by Paul Bellow
“No sir,” he said. “Thanks again. I owe you everything.”
I didn’t bring up the fact that I’d never delivered on my promises…he doesn’t need to know that.
“Take enough men to get the body,” I said. “Kill anyone who tries to stop you. Extra gold if you kill the newcomers, but Captain Riggard’s body is most important. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” he said. “You can count on me.”
I waved him away then watched as he returned to the growing group of men.
So many people were counting on me to save them from the game I’d helped create—the monster I’d unleashed.
“Let’s go,” a lieutenant yelled.
As the band of men on horses and war wagons left the courtyard, I teleported outside of the Chong Monastery. When I arrived, I saw the bodies of twenty three low and mid level characters morbidly stacked atop each other.
Eddie, a dogma with the body of a little person and the head of a terrier, walked up.
He mumbled as he neared.
“Shouldn’t you be working on a way out of here?” he asked.
I stared straight ahead, not wanting to argue with him.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said.
“The bodies stink,” he yipped. “I’m sick of all of this…”
“We all hate it,” I said, still not looking at him. “But the vision from the pendant showed me that piling up enough dead players creates a dead zone the AI can’t reach. We’ve gone over this before. If you want out, you need to follow my every command.”
“You’re nuts,” Eddie said bluntly.
I took a deep breath.
Heavy hangs the crown.
“Get back to work,” I said. “Let me worry about the big stuff.”
The miserable mutt-man snorted but retreated.
I stared at the bodies another few moments.
Am I insane trusting the magic item I created?
Can I trust anything in the game?
I turned and went into the monastery. Dogmas scurried around as I entered the main chapel. I walked towards the stage, continuing past it to stairs leading up. The AI knew about all of my hiding spots.
With the help of the visions brought on by wearing the pendant, I’d finally found a way to create an area the AI couldn’t reach. A few more bodies of high level characters, and I would have enough power to permanently bar the AI from the Tower of Gates between worlds.
The realm in between the levels of the game was the key to getting out—I was so sure of it. I sat down at my desk and leaned back. Then, I activated the pendant and closed my eyes.
A world within the game world opened before me. I may not be able to interact, but I could watch. The scene looked the same as it had many times before. My mound of dead players confused the AI considerably.
With a few more bodies, I’d be able to keep the AI out permanently.
That’s all I needed to get us out of the game—more time alone.
I opened my eyes and took a deep breath.
After so many years, the game felt so real. Forgetting the real world would be so easy, but so many people were depending on me, both in and outside of the game—the virtual prison I’d once believed in.
Josh the half-orc newbie had been easily manipulated, but I worried about the other new players. I needed to talk to them without the AI hearing the conversation—which wasn't easy.
I stared at the hundreds of books I’d collected over the years. The game had become so complicated as the gamemaster AI adapted to everyone trapped inside the system.
As I dreamed about escape, Eddie strode into the room, stopping a few feet in front of me. He looked up with his short, sharp teeth bared.
“What now?” I asked as I stared down at him.
In the real world, he’d been convicted of a white collar crime. Someone tricked his family into hooking him up to the Tower of Gates for what they thought would be a short, quick sentence inside a game.
“Any progress?” he asked. “When are we getting out?”
I sighed, sick of his haughty attitude and demands.
“Soon,” I said. “Faster if you quit bugging me so much. You could go try to get out on your own. Remember, you signed up for all of this.”
“If I knew about the time dilation in the small print, I would’ve stayed locked up fifteen years in the real world instead of being in here for over thirty now.” He shook his canine head. “This is nuts.”
“You don’t think I agree?” I stood then motioned for him to follow as I walked to a nearby couch. “Have a seat. We can talk about it more.”
“I’m through with talking,” he said then yapped twice. “Do you have a way out of the game or not? Why are they keeping me in here so long? My family will sue you guys so hard. Why can’t I talk to them?”
“You’re asking too many questions,” I said. “Maybe I should kill this character and let you become an NPC again.”
“No,” he said, stepping back and pulling a blade. “There’s not enough new players down here. I’ll be trapped as an NPC forever.”
“Then shut up and quit bothering me about getting out,” I said. “And put that ridiculous blade away before I melt it down.”
He stared me down a moment before putting it away.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “The game was fun and all in the beginning, but I’m ready to get out of here. I never want to come back.”
Maybe the virtual prison could rehabilitate prisoners with enough time, I thought. But was it worth the mental damage?
“It’s okay,” I said. “You’re not the only one who wants out. Maybe you could concentrate on helping find the other two new players. Or bodies of other players. I've heard Gord-En is lurking about.”
“That still doesn’t make sense,” Eddie said. “How can the bodies of dead players help us in any way?”
“You need to trust me,” I said. “My plan will work.”
Eddie shook his head and turned. I watched him walk away.
He had a point. While my idea is sound in my mind, maybe the AI is trying to make me think I have a way out? A trap?
My head throbbed.
The migraines were getting worse.
I needed to talk with Eric and find out how he’d hacked into the game so easily. His insights might help us all get out of the Tower of Gates and enter the real world.
After so many years, I wanted out.
No matter the costs.
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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.
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AC (Armor Class) - This is a way to show how well armored a player or creature/monster/mob is in the game. 0 = Naked. 100+ = Very Well Armored.
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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.
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Currency - The currency system on this level of the Tower of Gates series is as follows.
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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)
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DPS - Damage Per Second
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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.
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Health Points – When a character’s health points dip below zero, they die in the game. Resting and magic can restore health.
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Stats / Statistics - Strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, charisma, and constitution are the basic statistics of a chara
cter. A score of one in any stat is considered very low while a score of a hundred (or more) is god-like.
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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.
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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!
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MOB / Mobile – A non-intelligent NPC or monster in the game.
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NPC - Non-Player Characters in Tower of Gates might be controlled by the AI or players that were killed in the game.
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PK - Player Killer - A character who kills other players for one reason or another.
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PvP - Player vs Player; a mode of gameplay where players can attack each other.
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XP - (See Experience Points.)
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Tower of Gates Saga
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Book 1 - HACK
Book 2 - HATE
Book 3 - HERO
Book 4 - BRUTE
Book 5 - BOOST
Book 6 - BLITZ
Book 7 - LUCK
Book 8 - LOCK
Book 9 - LOST
Book 10 - ENIGMA
Book 11 - ECHOES
Book 12 - ESCAPE
Tower of Gates Supplemental Adventures
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