“It’s going to be so much fun,” Talbot said, stopping for breath. “What’s the name of your party, by the way? Can I search it on here?”

  A moment of inspiration struck Chloe then as she thought about the quest they were all on and the armor that she sported on her body. A name so perfect that no one in their right mind would be able to refuse.

  “We are the KFCs.” Chloe beamed.

  “Veto,” Ben said.

  “Why? It stands for the KieraFreya Club.”

  He turned to the others for help. “Is it just me?”

  They shook their heads.

  Chloe threw one more random suggestion into the mix. “How about the ‘KieraSlayers?’”

  There was a murmur of agreement among the group. Gideon rubbed his chin. “Actually, not bad.”

  Ben’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me? That was literally my first suggestion.”

  “Was it?” Chloe said. “I don’t remember. Does anyone else?”

  A consensus of heads shaking.

  “We were stood together. I was making suggestions, and—”

  “To the KieraSlayers,” Tag said, glad for once to see the shoe on the other foot as Ben stuttered, unable to believe what was happening.

  “The KieraSlayers!” they chorused, Ben reluctantly joining in.

  Chloe quickly moved to her menu and sent Talbot a friend request. He accepted almost instantly.

  She then opened her Party menu, typed in the name, and confirmed her entry. Immediately a swathe of glowing orange surrounded the team as the entry came into effect, the party uniting under a single strain of power.

  “Well, I’m glad that’s finally decided.”

  Ben grumbled and folded his arms.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  It took a long while for Ben to calm down and talk to them amicably after the party name had been chosen. Even after they had set out on the road, riding some of the finest horses Gallen Hollows had to offer, he grumbled and muttered to himself in a low voice.

  Not that Chloe minded too much. It was all just a friendly laugh among the party. After the amount of grief Ben had dished out to Tag, it was nice to see the roles reversed.

  They set out on the road, Chloe feeling glad to be back out into the open air. She hadn’t realized how much she missed being out in the wilds until the town had all but vanished over the hills behind them.

  As they rode along, Chloe stared in wonder at the world around her. It was strange to see the wilderness that stretched between the towns and cities here. At home, in the concrete jungle where she resided, she could never have imagined stretches of wild like this. Even on the outskirts of the city, although there was farmland, there wasn’t a single patch of soil that hadn’t been tilled and touched by the hands of man.

  Whereas out here, looking over the landscape of rocks, rivers, streams, woods, and mountains, it was humbling to be able to see how beautiful a world looked when it was left to its own devices. The balance of nature was in full effect before their eyes.

  Chloe snapped out of her thoughts when a bright white orb appeared beside her head.

  Your world doesn’t hold the natural wonder of ours, child? Decaru asked, his inquisitive mind coming back into action.

  Chloe locked her gaze on the wilderness ahead. You disappear without a word for several days, return out of nowhere, and expect me to tell you things about my world without even an explanation as to where you’ve been?

  Chloe paused her thoughts. Oh, wow. I sound like a mother…

  Decaru chuckled. Knowledge-gathering, dear Chloe. Knowledge-gathering. My mind is but a sponge, and it needs to absorb fresh information in order to continue to thrive. I have learned much in my rounds around the Hollows, including the location of a nearby shrine that might benefit from some attention from you and the KieraSlayers.

  Chloe heard a satisfied giggle in her head.

  Oh, I thought you’d like that name, Chloe thought.

  It’s flattering, KieraFreya mused. A whole party dedicated to me.

  You’re such a narcissist, Chloe thought, rolling her eyes.

  The road wound ahead of them, the party taking its time to ride along and get to know Talbot better. They found out that Talbot was actually a college student from Massachusetts who couldn’t pass up the idea of jumping into Obsidian after seeing the trailers online. When asked how he was keeping up with his studies, Talbot simply said, “I have an eidetic memory. A couple of flicks through the textbooks and a quick Google online, and I’m good.”

  “I hated people like you in my classes,” Tag said, knuckles white as he gripped the horse’s reins uncertainly.

  Talbot shrugged. “It’s one of my many curses. Do you know what it’s actually like to be able to recall virtually everything you’ve ever encountered in your life? It gets busy up here.” He tapped his head.

  “Is that partly why you were so eager to complete all your quests?” Ben asked.

  “Well, maybe. That and the fact that this is the first game of this type I’ve played. I normally play soccer and NBA games with my friends. They’re not the types of people who enjoy this kind of thing, but I just couldn’t let this one go.”

  Chloe, who was only half-listening at this point, flicked open her map, seeing the direction of the next piece of armor. She was pleased to note that she had cleared the pieces on the lower part of the map and was curious to know what their travels north would bring.

  When she lowered the map, she found that the others were slowing down around her. One look ahead told her why.

  They were on the edge of a forest, the road ribboning into its gaping mouth and disappearing in the shadows of the trees.

  “Wood you look at that,” Ben said, waiting for laughter from his friends.

  He received none, deflating slightly as they stared at the gnarled trunks and knotted boughs of the large trees ahead.

  “How old do you think this forest is?” Gideon asked.

  KF?

  By the looks of it, this could be over a thousand years old, KieraFreya said.

  Chloe could hear KieraFreya thinking, a strange image forming in front of Chloe in strobe-light flickers. A town, sowing seeds, the soil upturned as strange brown creatures hunched over and watered the plants.

  Chloe felt her head pound as the image faded into nothing, the trees forming once more in her vision.

  Chloe heard Gideon’s voice come as if from far away. “Hundreds of years, I reckon. The best bet is to chop one down and count the rings.”

  “That’s an old wives’ tale, isn’t it?” Ben asked.

  Gideon shook his head.

  What the hell was that? Chloe asked, using the group’s distraction to sink into her thoughts.

  I don’t know, KieraFreya said. A memory, maybe? They’ve been coming back in fragments since we collected the last pieces of my armor.

  Really? Do you think you’re piecing back together?

  I don’t know. KieraFreya sounded pained. It’s like, I can feel all of this information somewhere in the etheric, but I just can’t make sense of it. Sometimes snapshots of familiar faces, other times it’s like you’ve just seen. Occasionally I can cast them to you, but…

  This one you had no control?

  No, KieraFreya admitted.

  Jessie’s voice trailed back to Chloe. “We’re not chopping down one of these trees…”

  Chloe turned inside herself once more.

  Who are those brown creatures? Are they to do with the forest?

  I don’t know. Maybe? Yes? I wish I knew, Chloe. You don’t know how difficult it is to feel so isolated. So dependent on other people to carry you through life and pick up your pieces.

  Chloe’s mind went to the group of “friends” she had made at home. Girls who wouldn’t have given two shits if she had been there or not. People she had clung to in order to feel like she was a part of something. People she had to stay connected to in order to feel valued. Her self-worth in the hands of the girls who chose guys over each other every damn night.

  I can imagine. Chloe sighed. She turned her attention to Decaru. And this is definitely the way to the shrine?

  Yes.

  Inside that forest?

  Yes.

  Why would anyone build a shrine within a forest?

  Why would anyone build a shrine in the mountains? Why would anyone build a shrine near the oceans and lakes? Decaru replied. Where the gods live is not for us to decide.

  Chloe nodded, understanding where Decaru was coming from. It’s not like religion and faith ever made the most sense in the city.

  “You can’t chop down a tree with a hammer!” Ben said, frustration clear in his voice.

  “Yes, you can!” Tag replied. “If you hit anything hard enough, it’ll break. Gid, tell him.”

  “You can’t chop down a tree with a hammer,” Gid said, looking as though he hated being drawn into the conversation.

  Tag threw his hands in the air.

  “Not unless the hammer was a friggin’ bulldozer,” Ben added.

  Talbot sat uncomfortably on his horse, not sure whether to say anything or not.

  “Okay, okay,” Chloe said, raising her hands in the air. “Look, we don’t need to be arguing about whether or not we can smack down a tree with anything—”

  “Can do it with a hammer,” Tag said beneath his hand.

  “Does it really matter?” Chloe shouted.

  The rest of the group fell quiet.

  Chloe regained her composure. “Let’s just keep going, okay?” She turned and faced the forest, staring into the shadows. Even now, in the light on the edge of its mass, she had a horrible feeling she was being watched.

  “Everyone stick close. If the forest is as ancient as it looks, who knows what might be living inside?”

  She led the way with a confidence she didn’t quite feel. Gideon took his place beside her, and together they rode into the shadows.

  The road bent and curved, winding through the forest. Before too long, the open road disappeared behind them. Above them, a dense canopy of leaves shaded and blocked all the light. The road thinned to a path, which forced them to ride single file. Roots extended over it like legs of children ready to trip them up and break their ankles.

  “It’s miserable in here,” Chloe said just loud enough for the three behind her to hear. Those at the back could only make out a mumble since the forest oppressed the sound, dampening it like a moist rag.

  “Hey, Tag,” Ben called back, louder than Chloe. “You got any uplifting songs to keep our spirits high?”

  Tag looked taken aback, suddenly flattered that his voice was being treasured and asked for. “I’m sure I can think of something. Has anyone heard of the pumping melodies of a certain Mr. Bieber?”

  “No!” Gideon called.

  “Anything but that,” Talbot shot back.

  Jessie leaned closer to Tag. “Who’s Mr. Bieber?”

  Tag chose not to answer. Instead, he scrambled through his mental repertoire, selecting a song he had once picked up in the Scouts. His friends had changed the words from the main tune to lift their spirits while they worked out in the wilderness for their next badge.

  You told me of the tale, I told you of the tale I’ve told

  A tale so old and yet so young, a tale so tall and bold

  A tale of several points, of narrative and threads,

  A tale the sailors told their kin and sent them off to bed.

  I’ll tell you of the tale you told me of the tale you told

  A tale that cheers up all, it cheers up young and old

  A tale that’s so damn whimsical it will always raise the roof

  A tale of lies and some of love, of horror, fame, and truth

  I’ll soon tell you the tale, the tale that you wanted told

  A tale for ‘round the campfire, while shivering and cold

  A tale that keeps you cool in summer, and calms the winter fire

  A tale of heroes, knights, and queens that’s sprinkled with desire.

  Have you heard my tale I’ve told, I’ve told the tale I’ve told

  A story and a poem, a raucous narrative I’m told

  It has a thousand characters and yet much more to tell

  If you haven’t heard the tale I’ll tell, I’ll tell the tale so well

  So there’s the tale I ought to tell, the tale has now been told,

  A tale so damn cheap and thin, it’s rarely ever sold

  A tale that makes you wonder now just where the time has flown

  For the story has now died, my friends, and yet you all have grown.

  Tag held the final note for an impressive amount of time, the song sounding strange in the penetrating silence.

  “Ah, okay?” Ben asked. “You know we said uplifting, right?”

  “Yeah, what the hell was that?” Talbot asked.

  “Shut up, new boy,” Tag snapped.

  “Leave him alone,” Jessie called. “I thought it was beautiful.”

  “We said uplifting, not confusing as hell,” Gideon shouted.

  Chloe turned her head and placed a finger over her mouth. “Hush, guys. Look…”

  She rode ahead, cantering to a place where the path widened and the trees gave them some room. The things that had caught Chloe’s attention swayed gently in a wind she couldn’t feel.

  “Mushrooms?” Gideon asked.

  “Of course, they’re mushrooms,” Ben replied, laughing at the bulbous purple- and yellow-spotted fungi.

  There were dozens of them, each the size of a beachball, poking out at odd angles around the trunks of the trees.

  Chloe used her Herb Identification, a small label appearing above the mushroom. “Bulbous Narcosus,” she said, reading the label aloud.

  “What did you say?” Gideon asked.

  “That’s its name. ‘Bulbous Narcosus.’” Chloe poked the top of the mushroom, her finger dipping inward slightly before she felt the mushroom pushing back against her. The rest of the mushroom wobbled as though Chloe had poked a Jell-O mold.

  “I wonder what you can use them for,” Talbot said. “What properties must these mushrooms have?”

  “I think I’ve read about them somewhere,” Gideon said. “I definitely know the name. I just can’t quite recall…”

  Chloe poked the mushroom again, and there was a strange boing as the skin stretched and pushed her finger back again. “They’re pretty funny. You’ve got to try this.”

  “I wouldn’t recommend aggravating strange plants,” Gideon said, still struggling to remember what he thought he knew.

  Tag joined Chloe, poking a mushroom to her left. This one gave off a slightly more bass note. As they each took it in turns to poke, they began to create a melody between them.

  Jessie looked around the space, then toward the canopy.

  “We should probably get back on our horses,” she said, faintly able to see the outline of what she believed to be spiderwebs way up above her.

  Chloe laughed loudly with Tag, stopping only when she heard something flying high above them. A violent flapping of wings. She looked up and realized for the first time that they hadn’t seen any wildlife since making their way into the forest over an hour ago.

  She turned back to Tag and realized that he was missing. She looked down and saw him fast asleep on the floor. “What the—”

  As she turned back to the mushroom, her vision was suddenly filled with dazzling yellow spores. She heard exclamations from Ben and Gideon as they each fell to the forest floor with a thud. A sudden sleepiness came over her as her eyes closed, and she found herself snoring on the ground.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The next couple of hours were some of the best rest that Chloe could remember ever having. She slept deeply, pleasant dreams weaving in and out of her head. The images were vivid, in living technicolor, and when Chloe finally did wake, she had never felt more rested in her life.

  Eyes still closed, she opened her notifications and was pleasantly surprised to see that she had a new notification.

  Buff: Well-rested

  You have rested your mind, body, and soul to its maximum capacity. Remember that sleep is always important, and the key to a happy life is a healthy life.

  Effects: Stamina, mana, and health recover 20% faster for the next 8 hours.

  Wait, so the game is giving me healthy lifestyle advice now? Chloe internalized. Still, got to love those effects.

  She opened her eyes, hearing the strange rustle of something beneath her. When she looked down, she saw that she was lying on a flattened pile of old twigs and grass. She felt around with her hands, realizing that she was inside some sort of small cocoon, the outer edges made from what felt like the roots of trees.

  “What the…” she mumbled, then stopped talking when she heard voices nearby speaking in a strange language Chloe couldn’t understand. Through small gaps in the cocoon, she saw two monstrous shapes pass by, large horns sticking out on either side of their heads.

  Chloe lay back in her makeshift bed, opening her KieraSlayer message log.

  FROM: Gideon Fleetwood

  What the hell, you guys? Where are you? I’m trapped inside some dark...cave...thing…

  FROM: Gideon Fleetwood

  Hello? Anyone there? Oh, come on, you guys.

  FROM: Jesepiah

  Gid! Stay put. They’ve taken you into their lair. We’ve followed you as far as we can, but it’s hard to get much closer without being spotted. We’ll survey the area and see if we can get a better look at what’s going on. They’re… God, they’re huge.

  FROM: Gideon Fleetwood

  What are huge?

  FROM: Gideon Fleetwood

  Jessie? What are huge?

  FROM: Chloe

  Hey, Gid? Might be an idea to calm down before you get everyone in trouble.

  FROM: Gideon Fleetwood

  Chloe! Ah, man, I thought we’d lost everyone. What the hell happened? Where are you?

  FROM: Chloe

  I’m in the same situation as you, it seems. I think I’m inside some kind of tree cocoon. I don’t know what’s going on, though. Maybe the others haven’t woken up yet?