by Paul Bellow
“He deserves to die,” Rizzo said. “He betrayed us.”
“And you killed Thero!” Harvey yelled in anguish.
“Kill him!” Captain Riggardo ordered.
Rizzo raised his hands and cast a spell. Lava discs shot out and raced through the air toward me. I weakly dodged to the left, but they honed in on me like missiles.
[PC] Rizzo’s Flaming Discs of Lava DECIMATE you for 32 damage.
You have [19/103] health remaining.
I caught fire as they hit, so I dropped to the ground and rolled around to put out the flames. When I stopped, I laid on my back, looking up at the bright blue sky.
Now’s not a good time to die, but I’ve got nothing left.
I waited for death, but it didn’t come.
A magnificent red dragon soared into view. It spat fire on Captain Riggardo and the others. They screamed then ran inside the city gates. I sat up, wondering what was going on.
Combat is Over!
You get 5,000 xp
You have 12,000 xp
Level Up!
Welcome to level 5 barbarian!
Bells rung in the distance as I struggled to keep my eyes open. The dragon landed near our impromptu camp outside the city. I saw four people climb down the noble beast’s back. I struggled to hold my sword up, but I was prepared to fight to the death.
While the others got off the dragon, I glanced over at the city gates and saw Monky, still frozen. She wouldn’t have been able to help me anyway.
I turned my attention back to the four strange figures walking toward me and muttered, “What now?”
10
Trapping the Dwarves
Josh
“I don’t want any trouble,” I said as the four mysterious figures approached.
A man in white robes with frizzy red hair bounded forward, hand out.
“We don’t want trouble either,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”
I hesitantly lowered my sword and shook his hand. Another man in green robes stopped a few feet away.
“The dragon would’ve killed you if we wanted you dead,” he said.
All four of the men had a different colored robe on.
“My name’s Ferris,” the man in green said. “You’ve met Thom already.”
“I’m Sherlock,” said the man in yellow robes with a white beard.
“There’s too many of you,” I said then nodded my head at the fourth man. “What about him? Doesn’t he have a name?”
“Aaron doesn’t talk much,” Thom said, seemingly the giddiest of the bunch.
“We’re here for Monky,” Ferris said. “We’re the Four Wizards.”
I turned to look at my still frozen friend near the entrance of the city.
“Shouldn’t we get her and leave?” I asked. “The others might come out.”
“I hope they do,” the dragon said then shot flames into the air.
The Four Wizards laughed then motioned for me to follow. When we reached Monky, Ferris waved his hands in front of her and dispelled the magic.
“Thank you,” she said then threw her arms around the wizard. “I didn’t think you’d come.”
“We’re always here for you,” Sherlock said while stroking his white beard.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” I said.
She smiled. Did the Four Wizards know all her secrets? Or should I keep my mouth shut?
“It’s good to see you four,” she said. “Any news?”
Ferris frowned then turned away from her.
“Not good news,” Thom said.
Sherlock raised his left hand and said, “We should go. They could overpower us.”
“Never,” Thom said, his red hair bouncing.
“I can’t go with you,” Monky said. “I’m staying here.”
“What?” I turned to her. “Why?”
“You know,” she said, widening her eyes.
“Oh…” I said, nodding. “Yeah, you need to stay here.”
“Everything okay?” Ferris asked.
He turned from her to me and peered deep into my eyes.
“I’ll be fine,” Monky said. “There’s some things I need to finish here.”
“Okay,” Ferris said. “You know how to get in touch with us.”
“Four Wizards to the rescue!” Thom shouted then pointed to the sky. “Yeah!”
“Calm down,” Sherlock scolded.
I saw Aaron looking toward the city gate.
“The gate’s opening,” I said. “Are you sure you’ll be okay, Monky? I can stay here with you.”
“No,” she said. “I’ll tell them you captured me. They’re dumb enough to believe it.”
I nodded, still not convinced.
“What if I want to stay?” I said.
She frowned then glanced over her shoulder at me.
“You can’t after what happened,” she said. “I trust these four with my life. They’ll watch out for you. I’ve known them for many years.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding.
“Let’s go,” Ferris said. “They might have dragonbane.”
I followed the four wizards over to the dragon. After climbing onto its back, I grabbed onto two thick, red scales before turning back to the gates.
Monky walked toward a group of soldiers with her hands up.
Her psionicist powers might get her out of it. I hope they do.
The dragon leaped upward.
I clung to the back of the dragon, excited and terrified at the same time. Thom screamed like it was a roller coaster, raising a fist into the air as we climbed toward the clouds.
Once we leveled off, I leaned over and peered down. Everything on the ground got smaller as we continued rising. The dragon headed west toward the setting sun.
I leaned forward to shout in Thom’s ear, “Where are we going?”
“Mines of Oriam,” he shouted over his shoulder.
I nodded, having no idea what he was talking about.
Would they take me to see Eric and Sarah? They all seemed harmless, but could I trust them?
As the ride progressed, I relaxed.
Peering over the side again, I saw fields below us. We passed a fort of some sort before approaching a mountain range. I stared in awe at their snowcapped majesty.
The Tower of Gates was an evil virtual prison, but the graphics looked so real. I began to wonder if all the theories about real life being just a simulation might be true. Maybe the entire universe was a grand simulation? I pushed the overwhelming thought out of my mind.
After flying over the tallest peak, the dragon dropped as we approached the foothills on the western side. I spotted an immense cave entrance in the distance.
“Land as close as you can, Wiley,” Ferris shouted from the front.
The dragon landed perfectly if not a bit clumsily. I flew forward, crashing into Thom. The red-haired mad wizard laughed heartily, not caring in the least.
As we dismounted, the dragon transformed into a human. Ferris rushed over to the naked man, holding out a dark crimson robe.
“Thank you,” the dragon-man said.
“What are we doing here?” I asked, glancing around.
A giant stepped out of the cave and lumbered toward us.
“Greetings,” it said in a booming voice.
“It’s us, Herb,” Ferris said. “We’re just passing through.”
“Fine with me,” the giant said in a friendly tone.
“Wait, don’t we need to fight this thing?” I asked.
“Hey,” the giant, frowning and clearly offended, “I can hear you, you know.”
“That’s not a thing, silly,” Thom said. “It’s Herb the stone giant.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, nodding my head. “And this dragon-man?”
“I’m simply a dragon in human form. My name is Wiley.”
“How’s the dwarf trap coming along?” Sherlock asked.
Dwarf trap? What have I gotten myself into? Are they helping Magi Inyontoo as well?
; “Good so far,” Herb said. “A group of them ran into the roguelike.”
“No way,” Aaron said, finally speaking.
The stone giant nodded and said, “We haven’t seen them come back out yet.”
“That roguelike is as glitchy as the rest of the game,” Ferris said.
All four wizards nodded in agreement.
Thom turned to me and said, “You’re welcome to go off on your own.”
“But it’s not recommended,” Sherlock added.
“I’ll come with you guys,” I said. “Might as well.”
While I wanted to ask about Eric and Sarah, I held off. Thanks to Monky, I knew secrets could be powerful in the Tower of Gates. Until I found the other two, I needed to be careful.
The wizards walked toward the entrance of the cave with me close behind. As we walked deeper into the mountain, the architecture took on an epic scale.
I wondered how long we’d have to walk, but I didn’t complain.
Not out loud, anyway.
* * * * *
Hours later, we reached the edge of a tremendous pit. I saw a wooden platform floating near the edge. The four wizards walked over and stepped on it.
“Come on,” Thom said cheerfully. “It’s totally safe.”
He jumped up and down. The platform didn’t budge.
“I’m coming,” I said then stepped toward them.
The platform lowered a few inches.
“Better hurry,” Thom teased.
I sighed then jumped from the ledge onto the wooden platform. Even with the other five of them on board, we had quite a bit of room to move around.
As we descended into the pit, I peered over the edge, unable to make out much in the darkness. Someone walked up and slapped me hard on the back.
“Whoa!” I cried, struggling to balance myself.
“Careful, big guy,” Sherlock said. “We wouldn’t want you to fall.”
I turned and saw Thom a few inches away from me. He smiled.
“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t resist. We would’ve saved you anyway.”
I nodded and said, “Not a problem. Who are you guys?”
“The Four Wizards,” Ferris said. “Don’t you listen?”
“I meant why did you show up just in time to save us?”
“Oh, we weren’t there to save you,” Sherlock said then chuckled. “We came to save who you call Monky. You got lucky, that’s all.”
“Why do you say ‘the person I call Monky’?” I asked. “What’s her real name?”
Ferris frowned and shook his head. “That’s not polite to ask,” he said. “On any level.”
“Sorry,” I said, lifting my hands defensively. “My bad.”
“It would be wise to keep your mouth shut and observe,” Ferris said.
“Yeah,” Sherlock added. “We’ve got plans for you.”
“Big plans,” Thom shouted then clapped his hands.
“Settle down,” Sherlock scolded.
I kept my mouth shut the rest of the ride down. We finally reached the bottom of the pit. I stepped off the wooden platform then glanced back up.
Ferris turned to me and said, “Smash it. And hurry up.”
“Huh?” I asked.
“We need to break the platform,” he said. “Make yourself useful.”
I turned to look at the thick wood hovering a few inches off the ground. Without a second thought, I drew my sword and hacked at the wood.
The blade ricocheted off, causing all four wizards to laugh. Aaron, the supposedly quiet one, kept going long after the others stopped laughing.
I attacked a few more times with the same results. Each failed attempt brought me closer to slipping into a barbarian rage. I stopped hitting it.
“Nice try,” Thom said, sending Aaron into another laughing fit.
“You guys are ticking me off,” I said.
Wiley, still in human form, stepped forward.
“Be calm,” he said then raised his hands.
Flames shot out, burning the floating platform.
“None of this makes sense,” I complained.
“Don’t hurt your small brain trying to figure it out,” Sherlock said.
Ferris walked toward a tunnel on the other side of the pit and called, “Move it! We’ve got work to do.”
I sighed then followed the other five out of the pit. The tunnel widened then narrowed before widening again. At the end, I saw a glowing portal.
“We’re here,” Ferris announced.
A door in the wall opened, and a man stepped out. Dressed in black robes, he looked like he hadn’t bathed or slept in days or even weeks.
“You’re early,” he said. “Or late. I always forget about time down here.”
“Is everything ready?” Ferris asked.
“Yeah,” the stranger said. “Leave it to me.”
“Good,” Sherlock said. “We’re depending on you.”
I glanced over at the portal, wondering if I should make a run for it.
“Let’s go,” Ferris said. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
I followed as the four wizards and a human Wiley walked toward the portal. They walked through one after the other until only the dragon was left.
“Go on,” he said. “Don’t try anything stupid.”
I sighed then walked through the shimmering magical field. On the other side, I found myself in the strange hallway with all the portals from the beginning of the game.
And the time I had died. I saw the gamemaster standing nearby, but the four wizards ignored him and walked toward the next portal. I begrudgingly followed them.
“Don’t go with them,” the gamemaster said. “It’s not allowed. You’ll be punished if you disregard your one-year penalty.”
Thom chuckled at the hologram’s threats.
“Maybe we should listen to him,” I said.
“Keep moving,” Ferris said.
The others stepped through the portal for level one-three. I glanced back at the gamemaster, saw his expression, then went through the shimmering magic.
On the other side, we materialized in a room with a table and single chair. A man sitting down looked up, seemingly not surprised we’d come out of nowhere.
“State your name and reason for visiting level one-three,” he said.
“Magictology rules,” Thom said then pumped his fist.
Wait... Are they working with Magi Inyontoo?
“Oh, it’s you guys,” the man in the chair said. “Go on.”
He motioned behind him with a nod of his head. Ferris walked past him and through an open doorway. I followed the others. We went down a hallway then left the building. Outside, I stopped and glanced around.
Dozens of people walked back and forth down the street. Buildings of various sizes stretched as far as I could see in both directions. I saw glimpses of a grey wall in the distance.
“Where are we?” I asked. “Are you guys working with Magi Inyontoo?”
Sherlock grinned then said, “Maybe he’s not as dumb as we thought, guys.”
“It’s a long and complicated story,” Ferris said. “We’ll explain later.”
“No,” I said. “You’ll explain now or I’m going my own way.”
Thom hooted with laughter at my response.
“Breach of the southern wall!” a man shouted as he ran by.
“We should help,” Ferris said then turned to me. “If you don’t want to die, come with us.”
The Four Wizards ran in the opposite direction of most of the people fleeing. I took a deep breath, wondering what to do. Monky had told me to trust them, but had she known they were working for Magi Inyontoo? I took off after them, running to catch up.
I caught up to them at the southern city wall. They climbed a set of stairs leading to the top of the thick wall surrounding the city. I climbed up and looked outside the walls.
Thousands of short, green zombies covered every spot on the ground all the way up to the wall. I backed up
and drew my sword as they climbed on top of each other to get up.
Ferris pulled a blackened wand out of his belt. After pointing it over the edge of the wall, an energy field shot out, pushing the zombie horde backward.
“That should hold them for a while,” he said. “We need to go.”
He climbed down another set of stairs leading to the inside of the wall. I followed.
“Where to now?” I asked, wondering if we would ever stop. “Where are we?”
“The city of Talbot,” Sherlock said. “We’re going to see another friend with a problem.”
Somehow, his yellow robes fit his personality.
“Wiley, if you would…” Ferris said.
In the courtyard, the dragon transformed from man to mythical beast in a flash. After we climbed onto his back, he leaped into the air. I saw a forest to the north as we rose to a higher altitude. The dragon flew south toward a familiar mountain range.
I wondered if all the levels looked the same in the game. None of it really made sense to me, but I found the game sinking its claws deeper into my mind all the time.
Would we ever find our way out? Even the spectacular scenery and thrill of riding a dragon couldn’t lift my mood. I vowed to find Sarah no matter what happened.
11
A Lich and a Rogue
Josh
Even using the mountains as a landmark, I had no idea where we landed. A dilapidated manor long since abandoned sat nearby. Dead bushes and trees with no leaves littered the land around the structure.
“Wiley, keep us safe,” Ferris said.
The dragon spread his wings then flew into the sky. I saw a man with rotten flesh hanging off his body stumble out of the manor. He shambled toward us as if he had a broken leg.
“Monster!” I yelled, drawing my sword.
“Calm down,” Sherlock said.
Thom laughed as he pointed at me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “We should kill it before it kills us.”
Sherlock raised a finger.
“First of all,” he said. “It’s undead. Secondly, it’s not going to kill us.”
“Put your sword away,” Ferris hissed. “You’re the rudest player I’ve ever come across.”