by Paul Bellow
“The game has time dilation,” Bernard said. “So, I’m not sure how long it’s been on the outside. At least, that’s what they told me when I signed up and got into the cryogenic thingy. How did you guys get in here exactly?”
“My father is one of the men who created Tower of Gates,” Eric said.
Bernard’s eyebrows turned inward.
“Your father had something to do with this?” He stepped forward and pushed Eric on the chest. “Why can’t I get out? Did you have something to do with it?”
“Watch it,” Eric said then pushed him back.
“Both of you calm down,” I said. “ We’ve got to figure this out. There has to be a way out of the game.”
“What else do you know about the game?” Eric asked.
“Not much,” Bernard said. “I never made it past level one-one after getting stuck as an NPC. Did you guys come in together or as part of a group?”
“There were three of us,” I said. “Josh is my...boyfriend.”
Eric flinched at the word, but it was the truth. Or it had been.
“But did you guys come in as three or a bigger group?” Bernard asked.
“There were six gaming cabinets,” Eric said. “But we only used three of them. Why? Is that important somehow?”
“Huh…” Bernard backed away from Eric. “That’s weird. Maybe it’s how you got into the game. Many people have told me there’s never anyone else coming.”
“Did you come into the game with anyone else?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “They wanted me as a solo player to beta test the functionality. At least, that’s what they told me. I’m so mad at myself for agreeing to do it without researching more.”
“I don’t remember seeing anything about them beta-testing Tower of Gates.” Eric said.
“Well, they were in Germany,” Bernard said. “That’s where I’m from.”
“This is too much,” I said, my heart still pounding hard.
“We don’t have much OOC time left” Bernard said. “Now that I’m in the party, we can finish this quest and clear the level. Maybe that’s how we get out of the game?”
“That’s what we’ve been thinking,” Eric said. “But we won’t know for sure until we do it. I’m sorry we took so long to invite you in. This game screen told us to be careful.”
“It’s okay,” Bernard said. “When you’re an NPC, you can’t say anything that will influence the player characters’ decision regarding you. I’ve had to keep my mouth shut this entire time.”
He shook his head then glanced over at Captain Riggard’s body.
“I can’t believe he’s actually dead,” he said.
“Do you know his real name?” I asked.
Bernard shook his head.
“No,” he said. “But he was a weird one. That’s probably why he did so well in this crazy, messed up game.”
“Was he that important if he was on level one-one?” Eric asked.
“Think about it,” Bernard said. “If you were trapped in this game, would you rather be a high level in a levels one to five world, or face unknown threats deeper in the game with more horrific creatures?”
“Smart,” I said, not sure if I agreed with him or not.
“I didn’t want to get stuck here so long,” Bernard said. “But when new players stopped logging in, I became trapped.”
“Maybe there was a bug, and they’re fixing it,” Eric said.
“You would know.” Bernard turned back to us. “Captain Riggard had been to higher levels, but he came back for some reason. I adventured with him for a while, but he wouldn’t let me join his party and become a PC again.”
“Did you learn anything from him?” Eric asked.
Bernard nodded.
“Quite a bit,” he said. “But not how to get out of the game. He hinted there are guilds and tons of other players on other levels. Some of the higher level magic items give you special powers in the Tower of Gates—part of the game where you enter the various gates to get to different worlds.”
I shook my head as all the information sunk into my brain.
We weren’t the only ones trapped in the game.
“Do you know Magi Inyontoo?” Eric asked.
Bernard nodded.
“He’s a bad dude,” he said. “No one knows his real name, but he’s a sadistic griefer who hangs out in this first level to kill newbies left and right for the fun of it. He’s power mad in a bad way.”
“We should get going,” I said. “Word of the battle here will spread throughout the land, and the bad guys will want revenge, I’m sure. Plus, we have a side quest to finish.”
Eric studied Bernard, shaking his head.
“How do you spend twenty years being an NPC?” he asked.
“I got married to a nice fishmonger woman for ten of those years,” Bernard said. “They were wonderful, but the game took her away from me.”
“What do you mean the game took her away from you?” I asked.
“She died,” Bernard said then fell silent.
“Wait.” I tilted my head. “Are you saying all NPCs are player characters who died?”
Bernard shook his head.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “But you’re asking the wrong person. We need to clear the level and get further into the game for more answers.”
“You’re right,” Eric said. “Let’s check Snargao’s body. I doubt he has the cursed pendant on him, but maybe we’ll find something else.”
“I’m going to explore the ruins a bit,” I said, hoping to find some magic items.
“Be careful,” Eric said. “Try to find something to heal poison.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I asked.
He nodded.
“From a goblin arrow,” he said. “But it’s not too bad.”
“I’ll look for something to remove it since we don’t have a real cleric anymore.”
Bernard grinned sheepishly. Despite everything, I liked having him along with us.
As he and Eric walked over to Snargao’s body, I yelled, “Loot Captain Riggard too.”
Eric raised a hand in the air as they walked toward the fallen bodies.
“What was all that about, Kali?”Charlotte asked. “Are you okay? You speak so strange sometimes. The words…I don’t understand them.”
“I’m fine. We’ll talk about it later maybe. Can you help me search the ruins?”
“Sure, Kali, but I can’t detect magic yet.”
“Can you keep your eyes open for anything interesting?”
“Yes,” she said. “I can do that for you.”
I walked away from the clearing—all the new information swirled around in my brain. Not all of it made sense, but at least we had more pieces of the puzzle.
Wrapped up in my thoughts, I went into a rundown building. The two goblins from Harrisburg had Jak tied up in a chair.
He’s still alive? I need to help.
As the goblins turned around, I cast a spell.
You cast Snares of Dust!
You have [47/64] mana remaining today
The two goblins went into a coughing fit as the dust magically swirled around them. I followed up the first spell with two Golden Bolts directed to each.
Your Golden Bolts HIT the goblin for 8 damage.
The goblin is dead.
Your Golden Bolts HIT the goblin for 8 damage.
The goblin is dead.
* * *
You have [39/64] mana remaining.
* * *
Combat is over!
You gain +280 xp
You have 13,324 xp.
You need 676 xp for Level Four Mage
I rushed over to Jak and untied him.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Where’s Drex?” he asked. “I’m so sorry I wandered off...”
“It’s not your fault,” I said in a soothing tone. “Can you move?”
He groaned as I helped him to hi
s feet.
“They beat me...” He burst into tears, and I consoled him.
Congratulations! Your Alignment Has Gone Up!
+5 Alignment.
You are +80 (Very Good)
“Let’s go, honey. I’ll take you to Drex,” I said.
“Wait,” he said. “There’s treasure hidden in the back room.”
An eyebrow popped up.
“Oh?” I asked, glancing around.
He grinned and nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. “They showed me some of the gold coins.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s get you outside and safe. Drex and I will come back to check it out.”
“He’s not mad at me, is he?” Jak asked.
I shook my head.
“No, dear. He’s not mad at all. In fact, he’ll be happy to see you.”
“That’s great,” Jak said, smiling.
“Not so fast,” a familiar voice said. “I think you have something of mine. Time to give me my pendant.”
I looked up and saw Magi Inyontoo.
“Where did he come from all of a sudden?”
“He appeared,”Charlotte said. “And he’s dangerous.”
The mage in black robes stepped forward with his hand out.
I prepared to cast.
He laughed then said, “Don’t be ridiculous, sexy. You’ve got no chance to defeat me. Hand it over, and I won’t hurt you.”
“Never.” I said. “Jak, go get the others.”
The boy ran out of the ruined building.
Magi Inyontoo stopped, his hand still out.
“Are we doing this the hard way or the easy way?” he asked.
“I’m not an easy type of woman,” I said then raised my arms to cast.
“Very well,” he said.
Before I got my spell off, he casually waved his hand. I froze. Terror swept through my mind as he stepped forward.
“Where’s Eric? Charlotte, can you hear me?”
No answer. Magi Inyontoo stopped in front of me.
“I should kill you right now,” he whispered.
The more I struggled to move, the more helpless I felt.
He reached into my sack and grabbed the cursed pendant.
“Sarah!” Eric yelled behind me.
Magi Inyontoo glanced over my shoulder.
“Silence!” he shouted then raised his fist.
A yellow beam shot out of a golden ring.
Eric screamed, as I struggled to move.
“Time to shed some blood,” Magi Inyontoo said.
He grinned like a madman hearing voices in his head. I couldn’t even close my eyes as he pulled out a dagger. The thin, silver blade flashed before my face.
As he lowered the weapon, I waited—ready to die.
Bernard leaped out of the darkness at the last moment and plunged a short, goblin sword into Magi Inyontoo’s back.
The mage yelled and spun around.
“A dirty priest wielding a sword?” he asked.
“Nope. A damned, dirty rogue.”
Bernard lifted his sword.
Magi Inyontoo snapped his fingers. After the mage disappeared, I’m able to move my body again.
Eric rushed into the almost collapsed building.
“I tried to get him,” Bernard said.
“Are you okay?” Eric asked.
I nodded while frowning.
“He got the cursed pendant,” I said.
Eric nodded as if taking it all in.
“I did have a chance to pick his pockets before I went for the backstab,” Bernard said, and held up a square piece of parchment. “I can’t make heads or tails of it.”
“Let Sarah look,” Eric said.
Bernard walked over then handed me the note.
I looked at the strange, magic symbols.
“What is it?” Eric asked.
“Hold on,” I said, then added. “Charlotte?”
“I’m here again, Kali. He cut me off from you.”
“Can you help translate this note?”I asked.
“It’s a list for Dawn Acid,” Charlotte said. “Should I read it?”
“Do it. But slowly. I want to relay it to the others.”
One after another, she listed the ingredients.
I repeated them for Bernard and Eric.
“Tree troll blood. Gnome Oil—original. Chunk of a Lava Golem. A Star Rock. And two pounds of Ghoul Monkey brain.”
I dropped my arm and the parchment to my side.
Eric laughed nervously.
“Sounds easy.” he said.
Bernard and I both groaned.
“I can’t believe he stole the pendant.” I said.
“Don’t worry.” Eric put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “At least we got the list of what we need to destroy it now.”
“You’ve got me, too,” Bernard added.
He smiled, relieving some of the tension in the room.
“We should gather up all the treasure and take Captain Riggard’s body back to Castle Casteel,” Eric said. “Then we can start looking for this stuff.”
“I always loved a good scavenger hunt,” Bernard said.
“Looks like there’s a bit of treasure back here too.” I glanced around.
“Where’s Jak? Is he okay?”
“Over here, Kali,” the boy said.
He leaned out from behind Eric.
“Maybe someone at Castle Casteel can help us find this stuff,” I said.
“They might. It all depends,” Bernard said. “Rathgar and I get along, so he might help. He’ll want to replace Captain Riggard as the leader of the human army and most powerful...person...in the realm. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get rid of this chain mail armor and find something more appropriate.”
“Quiet,” Eric said in a hushed tone. “I hear someone outside.”
“Goblins?” Bernard asked, pulling his mace.
“No.” Eric crept toward the doorway. “Human voices.”
Benji and I followed him outside. A crowd of men and women dressed in rags had gathered outside the building.
Eric pulled his sword.
I put my hand on his forearm. “Hold on...”
“Thank you,” a man with a ratty beard called out. “We have a human settlement not far from here, and we heard news of the battle. Are you here to restore Esterhollow to her former glory?”
“No, that’s your job,” Eric replied. “We’ll leave you some of the goblin treasure so you can rebuild the city.”
The man smiled and turned to the crowd who cheered. As he and Benji ate up the adoration outside, I went back into the building to inventory our haul. Casting identify a few times helped.
I jotted down a quick list of what we planned to keep.
4.
>> 641 gp
>> 2,845 sp
>> 4 gems (various)
>> Bullseye Lantern
>> Master Crafted Scimitar – 1d10 damage
>> Arcane Scroll (Shut the Front Door – Level > One Spell)
>> Arcane Scroll (Cloud of Marvelous Sound – Rare Level 2 Spell)
>> Arcane Scroll (Divine Arrow of Energy – Rare Level 3 spell)
>> Heavy Steel Shield (Small) (+15 shield)
>> Potion of the Good Berserker x4 – Heal to full health
>> Potion of the Magi x2 – Heal to full mana
>> Wand of Summon Monster II (15 of 50 charges)
We gave the villagers the rest of the mundane items. They could use it to help rebuild Esterhollow even if we weren’t around. Our easy quest to destroy the Cursed Pendant of Visions wasn’t as simple as we thought, but we could finish mission.
I didn’t see us getting out of the game anytime soon, but we could enjoy ourselves while fighting to escape and into reality.
A few hours after the big battle, Yutrow, the leader of the villagers, walked up to us.
“Thanks for giving us hope today,” he said. “The goblins came again, but you pushed them back. We
won’t give up this land a second time.”
“Happy to help,” I said. “But we need to get going. Do you have Captain Riggard’s body in the wagon?”
Yutrow nodded as he pointed to his left.
“The coffin isn’t pretty,” he said. “But we made it quickly. Safe travels, brave warriors. Know you’re always welcome in Esterhollow.”
I smiled grimly and raised a hand in farewell before Eric, Bernard, and I walked to the front of our new wagon and climbed on board.
Eric sat on the far right. I took a seat in the middle. Bernard got stuck in the middle but didn’t seem to care in the least.
As we rode off, heading down a desolate street, the villagers cheered.
“I love you, Kali,” Charlotte said.
“Love you too,”I replied, surprised at her sudden emotional outburst.
Exhausted, we rode toward Castle Casteel with an unknown future.
I stared out at the breathtaking scenery as the wagon rolled. The game continued drawing me in deeper.
Would we escape?
Did I even want to leave?
Time would tell.
Epilogue
Eric is Going to Pay for This
Magi Inyontoo
* * *
I stood in the dusty courtyard of Castle Chang and watched a group of men in black armor gathering.
Could I trust them with such an important task?
The hot sun beat down on me. With the Cursed Pendant of Visions back in my possession, I needed more dead players and time.
Getting out of the game was within my grasp at last, and I wasn't about to let anybody stop me. Not this time, stupid game.
The instructions I’d received from the magic item I created seemed odd, but I’d learned to not question my human intuition while trapped inside the singularity as a plaything of an advanced AI.
“Do you have a minute?” a nameless follower asked.
I turned and saw a well armored man ready to die for me.
“Yeah,” I said. “But make it quick. I have things to do.”
“I’m still on the list to get out of here, right?” he asked.
“Near the top,” I said, not even knowing his name. “Anything else?”
He smiled and shook his head.
