by Paul Bellow
“Sorry,” I said.
“You’ll be sorry if you touch me again,” he snorted.
Axelrod sighed.
“Will you two old ladies quit acting crazy and help me decide what we do next?”
“You’re in charge again?” Josh asked. “We’re in trouble now.”
“Shut up,” Axelrod, not leveled in wit, shot back.
Josh reached down and rubbed the dwarf’s bald head. “Miss your mohawk, do you, little buddy?”
Axelrod growled and pushed his arm.
“We need to focus,” Bernard said.
“He’s right.” I peered down at the shack. “That’s a trap if I ever saw one.”
“We were complaining about all the hallways,” Axelrod said. “The game’s just giving us something different. We need to go down there and kill whatever monster we find.”
I shook my head, lips pursed tightly together in a frown.
“What if it’s a physical trap or a puzzle? Like we’re in a dream within a dream, going deeper each time the illusion changes.”
I watched Josh’s half-orc face twist in confusion.
“Whoa…” he said.
Axelrod shook his head defiantly.
“Nonsense,” he said. “There’s a monster down there we need to fight. End of story.”
“Let’s go kill it then if it’s so simple,” I said, getting more upset with him by the minute.
“I vote kill the monster then go find Sarah.” Josh stared at me. “You still want to find her, too, right? Or have you forgotten about her like you did me?”
“Yes, I want to find her,” I snapped.
Pushing my emotions deep down, I walked past the others and headed down the hill.
“Are you coming?” I asked over my shoulder.
“Wait up,” Bernard said. “We should check for traps on the way down.”
“Good idea,” I said, stopping and looking down at the ground.
The wind caused the grass to dance back and forth. It would be hard to see traps unless we were going slow and looking. As I stared down at the ground, Josh pushed me aside then stomped forward.
“Let him be the mine-walker,” Axelrod said. “No complaints from me.”
“We are in a hurry,” Bernard added.
“Let’s stick together,” I said then stepped after Josh, following the trail he blazed.
“That’s a big shack,” Bernard said as we neared the bottom of the hill.
“Which means a big monster,” Axelrod said. “Everyone be ready.”
I shook my head, wondering about Axelrod’s game-playing ability. While I’d made mistakes of my own early on, I appreciated the seriousness of the Tower of Gates.
Every hour of every day, the place felt more real. What had my father helped create? And what would happen if word got out that he had built this prison and trapped people inside?
I shuddered at the thoughts running through my mind as we reached the bottom of the hill. The shack appeared more solid the closer we got. I drew both my weapons.
“Hold on,” Bernard said. “A sword…I just saw a sword fly out from around the building.”
“I didn’t see anything,” I said then followed his pointing finger.
A long, broad bastard sword cut through the air like a guided missile.
“Battle positions!” Axelrod yelled then grumbled something about his battle-ax.
I glanced to the left and right, figuring out how we could use the terrain to our advantage. Anything to help. Killing an inanimate object might not be easy.
“We need our spellcasters,” Bernard said.
“No kidding,” Josh said. “Genius over here.”
As Josh taunted Bernard, the sword zeroed in on him.
“Watch out!” I yelled as I pushed him away.
The giant steel blade whizzed by, barely missing Josh. He grinned, showing his massive half-orc teeth.
“Stay focused,” I said, turning to see the sword circle around.
“It’s coming back in,” Bernard said.
How to kill a sword? I wondered. Only one way to find out.
“I got this,” Josh said then rushed forward.
The sword approached him. Could he hit something moving that fast?
Josh swung and connected, knocking the sword away. It fell to the grass, not getting up.
Combat is Over!
You get 2,000 xp divided by four party members You get 500 xp You have 77,891 xp You need 27,109 xp for level 10 Rogue --> Bounty Hunter New options will open soon.
New options? Why is the Tower of Gates always teasing us?
“That wasn’t so bad,” I said.
Bernard’s eyes widened as he pointed toward the solid wooden structure so close yet so far away. A broad, oaken desk galloped like an angry bull toward us.
I shook my head then said, “You’ve got to be kidding…”
“Stupid glitch,” Axelrod yelled then ran toward the bull-desk.
What else would animate and attack us? Or would the wight mage cheat and send us deeper into the game?
I ran after Axelrod, determined to fight and live.
Josh stood in the desk’s path, hunched down and prepared for impact. I didn’t agree with his tactics, but maybe we’d get lucky. The game owed us a bit of luck.
“I’ll stop it,” the barbarian said as he braced himself.
Axelrod and Bernard positioned themselves on either side of Josh, ready to pounce and take out the animated object.
Will it go down easy?
The desk slammed into Josh. Axelrod and Bernard charged from each side as I watched for what might come at us next.
“Get the legs!” Axelrod yelled.
I turned in time to see the bull-desk back up then charge forward, knocking Bernard to the ground.
Come on, guys. It’s a desk!
As I walked over with swords drawn, Axelrod swooped in low with his hatchet. He knocked a leg off the desk. I’d never heard a physical object cry until that moment.
The sound of the screaming bull-desk sent a chill down my spine.
Josh followed up with two slashes from the Sword of Sands. The bull-desk stopped moving as Bernard yelled at being trapped underneath it.
Combat is Over!
You get 2,000 xp divided by four party members.
You get 500 xp You have 78,391 xp You need 26,609 xp for level 10 Rogue --> Bounty Hunter
“Help me out!” Bernard shouted.
I reached them as Josh and Axelrod pulled the heavy wooden desk off our companion.
“You okay?” I asked then smiled as I reached down.
Bernard took my hand and stood.
“I’ve been better,” he said.
We both turned to look at the ruined desk.
“Guys…” Josh pointed toward the building.
What now? The kitchen sink?
An empty wooden bookshelf awkwardly hopped toward us.
Josh laughed, throwing his head back.
“Told you it’s a glitch,” Axelrod said. “Let’s take it out and get into the building. The wight mage can’t animate everything.”
I wasn’t sure about his theory, but I followed as he ran toward the bookshelf. We stopped a hundred or so feet away as smoke bellowed from the shelves.
“What’s that bookshelf doing?” Josh asked.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Bernard said.
The smoke continued pouring out of nowhere, thickening and obscuring the bookshelf from view. A lightning bolt whizzed out of the cloud and shot toward Josh.
“Out of the way,” I said, pushing him again.
“Quit doing that,” he growled as the lightning bolt whizzed overhead.
I reached my hand down to help him up from the ground. He pushed it away.
“Battle positions!” Axelrod yelled yet again as dozens of frogs hopped out of the cloud of smoke.
I turned, wondering how to attack the magically animated bookshelf.
Had it b
een a wizard in a previous life? Could it cast high level spells? Become a player?
Even more frogs jumped toward us.
I ran around to get out of their way and flank the bookshelf. The only way in was through the cloud of smoke. Was it lethal?
“There’s too many frogs,” Bernard said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I rushed into the cloud of smoke with my swords up, their blades pointed out. They both hit something hard, stopping me in my tracks.
Your pierce GRAZES the animated bookshelf for 5 damage.
Your pierce GRAZES the animated bookshelf for 4 damage.
The bookshelf let out a yelp unlike anything I’d heard before. Mixed with the sound of all the frogs croaking, I almost lost my mind. Was it the spell he’d cast?
I waved my hand in front of my face, hoping to clear enough smoke to see, if even briefly. No such luck. A wave of heat emanated from the bookshelf.
The animated bookshelf’s Heat Wave spell HITS you for 8 damage.
You have [112/128] health remaining.
I’ve had it with this office furniture.
With a grimace, I drove both swords forward, again hitting the bookshelf.
Your pierce INJURES the animated bookshelf for 12 damage Your stab HITS the animated bookshelf for 8 damage
Still alive? This is one sturdy bookshelf.
“I’ve got this” Josh said nearby.
“Be careful,” I hissed. “Don’t forget I’m back here.”
The entire bookshelf toppled backward, pinning me to the ground.
The animated bookshelf’s crush INJURES you for 12 damage.
You have [100/128] health remaining.
“Get it off me!” I yelled as another wave of heat hit me.
The animated bookshelf’s Heat Wave spell HITS you for 8 damage.
You have [92/128] health remaining.
Something heavy hit the bookshelf, pushing it down on me. I pushed with all my might, not wanting to get squashed flat. Another wave of magical heat hit me.
The animated bookshelf’s Heat Wave spell HITS you for 8 damage.
You have [84/128] health remaining.
Even the damage is so weird and uniform. Maybe the game is glitching. I pushed again as something solid smacked into the bookshelf, causing it to cry out in pain.
Combat is Over!
You get 3,000 xp divided by four party members You get 750 xp You have 79,141 xp You need 25,859 xp for level 10 Rogue --> Bounty Hunter
“Get this off me,” I said, still pushing at the lifeless shelf.
It was lifted off me, and I saw Axelrod, Bernard, and Josh around me, on their feet.
“Not fun when a piece of furniture takes you out, is it?” Bernard asked.
“We need to get into the building before he throws anything else at us,” I said.
I stood then kicked the now lifeless shelf before bending to get my swords.
“Let’s move,” Axelrod said. “Rogue One is right for a change.”
“Clever,” Bernard said.
I shook my head.
We crept the last hundred feet to the front door. The wood looked weather-worn but not old or decrepit. Axelrod stopped a few feet away.
“I’ll bash the door down,” Josh said. “Maybe we can surprise him.”
“He knows we’re here if he’s been sending his office furniture at us,” I said. “We should go in quietly to surprise him.”
“Screw that,” Josh said. “I want to bash the door in before it comes to life.”
He lumbered forward and raised his sword. The door opened without a sound, swinging out on its hinge. I couldn’t see anything in the darkness inside.
“Get the wight!” Axelrod screamed then ran through the doorway.
He’s going to get us killed one of these days.
I pushed the thought aside as Josh raced after him. Bernard looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders then took a step toward the doorway.
“There’s nothing in here,” Josh said from inside.
I stepped through and glanced around. Pitch black.
“Can you see anything, Axelrod?” I asked.
“It’s empty,” he said.
“Maybe he already sent everything out to kill us,” Bernard said.
“We need a light,” I said.
As if on cue, from across the room, a bright ball of light flickered on.
I turned, along with the others, and saw a dry husk of a man wrapped in tattered black robes. The ball of light hung in the air near the raised palm of his left hand.
“What do you want with me?” he asked in a raspy voice.
“I see you’re free,” Axelrod said.
“You imprisoned me in the history, but I imprison you in the present.”
The wight mage cackled as the light went out as suddenly as it had appeared.
“I can’t see anything,” Axelrod said. “My eyes are adjusting.”
“Get a light,” I said. “Bernard, you have anything?”
“I’m looking,” he said somewhere to my left.
“Be ready for anything,” Axelrod said.
What a brilliant strategist, I quipped to myself.
“Here,” Bernard said, igniting a torch with flint.
The flickering flames cast strange shadows in the rectangular room. Bare of any furniture, only wooden walls stared back at us.
When I heard creaks in the wood to my right, I turned to them and saw nothing.
Is the floor and ceiling coming to life now? Great.
“He’s animating the whole building,” I shouted.
“The building can’t hurt us, can it?” Josh asked.
As if in reply, a board moved down and slammed into the back of his head.
“Hey!” the half-orc yelled, his hand rubbing the spot where he’d been hit.
“Did you see that?” Bernard asked, stepping away with the torch.
Another board whipped down from the ceiling, hitting the torch and sending it flying.
“Burn it down,” Axelrod said. “We’ll kick our way through the door.”
Wood moved up and around the flames, extinguishing the torch. The room fell back into pitch-black darkness. I stepped back, hoping my party members didn’t attack me.
“Ouch,” Bernard said.
“What is it?” I asked.
A board flew up from the floor, whacking me between the legs.
I cried out in pain, dropping my second, smaller sword. When I reached down to grab it, I felt it slip away underneath the wooden floor.
“The shack ate my sword,” I said.
“It’ll eat us if we don’t get out of here,” Bernard said. “I’ve found the door.”
“Hang on, I’ll bash it in,” Josh said. “Keep talking so I know where to run.”
“I’m over here…” Bernard said. “Wait, the door is moving.”
“The door’s moving?” I asked, wishing I could see.
“Screw it,” Josh said as he ran past me in the darkness.
He screamed a stream of barbarian curses after crashing into a wall.
“This wood’s tough,” he said. “But not tougher than me.”
“We need to be smart,” Bernard said. “Remember the worm.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” Josh said.
“We need to concentrate our attacks on one area and fight our way out of here before we’re thumped to death by these random boards,” Bernard said.
“Ow,” Axelrod complained. “One of ‘em got me.”
“Everyone to Josh,” Bernard said, taking command.
I walked toward his voice in the darkness.
“Over here, Eric,” Josh said. “Hurry.”
“I’m coming,” I grumbled.
A board slammed down from the ceiling, but I dodged.
“You’re so stupid, Josh,” Bernard said out of nowhere.
“Huh?” the half-orc barbarian asked with a grunt.
“You couldn’t kill that worm,
and you can’t kill this shack,” Bernard continued.
“Cut it out,” Josh said. “I’m serious. You can’t force me to rage.”
“Remember the worm!” Axelrod shouted. “Remember Josh’s incompetence.”
“You know Sarah doesn’t even like you, right?” I asked, joining in the fun.
“Shut up, weasel,” he said. “When I find you, I’m gonna clobber you.”
“As if you could clobber anything,” Bernard said.
“Cut it out guys,” Josh said. “I’m getting mad.”
“You’re so stupid, you don’t even see what’s happening,” I said.
“I’ll go into a rage, and I don’t like doing that, okay?”
“You’re the weasel, not me,” I shot back.
“Enough!” he shouted, his breaths coming fast and furious.
A board popped up to smack him, and an inhuman scream erupted from his half-orc mouth. Profanities I’d never imagined could be used together streamed out at a scary rate.
Could we control the force of energy we’d released?
“Everyone back,” Axelrod said. “Give ‘em room.”
Josh let loose another string of insults based on family members, friends, and the fact he hated yellow. I barely dodged another board in the darkness.
“Get some light,” I said. “We need to see.”
“Working on it,” Bernard said somewhere to my right.
Josh continued screaming. Another torch flickered to life. I saw Josh grab one board as it flew up to hit him.
He growled and pulled it away from the rest of the building.
The wood moaned and groaned as the boards beneath our feet turned into rubber. I struggled to keep my balance as Axelrod fell to the floor and rolled around.
Josh yelled then turned to the wall. I watched, hoping he unleashed his fury on the building. He raised both arms then brought his hands down on the boards.
They cracked and splintered but just a little.
“Attack the floor!” I yelled then drove my sword—the one I still had—into the wavy boards at my feet.
Your pierce HITS the animated building for 8 damage.
“I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up,” Axelrod said.
Ugh. Why do bad things always happen all at once?