Collecting The Goddess (Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 1)

by Michael Anderle

  “Thank fuck for that,” the voice said. Chloe’s eyes widened as she realized the voice was coming from the bracers. “Do you have any idea how sweaty you are? Shit!”

  Chloe’s eyebrow raised. “You...you can talk?”

  “I know, pretty freaky, right? Who’d have thought it, eh? KieraFreya, trapped in a piece of enchanted armor. It’s a bit humiliating, really, but there we are. I’m actually quite glad you found me. There I was at the end of that Godforsaken quest, and who knew how long I’d be down there for?”

  Despite herself, Chloe let out a laugh. She hadn’t realized how much she had been missing company since arriving in Obsidian. Even if her first friend turned out to be a piece of enchanted armor, at least she had someone to talk to who didn’t try to stab her on first sight.

  “You’re the reward for the Deathwalk?” Chloe asked.

  “Well, that and a crapload of experience, apparently. Not that it’ll make much difference to you, eh? 10,000 experience must be nothing at your character’s level. Barely even made a notch on your progress bar, I’ll bet.”

  Chloe lowered her arms and pulled up her character sheet.

  Bio

  Character name: Untitled (click to select a new character name)

  Level: 8

  Class: Null

  Race: Human

  Stats

  HP: 220/220

  MP: 150/150

  Stamina: 300/300

  Active effects: Null

  Attributes

  Strength: 12 (+16)

  Intelligence: 6 (+2)

  Dexterity: 10 (+7)

  Endurance: 15 (+15)

  Etheric Potential: 7 (+7)

  Skills

  Languages: Human

  Acrobatics: Lv 3

  Armed Combat: Lv 1

  Creature Identification: Lv 1

  Dark Vision: Lv 1

  Dual Wielding: Lv 1

  Sneak: Lv 2

  Reckless: Lv 3

  Available Points: 32

  Level 8! Chloe punched the air. She’d finally made it past level 1, and not only that, she seemed to have skipped a bunch of levels after somehow completing the quest.

  She beamed as she studied her naked body, noting that already she felt much stronger than she had. She stood up taller. Her thighs and arms were more muscular, and...were those abs?

  Endorphins shot through Chloe’s body as the sun beamed down on her. For the first time since she’d arrived in Obsidian, she felt truly happy.

  She turned back to her character sheet. Not only had she gained several levels, but finally her attributes had been unlocked. She noticed a small Help icon and focused on it.

  Attributes: Your attributes are the lifeblood of your character. Attributes remain locked during the first 5 levels of play while the system studies your style and generates attributes to further support your character. A maximum of 30 attributes form your base traits, with each additional level gained offering 4 attribute points that can be assigned to any of the 5 available branches. Additional points must be assigned within 24 hours of gameplay. Any unassigned points after that time will be randomly assigned to available traits.

  For more information on each attribute, select the text.

  Chloe found herself laughing at the assignment of points she had generated. She supposed it made sense that her biggest bonuses would be in endurance and strength, given that her Reckless ability had boosted those traits, although she couldn’t quite work out where the additional boosts had come from.

  It kind of sucked that her intelligence was considerably lower, but given that she had found herself in the very depths of an ancient cave with zero clothes on to the point where a deity had to take pity on her, she guessed that might have played some large role here. At least with...32!...available attribute points to spend, she’d be able to boost some of her attributes and make her character more balanced.

  Hmmm...unless certain classes need particular traits to succeed? She figured maybe she’d wait a while before rushing to spend them all.

  At least the rest of her stats seemed pretty even. The only thing she wasn’t so sure about was what Etheric Potential meant. She focused on the text, but before she had a chance to read the notification, KieraFreya started talking.

  “Etheric Potential is a person’s ability to manipulate the etheric to cast spells. It’s the magical realm that mages, wizards, and warlocks access to explore the limits of their powers.”

  Chloe blinked away the menu. “Hold on, how did you know that was what I would select on my screen?”

  “Easy question to answer, really. I’m a part of you now. I can see everything you can see. Hmm...Let’s have a look here… Got a few good skills here… Okay, base attributes don’t show a lot of intellect in that noggin of yours…” The voice from the bracers gasped. “Wait a second… You’re a level 8?”

  Chloe stood up proudly, her hands on her hips. “Yep! I’ve just gained 7 levels thanks to finding you, my little emerald and gold sweethearts.” She brought the bracers to her lips and kissed them in turn.

  The next thing Chloe knew was a strange force brought the bracers back down to her side. She tried to raise them again, but they suddenly felt like they weighed fifty pounds each.

  “Okay, Sweet Tits, rule number 1. Never kiss KieraFreya. If you think I’m just some sweet accompaniment to your armor, you have definitely misread exactly what the fuck is going on here.

  “Secondly, you’re saying that you were a level 1 when you took The Deathwalk of the Gods? Something must be wrong there. A glitch in the etheric, or some kind of prank by the gods or something. Hold on a second…”

  Without warning, Chloe’s menu popped open. Her eyes found her activity log, even though she tried her hardest to look away. The system scrolled through it, all the way from her first encounter with the goblins, right up until the final notification of a quest complete. There was also a message Chloe hadn’t had a chance to read.

  Quest complete: Walk the Deathwalk of the Gods

  You’ve done it! You’ve outwitted the trolls, swum the unforgiving lake, made it through the realm of fire, and emerged victorious through the fractal labyrinth of death. You’ve truly proven yourself—

  #ERROR404

  —a champion among champions—

  MISSING_SEQ

  REBOOT_POPUP

  —Carry on adventurer Untitled, and soar to ever great heights!

  Bonuses: 10,000 experience + Bracers of KieraFreya

  Item obtained: Bracers of KieraFreya

  You’ve found the lost bracers of a fallen goddess. Made from metals forged by the gods, these bracers are virtually indestructible, though some say that they have a mind of their own.

  Bonuses: +5 strength, +10 endurance, +5 etheric potential

  Rarity: Mythic

  Chloe beamed.

  The next thing she knew, the menu was gone.

  “Hey!”

  KieraFreya continued to muse, “So you’re telling me that you just happened to stumble across the entrance to the Deathwalk of the Gods, and, even after seeing the trolls, you, a Lv 1 human with no armor, no weapon, and no clue, still went ahead and tried to run the trial?”

  Chloe shrugged. “Yep.”

  KieraFreya chuckled, a dark laugh. “Well, I guess that explains your Reckless ability. So you didn’t see the realm of fire?”

  Chloe shook her head.

  “You didn’t swim the unforgiving lake?”

  Another shake of the head.

  “The fractal labyrinth?”

  “Nope.”

  KieraFreya sighed, a small breath of air tickling Chloe’s wrists. A strange feeling, really, given that the air was coming from armor.

  Chloe giggled. “Hey, that tickles.”

  “So, to sum it up,” KieraFreya said, clearly having a hard time processing what had happened, “Despite the ridiculously high-level dungeon that was created for the sole purpose of keeping a part of me trapped in the depths below the earth for
thousands upon thousands of years—”

  ” Who’d want to keep you trapped—ouch!” Chloe shut up as her own hand rose to her face and slapped her.

  ”Don’t interrupt. Despite all that, a Level 1 was dumped into the world with literally 0 experience and managed to find a way to survive the fall—with a little help from the gods—“ KieraFreya scowled, “and finally release me from my prison in the darkness?”

  A beat before KieraFreya burst into laughter. Chloe’s arms rose, unbidden, wrapping themselves around her shoulders in a hug. It would have been the strangest thing, she thought, for a stranger to pass her in the woods now and see a naked woman with glowing green bracers hugging herself.

  “Aha! Thank you so much...er, Untitled, for releasing me and allowing me the sweet scent of freedom. Finally, I can serve my ultimate purpose and restore myself to my former glory!”

  “Untitled?” Chloe asked, taken aback by the excitement and yet still perturbed because her arms were moving of their own accord. “It’s actually ‘Chloe.’ You can call me Chloe.” She forced her attention to her bracers and found that, although there was some resistance, she was able to bring them back down.

  “I’m sorry. I only have the ability to call you what the system has called you.”

  Chloe raised an eyebrow. “You can’t call me by the name I’ve requested, but you’re able to swear without setting off the censorship beeper?”

  “What’s the censorship beeper?”

  Chloe took a deep breath and shouted, “MOTHER—” beeeeeeep!

  Her shout rang around the clearing, the beeping of the sensor sounding like an alarm was going off. Several birds took flight from the tops of trees, their silhouettes darkening the sky for the briefest of moments.

  When the echoes had stopped, KieraFreya snorted. “What? That’s fucking absurd!”

  “Showoff.”

  “Like, seriously. Why would swearing be censored, Untitled? It’s, like, the basis of all languages!”

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “I know! Now quit calling me ‘Untitled.’”

  “Change your goddamn name, then!” KieraFreya retorted. “The power’s in your hand, Sweet Tits.”

  “Oh! But nicknames are fine— Argh! All right!”

  Chloe flicked open the menu and selected her character sheet. She hovered over the name and highlighted the text. When no keyboard appeared, she thought about the name “Chloe,” and the next thing she knew, her name had updated on the menu.

  “There. Better?”

  “Much better, Untitled. Much better.” KieraFreya sniggered.

  “Hey!”

  “Oh, come on. You’re really just going to go with ‘Chloe?’ You’re dumped into a realm of infinite possibilities, of self-defined names of men such as ‘Drake the Berserker,’ ‘Helen the Almighty,’ and ‘Zachary the Damned,’ and the best you can come up with is ‘Chloe?’”

  “It’s my name.”

  KieraFreya sighed. “Fine, little girl. As you were.”

  Chloe huffed, trying to make up her mind about the bracers. It was definitely nice finally having someone she could talk to, but already she was finding that part of the conversation was tiresome. One minute the bracers were as kind as sin to her, the next they were mocking her. She also didn’t feel entirely comfortable knowing that deep inside, there was some force that was able to control her limbs and move her body and mind without her volition. She wondered if there was a way to control the bracers more effectively.

  Chloe reached with one hand and tried to run her thumb under the bracers to loosen them around her wrists. She was surprised to find that she literally couldn’t get any purchase whatsoever. She was even more surprised when her right arm pulled away from her left.

  “Don’t even think about it,” KieraFreya said darkly.

  “I was just adjusting them.”

  A snicker. “I know what that means. You were trying to remove me already. Well, good luck with that, princess, I’m in this for the long haul.”

  Chloe’s heart quickened.

  “The long haul? What do you mean?”

  “Wow, your intelligence really is low, isn’t it? Didn’t you hear me earlier? I’m a part of you now. That’s right. No shifting from these wrists. No escaping. No shoving me in a bag. You found a piece of enchanted armor, bitch, and you’ve started on your road to one of the most epic quests this game has to offer. Congratulations. You’re now stuck with me.”

  A notification popped up.

  Quest unlocked: A Fallen Goddess

  The Goddess of Retribution, KieraFreya, fell from grace. Her form has been divided and scattered across the land of Obsidian. For eons, she has lain in wait, hoping for an adventurer brave enough and strong enough to unite her pieces of armor once more and restore KieraFreya to her former glory.

  Find all [x] pieces of KieraFreya and return her to godhood.

  Difficulty: 10/10

  Rewards: 100,000 exp, + rare items (locked).

  Accept quest: Y/N

  “100,000 experience!” Chloe exclaimed, light-headedness washing over her. “100,000?” She immediately selected Y.

  “That’s right, little naked girl. Now perhaps you should focus on starting your journey of 1,000 steps by taking the first one toward getting yourself some goddamn clothes. I mean…” Chloe’s wrists rose of their own accord until they were level with her chest, “as impressive as they are—and they are pretty impressive, as far as breasts in Obsidian go —you’re far more likely to survive a stab wound if you’ve got something to cover your body. What were you, born into this world naked?”

  Chloe slapped her head, unsure if it was a voluntary movement or another of KieraFreya’s. She’d forgotten all about her clothes!

  Chloe’s mind flashed back to the clothing floating in the cave where the goblins were.

  Would they even still be in the cave now that it was daybreak and the sun was high? Would the clothes still be there? What if there was a set time for how long a player could wait to collect lost items?

  She started back toward the cave and paused. “Is it really only going to take me 1,000 steps to find all the pieces of your armor?”

  Chloe’s hand slapped her forehead once more, this time harder than she’d have liked. “No more questions, dumbass. Let’s work on scaling that intelligence up before you open your trap again.”

  Chapter Eight

  The sun peaked in the sky. By its position, Chloe guessed that it was around noon.

  She strolled with a fresh note of confidence in her gait. Around the forest were vivid hues of green and brown, leaves dazzling in the sunlight. Forest creatures hopped and skittered around her. Squirrels, rabbits, foxes, a badger, and something that looked like a rabbit had had sex with a deer hopped around with large antlers on its head.

  Chloe felt great. A smile was plastered on her face as she felt the rough material of her tunic and shorts again. Her sandals stopped the pine needles from spiking their way into her feet, and she was already growing used to the bracers, which had been close to silent since she’d left the cave.

  The only downsides were the bloodstains on her clothing and the goblin stench that clung to her skin. It was laughable, really, just how easily Chloe had taken the goblins down. She hadn’t even needed a weapon of any kind. She had the ultimate weapon attached to her wrists.

  She had to admit she had been a bit surprised when her arms rose of their own accord. As Skud attacked with his knife, her arm had moved instinctively to block the attack, the metal bracers deflecting the blade. The next second, her right arm had grabbed the dagger from the goblin and returned the swipe at his throat.

  Skud fell, his hands trying to stem the bleeding. A moment later, with the flick of a wrist, she had thrust the knife into the second goblin’s chest. A swift punch in the face and the other goblin was down, yielding Chloe a modest 30exp per goblin and her first rudimentary weapon—Rusty Dagger.

  Now she practically skipped along, heading nowhere in particul
ar. She had tried to discover from KieraFreya if the bracers had a preferred direction, but it turned out the fallen goddess was as clueless as Chloe.

  “Nope, not a clue,” she had said as Chloe scratched her head at the cave entrance. “You think this would be a challenge with a difficulty of 10 if I knew where to find the rest of me?”

  The trees began to thin as she walked farther. She stumbled across a babbling brook and took a long drink of water from cupped hands. A little farther downstream, she saw a deer lapping the water.

  “This place really is beautiful,” she mused.

  KieraFreya scoffed, the first sound she’d made in hours. “You haven’t seen the places I’ve seen, sweetheart. Sure, a baby deer in the sunny woods is cute, but I assure you that nothing lasts long in this world. It won’t be long before…”

  As if on cue, there came a mighty roar. Chloe recoiled, the sound familiar from her adventures in the dark the previous night. A moment later, the trees made way as a colossal bear appeared behind the deer, batting the poor creature with one paw and sending it flying in a grotesque display of blood.

  “Point proven,” KieraFreya said matter-of-factly.

  Chloe studied the bear. Its black fur was in patches. One side of its bulk was covered in scars. Its eyes glowed a deep red. As it neared the remains of the deer and chomped the creature with its teeth, it turned its head toward Chloe.

  Chloe used her Creature Identification skill.

  Black bear.

  “Well, that clears things up,” KieraFreya quipped.

  “Enough sarcasm from you. What do I do?” Chloe retreated slowly as the bear began to advance.”

  “RUN, idiot!”

  “Right.”

  Chloe steeled herself, turned on her heels, and fled. The bear roared and sprinted after her.

  “Now what?” she asked, trying not to worry about her stamina bar as she felt the drain from running. She was pleasantly surprised, however, to notice that she definitely felt more energetic than the previous night.

  “Keep running and find a place to hide?” KieraFreya urged. “Whatever you do, don’t get eaten. I’ve only just found a host. I mean, a partner for this journey. The last thing I want is to be farted out as bear shit and made to wait for you again in the woods.”