Controlling the Goddess, page 8
part #2 of Chronicles Of KieraFreya Series
“I’m sure that’ll come in useful,” Jessie said.
Chloe felt a pang of frustration at her disinterest. She ran her hand across her mouth one more time. “Never mind. God, it’s so soft.” She flicked open the rest of her notifications, pausing at one she hadn’t seen before but which made her heart rush with joy.
“You’re kidding…” she breathed.
Jesepiah looked up as Chloe read the notification out loud.
New steed acquired: Terrordaxil (Lv 14)
Relationship: Friend
Call of the Rider ability unlocked
Congratulations! Thanks to your rank in the Saddler skill and your patience in learning to tame a wild creature that can bear you across great distances, you have unlocked the Call of the Rider ability.
There are hundreds of creatures across Obsidian that are ready and willing to take you places at speed. There are hundreds that aren’t willing, too—at least, right away. Learn to tame horses, lions, birds, and fish, and unlock the secrets Obsidian has to offer.
As you progress, your relationship with your steeds will increase. Relationships tiers advance from: Mistrustful, Wary, Cautious, Indifferent, Interested, Friendly, Admirer, Loyal.
Once your relationship has developed to Admirer or Loyal, simply select the steed you have favorited in your Steeds menu, put your fingers to your mouth and whistle, and your steed will arrive by your side.
NOTE: Only one steed may be used at any one time. Death of a steed is irreversible and permanent.
“That. Is. Awesome!” Chloe said, stroking the terrordaxil’s head. “There’s also a slot for giving your steed a nickname.” She chewed her lip as she fell into thought. “I dub thee…er...Sir Wingsalot!”
A small text box appeared above the terrordaxil, confirming its name. Chloe laughed and hugged the creature’s neck. “Now, how the hell do I increase my relationship with you?”
Sir Wingsalot squawked.
“Right, that’ll help.” Chloe summoned an ice shard and fed it to the terrordaxil.
They waited in the shade of the hut until the sun had set and the darkness had come over the desert. After the oppressive clouds in the land of Bahrum, it was nice to see the stars again, the galaxy swirling in the open sky above them.
Sir Wingsalot rested beside them, now in a deep doze. Its snores came in ragged bursts, and Chloe couldn’t help but smile in admiration at the creature that had borne their weight across the better part of the desert.
Up close, Chloe could now see that while the bulk of its shape resembled a pterodactyl, there were a few subtle differences between the two.
There was a layer of leathery, dark feathers covering the creature’s wings, for a start. Chloe hadn’t noticed it before, but the bird’s back had two hollows in the shape of an ass rest that Chloe could only assume had been the game design so people could eventually ride terrordaxils.
Its beak curved at the front, and rather than tapering into a sharp point, had a flat end.
Jessie fell asleep beside Sir Wingsalot sometime later, her head against the creature’s rising and falling stomach, her mouth wide open and catching flies.
Chloe used the quiet time to head upstairs and examine one of the empty rooms. It was hard to believe anyone had ever lived here. The sherikans had abandoned the surface and made their lives in the Lost Palace of Irizeth beneath the ground.
Chloe stood by a glassless window and rested her hands on its sill, looking out over the desert. She closed her eyes and flexed her fingers, feeling the newfound strength and power the gardbrace and mask had given her.
“You’ve got to admit, this is pretty damn cool,” KieraFreya said, her voice puncturing the silence.
“Oh, man,” Chloe said, her smile hidden beneath the mask. “It’s crazy how much stronger I feel already. Did you know how many stat boosts I’d get with each piece of armor?”
A strange sensation took Chloe over as she realized that her head was moving without her willpower.
“Nope.” KieraFreya laughed. She manipulated Chloe’s head into a nod, then had it spinning around and looking up, down, left, and right for a few seconds before Chloe summoned the strength to stop her.
“Oh, great. Now you can control my head too. Soon there won’t be a single part of me that you won’t be able to affect.”
“That’s the hope,” KieraFreya said darkly.
“Oi,” Chloe snapped, talking to KieraFreya as if she were scolding a child. “We’ve spoken about this. I’m not going to continue collecting your pieces if you’re not going to behave. I’m not doing all this so I can become a zombie slave at the end.”
“Fine, fine,” KieraFreya said, nodding Chloe’s head.
Chloe raised her hands and gripped the sides of her head. She felt KieraFreya pulling against them, the fingertips fighting to keep her head still. Chloe grunted, closed her eyes, and forced her arms to her sides, her head still rolling around on her neck. She focused all her intent on staying still and finally managed to stop her.
KieraFreya laughed again. “Sorry, I had to test it out a little bit.”
Chloe returned her gaze to the desert, stunned by the clarity of the sky and the volume of stars that painted the night’s canvas.
“Speaking of my other pieces of armor,” KieraFreya said in a way that made Chloe imagine that, if she had had her whole body, she’d be twiddling her fingers. “Something…different happened when you released my gardbraces from the titan’s head. Kudos on that, by the way. Every time I think you’ve got nothing else in the tank, I realize I’ve underestimated you.”
“Thanks,” Chloe said, eyeing her armor curiously. “What happened?”
KieraFreya thought for a moment. “How about, instead of telling you, I try to show you?”
Chloe opened her mouth to reply, but before she could get a chance, the world fell away. The sandstone building she had been standing in disappeared into a wild landscape of snow and blizzard, the world spinning around her as KieraFreya led her forward.
She could see a blackened shrine with the face of a grinning imp. She thought uncertainly that the imp was winking at her—or was it just a trick of her mind? She turned, zooming through a series of tunnels, and saw a pair of metallic gloves, emerald green and gold, floating and twinkling.
And there, in the light of the gloves, was a figure all in black, a cloak and hood cast about its face. The image jumped and the figure was wearing the gauntlets, holding them high in the air and examining them with reverence.
Another jump and now back on top of the mountain, the figure nothing but a silhouette in the blizzard, a host of others cloaked and following behind it as they trailed down the mountain.
Chloe felt her breathing come in short bursts. Suddenly the floor appeared beneath her again, the whirling, whipping winds and snow now gone, replaced by the mild after-sun heat of the desert.
When had Chloe fallen to the floor? She picked herself up and glanced at her own hands, the armor ending at the bracers.
“What was that?” Chloe asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“I don’t know,” KieraFreya replied. “But I do know those gauntlets were mine.”
“Was this a dream? A vision of things to come?”
KieraFreya used her gardbraces to make Chloe shrug. “I don’t know. Although the vision was mine, I have no context for what this all means.”
A light began to shine behind them. Chloe turned to find the shaman walking toward them, for once in his life. The shaman released a puff of smoke from his mouth. “You have heard it yourself, Chloe. The gates of the blessed have opened. Our land is filling with unfamiliars who are roaming and scouring the land with selfish aims. Did you really think you were the only one who had been given this quest?”
Chloe’s mind reeled. “Well, to be honest, yes! Who else could have grown to a high enough level to have even found one piece of armor? I was lucky to have found the bracers when I was level 1, right? Who else could know about them?”
KieraFreya sighed. “He is right, Chloe. The world isn’t big enough to contain all its secrets now that the blessed have come. Besides, there are others among the gods who have a motive to keep me down here in pieces. Do not underestimate the hatred and power of the monsters who live in the heavens. There are some worse than your titans and sandworms.”
“I think I’m ready for that history lesson, KF. Fancy telling me about the gods, please, and what the hell actually happened to you up there to make all of this happen?”
“I do not,” KieraFreya said simply.
“Why not?” Chloe asked.
“It’s because she does not know,” the shaman stated.
KieraFreya uttered a protest before the shaman cut her off.
“When KieraFreya was broken and thrown to the ground, her memory was fractured and broken along with it. Until the armor has been assembled in its entirety once more, KieraFreya will be unable to remember the events that brought her here.”
KieraFreya scoffed. “I can speak for myself, you know.”
“How do you know so much about this?” Chloe asked, turning her laser gaze on the shaman—the wisp who had followed her and solved some of her direst problems at exactly the right moment. The knowledgeable little ball of light who seemed to know so much but professed to have spent his entire life in the forest.
What if the shaman was somehow connected to all this? A mole in stealth mode, working for someone else as he manipulated and pushed Chloe to her limits, serving some hidden purpose she was all but oblivious to?
“Knowledge is acquired through great curiosity,” the shaman replied, oblivious to Chloe’s thoughts. “I seek the history and lore of the world. I seek an understanding of how the world serves us. I seek to know people and their ways in order to better serve the greater good.
“While you have been journeying with one focused goal in mind, I have been serving many goals, listening to conversations, studying the shrines and cultures of the cities, and absorbing as much knowledge as I could gather. Do not see me as the bad guy in this equation, because you have not seen the face of bad at all. You have only seen the wink of its eye.”
Chloe exhaled a lungful of air. “I guess that rules him out as a trickster, then?”
“Don’t be so sure,” KieraFreya said darkly.
“All I’m taking away from this is that we need to get a move on, correct? If someone else comes along and scoops up your armor, what happens then? Does part of you get stuck to another person? Can you ever be whole again in that case? Do you ever want to be whole again? Like, if you think deep, deep down.”
“I don’t have a deep down.”
“Exactly.”
KieraFreya sighed. “I wish I had answers for all this, I really do. All we know at this point is that our quest may be under threat.”
“What do you mean, ‘may be?’ Didn’t you see that guy with the cloak?”
“Or girl.”
Chloe rubbed her temples. “Or girl.”
“We still don’t know if that is what could be, what will be, or whether it has already happened. All we know is that we are standing in the desert, waiting for people to come who may not even come, while you talk to shiny pieces of metal and an ethereal shaman who speaks in riddles.”
Chloe held up a hand. “Don’t you dare mention riddles to me again. Besides, the sherikans came and found us last time. Who’s to say they won’t come again?”
“The last time they found you, it was because you were under threat from a giant sandworm. Why would they even be aware of you now?” KieraFreya asked. “When are you going to realize your destiny is in your own hands and you can control the situation. Why sit back and wait for the others to find you when you can reach out to them?”
“How?” Chloe said, scratching her head. “They’ve likely respawned under the sand.”
“Then send them a goddamn message!” KieraFreya shouted. Chloe jumped, hearing the stirrings of Jessie and Sir Wingsalot below.
“Oh. Right!” Chloe said, having completely forgotten the message function existed. Even after several weeks in the game, it was hard to eradicate over twenty years of hardwired obedience to the only world she had known.
She threw open the group chat and saw a string of messages telling Chloe to let them know when she was nearby—or if she had gotten into any trouble—and they would come to her.
Chloe sent a message back detailing their location, ignored KieraFreya’s comment of “There’s a good girl,” and sat with Jessie and her new steed to wait, smiling as a notification came up to let Chloe know that Sir Wingsalot’s relationship status had now upgraded to Admirer.
“There’s a good boy,” Chloe said, feeding the terrordaxil another ice shard.
Chapter Ten
After the experience with the volcanic titan and their deaths within the volcano, Chloe and her comrades spent the next few days in the Lost Palace of Irizeth, taking advantage of the hospitality of the sherikans once more.
Finley had shown a surprising amount of excitement at their return, treating them practically like royalty as Tag regaled the story of their victory in Bahrum through a song that he had devised entirely by himself.
Sherikans banged mugs on the tables as Tag sang, their raucousness reaching a fever pitch late into their final night under the desert. Chloe and Jessie drained their cups, enjoying the light-headedness that came from the strange alcohol, before heading on down with Gilly for one final play session with the animals.
Sir Wingsalot had flourished outside of the thick, choking smog of Bahrum. It seemed a strange thing that a terrordaxil, which had been born in such a desolate and inhospitable environment, would warm so well to life beneath the sand.
Chloe had panicked at first, wondering if the sherikans would even be able to get the terrordaxil into the palace, but somehow, they managed it. The sand turned to something like liquid as they dived and pulled Chloe, the bird, and Jessie along for the ride.
They spent the evening stroking and playing with various creatures, with Sir Wingsalot occasionally shouting a jealous squawk, before it became time to head to their sleeping quarters. Before they left, Chloe saw Sir Wingsalot nestling into the crook of Gilly’s neck. His great, powerful beak almost knocked the sherikan off-balance, and he gave a surprised chuckle.
And then the morning rolled around, and it was time once more to set out onto the road. Once more Finley and Gilly offered the adventurers several scoopers to see them out to the edges of the desert, Chloe’s map telling them that it was time to head northwest this time.
“Chloe doesn’t need a scooper. She’s got that blasted bird,” Tag said, clapping Chloe on the back so hard she stumbled forward.
Tag was the only one of the lot who had shown an active dislike to Sir Wingsalot. While Chloe had managed to get the terrordaxil to stay still—reluctantly—while Ben and Gideon had stroked him, for some reason, the terrordaxil kicked off when Tag was near, snapping at his beard.
Gilly stood a short distance away, the leads of the four scoopers in one hand, Sir Wingsalot beside him.
“No,” Chloe said, stroking the terrordaxil’s beak. “Sir Wingsalot deserves a rest and a home. Gilly, would you do the honors?”
Gilly looked stunned, his face morphing from disbelief to excitement. “Of course, Chloe. This is a gift greater than I should be able to bear. I have always wanted a…one of…whatever this is.”
“A terrordaxil.” Chloe laughed, seeing the glee in Gilly’s eyes at the new addition to his petting zoo. “Just take good care of him. I’ll know, otherwise.”
Gilly said he would and returned a short time later with a fifth scooper. They said their goodbyes, Finley once more wiping away a tear as they disappeared back into the sand.
They traveled for some time in silence, speeding through tunnels carved by the bird’s beaks. By the time they eventually began their ascent, Chloe was more than glad to see that the sun was still high in the sky.
They burst out of the sand, one after the other, high up on a dune. As they each got to their feet, they looked ahead, excited to see the sand blending into the grasslands just a short distance away. A large body of water spanned into the horizon, and even after just a short amount of time in the sun, the water looked more desirable than anything else Chloe could think of.
The scoopers disappeared back beneath the sand with a strange squawk, and they started their trek across the final piece of desert. It was a great feeling, having her friends back beside her.
Tag, Ben, and Jessie took the lead, the dwarf looking funny wedged between the two taller beings. They laughed, fell silent, and laughed again as their conversation ebbed and flowed, all the while working their way toward the lake.
Chloe and Gideon hung back slightly, happy to let the others move ahead of them. Chloe, for once, was enjoying not have to direct the group, now that they had a clear landmark ahead.
“Tell me more about your other games,” Chloe said as they crested a short rise and began the final descent to the lake. “I’d love to know more about how Obsidian is different from the rest you’ve played.”
Gideon considered the question, saying at last, “It’s not in a lot of ways, really. Yet, it also is in a load of others.”
“That clears things up.” Chloe winked.
“I mean, the elements of the in-game world are very much the same. Reputations, skills, abilities. Hell, even a lot of the monsters are the same. It’s mainly the VR stuff that’s unique. The pain receptors, and the full-immersion experience of being in the game.” He caught Chloe’s eye. “Well, maybe not as fully-immersive as you, of course.”
“I was wondering about that,” Chloe said, weighing her words carefully. She couldn’t let Gideon and the others know she was the only fully-immersed player in the game. “I know there aren’t many other fully-immersed players in Obsidian, but surely we’ll start seeing more of them soon?”
Gideon shook his head. “I’ve tried looking. Whenever I log off, I spend ten minutes looking through Obsidian news. It’s funny, I can’t find any mention of anyone in the full-immersion pods, just a couple of articles that mention that they might be coming soon.”
