by Paul Bellow
“Why haven’t you done it yourself?” Eric asked.
“Don’t be rude,” I said.
“It’s fine.” Drekmao smiled. “You’re both new to the game, and you don’t understand the intricacies of some things.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Magi has been expecting me to attack him, so he’s ready,” Drekmao said. “You guys, on the other hand, are a surprise he doesn’t take seriously.”
Evan stepped forward, brandishing his dagger.
“He better take me seriously,” the brownie said.
“That’s the spirit.” Drekmao patted him on the head. “Come inside.”
We followed the hobgoblin player into the opulent palace. Several servants met him just inside the door, bowing respectfully.
Drekmao stopped and said, “Prepare dinner for our guests.”
One female and two male goblins wearing white robes rushed off.
“Come this way,” Drekmao said as he walked further into the building.
After walking several minutes, he stopped in a dining room. The sturdy, wooden table ran the length of the room with room enough for a dozen.
“Have a seat,” he said. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”
“And we’re hungry,” Evan said. “Will there be food?”
“There will be, little one,” Drekmao said. “What’s mine is yours for tonight.”
“How long have you been in the game?” Eric asked.
Drekmao leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
“That’s always the question, isn’t it?” he asked. “Especially for new players.”
“I’m not new,” Evan said as he fidgeted in his seat.
“Not by a longshot,” Ewen added in a gruff tone.
“He meant us,” I said, resting my elbows on the polished table. “The longest we’ve heard is over eight decades. What about you?”
“Not that long,” Drekmao said. “At least not yet.”
“You don’t think there’s a way out of the game?” I asked.
“We’ll get out of here,” Eric said.
“That’s what everyone says.” Drekmao leaned forward. “But no one’s done it yet, and I don’t think it can be done. That’s why I concentrate on making a good life for myself here in the game.”
“We’re glad not all the other players are raving psychopaths,” I said.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “We’ve met some crazy people, including Magi Inyontoo.”
“The game’s gotten to him in a bad way,” Drekmao said.
I frowned, suddenly thinking of Josh.
“We’re missing a friend we came into the game with,” I said. “A half-orc barbarian. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about him, do you?”
Drekmao shook his head.
“Sorry,” he said. “I don’t. You didn’t spawn with him?”
“No,” Eric said. “We all spawned in different places.”
Drekmao’s eyes widened.
“That’s surprising,” he said. “I’ve never heard of that before.”
“Eric hacked us into the game,” I said.
Eric shot me a nasty look but kept quiet.
“That explains a lot,” Drekmao said.
I tilted my head to the left.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“There’s not been any new players for a long time,” he said. “I thought the game wasn’t accepting new people for some reason.”
“What’s the deal with Magi Inyontoo?” Eric asked.
“He’s a high-level player character like me,” Drekmao said. “But he enjoys killing others. Like I said, the game has corrupted him.”
“Sounds like a typical griefer,” Eric said.
I hadn’t heard that term since I stopped gaming.
“Maybe,” Drekmao said. “Not all of us came here voluntarily.”
I sat up in my chair.
“How did you get in the game?” I asked.
“I bet you were in prison too,” Evan said. “A lot of us were locked up.”
“No…” Drekmao glanced down at the table in front of him. “I’m one of the developers of the game—at least a part of the game.”
“Get out of here,” I said, not believing him.
“It’s true,” he said. “I worked on a piece of the neural-interface. Nobody working on the game knew about the whole project. When a request went out for alpha-testers, I signed up right away. They paid my family big money if I agreed to come into the game full time.”
“Full time?” Eric asked, taking the words out of my mouth.
“Yeah,” Drekmao said calmly. “I can never leave. That’s one of the reasons I can’t kill Magi Inyontoo myself. I have certain limitations in the game. At least for now.”
“What happened to your body in the real world?” I asked.
“It’s probably gone by now,” Drekmao said. “I’m not sad. This game is fascinating on so many levels. Magi Inyontoo is trying to burn it all down with his Magictology crap, but someone will stop him. I just want to live the rest of eternity here in the Forbidden Kingdom.”
“This game is so messed up,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
Several goblin servants returned with trays of food and drink. They silently placed them on the table then rushed out of the room.
“What’s with keeping the goblins as slaves?” I asked. “Seems a bit brutal for someone as chill as you.”
“None of them are player characters,” Drekmao said. “At least none that I know about. With the dwarves out of the picture, things have been nuts lately.”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “What’s the deal with that, anyway?”
Drekmao chuckled.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said. “Typical prison craziness.”
“How could you work on this game knowing it was a prison?” I asked.
Drekmao frowned.
“I didn’t know,” he said. “I was working on one small piece. My family needed money for an operation. I signed up to digitize myself and enter the game permanently. Everything was okay at first, but glitches appeared. When they started uploading people without their express permission, things got really bad.”
Tired of avoiding the main issue on my mind, I spoke up.
“Why isn’t there a quit button?” I asked.
Evan grabbed a turkey leg.
“Yeah,” he said as he held the massive piece of meat. “I’ve wanted to quit for so long now. Why can’t anyone get out of the game? Are our bodies gone or something?”
He bit off a chunk of turkey.
“I don’t know,” Drekmao said. “But I doubt they outright killed any of the prisoners. Each one is worth big money to the corporation.”
“What else can you tell us?” Eric asked.
I reached for the pitcher of water then poured myself a glass.
“What do you want to know?” Drekmao asked.
“Do you remember your name in the real world?” Eric asked.
“No,” Drekmao said, shaking his head. “After so long, I only remember some details of my previous life.”
“What else can you tell us about the game?” I asked.
“Once you get past level one-three, everything changes,” Drekmao said. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s always evolving.”
“How many total levels are in the game?” I asked.
“There’s twelve floors in the Tower of Gates with twelve portals to twelve levels on each floor,” Drekmao said. “It’s an almost endless game. Nobody has reached the last level as far as I know. The guilds are available on level one-four. At that point, you’ll meet some of the other players. You’ll learn as you go.”
“How many people are playing Tower of Gates right now?” Eric asked.
“Monde want last fruit.”
I glanced over and saw her and Evan fighting over a round, red fruit.
“Can you two share, please?” I asked in an irritated tone.
“Sorry, Sarah,” Evan said then lowered his head.
Monde reached across the table and snatched the fruit.
“To answer your question,” Drekmao said. “I’m not sure anymore, but I reckon over a hundred thousand, probably more. The AI was built to handle up to ten billion prisoners.”
I sat up in my chair.
“That many?” I asked. “How could they have that many people hooked up to the game with no one knowing about it?”
Drekmao leaned forward.
“There’s a lot of forgotten people in the world,” he said. “The real one and this one. Learn to enjoy the game, and you’ll be better off.”
“How can you help us?” Eric asked. “The Four Wizards gave me a sword that would take his NPC-lives away, but I lost it. Can you get it from the goblins?”
“That and the rest of our equipment,” Bernard added.
Drekmao leaned back and slowly nodded his head.
“That’s not good,” he said. “I’ll send someone to look for it.”
“We’ve made a lot of mistakes in the game,” I said.
Drekmao looked at me and smiled.
“You haven’t done too bad if you’ve made it this far without a full party of your own,” he said. “Why didn’t you two flesh out your party earlier?”
“A friend of ours said the game was working against us,” I said.
“Yeah,” Bernard said. “They didn’t trust me for the longest time.”
“We’ll stay here for the night,” Drekmao said. “In the morning, I’ll take you to see my uncle, Emperor Harubi. I’ve almost convinced him to make a move on Magi Inyontoo.”
“Is Magi still here in the Forbidden Kingdom?” Eric asked.
“And does he have the cursed pendant with him?” I added.
Drekmao nodded.
“He’s in our lands,” he said. “But he’s broken an agreement he had with my uncle. He knows I can’t kill him, so he’s used that against me. I want him out of the game, and nothing in the rules says I can’t help you guys kill him.”
“We’re here to destroy the pendant and clear the level,” Eric said. “But we have no problem with taking him out.”
“Yeah,” I added. “He’s been after us since the beginning.”
“It’s a miracle you’ve made it this far in the game with him running around—but working together, I’m sure we can defeat him. Let’s rest before our journey.”
After dinner, I stood next to Eric on a balcony overlooking the city. He leaned against the metal rails. We hadn’t had time alone to talk in a while.
“You doing okay?” I asked.
He nodded and said, “Yeah. Why?”
“I’m just worried. You mean so much to me, Eric.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Playing this game with you has reminded me of so much.”
“Why did we ever stop hanging out?” he asked.
I sighed and shook my head.
“Because I grew up, and you didn’t,” I said. “You had no goals in life.”
He opened his mouth, but I continued.
“And don’t tell me it was because you were paralyzed. You’ve got a brilliant mind, Eric. The world could be yours.”
“Maybe I don’t want the world,” he said.
I took a deep breath.
“Let’s get out of this game, okay? That should be our priority now.”
“Agreed,” he said. “I should go rest for tomorrow.”
“Me too,” I said.
We walked back inside where the others had gathered around a roaring fire in the fireplace of the great room.
Monde snored as she slept in a recliner, her sword nestled lovingly in her lap.
What was she like outside of the game?
Evan and Ewen sat close to the fire, arguing. Drekmao had left for his private chambers—I hoped we could trust him.
I sat down on an impossibly comfortable couch and fell asleep.
My fears and worries faded away for a few hours.
22
Preparing for Chong Monastery
Eric
* * *
The next morning, I woke rested and ready to finish our quest. After a quick breakfast with the others, we went outside. Drekmao loaded us into two levitating carriages for the trip to see his uncle, Emperor Harubi. I sat next to Monde and across from Drekmao in one carriage. Bernard, the brownies, and Sarah rode in the other.
“What do you know about Magi Inyontoo?” I asked. “Was he someone permanently transferred to the game like you?”
“No,” Drekmao said. “But my uncle is another permanent player. We’ve got a guild on the higher levels, but I’m here to help any new players who might wander into the game. There’s a few thousand of us in my guild on various levels.”
I nodded, still amazed he’d permanently uploaded his consciousness into a virtual world.
“What’s the name of your guild?” I asked.
He grinned.
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you…”
Monde lifted her sword.
“Settle down,” I said. “He’s kidding.”
As the carriage ride got underway, Drekmao turned to look out the window. I did the same, impressed by the city.
The transfer of human consciousness into a virtual realm had been hinted at for years, but for it to exist in a game my father had helped create?
I still couldn’t believe it.
Deep thoughts hung heavy over me as we rode in the floating carriages.
How many of the people we’re passing are player characters? I thought about the goblinoid and human wars.
“Why do the hobgoblins in the game hate the humans so much?” I asked. “Part of the back story for the game or something?”
The hobgoblin turned his head and smiled.
“You’ve got so much to learn,” he said. “But you will in due time.”
“I don’t plan on being in here much longer,” I said.
He laughed, shaking his head.
“I’ve heard that before,” he said.
“Trust me,” I said. “Some of us are getting out of here.”
“Monde want out,” the gnome warrior said.
“Let me tell you about how the Tower of Gates works,” Drekmao said.
I sat up, giving him all my attention.
“Originally, the first three levels all took place here on the Grabisco Isles in the same time-period,” Drekmao said. “A while back when Magi started up his Magictology cult, he tried to hack his way out. Instead, he ended up reprogramming the second and third levels.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “How?”
“You’ll learn more from the gamemaster once you clear level one-one,” he said. “There’s not a lot I can tell you without being penalized.”
“I appreciate your help,” I said. “Can you tell us anything about the gamemaster? Is that the AI running the game?”
Drekmao glanced to the left then right.
“You shouldn’t mention the AI outside the Tower of Gates,” he said.
“Why?” I asked. “Will I be penalized or something?”
“Something a bit worse than an xp penalty,” he said. “But you’re fine for now. The last thing I’ll tell you is this — once you get to level one-two, you need to reverse what Magi Inyontoo has done to corrupt it”
“How?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “You’ll figure it out. The game adapts. Basically, Magi cloned level one-one but in a different time-period. Every level of the first floor is a self-contained level. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, anyway. Magi changing the core game code allowed him to alter whether a person could choose and customize a dwarf character in the game. He’s always trying something new to get out.”
“He’s got way too much power,” I said. “He deserves to die.”
“Be careful,” Drekmao said. “This game can turn you to the dark side, and the AI doesn’t like those who act evil.”
&n
bsp; “I’ve noticed,” I said.
Both of us fell silent as the magic carriage flew toward our destination. I wondered how Sarah was holding up with the brownies. We’d met so many interesting players in the game, but I wanted to leave and not play any video games for a few months.
Continuous gaming sounded like nirvana until you were stuck in a game with people like Magi and other prisoners.
Had he been a prisoner too? The questions piled up as the carriage flew. We needed to finally clear level one-one and find a way out.
A few hours later, we arrived at the Emperor’s castle. The magnificent palace was even more impressive than Drekmao’s place.
I hopped out of the carriage and saw Sarah and the others. She smiled as I walked over to them. Evan yawned and stretched.
“Told you not to fall asleep, bozo,” Ewen said.
I stopped next to Sarah.
“Have a good ride?” I asked.
“Not bad,” she said. “When you hover above the ground and miss all the bumps, it’s a smoother ride.”
Drekmao walked over.
“If Magi Inyontoo weren’t so desperate to change the game,” he said, “some of us would have accomplished a lot more by now on level one-one. Just wait until you get to level one-four and beyond. The players have done a lot to shape this game.”
“We’re getting out before we get that far,” I said.
“Let’s go inside,” Drekmao said.
“Keep your eyes open,” I said in a low voice.
Drekmao turned and said, “Hurry up, I have a surprise for you.”
Sarah and I both looked at each other as the hobgoblin player motioned for us. Everyone followed him inside. We walked down a long hallway of polished stone.
The scent of incense hung heavy in the air. At the end of the hall, Drekmao stopped. He flung back a curtain, motioning us into an impressive throne room.
I walked past him and saw a pot-bellied man on a gold throne.
I stopped just inside the door, waiting for the others.
Emperor Harubi straightened up as we entered, a look of irritation on his face.
“Stay here a moment,” Drekmao said.
He walked past us to the throne.
“Everyone be ready,” I said, “for anything.”
