There came a knock on the door on the other side of the phone.
“Oh, hold on one minute,” Mia said, her hand now muting the mic. She heard a muffled, “Who is it?” before Mia returned to the receiver. “Sorry, Chloe. Pizza’s here. I’ve got to go.”
As Mia placed the receiver back down, Chloe was sure that she heard Demetri’s voice calling in the distance.
Chloe tried to dial back, realizing at once that she didn’t have a phone number for the pair.
As the countdown clock ticked toward her respawn, she browsed the net, looking for any hints or tips from players now in-game. The good news was that there were the beginnings of forums, where clearly players had arrived and had managed to get themselves killed. The bad news was that there were literally zero references to the name “KieraFreya” or any of the Obsidian gods to be found.
Chloe rested her eyes while leaning back in the chair, wondering why Mia would hang up before Demetri could talk to her, and how in the hell she was going to learn to control that goddamn parasitic goddess.
Chapter Fifteen
When Chloe respawned, it was to the sounds of screams.
She had expected to be greeted by the whispering woods, able to hear the rushing wind and see nothing but green, green, and more green. Instead, she saw huts and cabins, the tribespeople staring at her with mouths open. Several men in particular were giving Chloe more of a look than she appreciated.
She glanced down, feeling the cold air on her stomach.
“Oh, for… Not again,” she said, noting that she was shirtless once more. She raised her wrists and was both happy and a little pissed that KieraFreya’s bracers were still firmly affixed to her.
Welcome back, mistress, KieraFreya crooned. I didn’t expect to see so much of you again.
Before Chloe could respond, a woman that Chloe recognized from the assembly shouted, “The blessed…she has returned! Someone call the chief.”
Chloe was grabbed from behind and marched across the village toward a hut that was at least three times the size of the others. The roof was thatched, and a column of smoke rose from the chimney. She didn’t even bother to struggle.
The chief’s quarters were modest. Most of the hut was taken up by a meeting space with chairs, benches, and an open fire. Mantari was sat proudly in a large chair up a short set of stairs, and he was deep in conversation with a man who had open claw marks across his chest.
Mantari’s concern for the man faded the minute he met Chloe’s eyes. He rose suddenly and muttered something to an advisor, who led the injured man away. Walking briskly to her, he grabbed Chloe’s shoulders.
“So it is true. You are one of the blessed. I am...I am so…”
“Don’t even bother saying the words,” Chloe said, anger in her eyes. “Do you have any idea how much it hurts to die in this stupid realm?”
Mantari ignored her scorn, signing and snapping his fingers at a couple of tribespeople at the back of the hut. They rushed out of the room without a word.
He motioned the men to release Chloe and headed out of the door. He signaled for Chloe to follow.
He led her around the village, taking many packed-dirt paths and trails. The sun was beginning to rise, turning the sky a beautiful orange, and calmness engulfed the place.
Mantari walked at a brisk pace, Chloe struggling to keep up. As he passed villagers, he nodded and waved, until finally, he spoke up.
“My apologies once more, blessed one. This village has been here for almost a dozen generations. What started as a humble cabin soon expanded into what we see before us now.”
Several young children ran through the village, chasing a collection of butterflies as their giggles trailed behind them. Mantari ruffled a little girl’s head as she darted past him.
“We of the Oakston tribe are a gentle folk. We live in the woods, we die in the woods. We keep our presence quiet and ensure that our borders are protected. There are dangers in this world that even we are unable to fight against, but as long as we keep each other protected, our little corner of the world can remain hidden and safe.”
Chloe smiled as a tall woman with dark locks combed the shaggy hair of a small boy. The boy’s father emerged from their hut—Chloe recognizing the man as the one she had almost left eyeless in the forest—and grinned at them both and kissed the woman before tickling the boy’s sides. He stood up and paused as his eyes met hers, then lowered them back down and disappeared inside.
Mantari looked down at her. “I know there is no way to take back the death, and a thousand apologies will not erase the hurt we inflicted upon you, but you must understand the threat you posed to our people. I will always place my people before a stranger, and if the situation occurred a second time, I would do it again. I wonder if that’s something that you can understand?”
Her mind flashed back to the bear and its cubs. Had it not been for their attack upon her and Gideon, she would have left them at peace. Sometimes conflict is forced upon you, even if you in no way intended to create it.
Chloe nodded, her eyes fixed on the entrance to the hut.
Mantari placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her away. “Come. Let me show you more.”
The village was a lot bigger than Chloe had first estimated. There must have been at least a hundred individual buildings crowded together in the woods. Some were bunched in larger clearings, while others used the trees as part of their structures.
There were places to store foraged food, rudimentary smithies, a woman who dealt with medicinal herbs and practices, trading outlets with makeshift market stalls, and even a place to pen and keep livestock among the residents,
Chloe quickly became friendly with Mantari, asking questions about the tribe and the people they met along the way. Although she encountered several more men who stared at her chest, she started to become numb to their attention, noticing that half the women here were topless themselves. After a certain point, she began to walk more proudly, her chest held high as she shook hands and spoke to the children.
Toward the end of her tour, Mantari led Chloe into a room she instantly recognized by the handcuffs pinned to the wall. Mantari called this room the “Room of Judgment.” Chloe liked his style.
And there, against the wall, were Chloe’s shirt and dagger. She kept the stick for sentimental reasons, although she really didn’t want to use the storage slot.
On her way back outside, she heard a voice she recognized. Tearing herself away from a laughing Mantari, Chloe burst into a hut which housed a large fire and from which dozens upon dozens of tribespeople were busy collecting their breakfasts, a selection of chopped fruits and dried meats.
She shuffled through the crowd, drawn in by the sweet sound of music. When she reached the far corner, she folded her arms, her face stern.
Tag was in the zone, hand on chest, a mug of something frothy that spilled on the floor with each swing of his other arm. Ben was beside him, struggling with a lute that sounded as if it was out of tune, occasionally glancing at the tribesman at his side who was playing with his eyes closed.
Gideon sat with his legs crossed and a drum on his lap. One hand rested on his leg, the other occasionally bashed the drum with a stick.
Chloe cupped her mouth, speaking loud enough to be heard above the din. “Since when did the three musketeers become the Jackson 5?” she said, one hand on her hip.
Tag stopped singing and choked on his drink when he took a sip. “Well, it took you long enough.”
“Do you take requests?”
Tag let out a laugh and jumped off the stage, wrapping his arms around Chloe’s waist. “We missed you, girly. What took you so long?”
Ben, deciding to abandon his efforts with the lute, rose to his feet, and nimbly jumped down to join them, hugging Chloe when he got to her. Gideon tossed the drum aside and stepped carefully down, stopping nervously in front of Chloe.
She reached out and pulled Gideon toward her, wrapping him in her arms as his ears flare
d red. “Aw, you silly git.” She ruffled his hair with her fist. “What do you mean, ‘so long?’ I thought it would take even longer to find my way here. You know I spawned in the center of town, right?”
Ben nodded sagely. “You found the respawn site, then?”
They made their way to a spare table, but Tag looking back with envy as another from the tribe took the stage and began singing.
Chloe frowned. “Respawn site?”
Gideon nodded. “Yeah. The tribespeople must have dragged us over the spot by accident on the way into the game. Didn’t you notice that strange triple-layered star scratched into the floor?”
“I’ll be honest, I had bigger worries on my mind,” Chloe retorted. “In case you didn’t notice, I literally died back there. My first thought on appearing in the middle of the village was whether my bladder was empty enough to stop me from pissing myself before they all jumped on me and sent me back to the white room.”
“And did they?” Gideon asked earnestly.
Chloe clicked her tongue. “Yeah. They all jumped on me, and I’m in the white room as we speak.”
Gideon seemed to realize what he had said and looked abashedly at the table.
The four adventurers made their way back outside to look for Mantari. When they found him, the man was in the middle of a conversation with two burly men who had large swords strapped to their waists. Their faces were serious.
“Is there some kind of problem,” Chloe asked, leading the pack and stopping next to the men.
Mantari finished speaking in the native tongue and the two men left. “Nothing my warriors can’t deal with.”
Chloe heard a small sigh from Gideon.
Mantari spread his hands wide. “So, what do you think of Oakston? How are you finding our humble little village?
“It’s a little basic,” Chloe teased. “I could really do with a shower and a cosmo, but I’m guessing that since I didn’t see a single working toilet in this place, you also don’t have running water?”
“Or basic cable,” Tag grumbled from behind.
“Our way of living is modest, and our people are fair. If you want to stay awhile, I can take you to the chief to assign you temporary abodes. While we sometimes allow visitors to recover and rest in our village, full-time residents must choose a talent among the people and contribute to the village. Everyone works or has a contributing skill in Oakston. That is the way of our tribe.”
Chloe’s eyebrow raised. “Hold on. You’re telling me that you’re not the chief?”
Mantari shook his head, kindness in his eyes. “Not me.”
Ben and Tag looked at each other, confusion on their faces. “Then who is?”
Mantari chuckled. “Follow me.”
The sheet-covered entrance to the chief’s quarters flapped shut behind them as they made their way into the room where Chloe had initially found Mantari. The chair where he had been sitting was empty, but the fire still roared. There were sentries posted around the room, still as statues.
“This way.” Mantari waved them into a room off the side to where they could hear water splashing around. As they ducked through an entrance, Chloe’s first instinct was to laugh.
She brought a hand to her mouth, doing her best not to look at Ben, Tag, and Gideon, whose mouths were all now wide-open.
In the center of a small room was an immense wooden tub of sorts. Five women surrounded the tub and held small jugs, which they dipped into the water and poured over one of the largest women Chloe had ever seen. She recognized her instantly as the woman who had sat in the middle of the semicircle, but she now had her eyes closed and appeared to be deep in thought as the women bathed her. Water cascaded down her skin, joining the suds in the tub as they rhythmically took turns pouring as if in some kind of odd dance.
Wall-mounted torches lit the room with a strange glow, making the whole ordeal rather hypnotic.
Mantari bowed his head and uttered a quiet series of clicks and vowels.
The woman’s eyes remained closed, her body unmoving. Not a word came from her, but somehow Mantari seemed to receive a message.
Another nod. Another guttural communication.
Mantari turned to face them again.
“The chief has approved your stay. Let me show you to your quarters.”
As they headed back out of the tent, Gideon hovered a moment longer than the rest, unable to take his eyes off the giant chief.
Chapter Sixteen
Mantari set Chloe and the guys up in a modest hut halfway across the village. As they walked there, Mantari explained that the chief, Makkah, was the last living heir of the founders of the village and possessed powers that couldn’t be explained.
While he didn’t go into great depths on what exactly this meant, Ben and Tag seemed eager to probe and ask more questions of the man.
“So she can perform magic?”
“Can she summon dragons?”
“Can she teach me how to Dougie?”
Mantari laughed and waved their questions away.
Their new abodes were on the edge of the village, so they could hear the sounds of the forest after they reached their assigned rooms. Although he was the smallest, Tag was quick to claim the largest room. Since no one could be bothered to argue, Ben, Gideon, and Chloe chose quarters across the hall from each other. Chloe took the smallest, figuring she had no need for a larger room, considering she hardly had any equipment and didn’t plan on using the bedroom all that much anyway.
Besides, it’s best to keep the employees happy before they set out on their missions. We want to keep their morale boosted and all that, Chloe mused, taking a second to lie back and close her eyes.
She jackknifed in bed, looking suddenly disgruntled. Woah, where had that come from?
“Did you just call your companions ‘employees?’” KieraFreya asked silkily, speaking up for the first time in what seemed like hours.
“Great timing, oh wise goddess. I thought I’d finally lucked out and your spirit had fled my armor.”
“It’s my armor, remember?” KieraFreya hissed. “I rather thought the last thing you would have wanted was to have to answer a thousand questions about how and where a player of such a low status as yourself managed to find enchanted armor in the first place. You wouldn’t want to raise even more questions upon your arrival into the village, oh blessed one.”
Chloe knew KieraFreya was trying not to laugh.
“Oh, bite me,” she said, then something pinched her arm. “Ouch!”
KieraFreya chuckled. “You asked for it!”
“Look,” Chloe said, lowering her voice as her eyes darted to her door. She was sure that she heard footsteps outside her room. “I’m still pissed off at you for what you did back in those woods. What were you thinking, to try to kill an innocent man for no apparent reason?”
“No apparent reason? In case you didn’t notice, they were dragging you and your friends away. The only information we had in that situation was that you were all in danger. Sometimes you need to attack first and ask questions later. This world is dangerous, and filled with people willing to drain you as soon as look at you.”
“I’ve known women that like to do that to men.” Chloe smirked.
“If you’re not ready and willing to kill to protect yourself and your companions, you’re not going to make it very far in Obsidian.”
Chloe’s smile faded, and her brow creased. “Well, I have done pretty well so far. I managed to find you, didn’t I? I’ve managed to get the other guys here. I’ve managed to gain favor with the village leaders.”
“Oh, yeah,” KieraFreya said sarcastically. “You’re doing so well, dying...how many times is it already? 5? 6? Let’s take a quick look at your character sheet, shall we?
Bio
Character name: Chloe (click to select a new character name)
Level: 7
Class: Null
Race: Human
Stats
HP: 220/220
&
nbsp; MP: 150/150
Stamina: 300/300
Active effects: Null
Attributes
Strength: 22 (+16)
Intelligence: 6 (+4)
Dexterity: 20 (+9)
Endurance: 25 (+15)
Etheric Potential: 9 (+8)
Skills
Languages: Human
Acrobatics: Lv 3
Armed Combat: Lv 1
Creature Identification: Lv 2
Dark Vision: Lv 2
Dual Wielding: Lv 1
Sneak: Lv 3
Reckless: Lv 3
Available Points: 0
Chloe studied the sheet, trying to work out what was different. “Hey! My available points are gone!”
KieraFreya clicked her tongue. “You couldn’t even find two minutes to assign your points to better attributes? I’ve seen some unbalanced sheets in my time, but this is ridiculous.”
Chloe deflated. “I was going to put more points into etheric potential and intelligence so that I could start working on my magic. Then I was going to have a proper look at what was on offer.” Chloe made a mental note to remember to assign points in the future. She might have felt stronger, but she didn’t feel wiser. “Hold on, I’ve lost a level too?”
“Comes with the pain of dying. You lose items and experience, Sweet Tits. This world is tough, although it does everything within its power to try to help the blessed avoid dying, and there you are offering yourself out as a human pincushion. If you want my advice, work on acquiring more items and finding my armor.”
Chloe considered KieraFreya’s words. The last time she had died, she had been at level 1 with barely any experience, so the punishments had hardly seemed like punishments at all. Now that she was rising in the ranks, she agreed that the last thing she wanted to do was start to go back down again. If she wanted to progress and make her way through the game, she would have to start playing by the rules, at least until she could advance further with her quest.
Collecting The Goddess (Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 1) Page 11