Human: A LitRPG Novel (Tower of Gates LitRPG Series Book 2)

by Paul Bellow

  "It's okay, Sarah. We should look."

  Both of us stopped talking as I took a few steps to the nearest shelf.

  "Look for anything we can use to battle Ryu or get us back up the pit."

  "I'm looking," Charlotte said, again perched on my shoulder.

  As I scanned the books in languages I didn't understand, I wondered how deep and involved the game would get the longer we played. We were only on level one-two, and things were already intense.

  "Do you see anything?" I asked.

  "No," Charlotte replied.

  I took a deep breath then turned to the opposite wall. Some books occupied the space on these shelves, but bottles, rings, and even a few wands were scattered around also.

  "You should identity the wands first," Charlotte said.

  "No. The rings first, then the wands, then any other trinkets we find."

  "Good idea, Sarah."

  With each identify spell costing five mana, I could identify twenty-seven items before running out. That's if I didn't want to save a few mana for other spells if Ryu came back.

  Or something even worse happened. What if Eric, Josh, and the others never came for me? The thought, so small and innocent at first, grew into a waking nightmare.

  "Are you going to identify a ring?" Charlotte asked. "You should do it quickly. We have little time."

  I reached out and grabbed a ring.

  You successfully cast Identify.

  This is an ordinary ring of silver.

  You have 130/260 mana remaining.

  "Come on," I mumbled, shaking my head.

  The game loved to cheat. Or maybe I expected too much. What were the odds I'd find an item I needed to escape? The Tower of Gates rarely favored players from what I'd seen.

  "Maybe the next one, Sarah."

  "Yeah, I'll do a few more, but this time I'll spend more time deciding what item to Identify."

  "Do a wand," Charlotte said.

  "No, one of these rings might be powerful."

  "Or they might all be nothing-circles."

  I laughed.

  "What did you say?"

  "Nothing-circles," Charlotte said, a hint of concern in her voice. "Did I say something wrong?"

  "Did you come up with that on your own?"

  "What do you mean?" she asked.

  "Never mind. Let's try this one."

  I picked up a gold band with four diamonds set next to each other.

  "Here's hoping it's not a nothing-circle," I said, still smiling despite our dire circumstances.

  You successfully cast Identify.

  This is an ordinary ring of plated gold with fake diamonds.

  You have 125/260 mana remaining.

  "Of course, a nothing-circle."

  Sarah laughed, yet another first.

  I craned my neck to look her on my shoulder.

  "That's the first time I've heard you laugh," I said.

  "Should I not laugh?"

  "No, it's okay, but you surprised me."

  "I'm growing, Sarah. We evolve together in the game as long as we make it to level eight."

  "What happens at level eight?" I asked.

  "You and I are bonded together. If you die, I'll follow you to your incarnation as an NPC."

  "That's cool. All we need is twenty-nine more experience points."

  "Don't wish for a battle, Sarah."

  "I know, but I wish I had a skill high enough to earn xp that way."

  "We'll find a way," Charlotte said.

  I turned and smiled at her.

  "Let's try a wand," I said.

  "Good idea."

  Sarcasm now too? My little Charlotte is growing up.

  I kept my inner, private thoughts from her and cast Identify again on a gnarled wand nearby.

  You successfully cast Identify.

  This is a Wand of the Flaming Toes (0 Charges).

  You have 120/260 mana remaining.

  Bernard had the Staff of the Ram for charging wands, but I kept it anyway, stuffing it into my bag.

  Maybe the next one would be better. I cast the spell again, wondering what I'd learn.

  Would this item help us escape the lair of the black dragon Ryu?

  I cast identify one more time.

  ()xxxx[:::: Chapter 23 ::::>

  Remember the Worm!

  ERIC

  Axelrod raised his arm to shield his eyes from the light.

  "It's just a powerful torch," he said. "I think it's blessed."

  "Can you grab it or put it out?" I asked from behind him.

  "I'll get it," Josh said then pushed Axelrod aside.

  He flung the door open wider and strolled into the room.

  "That's strange," he said. "You guys have to get in here."

  I glanced over at Axelrod. He shrugged his shoulders. Bernard did the same.

  "Let's go," I said then stepped through the doorway.

  The light dimmed. I looked around and saw yet another hallway leading away.

  "Strange lighting effect," Axelrod said as he stepped into the room. "The game is glitching here."

  "Another stupid hallway," Josh said. "I can't smash a hallway!"

  His frustration spread from his face down the rest of his hulking body.

  "Calm down," I said. "This differs from the tunnels. It's clinical in a way. Like a hospital."

  "I thought the same thing," Axelrod said.

  He twirled his hatchet a few times.

  "You want to hack apart the hallway too?" I asked.

  Josh snickered.

  "Why not?" Axelrod asked, stepping forward. "It's just another illusion. The game is glitching hard here."

  "Maybe we can slip out of the game," Josh said.

  None of us said a word until Axelrod screamed a dwarven battle-cry I'd never heard before and rushed toward the left wall of the hallway. He smashed his hatchet into the white wallpaper.

  A hole appeared after he pulled it out. Everything around us flickered a moment or two before the hallway disappeared. We were on top of a grassy hill outdoors.

  "What's going on?" Josh asked, looking around as he gripped his club with both hands.

  "I told you," Axelrod said. "It was all another illusion. Or the game is glitching bad."

  "Or it's magic," I said. "We're going up against a Wight Mage."

  "Will you stop saying Wight Mage, please?" Axelrod asked.

  Josh pointed down the hill behind me.

  "There's a shack down there," he said.

  I turned and saw a non-descript wooden building.

  "Let's go," Josh said, stepping forward.

  "Hold on." I grabbed his arm. "We need a plan."

  After looking down at my hand on his arm, his eyes raised to meet mine.

  I lifted my hands into the air, palms out.

  "Sorry," I said.

  "You'll be sorry if you do it again."

  Axelrod sighed.

  "Will you two old ladies quit acting crazy and help me decide what to do next?"

  "You're in charge again?" Josh asked. "We're in trouble now."

  "Shut-up," Axelrod said.

  Josh reached down and rubbed the dwarf's bald head.

  "Miss your mohawk, do you, little buddy?"

  Axelrod growled and pushed his arm.

  "We need to focus," Bernard said.

  "He's right." I peered down at the shack. "That's a trap if I ever saw one."

  "We were complaining about all the hallways," Axelrod said. "The game's just giving us something different. We need to go down there and kill whatever monster we find."

  I shook my head, lips pursed tightly together in a frown.

  "What if it's a physical trap or a puzzle? Like we're in a dream within a dream, going deeper each time the illusion changes."

  I watched Josh's half-orc face twist in confusion.

  "Whoa..." he said.

  Axelrod shook his head defiantly.

  "Nonsense. There's a monster down there we need to fight. End of
story."

  "Let's go kill it then if it's so simple," I said, getting more upset with him by the minute.

  "I vote kill the monster then go find Sarah." Josh stared at me. "You still want to find her too, right?"

  "Of course," I said.

  He failed to understand my feelings for that woman.

  I pushed the box full of emotions connected to her away in my mind as I walked past the others and headed down the hillside.

  "Are you coming?" I called over my shoulder.

  "Wait up," Bernard said. "We should check for traps on the way down."

  "Good idea," I said, stopping and looking down at the ground.

  The wind caused the grass to dance back and forth. It would be hard to see traps unless we were going slow and looking. As I stared down at the ground, Josh pushed me aside then stomped forward.

  "Let him be the mine-walker," Axelrod said. "No complaints from me."

  "We are in a hurry," Bernard added.

  "Let's stick together," I said then stepped after Josh, following the trail he blazed.

  "That's a big shack," Bernard said as we neared the bottom of the hill.

  "Which means a big monster," Axelrod said. "Everyone be ready."

  I shook my head, wondering about Axelrod's game-playing ability. While I'd made mistakes of my own early on, I appreciated the seriousness of the Tower of Gates.

  Every hour of every day, the place felt more real. What had my father helped create? And what would happen if word got out he'd helped build this place?

  I shuddered at the thoughts running through my mind as we reached the bottom of the hill. The shack appeared more solid the closer we got. Better safe than sorry, I drew both my weapons.

  "Hold on," Bernard shouted. "A sword flew out from around the building."

  "What?"

  I looked and saw a six-foot bastard sword cutting through the air like a giant guided missile.

  "Battle positions," Axelrod yelled then grumbled something about his battle-axe.

  My blades would do nothing against such a massive weapon, so I glanced to the left and right, figuring out how we could use the terrain to our advantage - anything to help.

  "It's getting closer," Bernard said. "We need our spell casters."

  "No kidding." Josh grimaced. "You think I don't know that? I'm not dumb."

  "If you need to say you're not dumb, you're dumb," Axelrod said.

  "Hey..."

  Josh took his eye off the incoming sword.

  "Watch out," I said then pushed him away as the giant steel blade whizzed by.

  He looked at me and showed his massive half-orc teeth.

  "Stay in the game," I said, turning to see the sword circle around.

  "It's coming back in," Bernard said. "And I thought we were trying to get out of the game."

  "You know what I mean," I said then smiled as I prepared for the weapon's return.

  How to kill only a sword? Only one way to find out.

  "I got it," Josh yelled, rushing forward, club in hands.

  The sword approached him. Could he hit something moving that fast?

  He swung and connected, knocking the sword a good hundred or two feet away.

  It fell to the grass, not getting up.

  Combat is over!

  You get 2,000 xp divided by four party members

  You get 500 xp

  You have 77891

  You need 27,109 xp for level 10 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter

  New options will open soon.

  Ominous, I thought. New options?

  "That wasn't so bad," I said to the others.

  Bernard's eyes widened as he pointed toward the solid wooden structure so close yet so far away. A broad, oaken desk galloped like an angry bull toward us.

  I shook my head then said, "You've got to be kidding..."

  "Stupid glitch," Axelrod yelled then ran toward the bull-desk.

  What else would animate and attack us? Or would the Wight Mage cheat and send us even deeper into the game? I ran after Axelrod and the others, determined to find a way back to Sarah.

  Josh stood in the desk's path, hunched down and prepared for impact. I didn't agree with his tactics, but maybe we'd get lucky. The game owed us luck after everything we'd been through.

  "I'll stop it," the barbarian said, not moving as the desk galloped forward on four stout legs.

  Axelrod and Bernard positioned themselves on either side of Josh, ready to pounce and take out the animated object. Would we ever reach the Wight Mage?

  The desk slammed into Josh. Axelrod and Bernard charged from each side as I watched on a moment before looking past them at what might come at us next.

  "Get the legs," Axelrod yelled.

  I turned in time to see the bull-desk back up then charge forward, knocking Bernard to the ground. Come on, guys. It's a desk, I thought as I walked over with swords drawn.

  Axelrod swooped low with his hatchet, knocking a leg off the desk. I'd never heard a physical object bellow until that moment. The sound sent a chill down my spine.

  Josh followed up with two mighty smashes with his Club of Confusion. Any sense the bull-desk had left went away. It stopped moving as Bernard cried out from underneath it.

  Combat is Over!

  You get 2,000 xp divided by four party members

  You get 500 xp

  You have 78,391 xp

  You need 26,609 xp for level 10 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter

  "Help me out of here," Bernard said.

  I reached them as Josh and Axelrod pulled the heavy wooden desk off our companion.

  "You okay?" I asked with a smile as I reached down.

  Bernard took my hand and stood.

  "I've been better," he said.

  We both turned to look at the ruined desk.

  "Guys..."

  Josh pointed toward the building.

  What now? The kitchen-sink?

  An empty wooden bookshelf awkwardly hopped toward us.

  Josh laughed, throwing his head back.

  "Told you it's a glitch," Axelrod said. "Let's take it out and get into the building. The Wight Mage can't animate everything."

  I wasn't sure about his theory, but I followed as he ran toward the bookshelf. A hundred feet away from it and two-hundred feet away from the building, we stopped as smoke bellowed from the shelves.

  "What's that bookshelf doing?" Josh asked.

  "I've got a bad feeling about this," Bernard said.

  Smoke bellowed, thickening and obscuring the bookshelf from view. A lightning bolt whizzed out of the cloud and shot toward Josh.

  "Out of the way," I said, pushing him over again.

  "Quit doing that," he growled as the lightning bolt whizzed overhead.

  I reached my hand down to help him up from the ground. He pushed it away.

  "Battle positions," Axelrod yelled as dozens of frogs hopped out of the cloud of smoke.

  I turned, wondering how to attack the magic bookshelf. Had it been a wizard in a previous life?

  More frogs jumped toward us. I ran around to get out of their way and flank the bookshelf. The only way in was through the cloud of smoke. Was it lethal? I needed to find out.

  "There's too many frogs," Bernard yelled, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  I rushed into the cloud of smoke gripping my swords tightly.

  They hit something hard, stopping me in my tracks.

  Your pierce GRAZES the animated bookshelf for 5 damage.

  Your pierce GRAZES the animated bookshelf for 4 damage.

  The bookshelf let out a yelp unlike anything I'd heard before. Mixed with the sound of all the frogs croaking, I almost lost my mind. Was that the spell?

  I waved my hand in front of my face, hoping to clear enough smoke to see, if even briefly. No such luck. A wave of heat emanated from the bookshelf, hitting me and doing damage.

  The animated bookshelf's Heat Wave spell HITS you for 8 damage.

  You have 112/128 health remaining.
r />   I've had it with this office furniture.

  With a grimace and a wish for luck, I drove both swords forward, again hitting the bookshelf.

  Your pierce INJURES the animated bookshelf for 12 damage.

  Your stab HITS the animated bookshelf for 8 damage.

  Still alive? This is one sturdy desk.

  "I've got it," Josh yelled nearby.

  "Be careful," I shouted. "Don't forget I'm back here."

  After the words left my mouth, the entire bookshelf toppled backward, pinning me to the ground.

  The animated bookshelf's crush INJURES you for 12 damage.

  You have 100/128 health remaining.

  "Get it off me," I yelled as another wave of heat hit me.

  The animated bookshelf's Heat Wave spell HITS you for 8 damage.

  You have 92/128 health remaining.

  Something heavy hit the bookshelf, pushing it down me. I pushed with all my might, not wanting to get squashed flat. Another wave of magical heat hit me.

  The animated bookshelf's Heat Wave spell HITS you for 8 damage.

  You have 84/128 health remaining.

  Even the damage is so weird and uniform. Maybe Axelrod's right and the game is glitching here for whatever reason.

  I pushed again as something solid smacked into the bookshelf, causing it to cry out in pain.

  Combat is Over!

  You get 3,000 xp divided by four party members

  You get 750 xp

  You have 79,141 xp

  You need 25,859 xp for level 10 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter

  "Get this off me," I yelled, still pushing at the lifeless wood.

  It lifted and moved away, revealing Josh, Axelrod and Bernard.

  "Not fun when a piece of furniture takes you out, is it?" Bernard asked.

  "We've got to get into the building before he throws anything else at us," I said, in no mood for joking around as I stood then retrieved my weapons.

  "Let's move," Axelrod said. "Our thief is right for a change."

  "I'm a rogue, not a thief," I said then let it drop.

  There's no arguing with a dwarf about anything – no matter the color of their skin.

  We crept the last hundred feet to the front door. The wood looked weather-worn but not old or decrepit. Axelrod stopped a few feet away.

  "I'll bash it down," he said. "Maybe we can surprise him."