Collecting The Goddess (Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 1)

by Michael Anderle

  Chloe’s mind traveled back to her first encounter with these creatures. The two had blocked the way on the Deathwalk of the Gods and launched boulders at her as though they weighed little more than pebbles.

  “Is it...alive?” Chloe mumbled to KieraFreya, noticing now the splatters of blood that stained the rock around the troll’s form.

  “Do you see it breathing?” KieraFreya replied.

  The truth was, she couldn’t. The troll was lifeless, as still as the rock around it. Chloe was sure that if she viewed the room from another angle and had no idea what a troll was, she might’ve stood a chance at missing the troll altogether. She moved closer, seeing small cuts and bruises on the troll’s skin. Tiny areas that were charred and burned. Suddenly Chloe felt a sense of pride.

  Her friends had taken this troll down, three novices attacking a creature the gods had deemed worthy to use as a guardian on the path to protect a mythical treasure. The smile returned to her face as she wondered where were they now.

  As if in answer, Chloe heard a hissed whisper. “Pssst. Who goes there?”

  “Shut up, Tag. It could be anyone. You really want to draw attention to ourselves now?”

  “We need to do something,” Tag’s voice replied.

  Her heart lifting, Chloe skirted the troll’s bulk. Her eyes widened as she ran toward the back of the room and she found her three friends locked up in three individual cells set into the rock.

  “Chloe?” Gideon said, disbelief clear in his voice as he rose from his darkened corner and held onto the bars. “What are you… How have you…” Gideon gathered his thoughts. “What are you doing here? Did you get my message?”

  Chloe reached through the bars and hugged him. “I did. How’s the rash doing? Did you get my message?”

  Gideon squeezed Chloe tight. As she pulled away, he gave her a strange look. “No, my other message. I replied after I logged back in and saw your request. I figured it was ironic, you telling us to stay where we were, given that we were already trapped in here with nowhere to go.”

  Chloe searched her memory but could find no glimmer of recognition for what Gid was talking about. She brought up her messages, and sure enough, there it was, the text from Gid telling her they’d gotten themselves trapped in one of the dungeons and had no way of freeing themselves without any kind of key.

  “I’m sorry, the last few hours have been a bit of a whirlwind. I haven’t had a chance to check my notifications. Are you guys all right? What happened?”

  Gideon, Ben, and Tag took turns explaining their adventure. How everything had been fun and glorious. How they had stumbled across the dungeon by luck and taken their chances.

  “You don’t level up unless you take chances and...revel...up?” Tag’s voice stumbled to a halt.

  Ben rolled his eyes. “I thought you were good with poetry?”

  “When they’re not my words…”

  They had swept through the skeletons, working almost seamlessly like the three had in so many games before. Even Gideon had had fun taking down skellies with his fireballs, Ben picking them off from afar before they’d even had a chance to reach the pair fighting back-to-back.

  Then had come the skeleton overlord. A skeleton with heightened defenses, increased HP, and regenerative magic.

  “That one was tougher,” Ben said. “He burst out of the crypt just as we were finishing off the other skellies.

  “Yeah, if someone hadn’t been so fast to loot the treasure.” Gideon glared at Tag.

  “Hey! I was curious, okay? There could’ve been something useful inside to help us take them all down.” Tag folded his arms.

  “You could have waited one extra minute!” Ben complained. “That would’ve been more than enough to pick off the final dregs. But noooo, you had to open the chest and trigger the overlord’s rising.”

  “How was I supposed to know that would happen?”

  Gideon pulled at his hair. “Because there was a chest next to a giant stone coffin! How many times have we done this before? If there’s a treasure chest in the center of the room and a load of things around it that seem like they house baddies, the treasure box is the trigger.”

  Tag snorted and fell silent.

  “Was there at least any good treasure in there?” Chloe asked.

  Tag shuffled his feet. “A couple of coins and a battle axe.”

  “Well, that’s something, right?” Chloe offered, keen to diffuse the situation as much as possible and help Tag.

  “Meh,” he replied. “Its attack value was lower than the one I managed to get in Oakston. It wasn’t worth it, really, so I left it in the box, took the coins, and turned on the attack.”

  “That’s the first we’re hearing about the coins,” Gideon said.

  “Well, I’m sorry. Forgive me for focusing on the job at hand,” Tag replied. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a giant troll keeping us prisoner.”

  Chloe spun. “It’s alive?”

  “Of course, it’s alive. You think we’re in here by choice?” Ben said.

  Chloe studied the troll, finding literally zero sign of the monster moving. “Are you sure it ain’t dead?”

  The three guys craned their heads, trying to see through the bars as best they could.

  “I don’t know.” Gideon shrugged. “It doesn’t look very alive.”

  “Hold on,” Chloe said, whirling back to face them. “How in the hell did a troll lock you up in these cells? His hands are huge. Those locks are tiny. I haven’t had a whole lot of experience with trolls, but are they that dexterous that they can use keys as easily as we pick teeth with toothpicks?”

  “There was a mage…” Ben began.

  Chloe threw her hands in the air. “Oh, of course, there was a mage. Why is there always a mage?” Her mind filled with the glowing eyes and rage of the black mage who had killed her not half a day ago.

  “Woah, what’s got her riled up?” Tag asked.

  Chloe briefly explained the situation, detailing what had happened at the shrine and acknowledging her new glowing companion after the guys finally spotted the white wisp.

  Then they moved on to the jail situation, Chloe’s stomach sinking as the guys explained that the mage, combined with the troll, had effortlessly outdone them all. Even with Gideon’s magic, Ben’s archery, and Tag’s bulk, they had been defeated easily. The mage had drawn the attention of the troll and paralyzed the three of them while the troll bashed around with its club. Tag got the brunt of the damage, trying to run while covered in his own blood before being dragged back by the power of the mage and staining the door.

  The three ended up surrendering to the mage in a desperate effort to avoid losing their friend. After getting locked up in the cell, Gideon had cast Healing Hands on Tag and brought him back to full health. The mage had disappeared with a dark smile, some other purpose driving him forward.

  “So I’ve got to go ahead by myself to get the key to save you guys?” Chloe moaned.

  “Not exactly,” Gid said, nodding at the troll. “The mage didn’t take the key. He left it in the one place he thought it would be well-guarded.”

  Chloe looked forlornly from the troll to her friends.

  “For—” beep ”—sake.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Chloe’s nose wrinkled. Up close, the troll smelled worse than she’d feared. She stepped around the beast, the filthy linen of its loincloth pulsing off stink in physical waves.

  “Do I really have to?” Chloe whispered across the room. Although the troll hadn’t moved when they were talking at top volume, now that she was closer, she didn’t want to know what would happen if she was right beside him and he woke up.

  Gideon and Ben nodded. Chloe hated Tag for the smug smile on his face.

  Chloe tiptoed up, craning her neck to see the key. She reached, digging her hand as far into the pocket of the loincloth as she dared. Her arm disappeared up to her elbow, but she was nowhere near deep enough.

  Whipping out he
r arm, she attempted to wipe the stink off her flesh. It was no use. She grabbed a fistful of material and began to hoist herself up, grunting and groaning as she jumped and climbed on top.

  “I’ve only been in this game for a week or so, and still I’m trying to climb the shoulders of giants,” Chloe mumbled, getting unsteadily to her feet. She wobbled slightly as she felt the instability of the troll’s lungs rising almost imperceptibly.

  She gently dropped to her knees and lifted the material of the pocket. A thick wave of stink hit her and she had to stop herself from heaving. She faced away and took a couple of steadying breaths, then dove into the pocket. From afar, she must have looked a sight, like a cat playing beneath a duvet. Chloe crawled as fast as she could, emerging a second or so later looking waxen and pale.

  “No luck?” Ben called.

  Chloe shook her head, unable to form words.

  “Oh, that’s right,” Tag said, slapping his forehead. “It was the other pocket.”

  Chloe glared at Ben and forced back a dry heave. With a heavy disposition, she crawled over the giant, repeating the same process and emerging a few seconds later with a large silver key.

  She wasted no time in sliding back off the troll and unlocking the cells. She saved Tag for last, letting him sweat it out as she teased that she could just leave him there if she wanted to. It would be amazing revenge for not being clearer about the key’s location.

  “Come on, just let me go. I’m sorry, okay?”

  “Turn three times on the spot and bark like a dog,” Chloe teased.

  Tag coughed. “You’re not serious?”

  “What do you think, fellas? Am I serious?”

  Ben chuckled, a juvenile glint in his eye. “I’ve never known you to joke, Chloe.” He stretched his arms and cracked his back. “Better do what she says, bud. Freedom feels good.”

  Chloe laughed so hard that she doubled over. Even Gid laughed with them. She took a deep breath, trying to refill her aching lungs with oxygen and getting a slight hint of something stale and foul in her nostrils.

  She looked at the far corner of Tag’s cell where the wall was dark and a small trickle of something yellow trailed across the floor.

  “Oh, my God,” Chloe said. “Is that—”

  Tag’s eyes widened. In a flurry of movement, he spun three times so fast that he almost fell over.

  “Woof woof. Woof woof!”

  Chloe, Ben, and Gid burst into laughter once more. Chloe’s eyes went blurry as she giggled, trying her hardest to find the lock through tears of laughter. She finally found it and turned the key.

  “Woof woof. Woof...wurgh?”

  “What is it, Lassie? What is it, boy?” Ben cooed, slapping his knees.

  Tag wobbled, readying his hammer as he pointed behind them all to where the sound of something gigantic was moving.

  “Aw, man!” Chloe sighed, turning slowly to find the troll rising to its feet, a hungry stare on its face. Great globules of saliva spooled down its chin, finding their way into the cracks and folds of its bulk.

  Chloe glanced at Gideon and prepared a fireball. He prepared his own with shaking hands, eyes fixed high on the beast. She cast Creature Identification and absorbed the information.

  Mountain troll (Level 15)

  982HP

  982HP? The black mage was the same level and had far less than that, Chloe thought, taking her stance and joining Gideon and Ben as the first long-range missiles fired toward the troll. The troll flinched, its health dropping by around 3%.

  The shaman’s voice appeared as Chloe summoned another fireball, strafing left as all four of the party split in several directions to confuse the beast. Remember, every creature is different, Chloe. While a wolf may be fast, a turtle may be slow. An elephant may be bulky, but a horse may crumble under the sword.

  Wait, Chloe said, drawing her sword and chancing a cut at the troll’s knees as she sprinted closer to him. The sword caught skin but barely made an impression, leaving behind a pathetic cut that dribbled blood before it coagulated. You’re telling me there are elephants in Obsidian?

  There are. I’ve heard tell of their existence in the eastern plains, out toward Narlath, where the lands are drier and the rains sparse.

  Enough of the biology lessons, please, KieraFreya chided. Maybe you’ve got some useful information on a troll that’s currently trying to turn us into jelly?

  Chloe nodded and steeled herself for the attack, dashing between the troll’s legs and going for another slice. This time the sword had even less impact, the silver seemingly bouncing off the troll’s hide.

  Chloe emerged on the other side, narrowly avoiding the troll as it swung its club in the direction of Tag, who was currently sprinting as fast as his little legs could carry him, holding up a makeshift shield that looked like it was made of wood.

  “Come and get me, bro!” Tag shouted, passing past a groove in the cave wall where Chloe could just make out the flashes of arrows appearing as if from nowhere. Clearly, Ben had been working on his Sneak skill and was now taking advantage of the small pocket of darkness to pick away at the troll’s HP.

  Gideon, meanwhile, had run back to the protection of the cell and was flicking through the shaman’s tome that Chloe had given him as a parting gift. He flicked feverishly through the pages, shaking his head, glancing up as Tag passed his cell with a “What the hell are you doing, lad?” moments before the club bashed the metal bars, denting them on impact.

  Chloe wondered what the hell Gideon was doing and how he expected to not get crushed when he remained a static target. Come to think of it, Chloe had been standing for a moment or two just watching the action as Tag tore around the room and the troll followed.

  It suddenly clicked. The troll was trying to finish his work. Gid and Ben had said it themselves: Tag had almost been crushed to death. Surely an almost death must have really pissed off the troll when it saw its victim spring back to life as if nothing had happened.

  To further cement this theory in her mind, Tag kept hurling abuse, occasionally ducking through the troll’s legs as Chloe had. A couple of times, he smashed its toes with his hammer, making the troll yowl.

  Chloe examined the troll’s health. 793HP. They were making a dent, but surely Tag wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long before his own stamina began to wane.

  “Whenever one of you is ready to jump in, that’d be real nice!” Tag said, slipping as he skidded on some loose debris and crashed into the wall. He bashed his head, blinking as the pain set in. The troll loomed over him, a strangely triumphant grin on its face.

  The club came around, it swung down. Chloe ran for Tag and threw her body over him, hoping against hope that her Reckless nature would yield some benefits, or maybe the gods would take pity on her again. Her eyes screwed shut as she waited for the blow.

  A few seconds passed.

  No pain came.

  But the smell of fried meat did.

  Chloe peeled herself away from Tag, eyes meeting the grumbling dwarf’s. “Thanks, lass,” he said awkwardly, rubbing his head as they rolled away from each other.

  The troll was frozen solid. Still as a statue.

  Well, not quite as still as a statue. It still moved, the club lowering at an infinitesimally slow speed as something sizzled. Chloe heard the sound of cooking bacon and peeked around the troll to see Gideon rubbing his hands together as if he were holding defibrillators. Every few seconds he would remove them from the troll and pump up the electricity, then throw lightning-charged palms against the backs of the troll’s knees.

  “You know you’re making us hungry, right?” Chloe said, Gideon offering her a cursory glance as he continued his desperate attempt to chip away at the troll’s health.

  “Slow-time curse,” he gasped between rapid breaths. “Didn’t think it would work at first. Turns out it’s pretty useful.”

  Chloe examined the troll’s health, pleasantly surprised that it was now down to 547HP. A large chunk had gone after all o
f Tag’s running around, Ben’s arrows, and Chloe’s cuts. But she could see that more damage was being done by Gideon each time he zapped the troll’s legs.

  Tag moved away from the club, finding refuge near Ben, who had stepped out of the shadows. “How long do we have?”

  Gideon shrugged. “No idea. That’s why I’m pouring MP into these attacks. It could be seconds. Could be minutes. Could be days.”

  “How much MP have you got left?” Chloe asked.

  “Not enough,” Gid said, rubbing his hands and producing nothing but a mild friction burn. “Sh—” beep.

  “Then let me step in,” Chloe said, drawing her sword and placing a palm on her blade. Muttering the words that were now ingrained in her memory, she set the sword alight with pulses of electricity, took her place next to Gid, and hacked and slashed. There were minor scorch marks where Gid’s hands had affected the troll, but Chloe watched with dismay as no marks appeared from her sword.

  She reared back, channeling her strength to hack and slash once, twice, three times. Still no effect, although she did notice the troll’s health drop a significant chunk.

  “What the hell? How is nothing happening?” Gideon asked.

  “Something is happening,” Chloe replied. “Look!”

  Gideon craned his neck up to where Chloe was pointing to the troll’s health bar. He blinked and squinted. “What am I looking at?”

  Chloe tutted. “Right. You don’t have Creature Identification, do you? The troll’s health is dropping. It’s got about 30% left. Regenerate your MP as best you can. Tag, rest and eat something quickly to restore your health. Ben, keep firing.”

  “I’m out of arrows,” Ben replied, drawing a poor excuse for a blade and holding it out. “This might work.”

  “Go for it,” Chloe replied. “Gid, how are we doing on that MP?”

  “Slow to recover. I’m going to need a few more minutes.”

  Just then, Chloe saw something that made her eyes grow wide. “I don’t think we’ve got that long.”