by Paul Bellow
I smiled then turned to leave.
“By the way,” he said. “Your friend’s upstairs waiting for you.”
I stopped, my heart beating faster. Was it Josh?
“My friend?” I asked, glancing back at the innkeeper.
“Someone in red robes,” Basil said. “I didn’t see his face.”
“Thanks...”
Maybe the boy’s father had come for him?
Instead of waiting on Benji and Eric, I walked up the wooden stairs to the second floor.
Each step toward our room made me more nervous. I readied myself to cast a spell at any moment if something bad happened. As I approached our door at the end of a long hallway, I saw the door partially open.
Josh?
Only one way to find out.
I kept going.
“Stupid idiots!” a man screamed from inside our room.
I froze as the door flung open and banged against the wall. A tall, gangly man with ill-proportioned limbs walked into the hall.
He snapped his head to the left, staring at me.
Neither of us moved or said a word. His robes made me think of a spell caster.
“Who are you?” I asked confidently.
He grinned, put his hand on his chest and bowed.
“Name’s Rizzo the Red,” he said. “Magi Inyontoo sent me to kill you.”
PVP Enabled!
[PC] Rizzo the Red is on the hunt for [PC] Kali Tracaryn.
What’s going on? I wondered as I turned and ran. Why didn’t I wait on the others before going to check the room myself?
Lightning shot past me in the hall. I rushed down the stairs.
“What’s going on up there?” Basil yelled.
I kept running, taking the stairs two at a time.
“No time to explain,” I said as I ran past him at the bottom.
“Come back here,” Rizzo the Red yelled from the top of the stairs.
“No spellcasting in here,” Basil shouted.
I ran out of the inn and took off toward the nearest throng of people.
PvP mode? What was all that about?
I slowed to a walk and did my best to blend in with the other citizens.
Who had tried to kill me? Another player?
As I turned a corner to go down an alley, my heart sank; I saw the same man in red robes.
How did he find me so quickly?
“Josh? Is that you?” I prepared to run. “Did you respawn and start a new character? Stop fooling around.”
OOC PENALTY!
-10% xp on your next encounter.
The other mage walked closer, still grinning.
“Josh, tell me whether it’s you or not,” I said. “Right now.”
“It’s me,” the stranger said. “You can trust me.”
Not in a million years, I thought defiantly.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
He took a step closer. Everyone else in the area scattered.
Was I about to find out what happened when you died?
“I’ve taken the OOC penalty already,” I said. “You can talk to me. Who are you? And why can’t we get out of this game?”
Rizzo the Red laughed haughtily.
“What if I don’t want to talk with you?”
I backed up as he took another step closer.
“That’s close enough.” I held out my right hand. “Stay there.”
He continued chuckling while confidently striding forward.
“Newbies are so much fun,” he said.
“Are you Josh or not?” I asked.
Behind him, I noticed Basil walking toward us.
“Maybe I am,” Rizzo the Red said.
Such a cocky voice. It’s gotta be Josh.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“Oh, here and there,” he said. “You know how it is in this stupid game. Magictology has a way out. Come join us. Let me kill you.”
“You didn’t even want to play the game,” I said, suspicious of him.
“I didn’t?” He stepped forward. “Well, I changed my mind.”
“Stay away from me,” I said, wondering if I should run again. “Weren’t you playing a barbarian?”
“Maybe I died and started over,” he said.
Basil crept toward Rizzo the Red from behind.
“If you’re Josh, tell me the first time we kissed,” I said.
The mage frowned then said in an angry voice, “Prepare to die.”
He held out his hand as he continued stepping toward me.
“You need to step off before my friends arrive,” I said, backing away.
“Maybe I already killed your friends,” he said.
Eric? No.
The mage laughed.
“Caring for someone in this game is a sure-fire way to get yourself killed,” he said. “You need to join me. Magictology is the way.”
“Now!” I yelled, hoping Basil got the message.
The innkeeper ran up and pushed the mage from behind.
As the strange player character tumbled to the ground, I sprinted in the other direction, running away to live and fight another day.
If the mage wasn’t Josh, who was it?
Were others trapped in the game?
“You’ll pay for this,” Rizzo the Red yelled. “I’ll come when you’re least expecting it, and it won’t be pretty!”
I kept running for several minutes, not looking back. A few blocks away, I spotted Eric by the cart in front of a shop.
He smiled and held up a pouch as I approached.
I stopped, breathing heavy, and put my hand on his arm.
“We’ve got to go,” I said then glanced over my shoulder.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
I hated lying to him, but I knew he would want to confront the other PC. We weren’t ready. Not at level two.
“Yeah,” I said. “But we need to go. Now.”
“Why the hurry? Benji is carrying the rest of the stuff inside the shop. We made out like bandits on the gong.”
He grinned in that self-sure way he had. With parents thousands of times wealthier than mine, we’d grown up in two different worlds.
“That’s great,” I said. “But we’ve got to go.”
I scanned the street, still not seeing any sign of the mage in red.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll get Benji.”
“Hurry,” I said. “We’ve got to go train for our next levels.”
OOC PENALTY!
Total of -20% xp on your next encounter.
Ugh. Not again.
“I’m excited about hitting next level too,” Eric said. “But you shouldn’t have gone OOC to tell me. We need to level up as fast as possible.”
“I know...”
My voice trailed off.
“You took the penalty,” he said. “We should talk. Are you sure everything’s okay?”
I dropped my arm as he stared into my eyes.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, still seeing no sign of the other PC.
Benji came out of the general goods shop smiling.
“That’s the last of it,” he said. “Now to spend my share of the silver pieces. I’ve got a few debts to pay off first.”
“We’ve got to go,” I said, climbing onto the cart. “Mednia awaits.”
“Is she serious?” Benji asked. “We just got here. I need to get some stuff and take care of some things.”
“We’ll get it later,” Eric said. “She wants to go now.”
The other two got into the front of the cart. I took the reins and got our mule moving.
Could we outrun the mage in red?
Or would he catch up to us?
He’d said he would get us when we least expected it. Did we even have a chance against him?
Many thoughts ran through my mind as we rode toward the western city gates to leave. I distractedly looked at the buildings.
“A rogue’s life for me,” Eric said.
Should I tell them the
truth?
Why am I keeping it to myself?
“We need to buy a horse instead of the mule,” Eric said. “And don’t you need a new bowstring? Maybe Benji’s right.”
“No time,” I said. “The mule is fine for now, and I can repair the bow in Mednia. From what I gather, we’ll get better quality and prices.”
He gave me a look but said nothing. The wooden wheels of the cart rolled along as we headed toward the city gates.
“Why do you keep looking behind us?” Eric asked. “Did something happen? We saw a lot of townspeople running scared.”
“I thought it was Josh,” I said. “But it wasn’t him.”
He frowned, nodding his head.
“I didn’t want this to happen to us…” he said.
“But you had something to do with it?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “But I still feel bad.”
I nodded, hating not being able to communicate OOC without another experience points penalty. All I wanted was to level up, solve the main quest, and get back to the Tower of Gates and hopefully quit.
Some aspects of the game were too real for my taste, especially the pain and negative emotions.
Was the game world adapting around us?
Did it read all my inner, private thoughts? Was it changing the game experience for me? And the gameplay for other players?
Everything swirled together in my mind as I contemplated the mysteries.
The cart rolled through the main gates.
Had we evaded the mage? Would the obviously evil PC keep trying to kill us?
Eric nudged me with his elbow and pointed out a particularly peculiar cluster of stars high above in the night sky. I nodded and smiled, still keeping my encounter and thoughts to myself. Something compelled me to keep quiet.
The cart jostled on the uneven road as we traveled west. I stole a glance at Eric, and saw him smiling and enjoying himself.
Maybe that was why I wasn’t telling him? To protect him from the dark reality of the game? He looked so happy as his character.
Eric glanced over and caught me staring at him.
“Tell me,” he said in a firm, insistent tone.
I stared straight ahead, ready to tell him everything.
“Something happened back there,” I said.
“Obviously,” he said. “What was it?”
“Nothing,” I said, changing my mind.
“Thanks for taking me with you,” Benji said, breaking into the conversation. “Even if I didn’t get to spend any of my silver.”
“We’ll make it up to you,” I said. “You’ve been so helpful.”
“Are you sure nothing happened back there?” Eric asked again.
“No,” I said. “Nothing of importance.”
He turned his attention back to the road as he continued on. I wondered about Mednia and what adventures we would face.
I also thought about the other player character. Once we were far enough away, I’d tell Eric everything. Maybe when we stopped to camp for the night?
Until then, we could enjoy the rush of trying to piece together an open world quest in a brand new game. With each mile between us and Fishguard, I felt more at ease.
13
Cut Scene
The Truth Shall Set You Free
Magi Inyontoo
After killing the barbarian, I teleported to the Chong Monastery. The foolish new player had gone down easy, but I needed to talk with him away from the prying eyes of the AI gamemaster.
I appeared on the right of the stage in the main sanctuary. The oval, shimmering portal back to the Tower of Gates rested on the other side. My teleportation was never entirely accurate.
While walking toward it, my thoughts turned dark. Being trapped in a game I’d helped design was no longer new, exciting, or fun. One small mistake had turned into endless nightmares.
I stopped in front of the portal and stared into the swirling magic.
Would the magic item I created work?
The Cursed Pendant of Visions had taken forever to construct, but it was worth it.
Wearing it would give me the ability to force the AI gamemaster out of the Tower of Gates. Time outside his ever present gaze would help me find a way out of the game—for better or worse.
I slipped the pendant around my neck then boldly walked through the portal. On the other side, I saw the half-orc I’d recently killed and the AI gamemaster. Both of them turned toward me.
“Not you again,” the gamemaster said then sighed.
I raised my hand and drew on the power of the cursed pendant.
“Be gone,” I shouted.
The AI gamemaster disappeared.
“What’s going on?” the noob asked. “Are you going to kill me again?”
I loved evoking fear in people.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “We’re safe here for now. The AI can’t hear or see us for a while. You can talk freely. What’s your name?”
He tilted his head back and narrowed his eyes.
“AI?” he asked. “What are you talking about?”
“That old man,” I said. “Did he call himself the gamemaster?”
“Yeah,” the half-orc said. “Why do you ask?”
“That’s the AI that runs the entire game,” I said. “Or at least part of him. What’s your name?”
“Josh,” he said.
“Is that your game name or your real name?” I asked.
“My real name,” he said. “I need to find my friends.”
“You and me both,” I said then smiled.
“Where’s Sarah?” Josh asked.
I tilted my head to the left.
“Who?”
“My girlfriend,” he said.
“Oh…” I smiled and nodded. “Your friends. Don’t worry, it’s easy enough to find them. We have other things to worry about.”
“I don’t care about this stupid game,” Josh said.
“You better care,” I said. “Because it’s more than a game.”
Josh stepped forward, chest puffed out.
“Did Eric put you up to this?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“No,” I said. “This is important. You’re trapped in a virtual prison.”
He opened his eyes wider.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “There’s a way out of the game. I’m one of the original developers.”
“What do you mean ‘prison?’” Josh asked. “I thought this was some stupid fantasy game.”
“It’s a prison that acts like a game to train prisoners how to be better people in the real world,” I said. “The ultimate in rehabilitation. We don’t have much time. I need your help getting out of here.”
“Hold on,” Josh said. “You’re freaking me out.”
I sighed.
“This isn’t complicated,” I said. “Years ago, the private prison corporations pooled their money to create virtual cells for the worst of prisoners. Wardens could hook prisoners to machines and have them experience fifty years or more of isolation in a matter of days or weeks.”
“Who are you?” Josh asked.
“Hold on,” I said. “There’s more. Originally, they just dumped people into a virtual cell all by themselves. The process drove almost everyone insane after just a few years. So, ECNEP corporation developed an AI to come up with a solution. The Tower of Gates was born.”
Josh shook his head.
“You’re nuts,” he said. “I don’t believe anything you’re saying.”
“Believe me or not, it’s the truth,” I said. “The AI designed a multi-level game for prisoners. As they played over the course of one year or a hundred, they learned from their previous mistakes. They were to be released at that point, but something happened…”
I paused, studying the noob’s face. Was it too much?
“What happened?” he asked.
“The AI went nuts,” I said. “Are you the one who hacked your way into the game? How did you do it? No n
ew players have come in for a long time.”
Josh shook his head.
“Not me,” he said. “That would be Eric, the nerd.”
I sighed. With only so much time, I’d chosen one of the three to kill. I’d figured the smartest player would pick barbarian because it was easy.
Who was this Eric person? I had to find out more.
“You have a way out of this game?” Josh asked.
I nodded then said, “Almost. I’m getting close. Your friend might have the information I need to finish my plan. I can only talk to him here in the Tower of Gates after he dies. That’s the only way to be safe.”
He scrunched up his face.
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“You need to find your friends and kill them,” I said. “Will you help me or not? I don’t have time to mess around.”
Josh frowned then averted his eyes.
“I’m not killing Sarah.” He looked into my eyes. “But I’ll take Eric out as soon as I see him for getting us into this mess. No charge.”
“You need to kill them both,” I insisted. “They’ll be fine, just like you are now. You have to trust me.”
The half-orc tilted his head back slightly, watching me.
“If this is so important, why don’t you kill them yourself?” he asked.
“Because I’m out of time,” I said. “Don’t you want out of the game?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“No buts about it,” I said. “You need to kill your friends then tell me so I can talk to them here in the tower. I’d do it myself, but I’m needed elsewhere right now. Others will be hunting them for me.”
“Why do you need my help?”
I sighed.
“You’re stubborn, aren’t you?” I shook my head. “You can help convince your friends that they need to work with me.”
“I’m putting a lot of trust in you,” Josh said.
“And I’m doing the same with you. I didn’t have to tell you the truth about this horrible game, but I did. You deserve to know everything.”
“I’m still not sure if I can trust you,” he said.
“That’s your call,” I said. “This game has a way of making you doubt yourself to come up with the right decision. It’s always trying to rehabilitate the players, even in its demented state.”
“Why can’t the AI not know?” he asked. “Is that what’s stopping us from getting out of the game?”
