how this was all going to turn out. As they passed the creature’s tongue, Chloe stabbed her sword in. The blade tore its way down and she held on tight, feeling the resistance slow her down.

  The others held onto her. Ben tossed several arrows down the creature’s throat and Gideon hurled a fireball after them. The fish started choking on the arrows, clearly not enjoying the hot ball within its body.

  “That’s one way to give a creature heartburn,” Chloe mused. “Tag, your turn!”

  Tag shuffled his way up the group, holding as tight as possible as the beast began to lurch and writhe. With one hand clutching Chloe’s shoulder, he raised his hammer with the other and drove it onto the end of the sword.

  The sword dug several inches deeper into the blimp fish. Its roar was excruciating, and its throat began to contract as it attempted to disgorge them. Now they were tilting forward, the creature doing whatever it could to clear its throat.

  As they tumbled toward the rock floor once more, Chloe imbued her sword with electricity. She carefully threw it into the air. “Tag! Now!”

  Swinging the hammer like a baseball bat, the head struck the sword on the hilt. The blade flew forward like an arrow and embedded itself in the creature’s forehead.

  The thing was alight in seconds. The blade conducted electricity into its brain and to all its limbs, and they heard the satisfying crackle of the creature frying.

  They ran out of the way as it collapsed, squashing many of its symbiotes, then worked to clear the rest and finish the job.

  When there were no more fish left to destroy, Gan’gor stepped out from behind the rock where he had been recovering. “Who… Who the heck are you guys? That was—”<
br />
  “We know,” Tag said smugly.

  “That was like a one in a million shot,” Gideon said in awe. “How did…”

  Chloe shrugged. “Blessed with good luck, I guess. Now, let’s loot the hell out of this bad boy and get out of here. I think I need some fresh air."

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  The cowladites of Nauriel very quickly put their stamp on the city.

  They broke into groups. Some circled overhead, using their enhanced vision to scout the land and forewarn them of coming attacks, while others swooped and dived around the front gates, greatly reducing the numbers of Fukmos’ army.

  At least twice the size of normal citizens, the new arrivals were terrifying to behold. In a dive from several hundred feet in the air, they could move at impressive speeds, twisting and rolling to avoid the projectiles of the orcs and dark creatures that attacked.

  Within a day, they had caught up with the backlog of relentless attackers at the gate, and the defenders were afforded a little breathing room. For the first time in several days, the forces at the gate took a break.

  “See? All we needed was a little help.” Abe smiled, hands laced behind his back as he stood atop the wall and looked out over the farmland that stretched the several miles between them and the forest.

  The landscape was now sad and barren. Those who had dwelled there had retreated some time ago into the city, afraid to remain outside the safety of the stone walls. Many of the farmers had been killed before they could retreat or be rescued, but not all.

  Therese was glad to have seen Doris and Burdock and Reyner make their way inside the gates before all the action had exploded. Now their houses stood abandoned, like ancient sentinels keeping watch over the land. The skies were still dark—likely the work of the dark gods, she thought—and gloom blanketed Hammersworth.

  “Where are they finding all these troops?” Therese asked, glad to be able to join Abe on the front line. In the distance, they could see the first of the next wave of soldiers approaching like small black ants emerging from their holes in the trees. A couple of hours or so and they’d be upon them. “They seem never-ending.”

  “I don’t know,” Veronica replied, standing proudly beside Therese. She looked regal in the Chief Guardian armor Therese had bestowed upon her, her staff topped with a spiked orb—a gift from the elder cleric, designed to enhance the abilities of the etheric when channeled through healing.

  Flanking them were the KieraSlayers who had remained, Holly, Molly, and Gelda, who had spent the last several days fighting without rest at the gate, casting their magic and hurling boulders, and Heather, who had been busy healing everyone she could get her hands on.

  “They can’t keep going forever, surely?” Veronica continued. “This would be the worst plan for war I’ve ever seen. To send your army out in minor waves…well, wouldn’t that just chip away at your numbers? It seems stupid.”

  “Or incredibly smart.”

  They yelped in surprise as someone landed behind them. Tag’kir towered above them, matching Gelda in height. He fluffed his wings, their breath catching at their span.

  Tag’kir looked at the approaching army, eyes narrowed, as he spoke. “Fukmos clearly has numbers on his side. If he can afford to throw the army out in waves like this, it means he has plenty to spare. Losses mean nothing to him when the endgame is in sight.”

  “Impossible,” Therese replied. “No one can amass an army that large that quickly.”

  “You’d better find a way to believe it,” Tag’kir crowed, his words without judgment. “My initial scouts have returned, and they have seen it. Way out beyond the trees, his troops snake in lines toward the quarries where Fukmos and his sisters awaited their time to march. They talk of enemies by the thousands, a great writhing mass of evil with a single purpose.”

  “To destroy the city,” Abe muttered.

  Therese shook her head. In the distance, she could see the wobbling structure of the rift. Its width had now shrunk by at least a quarter, its height reducing in kind. How much longer would it take Chloe and the others to find that damn horse and end this?

  “No. It’s to close the rift,” Therese said. “Fukmos knows the only way he’ll win is if Chloe, KieraFreya, and Shikora don’t unite. That’s his last hope. He’s scared, not that he’ll show it.”

  Tag’kir grunted in agreement.

  Holly leaned closer to Molly and Gelda. “So, remember when we were looking at that bulletin board and wanted to find a quest that paid off with a load of experience and enhanced the greater good?”

  They nodded.

  “I think…I mean, I’m not certain, but I think this might be it.” She smirked.

  The others chuckled.

  “This is no laughing matter,” Tag’kir snapped. “The armies have begun their move. Even as we speak, they’re crossing the lands beyond the forest, working their way in considerable numbers toward the city. You might laugh, but for those of us not among the blessed, the time has come to panic. Death may mean nothing to you all, but to us, it is the end. We fight for our lives, and we fight soon.”

  “I thought you said they were waiting?” Therese asked, a note of panic in her voice. “You said they were waiting at the quarry.”

  “That’s right,” Tag’kir replied. “They were. Now they’re moving. Did you think they wouldn’t act when they heard of help approaching? Even as we speak, great groups of soldiers and fighters are traveling from across the realm to your aid. You think Fukmos would wait for them all to unite, especially after hearing of the arrival of my kind?”

  “How? How is it possible that he’s already heard of your arrival?” Leonie asked.

  Tag’kir straightened up. “Fukmos knows.”

  And that was all they could get out of him before he flew back to his men at the top of the city.

  A short while later, Therese sat atop the wall, legs dangling over the edge. It was a thirty-foot drop to the ground, which always looked longer from a dwarf’s perspective.

  Veronica, Leonie, Talbot, and Blueballs sat beside her. The city waited in silence. From afar, they could hear the drumbeat march of the approaching creatures, one of the final waves before the rest would come.

  Out on the field, several dwarves remained in a circle around the base of the rift, their shields raised, not an inch between them. Stacked behind them were several of the mages from the Mages’ School, who were ready and waiting to cast their barrier, knowing the importance of keeping the rift safe and open for Chloe’s return. Interspersed among these were Holly, Molly, Gelda, and Lindsay, taking their turn at the plate.

  Footsteps on the stairs and scuffling feet, and a moment later, Huk squeezed clumsily between Leonie and Veronica, a large clay jug in his arms.

  Veronica found the size of the jug compared to the goblin laughable. “What’s that?”

  “Celebratory drink,” Huk replied. He licked his lips and raised the jug. At his size, he couldn’t control the flow, and several great glops dribbled down his front. The scent of strong alcohol filled the air.

  “What’s to celebrate?” Leonie asked, a smile on her face. “We’re on the cusp of impending doom, and you’re celebrating? Shouldn’t you wait until after we’ve fought?”

  Huk shook his head. His wide goblin ears flapped with the vigorous movement. “What if we die? What then? Will we get the chance for another drink like this?”

  “Of course, we will,” Therese said dismissively. “We’re blessed.”

  Huk nodded. “Right. But what kind of world will we return to? Right now, we’re in one of the last great cities in the world. Behind us are thousands of citizens with gold in their hearts, and before us, the polar opposites. Even if we survive, or we die and are resurrected, what kind of world will remain? Who’s to say the world won’t grow a shade darker, and we will never have a moment of peace like this again?”

  Therese raised an eyebrow, impressed.

  Huk tapped his temple with a bony finger. “See? Not
just a hat rack.”

  “A little pessimistic, though, don’t you think?” Talbot asked. “Whatever happened to positivity? To saving the good things until the deed is done because you know the future will be brighter? You’re acting like you’ve already given up.”

  Abe nodded. “That’s the loser’s mentality. If you believe there’s any option but victory, you might as well just throw in the towel, because you’re done.”

  “Thanks, Your Highness.” Huk rolled his eyes, then slurped some more drink. “I’m guessing that means you don’t want any of this?”

  “I never said that.”

  They laughed as the king reached over and took the jug from Huk. He held it before his face, confused.

  “What’s the problem? Never drunk anything that wasn’t from a goblet?” Huk laughed.

  Abe blushed.

  “You’re not serious?” Therese smirked.

  Abe cricked his neck, straightening to save face. “No. I mean, yes. But… Ah, what the hell.”

  He raised the jug slowly to his lips, nearly spluttering when the cold liquid hit his throat. Still, he did a better job than Huk, considering that not a single splash found its way down his front.

  “Huzzah!”

  “Huzzah!” they echoed.

  The jug was passed to each member of the party. Even after everyone had taken a long draught, there was still at least half of its contents left.

  Huk reclaimed it, hugging the jug like a child hugging its doll.

  Veronica took a deep breath of the evening air. “I wonder how she’s doing?”

  “Who?” Huk asked. He was met with icy stares from the group. “Oh. Her. Yeah. You think she’s going to make it?”

  “I do,” Therese answered. “If anyone can do it, it’s her. Chloe and the boys have been on enough journeys by now to be able to survive the worst. You’ll see. Any minute now, there’ll be a flash of white light or something else dramatic, and she’ll bound through the rift on the back of Shikora.”