Goblin: a LitRPG Novel (Tower of Gates LitRPG Series Book 1)

by Paul Bellow

  A black shirt of +1 laundry skill? Haha. Someone has a sense of humor.

  New Skill – General - Laundry

  You know how do laundry if the occasion ever arises. With more practice, you can improve your skill.

  Laundry: Basic Skill level: 1 of 10

  Tip: At Basic Skill Level 10, you can specialize the skill and further improve on it.

  Heh. I bet Sarah and Josh didn't pick up a random skill like laundry.

  Thoughts of the other two popped up in my mind momentarily. Was she having as much fun as me in the game? I didn't care about Josh one way or the other.

  I reached the farmer on the edge of the field. The boy stood next to him, staring at me like I was a superhero or something. In his world, I probably am.

  "Well met," I said, stopping in front of the weathered man.

  "My boy says you'll help us? You're not going to rob us, are you?"

  "What? Why would I rob you?"

  "That's hobgoblin armor, isn't it? I haven't seen a set of that since the wars..."

  His voice faded away as if he were reliving horrible memories.

  "Not all goblins are evil," I said. "Not that I'm a goblin."

  "This rat has got to go. I don't care about your politics. Ten years ago, I would've dealt with the problem myself, but I can't do it anymore, and the boy is too young."

  "I'm just the man to help you."

  "Great, I'll..."

  "Hold on," I interrupted.

  "Yeah?"

  "I need something from you."

  "You want my wife? You can take her?"

  He cackled with laughter.

  "No, but I'd like a cart and horse to get to Fishguard."

  "Are you crazy?"

  Did I ask for too much?

  "Fishguard will let goblins and anyone else in the city. That's no place for a true human."

  "Okay. I'll be on my way, then..."

  I turned and took a step away.

  "Stop," he said. "I've got an old cart and a horse that might have one more long journey in her. As long as you get rid of all the rats."

  "We have a deal."

  The man and I shook hands.

  "I'll show you the barn," the boy yelled.

  Time for my first encounter, I thought with excitement as the boy led me further onto their property outside of town. I hope it goes better than the rabbits.

  Behind their rundown house, a huge barn that looked like it might collapse at any moment came into view. Maybe I should have asked for more.

  "This is it," the boy said, stopping a few hundred feet away.

  "Stay here," I said. "Wait, even better, go get that horse and cart ready for me. This won't take too long."

  "Yes, sir," the boy said then scampered away toward a newer barn closer to their house.

  Two decrepit wooden doors were open. I stared into the darkness. After pulling my trusty blade, I stepped toward the entrance. Almost immediately, two cat-sized rats shot out.

  Your blow HITS the rat for 8 damage.

  The rat is dead!

  You get +5 xp

  Only five experience?

  Another rat ran from the barn. I made quick work of it too, racking up another five experience points.

  Time to get serious.

  I stepped into the barn. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I heard the squeals of rats in every direction. Two more ran toward me.

  "Take that," I said, gleefully impaling them.

  Another ten experience points.

  Ten minutes later, I'd racked up a healthy hundred experience points by killing twenty rats. Emboldened, I stepped toward a dark corner.

  Bales of rotting hay were stacked on top of each other. I saw a pair of eyes before the giant rat showed itself. That's huge, I thought, taking a step backward.

  The rat rushed forward, unafraid of me or anything. I lunged at it.

  Your blow GRAZES the giant rat for 7 damage

  Uh oh. Less damage.

  The rat gnawed at my leg.

  The giant rat's bite SCRATCHES you for 2 damage.

  You have been POISONED.

  That can't be good.

  I lunged again, sinking my blade deep into its matted fur. It squealed as I delivered another 5 points of damage. I'm going to need to do better than that if I want to survive.

  The giant rat's bite GRAZES you for 4 damage.

  You have been POISONED.

  Poisoned again? Am I double-poisoned or something now?

  Strength left my body as I felt the effects of the rat's diseased bite.

  "Die, rat," I screamed, bringing my sword down and into its flesh.

  Your blow DECIMATES the giant rat for 12 damage.

  The giant rat is dead!

  You gain +25 experience points!

  Quest Complete! (Clear the Barn of Rat)

  You gain +500 experience points!

  I don't think getting poisoned by a diseased rat was worth it, but oh well.

  As I hobbled out of the barn, I stumbled and nearly fell.

  The small boy ran over.

  "What's wrong, mister?"

  "One of the rats bit me. Get your father."

  I fell to the ground and closed my eyes.

  Pain coursed through my body.

  What a way to die in the world's best video game ever built.

  Here lies Drex, I thought, killed by a rat at level one.

  ()xxxx[:::: Chapter 5 ::::>

  Does it Taste Better than it Smells?

  SARAH

  A black bear roared as it emerged from the trees.

  "Kali, we should go,” Evan said.

  Out of mana, but I've got these arrows.

  “Hold on,” I said as I pulled out my bow.

  Twang. I let one fly, watching it sail through the air. .

  Critical Miss!

  Your arrow totally misses.

  Additionally, your bowstring snaps.

  Uh oh, I thought, dread falling over me like a thick fog rolling in.

  "Come on, Kali."

  Evan grabbed my hand and yanked, bringing me back to reality.

  Wait, I meant the game.

  I shook my head, confused, wanting it all to stop.

  The bear growled and moved forward as I turned and ran into the woods.

  My heart pounded as I kept up with Evan and Ewan. They were quick-footed brownies.

  "Good luck," Evan called out. "A stream is coming up."

  "Why is that good luck?" I asked.

  "Because bears can't swim. We can escape across the river."

  "If we can get across, the bear can get across...the stream."

  The three of us stopped at the edge of a shallow yet wide river lazily twisting and turning through the woods. What are we going to do now?

  "It's been nice knowing you, Kali," Evan said, his huge head hanging low.

  "Come on," I said, grabbing his hand. "Let's go."

  I sprinted through the water and across to the other side, spying plenty of fish in the crystal clear water as we ran. This just might work.

  On the other side, I turned and immediately started a spell. Good old Fish Slaying.

  I pointed my palms to the water and fish in a ten foot radius floated to the top.

  The bear stopped midstream and feasted on the fresh food.

  "Good job," Evan yelled, getting the bear's attention.

  "Be quiet," I hissed. "Let's go before he gets mad at us or something."

  "You so smart, Kali. We so happy you help us."

  "Thank me later," I said.

  My whole body ached. With only two of twenty-four mana points available, if anything other than a medium-sized sloth came at us, we'd be in trouble.

  "Stop here," I said after we made it over a fallen tree.

  The trunk – nearly ten-feet high on its side– gave us good cover.

  "We’ll rest here," I said.

  "Kali, we should go. It's not safe here in the forest. Back to the path."

  "Not y
et. I need to..." Don't go OOC. "...rest and refresh. Do you understand? No more magic."

  "Oh," Evan said, his head bobbing up and down.

  The ever-present smile on his face freaked me out. It was one of the reasons brownies only worked in humans' homes after everyone went to sleep at night.

  How do I know that? Is the game feeding me thoughts?

  Evan walked over as I sat on the ground with my back against the massive tree trunk.

  "Kali?"

  "Yes, Evan?"

  "I can help."

  "Oh, you can?"

  I smiled politely, nodding my head.

  "No, really, I can."

  "Don't give her the potions, bozo," Ewen boomed.

  Evan reached into a sack on his side and pulled out a potion.

  "I have potion to heal, a potion to restore you magic, and..." He smiled even wider. "A love potion."

  A notification informed me the potion would only work on someone with an intelligence score of forty or lower. I grinned, hoping to teach the brownies a lesson about love potions.

  You Learn a New Skill!

  Identify Magic Item - Basic Level 1 of 10

  This will be fun.

  "Do not drink it," Ewen warned as I put it to my mouth.

  A few drops of liquid came out, hitting my tongue with a sweet and sour taste.

  "Oh," I exclaimed, getting to my feet. "I love you, Evan. We must go to Thyananore, get married, and have fifteen children. You must go find a full-time job in the mines, of course, but you don't mind, do you?"

  Evan's eyes opened wide. The smile faded from his face.

  "I'm kidding," I said, chuckling. "Come here, you."

  He backed up as I tried to hug him.

  "Kali’s not funny," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  "I'm sorry. Can I please have a potion? We'll make better time. You want to go to Fishguard, right?"

  "You no want to marry me?"

  "She was faking, bozo," Ewen said, shaking his head.

  "Here," Evan said, handing me three tiny blue potions.

  "Each one will restore your magic completely. Is that enough?"

  The murky, oily substance smelled like spinach.

  "I hope it’ll be enough, and I really hope it tastes better than it smells."

  After quaffing one potion, I got a notification.

  You feel rejuvenated!

  Mana 24 (24)

  "That's better," I said, smiling.

  "We go now?" Evan asked.

  "Follow me."

  I headed back toward the path, skirting the black bear.

  ▧▨▧▨▧▨▧▨▧▨▧▨▧▨▧▨▧▨▧▨▧▨

  Thirteen wolves, forty-five rabbits, two bears, six giant lizards, thirty-five badgers and two days later, we were nearing the southern edge of Shockly Forest. And I almost had enough experience for level two.

  Would I get more spells? Skill points? I had to find out what awaited me at level two. Not even Josh could convince me to leave the game until I found out. If I ever found him and Eric.

  I loved huge game worlds, but I hated adventuring solo. While I'd played Spells of Warcraft alone a few times, they were never as fun without Eric adventuring along with me.

  "You good on potions?" Evan asked.

  "Don't give her all our potions, bozo," Ewen scolded.

  I smiled, shaking my head at the NPC duo of the year. They would win awards when the game hit the market. After all the kills, I stopped and checked my stats.

  With twelve of twenty-four mana and all right health, I wasn't looking too bad. Still, one more potion wouldn't be bad to have handy.

  "I'll take one more," I said. "To keep handy."

  "Here you go," Evan said.

  "Let me pay you for these."

  Do I have gold?

  > Inventory

  94gp

  Elven Bow (Damaged)

  10 Arrows

  2 Loaves Elven Bread

  Container of water x2

  Normal Clothes

  I reached into my pouch and pulled out two gold coins.

  "Here you go. I wish I could give you more, but I need to equip myself for the journey ahead."

  "So do we," Evan said, grabbing a coin.

  "Be quiet, fool," Ewan hissed.

  He took his and stuffed it in a pouch on his side.

  "Your journey is almost over isn't it?"

  "Look." Ewen pointed down the path. "I see the edge of the forest. We can make it before sundown."

  "I want to stay in the forest one more day."

  "Why?" Evan asked. "You like killing innocent creatures?"

  It's for the experience points, I thought but said nothing.

  "Leave her alone," Ewen said. "She gave us money. We can stay one more day."

  "No, Evan is right. I need to find my friends."

  "I am not your friend?" Evan asked.

  "You're my friend, but these are the people in my adventuring party." I stepped forward. "Come on, you two. We need to get going."

  "The journey is ending," Evan said as sadly as possible for a brownie.

  As I stepped toward the light at the end of the path, I thought about all my adventures in the forest. They were fun – and so realistic – but I wanted to see Eric and even Josh.

  I'd become so immersed in the game, I needed something or someone to remind me of reality again. The brownies were cute and all, but they were sucking me deeper into the game.

  Their stories were so rich and detailed. A lot of work had gone into the Tower of Gates. But for what end? To get everyone in the world addicted to the game, their bodies frozen.

  Evan tugged at my arm, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  "Kali, look."

  I followed his arm to the edge of the forest."

  "What? I see nothing."

  "It's sunlight," he exclaimed, laughing hysterically.

  "Cut it out," Ewen said. "There’s gnolls in the area."

  They shouldn't be in this forest.

  Evan rushed forward, Ewen following close behind. I ran to catch up with them.

  When I emerged from the trees into the sunlight, I shielded my eyes. The dirt path widened as it continued toward the walls of a city in the far distance.

  "Thank you, Kali. We have it from here."

  Quest completed!

  You gain +500 experience points!

  Nice. Why no level gain?

  > Stats xp

  You have 2,995 experience.

  You need 5 experience to make it to level two.

  Come on. I sighed.

  One more rabbit won't hurt me.

  I heard an old man's voice. About a mile down the road, I saw a cart.

  Maybe that will be worth five experience points.

  Knowing Eric, he had already leveled up to three or four. I ran past Evan and Ewen as they trod toward the city. The sun wouldn't be in the sky much longer.

  When I neared the wagon, I heard the old man yelling.

  "Help. Someone help me. It's an emergency."

  I ran faster until I reached the cart and stopped.

  "What's wrong?" I asked the man.

  "Ugh, not an elf," he said, shaking his head. "What did I do to deserve this?"

  "What's wrong with elves?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip.

  "First it's a guy with goblin armor and now and elf coming out of the woods to trick me. I was trying to do good, but this man is a curse."

  "What man?" I asked.

  The rustic man with a long beard stood and scrambled to the back of his covered wagon. I walked around to the back as he unceremoniously tossed a man in armor to the ground.

  "Curse you."

  The man spat then got back into the cart. I heard moans from the ground.

  "Hey, that's no way to treat an injured man," I said, walking back to the front of the wagon.

  "Yeah? What are you going to do about it, elf?"

  "I'm a powerful mage," I lied, raising my hands. "Do not go
anywhere until I attend to this man."

  Evan and Ewen caught up.

  "What's going on?" my favorite of the two said.

  "Shut your trap, bozo. We're on our way."

  "Don't treat Evan that way," I snapped. "I need a potion for this wounded man."

  "Him? I have no potion for him."

  "Why not? He's my friend."

  "He is the one you adventure with?"

  I realized the wounded man in armor might be Eric or Josh.

  "Yes. Please help him with a potion, Evan. I'll give you more gold."

  Evan walked over, still grinning, and peered at the man in armor.

  I turned to the old man in the cart.

  "Don't go anywhere. We may need a ride to the city."

  "I'm not giving a ride to an elf and two brownies."

  "Evan, give the driver of the cart the special potion, okay?"

  The brownie tilted his head as he stared at me.

  "Special potion?"

  "You know, the one you love."

  "Oh," he said. "Yeah, yeah. Let me get it."

  The man in the cart leaned forward.

  "A magic potion? What's it do?"

  "It'll make you feel ten years younger," I lied.

  "Let me have it,” the man said.

  Evan handed it to him as the man in armor groaned. When the old man tipped the vial up and drank the contents, I stepped in his line of vision.

  His eyes widened and his mouth drooped open.

  "You're so beautiful," he said.

  Evan cackled with laughter. Ewen rolled his eyes.

  "Keep the wagon here," I commanded.

  "Yes, ma'am. I'll do anything for you."

  I rolled my eyes then turned my attention to the wounded warrior.

  Eric? Or Josh? Why does it matter?

  "Come on, Evan. We need to heal this man."

  The brownie walked back over and shook his head.

  "What's wrong now?" I asked.

  "You want the bad news or the worse news?"

  I sighed. For a game, I wasn't having much fun.