The two locked eyes for what felt like an eternity. The black bear rose to his feet, looking as if he was about to coil for the strike, then snorted and turned away, limping back into the undergrowth.
The brown bear watched the black bear hobble away. It was enormous, standing on its two legs. Chloe realized their perches in the trees couldn’t have been more than five feet above the bear’s head.
The bear turned its attention to Talbot, who had begun to crawl backward. His foot caught on a twig, which snapped with a loud crack. Talbot gasped. The bear lowered to all fours, the ground shaking slightly at its weight.
What’s it doing? Chloe asked.
I have no idea, KieraFreya replied.
As if it could hear them, the bear craned its neck toward the trees and locked eyes with Chloe.
Chloe’s body stilled and her breath caught. There was intelligence in those eyes. A thousand years of memories and thoughts processed in the galactic pools of darkness that were the bear’s eyes.
Chloe gasped.
“It’s him.”
Quick as a flash, the bear whirled, grabbed Talbot in his powerful jaws, and lifted him off the ground. Without turning back, the bear ran into the forest, the injured warrior dangling helplessly from his mouth.
Chapter Seven
Talbot dared not open his eyes.
Hidden under a blanket, he felt safe. Not safe like away-from-danger-safe, but it felt comforting to have something else—anything else—separate him from the terrifying bear.
He could hear it now, somewhere around him. Great thumping footsteps stomping around the space. He imagined he was in a cave or a den or wherever it was that bears lived. He hadn’t seen where the bear had taken him, which might have been a mistake, in hindsight.
But he knew he was under a blanket, at least. The thin, soft material covered him and was keeping him warm, his body shivering from the attack as the adrenaline began to slowly wear off.
How could a bear have a blanket?
That was something he couldn’t understand. He was a man of logic, after all. Even in his in-game persona, Talbot (or Daryl Weaver, in real life), was something of a book nerd. He’d spend hours reading through the small print of games before first signing in, probably the only man in the world to read the Terms & Conditions of every game before he checked the small box and dived into play.
So, the notion of a bear covering Talbot with a blanket was absolutely absurd.
A bear.
A blanket.
Sometimes along their journey, Talbot would close his eyes and pretend he was someone else. Pretend he had the valor and bravery of someone like Veronica, Therese, or Chloe. If they were here right now, they’d probably leap up, sword in hand, and take on the bear one-on-one.
The bear would put up a damn good fight, but with the skills they’d honed over the course of the game, they’d ultimately win. It wouldn’t be like any of the others to fall out of a tree and make a fool of themselves, luring the bear away from the bait and instead replacing it for the Wrangler.
And the bastard hadn’t even shown up. No one had come to save Talbot.
He imagined the others would be on their way—well, he hoped they would—but he had no idea where they were.
How fast had the bear run?
Had it zigzagged and confused its trail? Left them clueless in its wake?
What velocity could a bear such as this one achieve in the forest? Could it move faster than the average earth bear? How did it grow so large? Its internal skeleton must be powerful indeed to hold its weight up and keep it from collapsing in on itself.
If only he could catch the bear and examine it. That would be amazing. To study the beast and feed the information back, potentially utilize it somehow in future battles.
Not that Talbot had much chance of that. While he loved accompanying the KieraSlayers, there was a part of him that thirsted for knowledge. Loved the cities, and reveled in the libraries and the study of culture.
But for right now he was stuck under a blanket in a cave with a bear.
A bear.
A blanket.
Talbot sighed, not realizing that, although he could hear the heavy footsteps of the bear, the growls had stopped ages ago.
“Well, that has to be a good sign.”
Chloe nodded. The large wooden shack ahead would have been all but invisible had they not watched the bear enter the front door a few minutes before.
The wood was covered with ivy and other vines, the browns and greens blending perfectly with the rest of the forest. There were trees growing out of the roof and twisting into the canopy above.
“Why would a bear live in a shack?” Therese asked, her voice chipper since she had avoided becoming the ragdoll for the bear to play with. “And how the hell did he open the door?”
Chloe agreed it had been a strange sight, the bear had stood on his back feet, raised the front ones, and pushed on the door. He had ducked his massive head and wandered inside as if he weren’t a bear.
“There aren’t any hinges out here, Therese,” Veronica scoffed. “Didn’t you see it shove the door open? Damn beast. We have to rescue Talbot.”
“Don’t you get it?” Ben asked. “This is the Wrangler’s shack. I’m sure of it. The bear must be some kind of guardian or something. We wanted to catch the man, but we caught his guard dog.”
“You know you’re using the word ‘caught’ rather loosely, right?” Gideon asked.
Ben shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”
They remained crouched for some time, studying the entrance and listening to the sounds of movement inside. Soon a small ribbon of smoke curled up into the trees.
“He’s inside,” Leonie announced.
Therese frowned. “How do you know?”
“Fire. Look. No bear could light a fire.”
“Not intentionally, anyway,” Huk added.
Blueballs growled behind them, his eyes fixed on the shack.
Something rustled behind them. They all turned, breathing a sigh of relief when Huk appeared through the bushes, back from his reconnaissance mission.
“Well?” Chloe asked.
“Only one other entrance, a door at the back of the shack. No windows that I could see into the shack through, but I’m sure they’re still both in there. You can hear that bear’s paws thumping from miles away.”
“Okay, then,” Chloe said, her resolve hardening as she stared at the shack. “Here’s the plan…”
A few minutes later, they were in place. Chloe and Ben each led a team, taking positions on either side of the shack. As one, they were to smash the doors down and take the Wrangler and the bear by surprise.
“What are we waiting for?” KieraFreya hissed. “Let’s do this already.”
“We wait for the signal,” Chloe said. A bird call rang from afar.
“Was that it?” Huk asked, face full of confusion. “It sounded like a bird. It was the bird call, right?”
Chloe had no idea. Ben had demonstrated the bird call, describing the distinctive characteristics of the warbler’s cry and how it was differentiated from other birds, but to Chloe’s ears, it sounded just like any other bird.
“Right,” she said uncertainly. “Of course, it was. I’m sure it was.”
The door on the other side of the house was kicked down.
“It definitely was.”
They marched up to the door, Chloe, Huk, Therese, and Blueballs booting the door until it fell out of its frame and smashed to the floor inside.
Chloe ran in first. Plumes of dust kicked up from where the door had connected with floorboards, creating a thick haze. She could just about make out Ben coughing and shielding his eyes on the other side of the large room.
“Keep your guard up,” Chloe shouted. “Find them both. Restrain them.”
They ran around blindly for a few seconds, knocking into each other, listening intently for the bear or for any kind of enemy. After Gideon caught his foot and heard an “Ooo
f” before he fell to the floor, they all gathered around a small bundle wrapped in a blanket on the floor.
“Talbot?” Chloe asked. “Is that you?”
“Er…yes?”
The party calmed down. Chloe ripped away the blanket, their eyes now focused on Talbot.
“Oh,” Talbot whined. “That was warm.”
“So’s the fire,” a deep voice behind them said.
They turned as one, eyes widening at the sight of the giant sitting in a large chair in the corner of the room. There was an open hearth beside him, the fire crackling merrily.
The man smiled. “Might I inquire as to who you all are?”
There was a pregnant pause before Chloe took a step toward the man. “First tell us who you are, and then we shall tell you our names.”
The man’s smile grew. It was warm. Homey. There was something reassuring in that smile.
“I am known by many names across the world. I am Retoran in the south, Drestara in the west, in the east, I am known as Klerongaria, and in the north, I am known as simply ‘the Wrangler.’”
The others stirred at the sound of the name.
“Even though my birth name is far from any of these whimsical titles,” he continued, “these are the names by which common folk identify me.”
“You don’t want people to know your real name?” Therese asked before she could stop herself. “Sounds a bit sketchy to me. Surely it would be easier to go by the name you were given at birth?”
The Wrangler grinned. “You’d think so. But eight hundred years of travel has fractured my identity, and it is only in legends that they now speak my true name.”
“You had a bear,” Chloe said, enjoying the history lesson but remembering the danger that the large brown bear had inflicted upon them. “Where is it?”
The Wrangler gave a curt nod and, for a moment, just stared. Chloe was about to lose her patience and ask again when she noticed that the Wrangler’s pupils had bled into the rest of his eyes, the whites turning black.
His brown hair grew thick and coarse, spreading across his body as his muzzle lengthened and his ears grew pointed.
Blueballs’ fur stood on end and he bared his teeth at the creature before them.
The chair groaned under the bear now sitting nonchalantly before them. The KieraSlayers stared with mouths open, unable to believe what they’d just seen.
“He’s a…” Gideon started.
Ben finished for him, “…werebear.”
The Wrangler laughed in his bear form, the sound sharp roars. He closed his eyes and concentrated and the bear form began to revert, his body shrinking as the fur receded and his features returned to normal.
“’Werebear’ is not a term I’ve heard before,” the Wrangler said. “What is this…werebear?”
“It’s…well…it’s kind of hard to explain,” Gideon stuttered. “It’s kind of like a person who…when the moon is full…can…”
“It’s a person who can turn into a bear,” Therese snapped, glaring at Gideon. “See, that was easy.”
Huk sniggered behind his hand.
“Interesting,” the Wrangler said, stroking his chin. “I like this term, although I could not adopt it for myself. I am not limited to bears.”
“What do you mean?” Leonie asked.
The Wrangler closed his eyes and spent the next few minutes going through a series of transformations. One minute he was a black bear, the next he had shrunk into the form of a fox. He became a badger, a warg, and an eagle, finishing by transforming into a perfect replica of Gideon.
The KieraSlayers burst into laughter at that last. Although the imitation was flawless, the Wrangler couldn’t conjure clothing. The only saving grace for Gideon, who was staring at his naked double, was the pixelated blur in the region of his crotch.
“Okay, okay, we get it,” Gideon said, taking Talbot’s blanket and wrapping around his doppelgänger. The Wrangler laughed, transformed back to his human form, and fixed the blanket around himself, gathering up the clothing that had fallen from his body.
“So, you’re a shapeshifter?” Chloe said. “You can adopt the form of anyone and anything you see?”
“Not everything,” the Wrangler said, pulling his t-shirt over an impressive set of abs. “I can’t imitate inanimate objects.”
“You managed to imitate Gideon,” Ben quipped.
Even Gideon joined in their laughter this time, seemingly more comfortable now that his double wasn’t staring into his face.
“And now you have me at a disadvantage, for you have yet to live up to your end of the bargain,” the Wrangler said.
Chloe and the KieraSlayers went around the room and introduced themselves. When they were done, the Wrangler impressively repeated all of their names back to them without missing one.
“Amazing memory,” Chloe said.
“After several centuries of roaming the world, it helps to keep it sharp.”
Chloe couldn’t comprehend how someone could live for so long. She wondered what the average life expectancy of people in this game was; she’d seen elderly folks in the towns and cities but had never even thought of asking their ages.
“How is it that you’ve lived so long?” Ben asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor. The others followed, and the room soon looked like a bedtime story scene. “Are you some kind of god?”
The Wrangler chuckled. “I am no god. I am just as mortal as you all are. My organs and body parts are vulnerable to damage and aging, and I certainly don’t compare myself to the gods in their heavenly thrones.”
Chloe saw his eyes glance at hers, then flicker to her armor before returning to look at Ben.
“Then what are you?”
“I believe many used to call us ‘ancients.’ Beings born from the earth in years past, mortal beings with specific talents to benefit the world and guard those who need protection.”
“I think I’ve heard of those.” Talbot sat up straight. “Yeah, it was in a book back in Gallen Hollows. The ancients…there were ten of them. Ten beings who guarded the forests, seas, and mountains. Shapeshifters who were placed upon the earth by the gods as sentinels and conduits for their mighty power.”
“So, you can communicate with the gods?” Chloe smirked.
The Wrangler shook his head. “Don’t believe everything you read in books, young warrior. Remember that even the most revered of books could have been authored and penned by the greatest liars of the world. History truly is written by the victors.”
Talbot’s head sank. He looked hurt by the comments, as if The Wrangler had told him that Christmas no longer existed.
The Wrangler took a deep breath, turning his attention to the roaring fire. The flames cast a homey glow over his features and washed over the room, making them all slightly drowsy.
“I sense that this questioning relates to why you decided to track me down?” the Wrangler asked. “I have to admit, many have tried to lure me out of hiding, but none have been so bold as to go about injuring their own kin in the process. You are all blessed, aren’t you? I’ve heard a lot about the blessed appearing in these regions, though I’ve yet to meet one.”
“Well, now you’ve met seven!” Therese exclaimed.
Chloe chuckled, pushing down Therese’s arms, which she had punched into the air.
“You’re right, and we wouldn’t have put ourselves in danger if it would hurt or we wouldn’t come back to life within a few hours. We’ve been trying to track you down for a while now but didn’t know where to start. I guess the only way to say this is we need your help.”
“They get bolder and bolder.” The Wrangler laughed. “To break into my house and ask me for a favor. Would you offer help to someone who did that?”
Chloe shuffled awkwardly, cheeks flushing. “I suppose not.”
The Wrangler silently studied them. “It takes a lot to be truthful, and truth is something I respect. Tell me what you desire help with, and I’ll see what I can do. I make no promises to
get involved in matters beyond my jurisdiction. My life is simple, and will remain so.”
Chloe nodded, took a deep breath, and told the Wrangler as much as she could about herself, the armor, and her hunt for the horse.
“And they told you I’d be able to help?” the Wrangler asked when Chloe had finished her tale. The sky had turned dark outside, and moths and other insects had begun to swarm through the open door toward the fire.
“Can you?” Chloe asked.
The Wrangler scratched his chin. During her telling of her story, his naked face had sprouted a fresh, thick beard.
“I might know of a place where such a beast exists. It is beyond the capabilities of the average mortal to reach, and is only accessible by…aggressive means.”
“What does that mean?” Huk asked Leonie.
“It means, shut up and listen,” she scolded.
“Can you take us there?” Chloe asked hopefully.
The Wrangler laughed, his belly shaking with the motion. “You blessed really have no sense of danger, do you? I warn you about it, and you leap at the chance. You really are a curious breed.”
“So, you’ll take us?”
The Wrangler shook his head. “I didn’t say that.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Then you’ll show us the way?”
The Wrangler shook his head. “If I am to perform a favor for a bunch of miscreants who lure me out of hiding and trespass on my property, I must have something in return. A token to send you on your way.”
“And what might that be?” Ben asked.
The Wrangler turned his eyes to Chloe. “Oh, I think you already know…”
Chapter Eight
“He can’t be serious,” Veronica said as the walls of Hammersworth came into view.
They had been marching all night. Thanks to Ben’s keen sense of direction and Chloe’s Dark Vision, they were eventually able to navigate their way through the forest and back to the city.
Chloe shook off the irritation she felt at the onslaught of insects that had gravitated toward the tiny areas of exposed skin beneath her armor, drawn by sweat as the party trundled through the cloying heat.
Goddess Complete Page 7