by Paul Bellow
Hack
Tower of Gates: Book One
Paul Bellow
Contents
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
1. Never Ever Split the Party
2. Elf Mage Spawns in Thyananore
3. Half-Orc Warrior Spawns in Mang
4. Human Rogue Spawns in Harrisburg
5. What’s that Strange, Sour Smell?
6. I Don’t Know Your Father, Brah
7. Quest: Join Party is ... Successful?
8. Take as Many Maps as You Want
9. Can we negotiate my payment?
10. Monster Hunting We Will Gnoll
11. Master Gong and a Strange Note
12. This New Quest Sounds Too Easy
13. Cut Scene
14. We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Party
15. Finally Finding a Friendly Familiar
16. A Maze of Twisty Little Passages
17. That’s No Ordinary Wax Golem
18. Rogue’s Ring of Spider Climbing
19. Let’s Destroy the Pendant Now
20. At Least We Got the Pendant
21. A Resource Gathering Side Quest
22. Benji Knows This Guy Too?
23. Random Overland Encounters
24. When Heroes and Villains Die
25. How Long Were You an NPC?
Epilogue
Glossary
Tower of Gates Saga
Tower of Gates Supplemental Adventures
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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thanks to all who helped on my journey.
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1
Never Ever Split the Party
ERIC
I stared at my father as he stood behind his desk, wondering if he would ever leave. He swiped the screen of his tablet, ignoring me.
“Why can’t I play the game a few minutes?” I asked. “You said it’s safe, right? I can help playtest.”
He looked up and frowned.
“It’s perfectly safe,” he said. “But I don’t want you playing it.”
Using my mind, I moved my hover-chair toward the door.
“Why aren’t you using your exoskeleton?” he asked.
“They give me headaches, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said in a distracted tone.
I watched as he peered back down at his tablet.
“You can go to your meeting,” I said as I hovered near the door. “You know I can’t get into the gaming cabinets myself.”
He sighed as he lowered the tablet.
“Come on, Eric. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You spend too much time in games. You need to grow up and decide what you want to do with your life.”
“Maybe I want to be a game tester,” I said.
He shook his head and said, “No. That’s my final decision. I need to leave for a meeting, but I’ll be back in a few hours. Can you stay out of trouble that long?”
I frowned and dropped my head to hide my excitement.
That’s more than enough time for my plan, I thought.
“We’ll talk about it at dinner,” he said. “Maybe I’ll tell you more about the Tower of Gates when I get back. We’ll look at a new exoskeleton for you tonight too. There’s no reason for you to be wallowing in self-pity. You’re paralyzed, but it’s not the end of the world.”
“Sounds good,” I said then whisked out of his study.
As I floated up the stairwell to the second floor, I thought about the Tower of Gates. My father had been working on the Virtual Reality Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game for years. If half the features I’d read about in his notes had been completed, it would be the most immersive and immense RPG ever created.
At the top of the stairs, I veered left and headed toward my bedroom. I went to the large window facing the front of the house and looked out the smart glass. I smiled as I watched my father walk toward his land speeder, and the side slid open as he approached. The dull grey vehicle levitated a few feet off the ground before speeding down the driveway. With him gone, I’d be able to try out the game and see Sarah in person.
When I could no longer see him, I spun around, ready to put my plan into motion. He had programmed the androids to not help me get into the gaming cabinets, but I didn’t need them. Sarah had promised to come over and help if I let her try the game.
I grabbed my tablet and tapped out a message to her.
He’s gone, I wrote. Come quick.
On my way, she responded.
I smiled as I set my tablet down. We hadn’t hung out as much as we had in our younger years, but I still considered her my best friend.
My heart raced as I went back downstairs to wait by the door.
Time to get rid of the robo-snitches, I thought as I lifted my tablet.
With a few swipes and taps, I sent all our androids to their charging stations.
They couldn’t stop me if they were plugged in.
Hacking our state of the art security system to allow entry into the basement had been more difficult, but I’d pulled it off. If my father caught me sneaking into the game, it wouldn’t be good. He’d been super-secretive since he started to work on it.
The doorbell rang. Another tap of my tablet screen opened the front door. I smiled as I saw Sarah step inside, but my expression changed when I noticed Josh, her boyfriend.
“What’s up, brah?” he asked as he strolled in.
“Hey,” I said, looking at Sarah. “You made it…and you brought him.”
“I’m her boyfriend. Why wouldn’t I come?”
Josh looked around the grand entrance of our ten thousand square foot house.
“Great pad.”
Why did she bring him? I wondered.
“I’m sorry.” Sarah put her hand on the edge of my hover-chair. “I didn’t think you’d mind if I brought him along. We won’t be staying long anyway.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, playing it off. “Good to see you.”
“Besides, there’s no way I could’ve lifted you on my own,” she said.
“Yeah.” Josh grinned. “She’s cute but not strong.”
I ignored him, still staring at Sarah.
“Are you sure it’s okay for us to try this game?” she asked.
“It’ll be fine,” I said. “The script I wrote to get us in should work great. I haven’t tested it yet, but you trust me, don’t you?”
Josh stepped forward, still looking around.
“Your dad invented this game or something?” he asked.
“He works for the company that’ll be releasing Tower of Gates,” I said.
Josh nodded like he didn’t care. “Sarah doesn’t play games anymore.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Which is a shame.”
“Let’s do this,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
“You can’t stay and play for a few hours?” I asked.
“We’re going on a date,” Josh piped in. “You know, like normal people.”
He laughed, your typical level twenty brainless jock.
“Cool,” I said. “The game is in the basement. Let’s go.”
Josh stepped forward and waved his arms.
“Lead the way, fly boy,” he said.
I ignored the insult and turned my chair.
They followed as I floated toward the back of the house.
“How have you been?” Sarah asked as we headed down the stairs to the basement. “You didn’t answer my last email.”
“Busy,” I said, still wishing Josh hadn’t shown up.
At the bottom of the stairs, I lifted my tablet.
“Prepare to be amazed,” I said as I tapped the screen.
My subroutine flooded our security system with bogus data, allowing me to unlock the door to the basement. It swung open inward.
“After you two,” I said.
Sarah and Josh walked past me, and the lights came on automatically as they entered, illuminating the once dark room. Six metal boxes stood against two of the walls, a single light flickered on each one.
“Whoa,” Josh said. “What kind of game is this?”
He walked toward one of the six cryogenic units.
“The latest in immersive VR,” I said. “My dad’s a genius.”
“Sure thing, kid.” Josh stepped over to one of the machines. “Are we supposed to get in these, or what?”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Won’t hurt too bad.”
“It’ll hurt?” Sarah asked.
“No,” I said. “Just teasing.”
She frowned then said, “don’t do that. You know I hate it.”
I floated toward the nearest game-pod and stopped next to it.
“Josh, can you help me get in here?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said, walking over.
“Why are there six of them?” Sarah asked.
“Groups are supposed to be six people,” I said. “But we should be okay because we’re just checking it out. We won’t stay long.”
She walked over to one of the other units, running her hand over the smooth, black metal below the glass cover.
“How do you want to do this?” Josh asked.
“Just don’t hurt me,” I said. “Hold on.”
I leaned over then pressed a square button on the side of the machine. The glass bubble over the unit lifted open, revealing a plush interior. A cap with wires sat on one end.
“Put my head on the side with the brain interface,” I said.
“The what?” Josh asked then chuckled nervously.
“I need my head on that side,” I said, pointing.
He leaned over and put an arm under my useless legs, while I wrapped an arm around his shoulder as he lifted me with a grunt.
“You’re heavier than you look,” he commented.
I took a deep breath, hating having to rely on others.
“After you get in, there’s a button to start everything up,” I said. “We’ll meet up inside the game.”
“Are you sure this is safe?” Josh asked.
“It’ll be fine,” I said. “You aren’t scared, are you?”
“Not at all,” he replied. “I can beat you in your stupid game.”
“The game is cooperative, not competitive,” I explained.
“Huh?” Josh tilted his head to the left. “What do you mean?”
Sarah said, “We’ll be working together. I’m climbing in.”
“The hacks I made to the code should start us in the beginning of the game,” I said as I put on the cap with wires coming from it.
“Hacks?” Sarah asked from across the room. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. You have permission, right?”
“Kinda,” I said. “Don’t you trust my leet skills anymore?”
“Enough talk,” Josh snapped. “I’m hungry. Start the game.”
“You have the cap on your head?” I asked.
“I’m not stupid,” Josh said.
But you’re not exactly bright either, I thought.
“I’m starting the game,” I said. “See you guys on the inside.”
Anxious to finally experience the Tower of Gates, I pressed the button to my left. The glass case closed over me, then something pricked my left ass cheek.
Was that normal?
My heart beat faster as I heard the hiss of gas.
The temperature around me dropped.
Everything went black.
I opened my eyes and saw a notification window floating in the air a few feet in front of me. The bright orange letters dominated my vision.
Welcome to the Tower of Gates
** Unauthorized Access: Granted… **
I swung my head around, but I didn’t see the other two. A stone hallway curved to the left and right. Every few feet, I saw a metal frame embedded in the outer wall. The graphics in the game looked amazing, but I couldn’t get over the fact I had control of my entire body.
I glanced down, bending my legs at the knees.
This is so realistic.
Josh and Sarah appeared nearby as I did some quick squats, testing out my virtual legs.
Nice.
“Whoa,” Josh said, waving his arms. “This is cool. So trippy. I’ve never seen anything this detailed before.”
“The AI on the back end is more powerful than anything created before,” I said as if he would understand any of my words. “Takes a lot of quantum chips to run this place, but it’s why the sim looks so real.”
“Why are we in a tower?” Josh asked. “Is this the game? What do we do? And why do we look like we did in the real world?”
A bald man in orange robes with a long white beard appeared.
“Good questions, new player,” he said. “I’m the gamemaster. Records show your time of rehabilitation to be…Error. Not a valid incarceration time period.”
His head twitched a few times before he resumed smiling.
Sarah turned to me, not looking happy.
“Incarceration time? What’s that all about?” she asked.
I shrugged, playing it off like it wasn’t a big deal.
“Probably has to do with the hack I used to get us in here,” I said. “We shouldn’t worry about it.”
“I want to go,” Josh said. “This is freaking me out.”
“Just a little longer.” Sarah grabbed one of his thick arms. “Please?”
He sighed. “Okay. But you owe me.”
The gamemaster frowned.
“Such behavior is not good…Error. Not a valid prisoner number…”
“I’m not a number,” Josh yelled. “I’m a free man.”
“After creating your game personas,” the gamemaster continued as if nothing had happened. “You will work to clear level one-one. If you succeed, more freedoms and opportunities will be offered to you during your stay. Remember to use your time here to become better citizens. I’m watching.”
He waved his right hand in front of his face then disappeared. The subroutine I’d hacked to get in the game had seemed odd, but I’d pushed aside any worries because I wanted to play so badly.
“We might as well create our characters and play a few minutes,” I said. “He didn’t give us any indication of how to clear the first level, but it shouldn’t be hard.”
“I just want to see the actual gameworld,” Sarah said. “The graphics in here are kind of bland and boring.”
Josh shook his head and muttered something.
I highlighted the create character option on the heads-up display in front of me with merely a thought.
Please choose a race
Elf / Human / Gnome / Half-Orc / Hobgoblin
What an odd combination. Hobgoblins but no dwarves?
“Character creation seems simple enough,” I said, selecting human. “Are you getting the HUD, Sarah?”
“Yup,” she said. “I’m going with an elven mage build.”
“Surprise, surprise,” I said then chuckled, remembering old times.
“I still have no idea what you two are talking about,” Josh said. “What am I supposed to be doing?”
“Think about clicking the create character button,” Sarah said. “You’ll get some options, then just pick something. I want to see the first level. This tower is boring.”
“Should I be a gnome?” Josh asked.
“No,” I said. “Go with a human. It’s easiest, and w
e need a tank.”
Josh walked over, stopping inches away.
“What did you call me?” he asked.
“Settle down,” Sarah said, once again coming to my rescue. “We need a tank, a fighter, someone to do the heavy lifting.”
“Oh.” Josh chuckled. “That sounds like me. I’ll go with a half-orc.”
Idiot, I thought as I stared at the next prompt.
Please choose a Starting Class:
Mage / Cleric / Rogue / Warrior
“I’m going with a rogue build,” I said. “We can hire a healer if necessary.”
“Okay,” Sarah said. “But we’re only playing for a few minutes.”
I chose rogue with merely a thought.
Congratulations. Your character is ready.
Further customization will be available in the game.
Huh? That was quick. So much for advanced.
“What now?” Josh asked.
“Exploring,” I said. “We have to check out the first level at least. From what little I know, we go through one of these portals in the outer wall to enter a game world.”
“Only one of them is glowing,” Josh said.
He stepped toward the magical field of energy.
“Where’s Sarah?” I asked, noticing she’d gone.
“I don’t know,” Josh said.
“Sarah?” I yelled. “Where are you?”
A moment later, she walked into view from the opposite direction.
“There are twelve portals,” she said. “This is the only one glowing.”
