Collecting The Goddess (Chronicles Of KieraFreya Book 1) Read online

  “Speaking of bugs, perhaps it might be worth putting in an option to customize your character from the start.” Chloe cupped her breasts. “You got lucky with me since I don’t mind lugging around these fun bags, but some ladies might find the ‘standard’ size for tits in this world a bit offensive.”

  Chloe thought she could detect a hint of a smile in Mia’s words. “Noted.”

  Chloe reclined in her chair, holding the phone between her shoulder and chin. She kicked her legs up onto the desk and twirled the coil between her fingers. “So what can I do now? Just sit and wait for the timer to count down?”

  “Pretty much,” Mia replied. “Feel free to browse the computer there for anything you need. The internet is hooked up to the real-world internet, although you don’t have access to any live messaging systems.”

  “What the hell? So I’m alone in here?”

  Mia’s voice dropped. “It’s a security measure. Something the board required we fit in to keep the game under wraps as much as possible. If you need anything, you’re going to have to go through us, I’m afraid.”

  Chloe thought about that. Stuck in a video game with no one but her family’s psychologist and an overenthusiastic game developer to relay her messages and keep in contact with the real world. Not the best situation to be in, but definitely not the worst she’d ever had.

  After all, the whole point of her taking this...”vacation..” was to get a break from the real world. Maybe a detox from social media and a deep dive into this new life would yield some sort of benefits. Not that she wanted to tell Mia that. She quite liked picking up on these bugs and winding her up. Even deep into this VR experience, she felt that she had some power and sway over them both.

  “Can you put Demetri back on the phone, please? I’d like to speak to someone that I trust knows what they’re doing.”

  Mia’s mouth flapped before the shuffling indicated Demetri coming back onto the line. “So what’s the next step, Chloe?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Chloe sat forward, a confident grin on her face. “I resurrect with full health, I charge the cave, and I take the goblins by surprise.”

  Demetri breathed in sharply. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Look, I need weapons to move forward in this game. Those goblins have weapons. I will steal them before they even have a second to think. I know where they are. They won’t know I’m coming.”

  Chloe let out a quiet chuckle. “What can possibly go wrong?”

  Chapter Four

  “Oh, you guys are just friggin’ sick!” Chloe shouted to the air as she reappeared in the white room. Once again, she checked her body for cuts and wounds from where the goblins had slaughtered her a second time, but she found none.

  The phone rang.

  Chloe’s nostrils flared as she picked up the receiver. “Are you friggin’ kidding me?” On the other end, Demetri and Mia were clearly trying their hardest not to laugh.

  “I’m so sorry.” Mia snorted. “I had no idea how this would impact the lower levels. The punishments for death are meant to be balanced to make character’s think more intelligently about their future actions.”

  Chloe threw her arms in the air. “I was nearly naked! How the hell am I supposed to defeat goblins when I’m stripped of my clothes!”

  “Hey, it’s not our fault that you’ve collected so few items of equipment that the system chose to take your clothes, too,” Mia argued. “Maybe try stuffing your pockets with pinecones or something. Nice breasts, by the way.”

  Chloe scoffed. The whole experience had lasted less than two minutes. Luckily for her, the system had respawned Chloe back near the entrance of the cave. The night had been darker, with stars glowing overhead and the moon higher in the sky. It seemed that in-game time didn’t pause while Chloe waited to return.

  She had found herself topless with one sandal and a single broken stick in her hand. Hurrying out of the rain as the familiar notification blinked to tell her that she was losing health due to the cold, she snuck back into the cave and found her tunic and the other half of her stick floating in the spot where she had been slain. There was a sparkling aura around them as they hovered in the air. The goblins seemed to be oblivious to them.

  “At least the NPCs can’t steal your items after you’ve died,” Demetri offered.

  Mia added, “Or other gamers. They remain so that only you can collect them. For a limited time, at least.”

  “Fat load of good that is to me.” Chloe folded her arms, sulking in her chair. “How am I supposed to get the items back now?” She sat up suddenly. “Wait. I’m going to be wearing less when I go into the game next time, aren’t I?”

  Mia mused on the other end of the phone, “Definitely something to consider when we take the live broadcasts to the public. I’ll have to patch through to Development and see if they’ve added censor filters for genitalia. The game is to be rated 15 at least, so I’m sure boobs won’t matter too much.”

  Chloe growled and slammed the receiver down. Two hours of pacing and waiting, and she was back in the game.

  Once more, she made her way to the cave. This time she put aside the idea of sneaking and sprinted toward her gear. The cold wind blew past her bare lower parts, stones pinching her feet. She dashed into the cave, spotting her clothing hovering in a bundle, just waiting for her to collect.

  “Aha—ooof!”

  Chloe cried out as the goblins, who had been made aware of her approach by the footsteps echoing down the tunnel, appeared once more. Chloe reached for her clothing as she fell, desperately trying to grab them before appearing once more in the white room.

  “Son-of-a-mother—” Chloe’s words were lost as a strange beeping sound filtered the nasties from the rest of the words. “What the—” beep.

  The phone rang.

  Chloe threw the receiver to her ear. “What? Did you get a good view of my ass as I fell to the floor?”

  To her surprise, Demetri sounded relatively calm, though that didn’t muffle the sniggers from Mia behind him. “Take a breath, Chloe. Think about what you’re doing. What have we gone over a hundred times in our sessions before? Look for another way. Don’t let your anger cloud your mind.”

  Chloe pulled the receiver away and stared incredulously at the phone. “Are you trying to therapize me? Over the—” beeeeep “phone? Argh! What is that beeping noise?”

  Mia took the line. “It’s our in-built censoring mechanism. Pretty cool, huh? It uses the latest voice technology to remove any unnecessary cursing in-game. It keeps the modest words like ‘bastard’ and ‘twat’ but disables any mention of the harder ones. Makes it a bit more friendly for families during the livestreams. We have to be socially conscious and all that jazz if this is going to get mainstream approval.”

  Chloe’s lip curled. “So cussing is bad, but a full display of my lady parts is fine?”

  “A minor oversight. You’ll be happy to hear Development is reviewing your footage to map the sensitive areas and ensure that a correct filtration method is implemented for future players.”

  “Hooray. I’m ecstatic,” Chloe said blankly. “Put Demetri back on the line.”

  “Hey, Chloe!”

  “You mentioned finding another way before? What did you mean?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Demetri replied. “You’re in a game of infinite possibilities. You don’t have to tackle that cave. By the time you’ve been killed enough times, the sun will be up and the daylight will return if that’s the method you choose to take.”

  Chloe remembered the feeling of being stabbed over and over again. How many times had it been now? Three. She had been stabbed and sliced three times. How many times would she be willing to take those hits before she went insane from the pain?

  Chloe twiddled her fingers. “I’d rather not. I want my clothes, Doc.”

  “Then look for an alternative route.” Demetri chuckled. “Use your head. Take it slowly. No matter what happens in life, there’s always
another way.”

  “Why do I feel like you’re trying to work in a secondary meaning here?”

  “Seriously. Just keep your head up and take a look around. You’ve got this. You’re smarter than you know.”

  This time it was Demetri who hung up. Chloe placed the receiver back down and turned her attention to the computer. Once more she looked online to see if there was any record of anyone else playing the game, but it still looked like maybe she was the only person to have died.

  Not once.

  Not twice.

  Three times.

  “Okay, you son of a bitch.” Chloe paused, surprised. “Oh, so ‘bitch’ is fine. That’s good to know.” She turned skyward. “I’ll save that one for you, Mia!” She turned back to the clock, watching as it counted down the final 10 seconds. She steeled herself, ready for the cold. “Let’s do this.”

  Dropping back into the game, Chloe readied herself for her landing, twisting her body mid-air so her feet were the first to hit the ground. She blinked in surprise as notifications met her vision.

  You’ve unlocked a new skill: Acrobatics (Lv 1)

  You’ve learned from your mistakes and managed to survive a 3-foot fall without hurting yourself. What a champion! Now you’ll have minor sensory awareness of your center of gravity when you’re in the air or jumping. Try launching off a 20-foot wall and seeing what you can accomplish with your new skill. Go on, we dare you.

  Requirements: Survive a fall by landing on your feet.

  Bonuses: +1 dexterity

  You’ve unlocked a new (unique) skill: Reckless (Lv 1)

  Damn, girl. You are stubborn. You have no qualms in rushing into a situation and taking charge, strategy be damned! You’re grabbing this minotaur by the horns and swinging it around the pen.

  Requirements: Throw caution aside and charge at an enemy

  Bonuses: +5 strength, +2 endurance

  (NOTE: Reckless is a unique skill unlocked by meeting hidden requirements. Hidden skills yield hidden benefits to your character. Find more throughout the game by walking the road less traveled.)

  Damn! Not too shabby, Chloe grinned, feeling a slight boost in her own strength as she stood up. It was nice to know that there had been some benefits to her stupidity in rushing back in to grab her clothes.

  Speaking of which…

  Chloe sprinted once more out of the rain, struggling to run elegantly as her hands cupped her naked parts. The only item left on her person now was the mud-soaked sandal that splashed in a puddle. She found the cave entrance and kicked off her sandal, wondering if being barefoot would make her approach quieter.

  Instinctively she moved toward the fire. She peeked around the corner and saw her clothes floating once more, more items now added to the bundle. She wondered how long they’d remain there, and how much time she had to come up with another plan.

  Could she charge them once more? Her strength had gone up a lot since the last encounter, she presumed, realizing then that she had no idea what her base stats were and how the skill increases worked in comparison.

  “Okay, Chloe, think,” she mouthed, looking up and down the tunnel once more. Something caught her eye—a crack she hadn’t noticed on her way into the cave. It was hidden around a shallow bend that made it impossible to see from the other direction. Inside was a dull green light.

  Chloe ducked back down the tunnel, her footsteps as quiet as possible.

  Skill increased: Sneak (Lv 2)

  You’ve heard of crouching tiger, hidden dragon, right? Well, consider yourself crouching pussy, squashed lizard.

  Bonuses: +2 dexterity

  (NOTE: Increases in skill override any previous bonuses gained from the skill).

  Sweet! Hold on,”pussy” is allowed, too?

  Chloe shook the thought aside and continued tiptoeing, detecting a notable decrease in the sound her feet were making. Perfect timing too, since she noticed the goblins had fallen silent once more. A moment later, they were chattering again.

  Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and soon found herself at the crack in the wall. She tried to glance inside, but couldn’t see because of the limited angle. What she did notice, however, was a thin line that trailed around from the crack, creating an outline of what appeared to be a door.

  Sparing a glance over her shoulder, Chloe tugged at the rock, feeling it give a little. She tugged a bit harder, and the rock began to move on hinges she couldn’t see. A great grinding screech filled the cave as rock grated on rock.

  “What’s that?” Skud’s voice called from farther inside the cave.

  “Intruder?” the second goblin called.

  “Intruder!”

  Chloe’s heart leapt to her mouth. She pulled and pulled until her veins bulged out, adrenaline shooting through her as she tried not to consider what the possibility of dying a fourth time would mean. She’d already lost her clothes, and she was sure she would have lost any experience she might have gained along the way, but she most definitely didn’t want to feel the pain of being cut open again.

  “Bug report,” Chloe said through gritted teeth, hoping Mia would hear her through the livestream. The door swung wide open. “Maybe turn down the pain receptors when characters die!”

  The goblins approached through the tunnel, charging toward where the noise had come from. By the time they’d reached the wall, there was nothing to be seen—just a small puff of dirt floating in the air.

  Chapter Five

  Chloe breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the goblins’ voices retreating back down the corridor on the other side of the door. She took a quick peek through the crack, then turned her attention back to the narrow tunnel that now presented itself.

  This tunnel seemed different from the one she had walked (and run) through to find the goblins. There was a musty smell, and while the main entrance’s rock walls were smoothed by years of use from travelers and creatures alike, this tunnel’s walls were rough, and the floor was bumpy and uneven. It was as if no one had been this way in a thousand years.

  Not a thousand years. Remember that this is a game, Chloe.

  The strangest thing about the tunnel was the faintly pulsing green light that emanated from somewhere ahead. It was almost hypnotic. The rhythmic pulses were making Chloe’s belly heave.

  She took one more baleful look back through the crack and shrugged. “Well, whatever’s down there is probably going to be better than meeting the pointy end of a goblin’s blade again,” she mused, taking a single step forward.

  There was a small flash of white light and Chloe leaped back, doing her best to stifle her scream.

  In the space where she had been just a second ago, there hovered a ball of white light. The light was dazzling in the tunnel, illuminating the walls. A moment later, the orb morphed into the shape of a question mark. A notification popped up.

  HINT: You’ll find handy tips and tricks like this littered around Obsidian. Touch the Help icon to find out more information.

  Chloe laughed, reaching forward to touch the question mark. Despite its incorporeal appearance, her hand met a solid mass.

  HELP: Great job, adventurer! You’ve found a hidden cave. The land of Obsidian is home to a thousand secrets, and thanks to you, there are now only 999 left to find! (Just kidding. There are more than a thousand. Don’t count them all. Even we can’t).

  Quest unlocked: Walk the Deathwalk of the Gods

  Before you lies the Deathwalk of the Gods, a herculean trial to test your might and valor. Survive the Deathwalk of the Gods and you shall be named victorious!

  Difficulty: 8/10

  Rewards: 10,000 exp + bonus items (locked).

  Accept quest: Y/N

  Chloe punched the air. “Yes! At last, a quest!”

  She read through the notification again.

  “The Deathwalk of the Gods, eh?” She craned her head over the question mark and looked down the tunnel. The way ahead seemed relatively quiet and empty. She thought back to the goblins on the other
side of the wall, remembering the searing pain at each death she had encountered from their weapons.

  Surely whatever lay down this tunnel couldn’t bring much more pain than death by stabbing with a rusty blade. Chloe pondered her chances of just running through the Deathwalk and seeing what would happen. Surely the worst that could occur would be a swift death by some OP monster with big teeth, or the melting of her skin in fire and flames.

  Actually, Chloe didn’t like the sound of that last one.

  Chloe spared one more glance back at where she had come from before focusing on selecting Y. Treading around the help icon, she started down the tunnel.

  Ten steps in, another blinding light appeared. Chloe tapped the question mark.

  HELP: A Lv 1 tackling this quest? Seriously? We advise you to turn back. Higher-level players, please. Exclusive club. Er…paid members only.

  Paid members onl— Now this I’ve got to see.

  Chloe stepped around the second question mark with a sly grin on her face. Her curiosity now flared, reminding her of the times her brothers and sisters had told her to stay out of their rooms. She’d found that the more she was told not to do something, the more she wanted to do the opposite.

  Words from her mother: “Don’t waste your life partying every weekend.”

  Words from her father: “Don’t piss your money away on magazines and friends.”

  Words from her eldest sister, Hilary: “Stay out of my makeup drawer and leave my clothes alone. Just because we’re the same size, doesn’t mean you automatically get to share.”

  Chloe had ignored all those suggestions and would admit she’d had a great time doing the opposite. On a couple of occasions, she had done all three at once, the exhilaration of getting caught an additional buzz on top of the alcohol.

  Chloe kept walking, ignoring the third question mark that appeared, this time deep red in color. Side-stepping, she strode down the tunnel.

  She felt like she had been walking for ages before the tunnel finally started to draw to an end. She could hear strange noises up ahead. The hammering of steel on steel. The roaring of fire. A few steps more and the tunnel opened into a gigantic cavern. Chloe stepped out onto a platform, her mouth open in awe.