by Paul Bellow
“Put my head on the side with the brain interface,” I said.
“The what?” Josh asked then chuckled nervously.
“I need my head on that side,” I said, pointing.
He leaned over and put an arm under my useless legs, while I wrapped an arm around his shoulder as he lifted me with a grunt.
“You’re heavier than you look,” he commented.
I took a deep breath, hating having to rely on others.
“After you get in, there’s a button to start everything up,” I said. “We’ll meet up inside the game.”
“Are you sure this is safe?” Josh asked.
“It’ll be fine,” I said. “You aren’t scared, are you?”
“Not at all,” he replied. “I can beat you in your stupid game.”
“The game is cooperative, not competitive,” I explained.
“Huh?” Josh tilted his head to the left. “What do you mean?”
Sarah said, “We’ll be working together. I’m climbing in.”
“The hacks I made to the code should start us in the beginning of the game,” I said as I put on the cap with wires coming from it.
“Hacks?” Sarah asked from across the room. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. You have permission, right?”
“Kinda,” I said. “Don’t you trust my leet skills anymore?”
“Enough talk,” Josh snapped. “I’m hungry. Start the game.”
“You have the cap on your head?” I asked.
“I’m not stupid,” Josh said.
But you’re not exactly bright either, I thought.
“I’m starting the game,” I said. “See you guys on the inside.”
Anxious to finally experience the Tower of Gates, I pressed the button to my left. The glass case closed over me, then something pricked my left ass cheek.
Was that normal?
My heart beat faster as I heard the hiss of gas.
The temperature around me dropped.
Everything went black.
* * * * *
I opened my eyes and saw a notification window floating in the air a few feet in front of me. The bright orange letters dominated my vision.
Welcome to the Tower of Gates
** Unauthorized Access: Granted… **
I swung my head around, but I didn’t see the other two. A stone hallway curved to the left and right. Every few feet, I saw a metal frame embedded in the outer wall. The graphics in the game looked amazing, but I couldn’t get over the fact I had control of my entire body.
I glanced down, bending my legs at the knees.
This is so realistic.
Josh and Sarah appeared nearby as I did some quick squats, testing out my virtual legs.
Nice.
“Whoa,” Josh said, waving his arms. “This is cool. So trippy. I’ve never seen anything this detailed before.”
“The AI on the back end is more powerful than anything created before,” I said as if he would understand any of my words. “Takes a lot of quantum chips to run this place, but it’s why the sim looks so real.”
“Why are we in a tower?” Josh asked. “Is this the game? What do we do? And why do we look like we did in the real world?”
A bald man in orange robes with a long white beard appeared.
“Good questions, new player,” he said. “I’m the gamemaster. Records show your time of rehabilitation to be…Error. Not a valid incarceration time period.”
His head twitched a few times before he resumed smiling.
Sarah turned to me, not looking happy.
“Incarceration time? What’s that all about?” she asked.
I shrugged, playing it off like it wasn’t a big deal.
“Probably has to do with the hack I used to get us in here,” I said. “We shouldn’t worry about it.”
“I want to go,” Josh said. “This is freaking me out.”
“Just a little longer.” Sarah grabbed one of his thick arms. “Please?”
He sighed. “Okay. But you owe me.”
The gamemaster frowned.
“Such behavior is not good…Error. Not a valid prisoner number…”
“I’m not a number,” Josh yelled. “I’m a free man.”
“After creating your game personas,” the gamemaster continued as if nothing had happened. “You will work to clear level one-one. If you succeed, more freedoms and opportunities will be offered to you during your stay. Remember to use your time here to become better citizens. I’m watching.”
He waved his right hand in front of his face then disappeared. The subroutine I’d hacked to get in the game had seemed odd, but I’d pushed aside any worries because I wanted to play so badly.
“We might as well create our characters and play a few minutes,” I said. “He didn’t give us any indication of how to clear the first level, but it shouldn’t be hard.”
“I just want to see the actual gameworld,” Sarah said. “The graphics in here are kind of bland and boring.”
Josh shook his head and muttered something.
I highlighted the create character option on the heads-up display in front of me with merely a thought.
Please choose a race
Elf / Human / Gnome / Half-Orc / Hobgoblin
What an odd combination. Hobgoblins but no dwarves?
“Character creation seems simple enough,” I said, selecting human. “Are you getting the HUD, Sarah?”
“Yup,” she said. “I’m going with an elven mage build.”
“Surprise, surprise,” I said then chuckled, remembering old times.
“I still have no idea what you two are talking about,” Josh said. “What am I supposed to be doing?”
“Think about clicking the create character button,” Sarah said. “You’ll get some options, then just pick something. I want to see the first level. This tower is boring.”
“Should I be a gnome?” Josh asked.
“No,” I said. “Go with a human. It’s easiest, and we need a tank.”
Josh walked over, stopping inches away.
“What did you call me?” he asked.
“Settle down,” Sarah said, once again coming to my rescue. “We need a tank, a fighter, someone to do the heavy lifting.”
“Oh.” Josh chuckled. “That sounds like me. I’ll go with a half-orc.”
Idiot, I thought as I stared at the next prompt.
Please choose a Starting Class:
Mage / Cleric / Rogue / Warrior
“I’m going with a rogue build,” I said. “We can hire a healer if necessary.”
“Okay,” Sarah said. “But we’re only playing for a few minutes.”
I chose rogue with merely a thought.
Congratulations. Your character is ready.
Further customization will be available in the game.
Huh? That was quick. So much for advanced.
“What now?” Josh asked.
“Exploring,” I said. “We have to check out the first level at least. From what little I know, we go through one of these portals in the outer wall to enter a game world.”
“Only one of them is glowing,” Josh said.
He stepped toward the magical field of energy.
“Where’s Sarah?” I asked, noticing she’d gone.
“I don’t know,” Josh said.
“Sarah?” I yelled. “Where are you?”
A moment later, she walked into view from the opposite direction.
“There are twelve portals,” she said. “This is the only one glowing.”
“Looks like it’s from Stargate.” I stepped over to Josh. “Maybe that’s where they got the name. There’s writing on top.”
I looked up and read the words above the glowing gate.
“Grabisco Isles, 1240 Common Era, Level One-One,” I said.
“Must be the first level,” Sarah said. “I bet the others open once we clear it.”
“Only twelve levels?” I shook my head. “That’s not much of a game.�
��
“Screw all this talk,” Josh said. “I’m going in.”
“No—wait!” I yelled, too late to stop him.
He disappeared as he walked into the rippling energy field.
“See you on the other side,” Sarah said then stepped through herself.
Another game notification appeared.
** Unauthorized Access: Error… **
No valid prisoner number.
Your spawn position has been changed.
Oh well, I thought. One little mistake won’t kill us.
That whole never split the party thing is just a meme.
I stepped through, hoping to see them on the other side.
2
Elf Mage Spawns in Thyananore
SARAH
I appeared in a tidy bedroom with wooden floor and walls. Where are the other two? I wondered as I looked around. The gate I’d come through was gone. A notification popped up in the air.
New Quest: Join Your Party
You have a new quest. Travel to Fishguard on the Southern Coast to join a band of adventurers. You have four days to complete this quest. On completion, you will receive 1,000 xp.
That’s cool. Might as well enjoy a bit of gaming before Josh wants to go do something else. Everything seems so real in here.
Suddenly, I realized how much I missed gaming with Eric. We’d played hundreds of hours of War of Spellcraft back when we still hung out together.
Excited and nervous, I pulled up the game menu.
> Stats Spells
Level One
* Fish Slaying (1mp) - Slay fish in ten foot radius per mana spent. Can spend no more than current level
* Golden Bolts (2mp per bolt up to 4+ lvl of caster) - Golden bolts of energy shoot out of your palms doing 1 to 4 (1d4) points of damage each bolt.
* Glorified Cloaks of Bronze (2mp per armor adjustment up to 4+ lvl of caster) - Golden energy surrounds the target of the spell, improving their defense by 10%
* * *
TIP: As you gain levels, you will have access to more powerful spells. Some, like Fish Slaying, are prerequisites for higher level spells.
Fish slaying? I chuckled. This is looking to be an interesting game. What about skills?
> Stats Skills
* Spell Craft - Basic Level 4 of 10
* Create Magic Item - Basic Level 1 of 10
* Ride Horse - Basic Level 2 of 10
* Perception - Basic Level 1 of 10
* Sense Motive - Basic Level 1 of 10
* Weapon Craft (Elvish Longbow) Basic Level 5 of 10
* Languages: Elven, Common, Hobgoblin, Goblin
Not bad. How do I learn new skills or improve them?
Before I could open the help files, I heard a woman’s voice outside the door of the bedroom and a soft knock.
“Kali? Can I come in?”
The door swung open. A shapely woman wearing simple clothes stepped into the room. She smiled, exuding peace and joy.
“I have something for you,” she said.
They picked my name for me?
“Hello,” I said.
Would the game give me more information on her? I concentrated on her face, and another game window appeared.
[NPC] – Ellowynn Tracaryn
While over a hundred and fifty years old, Ellowynn, your aunt, still looks ravishing.
Some people enjoyed hacking and slashing monsters and leveling up, but I loved the role-playing aspect of games. To me, gaming was a social experience.
“What did you bring me?” I asked then smiled.
“A scroll,” Ellowynn said, lifting a parchment.
She looked real but not too perfect.
I reached up and took the rolled-up scroll.
“What’s the spell?” I asked.
“Something your mother wrote before she died,” she said solemnly.
I swallowed a lump in my throat, remembering my real world mother had died.
Did the game know? Coincidence? Probably.
“It’s a common Find Familiar spell,” Ellowynn said. “But it will help you on your journey through the forest. Don’t cast it right away.”
I stared down at the scroll in my left hand. A notification popped up.
New Magic Item – Scroll of Find Familiar
This scroll will allow you to find your familiar, a creature who will bond with you and level as you level up. Spell will attract creatures found in a hundred-mile radius of casting. You will attract a higher-level familiar depending on your level when you cast.
“Save it for something good,” she said. “You remember how Aunt Jazzy got stuck with a toad as a familiar. I still have a wart from that darn thing.”
I smiled, loving the attention to detail in the Non-Player Character.
“Thank you so much,” I said as I slipped it into the cloth sack hanging at my side. “Do you have any other advice for me?”
“Follow your heart, my dear,” she said, a tear running out of her left eye. “And never forget the power of love. It’ll get you far in this world.”
That and fireballs, I thought as I smiled.
“You’re right, aunty. Thanks again. I should be on my way.”
Ellowynn hugged me briefly before turning and scurrying out of the room. I glanced around one last time, taking in the details before walking out to an empty common area.
My aunt in the game stood next to a wooden counter on the far side of the room. She hummed as she chopped vegetables with a big knife.
I marveled at the realism of the game as I walked toward a sturdy, wooden door. The floorboards under my feet creaked with each step as if they’d been around a long time.
“Have fun and be safe,” Ellowynn said without turning around.
After opening the door, I stepped outside and onto a weathered yet friendly wooden porch. Several other houses a few hundred feet apart lined both sides of the dirt path.
Massive trees over a hundred feet tall loomed in the distance. I tilted my head back to take all of their glory in. A flashing yellow arrow appeared on the heads up display, pointing the way.
Should I follow it?
The ancient trees called to me. I felt more like an elf than ever before in my life, and I loved it.
I stepped toward the forest. A few feet away from the wooden house, the arrow disappeared. Was this an open world game?
The quest screen had given me my destination, so I confidently walked toward the giant trees. I reached a well-trodden dirt path leading into the densely packed woods. Birds and other creatures called out in their own languages.
This is amazing, I thought as I called up the game menu while walking.
Eric and I have to play without Josh around to slow us down.
I scrolled through the limited game options, not seeing a way to quit.
That’s odd. Maybe I need to play longer? Best to keep moving.
“Stop game,” I said, wondering if a voice command would work. “Quit game.”
A notification screen popped up.
You received an OOC penalty!
For talking Out of Character in-game, you will receive
-10% experience points next encounter.
You now have 5 minutes in-game to talk OOC without a penalty. If you talk OOC after 5 minutes, another penalty will be added.
“Finally,” I said. “A role-playing first kind of game.”
I smiled at the easy interface and realistic surroundings as it dragged me in deeper. Outside the forest, I opened the help file for OOC penalties.
OOC penalty
This only applies on some levels. Certain items will let you get around this penalty. Remember to let yourself get wrapped up in your surroundings. Learn from your experiences in the Tower of Gates and always work to improve yourself. The only one who can change you is you.
What kind of crazy game is this? Role-playing purists?
I started down the path and into the forest, not bothering to check my inventory. With each step
, my thoughts of Eric and Josh faded.
I scanned left and right, up and down, trying to take it all in. Strange, exotic smells hit my nose, changing with each step. The air grew cooler as I walked.
What will combat be like?
I also wondered if we were the only three players in the game. Solo adventures weren’t my thing. I enjoyed gaming with others.
The only NPC I’d met had been nice enough, but I wanted to find the others as quickly as possible. I could see myself becoming addicted.
A brown furry rodent scampered across the path, disappearing into the underbrush. I checked the rules on how to cast a spell.
Best to be ready, I told myself as I read the instructions for magic and spellcasting.
The HUD stayed balanced perfectly as I walked.
I heard a commotion to the left, somewhere off the path.
Monster? I stopped, struggling to find the source of the noise.
As a weak, low level mage, I slipped off the main path and hid behind a tree. The sound of snapping branches got closer. I took a deep breath, adrenaline rushing through my virtual body.
This game is so freaking cool, I thought as I waited for the noise.
Two short creatures stepped out with the word “[NPC] Brownie” above each of them. I thought the tag away as they stopped in middle of the road.
What kind of special brownies are these? I asked myself as I stared at the short, roughly dressed woodland creatures.
Their most distinguishing feature was the permanent smiles plastered on their oversized faces. I stifled a laugh.
Forest creatures should be friendly enough.
I stepped out from behind the tree.
“Everything okay?” I asked. “Why are you two arguing?”
Both brownies spun around and pulled out daggers.
“We should kill her,” the pudgier of the two said.
“Are you single?” his skinnier companion asked.