by Paul Bellow
“Good,” I said. “Can you help find my friends?”
Sherlock laughed, his long beard bouncing around.
“You’re my slave now,” he said. “Time to go to our home.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “Your home? What about my friends? I was kidding with that stupid bet, trying to be funny.”
“Maybe you should’ve tried harder,” Thom said.
I hated how he always fished for laughter.
“Unless you can pay the platinum, you’re our property,” Ferris said.
“We won’t hurt you,” Aaron said. “Don’t worry.”
“Others might hurt you, but we won’t,” Sherlock said.
I glanced over at the window. Should I run and jump through?
“Before we go, we have to take care of something,” Ferris said.
The other three wizards turned to him.
“We need the barbarian to lie to Magi Inyontoo,” he said.
Everyone turned to look at me in my sparkly headband.
“What?” I asked.
“To the Tower of Sherlock,” Ferris said.
“I’m so glad I got to name that place.” Sherlock smiled. “Has a ring to it.”
“Look,” I said. “Just take me to Eric and Sarah. They’ll pay you what I owe.”
The wizards laughed, their dirty robes fluttering around them.
“Very funny,” Thom said. “You’re good.” He pointed a finger at me while nodding his head and grinning.
“I’m not trying to be funny,” I said, getting angry.
Aaron walked over and said, “Calm yourself.”
“Oh yeah,” I said. “What was with you going into a rage earlier?”
Aaron smiled sheepishly.
“I’m an urban barbarian shaman,” he said. “Rare class.”
Even with his explanation, none of it made sense.
Ferris clapped his hands together and said, “Let’s go.”
“I want to try that teleport spell again,” Sherlock said.
Aaron turned to him, nodding.
“Seemed to go well last time,” he said.
“We’ve all got our arms and legs still,” Thom said.
The Four Wizards stepped to spots surrounding me. As they chanted and moved their hands, dust swirled up around us. I closed my eyes, hoping for the best.
17
Fate Worse than Death
Josh
We appeared in a room with brick walls and heavily scuffed wood beams covering the floor. The Four Wizards surrounded me, looking menacing in the dim candlelight. I glanced around, noticing stairs leading up and down on the opposite side of the room.
“Stop fidgeting and pay attention,” Sherlock scolded.
I sighed and focused my attention on Ferris.
“You need to check in with Magi Inyontoo,” he said.
“Is he here? Can I ask him about Sarah?” I asked.
“He’s not here, dummy,” Thom snickered.
“You’ll be talking to him through a magic mirror,” Ferris said. “When you do, don’t mention us.”
“Not at all,” Sherlock added.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Why not?” I asked. “Aren’t you guys working together?”
“Kinda,” Thom said.
Aaron nodded and said, “But not really. It’s complicated, and you wouldn’t understand.”
“Hold on,” I protested. “Quit treating me like I’m an idiot.”
“Then stop acting like one,” Sherlock quipped.
“I don’t understand any of this,” I said.
Ferris sighed then rolled up the sleeves of his robe.
“Do you see this armband?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Good,” he said. “You remember how well we tracked the rogue, right?”
“Well, he did get away…”
“Shut up,” Ferris hissed.
I pursed my lips together.
“You need to listen more,” Sherlock said.
“Or we’ll make it worse for you.” Ferris leaned forward. “Do you understand?”
I nodded again, keeping my mouth shut for the moment.
“Without a prisoner identification number, you’re valuable,” Aaron said.
The other three shot him dirty looks, but he continued explaining.
“Magi Inyontoo wants to use you to get to the one who hacked you into the game. We’ve found it best to pay him lip service but do our own thing in the background.”
“Are you going to ever take me to Sarah?” I asked.
“Yes,” Ferris said. “When it’s time.”
I didn’t trust the sly smile on his face.
“All in due time,” Sherlock said.
“Trust us,” Ferris pressed.
“What if I can’t?” I asked.
Ferris sighed while Thom stepped forward.
“We’ll make your life in here even worse,” he said, staring up at me.
I could’ve crushed the smaller man, but the other wizards would’ve zapped me. Until I could be certain of getting away without them tracking, I planned to placate them. The irony of giving them lip service while they gave Magi Inyontoo the same wasn’t lost on me.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “Things can be brutal in here unless you’re aligned with the right people.”
“How is this even a prison?” I asked. “Locking people up in a virtual world and having them kill others doesn’t sound like a very smart idea.”
“Player killing was banned for a long time,” Ferris said. “When Magi Inyontoo hacked the code to allow for it, thousands of players killed each other out of frustration.”
“This place was supposed to be different,” Sherlock said.
“How so?” I asked.
Thom shook his head then walked over to a window. I looked over and glanced out, seeing mountains outside. Would I ever have a chance to escape them?
“It worked as a great prison before the big changes,” Ferris said. “Prisoners could take out their aggression fighting monsters while learning how to become a better person.”
“Sounds like Magi Inyontoo messed everything up,” I said.
Aaron nodded and said, “He did. Before his hacks…”
“Shut up,” Sherlock snapped. “He doesn’t need to know everything.”
“Look.” Thom turned around. “You need to listen us, okay? That isn’t hard to do. We’re all very reasonable wizards.”
“Yeah,” Sherlock added. “This could be so much worse for you.”
I nodded, wondering about Eric and Sarah. Would I ever find them again? After so much time in the game without them, I wondered if our paths would cross again.
“Are you going to give us problems?” Thom asked. “Or can you handle talking to Magi?”
“I can handle it,” I said. “What do you want me to say?”
“Just keep your answers vague if he asks you anything,” Ferris said.
Sherlock stroked his long, white beard while nodding his head.
“Anything else I should know?” I asked.
“You’re lucky we found you,” Thom said.
“I just want to find my friends and get out of here,” I said.
All four of the wizards laughed.
“You don’t think we’ve been trying since we got in here?” Sherlock asked.
He shook his head as if I were an idiot.
“My friend who hacked us in here can get us out,” I said. “His father helped build the game.”
Ferris’ eyes widened. “What did you say?” he asked.
I frowned, wondering why I had blurted out the information.
“That explains why Magi Inyontoo might be interested in them,” Aaron said.
Sherlock nodded, stroking his beard again. “Could be,” he said.
“Let’s go,” Ferris said, nodding his head toward the stairs.
“Where to?” I asked.
“Upstairs, dummy
,” Thom said.
They waited for me to climb the steps. I thought briefly about bolting down the stairs and making a run for it, but their threats from earlier killed the idea before I implemented it. To get away from then, I would need to use my brains instead of brawn.
18
Miscommunication Mirror
Josh
I climbed the stairs with the Four Wizards behind me until I reached a room on the very top of the tower. A tall full-length mirror stood next to the wall near an open window. I walked over and glanced out.
“Hide!” Ferris hissed.
As they scurried to either side of the mirror, I glanced at the strange clouds in the reflection.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “What do I do?”
“Shut up!” Ferris hissed. “He might hear us.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Magi Inyontoo,” Sherlock said. “That headband of intelligence you purloined ain’t helping much, is it?”
I concentrated on my breathing to keep my emotions in check.
Ferris pointed at the mirror. I turned and saw Magi Inyontoo in the reflection.
“Can you hear me?” I asked.
“Loud and clear,” he said. “Almost can’t believe it’s working so well.”
“You’ve got me convinced you’re our best way out of the game,” I said then glanced to my left briefly. “Any news on that?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “But we’re closer. The pendant is charging still, but with more dead players, it’ll go faster. Any news on killing your friends?”
I emphatically shook my head.
“Not yet,” I said. “But I’m close.”
The mage in the mirror nodded.
“I don’t think the others I sent to kill them could finish the job, so I’m counting on you,” he said. “If I can’t talk to them in private, we’re not getting out of here...I can’t convince them to stop working against us.”
“Understood,” I said. “I should get going.”
His eyes narrowed as I glanced to the left again.
“Is someone there with you?” I asked.
“No,” I lied.
Magi Inyontoo stared deeply into my eyes.
“Report in when you know something,” he said.
I pursed my lips together then said, “I’m trying my best.”
“Let me know the minute you kill them,” Magi Inyontoo said. “I’ll need to meet them in the tower. Can you do that for me?”
“You’ll be the first to know,” I said, then added, “I’ve got to go.”
I stepped toward the Four Wizards and out of view of the mirror.
“Well?” I asked. “How did I do?”
Ferris shook his head while Sherlock chuckled.
“Your new headband must be cursed,” Thom said.
“Will you shut up already?” I snapped. “Maybe Magi does have a way out of the game.”
“He’s been saying that stuff for years,” Ferris said.
“Yeah,” Sherlock added. “He doesn’t have a way out.”
“Where are we, anyway?” I asked, glancing around.
“The Tower of Sherlock,” Aaron said. “We like to stay here.”
“Yeah, but where in the game…” I sighed. “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter.”
As the Four Wizards talked to each other, I walked over to the only window in the room. Mountains surrounded us. Peering out the window, I saw a ledge far below.
“Don’t fall out,” Thom said as he slapped me on the back.
“Hey,” I said, turning around. “Be careful.”
The mage in once-white robes grinned as he stared up at me.
“Get over here, Thom,” Ferris snapped.
As the mage wandered over to them, I followed. Unlike Rizzo and his crew, they didn’t feel it necessary to hide their conversations from me.
“We need to kill Magi Inyontoo once and for all,” Sherlock said. “The bonus we get for killing him will propel us to new heights in the game. We might end up ruling it all.”
Ferris whipped his head toward me. “Why are you eavesdropping?” he asked.
“I just want to find my friends, so they can pay your stupid debt,” I said.
They laughed at me yet again. I felt anger welling up, but I held it down.
A ferocious roar outside got everyone’s attention. I walked over to the window and caught a glimpse of a red dragon flying past the tower. Wiley? Is he okay?
“He’s back,” Ferris said. “We should talk to him.”
“Maybe he’s come to his senses,” Sherlock said.
I kept looking out the window at the flying dragon.
“Come on,” Ferris said.
I turned and saw them standing around an open hatch in the floor. They waited for me to climb down the ladder before doing it themselves. I saw a spiral staircase leading down.
“Keep going,” Ferris said.
I headed for the stairs and made my way down. The Four Wizards followed a few steps behind me, whispering amongst themselves. Sherlock seemed serious about my debt, so I decided to take the next opportunity to run, no matter how awful it might seem.
I was tired of their bumbling anyway, and I was no closer to finding Sarah than I was when this whole thing started. If anything, being someone's slave while I was trapped in a virtual prison had put me further away from her. Eric would pay for what he had done.
Thoughts of finding Sarah had kept me going, but with each day that passed, I became less convinced I would ever find her again. Would she even recognize me?
At the bottom of the stairs, I stepped aside and waited for the Four Wizards. One after another, they passed me and walked to a dark wooden door across the room.
I saw another staircase leading down. Should I make a run for it? While I had promised myself I would do it, the time didn’t seem right. Maybe the dragon had found Eric and Sarah.
When I stepped outside the tower, I marveled once again at the beauty of the game. Mountain peaks looked close enough to reach out and touch as I stood on a ledge.
The Four Wizards walked away from the tower and toward Wiley. I slowly sauntered after them, also admiring the beauty of the massive, fire-breathing reptile.
“Stop,” Wiley commanded in a deep voice.
He lifted his head, smoke coming out of his nostrils.
“Old friend,” Ferris said. “We’ve been worried about you.”
I stopped behind the Four Wizards, close enough to hear them.
“You’re all liars now,” Wiley said.
“We think something’s wrong with you,” Ferris continued.
“Yeah,” Sherlock added. “You ate a poisoned sheep or something.”
“No,” Wiley roared. “Something’s wrong with you four.”
He raised his head and shot flames into the air.
“Calm down,” Ferris said, raising his arms.
“Now!” Sherlock shouted.
I watched in horror as the Four Wizards simultaneously cast spells. A giant web of energy formed over the dragon, dropping down on it.
Wiley screamed and thrashed about, only entangling himself more.
That’s it. I’m out of here.
As they continued restraining the dragon, I left.
I kept my gaze on them as I slowly stepped backward. Once I got back into the tower, I could run down the stairs and maybe hide from them.
The dragon continued shrieking. Every time it blew flames, the net kept them contained. Were red dragons resistant to fire? I kept walking backward.
“Hey!” Thom shouted as he noticed me.
The others turned as he pointed in my direction.
“Don’t let my barbarian get away!” Sherlock shouted.
I turned and ran into the tower, slamming the wooden door behind me. As I made it to the stairs leading down, the door burst open before flying across the room.
Not caring about anything but getting away from the mad wizards, I flew down, taking the step
s two or three at a time. Near the bottom, I missed one and went tumbling.
I rolled down the rest of the stairs, grunting the entire way.
At the very bottom, I hit my head against the hard stone wall.
What’s with that big pile of wax? That thought disintegrated into a thousand pieces.
I blacked out.
19
How to Befriend a Dragon
Josh
Waking up after my fall, things got a lot worse. The Four Wizards literally enslaved me in an unknown location high in the mountains somewhere.
A week after first being imprisoned, I glanced down at the snow-covered ground as I pushed the wooden handle of a grindstone in a never-ending circle.
Were they going to use me to grind wheat into flour? Or did they have other, more devious plans for me? Either way, I regretted leaving Monky behind.
According to my internal (and spotty) calculations, it was four months after I had originally spawned back into the game. That meant I had eight months left.
Could I last that long? What would happen after that amount of time? I wanted to see Sarah more than anything. Even seeing Eric would help a bit.
I had been playing the stupid game so long, I routinely forgot it wasn’t my true reality. The Tower of Gates had a way of sucking you in deeper somehow.
Halfway around the rut I was walking in, I saw Wiley magically chained to the ground nearby. The wizards were using him to burn their garbage.
“Are you doing okay?” I asked.
Wiley twisted his head toward me, fire in his eyes.
“No,” he grumbled. “I’m a bloody dragon. This is humiliating.”
“At least we’re still alive,” I said to cheer him up.
He passed out of view as I continued pushing the grindstone. On the way around, I blocked out the pain of my aching muscles. Hard labor was well named.
“I should’ve never followed the Four Wizards to this new timeline,” Wiley said.
“Wait,” I said, confused. “How do you know about something related to players, unless…”
I stopped talking as the dragon came back into view.
