Hate: A LitRPG Novel (Tower of Gates Book 2)

by Paul Bellow

  Bernard stood next to Eric, both with their weapons drawn. I went through my list of spells, coming up with the best plan of action.

  11

  Inconceivably Botched Ambush

  Eric

  * * *

  As the lich walked forward, I wondered if we had a bit off more than we could chew.

  How could we defeat a high-level undead creature on our own?

  “I’m coming for you,” the lich said as it lumbered toward us.

  When it tripped on a tree root sticking up from the ground and fell on its face, I had second thoughts about having trouble defeating it.

  “A clumsy lich,” I said. “We’ve got this, Bernard. Come on.”

  I stepped forward, shiny new sword at the ready. Bernard followed at my side. The lich stood and stretched out its arms again.

  “Stop in the name of all that’s unholy,” it said.

  “Hold on,” I said then stopped walking.

  Bernard did the same, looking over at me.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “There’s something familiar about that voice,” I said.

  “Maybe the game is reusing a voice actor from another NPC?”

  He shrugged. “Now’s really not the time to talk about it.”

  “What are you two gabbing about?” the lich asked. “Are you talking about me?”

  I cocked my head to the side as I stared at the creature with the glowing red eyes.

  “Prepare to die,” the lich yelled then moved its hands.

  “Don’t let it cast a spell,” I shouted as I rushed forward.

  Four familiar golden energy bolts shot from the lich’s hands.

  Four Golden Bolts HITS you for 8 damage.

  You have [65/73] health remaining.

  Golden Bolts? From a powerful lich? Something’s not right...

  I stopped again. The possible lich stepped behind a tombstone.

  “Drop your items here as a tribute,” it said. “And I’ll spare you.”

  “We’re not afraid of you,” I said as I took another step forward.

  “Now,” the lich yelled.

  Sylvar popped up from behind a tombstone and shot an arrow. It whizzed toward me but missed. Hoping Sarah hadn’t been hit, I ran forward.

  The faux lich threw back its hood, revealing Rizzo the Red’s weasel-like face. Another arrow flew past, and Sarah screamed behind me.

  I kept running toward Rizzo, wanting to stop him from casting. He ran down a row of tombstones to escape, but I caught up with the dirty rat and swung.

  Your slash INJURES Rizzo the Red for 11 damage.

  He kept running, giving me another opportunity to strike.

  Your stab HITS Rizzo the Red for 8 damage.

  He’s still not going down?

  An arrow slammed into my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I grabbed it and yanked it out. Bernard barreled toward Sylvar.

  The ranger blew on his horn. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two adolescent brown bears and a great big grizzly running toward us.

  “I’ve got the bears,” Sarah yelled. “Go after Rizzo.”

  Rizzo had stopped and moved behind a tombstone. He raised his hands to cast a spell. I ran toward him at full speed with my sword up.

  Two chunks of flaming lava flew toward me.

  The Lava Discs INJURES you for 14 damage.

  You have [51/73] health remaining

  I reached him and plunged my sword toward his chest.

  Your slash HITS Rizzo the Red for 8 damage.

  Why’s he not going down? Regeneration or something?

  He turned and cast a spell. Ringing noises echoed around my head. I dropped my sword and put my hands to my ears.

  The piercing sound continued—making it impossible to concentrate on anything. I fought the pain and stooped to pick up my sword.

  As I stood, four Golden Bolts hit me in the chest.

  The Golden Bolts GRAZE you for 6 damage.

  You have [45/73] health remaining.

  The ringing sound continued in my ears. I screamed and charged forward.

  Rizzo the Red ducked, but he wasn’t quick enough.

  My sword connected.

  Your pierce INJURES Rizzo the Red for 12 damage.

  Rizzo the Red is dead!

  As the mage fell to the ground with a whimper, the ringing in my ears stopped. I smiled and turned to study the battlefield. One of the bears mauled me.

  The Grizzly Bear’s claw GRAZES you for 6 damage.

  You have [39/73] health remaining.

  I turned and thrust the magic FAST sword into the bear.

  Your thrust INJURES the grizzly bear for 14 damage.

  The Grizzly Bear is Dead!

  He must’ve been hurt already. I kept my sword up.

  Sylvar had gotten away from Bernard—thanks to the bears and a few new wolves. He kept shooting arrows at Sarah as she helped with the wildlife.

  “Death to all weasels,” I yelled then charged toward the elven ranger.

  He turned his bow toward me and shot, missing each time. As I approached, the largest bear roared and ran to intercept me. I kept running.

  When I realized I wouldn’t make it to Sylvar before the bear reached me, I changed my course with the FAST sword raised.

  The bear rose up on its hind legs as I swung in a wide arc.

  Your slash INJURES the grizzly bear for 11 damage.

  The grizzly fought back ferociously, hitting me with both claws.

  The grizzly bear’s claw GRAZES you for 6 damage.

  The grizzly bear’s claw HITS you for 8 damage.

  You have [25/73] health remaining.

  I wanted to get to Sylvar, but I had to take down the bear first.

  Your stab INJURES the grizzly bear for 12 damage.

  After I slashed the animal across its stomach, several Flaming Discs of Lava flew past me and caught the bear’s fur on fire. The big brown beast bellowed in pain as it ran away, fanning the flames. It fell to the ground—smoke rising—a few feet away.

  As I turned to Sylvar, he dropped his bow and pulled out a sword.

  “Ready to die?” I asked as I walked toward him.

  “I’m going to help Bernard,” Sarah yelled.

  Fine with me, I thought as I stepped forward. This won’t take long.

  “Don’t come any closer,” Sylvar said.

  “Or what?” I asked.

  “I’ll kill you,” he said. “I swear I will.”

  “You can try.” I kept moving forward. “But you’ll fail.”

  He cackled. I charged forward, using the last of my strength.

  Some of the wolves surrounded Bernard, but he would have to help himself.

  Your slash HITS Sylvar for 9 damage.

  “That’s all you got?” he yelled then thrust.

  Sylvar’s blade HITS you for 9 damage.

  You have [16/73] health remaining.

  Sylvar dropped his sword and clutched his ears.

  I used the opportunity to slash twice.

  Your slash HITS Sylvar for 8 damage.

  Your slash INJURES Sylvar for 15 damage.

  Sylvar is dead!

  Alignment: -60

  Killing players on level one-one is not good.

  Killing players with this sword is a very evil act.

  Your Alignment is now -15 (Breaking Bad)

  Alignment penalty for self-defense again?

  With the last of my energy, I turned to see Bernard and Sarah battling the last two wolves. I thought about helping, but one good bite would kill me.

  “You got this,” I yelled in support.

  The final wolf let out a yelp then fell to the ground.

  Combat is over!

  You receive 13,600 xp divided by three party members

  You get +4,533 xp

  Welcome to level six Rogue -> Bounty Hunter!

  I looked around at all the dead wolves and bears.

  “Everyone okay?” I asked.

 
; Smoke rose from the still smoldering bear.

  “Barely,” Sarah said.

  After Bernard lifted his mace in the air, I turned my attention to Sylvar’s body.

  “I’ve got Rizzo’s corpse,” Sarah said as she walked over to where he had fallen.

  “Keep an eye out, Bernard,” I said then bent to the body in front of me.

  I grabbed his pouch full of gold and gems.

  Maybe his bowstring will work on Sarah’s bow, I thought as I held the ranged weapon.

  “Guys, I’ve found something,” Sarah said.

  “What is it?” I asked, walking over to her.

  Bernard stepped up as well.

  Sarah smiled. “They finished the last part of the quest for us.”

  I looked over at the bag she’d opened on the ground.

  “Monkey ghoul brains?” I asked.

  “I think so,” she nodded. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  She scooped the bag up and held it in the air.

  Your Quest is Completed!

  You get +2,000 xp divided by three party members

  You get +667 xp

  You now have 23,911 experience points

  You need 11,089 xp for level seven Rogue -> Bounty Hunter

  I pumped my fist in the air at the extra experience points.

  “Not much for such a hard side quest,” Bernard said.

  “I’ll take whatever we can get,” I said.

  “And we now we have all the items,” Sarah added. “That’s the most important thing. We’re ready to make some Dawn Acid.”

  “Do you know how to make it?” I asked.

  “Actually,” she said. “I don’t.”

  “We can find help in Mednia,” Bernard said.

  “I wish the Four Wizards would’ve stuck around and help us,” I said. “We should loot the bodies before we go.”

  “Good idea,” Bernard said.

  He walked over to Rizzo the Red while I headed to Sylvar. Besides a pouch full of gems and gold, we found several unknown potions and a platinum ring.

  “I’ll have to identify them in the morning,” Sarah said.

  “That’s fine,” I said. “We should rest before getting back on the road.”

  “At least we don’t have to worry about those two for a while,” Bernard said. “I do want to find somewhere else to camp. This place creeps me out.”

  “Me too,” I said, glancing around at the gloomy graveyard. “Top Henge is only a few miles away. We’ll camp a bit closer to that before heading south then east.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Bernard said.

  We left the graveyard and got on our horses. Heading south again, I basked in the glory of a completed side quest. My thoughts turned to the pendant.

  I wondered if we’d have a shot at killing Magi Inyontoo. Finishing the quest and clearing level one-one needed to be our priority—but a man could dream.

  “This is a good spot,” Bernard said, slowing down.

  I stopped my horse, looking around. A tall oak tree just off the road would serve as a good spot to sleep for the night.

  Sarah climbed off her horse.

  “I’m so tired that I could sleep anywhere,” she said.

  “We’ll set up our normal shifts,” I said as I got off my horse.

  After tying up our horses, we started a fire under the tree. Bernard rolled a few logs over for us to sit on. The bag of Dawn Acid ingredients sat next to me.

  “We did it,” I said, basking in the warm glow of the fire.

  “I didn’t think we’d ever find all the ingredients,” Bernard said. “Especially at the end. We should’ve killed Rizzo and Sylvar earlier.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “But we can’t change the past.”

  Bernard stood and turned to me.

  “I’m going to check the other side of that field for some dinner,” he said. “Be back in a few.”

  “The wizards gave us rations,” Sarah said.

  “I need some victory meat,” Bernard said as he walked away.

  Sarah turned to me and smiled. I hadn’t seen her so happy in a while.

  “We’re going to do this,” she said.

  I nodded, returning her smile.

  “Yeah,” I said. “We just need to find…”

  I stopped mid-sentence as I saw a torch approaching on the road.

  “What is it?” Sarah asked as I stood.

  “Someone’s coming,” I said.

  I pulled my sword and stepped toward the road.

  A man without any weapons besides the torch rushed forward.

  “Stop,” I commanded.

  The man obeyed, a look of fear on his face.

  “He’s coming,” the man said. “He’s coming for us all.”

  “Who’s coming?” Sarah asked.

  “The barbarian,” the man said. “The meanest half-orc ever bred in the badlands.”

  I turned to Sarah.

  “Josh?” she asked.

  I turned back to the man.

  “Describe this barbarian,” I said.

  “What’s there to say?” The man shook his head. “He’s a half-orc, the vilest of all the creatures in all the realms.”

  “Is he nearby?” Sarah asked.

  The man shook his head.

  “He headed back north to the Forbidden Lands. Everyone who follows Magictology is going that way. There’s talk of another Great War coming. I’ve got to warn the others.”

  I stepped aside as the man continued down the path, mumbling to himself. Sarah took a deep breath. I could see anxiety in her elven eyes.

  “Might be him,” I said. “We should probably head that way.”

  She nodded and walked back toward our campfire.

  I followed, wondering how to calm her fears.

  We each sat down across the fire from each other.

  “I say we go north to look for Josh,” Sarah said. “Maybe that’ll be good for the quest too. If not, it doesn’t matter.”

  “Maybe,” I said, not wanting to upset her. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it all out. No game can stop us when we’re together. Remember?”

  She smiled briefly then looked away. Bernard walked up with two dead rabbits in his left hand. He held them out for us to admire.

  “Good catch,” I said, not telling him about the man’s warning.

  “Thanks.” Bernard sat down. “They should cook up nice.”

  “We need the protein,” I said. “We’ve been battling so hard.”

  “And kicking ass,” Bernard said.

  Sarah turned away as he dressed the animals for cooking.

  “Who would’ve thought the cleric who came up to offer his services in our party would turn out to be a rogue chef,” I said, smiling.

  Bernard looked up, his eyes gleaming with mischief and joy.

  “I’ve got a good feeling about clearing the level,” he said.

  Sarah put her elbows on her knees and gazed into the fire.

  “All this OOC talk keeps reminding me of the real world,” she said.

  Bernard’s smile faded away as he nodded solemnly.

  “I’m going to get some sleep,” Sarah said. “Can I have the last shift?”

  “Sure,” I said. “We need to train your spider to watch for us.”

  “Good idea,” she said. “You can ask her yourself.”

  “She only listens to you.” I moved over a log to be closer to Bernard. “See you in the morning.”

  “Goodnight,” Sarah said. “Don’t you two stay up too late.”

  She walked off to get her blanket and find a spot to sleep in the grass.

  As Bernard cooked up our rabbits, I called up my new stats and studied them.

  > Stats

  Name: Drexmao (“Drex”)

  Race: Human (Special)

  Class: Rogue -> Bounty Hunter

  Level: 6

  Experience Points: 23,911 (11,089 for next level)

  Alignment: -15 (Breaking Bad)

 
Health: 16(89)

  Strength: 85 (+20%) (+10 magic amulet)

  Dexterity: 75 (+10%)

  Constitution: 70 (+5%)

  Intelligence: 75 (+10%)

  Wisdom: 55 (+0%)

  Charisma: 44 (+0%)

  I also checked my skills.

  > stats skills

  Black Market Connections – Basic Level 4 of 10

  Dodge – Basic Level 2 of 10

  Monster Lore – Basic Level 5 of 10

  Weapon Craft – Blades - Basic Level 8 of 10

  Climbing – Advanced Level 1 of 5 (+5 basic levels w/Ring of Spider Climbing

  Stealth - Basic Level 4 of 10

  Create Item - Basic Level 1 of 10

  Identify Item – Basic Level 7 of 10

  Language: Human, Common

  Sense Motive – Basic Level 6 of 10

  Bargaining – Basic Level 3 of 10

  Would my Create Item skill go up if I helped Sarah create the Dawn Acid?

  I’d have to ask her in the morning. The smell of the rabbit over the fire hit my nose.

  “Smells so good,” I said.

  Bernard smiled.

  “I never cooked in the real world,” he said. “But here, I’ve had time to increase the skill. Wait until I get access to a proper kitchen.”

  “Soon,” I said. “But this is good enough for tonight.”

  We both quieted down as the food cooked. After it finished, we ate in silence—both lost in our thoughts. I pondered our main quest.

  How could we find the cursed Pendant of Visions to destroy it?

  The answer eluded me. Bernard threw the last bit of bone over his shoulder.