Goddess E-Book

Michael Anderle

• Herausgeber: LMBPN Publishing
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Chronicles Of KieraFreya
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 326

Beschreibung

Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 06

Leseprobe

Goddess

Chronicles Of KieraFreya™ 06

Michael Anderle

This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

Copyright © 2019-2020 Michael Anderle

Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/

Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

A Michael Anderle Production

LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

LMBPN Publishing

PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

Las Vegas, NV 89109

First US edition, September 2020

eBook ISBN: 978-1-64971-184-7

Print ISBN: 978-1-64971-185-4

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Character Sheet

Creator Notes - Michael Anderle

Books by Michael Anderle

Connect with the author

The Goddess Team

Thanks to our JIT Readers

Dave Hicks

Deb Mader

Diane L. Smith

Dorothy Lloyd 

Jeff Eaton

Kelly O’Donnell

Larry Omans

Peter Manis

If We’ve missed anyone, please let us know!

Editor

The Skyhunter Editing Team

To Family, Friends and

Those Who Love

To Read.

May We All Enjoy Grace

To Live The Life We Are

Called.

Prologue

Fukmos blinked in the sunlight. He wasn’t used to these conditions, having spent most of his time in the Underworld.

Under the ground—under the very earth upon which they stood—which no sun could penetrate. Fukmos and his sisters had been birthed in darkness, and that was all they knew.

Even upon reaching the surface world, they had stuck to the shadows, clinging to places no light could reach. It was nice there. Familiar. And most of all, Fukmos wouldn’t have to know he was—

“Sweating, brother? You’re sweating.”

Myaris giggled into her hand. As the Goddess of Disease, she was a strange picture. Her hair was in clumps, her skin blotched and marked by ailments beyond worldly knowledge. It was pale and, unbeknownst to her, a bead of perspiration was dripping down her own forehead.

“That’s disgusting,” she continued. “You know that’s what humans do, right? Disgusting creatures with their illnesses and maladies. They sweat it all out. The sign of a good fever is in the sweat. ” She licked her lips hungrily.

Beside her, Dryana hovered an inch or so off the floor. In the darkness, it was simple to see her in her entirety, but out in the unblinking sun, she was almost transparent. Even her long dark hair was nothing more than a ripple in the air.

“Don’t be too hard on him.” Her voice was hollow. As the Goddess of Ghosts, she often scared the hell out of Fukmos. “He’s not built for such conditions. None of us are. This situation is beyond our natures.”

Fukmos swiped his forehead with the back of his dark, skinny arm. “Look, why don’t you spend less time worrying about me and more time answering the question?”

The girls turned to each other, then broke out in giggles again. Fukmos sighed. He was tired of their company, but he reluctantly accepted that he needed their help. His father, the God of the Dead, had assigned them to help Fukmos on his mission, but that didn’t mean he was having any fun along the way.

Sure, they had been recruiting for their army in the protection of a small quarry beyond the forest’s borders, but as much fun as it was to send out wave after wave of troops and see all the new recruits arrive, hanging out with his sisters wasn’t enjoyable.

“Dryana! Myaris!”

“Ooo, is Fukey getting upset?”

Fukmos’ fists shook with rage, and he ground his teeth. Ribbons of shadow began to unfurl around him, weak and wobbling in the sunlight.

“Oh, relax,” Myaris said. “Come on, we’ll show you.”

They led Fukmos to the top of the quarry. The journey was quick since they all morphed into their ethereal forms and slid up the rock face as shadows.

“Progress is good,” Dryana crooned. “They are coming in droves. Soon we will have amassed enough to tear down the walls and break them, just the way father instructed.”

Fukmos’ frown melted into a wide grin. Below were hundreds upon thousands of dark figures. Creatures of all races roamed without direction around each other—humans, elves, dwarves, even a few species not well known to the civilized world.

Each one had black veins decorating its body and blank eyes that stared ahead, empty vessels waiting for instructions from their masters.

Fukmos twisted his hands together. “Excellent.”

“We’ve got more recruits coming from the south,” Myaris said. “From the nearby towns and villages. Our reach stretches beyond fifty miles now. They’ll keep arriving until our deed is done. The other side doesn’t stand a chance.”

Dryana nodded. “And soon we will cover the land with darkness. No matter what happens with KieraFreya, we shall win. The Goddess of Retribution cannot save the land when there is no land left to save.”

Even Fukmos joined in the laughter then. He cast his eyes over the growing army, a smug smile of satisfaction on his face. He never would have guessed he’d be able to recruit so quickly, but with the help of one sister’s infections and the other’s conversion of ghosts, the quarry was filling up fast.

Fukmos pointed out a group of a hundred or so infected and nodded to Myaris. With a nod, she stretched her hands forth, the palms glowing with black smoke.

The group’s heads raised as one, and they marched up the slope and out of the quarry. Soon they would join the others at the city gates, keeping up the relentless attack against the city walls, wearing the fighters down and never allowing the break they so needed to recover after their last attack.

Ensuring that they would be weakened and unprepared for the war when the time came.

Once more, Fukmos leered down at the army, his eyes finding monstrous creatures grazing by the far walls. He heard the cries of several more of them from afar and chuckled.

What was the one thing that would be able to break the city walls and start the kingdom’s downfall? Unbelievable muscle power, combined with the frenzied determination that only the infected could bring.

“Good. Good.” Fukmos grinned. “It is almost time."

Chapter One

They watched the ongoing battle from the balcony, hundreds of yards above the lower tiers. The walls of Hammersworth spread out in a wide arc, looping from one side of the mountain to the other. The thick stone slabs protected those within the city from the attacking forces.

There were at least a hundred attacking the gates. Angry faces and blackened veins.

On the parapets of the wall were a mix of defenders, including a long line of the king’s Royal Guards in their gleaming silver armor. Interlaced between them were the blessed, the parties who had accepted the king’s call and were even now fighting to defend the kingdom, taking advantage of the fact that the enemy was coming to them. They were harvesting the kills for experience in a bid to claim glory for their parties.

Chloe could see them, lower-leveled blessed among the NPCs

Some exploded in golden light as they leveled up. A few were hit by shots that sent them back into the white room in which they would wait for several hours to respawn, but it gave her hope to see that they were growing stronger with every renewal.

“Four days and they haven’t stopped coming.”

Chloe was aware of Queen Therese joining her. King Abaxis was on her other side, staring out over the city.

“They will,” Chloe said. “They have to.”

Chloe spoke the words, but they were hollow. Ever since the fight for the rift and to clear the enemy from the gates had ended, the infected hadn’t stopped coming. Every hour or so, a new group would come, emerging from the tree line several miles from the city gate and marching on them, group after group after group.

“Where are they all coming from?”

Abe idly teased knots from his beard. “Scouts are out there, doing what they can to find out. No sign yet.”

“No sign?”

Abe lowered his eyes. “More like the scouts have yet to return.”

Chloe shook her head. “We need to be doing something. We need to attack. Find a way to go to them and take them down. We can’t just stay here like sitting ducks and let them wear us down. They know what they’re doing.”

“What do you suggest?” Therese asked. “We empty the city and go on a hunt for three gods of evil? Chloe, that’s a suicide mission. No one will make it back alive.”

Abe added, “I’ve put out calls to the surrounding kingdoms. Letters by raven. I have yet to hear back, but I am hopeful. Hammersworth has a formidable reputation. There would be many who would deem it an honor to fight by our side.”

“If I may offer another suggestion?” KieraFreya commented.

“Sure.”

“We go for my horse.”

Chloe took a deep breath. “You know it’s not that simple. The city isn’t ready yet. If we leave, they’re a goddess down. You’ve been invaluable in helping keep the darkness at bay. With us gone into the Nether Realm, what’ll happen if the city is suddenly overrun?”

Chloe pictured it in her mind: her and KieraFreya gallivanting around the Nether Realm while Fukmos and his hordes attacked the city. The goddess trapped inside her armor had been instrumental in keeping out the darkness and giving her strength. Without KieraFreya, she worried that the city wouldn’t last if a larger attack were to come.

She stared out at the giant rift, the wobbling tear in the fabric of reality that pulsed with strange power. It was the prison in which Shikora, KieraFreya’s steed, and the last piece required to complete the mission, was said to be contained. If she wasn’t mistaken, the rift was shrinking.

What if Chloe were to head through and the rift closed behind her? How would she open it again? What if she went through and couldn’t find Shikora? What if the whole thing was a trick? A trap?

The last thing Chloe wanted to do was leave her friends and not be around should things go from bad to worse. What would she do if she came back to find the city destroyed and her friends gone after she had spent so much time pulling them all together?

Therese moved closer to Chloe. “We’ll be okay. The city will be able to hold off an attack. You need to finish what you started. It’s the only way all this will end. Imagine what it’d be like to have a goddess on the field, complete with her powers and her steed. The advantage we’d have!”

And what if the goddess became complete and then abandoned us and headed off to the heavens? Chloe thought.

I guess that’s a risk you’ll have to take, KieraFreya said, not unkindly.

Chloe exhaled, watching several more fighters gaining levels down below. She turned and left without another word.

She paced through the hallways and found her way to her room.

It was huge, easily big enough to fit in five more beds. Her bed was untouched, sheets and pillows without a dent. Chloe hadn’t slept for the last few days.

How could she possibly sleep with the sounds of battle outside? Even inside the palace, there was the constant gossiping, the guards running around urgently, and messages and deliveries carried by people with heavy footfalls and loud breathing.

Chloe sat in a plush chair in the corner of her room and checked her messages. She had come to the realization the day before that if she was going on this suicide mission, she’d need all the help she could get. Fighters who were able to go for long stints without rest. As it stood, there was only her and Gideon (that she was aware of) who were able to undertake such a feat.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a message from the doc.

Chloe!

Seems like you’re burning the candle at both ends. Don’t forget that rest is beneficial in-game. Think of those buffs you’ll get for being fully rested!

I’ve made the calls and put in the requests, and I’ve just had confirmation that all is underway. The guys will receive their messages shortly and will be able to proceed with your plan.

I must also add, your generosity seems to know no bounds. I’m sure they’ll both be ecstatic with your gift—even if it does have a selfish motive ;)

Anyhow, I know you’re busy, so I won’t burden you with too many updates. Suffice it to say, Mia is still tackling the AI issues, and it looks promising. We’ll know more in the next few days.

Keep on doing what you’re doing.

Your #1 fan—don’t forget that! :P

Doc

Chloe rested her head on the wall behind her and felt relief wash over her.

So the doc had succeeded. Pretty soon the guys would be getting the message, and maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to get to work and reach the end of their quest.

It seemed impossible, looking back at where she had started, to believe how far she had come. She remembered her first encounter with the goblins and struggling to find somewhere to hide from them when she embarked upon the legendary mission. The incredible serendipity of the beta phase of the game that had set her on the path to where she was now with KieraFreya.

She wondered again what it would be like after it all ended. Where would KieraFreya go, and what would that mean for her? Would she remain as she was, or did her power lie entirely with the goddess?

Chloe didn’t believe she’d be okay with starting from scratch.

She doubled-checked her stats, wondering if they would change. Just how many were tied to the goddess’ power?

Thankfully, they hadn’t. As the thoughts began to blur in her mind, she closed her eyes. The memories turned to dreams, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep. Several hours later, when Gideon found her and called her to the throne room, her head would be a little bit clearer.

Chapter Two

Chloe was awakened by pounding on her door.

At first, she thought she was under attack. Her dream had been filled with the faces of dark things and the cries of the enemy. It wasn’t until she heard voices that she realized what was happening.

“Chloe! Open up.”

“Yeah, come on. We need to talk to you.”

Chloe opened the door and was bowled over by a stout dwarf and a tall elf.

“Ow! You guys, you’re squashing me!”

Ben laughed. “Oh, behave. How can we squash you when you’re completely covered in metal armor? Come on, Chloe. You’ll have to do better than that.”

They hugged her and squeezed her, repeatedly saying “thank you” until Chloe was laughing. Using her Strength, she managed to raise herself off the ground and push them gently to the side.

She stood over the pair, staring down.

“What’s gotten into you two?” She knew, really, but she wanted to hear it from their mouths.

“We’ve both been given full-immersion pods and a sponsorship contract. The pods were waiting for us both when we logged out last night.” Tag beamed. “Have you seen the latest tech? It’s beautiful.”

Ben pushed himself to his feet. “Honestly, we can’t thank you enough, Chloe.”

Chloe’s blood froze. Thank her? Why were they thanking her? They weren’t supposed to know the pods were a gift from her. Her identity had to be kept secret if this was all to work! Had the doc slipped up? Did someone reveal her true identity? How was she going to keep Ben and Tag from leaking that information to the entire livestream viewer community?

“What did I do?” Chloe asked hesitantly.

Tag scoffed. “You’re number one, which makes you the most viewed player online. We’re in your party, so it’s not difficult to deduce that people are now trying to scoop up your closest friends. Gideon got his a while ago, and now it’s us!”

“How do you know about Gideon?”

“Please.” Ben waved a hand. “You two have been up and talking at all hours. You think we haven’t noticed how irregularly that guy now logs off? It’s ridiculous! I’ve been dying of jealousy.”

A creak from the door. A small laugh. “Well, I’m glad I managed to catch that nugget of information.”

Chloe burst into laughter when they all turned to see Gideon in the doorway. He looked tired, his hair unkempt and his robes creased and lined from days of combat. They had all been doing their rounds, dipping in and out of the battle to give others rest, and it had been taking its toll.

Ben straightened his shirt and adjusted the bow slung around his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter anymore, anyway. We’re all on the same level. Can you believe it? The four of us, full-immersion.”

“Imagine if I hadn’t come back,” Tag said. “I might have missed the chance to hit this full-time!”

“I never miss a chance to hit it.” Ben smirked.

They all laughed again. They stayed a short while longer, the four of them discussing the tech integrated into their pods. According to Gideon, the tech had improved even more since his dive into full immersion. Ben and Tag described their pods as jet-black and sleek, with an electric green Obsidian logo and details.

“Damn, bet that looks pretty in your bedrooms,” Gideon said.

Tag and Ben nodded.

“Oh, yes,” Ben said. “Takes up a lot of space, but it’s well worth it, considering the circumstances.”

Chloe thought about her pod, a simplistic black oval with a small transparent area through which you could see inside. What would it be like when she eventually came out of the pod? She knew Doc and Mia had moved her pod, so exiting would be slightly different, but what would the world be like?

Now’s not the time to dwell on the future, Chloe.

Chloe returned her focus to the conversation, catching the guys in the middle of a pissing contest. Each one was coming up with a reason as to why they would be the second-most-viewed player in Obsidian in the end.

“Gid?” Chloe cut across the three of them with a grin. “Was there a reason you were stalking my room when you came in? Or were you just after some friends to natter with?”

Gideon’s face lit up, suddenly remembering something. “Oh, that’s right! Therese has asked that we all head to the throne room. She’s got some news for us.”

“I hope it’s that the enemy has stopped attacking,” Ben stated. “At some point, we might actually be able to explore the Nether Realm before the damn thing closes.”

They exited the room and headed out into the corridor, Chloe’s mind once more lost in the intrigue of what the Nether Realm might contain and what mysteries would lie within.

They were lined up and waiting when Therese and Abe entered the room. The KieraSlayers had been talking among themselves in a room that had never contained so few people.

The last few times they had been in this room, it had been for kingdom-wide announcements and discussions, as well as celebrations. Now, though, it was them, and them alone.

Therese looked regal, arm laced with Abe’s as they strode down the center aisle and made their way to their thrones. When they took their seats, her hand found his and they smiled fondly down at the others.

Leonie bowed.

The others looked hesitantly from her to the pair, some of them half-kneeling, some of them remaining standing, the whole thing an awkward mess.

Therese and Abe exploded in laughter.

“Forget the formalities. We are all friends here,” Abe managed. “Arise and listen to your queen, for it is for her we are gathered here in this hall.”

“What? The woman already talking on behalf of the man now?” Tag grumbled.

Abe shot him a dirty look.

Therese just laughed. “Friends. KeiraSlayers. It is with a burning purpose that I gather you here today, for, in case you’ve somehow been on another planet and are completely unaware, the kingdom is under attack.”

“You don’t say.” Talbot chuckled sarcastically. “I must have missed that news flash.”

“We find ourselves in a position where urgency is now the best path forward. The final stages of the quest for KieraFreya’s armor must be undertaken if we are to defeat the enemy and purge the darkness from our lands.”

Chloe sighed. “I’ve told you already, we need to stabilize the city first—”

Therese cut across her. “Therefore, the quest stands as follows. The KieraSlayers will be divided into two teams for now so we can both complete the quest and protect the kingdom.”

Before Chloe could argue, Therese continued, “Chloe, Gideon, Ben, and Tag, you are to enter the Nether Realm at first opportunity. I have gathered a vanguard who will lead you there and assist you past the enemy forces in the field. They will drop you at the rift, and you may continue your quest.”

“But the people…”

Therese kept talking as if she hadn’t heard. “Leonie, Huk, Talbot, and Blueballs, you will remain with me. I am amassing our strongest forces in preparation for what is to come, and they will need your guidance.”

Leonie gave a resolute nod. Huk and Talbot looked at each other uncertainly. Blueballs gave a sad growl, glancing at Chloe with an affection his rumbles couldn’t communicate.

“What about me?” Veronica asked, eyebrow arched. “I didn’t hear my name, and I’ve been the leader of us four for as long as we’ve been in the game. What, you’ve forgotten I exist now just because you’re the queen and can get away with anything you want?”

Therese smiled warmly. “You finished?”

“I think so.”

“Good. I haven’t forgotten about you. You will be the Chief Guardian of the Queen in Chloe’s stead, designated stand-in for my leaders, and an assistant to help rally our forces.”

Veronica’s jaw dropped.

“Me? You want…me to be Chief Guardian? I’m just a cleric.”

Footsteps came from the back of the room. “You’re not, though, are you?”

They turned to see Heather walking toward them, looking graceful in her white robes, the material swirling around her feet. Gideon’s eyes locked onto hers, his cheeks flushing. She glanced his way, grinned, and turned back to the others.

“Veronica, I was with you out there in the field. I saw your courage and bravery first-hand. You’ve been in the same room as the enemy like I have, and you aided us in the breakout. You are more than suited for this role, which was why I personally recommended you.”

“And something you might not know is that Heather’s word carries a lot of weight,” Abe added. “The Solomons have been in our city for years, as our chief healers. We give her opinions high regard.”

Veronica’s mouth flapped. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say yes,” Therese said.

A pause. “Yes.”

Chloe looked around at the group, flummoxed. This was all happening too fast. She felt something in her stomach she hadn’t felt since starting the game—a droplet of fear.

Fear of what was to come. Fear of the end. Soon it would all be over, and then what?

She opened her mouth to argue, but it was too late. Before she knew it, she was ushered out the door with an excited Gideon, Ben, and Tag. They stocked their potions, replenished their ammunition and miscellaneous items, and were soon standing behind the large gate, a vanguard of a hundred dwarves surrounding them.

“I don’t think this is the safest way,” Gideon stated, standing directly behind Ben and leaning out to look past him.

“What do you mean? This is fine by me,” Tag replied.

Ben chuckled. The situation was a little ridiculous.

The dwarves stood no more than four feet tall. That left two feet of Chloe, Ben, and Gideon exposed above the guards. They forced themselves to crouch as the gates opened, and they heard the initial screeches of excitement as some of the opposing army broke their way through.

Archers fired from the parapets. The dwarves at the front of the vanguard attacked with spears and swords. They began to make progress, their grunts and shouts audible to those behind them

And now they were outside the city. Chloe could practically feel the power coming from the rift, although the great tear was fractionally smaller than the day before. She wondered how long it would hold. How long would it be before they’d be trapped that mystical realm? Would it stay open long enough for them to finish the quest and return?

That remained to be seen.

Orcs and goblins were among the infected. Some rode wargs, others ran on legs that pistoned against the ground. The Queen’s vanguard was solid, but that didn’t stop all casualties. They began to pick up their pace, Chloe wishing she had Jessie’s cloak of no-see to aid them, her heart racing as they got closer to the rift.

“Chloe, go now!” a voice cried. It was the head of the vanguard, a dwarf with a thick blond plait beneath his helmet. “We’ll open the gangway. Dwarves! Formation!”

The dwarves shouted in response, their cries louder even than the calls of the enemy. They parted like the Red Sea until there a lane between Chloe and the rift.

Chloe looked longingly at the city, then turned to see another hundred or so enemies coming from the forest. Yet another wave to deal with.

“Hurry, Chloe, before we’re overrun.”

Chloe took a breath, lowered her head, and sprinted ahead toward the rift. Arrows and spears flew over her, and still, she ran. Ran until that strange feeling washed over her and she emerged on the other side of the rift.

The world was quiet. Not a single sound of battle followed her. Ben, Gideon, and Tag made their way through, stumbling slightly, then marveling at the world around them, which was colorscape of purple and orange.

“Well, gents, looks like it’s just us four and the quest ahead.”

Gideon nodded, fascination on his face.

“Just like old times,” Tag muttered. “Just the four of us.”

“No longer the nine,” Ben added.

The nine…

Chloe looked back at the rift, watching the dwarves speedily retreating. The nine…

A knot formed in her stomach. Had splitting up really been the right idea?

Chapter Three

The Praxis office was in an excited frenzy. Never before had so many people opted to work at the office instead of remotely on their laptops at home.

There was a feeling of camaraderie in the air. Desks were littered with caffeinated energy drinks, and fans blew on the faces of the sweaty developers. Mia wandered between the desks, checking on how people were getting on with the latest patches and keeping tabs on issues that were cropping up.

This was something that had never happened under Devlin’s watch. The former manager had always been much more interested in cracking the whip from his glass-walled office and making others feel small. That was one of the reasons Mia chose to work remotely—well, that and because she was one of the operatives in charge of ensuring that a Lagarde was safe and cared for.

Yet, despite how nervous she was to take on the responsibility of the team and lead the group and how little she was looking forward to coming into the office, over the last few weeks, she had really come into her own.

“Any update on The Muter?” Mia asked Lucy, pulling up a wheelie chair beside her. She crossed her legs and took a stress ball from the desk before leaning back and giving it a squeeze.

Lucy gave a curt smile. “Really making yourself comfortable here, aren’t you?”

Mia grinned. She liked Lucy.

Lucy turned back to her monitors. One of them displayed a live feed of Obsidian and several of its players, the other, a constantly scrolling feed of code.

“It’s doing what it’s supposed to do…broadly. You can see here that it’s running alongside the primary AI and keeping a lookout for any anomalies so it can correct them. The only thing I can’t get it to do is go anywhere near Fukmos and his sisters. Anytime I tweak the code and try to get it to recognize the threat, it scrambles. It’s as though there’s a deliberate block in the game, almost like there’s another force at work blocking our block. I just can’t figure it out.”

“It’s because you’re shit.” Jonathon peered over the top of his computer.

Lucy balled up a piece of paper and threw it at him. He ducked and laughed.

“Now, now,” Mia interjected. “If you’re not careful, I’ll have to suspend you both. Fewer antics, more work.”

They might’ve listened had she not been smiling when she said it.

Lucy gave a sarcastic salute. “Gotcha, boss.”

“Right. Gotcha.” Jonathon laughed.

Mia leaned back even farther in her chair, her brain working hard to try to think of a solution. She couldn’t understand it. Although they had made progress with their developments and had now rectified the issue where the live feeds went to static when KieraFreya and Chloe united, they still couldn’t quite contain the AI.

Well, maybe “contain” wasn’t exactly the right word. More like “nurture” or “lead to a better path.” The truth was that the AI was doing exactly what it should be doing—taking nuggets of information they’d injected into it and automatically creating the landscape and lore of the game based on it.

The main problem was that the in-game gods were somehow linked to the AI, and that was a worrisome thing. It was almost as if the game was taking on a life of its own.

And, while Mia’s development team was hard at work fixing minor bugs and resolving issues, as well as putting in the work for the next round of major updates, her small task force was diligently looking for a way to separate the AI from the gods and make the gaming experience smoother and safer for all involved.

No Obsidian player should have the wrath of the gods menacing them while they played.

Mia glanced at Lucy’s screen, seeing the small black army attacking the front gates of Hammersworth. Chloe wasn’t even there, and they were still coming, wave after wave of creatures sent forward by Fukmos, Dryana, and Myaris.

It was one of the biggest battles Obsidian had ever seen, and it had gained them their largest numbers of online viewers since the game launched.

Mia left Lucy, Jonathon, and the silent Charlie to their work and continued around the office. Occasionally, her eyes would wander to her office, as if expecting Demetri to be there. He had been good about keeping an eye on Chloe in her absence. Although they both now had intense jobs that demanded all their time, they had found a way to make it work.

Mia checked her phone, her home screen displaying a live feed from the security camera they’d placed in Demetri’s study. Chloe was visible inside the pod. With a quick flick of her thumb, the screen displayed the series of numbers and lines representative of Chloe’s vitals. If there were any issues at all, Mia would be alerted immediately and could hop in the car and speed over to the apartment.

Hers and Demetri’s apartment.

Mia felt a wave of affection toward the man. How could she have been so lucky as to re-connect after so many years?

“Mia?”

Mia snapped out of her thoughts as Phil called her over to his desk. A large man with a patchy display of thin curls on his face, she had learned that Phil was the joker of the office. Even now he was wearing a bright blue t-shirt with a pair of large eyes and a toothy smile across the entirety of his chest, yet another online clothing design based on Blueballs, the toffet.

“Does your collection know no end?” Mia laughed.

Phil glanced down at his t-shirt as if he’d forgotten he was wearing it. “Oh, yeah.” He laughed. “I’ll stop buying them when they stop making them.”

“You still haven’t bought one for me,” a woman shouted from several desks away. “You promised.”

“I said after payday.” Phil rolled his eyes. “Anyway, Mia, I know you’re busy and everything, and I don’t want to be ‘that guy,’ but I couldn’t help but notice that…” He pointed at an empty desk in the far corner of the room.

Mia nodded solemnly. Damien’s desk. Empty. Something that, in a way, she was glad of. He had been the only problem child remaining, following her inheritance of the development team. He was one of Devlin’s best friends, and he hadn’t taken kindly to Mia playing a part in getting the former manager fired.

“Forget about it. He gave me a call this morning and told me he’d be working from home.”

To be honest, it’s probably safer that he does work from home, where he can do less harm.

Mia still hadn’t figured out exactly what role Damien had played in the initial launch of the Muter AI, because he certainly hadn’t lent a hand. A few members of the staff had complained recently, reporting his lazy attitude and that he didn’t seem to be doing any work to help them.

Ordinarily this might’ve been a firing offense, but since Mia and the team were working flat out fixing these issues, she figured she’d get to it when everything settled down. As long as he wasn’t actively causing harm, she would allow him to work from home. At least there, he’d be out of her sight.

“Well, it’s not just that. I saw him this morning?”

This caught Mia’s attention.

“You did?”

Phil nodded, his voice getting lower. “I came in early because I had an awful time sleeping and figured I might as well be doing something useful. When I came into the office, I saw Damien at his desk. His eyes were wide, and there were large bags under them. He was feverishly typing something on the computer and looked disturbed when he saw me.

“I said a quick hello, and he said one back, making some mumbled excuse.

“He switched off what he was doing and hurried out the office, faking a cough into his fist.”

“What do you suspect he was doing?” Mia asked.

Phil shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought it strange, is all, and I thought you would probably want to know.”

Mia nodded. “Thanks, Phil. I’ll see what I can find out.”

When evening came and the office started to clear, Mia remained behind, looking over the coding on her screens. She waved goodbye to everyone as they left, and when Demetri arrived so they could go home together, Mia told him what Phil had said.

“Damien again? Mia, you’ve got to get rid of him. He’s not good for the company.”

“I know, I know,” she said. She rose from her chair and peeked into the office to check that the coast was clear. “Here, follow me.”

She wound over to Damien’s computer, lip curling in disgust at the state of his desk. Papers were strewn everywhere, many stained with coffee rings. Crumbs littered his keyboard, and there was a smell of something rotting that she couldn’t locate. She almost didn’t want to sit in his chair.

She booted his computer, and when the login screen came up, she put in her administration details, initiating an override of his entire desktop.

Demetri took a seat beside her. “Wow, impressive.”

“These fingers can do many amazing things.”

“Trust me, I know.” Demetri leaned forward. “So, what exactly are we doing here? Isn’t it against company policy to snoop through someone’s computer?”

Mia shook her head. “Not when you have administrative privileges and reason to suspect something is amiss.” Mia clicked a folder and her eyes grew wide. A box displaying a list of recent activity to have been performed on the computer appeared. “Son of a bitch!”

“What?” Demetri asked, leaning forward to get a better look although he didn’t know what he was looking at.

“Damien. He’s been tweaking the Muter, creating his own code. He’s… He’s trying to help the gods.” She ran a finger over the screen. “He’s putting in boosts to the gods’ armies, adding to their numbers, and communicating directly with Fukmos. Look! There’s a script here directly from Fukmos. ‘Enlarge the army tenfold.’ This…this is impossible!”

Demetri shuffled uncomfortably. “Well, isn’t this an easy fix? Can’t you just undo what he’s doing?”

Mia searched the computer. “I mean, we could. There’s just one problem.”

“Which is?”

“Damien’s exported the code to a hard drive. See this transfer report here? He’s taken the damn thing on the road.”

Chapter Four

Chloe,

I can’t believe you’ve finally made it into the Nether Realm. To have pulled this one together, opened the damned thing, and now be exploring the unexplored parts of Obsidian…that’s pretty amazing. I hope you appreciate just how far you’ve come and what’s before you.

If it helps, I can keep an eye on the live feeds and give you updates on Hammersworth. I’ve got Veronica’s feed loaded on my laptop right now, split-screening between the pair of you. Who’d have thought I’d get so into technology, huh?

Bad news on the Fukmos front, and something that I want to warn you about: someone is trying to help him.