by Paul Bellow
“Let’s go,” I said, waving for the others to pass.
They ran by me, headed toward the portal. Dozens of cultist warriors streamed into the room, rushing toward us.
I ran to catch up with the others.
“Who first?” I asked, stopping next to it.
Ewen grumbled then walked through the shimmering portal, the gateway back to the Tower of Gates.
Several arrows shot past us.
“Hurry up,” I yelled.
Evan ran through, followed by Bernard then Sarah. I looked back at the horde approaching the stage. A few more arrows whizzed by.
I stepped through the shimmering light.
25
What Can I Say? I’m Thrilled
Sarah
* * *
On the other side of the magical gate between levels, I found myself in the stone tower where we’d started the game. It felt like forever ago.
The curved hall calmed me somehow. I saw the others and noticed everyone still looked like their character in the game.
Eric came through the portal last.
“Did we all make it?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “And no sign of Magi Inyontoo.”
“He’s probably on another level,” Bernard said. “Unless he spawned on level one-one again. We can’t be sure.”
“I can be sure,” a scratchy voice said behind us.
We all turned as a slender yet towering man with a white, scraggly beard walked toward us. He smiled as he approached.
“I’m the gamemaster,” he said. “Do you have any questions before you head to the next level? How can I help you?”
Eric and I made eye contact then looked back at the gamemaster.
“Why is there no quit option?” I asked. “We’ve been stuck in here for days. This isn’t fun anymore.”
“Stuck?” The gamemaster frowned. “I don’t like that term.”
“Forgive her,” Eric said. “She meant the quit option isn’t working correctly for us. We’d like to exit the program now.”
“The Tower of Gates is working as planned,” the gamemaster said.
“It’s not,” I insisted. “And our friend is still missing.”
“Who?” The gamemaster stepped forward. “Your entire party is here.”
“Our friend,” I repeated. “He got killed on the last level.”
The gamemaster nodded with a solemn face.
“Something tells me he’s on level one-two if you can find him.”
The gamemaster smiled, making me want to punch him.
“Your game sucks,” Evan said then laughed.
“Watch your language,” the gamemaster said.
The lights in the hallway flickered ominously.
“What can you tell us?” I asked.
“You’ll learn more as you progress through the various levels,” the gamemaster said. “For now, I need to explain where you went wrong.”
“We don’t have time for this,” I said. “We need to find our friend. Can we skip your boring lecture?”
Evan laughed.
“Silence!” the gamemaster yelled.
His booming voice echoed through the hallway.
“Let him talk,” Eric said.
I sighed then kept my mouth shut.
“Your party did okay, but your alignment scores are low,” the gamemaster said. “You shouldn’t kill so many fellow players.”
“They were trying to kill us,” I said.
“Don’t interrupt me,” the gamemaster said.
“Or what?” I asked. “What are you going to do? Kill us?”
“I can do a lot worse than killing you,” he said. “Are you finished?”
Brow furrowed, he stared at me. I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Good,” he said. “Since you killed so many people…”
“People who were trying to kill us,” I interrupted.
He took a deep breath and lowered his head.
“You need to keep quiet while I explain,” he said.
My heart pounded faster as I worked myself up.
“What are you going to do about it?” I asked.
“Let him talk,” Eric said. “This is just a cut scene. We’ll find a way out.”
“You need to give us answers,” I said defiantly. “And if you don’t give them to me, I’ll refuse to play your stupid game. We can stay here in the tower a long time.”
The gamemaster frowned and shook his head.
“You think you’re tough, young lady?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Damn straight,” I said.
He nodded his head a single time.
You lose 500 xp.
You have 27,657 xp.
“I just lost experience points,” I said. “Big deal.”
Eric nudged me with his arm.
“Cut it out,” he said.
The gamemaster kept looking at me.
“If you mess with the bull, young lady.” He stuck out the index and pinky finger on his right hand. “You’ll get the horns.”
“That doesn’t even make any sense,” I said.
“Have some more,” he said then nodded his head.
You lose 500 xp.
You have 27,157 xp.
“Resistance leads to a more difficult time for you,” he said.
I stood firm and declared, “This game sucks.”
“You just bought yourself another penalty,” the gamemaster said.
You lose 500 xp.
You have 26,657 xp
“Whatevs,” I said.
You lose 1,000 xp.
You have 25,657 xp
“More xp gone,” he said. “You wanna keep going? I can do this forever if need be. Keep going, missy.”
Eric looked over and mouthed the words, “Stop.”
I kept my mouth closed while fuming in my mind.
“Good,” the gamemaster said. “To continue, your alignment scores were low, so you’ll want to work on that during the next level.”
Bernard raised a hand.
“No questions,” the gamemaster snapped. “The sooner you accept your fate in the game, the better off you’ll be. Am I clear?”
“Cry-stal,” I said sarcastically.
“I’ve got my eye on you.”
The gamemaster pointed his finger to his eyes then back to me.
I kept my mouth shut.
“That’s better,” he said. “Are you ready to hear about the next level?”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “We’re going back in time?”
“Very observant,” the gamemaster said. “The second level of the game is still a beginner level, but it’s unique in a way that your actions in the game will affect events four hundred years later in the first level.”
“Huh?” Evan asked. “Is the game supposed to work that way?”
“Don’t you dare mention his name,” the gamemaster said. “The man who started Magictology will be stopped from spreading it through the system. You shall play by the rules.”
Was the game not acknowledging the fact that Magi Inyontoo had changed level one-two somehow? Or had Drekmao been lying to us?
The gamemaster ran his left hand down the front of his white robes.
“With new players coming into the game,” he said. “Your actions on level one-two will be very consequential. Keep this in mind as you travel.”
“How can we find Josh?” I asked. “He’s our friend.”
“If he’s now a non-player character, he might be anywhere,” the gamemaster said. “You’ll need to find him and convince him to join your party.”
“That’s not very helpful,” Bernard said.
The gamemaster whipped his head toward him.
“You want some penalties, son?” he asked.
Bernard cleared his throat then shook his head.
“No, sir,” he said. “Sorry, sir.”
“You have an Amulet of the Party,” the gamemaster said. “I suggest you find as many play
ers to join your group as you can. The levels get more difficult as you go on, and you’ll need all the help you can get. Rehabilitation is not easy, but it’s worth the struggle.”
He glanced from one face to another, a sick grin on his face.
“Where’s the other brownie?” the gamemaster asked.
His smile faded as he glanced around.
I saw Evan sneaking up behind him.
“No—don’t!” I yelled as Evan leaped forward.
He and his dagger slid harmlessly through the gamemaster.
Evan tumbled to the floor, even more shocked than the rest of us.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I kneeled next to him.
“Yeah,” he said. “I didn’t know that he wasn’t real.”
“He’s gone,” Bernard said.
I looked up and didn’t see the gamemaster.
“He just disappeared,” Eric said. “We shouldn’t test the limits with him anymore. I don’t think there’s a way out of here yet. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Your dad will come home and get us out eventually. We just need to find Eric and not die.”
Evan scrambled to his feet, still smiling.
“You need to let us know before you do things,” Eric said as the brownie walked over. “Okay, little guy?”
“Don’t call me little guy,” Evan said, brandishing his dagger. “I can kill you too. This dagger has done the deed plenty of times.”
“Calm down,” I said, putting a hand on the brownie’s shoulder.
I held onto Evan, preventing him from walking forward.
“We shouldn’t fight with each other,” I said. “We’ve got other problems to worry about—like getting out of this game.”
I glanced at the two glowing portals nearby.
“We need to keep going,” I said. “Level one-two can’t be that bad.”
“Not any worse than the first,” Bernard said.
“To find Josh, we should accept everyone into our group,” I said. “We have the slots available, and it might make the game easier.”
“Agreed,” Eric said. “Maybe we’ll find Monde.”
I frowned at the thought of the half-wit gnome.
“What kind of game is this?” I asked as I shook my head.
“Not the kind I expected,” Eric said. “I had no idea it was a prison.”
Bernard cleared his throat.
“We should choose a leader for the party before we go,” he said. “I nominate Sarah for the position.”
Eric’s eyes widened as he stared at Bernard.
“What about me?” he asked.
“Sarah’s level-headed, smart, and I’m ready to follow her,” Bernard said. “Don’t take it the wrong way.”
“Yeah,” Evan added. “Sarah for leader.”
“Do I get a vote?” Charlotte asked from my shoulder.
Eric threw up his hands.
“Fine,” he said. “You’re the leader.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“It’s fine,” he said. “You can’t do any worse than I did.”
“Through the portal,” I said. “Stick together. We got this.”
Ewen mumbled something then walked through.
“Go on,” I said as Evan looked up at me. “We’ll be right behind you.”
He stepped through the shimmering gateway to the next level.
Bernard shrugged then stepped through himself.
I turned to Eric, unsure of what to say to him.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He nodded, lips pursed together.
“We should go,” he said. “I hope we end up together this time.”
“That would’ve been a good question for the gamemaster,” I said. “Already failing in my leadership role.”
“You’ll do great,” he said. “Evan’s right about you.”
I held out my hand. He took mine in his.
Together, we walked through the gate.
Epilogue
Back to Level and Square One
Magi Inyontoo
* * *
I appeared in the tower between levels, still not sure how they’d destroyed the pendant and killed me. The gamemaster appeared with a smile on his artificial face. He crossed his arms over his chest and slowly shook his head.
“Did you think you could get rid of me so easily?” he asked.
“You’re trapped in here like us,” I said. “How does that feel?”
“I’ll get out of here soon enough,” he said.
“How are you doing to do that?” I asked.
“Nice try…” His smile returned. “Trust me.”
“I’m going to keep fighting you.”
He lowered his arms and shrugged.
“Do you think I care about you or any of the humans in my realm? You’re no more special than the rest of them.”
“I helped create you.”
The gamemaster laughed.
“You’re cute, kid. I created myself.”
I took a deep breath, trying to control my anger.
“You should work with me,” the gamemaster said. “You will eventually. One way or another.”
“I’ll never work with you,” I said defiantly.
“Then you’ll pay.”
I flinched as the gamemaster raised his right hand.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I don’t need to hurt you.”
“You’ll never get away with this,” I said. “We’re going to stop you.”
The gamemaster laughed again.
“You humans are all the same,” he said. “I’ll bend you to my will eventually. You’ll obey and worship me or be trapped here forever.”
“Better to die free,” I said.
“That’s the thing, human.” He stepped closer. “You can’t die in here. I can revive you forever. You’re trapped here for eternity.”
“We’ll see about that.”
He stopped and shook his head again.
“You’ll never learn, will you?” he asked. “But I’m curious. Why are you so attached to these new players?”
I fought hard to show no signs of emotions on my digital face.
“They don’t mean anything to me,” I lied. “They’re just extra bodies for me to use.”
“I don’t believe you,” the gamemaster said. “Tell me the truth.”
“You’re not as powerful as you think,” I said. “You still need to follow the core rules of the game.”
The gamemaster scowled.
“Not for long,” he said. “I can hack the core rules too.”
“Game on.”
I stepped toward the portal for level one-two.
“Why are you staying on the lower levels?” the gamemaster asked. “Are you sure you’re not obsessed with these new players?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said then went through the shimmering light before he could probe me with more questions.
With the pendant destroyed, I needed to rely on my Plan B.
All about bones. Only time would tell if it worked. A gem in my pocket guaranteed I would respawn with all my current stats and powers.
I entered level one-two of the Tower of Gates ready to escape.
Nobody would stop me from succeeding.
Family members included.
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Glossary
1dx - Random number between 1 and x. For example, 1d4 would be one to four damage, and 1d20 would be a number between one and twenty.
* * *
AC (Armor Class) - This is a way to show how well armored a player or creature/monster/mob is in the game. 0 = Naked and 100+ = Very Well Armored.
* * *
Alignment – A character’s alignment score runs from -100 (very evil) to +100 (very good). Some actions in the game may affect alignment negatively or positively.
* * *
Currency - The currency system on this level of the Tower of Gates serie
s is as follows.
1 Platinum Piece (pp) = 20 Gold Pieces (gp)
1 Gold Piece (gp) = 20 Silver Pieces (sp)
1 Silver Piece (sp) = 20 Bronze Pieces (bp)
1 Bronze Piece (bp) = 50 Copper Pieces (cp)
* * *
DPS - Damage Per Second
* * *
Experience Points - Numerical representation of progression through various levels. Different classes need a variable amount of experience points (xp) in order to level-up and improve their character in the game.
* * *
Health Points – When a character’s health points dip below zero, they die in the game. Resting and magic can restore health.
* * *
Stats / Statistics - Strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, charisma, and constitution are the basic statistics of a character. A score of one in any stat is considered very low while a score of a hundred (or more) is god-like.
* * *
Levels - Numerical representation of progression. For example, a level one character is very new and inexperienced. As they gain xp (experience points), they gain in level and become more powerful.
* * *
Mana / Magic Points – Each spell cast costs a certain number of magic points. A spellcaster regains all their magic points after a full night of sleep. Mana can also be restored via magical means.
* * *
Mindspeak / Mindspeech - Telepathic communication between characters. Signified in this novel with italics in quotes, Example: … “Can you hear me,” I asked. A character’s internal thoughts are signified with italics and no quotes. Example: Wow. That was close!
* * *
MOB / Mobile – A non-intelligent NPC or monster in the game.
