Chương 156: Chapter 146-Chosen Hand of God

Drums. I looked it up in the library yesterday. It's apparently some sort of musical instrument that you hit with a stick to make music. Sounds cool. Still have no idea how to play it. The only thing I know how to play is the triangle. Silent Pete had one. It was old and covered in shit, but it worked. He taught me how to play the thing in exchange for me not coming back to bother him. Did I agree to that? Yes. Did I follow through? Yes. Did he specify how long I had to not bother him for? Nope.

Running across the field, I slide under the Giant Spider's foot as it stabs under the ground. An arrow stabs into the foot, freezing it in place. Penelope appears above the monster like a crackling comet that promptly crashes into it. Without warning, a strong gust of cold air freezes the area, creating a thick blanket of steam. What in the hells?

"Penelope!? Hopper?!" I yell as my vision is obscured. That blow from Penelope should've killed it, and I doubt this is the work of a Giant Spider. My body reacts before my mind as I bring up Stabby to block an attack from behind. The heavy hit sends me back into the treeline away from the field. Damn! That fucking hit harder than Penelope, and that sure wasn't a Giant Spider. The beast rushes through the steam, right at me. A tuft of white fur flashes past my vision as I narrowly duck from the fist. Wait! A fist!?

Falling backwards, I grab onto the fur and stab straight into the arm with Stabby. A roar of pain echoes throughout the field, clearing some of the steam and revealing the source. A white-furred creature that stands tall above me with a snarling face. Who in the fuck is this? Hopper slides in from behind me and fires an arrow that the creature blocks with its meaty paws. It snarls as it charges towards us. We give each other a look and then book it.

"What is that thing?" I ask as we run for our lives.

"I think it's a Yeti. Must've come from the Ravclin Mountains now that winter is over," Hopper explains as he hops over a fallen tree. Following his lead, I slide under.

"Where's Penelope?" I ask as the thundering footfalls grow closer.

"No idea. That thing is too loud for me to get a bead on her. Do you see her?" he asks as he fires an arrow back at the Yeti.

"I can't see a thing through this steam. You would think we would've gotten out of it by now," I say as I look around.

"You're right. This steam can't be this big."

"Unless…" I say as I suddenly turn to face the Yeti.

"CJ?!" Hopper yells. I didn't feel any pain from that hit earlier. Sure, it sent me back, but it didn't hurt. Not to mention the lack of danger that I'm feeling. Something isn't right about this. This steam should've ended already. This is a [Gamble], but I don't think this thing is real. I [Gamble] that it won't hurt when it hits me. The Yeti barrels towards me as my heart threatens to leap out of my chest. It's not real. Its snarling teeth come into view. It's not real.

The fist that's larger than my head swings down on me. Fuck! I really hope it's not real. On instinct, I close my eyes and prepare for impact and pain, but it never comes. Instead, a rush of healing and MP pulses through me. Opening my eyes, I'm greeted by a [System Message]. You Are Poisoned. Skill <Poison Res. > has Removed the Effects of the Poison. Of fucking course it was poison. When it's not poison, it's a curse, and when it's not a curse it's me getting stabbed in the gut.

Through my grumbling, I push myself off the ground, brushing off the dried-up tendrils. Ah, I see. According to [Garden], this is the culprit behind my little dream. I grab the head of the bright red mushroom and pull it out of the ground. The mushroom immediately dries up and dusts away. Giant Spider LvL. 18 has been Defeated. Dream Shroom LvL. 15 has been Defeated. Skill <Poison Res. > has Leveled Up Skill <Gamble> has Leveled Up Level Up!! Huh. It has been a while since we [Leveled Up].

Guess it has a lot to do with the fact that we aren't running into any more crazy things out here. That and we're being more cautious. Wouldn't want to get into another Giant situation. Now, where are Hopper and Penelope? Walking around the dead Spider, I find a sleeping Hopper. There's Hopper and… I look up at the carcass. I have a guess where the other one is. Scrambling up one of the legs, I find a deep hole into the spider along with the nauseous smell of its inside.

Peering down into it, I find the sleeping body of Penelope. Great. This is going to suck. Sliding down into the hole, I quickly find myself covered in Spider guts. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. With a gentle shake, I wake up the sleeping Penelope.

"Charla-" Before she can even get a word out, she empties her dinner onto my shoes, creating an even worse smell.

"Couldn't you have waited until we got out of the Spider?" I ask as I help her up.

"Trust me. I really didn't want to do that. What happened?" she asks.

"We accidentally ran into a Dream Shroom. Damn thing spread its spores when you landed the killing blow," I explain as we crawl out of the corpse.

"How unfortunate. How did you manage to wake up?" she asks as we slide down to the still sleeping Hopper.

"I'm The Chosen One," I [Lie] as I give Hopper a kick. Hopper startles awake.

"Why are the two-" Hopper says before promptly puking his guts out.

"Welcome to this horrible experience," I say as I [Clean] us up.

"Couldn't you have done that before waking me up?" Hopper asks.

"No. It was of the utmost importance that you be awake for that," I [Lie] as I sit down next to him. Penelope looks around and gives a sharp sigh.

"I think it's about time we head closer to the Ravclin Mountains." Hopper and I share a look. It's actually surprising that Penelope lasted this long before saying that we need to fight something stronger. I guess she was busy with establishing her power base as a potential successor to the throne. I kind of wish it lasted longer.

"Okay, but let's ease into it. At least a little," I say as we walk towards the mountains.

"Of course," Penelope says with a sweet smile. Fake it till you make it. A famous phrase by somebody that the world forgot. That's what I'm going to try to embody today. Well, I technically embody it every day. You know, with the whole pretending to be The Chosen One. That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is this. I have no fucking idea how I'm going to play the drums when I've never even touched a drumstick before. I was going to try to learn it yesterday, but things got out of hand.

Okay, I may or may not have… taken a nap. Listen, I do better under pressure. How hard can it be? I'm just following a rhythm on some drums. Gods save me. I'm truly fucked. George walks into the room with the Willster and a Human lady I've never seen before.

"So, you're the guy that Georgie brought in. Name's Britany. Can you play?" she asks. Time to put my game face on. Gold, no, Platinum is on the line here. I can't let this opportunity slip through my fingers. Go big or don't go at all.

"Can I play? Can the Gods shape the world? Can the sun rise in the morning? Can The Chosen One fight?" I ask back as I spin the drumsticks in my hands.

"A lot of confidence. Just what I would expect from a drummer. Okay, I'll take Georgie and Willster's word for it. We go on in ten. I was going to run you through some of our songs, but if you're as good as you say you are. I see no reason to. Here's some clothes. Can't wait to thrash with you," Britany says as she leaves with George. Grabbing the black leather pants and jacket, I sigh. Black is not my color.

"She seems nice, Willster," I say as I put the clothes on. He shakes his head at me.

"Fine. Fine. She seems nice, William. That better?" I ask with a small laugh. William nods his head and then points towards the drumsticks.

"Of course I do. What kind of person would just show up to be a drummer without having ever played before? Certainly not me," I [Lie]. William pats me on the back in a solemn manner.

"Okay. What do you mean she'll kill me? She's not actually going to kill me, right? William? Don't walk away from me. William!?" I yell as he leaves the room. Ah, great. Facing the mirror, I read the lettering on the leather jacket. Forged in Hell. Huh, not a bad name. Although, I don't know how okay it will be for The Chosen One to be associated with the hells. Eh, it's already associated with me. How bad can it get? Looking down at The Chosen Blade, I give myself a devilish smile.

"It sure would be helpful if somebody… anybody could help me with this predicament I've found myself in."

"No," Yellow says.

"What do you mean 'No'?" I ask in confusion.

"This has nothing to do with saving lives or helping anyone other than yourself. We refuse," Yellow says with a hint of anger.

"Oh come on. Just a little bit of help. It's not like I'm asking you to use your [Skills]. Unless…"

"No."

"Ugh. Fine. How about you, Blue? You hiding any musical talent over there?" I ask as I ready myself.

"Sorry, CJ. I'm tone deaf."

"Fuck."

"You finished in there?! We're on!" Britany yells. Walking up to the door, I take a long sigh. No turning back now. I [Gamble] that this will go at least moderately well. Might as well. What do I have to lose? George, William, and Britany sit around me in a circle. Their pensive faces send a shiver down my spine. I'm not entirely sure how my set went. If I'm being entirely honest, I may have zoned the fuck out completely. You know, just kind of let the Gods take the wheel… Oh, fuck! I really messed up.

Fake it till you make it, my ass! Can't fake what you don't know.

"Listen, I want to-" I go to say, but Britany puts a finger up, stopping me.

"First off, I want to apologize," she says.

"What?" I ask in surprise.

"If I knew that you were… I can't find the words for it," Britany says as she looks over at George.

"Amazing might fit?" George says. William points higher.

"No, Willster is correct. If we knew you could bring the rough that high, I wouldn't have doubted you. You've earned my respect and maybe even my admiration," she says with a wink. What in the fuck is happening? Are they pulling my horn? I look over at William and George, who nod in agreement.

"Yellow, what happened on stage?" I ask in my mind.

"I don't know how to explain it," he says, completely dumbfounded.

"I do. It was fucking sick! I never knew anybody could play that hard," Black says with excitement. Looking back up at the group, I nod along.

"It's okay. I keep skill at the drums on the downlow. It's not exactly Chosen material if you know what I mean," I [Lie].

"We understand. If you ever want to play with us again, we're always down. Keep in touch, Godhand," she says as the group leaves the room and my payment behind.

"Did she just call me GodHand?" I ask out loud. +1 CHA +1 LCK How?!