“That’s her,” KieraFreya gasped. “That’s Shikora.”
Chloe used Creature Identification.
Creature: Shikora (Legendary) (Lv Unknown)
HP: Unknown
Resistances: Unknown
Weaknesses: Unknown
“Yep, that’s her,” Chloe said, swallowing a lump in her throat.
She had pictured this occasion ever since she had first learned of KieraFreya’s steed. Had imagined running over to the horse and swinging her leg over and reuniting the two in a glorious burst of light.
This was the last piece of the puzzle. The final moment to unite the goddess. Surely, she should be eagerly running toward the horse now.
Why wasn’t she?
Several things held her back at that moment, the minor hesitancy being that swinging her leg over something that big would be near on impossible. She’d have to use her Acrobatics to launch herself on top.
Not a big problem, really. Just far less graceful than she would have liked.
The larger issue was the aura of dark mist that surrounded the horse, which looked rather intimidating. And, surely, if Shikora wanted to be reunited, she would come bounding up to KieraFreya and show her affection.
Right?
“Something’s wrong,” Chloe said flatly.
KieraFreya agreed. “There’s darkness inside her. See that aura surrounding her? It reeks of possession. We must approach with caution.”
They trailed down the slope toward the cave, acutely aware now of the quiet that had fallen across the Plains. The whinnies and neighs of the horses on the hillock were lost as they moved toward the fearsome beast that was watching them, unblinking.
“Who do you think has done this to her?” Tag asked as they closed the final distance. “How do we fix it?”
“It’s likely the final trial,” KieraFreya said flatly. “Shikora has been awaiting this moment for thousands of years, left here alone without me. Whoever cast her here in the first place probably made it so that retrieval would not be easy. Even after all the barriers we have faced so far, they have been thorough in ensuring we have to fight to the last.”
The group took one more step before Shikora took a single angry jump forward. She tossed her head and whinnied, peeling her lips back to reveal large white teeth.
Chloe felt her arm lifted by KieraFreya. She held the others back, eyes locked on the horse. “Stay here.”
They didn’t argue.
Like a lion tamer careful not to upset its cat, Chloe and KieraFreya cautiously approached. Shikora stepped completely out of the shadows, and now Chloe could see that the armor that plated her entire body matched hers. Plates collared the horse’s back and front, with the only parts unprotected being the stomach, legs, and mane.
She’s a beauty, Chloe said internally.
But still deadly in the wrong hands, KieraFreya replied.
The aura was all around her, floating like a black mist that poured from her body. The closer they got, the more agitated she became. She stamped her feet threateningly and kicked up dust from the ground.
When they were no more than twenty feet away, a notification appeared in Chloe’s vision.
Quest unlocked: The Final Hurdle
Darkness has taken Shikora and needs to be expunged. Defeat KieraFreya’s legendary horse in order to unite the two again and complete quest A Fallen Goddess.
Difficulty: 9/10
Rewards: 20,000 exp
Accept quest: Y/N
Yeah, like I’m going to turn this quest down now.
Chloe slowly drew her sword, wondering just how strong this creature really was and if her months of training and leading up to this moment had prepared her for what was to come.
“You ready for this, KF?” Chloe asked.
“You betcha.”
She took a deep, steadying breath and eased forward, wondering if there would be a way to cure Shikora that didn’t lead to a fight. She stretched out an arm, just a few feet away from Shikora now.
Easy does it…
Almost…
When she was only inches away, the horse went crazy. Her eyes grew wild, and she charged at Chloe.
Metal armor clanged against metal armor, and Chloe was tossed several feet back. She landed on her back, the air knocked out of her, and managed to move out of the way just in time to avoid the heavy stomp of horse’s hooves on her face.
“Chloe!”
Gideon rushed forward to help her, determination on his face. He made it only a few feet before something large and dark blocked his path.
“Ow!” He complained, holding his head. The horse he had bumped into was huge and had appeared from nowhere. Somehow the entire herd had come and now stood between them and Chloe. They ringed Chloe and Shikora in a protective circle, blocking any attempts for the others to dive in and help.
“This is where my small size finally comes in handy!” Tag boasted, ducking to crawl under the nearest horse’s stomach.
The horse whinnied angrily and began bucking. It tossed its head in Tag’s direction, eyes wild. A hoof caught Tag’s arm and threw it backward, spinning him in a full circle.
Although the pain was fleeting, it was strong enough for him to know that the horse had broken his arm.
“Gid, do you mind helping me with this?”
But Gideon wasn’t listening. At that moment, he was craning his neck, trying to watch what was happening with Chloe and the devil horse.
Chloe was on her feet, struggling to gain a moment to cast her spell. Every time she closed her eyes to manipulate the etheric, the horse was on her. She was relentless, bowing her head and charging, tossing and turning, kicking and biting at her.
And now Shikora caught Chloe with her head, aiming it squarely into Chloe’s stomach. Chloe gripped her head and was flung into the air, where she flew several feet before slamming onto the horse’s back and sliding off.
“What did you do to piss her off?” Chloe wheezed.
She landed once more on the ground, ears tuned to the horse’s movements. Shikora had already turned and once again beat the ground with her hooves, advancing rapidly toward Chloe.
Another roll sideways, another attempt to get to her feet.
Chloe stumbled, the dust from the ground irritating her eyes. She’d have to think of something to calm this creature, but what? Most of her spells were designed for destruction, and she was sure the last thing she wanted to do was kill the thing they’d come to acquire.
“Idiot,” KieraFreya snapped, taking some of her former tone. “Gods can’t be killed by mortals. Have at her.”
Chloe took a quick leap to the left, avoiding a quick charge from Shikora.
“The horse is a god?” Chloe asked.
KieraFreya thought about this. “Well, not exactly…”
“Then I have severe,” another dodge, this one a little too close, “doubts about your theory.”
Chloe focused the bulk of her attention on the horse’s movements, just a small reservoir in her head scrolling through her lists of skills and spells.
The only non-damaging spells she had in her arsenal were Aqua Orb, Mind Manipulation, Shadow Tweak, Telekinesis, and Whisper of the Wild.
All were good choices under different circumstances. All great options if Chloe was able to take half a second to call her etheric familiar and tap into the place where she could increase the duration of her mana while casting.
Without the option to use Etheric Manipulation, her mana would drain in seconds. She remembered the battles early in her journey when she would be able to get off only a couple of good shots with Ice Shard before she’d be completely drained.
If it hadn’t been for her visit to Killink, she would never have known the wondrous rewards of enhancing her mage skills. She would never have been able to train other mages and open the rift.
A moment of distraction gave Shikora enough time to stream at Chloe and catch her in the side. The horse buried its head into her, teeth r
ipping at her armor.
“Shikora! Remember,” KieraFreya cried, shouting through Chloe’s mouth. “Shikora, it’s me!”
If Shikora experienced any recognition whatsoever, nothing showed. Her eyes were coal-black and burning with an angry fire aimed at Chloe.
Chloe struggled under Shikora’s impressive power. The horse drove down and down, crushing Chloe under her head. Her feet stamped loudly on the ground, kicking up so much dust that all the other horses became invisible. It was just Chloe, KieraFreya, and Shikora now.
“Come on, girly!” KieraFreya grunted. “Put your back into it.”
There was a fleeting moment when Chloe wasn’t sure if KieraFreya was talking to her or her horse, a moment in which suddenly she panicked and wondered if this had been the plan the whole time. That the reunion would involve the horse squashing Chloe out of the armor and leaving just the two of them.
All doubt dissipated, however, when KieraFreya snapped, “Chloe! Let me do this!”
“Do what?” Chloe cried.
“Let me take over. I can help you. Stop resisting.”
Confusion added to Chloe’s cocktail of emotions. She gripped Shikora’s muzzle in her hands, trying her best to push the powerful beast away.
“What are you talking about? Take over already! Do your thing! This is your friggin’ pet!”
Chloe felt a wave of cold shoot through her.
“I can’t,” KieraFreya breathed. “I’m trying but…nothing’s happening.”
“You’re telling me that in the final moments of this friggin’ quest, you’ve got stage fright? That you can’t actually do the thing that’s been helping us win this whole time—argh!”
Chloe yelled as her strength gave out and the horse’s teeth found her arm. It bit and chewed, sending vibrations down her body. While it couldn’t break through the armor, Chloe could feel the pressure. A hoof was on her stomach now, pinning her to the ground.
“Tag! Gid! Ben!”
There was no response, or at least, nothing she’d be able to hear over the noise of teeth clanging on metal.
The horse was in a frenzy. The pressure on her stomach grew, and she wondered how long the armor would last before it began to buckle under the strain. She tried to reach for her sword but realized that it had fallen from her grasp during one of her many attempts to dodge the giant beast.
“Chloe,” KieraFreya urged in a tone she hadn’t heard before. It was laced with compassion, reminding Chloe of times as a child, being soothed by the endless string of nannies. A tone which immediately calmed her and sounded reassuring. “You can do this. You’ve come all this way with me, dragged me along on the journey with you to arrive at this moment.”
She closed her eyes, unable to stop the sting from the dust. Blocking out the wild stare on the horse’s face.
“It was never about me,” KieraFreya continued. “Even from the beginning, it was never my strength. Never my abilities that helped you accomplish what you’ve accomplished. Anything I’ve done with your body has been within you all along. My restrictions start and end with your abilities, and you are more powerful than you can imagine.”
Metal creaked. Chloe felt the plate on her stomach bow inward, a sharp point forming beneath the horse’s hoof and scratching her stomach.
“You need to believe you can do this, Chloe. You. No one else. There was a reason you were selected for this quest. There was a reason the gods took mercy on you when you fell into the abyss all that time ago. They saw something in you that no one else saw, and they knew you’d be the one to complete this impossible mission.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Chloe yelled. “It’s been you all along. You’ve used your powers; you’ve taken control of me. If it hadn’t been for you, we wouldn’t have made it this far.”
KieraFreya chuckled, a sound that seemed ludicrous in the current situation. “No, that’s what I made you believe. That was what I wanted to believe, but that’s not truly what was happening. As much as I hate to admit it, I would’ve been nothing without you.”
Chloe saw it all in strobing flashes in her mind. The goblins in the cave. The attack of the black mage. The moment KieraFreya dragged her body away from the giant insects. The attack of the dwarves in the forest. The dreyda, Fukmos, the battle of Hammersworth…
Every moment during which KieraFreya and Chloe had united, it had been KieraFreya utilizing Chloe’s strengths. She knew the spells. She had the strength and stats to succeed. The goddess had given her a little push, encouraged her along her path, added wind to her sails.
The rest of it was her.
The rest was her…
The truth was, even without the armor, Chloe would have been more than capable of getting to where she was right now. Sure, maybe a different suit of armor would have been crushed a long time ago, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have the strength or skills to conquer this last trial…
Did it?
“Chloe?”
Chloe opened her eyes briefly, then closed them again, doing everything she possibly could to block out the horse and its attack. Ignoring the teeth on her arm. Blocking out the pressure on her chest. Quieting her mind until she was the Chloe she had been in the beginning.
She pictured herself in the Fleetwood forest, waking up in Obsidian for the first time. The vividness of the colors around her. The greens of the trees. The azure of the sky.
Birds tweeted around her. A gentle wind sent quiet lullabies through the leafy canopy. Chloe was naked and alone.
She breathed deeply of the clean air and felt the grass beneath her toes. When a rustle came from the nearby bushes, she laughed and saw the small jackalope hopping toward her. It was a strange sight, the little rabbit with antlers poking out of its head, and it hopped curiously up to her feet.
Chloe knelt and reached out a hand. The jackalope sniffed her curiously, bright blue eyes wide and filled with endless intelligence.
“Are you ready to test just how strong we can be?” she asked the creature.
It didn’t reply, although it did hop over to a nearby rock and stand on its hind legs. Chloe gave a curt nod and held out her hands before the jackalope, already beginning to feel the buzz of etheric energy passing through her.
Somewhere, a jolt of pain found her stomach.
Chloe focused all of her intent on this moment. The air shimmered between the jackalope’s antlers as magic began to pulse. The vibrant hues of the forest began to melt and warp as the etheric was summoned to her, Chloe draining the color and life from the memory into her present body.
“See you on the other side.”
And then the memory was gone. Chloe opened her eyes, stared into Shikora’s, and grinned.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Gideon was totally unable to help.
Horses barricaded the way. Every turn and move closer to Chloe triggered violent reactions from the guardians of the circle. Chloe’s cohorts hopped and craned their necks, unable to see her above the backs of the horses. Tag lay flat on the ground, watching under their powerful legs.
“That horse is going to crush her. We have to do something.”
“Like what?” Gideon asked. “If we use magic, we might hit her.”
“Forget that you’d never be able to use magic through the horses,” Ben said, lowering his bow. He had thought of arcing an arrow in the air and hoping it found its way to the horse, but with Shikora’s armor and Chloe beneath her, he realized it was fruitless.
“She’s being crushed! Look!” Gideon said, exasperated. He cupped his hands to his mouth. “Chloe!”
“What good is that going to do?” Tag scolded.
“She needs to get up! She’s stopped moving. Look!”
“Someone tell me what’s going on!” Gan’gor called from behind the rock where he hid.
Gideon fell to his knees and watched the action, feeling weaker and more hopeless than ever before. Ben laced his hands behind his head, scrambling his brains to think of a solution
.
Then Tag called, “Wait, something’s happening. Look!”
The power ran through Chloe like lightning, a strength powered by the crackling buzz of etheric energy. Her hands, gripping the horse’s chomping muzzle, glowed. They were purple, the glow bleeding out from her hand toward the horse’s flank.
She felt the pressure on her stomach ease. Shikora’s weight lessened as she began to rise off the ground. The horse’s eyes grew wild with fire and she tossed her head and kicked, no longer touching Chloe’s body.
Chloe took a deep breath and slowly rose to her feet, all her focus on the horse. Shikora shook in the air, fighting Chloe’s power, but Chloe managed to hold on.
Her hands were straight in front of her, fingers tensed down to their very atoms. She didn’t know it, but her eyes had gone pure white as she harnessed the flow of power running through her.
“Shikora!” Chloe’s voice boomed. “Hear your master’s command.”
She advanced toward the horse, feeling every twitch of muscle as the horse strained to escape. Her steps were slow, deliberate, the horse now two feet off the ground thanks to Chloe’s Telekinesis.
She stopped within arm’s reach of the horse. Even frozen and under control, Shikora was terrifying to behold. Her shadow loomed over Chloe, eyes staring down in hatred at the small battlemage before her.
Chloe reached out and touched Shikora’s flank. Her skin was hot to the touch, the hair bristling beneath her fingers, reacting to her.
“Don’t worry,” Chloe whispered. “This shouldn’t hurt one bit…”
Chloe focused one hand on holding Shikora still with Telekinesis while the other cast Whisper of the Wild. She knew it was risky since splitting her focus between two spells would reduce the effectiveness of both, but it was worth trying.
Her left hand glowed green. Shikora dropped slightly, her limbs moving as if she were running through molasses. Chloe tried not to let herself get side-tracked since she only had one shot at making this happen.
She placed her other hand on Shikora and the world went white. The pained, frustrated grunts of the horse faded to a serene calm.
Goddess Complete Page 43
