Chapter Sixty-Two
Even when she was sitting up on the ground, Fukmos was small compared to Chloe. At his full height, the top of his head only made it to her chin.
Yet there was a darkness behind his eyes that overrode his small stature and filled her with doubt and fear.
“I have to say, I’m impressed,” Fukmos croaked, his good hand holding the stump where the other had been. Already the bleeding had stopped, and there was a strange mass growing back in its place. “For thousands of years, this world has lived under the power and order of the gods, both light and dark, quaking and cowering. I misjudged you, Chloe. I never saw the strength that was in you all along. I admire it, I really do.”
The dust began to clear. Chloe became more aware of the orcs and infected around them, ringing them closely and standing as still as statues. The dragon swooped overhead, its mouth spitting flame into the distance. Somewhere far off, the battle continued by the city walls, but they were much too far away for anyone to rescue her.
Fukmos continued, “When the blessed came, there was an air of uncertainty, even among the gods. We had heard the prophecy of your coming eons ago but had not known what to expect. Man, dwarf, elf, every creature that has existed here for centuries has been hand-crafted by the gods, but you? The blessed are a different breed, one over which the gods have little control.”
Fukmos took a deep breath. “There were some who heralded your arrival, others who feared it. Me, I fell on the latter end of the scale, knowing that the possibility existed for someone to unravel what I had started and bring the gods back together.” His face turned dark. “Do you know how much time and effort it took to trick KieraFreya? To make her honestly believe that what she was doing was in the best interest of Obsidian? That her mother and father were conspiring to overrule the full line of gods and claim the eternal throne for themselves?”
He stared at Chloe as if waiting for an answer.
When none came, he continued, “Centuries!” His nostrils flared, voice edged like a blade. “My greatest achievement in mischief. Do you know what happens if you fracture rock? If you put a small crack in a pane of glass? Over time, that fracture grows until the whole thing falls apart.”
His words grew softer as he appeared to speak more to himself than anyone else. “It should’ve worked. Could have worked. A few more years and the throne would have been ours. Darkness would rule supreme. I’m sorry, Father. I truly am.”
He glanced over his shoulder, attention back on Chloe. He took a breath, and the smile returned. “No matter. Perhaps things turned out differently than planned, but where is your goddess friend now? Warped back to the heavens, where she’ll remain until she can figure out the passage to the mortal realm once more. That should give me enough time to spread darkness over these lands and take what is truly mine. For my father and my sisters, too.”
He took a proud step back and sniffed the air. “Ah, I love the smell of destruction.” His face grew dark once more. “The city of Hammersworth stands as the capital of Obsidian, and I’ve proven it can be destroyed.” He paused for a moment, contemplating, then, “Now. Army. Take what is rightfully yours.”
The ring exploded into vicious war cries. The orcs roared to the sky. The infected croaked from their dry throats. The ring began to tighten around Chloe. She closed her eyes, unable to remember the last time she had died in-game. Wondering what would happen when she respawned again.
How different would the world be?
Would they ever be able to reclaim the city and stop the dark army?
Were there enough others in Obsidian to force the rebellion that would reclaim the lands?
Chloe waited for her inevitable death, unable to hear anything but the sudden stomp of feet.
The growls and snarls of the enemy.
Fukmos’ laughter.
And then the light came.
“Where’s Chloe?”
The battle was insane. Everywhere Therese looked, she saw nothing but enemies. They had abandoned the city for now, choosing instead to take to the fields and dive into direct combat. That had worked out for the best, considering the dragon was now blasting its flames toward the city.
Tag, Ben, and Gideon had formed a tight circle and were helping each other. Gideon had cast his Aqua Orb—both a blessing and a curse, given that the enemy seemed to be attracted to the giant ball of blue—and Ben fired his arrows through the liquid wall. Tag occasionally stepped out far enough to sling his hammer into the face of a warg or orc.
There was also some strange creature with large ears and dark eyes cowering in the center.
They had not registered Therese’s presence.
“Hey! I asked, Where’s Chloe?”
Ben looked around suddenly, noticing her for the first time. “Oh, hello, Your Majesty,” he said cheerfully. “Fancy seeing you here. Hey, Tag! Your girlfriend’s here.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.” Tag grunted after smacking a warg to the ground. “She’s the queen.”
“Yes,” Therese confirmed. “The queen. So how about you answer my friggin’ question?”
“We…don’t…know…” Gideon said between breaths.
“Last we saw, she was on the back of that dragon.” Ben let off three shots in quick succession. Therese couldn’t help but notice he was low on ammo.
Therese scanned around them but couldn’t see anything worthwhile, thanks to her dwarven height. She ducked out of the orb, let her hammer fly in the face of her enemies, and found a nearby elephant creature, dead and stiff. She climbed up, able to finally see across the battlefield.
She looked back at the city and saw the broken walls choked with orcs. She turned back and saw nothing but war as her people, all creeds and classes alike, fighting for their lives. A swell of pride blossomed within her.
And then she saw the eye of the storm.
A congregation of enemies in the fields some distance away, encircling two figures. One, a woman in gleaming white armor she didn’t recognize, although she could make a fair guess as to who it was. The other, a tiny figure who appeared to be a child with dark skin from afar.
Fukmos, she thought.
“Hey, guys!” Therese called. “It doesn’t look good!”
“What doesn’t look good?”
When someone started to come up behind her, Therese readied her hammer for a death-stroke. However, when she turned, she saw Veronica, Talbot, Leonie, and Huk climbing the creature.
“Nice of you to join us.” Therese winked.
“Hey! We had our own problems,” Veronica replied. “Didn’t see any of you guys helping us take down a bunch of ghosties and their queen.”
“You fought Dryana?” Abe asked, joining them on top of the creature.
“Well, this is a merry meeting of everyone, isn’t it?” Therese laughed, then ducked as an arrow flew her way. It tinged off her shield and ricocheted into the field.
“You should probably keep your wits about you,” Huk croaked.
“Hey! What can you see up there?” Ben called up. The orb was not too far from the creature.
“Chloe’s in trouble,” Therese called down. “Or, at least, I think it’s Chloe.”
“White armor?” Tag shouted.
“Yeah!”
“It’s Chloe.”
“How can we get to her? There’s an entire army in the way. She’ll be dead before we can reach her.”
“Wow, how’s that for optimism?” Leonie asked dryly.
“Oh, I see. Defeat a ghost god and suddenly get all cocky.”
“It’s not suddenly.”
“And we didn’t defeat her,” Veronica added. “Not really. The ghosts faded, but we saw her dissolve into shadow and trail away somewhere onto the battlefield. It’s not over yet. She’s injured but not down.”
Heather nodded sadly. “You can’t kill a god.”
“Shame,” Therese murmured.
There was a roar beside them. A blur of blue fur appeared and the
y laughed as Blueballs continued his rampage, tearing a path through the creatures around them.
“Something’s happening,” Leonie said, pointing to the circle. “They’re closing in on her!”
“We have to do something,” Therese said, panic momentarily stilling her heart as she calculated the distance they’d have to cross to reach her. Even if they all attacked as one, it’d take far too long to get there.
Therese debated hitching a ride on a cowladite, but they were all otherwise engaged, and it was not like they could grab some wargs and sweep through. Blueballs wouldn’t be able to carry them all at once, either.
“Crap,” Leonie murmured. “What do we do?”
And then the light came.
It surrounded them, appearing as a crack in the air, rippling in much the same way the rift had when the mages had cast their magic. Light blinded them, a warm, wholesome light that lightened their hearts and blanketed them.
It grew to the size of the elephantine creatures, then engulfed the surrounding area.
All around them creatures blinked and shielded their eyes, the light a physical force that attacked the darkness.
Therese heard shouts of surprise from her party members. Leonie screamed. Gideon yelped.
And then something grabbed her. Pulling her inward toward the light. She squinted through pained eyes and saw Abe, grasping her like a child trying to reach his favorite toy that had fallen down a storm drain. She struggled against the force, unsure what was going on, knowing that it couldn’t be anything good.
“Abe!”
“Therese!”
Abe’s hands slipped from hers. Therese was yanked backward, and the light faded.
And then they were gone.
Chapter Sixty-Three
There was something familiar about it all. Something nostalgic in the sudden shower of light.
She heard startled cries and grunts around her, some hostile, others familiar. She became aware of people around her and could recognize their grunts of surprise.
Then she opened her eyes.
Her smile became so wide on her face that she worried it might split.
“The Destructicons…” she breathed.
Ben whirled at the sound of Chloe’s voice. He grinned. “The Destructicons.”
They were all there. Chloe, Gideon, Ben, Tag, Talbot, Veronica, Leonie, Huk, and Therese. All flanking Chloe, stunned at their sudden appearance beside her, blinking and squinting through the blinding light to see her.
The light began to fade, whichever portal they had come through vanishing into nothing. They lined up beside each other, all nine of them—
Nine, Chloe thought.
Staring straight at the little imp in front of them.
Fukmos’ mouth flopped open. The creatures around him hesitated, shuffling uncertainly.
“That’s right,” Chloe said smugly. “You mess with me, you mess with my friends.” She didn’t even care how they had gotten to her side. She only knew that somehow, this was the way it was meant to be. The nine Veronica had foretold were there to defeat the god and reclaim this land in the name of all that is good.
“Oh, God,” a voice said from behind. “Seriously, all that time we spent together, and you can’t come up with anything less cheesy than that?”
Chloe’s heart stopped.
She pivoted slowly, realizing suddenly that Fukmos wasn’t afraid of them. He was afraid of her.
“KieraFreya?” Chloe breathed.
“One and the same.” KieraFreya grinned from the back of Shikora.
On her steed, KieraFreya was twice the height of any of the party. Her armor was pristine and gleaming, and her sword flashed in her hand. Her aura spilled off her, stunning everyone in sight.
Fukmos shook with rage. “No!” he shouted, clenching his fists and beating them into his sides like a child. “No! Not now. Not like this.” He placed two fingers on his lips and whistled. A moment later, two shadows snaked along the ground toward him, materializing into goddesses on either side of him.
“Go, KieraSlayers. Clean up this battlefield and take down your enemies. Only you have the power to touch what is mortal.”
“But what about you?” Chloe asked. “We can help.”
“This is between the gods,” KieraFreya said, her voice authoritative. She didn’t take her eyes off Fukmos. “Go. Now.”
They were forced to jump apart as KieraFreya kicked Shikora in the ribs and nudged her on. Fukmos, Dryana, and Myaris leaped aside, dissolving into shadow as she slashed her sword in their direction. Soon they were locked in a battle that echoed and reverberated across the field.
“Let’s go!” Chloe called to the others.
“Woohoo.” Ben giggled.
Veronica tsked. “Really?”
Ben shrugged.
“Do as she commands!” Chloe shouted. She raised her sword. “The nine!”
“The nine!” they echoed.
“The KieraSlayers!”
“The KieraSlayers!”
Then the real battle began.
Chloe and the others stuck close together, tackling the orcs and infected who had snapped out of the reverie caused by KieraFreya’s arrival. They worked as a party, taking the same roles they had once taken in the forest while attacking ghouls, only now realizing they had to step up their game to take down the increased number of attackers.
Gideon’s hands pulsed with color as he released Volt Shock into the crowd and sent orcs flying. Veronica had discovered her Healing Hands could be manipulated to heal infected on touch and took every opportunity to heal those around her.
Tag and Therese were a force to be reckoned with at the front of the group, blocking attacks with their shields and protecting the others as best they could. Tag’s Cry of the Valiant, coupled with Veronica’s For the Queen! granted boosts that helped them recover and cut down the enemies all around them.
Ben let his arrows fly, finding innumerable replacements on the ground from the rangers who had fired into the crowds all through the battle. Occasionally he would draw his knives and cut down an invasive orc or infected, but he’d return straight to his bow afterward.
Talbot, Huk, and Leonie worked like a whirlwind, spinning their blades around them, engaging with creatures and cutting down their enemies. Leonie smiled when Blueballs appeared like a lost dog in a field, bounding toward them and bowling over everyone in his path. He joined the fray and helped thin the horde of attackers around them.
Chloe, meanwhile, manipulated the etheric and harnessed the power of her jackalope familiar. With one hand, she sent blasts of power with Deic Light, and with the other, she brandished her sword and took down those who got too close to her.
Whenever the dragon swept over, Chloe and Gideon would smother the group in the Aqua Orbs, the fire steaming off the ball of water and clouding the field around them. Chloe got off a few targeted blasts of Deic Light and managed to bring the dragon to the ground.
It landed just outside the gate with a huge wound in its wing. There it was met by the dwarven guard, who leaped on top of the creature and sapped its strength, ending the dragon’s life shortly thereafter.
Chloe felt the adrenaline course through her. No longer was she thinking about her quests or concerned about what might come next. At that moment, all that existed was her, her party, and the battle taking place around her.
Occasionally she would see pulses of flashing light from afar. Sometimes she would spy KieraFreya on Shikora cutting through the army, wielding her sword and taking out huge chunks of enemies like a scythe cutting through crops.
She wished she could go and help, but she knew this was a matter for the gods. All Chloe could do now was lead the KieraSlayers and the people of the city to victory.
The dark army’s numbers began to diminish. The remaining Sherikans churned the field and took down large groups of orcs. Infected flocked to the city gates to attack survivors and were mown down by the city’s mages and rangers.
&nbs
p; Soon enough it became clear that the tide of the battle had turned. The flood let loose from hell was spent, and all that remained was a trickle as it soaked its blood into the ground.
Chloe felt the change in the atmosphere. Somewhere above, she became vaguely aware of the clouds getting lighter. The roiling black fading to a hazy gray. Somewhere up there, light was beginning to break through.
And then came the final, pulsing wave.
Chloe cut down her final warg, exhaustion beginning to set in. The creature crashed to the ground, where it lay on top of a pile of orcs. She took a breath and was about to look for KieraFreya when it hit her.
It cut across the field as a physical force, knocking all remaining fighters off their feet as far away as the city. Dust kicked up and formed clouds of dirt around them. Somewhere not too far away, Chloe saw the last of the blinding flashes she would later learn announced that the battle had ended.
“KieraFreya!” Chloe called, rising to her feet and sprinting in the direction of the blast.
The others ran behind her, racing across the landscape, dodging and jumping over bodies. The dirt clouds obscured their view, but they ran on until they found what they sought.
Chloe slowed down, the others catching up. She pawed at her irritated eyes and grinned, for a moment feeling as though the Shaman had reappeared. An orb of white light hung in the distance like the sun in a hazy sky.
When the dust cleared, Chloe saw her. The Goddess of Divine Retribution in all her glory sat atop her steed of legend.
She breathed deeply, clearly worn from her battle. Her blade dripped black ichor, and Shikora pawed the ground impatiently with one foot.
“Is it done?” Chloe asked, unsure if she had spoken loud enough for KieraFreya to hear. “Is it over?”
KieraFreya turned slowly in her direction, and their eyes met. She gave a curt nod, the grin growing on her face as she said. “You’re goddamn right, bitch. We finally did it.”
Without another thought, Chloe sprinted over to KieraFreya, leaped into the air, and hugged her tight. The pair fell off Shikora and landed with a thump on the ground behind her.
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