Controlling the Goddess, page 5
part #2 of Chronicles Of KieraFreya Series
They passed through the bronze door and headed down a set of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Chloe saw yet another door, this one silver with several figures scratched onto its surface. As with the previous door, there was a legend running across its center.
This time, the riddle made perfect sense in an instant as an old memory leaped out from her subconscious and took over her mouth. The answer to the question Until I am measured I am not known, yet how you miss me when I have flown was as obvious to Chloe as anything.
“Time!” she shouted in glee, passing straight through door number two without a problem.
Chloe had expected door number three and wasn’t surprised to see that it was gold. It seemed even in video games it was almost impossible to ignore the tropes of progression, bronze, silver, and gold indicating stepping stones in difficulty.
Chloe rubbed her hands together. “Okay, here we go.”
It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, you’ll die.
Chloe cocked an eyebrow, looking at the door in exactly the same way she had looked at Gideon when he had announced that there was likely not a single cosmopolitan to drink in all of Obsidian.
“What the hell is this?” she complained, her lips moving silently as she repeated the riddle. “Guys? Any ideas?”
“Nope,” KieraFreya replied.
The shaman shook his head, his eyes closed. Had he even read the damn thing?
Chloe sat cross-legged in front of the door.
“Okay, so it’s greater than any god and more evil than the devil. KF, you know the gods. Who’s the worst one?”
“I’m sure there would be some who say that I am the worst.” She chuckled.
Chloe forced herself to not let the thought echo loud enough in her head that KieraFreya would hear her thought, Including me!
“But it depends on who you ask. Asros is the God of Death, and therefore, the one who ends life and lives in the darkness.”
So, it must be him, then? What did you say his name was? “Anus?”
Asros, KieraFreya emphasized.
Chloe spread her arms wide, took in a deep lungful of air, and gave her best impression of a commanding mage. “Asros,” she said at the top of her voice, the words echoing around her and back down the chamber behind.
The door remained still, not budging an inch.
“Well, that sucked,” Chloe said.
“Maybe it’s his daughters,” KieraFreya offered. “Who’s worse and greater than Dryana, the Goddess of Ghosts, or Myaris, the Goddess of Disease? Try them. They might work.”
Chloe did, the door yielding not at all.
“I think you’re forgetting the second part of the riddle,” the shaman said, his face obscured by smoke. “Gods do not deal in currency, status, or the foods of mortals.”
“He’s right,” Chloe said. “I’m sure Anus, Dridna, and Myopia don’t have to worry about being rich, poor, or eating, right?
“It’s Asros, Dryana, and Myaris. Show some respect, for the gods’ sake. And no, as much as it pains me to admit, the shriveled little warlock is right. Although the gods do feast, we do not eat for sustenance. We are provided our energy by the world around us. Food is merely a pleasure we experiment and entertain ourselves with.”
“Man, I’d hate to go to one of your parties.”
“Our parties are legendary,” KieraFreya retorted. “Cups overflowing with unlimited wine, music as you’ve never heard in your life, dancing, conversation…” She sighed loudly.
Chloe’s eyebrows went up. “You miss it, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do,” KieraFreya replied. “Why do you think I’m working so damn hard to get back there? Of course, I miss it.”
“Erm, excuse me. Who’s working so damn hard? I don’t see you pulling your weight much around here.” Chloe grinned and winked at the shaman.
“Pulling my…” KieraFreya choked. “And who was it that deflected the humblebee stinger in Nauriel? Who was it that dragged your ass out of that damned room? Who was it that commanded your arms and blocked the goblin attacks in the forests? All of that and more I’ve done for you.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Chloe said, feeling the heat rise again. “Relax, okay? I was kidding.”
“You’d better have been,” KieraFreya said, raising Chloe’s hand near her face. “Or I’ll…”
“Slap me?” Chloe finished for her. “Go ahead and try. I think we’ve both learned that you can’t overpower me and my ever-increasing strength.” She flexed her muscles, looking like a bodybuilder in a gym mirror.
“Not while you’re aware of it, anyway,” KieraFreya continued. “Just wait until you’re asleep.”
Chloe decided not to reply, instead returning her attention to the riddle.
She was sat there for quite some time, head resting on her hand. Occasionally she’d shout random words, to no avail. She laid down, rested against the wall, jumped up and down on the spot, and did jumping jacks, all with the idea in mind that something might jog her memory or give her a spark of inspiration.
Nothing came.
She sat with her head resting against the wall, wondering what the other guys’ challenges were. Whether they had riddles of their own. How Tag or Jessie would fare at games of thought. Whether Gideon had petrified himself into a paralyzed stupor.
And then Chloe remembered something that the trials and challenges of the game could never take away.
She flicked open her messages inbox and saw an option she hadn’t seen before titled ‘Start Group Chat’. Chloe selected this and put in a message.
FROM: Chloe
Okay Chlossal Warriors, here’s the riddle:
It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, you’ll die.
What’s the goddamn answer?
Chloe
P.S. You all suck. But I miss you. How are you getting on with your trials?
She sent the message, tagging the other four, and saw she had another message in her inbox. She opened it.
Chloe!
Oh. My. God. I can’t believe that worked!
Mia and I are having a BLAST watching your adventure. Your view count inside that sandworm jumped up to nearly 250 viewers! (Well, until you found the breastplate. Not sure what happened there, but you immediately lost, like, 70 viewers. They must not have liked your fashion sense).
Anyway, your viewer count is creeping back up. You’re not the most popular on here yet, but you’re one of the fastest-growing. People seem to be loving the chase for the mythical armor.
We’ve adjusted your pain levels again, so you should be at least feeling things now. Hopefully that will prevent anything like that little drowning situation from occurring again. Not that we don’t enjoy seeing you and speaking to you in person, but I’d rather you avoided dying from now on (particularly since this chat seems to be working!)
Besides that, there’s no real news right now. We’ll keep on watching you and cheering you on. The company’s value is rising day by day (as are your profits ;) ), so you’re doing great in that sense. Henry and Henrietta are pulling their hair out with Oculus. Rumor has it they wish they’d invested in Praxis Games Inc for VR instead, but the company won’t let them invest at this point! (Great work adding that as a clause in the contract).
Text us back and let us know you’re okay. It looks pretty toasty in that volcano. I don’t want to tempt fate, but be sure you don’t end up diving into that lava just because your pain receptors are low—ha! Could you imagine diving into a volcano?
Doc
P.S. Before you say anything, Mia has worked in some encryption so that the guys at Praxis can’t read these messages. It’s top secret. Like James Bond level spy stuff. Ain’t that cool?!
Wow, nice work, Doc. Great to see some updates on the outside world, Chloe thought, wondering how quickly these messages sent, and if she sent a message to the doc, would he be able to just Google the answer to the riddle?
No. This game is about growth and learning. No cheats, her subconscious told her.
Chloe laid flat on the floor in front of the door, hands on her chest, spewing more random words at the door. Words like “car,” “box,” “oak,” “pumpernickel”—that one made her laugh—and more. She took a break, flicked open her messages, and sent the doc a reply.
Chapter Six
Doc (and Mia—hey!)
I can’t believe the viewers are growing! Who’d have thought anyone would be interested in watching little old me running through the desert and fighting a gelatinous blob. Are you sure the viewership isn’t just a bunch of randy teens who enjoy watching my boobs pop out when I die?
That might explain the drop in viewers around the time I got my breastplate ;)
Explain to me: what are the advantages of gaining viewers? Surely it’s just a bunch of pasty still-live-in-the-basement geeks who have nothing better to do with their days? Why is it such a big deal to have people watching my journey (as flattering as it is)?
Pain levels seem on point. I can feel the heat from the volcano. I can feel scratches and knocks against my body. We should be all good from that point, so thanks!
And that thank you is to Mia, not to you, doc. I know you don’t have an ounce of coding ability in your body. Leave the heavy data-lifting to the nerd girl. :P
Glad to hear the company is doing well. I’d hate to think it was doing badly considering I’m trapped in here for well over a year still! I’d love to see Henry’s and Henrietta’s face when they realize I invested in Praxis. I’m sure Ma and Pa are beaming right now.
Oh, wait. They’re practically robots, unable to show human emotions.
Please don’t tell them I said that.
I’m not going to comment on your volcano remark. I’m pretty sure you know what happened. I can’t be blamed. Circumstances, y’know?
Hope y’all are both okay, and able to stop banging long enough to actually join the other couple hundred viewers in checking out my incredible path to victory!
Chloe
P.S. Not saying I need help, but if you happen to know the answer to the riddle, that’d be really cool
Chloe clicked Send, and the little ticks appeared to show that the message had been sent and delivered. She wondered how long it would take for the doc to receive it, and whether he’d found a smart way to hook it up to one of his mobile devices so that he could answer at work, or whether it was down to Mia to update him.
She went back to her other menu, a jolt of excitement hitting her as she saw messages waiting for her in her new group chat. Apparently, her friends were able to reply while taking on their individual challenges.
FROM: Benjamin Summers
“Chlossal Warriors?” Nope. Sorry. Not going to fly. How about something along the lines of “Ben and his Mighty Men?” That has a better ring to it!
Also, nice to see someone else is hitting the riddles. I’ve completed all of mine, and am now just stuck in a room surrounded by lava. Tres exciting, am I right?
FROM: Tag Murphy
Riddles? What are you guys talking about? I’ve just had wave after wave of lavarites and volcaworms. My hammer is covered in more liquid that Ben’s damn bedsheets.
I’ve managed to kill most of them by the looks of things, but damn if I ain’t tired. I’m the same as you, Ben, on a round platform surrounded by lava. Not sure what else to do.
Might take a nap.
P.S. Your party name sucks, too. What about “Tag! You’re it!”
FROM: Benjamin Summers
Boom! Nice dig, mate. ;) And hell, no to THAT name.
Seriously, I’m getting bored as hell in here. I might join you in that nap. Starting to think the challenge is that we have to kill ourselves in order to get out of this damn volcano.
FROM: Gideon Fleetwood
Sorry I’m late to the party. Your missions all sound much more fun than mine. I’ve been fighting through the dark on my own. I can’t see anything, and my magic won’t light the way. I can hear things, though, just out of sight. I’ve had to blast a couple of bolts of lightning to—ARGH!—
FROM: Tag Murphy
Chloe found herself laughing aloud, reading through the string of messages.
FROM: Chloe
Gideon! Just keep strong, buddy. You’ve got this.
As for you other guys, since you’re so great at riddles, Ben, wanna help with mine? Y’know? Like I asked you ages ago!
Oh, and “Tag! You’re it!” is a crap name. Let’s keep brainstorming. Maybe “Chloe’s Bitches.”
FROM: Benjamin Summers
You never sent me a riddle? There’s nothing there. It just says can you help solve something, but there’s no words, just a series of strange characters.
Maybe the game is trying to stop someone from cheating. Naughty, naughty.
FROM: Tag Murphy
I’m not a bitch! Though it’s nice to learn you can swear in these messages. Mwahaha! I guess with these being private from public viewing, the team doesn’t care as much about what you write.
Anyone able to get in touch with Jessie, btw?
FROM: Chloe
That sucks! I guess I’ll have to just keep wracking my brains for a while longer until I can pass this final door.
Well, I presume it’s a final door.
Gold is usually final, right?
Please nobody kill themselves until I at least solve mine. Gid, how are you getting on in the dark? Are you still alive?
No word from Jessie. Surely we’d know if she started chatting in here.
Ooo, what’s this function?
*CHLOE NUDGED JESEPIAH*
Chloe laughed as her head vibrated along with the text that appeared. She wondered if the sensation also happened to Jesepiah at the same time—a vibrating head to signal that the message was important.
It seemed to work since they received a message a second later.
FROM: Jesepiah
No time to read. Busy. Talk soon—
FROM: Tag Murphy
Oh, thank God you’re okay!
FROM: Benjamin Summers
No gooey lovey stuff in the chat, please! Ben and his Mighty Men don’t want to hear that stuff, okay? Let’s keep this chat clean for battle talk and digs at Tag.
FROM: Tag Murphy
You suck.
FROM: Chloe
Enough fighting, ladies. We’ve still got jobs to do.
Game plan: Tag and Ben, ride out the wave. Take a nap. Log out. Whatever it is you need to do until we’re all done with our trials.
Gideon, YOU GOT THIS.
Jessie, I’m not sure what’s going on at your end, but YOU GOT THIS, TOO!
Peace out for now, “Chloe’s Avengers,” while I WORK ON THIS DAMN RIDDLE!
Chloe came out of the conversation smiling, enjoying the exchange with the others. It was cool to see that the game had emulated some of the communications methods of the real world, the group chat function reminding Chloe of the threads she used to have with her girlfriends back in the real world.
Although those threads were filled with superficial crap about who was sleeping with who, where to meet for drinks, and which celebrity was killing it with their fashion choices that week.
Eurgh.
Chloe wiped the memory of the girls from her mind, unsurprised to find she hardly missed them. She stared again at the riddle for another few minutes before frustration overtook her.
She flicked up her messages again. Maybe the others couldn’t help her in the chat, but did that mean the doc couldn’t either?
Chloe, it’s Mia!
Chloe sighed.
The doc is out at the minute, but I thought we shouldn’t leave you hanging.
To answer your question, yes, the viewership is likely randy teens (and a few older pervy men who love watching CGI women get their tits out at any possible moment).
We didn’t want to tell you this, but you might be right about that breastplate. I’ve checked the live chats for your viewers, and they were running a game called ‘Bingo Boobs!’ Every time you died and showed your *cough* luscious boobs, they were all taking shots!
With your viewership question, it’s easy, really. The more viewers you get, the more likely it is that sponsors and advertisers will pay attention to your channel. They go wherever the attention is, so if you keep on the way you’re going, you might not just be one of our core investors, you’ll also be one of our main events!
That would be pretty cool…
But enough chatter, I’m sure the doc will answer your other comments. Just know that there’s nothing that can’t help you through your next riddle. Nothing at all.
Mia
P.S. Thanks for the comment about banging. I’d be angry if it wasn’t true ;)
Chloe’s face flushed as she re-read the comment about her viewership.
“Bingo Boobs?” she said out loud, her hand acting of its own accord and slapping her mouth shut.
Shut up! KieraFreya hissed. Remember, if they’re watching you, they can hear you, too!
Good point, Chloe thought, her cheeks burning. I just can’t believe people were playing a game with my misery! Taking shots and betting on when I’d next have my boobs visible to the world. I know they’re pretty great, but what the?
“It’s a strange world you live in,” KieraFreya said aloud. “Are these people your gods? Can they see you as you navigate through Obsidian?”
Chloe considered the best way to answer. In essence, they had the omnipotence of the gods, but they certainly didn’t have the power to control her gameplay experience.
Unless…
Unless Praxis were to suddenly introduce an element of gameplay where the viewers could control some of the action. She’d seen TV shows where people phoned in and voted for the situations they wanted the players to get involved in. What would happen if that were to be introduced to Obsidian?
She banked the idea, wanting to think it through before even suggesting it to Mia. Imagine if it were the case that people could vote and throw hurdles at the players. Would that be a good thing? A band of tigers suddenly appearing just because the sadistic viewers wanted a laugh?
