Collecting The Goddess (Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 1)

by Michael Anderle

  “Holy…”

  The floor dropped away before her, a fall that looked to be several hundred yards down a bumpy shaft. A few feet ahead and across the gap were a series of platforms held up by pillars of dark rock. All around the cavern walls were large outcrops of the rock that held strange green fires which emanated no heat but made the whole cave appear to rock and sway. At the farthest reaches of the cave were two giant rock statues of what appeared to be dark trolls.

  Chloe leaned forward, trying to judge the distance between where she stood and the first platform. The whole setup certainly looked higher-level than the primitive cave in which she had met the goblins. Each platform was around ten feet away from the next, so a person would have to take a running jump and leap from platform to platform to make their way to the end.

  Chloe closed her eyes and took a steadying breath before turning her face skyward. “You know, you guys really need to sort out your entrance exams for this game. How the hell is a beginner supposed to level up when there’s no way to ease into them?”

  Her voice echoed around the cave, working its way from wall to wall before heading straight back to her. She was surprised to hear how nervous she sounded. A second later, she heard something that took her breath away.

  An impossible roaring, then the grunt of some monumental beast. Chloe searched for the noise, her heart dropping when the objects she had thought were statues began to move. The trolls’ dark skin reflected the green light of the fires as they turned to search for the source of the noise that had just reverberated around the cavern.

  Chloe sighed. “Mum always told me my mouth would get me in trouble someday. I just thought it would be with boys.” She tilted her head as the trolls took a step toward her. Something large and bulky swayed out from under their loincloths for a fleeting moment. “Hmm. I guess I was right.”

  With every step they took, the ground shook, and the huge trolls roared. Without even thinking about what she was doing, Chloe tested her new acrobatics skill, taking a few steps back and running toward the first platform.

  She jumped, feeling as though the run-up should have given her wings but finding that her legs hardly gave her any spring.

  “No, no, no!” she cried, the platform falling away before her vision. She stretched her arms out and managed to grab the edge. The rock felt loose and she scrambled for purchase, trying to haul herself back up.

  One of the trolls turned and punched the wall, managing to break out a chunk of rock the size of a small house. With a grunt, it hurled the rock toward Chloe, missing by a good measure. The rock bounced off the wall, scattering pebbles and debris before rolling toward the abyss below.

  “Erm, guys? A little help here? Maybe a hard respawn, or an option to self-detonate?”

  Chloe closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, she’d find herself back in the white room. Instead, she opened them to find a chunk of rock coming toward her, perfectly aimed but slightly underthrown.

  The platform ahead of her crumbled and began to topple. It tilted and knocked into the one she was clinging to, tilting it enough to angle it into a position where she could scramble up. She placed her feet on top, the pillar of her own platform now crumbling beneath her, and tried to remember what she had learned the day she had gone skateboarding as a kid with her brothers.

  “Keep your knees bent, Chloe. It’s all in the knees, and about supporting your center of gravity.”

  Chloe steeled herself, knees bent, hoping that the flat of the platform would provide some kind of protection as the pillar fell away, the trolls faded from view, and the darkness came up to swallow her whole.

  The only respite came in the form of a blinking notification informing Chloe that 1HP of her health had been restored.

  Great.

  Chapter Six

  “What the hell is she thinking?” Demetri shouted at the screen, adjusting the camera angles to get a better look at the image of a scrambling Chloe trying to hold onto the platform. “Every time she respawns, it’s like she’s trying to get herself killed.

  “Oh, relax,” Mia said, settling into her chair with a steaming mug of something. She kicked her feet up next to the TV, grinning slightly as Demetri’s eyes slid to her smooth legs.

  Demetri shook his head, trying to focus on the girl flailing on the screen before him. Although he had to admit that part of the reason he had wanted to convince Chloe to work on this project was the idea that he’d be seeing a lot more of Mia, the fact was that he had been trusted with the safety and welfare of the Lagardes’ little girl—the Lagardes’ little girl—and here she was finding every opportunity in-game to kill herself.

  “How can I relax?” Demetri asked, throwing his hands in the air and standing up. “There’s no beginner level. There’s no starter pack. We’ve thrown the child of one of the wealthiest families in America into a game of self-destruction. You promised me that this would help her grow as a person. That it would be the key to unlocking her confidence and helping her become a full-fledged Lagarde. All I’ve seen is goblins reveal the inside of her stomach, rain sap her health, and a cavern of legendary proportions in which giant trolls are hurling rocks at her!”

  Mia rolled her eyes and placed her drink down. She stood up, meeting Demetri’s eyes. She was wearing a pair of shorts and an old college hoody. He could smell her perfume, and it was intoxicating.

  Mia rubbed his arm. “Teething problems, Doc. That’s exactly why we needed a test dummy in there. Someone who isn’t a gamer to test the system. What she’s doing is perfect for development. It means the system’s AI is having to deal with situations we couldn’t even dream possible.”

  “That, and the fact she’s bankrolling your entire operation.” Demetri frowned, staring at the screen again, where the very naked Chloe now appeared to be surfing on a giant chunk of rock that had begun to fall.

  “Well, that too,” Mia teased, grabbing his other arm.

  They stood only a foot away from each other now. He could feel her breath. They stared into each other’s eyes for an endless moment before Mia rose on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

  “That, and because I’ve missed you.”

  Mia winked and returned to her seat, her steaming mug in her hand once more.

  Demetri fell back into his own chair, his heart beating double-speed as the ghost of Mia’s lips caressed his skin. He turned his attention back to the screen, which was now totally black.

  With a confused expression, he leaned forward and hit the side of the screen. When nothing happened, he turned to Mia.

  Mia shrugged, reclining into her chair.

  A low ringing whine echoed around Chloe’s head. She took a large gulp of oxygen and found that it was mixed with dust.

  She coughed, a great racking paroxysm that sent spasms of pain through her body.

  “Well, I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

  She tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. She then tried to sit up but found she physically couldn’t. Only one of her arms was able to move.

  Panic set in.

  Oh, shit. What happens if I reach 1HP and find myself trapped somewhere I can never get out of? Will I stay at 1HP forever? Is it possible that, wherever I am, I could be down here for the rest of my life? Trapped? Paralyzed? A lonely creature with just 1 friggin’ hit point available for the rest of my life?

  No. Impossible. After 2 years, Demetri and Mia will pull me out, right?

  Chloe pondered the possibilities, wondering where the hell she was. Wondering what her situation was. Wondering just how the hell she was going to get out of this one.

  Remembering that the option was there, Chloe brought up her menu and selected her character sheet:

  Bio

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

  Level: 1

  Class: Null

  Race: Human

  Stats

  HP: 1/15

  MP: 15/15

  Sta
mina: 0/30

  Active effects: Null

  Attributes (Unavailable until level 5)

  Skills

  Languages: Human

  Acrobatics: Lv 1

  Armed Combat: Lv 1

  Creature Identification: Lv 1

  Dual Wielding: Lv 1

  Sneak: Lv 2

  Reckless: Lv 2

  Available Points: 0

  She scoured the information, finding it hard to process what was in her view.

  Okay, so I am somehow down to 1HP. That’s not good. I wonder what saved me.

  “Hey! At least I have all my mana. That’s friggin’ useful!” Chloe called, coughing again as the words hacked out of her throat.

  Maybe try not shouting, genius. That was what got you into this situation in the first place.

  Chloe studied her sheet, noting that her stamina was 0. She knew that much was true. She felt like if she closed her eyes, she could sleep forever.

  Felt like if she…

  She…

  Chloe wasn’t sure how long she slept, but when she woke up, it was to the sound of tinkling bells.

  Rolling over as slowly as she dared, Chloe opened her eyes and saw how far she had fallen. The fires were nothing more than twinkling green lights overhead. She moved her head left and right, feeling the ache in her neck. The high-pitched whine was gone, and she felt as though she could move more parts of her than before.

  Pulling up the activity log, Chloe saw a plethora of messages outlining her last few interactions of play, from escaping the goblins to her tumble through the cave:

  Hooray! You’ve managed to make it for enough time without getting hurt that you regain 1HP. Keep it up, and perhaps you can function as a regular being in society.

  +1HP

  Ouch! It’s raining stones! Consider taking cover before the rocks bash your skull into pulp. So much for being a functional being, huh?

  -2HP

  Skill increased: Acrobatics (Lv 2)

  Congratulations on performing a full rotating front flip while falling. You’ve proven you have the coordination of a child gymnast. Have a sticker.

  Bonuses: +3 dexterity

  (NOTE: Increases in skill override any previous bonuses gained from the skill).

  Skill increased: Acrobatics (Lv 3)

  Congratulations on performing a full triple rotating front flip while falling. Front flips can be quite the crowd pleaser. There are some who make an honest buck performing tricks. Like jesters and acrobatic hobos. Welcome to their ranks.

  Bonuses: +5 dexterity

  (NOTE: Increases in skill override any previous bonuses gained from the skill).

  Skill increased: Reckless (Lv 3)

  Do I even need to say it? I mean, you launched yourself over a chasm in an attempt to run toward two trolls. That takes guts, kid.

  Bonuses: +10 strength, +5 endurance

  (NOTE: Increases in skill override any previous bonuses gained from the skill).

  Ouch! You fell 213 feet down a solid rock face. Congrats on surfing most of the way. At least you did it with skill. Unfortunately, skill can only take you so—

  #ERROR404

  CMD_SCRIPT_ID_595.28

  BOOT.BIOS

  #ERROR404

  INITIATE_LAUNCH_SEQ_RESPAWN_LV1_DEATHWALK_ID_38

  LAUNCH=(DIV_INTERVENTION)_2.2

  Divine Intervention activated

  Congratulations! For some unknown reason, the gods have taken pity on you. Not too hard to believe, really. You are rather pitiable. You have been given a second chance.

  +1HP

  WARNING: CRITICAL. You have 1HP remaining. Drink potions or find a place to rest.

  Divine Intervention? What did that even mean? Chloe raised an arm and scratched her head, feeling the stickiness of something matted in her hair. None of this made sense to her. She couldn’t believe the game had taken pity on her. Obsidian had been ruthless since she had first logged on. Killed three times by pathetic goblins, yet somehow saved dying in a nearly 300-foot fall by some deity?

  “Man, this game really has it all,” Chloe muttered, closing her eyes and letting her body rest once more. A small smile reaching her face as she wondered what the impact of those skill increases would be. Reckless Lv 3, +10 strength. Surely that would have to mean something if she came across those trolls again.

  Guess it’s always worth taking risks in this place…

  Chloe had no idea how long she was down there or how long she let herself rest, but soon enough, she was able to sit up. She pulled herself to her feet, noticing for the first time that her stomach was rumbling and her mouth was as a dry as troll balls…

  Or so she imagined.

  Again she marveled at how detailed this game was. Although her body was being fed and watered in the real world (or she presumed it was), this hunger and thirst felt real, as if her body needed the nourishment to continue going. She checked once more on her character sheet, looking at the great big 0 next to her stamina. Maybe food and drink would affect her stamina. Maybe in order to properly recover, she’d need to find some halloumi and a cosmopolitan.

  Chloe gasped, her hand finding her mouth. What if halloumi and cosmos don’t exist in this world? Another gasp, eyes wide, now. Or avocados, or piña coladas?

  Before Chloe could continue pondering the lack of twenty-first-century metropolitan delicacies in an online fantasy RPG, something caught her attention. Her ears pricked as she heard the bells tinkling nearby, quiet enough to have been missable as she had endured her migraine from falling, loud enough now to draw her infamous curiosity.

  Chloe took a careful step, wobbling as she did so. Each step felt as though her feet weighed fifty pounds each. She squinted into the darkness toward the direction of the noise, hands in front of her so she wouldn’t walk into a wall in the pitch-darkness—or fall through another hole, for that matter.

  She felt a rock beneath her foot and nearly fell. The tinkling was getting louder. Somewhere up ahead, she could make out a very dull yellow glow. Chloe focused hard on trying to make out what she was seeing.

  You’ve unlocked a new skill: Dark Vision (Lv 1)

  By staring feebly into the dark for so long that your corneas cracked, you’ve managed to improve your perception of what lies in the darkness. Now you’ll be able to make out minor silhouettes in the—watch out for that hole!

  Chloe stopped suddenly, only realizing then that she had been walking while reading the notifications. She looked down and felt the floor with her hand, but there was no hole there.

  Huh?

  She opened her notifications again.

  GOTCHA!

  I guess you’d like to read your bonuses now, huh?

  Requirements: Try with all your might to see through the darkness.

  Bonuses: +1 intelligence, +2 etheric potential

  Great. Talk about kicking me while I’m down.

  Putting aside the ever more obnoxious notifications, Chloe kept walking, impressed that, true to its word, the AI had been right. She could now see vaguely where she was walking. She continued, finding a bend in the tunnel and discovering a small alcove in which she was able to stand up straight and stretch her arms.

  There was no exit tunnel, only a small shrine built into the back wall. There were candles that looked to have not been lit in eons, dead flowers, and bells.

  Hovering in a glowing orb of sparkles and stars, in front of them all was the item that was tinkling.

  Chloe cautiously reached forward, feeling a strange power emanating from the bracers, for that was what they were. She could hear something or someone whispering behind the tinkle of bells, but she couldn’t make out the words. Her fingertips touched the item and—

  Snap!

  The item was gone. The light went out. The tinkling quieted to nothing.

  Chloe waited with bated breath for something to happen.

  Suddenly, a blinding light swallowed her whole, accompanied by music.

  Chapter Seven

&
nbsp; Chloe called out in surprise, unable to see through the blinding lights. She felt a great rush of exhilaration as she was lifted off her feet, and her hair blew in all directions as a mini-tornado built around her body.

  Her feet hit solid ground. She half-saw grass around her feet before the light reappeared and pulsed around her. She was lifted once more as if cupped by the hand of a giant.

  Her feet hit the ground for the briefest of moments before the whole process repeated.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Three times.

  After the fifth time, Chloe started to wonder if the game was glitching. She supposed it was possible, although it would be incredibly annoying. Had Mia built in some kind of contingency or hard reset for if anything like this occurred? She felt helpless. Hopeless.

  And yet, somehow Chloe felt stronger than she ever had before.

  After one final lift, Chloe’s feet touched the cool softness of grass. She cautiously opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself at the mouth of the goblin’s cave.

  The sun was bright in a cloudless blue sky. All around her, she could hear the calls and voices of the forest.

  “What in the name of all that is good and holy happened?” she murmured, patting her person and noting that all of her cuts, scrapes, and bruises were gone. A large gash that must have been the result of falling from the slab was visibly still knitting shut on her thigh. She glanced at her bare breasts, suddenly remembering that she was bare-ass naked, and crossed her legs, folding her arms around her chest.

  “Mmmphhmmhampphm…” a muffled voice said.

  Chloe whirled, sure that someone was watching her from the tree line. Getting a good eyeful of her avatar.

  “Hmmmphghhpppmgh!” Louder this time.

  Chloe looked down at where the voice was coming from, which was her chest. She unfolded her arms and darted back, examining the shimmering gold and green bracers that now adorned her wrists. They gleamed in the sunlight, looking as though they had been made from the finest precious metals, yet they were feather-light on her arms.