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

by Paul Bellow

  I protected Eric then repeated the spell for Benji, only pumping six mana into his protection. When I finished, I checked my mana. Thirty points left.

  "Aren't you going to protect yourself?" Eric asked.

  Golden energy swirled over the top of his armor and Benji's robes.

  "I'm saving my energy in case I need the golden bolts."

  "Good idea," he said as the buzzing noise got louder.

  "You don't think the whole hive will come after us, do you?" Benji asked.

  "I hope not. We should've never messed with those bee hives."

  Eric turned away to evade my gaze. Benji chuckled.

  "Bees," Eric yelled, pointing down the path toward the edge of the forest.

  Three giant bees barreled through the air toward us.

  Here we go again, I thought as I cast Golden Bolts.

  Benji and Eric charged down the path toward the bees flying in the air.

  I let loose with another twelve mana of golden bolts. Six glowing bolts shot through the air.

  Your Golden Bolts WOUND the giant bee for 18 damage!

  The giant bee is dead.

  As Eric and Benji fought the other two bees, the one I'd struck fell to the ground.

  "Don't get poisoned again," I yelled out.

  A bee flew higher then dove down toward me.

  Not so fast, bee.

  Your Golden Bolts MAUL the giant bee for 21 damage!

  The giant bee is dead.

  Only six mana left for the day, and it's early, but we'll be okay if we don't run into anything else on the way back to Fishguard.

  "Got him," Benji yelled.

  I looked over to see the final bee fall to the ground.

  Combat is over!

  You get 1200xp divided by two party members.

  You get 600xp!

  5,145xp needed for Level Four

  That's a long way off, but we've got our final quest. Hopefully, we're high enough level to finish it.

  Eric wiped his blade off on the body of a bee.

  "I still say we should take those hives back to the city and sell them," he said.

  "We've got more than enough in the wagon as it is now," I said.

  "She's right," Benji said. "We need to get back to the city."

  "I've exhausted almost all of my magic, and we only have one remove poison potion left. We should pick some up before going to Mednia."

  "You two are right," Eric admitted as he and Benji walked over to the cart.

  "We don't even know what we're going up against."

  "It's not good," Benji said.

  "Have you heard of this Snargao or Magi Inyontoo before?" I asked him as I climbed back onto the wagon.

  "I've heard of them," he said, joining me on the bench. "They're both bad people."

  "You're still going with us, right?" Eric asked.

  "I've got nothing more for me in Fishguard," the cleric said.

  Benji grabbed the reins and convinced the mule to get going.

  Should we allow him to go with us to Mednia? I wondered as the cart moved forward. Was he the one spying on me in the basement of the inn?

  More questions than answers appeared in my mind. I pushed them aside and concentrated on enjoying the game-world. If all went well, we would soon be leaving.

  I had mixed feelings about quitting the game. Part of me wanted to get out to prove we could, but another part – deeper down – wanted to keep going.

  One more level...

  ▧▨▧▧▨▧▧▨▨▧▨▧▨▧▧▨▧▧▨▨▧▨

  A few hours later, we rolled up to the city gates of Fishguard. The sun had begun its descent behind the horizon, but we still had a few hours of daylight left.

  "We made it," Benji said.

  "I think we should celebrate tonight," Eric added.

  "We need to get to Mednia as soon as possible. Is it safe to travel there at night?"

  I glanced over at Benji. He shook his head back and forth before answering.

  "We should be okay. You don't want to leave in the morning?"

  "No, she's right," Eric said. "We've got to destroy this pendant. The sooner we find it, the better."

  The three of us fell silent as we reached the gates of the city.

  "Hold on a minute," Randall called out. "I want to talk to you three."

  Uh oh, I thought to myself, fearing the worst.

  "What's wrong?" Eric asked.

  "Nothing," Randall said. "But I have a question."

  "Go on," I said.

  "Alexander, come here, boy."

  The small boy we had rescued outside the city came out the door of the guard tower. He sheepishly walked over, avoiding eye contact.

  "He says you three rescued him the other day. Is that true, or is he telling me lies?"

  "It's the truth," I said, staring at the boy. "He disappeared on me."

  "Tell them you're sorry, Alexander," Randall said.

  "I'm sorry," the boy said, eyes facing downward as he kicked the dirt with his foot.

  "That's okay. We were worried that's all."

  "I’ll adopt the boy, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't lying."

  "That's wonderful," I said. "He needs someone."

  "We should get going," Benji said. "Especially if we want to leave tonight."

  "You guys are leaving again already?"

  I nodded.

  "We're going to Mednia."

  "Good luck to you all," Randall said. "I’ll miss you guys."

  "You know what," Eric said. "I've got something for you."

  I watched as he jumped out of the cart and walked around to the back.

  What's he doing? I wondered.

  A moment later, he returned with an armful of gnoll swords.

  "I'd like to give these to you," Eric said. "They're not much, but you can sell them or something."

  "Are you kidding?" Randall asked. "Some of these are antiques. I've not seen a sword like this since the Great War with the goblins."

  He picked a blade up and waved it through the air.

  "You deserve something for helping the boy," I said.

  "I was just doing what was right, but I'll not complain about this gift."

  Eric smiled as he handed the half-dozen blades over to the guard.

  "We'll be back through in a few hours," I said. "Maybe we can say goodbye again."

  "Yes," Alexander yelled. "You guys saved me."

  A sudden sense of joy shot through my body as Eric climbed back in the wagon.

  "See you later," Randall called out as Benji got us moving again.

  "That was nice," I said to Eric after we'd passed through the gates into the city.

  "I figured it would help him out raising that boy."

  "This..."

  I stopped myself before I said the word game and gave us another OOC penalty.

  He grinned, nodding his head.

  "I know what you mean."

  "You two are acting strange again," Benji said. "It's nice you gave that guard a bunch of loot even if you haven't officially paid me yet."

  I laughed.

  "You're getting paid today, Benji. I promise."

  "Really? I'd like to buy a few things and settle a debt or two before we leave."

  "Eric, if it's okay with you, we should give him half the copper pieces. What do you think?"

  "That's fine with me," he said. "I'll go with him to sell the rest of the stuff. Can you settle up with Basil at the inn?"

  I nodded.

  "Sounds like a plan."

  The wagon pulled up to the two-story structure where we'd been staying. I hopped out and waved before going inside. Basil wouldn’t like us leaving, but we had our main quest to finish.

  Are we going to get out of the game? They probably just designed the levels without a quit feature. Once we get back to the Tower of Gates, everything will be fine. At least I hope so.

  Thoughts of the game and the real world mixed together as I walked inside the inn. B
asil saw me and waved at me to come over to the bar in the main room downstairs.

  I wanted to go upstairs and pack our stuff first, but I forced a smile and walked over to him. A few other patrons glanced in my direction, but I ignored them.

  "You're back," Basil said with a smile.

  I nodded.

  "We got stuck in the forest last night, but we're here to pay up and gather our stuff."

  His smile faded.

  "You're leaving?"

  "Unfortunately, yes. We may be back this way, but I doubt it."

  "I hate to hear that."

  "Hey, I was wondering. The other day in the basement, I felt like someone was watching me. Did anyone go down there that you remember?"

  "I don't recall seeing anyone, but I wasn't watching closely. Did you see anyone?"

  "No, but the corners and other side of the room were dark."

  "I'm sorry. You should've said something when it happened."

  "Don't worry about it. I was probably just tired and seeing things."

  "Happens to the best of us," he said. "By the way, your other friend is upstairs waiting."

  My heart stopped. Josh? Had he respawned?

  "Good. I'll pay you whatever we owe on my way out."

  "You're paid up for two more days, but I'd love to say goodbye before you leave."

  "Count on it."

  I smiled then turned and walked through the lobby that also served as a tavern. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, I quickened my pace. How did Josh find us? I wondered.

  As I approached our rooms at the end of the long hallway upstairs, I heard someone shuffling through our things on the other side of the door to Eric and Benji's room.

  That's just Josh, I told myself as I took a few steps forward.

  "Idiots," a male voice screamed.

  The door to their room flung open. I saw a tall man dressed in black robes. He noticed me as I stood frozen in terror.

  "Josh?" I asked.

  "No, dear. My name is Magi Inyontoo. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

  PVP Enabled!

  [PC] Magi Inyontoo is on the hunt for [PC] Kail Kali Tracaryn.

  As he danced the start of a spell, I turned and ran. With one six mana points left, I didn't want to risk an encounter with him, whoever he might be.

  "Basil," I called out as I whisked down the stairs two at a time.

  Lightning crashed into the wall next to the top of the stairs.

  "What's going on up there?" Basil yelled.

  "No time to explain," I said, running out the front door of the inn.

  I glanced to the left and right, searching for any signs of Eric, Benji or our cart.

  Seeing nothing, I ran toward the largest crowd nearby, hoping Magi Inyontoo didn't see me.

  Another player character? Was it Josh or someone else? Should I have gone OOC with him?

  Outside in the open air with other people around, I calmed down and stopped running.

  I should go back and talk to him OOC, make sure it's not Josh.

  When I walked out of the throng of people I'd been hiding behind, I saw the man in black robes, his hood covering most of his face. All I noticed was the creepy grin.

  "Josh? Is that you?" I called out. "Did you respawn and start a new character?"

  OOC PENALTY!

  -10% xp on your next encounter.

  The other mage walked closer, still grinning.

  "Josh? Tell me whether it's you or not."

  "It's me," the stranger said. "Sure."

  Can I trust him?

  "Where have you been?" I asked.

  I noticed Basil run out of the inn as the other player walked toward me.

  "I've taken the OOC penalty already. You can talk to me."

  "Maybe I don't want to talk with you," the mage said.

  "That's close enough." I put up my hands, palms out. "Stay there."

  He stopped and chuckled.

  "Newbies are so much fun."

  "Are you Josh or not?" I asked.

  Behind him, I noticed Basil walking toward us.

  "Maybe I am."

  Such a cocky voice. It's him.

  "Where have you been?" I asked.

  "Oh, here and there. You know how it is here in the game."

  "You didn't even want to play the game,” I said.

  "I didn't? Well, I changed my mind."

  He stepped forward.

  "Stay away from me," I said, wondering if I should run.

  Where would I go?

  "I thought you were playing a barbarian. What happened?"

  "Perhaps I died," he said.

  Basil had nearly reached us.

  "Did you die? If you're Josh, tell me the first time we kissed."

  The mage frowned, his voice turning angry.

  "You've got a note that belongs to me,” he said.

  "I have no idea what you're talking about. You need to step-off before my friends arrive."

  "Or are they dead already?"

  Eric? Nooooo....

  The mage laughed.

  "Caring for someone in this game is a sure-fire way to get yourself killed," he said. “You need to join me. Magictology is the way.”

  I'm not dead yet.

  "Now," I yelled at Basil.

  The innkeeper pushed the mage.

  "What the..."

  As the strange player character turned, I used the chance to sprint in the other direction. Running away and living to fight another day made the most sense.

  If it wasn't Josh, who could it be? Were others trapped in the game?

  Basil yelled, causing a commotion. I kept running, not looking back.

  Around the corner, I spotted Eric standing by the cart in front of a shop.

  He smiled as I approached and held up a pouch.

  I stopped, breathing heavy, and put my hand on his arm.

  "We've got to go," I said, glancing behind me.

  "Everything okay?"

  I hated lying to him, but I knew he would want to confront the other PC. We weren’t ready. Not at level two.

  "Yeah, but we need to go. Now."

  "Why the hurry? Benji is carrying the rest of the stuff inside the shop. We made out like bandits on the gong."

  "That's great, but we've got to go."

  I scanned the street, not seeing any sign of the mage in black.

  "Fine. I'll get Benji."

  "Hurry," I said. "We've got to go train for our next levels."

  OOC PENALTY!

  Total of -20% xp on your next encounter.

  Ugh. Not again.

  "Yeah, I'm excited about hitting next level too, but you shouldn’t have gone OOC to tell me."

  "I know..."

  My voice trailed off.

  "Well, we've got the penalty, we should talk. You sure everything's okay?"

  "Yeah..."

  I still saw no sign of the other player character.

  Benji came out of the general goods shop before we talked.

  "That's the last of it," he said. "Now to spend my share of the copper pieces."

  "We've got to go," I said, climbing onto the cart. "Come on you two. Mednia awaits."

  "She's serious?" Benji asked. "We just got here."

  "Our next treasure haul when we get this pendant will be even bigger. You can rest then, Benji," Eric said as he climbed onto the wooden bench in front of me.

  Benji followed him. I flicked the reins to get our mule going.

  "Should we get a horse instead of the mule, maybe?" Eric asked. "And don't you need a new bowstring still?"

  "We don't have time," I said. "The mule is fine for now, and I can repair the bow in Mednia. From what I gather that's a better idea."

  The wooden wheels of the cart rolled us toward the city gates as the mule click-clacked down the cobblestone street.

  "What are you looking for?" Eric asked. "You keep looking around?"

  "It's nothing. Our other party member. I'm just wondering if he made it
here, you know?"

  Eric nodded, not saying anything else. I knew bringing Josh up would quiet him down.

  All I wanted was to level up, solve the main quest, and get back to the Tower of Gates portion of the game. When we did, I hoped to quit even if I never got to play the game again.

  Some aspects were too real for my tastes, especially the pain and negative emotions. I sensed the game-world adapting around us. Did it read all of my inner, private thoughts?

  What did it mean if there were other player characters? And, more importantly, were they all evil like the black mage? The questions piled up in my mind as we reached the town gates.

  "Safe travels," Randall called out, giving a salute.

  I waved along with the other two, all of us silent, anxious about the journey to Mednia. As the cart bounced on the dirt trail leading west, I stole a glance at Eric.

  He looked so different as a middle-aged man. He's so heroic and... I squelched the thoughts that formed in the back of my mind. No time for romantic feelings.

  We were at the beginning of a quest we had to win. Not knowing what happened if we died frightened me, but I had to keep going.

  Benji climbed into the back of the cart. As we pulled away from the city. Eric glanced over and smiled, staring into my eyes. I needed to tell him about the other player character.

  “Hey,” I said in a low voice. “Something happened back there.”

  “What?” he asked.

  Benji poked his head up front.

  “You’re not talking about me, are you?”

  “No,” I said. “Thanks for coming with us.”

  “I had nothing going for me back in Fishguard,” he said.

  Once again, I admired the reality of the non-player characters. Were they AI?

  The cart carried us west toward a new city. I thought about my encounter with the other player. As soon as we camped for the night, I’d tell Eric everything about the other PC.

  With him and I working together, no game could hold us down.

  ()xxxx[:::: Chapter 13 ::::>

  We're Gonna Need a Bigger Party

  ERIC

  We reached Mednia a few days after leaving Fishguard. The three of us went our separate ways. I spent two days with a master rogue named Gord to level up. He gave me a book that would help me train on my own until I reached level five.