“We don’t have a lot of time for that.”
Chloe concentrated again, this time creating a ball that felt sturdier. She threw it, and the ball sizzled the grass in front of the bear. It took a step back, uncertain, then crouched on its haunches and rushed at them both.
Chloe felt her wrists shake. She prayed that KieraFreya could control herself for just a moment longer. The last thing she needed now was another battle with the goddess.
“Now would be a good time to hit your target, fuckwad!” the bracers shouted.
The hurt was clear in Gideon’s face. “I’m trying, okay?”
Chloe and Gideon gave each other one final look before synchronizing their movements. As the purple orb appeared in Gideon’s hand, another appeared in Chloe’s. She focused inside her mind, clearing all else she knew until she was living, breathing, and embodying the words to the spell and hoping that this time it would actually work. The bear streamed at them, its face twisted in rage.
And then it was gone.
Chloe watched in awe as the bear went up in flames, a great purple blaze toppling to the ground. The bear gave its final roar, skidding to within inches of where they stood, its great bulk sliding over the mud.
Gideon already had another fireball prepared, but he just let the thing fizzle out. He released a long breath, sweat dripping from his forehead.
“We did it,” Chloe murmured as notifications popped up in her vision.
Quest complete: We can’t bear it anymore
You’ve destroyed the foul beast that was stalking your fellow traveler. Perhaps, now that the creature is gone, he’ll be able to bear going out in public once more. Get it? No. Maybe just paws for thought.
Bonuses: 250 exp
New spell acquired: Purple blaze (Lv 1)
Congratulations on learning your first spell! Now that you’ve taken your first foray into the realm of the etheric, you’ll be able to call upon the mystical and the unexplained to aid you in the heat of battle.
Requirements: n x 20MP (where n is equal to the number of seconds taken to cast the spell)
Monster defeated: Black bear cub (Lv 5)
+50 exp
Monster defeated: Black bear cub (Lv 6)
+50 exp
Monster defeated: Black bear (Lv 10)
+100 exp
Chloe blinked away the notification screen and beamed at Gideon, throwing her arms around his shoulders and hugging him.
“What’s that for?” Gideon said, blushing a little as she stepped back.
“We did it, silly. We beat the threat. We make quite a good team, you and me.”
Gideon straightened his robe. “Does that mean you’ve already checked your notifications?”
Chloe nodded.
“Here.” Gideon sighed. “Let me show you how to keep them from interrupting you while you’re battling.”
Gideon guided Chloe through the process. It actually turned out to be surprisingly easy, as if Praxis Games had anticipated that most players would want that function while they were in action anyway. It made Chloe wonder why they’d even bothered setting the display up the way they had in the first place.
Chloe stepped over to the bear and paused. “Did you want to do the honors?”
Gideon shook his head. “Ladies first.”
Chloe touched her dagger to the skin of the bear to activate the looting process. As soon as the blade hit the charred remains of the skin, the bear began to dissolve into a fine ash that floated away in the wind. Chloe was pleased to see that it was the same way the goblins had disappeared when she had looted their bodies in the cave. When the remains were gone, only a small pile of treasure was left on the forest floor.
Or in this case:
Item obtained: Charred bear meat.
Eager beaver! You’ve already cooked this. Best chomp it down before it gets cold.
Bonuses: Recovers +50HP
Item obtained: Black bear pelt.
This pelt can be used in the creation of armor and wares.
Rarity: Uncommon
Chloe reached for the items, offering the bear meat to Gideon. “All yours. Until I can heal you, you’ll need to rely on food.”
Gideon chuckled, raising his hand palms out to Chloe. “Hey, as long as I’ve got my hands, I don’t need anyone else.”
There was an awkward pause between the two before Chloe burst into laughter for the first time in days, bellowing and clutching her stomach until it hurt. Gideon flushed deep crimson before letting himself fall victim to the laughter too.
Chloe wiped tears from her eyes and pocketed the bear pelt, noting a short message which informed her that her inventory was full. A quick scan of the menu told her that the half-stick she had pocketed in the cave was taking up her second item slot.
Huh. I guess I only have one item slot for each pocket until I can get some more gear.
Chloe was about to ask Gideon about his carrying capacity when she noticed that the third cub—the one who had drunk from the potion and passed out—was beginning to move.
Before Chloe could even open her mouth to warn Gideon, he had a glowing purple orb in his hand. He moved to cast the ball, then froze as two men crashed into the clearing.
“Fire!” a man—clearly an archer—said as he raised his bow and loosed an arrow.
The arrow found its mark in the cub’s neck.
“Aaaargh!” a tiny man with a great brown beard roared as he charged at the bear, a wooden shield in one hand and a club in the other. He reached the bear and bashed its head with its club.
Chloe used Creature Identification and saw that the bear’s health had dropped to 14%. With one final look at Gideon, who was smiling from ear-to-ear now, she cast her own ball and set the cub ablaze.
Chapter Twelve
Chloe stepped carefully over a tangle of twisted thorns. Behind her, she could hear the men crashing and complaining as they laughed and joked, disturbing the wildlife and making quite a racket.
“Do you mind keeping it down a bit? The last time we brought attention to ourselves, an enraged bear and her three cubs came after us.”
“Ooooh,” Ben Summers and Tag Murphy sang as more laughter erupted from them.
“Afraid, are we?” Ben said, winking at Gideon. Gideon gave him a weak smile but otherwise looked as awkward as ever. He didn’t want to piss Chloe off, having now seen what she was capable of. He’d also been butthurt that she had learned (and mastered) one of his spells much more quickly than he could have dreamed of.
“Don’t worry, darling. We’ll protect you.” Tag paused, kissing his dwarven muscles. “No monster can withstand these guns, baby!”
Another round of laughter.
Chloe rolled her eyes but paid no attention. She had gotten an idea of what she was dealing with the moment the bear cub’s body had dissolved and Gideon had reunited with his fellow players.
They had hugged, beaming smiles on their faces, then spent the next hour or so sitting around a purple fire as they ate charred bear meat—which, though gristly, was surprisingly tasty—and caught up on their adventures.
It seemed that, since getting themselves lost in the woods, Ben and Tag had spent a good portion of their time tracking the bear, too. As the player with the highest intelligence stat, and with all the natural affinities of adopting the Elf race when he had spawned into the game, Ben had taken to studying the ground, identifying the patterns of the woods, and giving the bear chase.
Apparently, he had already managed to reach level 4 in his Tracking ability, and could now see, hear, and smell his way confidently toward targets which made no attempt to keep themselves hidden. Not only that, but he had gained several tiers in his Crafting ability—enough to have made his beginner-level bow and arrows.
Meanwhile, Tag had played the protector. While Ben had been grinding his skills up in long-range combat, the sturdy dwarf had kept them safe, managing to take down a low-level forest troll with a series of blows with a large rock he had found
.
While Ben had shot from a distance, Tag had sped through the creature’s legs, found his way up the troll’s back, and caved its skull in from above. After the creature toppled, he had inherited its club, and now sported the object with pride.
They spent some time discussing Chloe’s journey, marveling at her progression to level 8 so soon into the game. She held back on describing her journey through the Deathwalk, not wanting to give too much away—at least until she learned she could trust them.
When Ben and Tag pointed to her bracers, hungrily eyeing the objects, Chloe tucked them behind her back, noticing Gideon’s curious stare as he sat with his mouth closed, warming his hands in front of the fire.
As the darkness fell, they had made their way back to Gideon’s house to rest for the night. Ben, Tag, and Gideon logged off, while Chloe went to sleep in a comfortable corner of the room. By late morning, they had taken a glance at Ben’s map and headed out toward a spot that looked like it had the best chance of some kind of civilization, agreeing that if they were to progress, they’d need to at least acquire better provisions.
As they made their way through the Fleetwood Forest, Chloe got a much broader idea of the type of wildlife and creatures that existed here. Rabbits abounded (which, Chloe discovered was Ben’s and Tag’s favorite delicacy and the reason they had managed to survive in the wild over the previous nights), deer ran through the trees, and occasionally a disgruntled badger or fox came at them, teeth bared, which they banded together to take down.
A couple of times, they overheard goblins stalking through the undergrowth and were forced to make the choice of whether to go around or take them down. When they spotted a group of three goblins, they worked together to dispatch them, gaining a nice handful of experience points and looting several bronze coins each, but when they passed a troop of around a dozen or so sitting around a large bonfire, they skirted the area as quietly as possible and continued silently on their way.
Or at least as silently as they possibly could, considering that Tag’s version of tiptoeing was Chloe’s equivalent jumping up and down on her bedroom floorboards in order to piss her siblings off.
“Damn, Tag. Can’t you at least be a little quieter?” she’d urged once they were clear of the goblins—a few of whose ears had begun to go up as they detected the noise. “How are we supposed to make it to Oakston if you can’t sneak quietly?”
Tag stuck his chest out proudly. “A dwarf’s talents lie in other things. So what if we alert enemies? My tough skin and incredible strength will defend us from whatever predator comes our way.” As he spoke, something small and black circled overhead, sweeping inches away from his face. He started backward, letting out a small yelp. “Argh! What was that?”
Ben rolled his eyes. “Relax, your incredibleness. It was just a bat.”
Tag straightened his clothes and cleared his throat. “Yes. Of course.”
They made steady progress throughout the day, pausing when the sun was at its highest for a break near the stream. Here, Gideon sat down quietly, practicing his incantations while Ben and Tag splashed water on themselves and cleaned their weapons.
After a lunch of rabbit and fox meat, Ben took to target practice with his bow and arrow, finding a wide trunk and etching a circle onto the wood. Tag lay in the sun, eyes closed, while Gideon sat and watched Ben. Chloe made her way over to Gideon and took a seat beside him, glancing down briefly at her bracers, which had remained suspiciously silent for a while.
“So… Your friends are…interesting…” She playfully nudged his shoulder.
Gideon nodded. “Yeah. They’re made of good stock. I’ve played dozens of games over the years with them, and they’ve always been there for me. We’ve been through a lot together. Always the same classes and races, too, so they know their way inside and out of dwarves and elves.”
“And what about you?” Chloe said, sensing Gideon tensing up already. “What class are you normally?”
Gideon met Chloe’s eyes, his lips tight. After a moment, he sighed and lowered his head. “How could you tell?”
“Let’s just say I presumed that if someone who had played dozens of games as a particular type of class could make as many mistakes as I’ve seen you make, then perhaps being a mage isn’t your natural affinity.”
Gideon blushed.
“I’m not being nasty,” Chloe assured him. “If anything, it makes me like you more. At least there’s someone else who’s learning skills in the same way that I am. The last thing I’d want is to feel like the complete moob among the pros.”
Gideon scoffed.
“What?” Chloe asked.
“I think you mean ‘noob.’” He smiled, looking brighter already. “I’ve always played the warrior class. I love raising swords and charging into battle, getting right into the thick of it, y’know?”
“Then why didn’t you choose warrior? Was it not available at the start or something?”
Gideon sighed again. “It was my brother’s fault. A cruel prank, really. Truth is that when Praxis approached me to tell me that they wanted me to get involved in the game, it came with a pretty hefty fee. I didn’t have the money to pay for it, so I begged my brother to loan me the money.
“He’s loaded. He’s a semi-pro musician who plays the circuit in New York. I really think he’s going to make it big someday.”
“But he’s an ass, right?” Chloe chuckled.
“Yep. The biggest ass on the planet. He told me that he’d only lend me the money as long as I let him create my character. He even studied my old livestreams to check out the things I loved so that he could take great pleasure in giving me the opposite—everything from this ridiculous goatee to these flouncy purple robes to virtually 0 strength, and—the pièce de résistance—the mage class. It was all him.”
“But you wanted to play?”
“So badly. I mean, come on!” Gideon gestured around the forest. “Look at this! I’ve played some pretty sick VR games before, but this? This just takes it to a whole new level. This is the kind of stuff I dreamed of when I was a kid pretending to be a noble warrior protecting queens. The smells, the sounds—it’s so damn real. If I had the chance, I’d jump into a game like this and never let go.”
Chloe nodded, taking in the sights around her. She felt a warmth inside her as she watched Ben retrieve his arrows from the trunk, several bullseyes among the couple dozen shots. Tag snored loudly, his chest rising and falling. Maybe her mind hadn’t yet been made up about what would happen when they reached the village—whether she would remain with the group (if they’d have her) or take on the rest of her journey solo—but she certainly felt at ease with them.
And besides, working as a team definitely made taking down enemies a whole lot easier than her first few attempts.
When Tag eventually woke with a start, they packed their things and set off once more. Along the way, they heard danger in the woods but merely veered off in a slight variant of their direction to tread around the danger. Only once did they hear the whistling of an arrow, and they managed to take out the goblin archer before it could alert its group to their presence.
The trees provided adequate shelter from the sun, but all too soon, night began to fall. The temperature dropped in the snap of a finger, and soon they were treading their way through the overgrowth practically side by side. Chloe remained in the center, she being the only one of them who had made any progress with her Dark Vision.
She managed to miss the roots and tangles at the last minute but was unable to call out in time to keep Ben from catching his foot and falling on his face.
“At this rate, I’ll have no HP left!” Ben growled, rubbing his nose and examining the blackened smear of blood. “Can you give a bit more warning next time, please?”
“I’m doing my best.” Chloe sighed, squinting into the darkness where the leaves, vines, and tangles all looked like an indeterminate mess.
Skill increased: Dark Vision (Lv 2)
G
uiding comrades through the darkness is a great way to gain experience in this ability. Now to determine whether you’d like to use your powers for good or evil.
Why not try tripping the little guy again?
Bonuses: +2 intelligence, +3 etheric potential
Chloe sniggered as she continued on her way and decided that she would likely use her powers for good.
For now.
The night wore on. Soon enough, they could see glimpses of the moon overhead between the boughs of the trees. The group’s stamina began to wear down, and the longer they continued, the more the group began to complain.
After nearly half an hour of Tag’s whining, Chloe spun on her heels and drew them to a stop.
“Look, enough whining. We must be nearly there, surely. Show us that map.”
Ben unrolled the map. It was the first time Chloe had looked at it directly, and the instant her eyes connected with it, she noticed a flashing notification.
Chloe brought up her display, and suddenly she was looking at a clear picture of the whole forest, an identical image of what Ben was seeing in his hands. Chloe saw little markings across lines of tree and footpaths, as well as names and titles of rivers and streams. Around the edges of the forest, the map was black, but here she could see all the ins and outs.
The minute she moved her eyes away from the paper, the map disappeared.
“Well, that’s a handy little feature,” she mused, returning to the map.
Judging by the small Xs on the page, which they assumed were them, it looked as though they still had several hours of walking ahead of them.
Tag moaned and plonked his ass to the forest floor. He looked exhausted. “I give up. I can’t go on much longer. Let’s wait until morning.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like you to give up so soon. What’s the matter?“ He rested his hands on his knees and spoke as if addressing a baby. “Is Mummy calling for wittle Tattykins to have some din-dins?”
Tag turned away, arms folded. “It’s roasted pork.”
Collecting The Goddess (Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 1) Page 9
