by Paul Bellow
You have 700 xp
You need 600 xp for level two Warrior.
Too many numbers, I thought as I glanced at all the death and destruction we’d caused.
Jokan reached down and picked up a severed arm. With a gleam in his eyes, he took a big, bloody bite.
“Why aren’t you eating?” he asked, still chewing.
Bits of man-flesh ran down his cheek.
“Put the arm down,” I said. “That’s not right.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Jokan said.
He continued chewing.
“Put it down,” I said, stepping toward him.
“Or what?” he asked. “You’re a weak half-human, not even a half-orc.”
“Take that back,” I said.
He dropped the arm and drew his sword.
“What are you going to do about it?” He shook his head. “You’re as dumb as everyone says. Don’t you think I know what you did to father? I brought you out here to kill you.”
I stopped, still gripping my bloody club.
“What about it?” I asked. “He was bothering me.”
Jokan threw his head back and roared with laughter.
“You’re something else,” he said. “I’m going to relish killing you and avenging Father.”
He screamed and ran forward with his sword raised. I stood in place, winding up.
When he made it within range, I swung the club, hitting him solidly on the arm.
Your blow HITS Jokan the orc for 8 damage.
Jokan caught himself before falling.
“Not bad,” he said. “But you know I’m stronger.”
He yelled and thrust his sword at me.
Jokan’s pierce HITS you for 6 damage
You have [10/18] health remaining.
That hurt. I can’t let this beast kill me before I find Sarah.
I stepped back, holding my club up in a defensive position.
Jokan screamed then wildly swung his steel blade again.
Jokan’s slash SCRATCHES you for 2 damage.
You have [8/18] health remaining.
How can I win this? I wondered.
A notification popped up.
Tip: Barbarian rage will help you clean up your enemies quickly. At level one, you get one extra attack per round with a +50% damage modifier. Be careful so you don’t attack friendly party members!
* * *
Gamemaster: You seem to be having trouble. Would you like to engage barbarian rage (level one)?
“Yes,” I shouted, seriously getting more upset at the game.
Pure, unadulterated rage raced through me, blurring my vision.
I dropped my club and rushed forward. Jokan swung his sharp sword.
Jokan’s slash GRAZES you for 4 damage.
You have [4/18] health remaining.
I crashed into my orc brother, not even caring about my wounds. He screamed as I pulled back my fist and pummeled him.
Your punch INJURES Jokan the orc for 12 damage.
I screamed as Jokan stumbled backward, almost losing his balance. My other fist whipped upward, hitting him square in the jaw.
Critical Hit!
Your uppercut WOUNDS Jokan the orc for 14 damage.
Jokan the orc is dead!
Combat is Over!
You get 300 xp!
You have 1,000 xp
You need 300 xp for level two warrior.
Jokan fell to the ground and didn’t get up. I glanced around, still pumped up from the battle and the barbarian rage. As it wore off over the next few minutes, I hurt more.
Am I about to die? How do I heal up in this stupid game?
Questions multiplied in my mind.
I need to find Sarah. That’s my first and only priority right now.
What kind of sick, twisted game had Eric gotten us into?
And why was I enjoying it so much?
I saw a chest sitting in a wagon. Before walking over, I picked up Jokan’s sword.
New Item – Orcish Short Sword
This crude blade isn’t pretty or even well made, but it does its job without complaint. Deals 1 to 8 (1d8) damage plus strength damage modifier.
I’ll keep the club as a backup, I thought.
Games had never interested me, but this was on another level. The realism factor had been turned up by a hundred at least.
Holding the sword, I walked over for a closer look at the chest in the wagon. While I didn’t cared at first, I didn’t want to die in the game and seem like a loser to Sarah.
I climbed into the back of the wagon and kneeled next to the chest. After opening it, I saw several glass bottles sitting in the bottom. I picked up a green glowing one.
A desire to drink the contents overwhelmed me as my mouth went dry.
I uncorked the bottle and raised it to my lips.
Here goes nothing, I thought as I tilted it and drank the contents.
You Feel better!
You have [12/18] health remaining.
Now we’re talking.
After opening the other two chests and finding nothing, I sighed.
What am I doing? I need to go find Sarah. This game is so weird.
I climbed out of the wagon. The sun had begun its descent in the western sky. Tall trees in the distance beckoned. Somehow, I instinctively knew the way to Fishguard.
When I find Eric, I plan on giving him a piece of my mind. I walked over to my horse which surprisingly hadn’t bolted during the short but lethal battle with Jokan.
I smiled as I climbed atop my horse. My girlfriend might be a nerd deep down, but there’s no way she would get back with Eric when she could be with me instead.
As I rode, the sun began its slow descent on the horizon. A few miles down the road, I saw a large cloud of dust in the distance.
“What now?” I muttered to myself.
Another caravan approached.
Eric and Sarah? I wondered.
I waited, ready for anything.
4
Human Rogue Spawns in Harrisburg
ERIC
I materialized in a cozy bedroom for one.
When Sarah and Josh didn’t show up, I resigned myself to making the best of the situation. The careful attention to detail stunned me as I looked around.
Had the game scanned my brain to customize the game for me?
When a notification for a “Join Your Party in Fishguard” quest popped up, I accepted it without hesitation. Time to find the others.
Maybe I’ll be able to level up before I reach the city and find Sarah and Josh.
The challenge would be fun. Hopefully they weren’t mad.
I’d spent a lot of time in game-worlds over the years, but I’d never experienced anything like Tower of Gates.
Time to check stats
>> Stats
Name: Drexmao (“Drex”)
Race: Human (Special)
Class: Rogue
Level: 1
Experience Points: 0 (2300 for next level)
Alignment: +85 (Quite Good)
Health: 12(12)
Strength: 75 (+10% To Hit in Melee and +2 to damage)
Dexterity: 75 (+10 to Armor Class)
Constitution: 75 (+10% CON saves.)
Intelligence: 75 (+10% INT saves)
Wisdom: 55 (+0%)
Charisma: 44 (+0%)
Special human? Wazzat?
The more I used the heads up display, the easier it became to control it with my mind. Stats are a bit odd, I might as well check my inventory.
> Inventory
* 24 gp
* Lamellar (Hobgoblin) Armor – Armor Class +20
* Broadsword – 1d8 damage + strength modifier (+2)
* * *
TIP: Higher Armor Class equals more protection.
Magic hobgoblin armor?
I examined it more closely.
> Examine Armor
Magic Item – Ancestral Lamellar armor (+5)
You have hobgoblin
in your bloodline. This ancient armor still works and will protect you as you venture forth from the life you’ve always known. This specially crafted armor is light enough for a ROGUE yet strong enough to defend you against the fiercest attacks. It’s of hobgoblin design, so you’ve never worn it before deciding to leave town. You plan to wear it proudly on your way to Fishguard.
* * *
Armor Class: +20
Magic Ability: -5% modifier on attack rolls from enemy.
Your current Armor Class is +30 with armor and bonuses.
You are well armored.
What an odd character. This game is amazing. Skills are next.
> Stats skills
* * *
* Black Market Connections – Basic Level 1 of 10
* Monster Lore – Basic Level 1 of 10
* Weapon Craft – Blades - Basic Level 3 of 10
* Stealth - Basic Level 1 of 10
* Create Item - Basic Level 1 of 10
* Identify Item – Basic Level 5 of 10
* Language: Human, Common
* Sense Motive – Basic Level 5 of 10
I wonder if I’ll get skill points to improve them. No telling.
While I couldn’t unlock the character class trees and multiclassing wasn’t available, I could work with a strong rogue build. We weren’t going to be playing a full game anyway.
The thought saddened me. I missed all the good times Sarah and I had shared.
The bedroom door burst open. A young man rushed in with terror in his eyes. He rushed over and threw his arms around me, squeezing tight.
“Are you really leaving?” he asked then cautiously looked up.
Who is this? I wondered.
The game filled me in seamlessly.
[NPC] – Jak
While you’re not related to Jak, you’ve always treated the younger man as a true brother. He looks up to you.
I pushed him away and grabbed both his shoulders.
“You’ll be fine,” I said. “You’re the man of the house when I’m gone.”
“But our father...”
He turned and sobbed.
“Don’t cry,” I said to console him.
Would I get experience points for role-playing?
“I want to go with you,” the teenager said.
“You can’t go,” I said, not wanting him tagging along.
He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.
This is too much role-playing for me.
I walked toward the open door.
“Be brave,” I said as I left. “Maybe I’ll return someday.”
Role-playing was cool, but I needed to find Sarah and Josh. Having an NPC tagging along would only slow me down. As I walked out of the house and into a muddy, puddle-strewn street, I once again marveled at my body in the game.
This is so freaking cool.
I loved my naturally moving legs.
Why had my father tried to keep out of the Tower of Gates?
I glanced to the left then right before noticing a small yellow arrow in my field of vision.
First level help. Not too shabby.
After I stepped in the direction it indicated, the yellow arrow disappeared.
So much for that.
I kept walking. Heading toward the edge of the town, I thought about the time dilation aspect of the game, and it scared me.
I hadn’t been able to figure out the exact equation before finishing my hack into the game. Would it matter?
My early research showed varying time dilation for some reason. They intentionally kept it variable for players.
The closer I got to the edge of the town, the harder it became to think about anything except for the reality around me.
I’d played VR games before, but nothing compared to the level of detail in Tower of Gates. This is incredible. Puffy, white clouds lazily drifted across a perfectly blue sky above me.
The weather, while warm, wasn’t too hot.
This might be one of the best first levels ever, I thought.
A few people whispered and pointed as I walked by.
I kept going as I reached the edge of the town.
How long would it take me to get to Fishguard? A day? Longer?
Hopefully, Sarah wouldn’t be too pissed. I smiled as I followed a dirt road leading out of town, fields on either side. Every step felt like a miracle after so many years in a clunky exoskeleton with rudimentary mind-to-metal tech.
I relished every footstep.
Might as well have some fun while I’m in the game, I reasoned.
Could I level up once or twice?
The immensity of the open world hit me as I continued. Over the years, wagons had dug two shallow ruts in the dirt.
Should I go back to town and find a ride? Would someone give me a ride?
As usual, I had more questions than answers.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement in the field to my left. Rabbits hopped back and forth, occasionally stopping to nibble on grass.
I used my monster lore skill to check their level. The two I saw were simple rabbits.
No vorpal bunnies here, I guess. But easy xp for the taking.
Your Monster Lore Skill increases!
It is now Basic Skill Level 2 of 10!
* * *
TIP: SKILLS - As you practice skills in your everyday life, you will become better at them. The rate at which you advance depends on the difficulty of the task you’re doing and how many times you practice.
The game is giving me a lot of tips. Does it think I need them?
Instead of finding a ride to Fishguard, I entered the field to kill some rabbits and get some experience points.Time to grind.
Over the years, a desire for in game xp had overtaken most of my other goals and responsibilities in life. I loved leveling.
I stopped in the field and pulled my sword.
The hilt felt good in my hand. I admired the workmanship of the steel blade. The thought of using it to kill a rabbit made me laugh, but building up slowly was how it worked in other games.
A bunny wandered near me. I charged and swung, missing completely.
Killing rabbits in armor with a sword wasn’t going to be easy.
Unwilling to give up, I went after another. The next three all hopped away.
I stopped, winded from the effort.
As I caught my breath, I noticed a man in cart on the road heading to the town I’d just left. Maybe he would help?
I jogged over to the road to intercept him.
He lifted his head and eyed me carefully as we approached each other.
Should I kill them both? Might be easier than chasing rabbit.
A notification popped up.
TIP: ALIGNMENT - Killing this commoner would be considered an evil act and would lower your alignment by ten (10) points.
I sheathed my sword, not wanting to go dark.
How evil could you be in the game?
> Stats Alignment
Your Current Alignment is +85 (Quite Good)
What does quite good really mean? Is there an alignment range?
> Help Alignment
Alignment ranges from -100 (super-evil) to +100 (super-nice). Acts in the game will be reflected on your alignment score. When this number changes, you will receive a game notification on your heads up display. Your alignment score is very important in the Tower of Gates game.
I stopped at the edge of the road and raised a hand.
“Well met, traveler,” I said.
The man with long greasy hair stopped.
“Please don’t kill me,” he said. “I love the goblins and humans both.”
“No, no,” I said. “You misunderstand. I need a lift into town.”
His eyes narrowed as he looked me over.
“You’re not going to kill me?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “Why would I kill you?”
I sensed someone behind me and turned. A young boy in tattered clothes approache
d through the field.
“That your boy?” the man in the cart asked. “Are you trying to bamboozle me?”
“No,” I said, not taking my eyes off the boy.
He stopped about ten feet away, looking severely malnourished.
“I have to go,” the man in the cart said. “But here’s something for not killing me.”
As I turned, I saw black shirt flying toward me. I reached out and grabbed it as the cart pulled away.
New Item – Black Shirt (+1 Laundry Skill)
This black shirt will help you hide stains if you don’t have a chance to do laundry.
Gain new general skill: Laundry at level 1.
* * *
New Skill – General - Laundry
You know how do laundry if the occasion ever arises.
With more practice, you can improve your skill.
* * *
Basic Skill level: 1 of 10
* * *
Tip: At Basic Skill Level 10, you can specialize the skill and further improve on it.
A black shirt of +1 laundry skill? I snickered. One of the game’s designers had a sense of humor.
“Can you help me, mister knight?” the skinny boy asked.
I turned back to him, still clutching the black shirt.
“Maybe,” I said. “What’s your problem?”
The boy glanced up with eyes wide open.
“Rats,” he said. “Stupid rats in the barn. My father wanted me to ask if you could kill them for us. We can’t pay you much. I think there’s ten of them.”
That’s very specific, I thought as I glanced past the boy.
A farmer stood on the other side of the field, watching us.
“The rats ate my cat,” the boy said.