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

by Paul Bellow

  "Will you two cut it out?"

  "Let me join your party," Benji said. "Please?"

  "No," I said, holding my head high and puffing out my chest. "You got a problem with that?"

  "I'm leaving then. You guys can adventure on your own. Good luck."

  He turned and stepped away.

  "No, wait," Sarah said.

  She looked at me with those elven eyes.

  "We promised him."

  I sighed.

  "Fine. You can join the party."

  When he officially joined our adventuring party, I almost fainted.

  [PC] Benji Bigelow (Human Rogue) has joined your party.

  The surprise hit me like a high-level lightning bolt.

  Stunned, I asked the first thing that came to mind.

  "You're a player character now?"

  Benji grinned and nodded.

  "About time you guys let me in. Let's go OOC and talk."

  I looked over at Sarah. Both of us turned to Benji, eager to learn more.

  ()xxxx[:::: Chapter 24 ::::>

  How Long Were You an NPC?

  SARAH

  Wait a minute. If characters become an NPC when they die...

  "Josh? Is that you?"

  Benji tilted his head and stared at me.

  "No, my name is Bernard."

  "How did you get in the game?" Eric asked. "It's not supposed to be open to the public."

  "I signed up for a beta-test."

  "This is all so..."

  I stepped back, glancing around the battlefield.

  "Right?" Bernard shook his head. "I've been trying to get you guys to let me join your party since Fishguard. That's why I pretended to be a cleric."

  "What?"

  He smiled.

  "You guys rolled into town needing a cleric in your party not a rogue, so I bought my robes, this mace, and a wand of curing magic."

  "And that just now ran out?" Eric asked.

  Bernard nodded.

  "Something happened, and no new players were coming into the first level. I got stuck as an NPC for a while."

  "How long?" I asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

  "About twenty years now?"

  My eyes shot open even wider.

  "What?"

  "You're kidding, right?" I took a deep breath. "That's a long time."

  "The game has time dilation. At least that's what they told me when I signed up and got into the cryogenic thingy. How did you guys get in here?"

  "His father is one of the men who created Tower of Gates."

  Anger flashed over Bernard's face.

  "Your father had something to do with this? Why can't I get out?"

  He stepped toward Eric and grabbed him by arms and shook him.

  "Calm down," I said. "We've got to figure this out. There has to be a way out of the game."

  "What else do you know about the game?" Eric asked.

  "Not much. I never made it past this first level after getting stuck as an NPC. Did you guys come in together or as part of a group?"

  "There was three of us," I said. "Josh is my...boyfriend."

  Eric flinched at the word, but it was the truth. Or it had been.

  "But did you guys come in as three or a bigger group?"

  "There were six gaming cabinets, but only three of us."

  "Huh," he said, backing away from Eric. "That's weird."

  "Did you come into the game with anyone else?"

  "No, they wanted me as a solo-player to test."

  "I don't remember seeing anything about them beta-testing Tower of Gates," Eric said.

  "Well, they were in Germany, where I'm from."

  "This is too much," I said.

  My heart pounded faster.

  "We have little time OOC," Bernard said. "Now that I'm in the party, we can finish this quest and clear the level. Maybe that's how we get out of the game."

  "That's what we've been thinking," I said.

  "I can't believe Captain Riggard died."

  "Do you know his real name?" I asked.

  He shook his head.

  "No, he was a weird one. That's probably why he did so well in the game."

  "But he was only on the first level," Eric said.

  "Think about it," Bernard said. "If you were trapped in this game, would you rather be a high level in a levels one to five world, or face unknown threats deeper in the game?"

  "Smart," I said, not sure if I agreed with him or not.

  "That wasn't my plan, but like I said, I got stuck as an NPC when new players stopped logging in."

  "Maybe there was a bug, and they're fixing it."

  "You would know," Bernard said. "Captain Riggard had been to the other levels, but he came back for some reason. I adventured with him for a while, but he wouldn't let me join his party and become an NPC."

  "Did you learn anything from him?" Eric asked.

  Bernard nodded.

  "Quite a bit, but not how to get out of the game. He hinted there's guilds and a ton of other players on the other levels. Some of the higher-level magic items give you special powers in the Tower of Gates part of the game."

  I shook my head, all the information still sinking in.

  We were not the only ones trapped in the game.

  "Do you know Magi Inyontoo?" Eric asked.

  "He's a bad dude. No one knows his real name, but he's a sadistic griefer who hangs out in this first level to kill newbies left and right for the lulz."

  Is Bernard a crazy person too? Can we trust him?"

  "We should get going," Bernard said. "Word of the battle here will spread throughout the land."

  "How do you spend twenty years being an NPC?" Eric asked.

  "I got married to a nice fishmonger woman for ten of those years. They were wonderful, but the game took her away from me."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "She died."

  "Wait. Are you saying all NPCs are player characters who died?"

  Bernard shook his head.

  "No, I don't think so. You're asking the wrong person. We need to clear the level and get further into the game for more answers."

  "You're right. Let's check Snargao's body. I doubt he has the pendant on him, but maybe we'll find something else."

  "I’ll explore," I said.

  "Be careful," Eric said. "And look for something to heal poison."

  "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked.

  He nodded.

  "Goblin arrow. It's not bad, but I've got to take care of it."

  I watched as him and Bernard walk over to the hobgoblin wizard's body.

  "Loot Captain Riggard too," I called out.

  Eric raised a hand in the air as they walked.

  "What was all that about, Kali? Are you okay?" Charlotte asked.

  I'm fine. We'll talk about it later maybe. Can you help me find spells here?

  "I've never been to the ruins of Esterhollow, Kali, and I can't detect magic yet."

  Well, keep your eyes open.

  "I will, Kali."

  As I walked away from the other two, all the new information swirled around in my brain. Not all of it made sense, but we were finding pieces of the puzzle.

  I walked into a rundown building with my thoughts elsewhere and ran into two goblins torturing Jak. He's still alive? I've got to help. The goblins turned around.

  You cast Snares of Dust!

  You have 47(64) mana remaining today

  The two goblins went into a coughing fit as the dust magically swirled around them. I followed up the first spell with two Golden Bolts to each of them.

  Your Golden Bolts Hit the goblin for 8 damage.

  The goblin is dead.

  Your Golden Bolts Hit the goblin for 8 damage.

  The goblin is dead.

  You have 39(64) mana remaining today.

  Combat is over!

  You gain +280 xp

  You have 13,324 xp.

  You need 676 xp for Leve
l Four Mage

  I rushed over to Jak and untied him.

  "Are you okay, dear boy?"

  He had been on my thoughts since being kidnapped from Harrisburg. I didn't know if he was just a computer controlled NPC or a real human person. Maybe that was the point.

  "Where's Drex?" he asked. "I'm sorry I wandered off..."

  "It's not your fault," I said in a soothing tone. "Can you move?"

  He groaned as I helped him to his feet.

  "They beat me..."

  He burst into tears. I consoled him.

  Congratulations! Your Alignment Has Gone Up!

  +5 Alignment.

  You are +80 (Very Good)

  "Let's go, honey. I'll take you to Drex."

  "Wait," he said. "There's treasure hid in the back room."

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah, they showed me some of the gold coins."

  "Okay, let's get you outside and safe. Drex and I will come back."

  "He's not mad at me, is he?" Jak asked.

  I shook my head.

  "No, dear. He's not mad at all. In fact, he’ll be happy to see you."

  Outside, Jak ran to Eric and threw his arms around him. I watched as Eric patted his back and stared at me from a distance.

  "There's treasure," I called out.

  "Nice," Benji said, walking over. "Look what I found?"

  "The pendant?" I asked.

  "No, but the recipe to make Dawn Acid. He must've heard we were looking for it and came to destroy it."

  "We got here in the nick of time," Eric said.

  I held out my hand.

  "Let me see the list."

  "I can't understand it," he said.

  After giving it to me, I glanced at the list of ingredients written in magic symbols.

  "Tree troll blood, Gnomish Battle Oil (original), Chunk of a Lava Golem, a Star Rock, and two pounds of Ghoul Monkey brain."

  Eric laughed nervously.

  "You're kidding, right?"

  "I wish I were, but that's what we need to get."

  "We should gather up all the treasure and take Captain Riggard's body back to Castle Casteel," Bernard said.

  I looked at him differently since we discovered he had been a player character. How many people were playing Tower of Gates? How big was the game?

  Every answer we received only led to more questions, but we would figure it out. Jak quit hugging Eric but continued holding onto his hand tightly.

  "Can they help us find this stuff?" I asked as we walked toward the building with the hidden treasure.

  "They might. It all depends," Bernard said. "Rathgar and I get along, so he might help. He’ll want to replace Captain Riggard as the leader of the human army."

  "I’ll check for traps," Eric said as we reached the building. "You stay here, Jak."

  "No, Drex. Please don't leave."

  Bernard patted him on the back.

  "You'll be fine, Jak. It'll just take your brother a minute."

  Once Jak let go, Eric went into the building. Bernard and I waited outside.

  "I bet we score big," he said.

  "You'll get your share. Don't worry."

  "I know. There's a reason I stuck with you two. You make a good team. We can go far in this..."

  "Watch it," I said, interrupting him before he got an OOC penalty.

  He grinned. Eric walked back out.

  "What's so funny?"

  "Nothing," I said, hating his jealousy. "Did you find anything?"

  He shook his head.

  "There's no treasure?" Bernard asked.

  "No, I meant there's no traps. At least not that I could find."

  "We're on our way to becoming legendary heroes of the realm," Bernard said. "You guys don't mind if I get out of this costume and find myself some armor, do you?"

  "By all means," I said while smiling. "Can't smell any worse."

  "Hold on," Eric said. "I hear something."

  "Goblins?" Bernard asked, pulling his mace.

  "No, human voices."

  Men and women dressed in rags and furs appeared from behind walls and around corners, making themselves known. Eric pulled his sword. I put my hand on his forearm.

  "Hold on..."

  "Thank you," a man called out. "We have a settlement not far from here, and we heard news of the battle. Are you here to restore Esterhollow?"

  "No, that's your job," Eric said. "We'll leave you some of the goblin riches so you can rebuild the city."

  "That's fine with me," Bernard said. "You?"

  He turned. I nodded in agreement.

  The villagers congregated outside as we took stock of the goblin's treasure. Three hours later, we had a complete list of everything. I cast identify on all the items to find any infused with magic.

  641 gp

  2845 sp

  Golden Yellow Topaz (400 gp)

  Hematite (9 gp)

  Moss Agate (12 gp)

  Onyx (20 gp)

  Bullseye Lantern (12 gp)

  Master Crafted Scimitar (Medium) (315 gp) – 1d10 damage – extra grip for no dropping it

  Arcane Scroll (Shut the Front Door – Level One Spell) (12 gp 5 sp)

  Arcane Scroll (Cloud of Marvelous Sound – Rare Level 2 Spell) (100gp)

  Arcane Scroll (Divine Arrow of Energy – Rare Level 3 spell) (100gp)

  Heavy Steel Shield (Small) (+15 shield) (inscription provides clue to function) (4170 gp)

  Potion of the Good Berserker x4 – Heal to full health (25gp each)

  Potion of the Magi x2 – Heal to full mana (50gp each)

  Wand of Summon Monster II (15 of 50 charges) (1350 gp)

  I also cast a spell on the fish amulet Eric had found in the Tower of Sherlock. The amulet could only be worn by clerics, so we threw it in with the gifts for the villagers.

  We gave the rest of the items to them for help with rebuilding Esterhollow. They were happy with the mundane items. We were happy not to have to lug them around.

  10 x Anvil (5 gp, 200 lb)

  Bag of Wheat (1 cp, 1 lb)

  Box of 20 Arrowheads (5 sp, 1 lb)

  Box of Charcoal (1 sp, 20 lb)

  Cart (15 gp, 200 lb)

  17 x Chisel (5 sp, 2 lb)

  Flask of Oil (1 sp, 1 lb)

  Flint and Steel (1 gp)

  12 x Hammer (5 sp, 2 lb)

  Large Iron Box (2 gp, 100 lb)

  Low Boots (1 gp, 2 lb)

  Pair of Oars (4 gp, 20 lb)

  Rope Net (10' x 10') (4 gp, 40 lb)

  Sledge (1 gp, 10 lb)

  Workbench (30 gp)

  Total value of goods we donated to help them rebuild the town? 123 gp, 2 sp, and 1 cp. While the money would've helped make our lives easier while tracking down the ingredients for Dawn Acid, we donated to help the people rebuild Esterhollow.

  We would never be around on the first level long enough to see the fruits of our labors – at least I hoped we wouldn't be. Bernard might help us get further in the game.

  It didn't sound like clearing the first level would allow us to quit and go back to the real-world, but I clung to the idea because without it all hope might be lost.

  The villagers brought our horses and a new wagon. Bernard tied all three steeds to the front while Eric and I talked to Yutrow, the leader of the group determined to stay.

  "You gave us hope today," he said. "The goblins came again, and you pushed them back. We won’t give up this land a second time."

  "We're happy to help, but we need to get going. Do you have Captain Riggard in the wagon?"

  "The coffin isn't pretty, but we made it quickly. Safe travels, brave warriors," Yutrow said.

  Eric, Bernard and I walked to the front of the wagon and sat down on the bench with me in the middle. The villagers cheered as we rode off down a desolate, destroyed street.

  "I love you, Kali," Charlotte said.

  Love you too.

  Exhausted, we rode toward Castle Casteel and an unknown future.

  We had to make smarter ch
oices in the game or it would cost us.

  I stared out at the breathtaking scenery as the wagon bounced on the dirt road.

  ()xxxx[:::: Chapter 25 ::::>

  Old Friends and New Enemies

  ERIC

  With three horses pulling the wagon, we made good time toward Castle Casteel. About midway, we saw two short figures standing by the side of the road. I used Monster Lore.

  Brownies? Are they going to attack us?

  "Whoa," I said, pulling on the reins to slow our horses.

  The two brownies turned in our direction. Each had an overblown smile on their face.

  "We've got company," I said.

  Sarah leaned forward.

  "Evan? Is that you?"

  "Kali," a brownie said as he ran over.

  I tossed the reins to Bernard and jumped off the wagon.

  "Hold on," Sarah said as I pulled my new, glistening scimitar. "I know them."

  "You know them?"

  I sheathed my blade as the first brownie reached the wagon. He looked up with that smile, causing me to turn away.

  "What's wrong with their faces?" I asked.

  "Don't be rude," Sarah said, bending to hug the brownie.

  The other cautiously stepped closer.

  "Don't trust her, Evan. She's the reason we had to leave Fishguard."

  "No," Evan said. "You're the reason. I'm not the bozo. You're the dimwit."

  Ewen rushed forward toward Sarah and Evan. I stepped in front of him.

  "Slow down, little man."

  "I'm big for a brownie," he said.

  The smile on his face diluted the anger I sensed.

  Sarah stepped over and put her hand on my shoulder.

  "They were one of the first quests I completed before meeting you."

  I wondered if they were player characters at one point who had been turned into NPCs or if they were computer controlled. This game always keeps you guessing.

  "Never trust a brownie," Bernard called from the wagon. "We should get going."

  "Give me a minute," Sarah said.

  "Where are you two going? Did something happen in Fishguard?"

  "You bet something happened," Ewen said. "All that gold you gave us ruined our lives."

  "What?" she asked.

  "It's true," Evan said with downcast eyes. "We got lazy with all that money and gambled it away."