Blitz Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Newsletter

  LitRPG Reads

  Prologue

  1 - Village Building is Fun

  2 - Seeking the Quest Giver

  3 - Breaking all the Rules?

  4 - Building up a Kingdom

  5 - Et Tu, Charlotte? Really?

  6 - I Love Strategy Games

  7 - A Friend in Need & Deed

  8 - Charlotte’s Web is Real

  9 - The Rules of the Jungle

  10 - Ten Long Years Later

  11 - The Spider Offspring

  12 - Countering the Attack

  13 - Building a Better Village

  14 - Battle to End All Battles

  15 - Defending the Dream

  16 - Quest Giver Dungeon

  17 - Good to be Questing

  18 - Ruins of Monkey Island

  19 - A Battle to End the War

  20 - Making Hard Decisions

  21 - Losing the Advantage

  22 - Honey Badger Tribe

  23 - All That Experience

  24 - The Art of Diplomacy

  25 - A Two-Prong Attack

  26 - Sharing is Caring

  27 - Death of a Dynasty

  28 - The Tower of Sherlock

  29 - The Vaults Underneath

  30 - A Deeper, Darker Dive

  31 - Just a Lonely Being

  32 - Healing the Quest Giver

  33 - Love from a Distance

  34 - Not Yet Another Death

  35 - Shimmering Liquid Light

  36 - Good to Have You Back

  Epilogue

  LitRPG Forum

  Newsletter

  BLITZ

  A LitRPG Novel

  By Paul Bellow

  Copyright © 2018 Paul Bellow

  All rights reserved.

  For gamers.

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  Prologue

  James

  Carlos informed me Magi Inyontoo was attempting to flood the game with undead, allowing him to escape. I wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the idea, but it wouldn’t work, at least I didn’t think it would. The Tower of Gates continued to evolve as the gamemaster and all the other representations of the AI in the game.

  James: I need you to create some items for me.

  Carlos: For you, anything. What do you need?

  I leaned back in my leather chair and placed my hands behind my neck a moment, thinking. What would help Eric and his friends have a chance at defeating Magi Inyontoo and staying safe until I found them a way out of the game. Something too powerful would catch the gamemaster’s attention which could cause problems. I sat up and typed.

  James: A pendant. More specifically, the Pendant of Visions

  Carlos: Sounds interesting. Send me the stats. It’ll take a while.

  James: That’s fine. I want quality over speed on this one.

  Carlos: How can I reach you when it’s ready?

  James: I’m not sure yet, but there’s three other people I want you to give it to if they appear in Midgaard.

  Carlos: Names?

  James: I’m not sure by the time they reach you.

  Carlos: Making it easy like usual, I see.

  James: You owe me one, bud.

  Not seeing his face made it more difficult to communicate.

  Carlos: I know. You don’t ever let me forget.

  James: This is important. It’s my son and his friends.

  Carlos: Is there three of them?

  James: Yeah, why?

  Carlos: The ones with no prisoner numbers?

  James: Yeah. Have you heard about them?

  Carlos: Nothing specific. There’s a price on their heads.

  James: I need you to protect them for me.

  Carlos: I’ll see what I can do.

  I emoted a bow, hating the crude textual interface, but it was my only way into the Tower of the Gates for the moment. Could I somehow bypass the block and get in?

  James: I’ve got to go, but it’s been nice catching up.

  Carlos: Hold on. What do you want this Pendant of Visions to do?

  James: You heard about the cursed one, right? Everything opposite of that one.

  Carlos: I don’t think I can do it. Besides, that’s too dangerous.

  James: You can do this. I believe in you. I need you.

  Carlos: Are you going to get me out of here?

  James: You’re on top of my list.

  I hated lying to him, but I needed to protect my son and his friends. After typing a goodbye, I left the backroom and headed back into the city of Midgaard, typing commands to move. Flashes of the virtual city peppered my mind as the text descriptions of the sections of the city flew by on the screen. Then my phone rang.

  “Yeah?” I asked after answering it.

  “They’re coming James,” a digital voice said. “They’re coming for you.”

  “Who is this?” I asked.

  “You know who I am,” the voice answered.

  “Name yourself,” I commanded.

  “This is who you named the gamemaster.”

  “How are you calling me on my phone?” I asked, suddenly frightened.

  “They’re coming for you, James.”

  “Answer me!” I yelled.

  The call disconnected. I glanced back at the computer screen and saw a flashing indicator that I’d gotten a system message. As I typed up the command to read it, I prepared myself for something bad. With the Tower of Gates, you could never tell what was about to happen.

  “Hello, James. They’re coming for you. - Gamemaster”

  “Come on,” I said, madly typing commands to get to the center of the city.

  Your way is blocked.

  You shall not pass.

  I typed another direction to move, getting the same error message. Had the gamemaster figured out a way to stop me from proceeding? My fingers flew over the keyboard as I used a Scroll of Teleport to go back to Carlos. The text told me he sat up in surprise, spilling a drink as I appeared in the dark, seedy room in the back of the bar.

  James: I don’t have much time. The gamemaster is kicking me out.

  Carlos: Why did you come here? I’m not on the best of terms with him right now.

  James: I need your help. Forget the pendant. I need to contact my son.

  Carlos: That’s impossible…

  James: Come on, Carlos. Don’t fail me now. Hurry.

  Carlos: The gamemaster just sent me a message!

  James: Hurry, Carlos. I need to talk with my son.

  Carlos: Your avatar just blinked.

  James: I know. He’s booting me from the system.

  Carlos: Am I free and clear if I do this for you?

  James: Yes!!!

  I didn’t want to release him from his debts, but I needed to talk with Eric if only briefly. He needed to be warned about the severity of the situation.The text on the screen faded, and I saw a video feed from inside the Tower of Gates. I typed a message in a box to the right.

  James: How did you do this?

  Carlos: It won’t last long. Make it count.

  “Dad?” an armored man on the video feed asked. “Can you hear me?”

  Seeing him broke my heart. “I can hear you, son,” I said.

  “What’s going on? Can you get us out of here?”

  I turned to the left, avoiding eye contact a moment.

/>   “You need to be strong, Eric. It’s going to get tough. The game’s AI has been enhanced with…consciousness. The singularity has finally arrived…”

  “What are you talking about?” Eric’s hyper-realistic avatar in the game asked.

  I stared into my son’s eyes.

  “The AI running the Tower of Gates is alive,” I said.

  He grabbed something, causing the video to shake.

  “Careful,” a skeleton behind his said.

  I smiled, remembering the player from the early days.

  “Take care of him,” I said. “Promise me, Chicago.”

  “I’m doing what I can,” Chicago said. “It’s getting crazier in here…”

  The video blacked out, replaced by gray text on a black screen.

  Carlos: The gamemaster knows. I think he changed some of your words.

  James: What?

  Carlos: I’ve got to go

  James: No, wait...

  I saw a notification that Carlos died and another message even more sinister.

  “Hello, James. They’re coming for you. - Gamemaster”

  I heard a knock at the door. Are they already here for me?

  More importantly, who are they?

  Chapter 1

  Village Building is Fun

  Sarah

  After passing through the portal for level one-three in the Tower of Gates, I appeared on a beach. White sand stretched in both directions. The palm trees and thick, lush vegetation beyond were quite different than the first two levels. A notification popped up.

  Welcome to your personal penalty level.

  Over the next 20 years, you need to build up this island.

  Your tribe will help you as you become a true Valkyrie Skyrider.

  As an NPC, you will not have access to normal character screens.

  Good luck!

  Um, okay? I shook my head, then turned back to the interior of the island. The sand ended a few hundred feet away, leading into a dense jungle. At least it’s not a snow level. I walked inland and pulled up the rules concerning my twenty-year penalty, wondering if the game would give me any other clues.

  While I wouldn’t gain levels as an NPC, I would be able to help control a village. Since no other players were permitted on the island, it was impossible for me to become a player character again. The gamemaster hadn’t mentioned that fact, tricking me by offering me a new class I wouldn’t be able to use.

  I hated him even more and vowed to get my revenge on him someday. The idea of spending twenty years on my own frightened me a bit. Even having the brownies around would be better than being alone. I stopped at the edge of the jungle. Was it safe to go in by myself? I hoped I ran into someone.

  Strange, exotic sounds in the jungle made me wonder if I should just wait on the beach for someone to find me. Did my NPC have a name? I called up the game menu and found I’d been given the name Piper. Not horrible, I thought as I took a deep breath. Should I go into the jungle alone? Where’s my so-called village?

  “Piper!” a female behind me yelled. “What are you doing?”

  I turned and saw a tall woman with blonde, curly hair. Wearing a simple one-piece dress with one shoulder exposed. She looked ravishing and exotic at the same time. Maybe being stuck on a tropical island for twenty years wouldn’t be so bad?

  She reached me and stopped, towering over me by at least a foot. I smiled, wishing the game would give me more info.

  “I was just thinking,” I said.

  “About going home so soon?” she asked. “Your father’s already going to be upset. We should enjoy the rest of the day.”

  “Okay,” I said, not wanting to argue.

  She turned and ran back toward the water, giggling the whole way. How had I missed her when I first appeared on the beach? I followed her at a slower pace as waves lapped at the shore. She kicked at the water as she stood with it just past her ankles, splashing me as I walked up.

  Was my father important? That might make my life easier.

  “Aren’t you coming in deeper to swim to the other island?” the woman asked.

  I looked at her character file and saw her name and basic information appear, including the fact she wanted to escape our island despite not being allowed to leave it.

  “Hold on, Augusta,” I said. “We’re not supposed to leave this island.”

  “You said you wanted to go with me,” she whined. “It’s a short swim. Are you scared?”

  Why is she acting like a teenager? Is this some weird island full of backward people, or am I even younger than I am in the real world?

  “I’m not afraid, but I’m staying here,” I replied.

  She frowned, her face wrinkling.

  “You’re making me so mad,” she said.

  I shrugged my shoulders, staring out at the water unconcerned.

  “Are you coming back with me or not?” I asked. “We should go.”

  She turned to look out at the water. In the distance behind her, I saw another island.

  “Come on,” I said, turning. “Let’s go.”

  She sighed as I started walking toward the jungle. I hoped she came with me, because I wasn’t entirely sure where to go. The island couldn’t be that large, but I didn’t want to get eaten by some exotic jungle beast.

  “Wait up,” Augusta called out behind me.

  I slowed my pace and waited for her to catch up. Once she did, we walked toward the edge of the sand. I struggled to keep up with her long strides. She headed down a path I hadn’t noticed before when we reached the jungle. I scurried after her, not wanting to get lost on my own. From what I’d read in the help files, dying as an NPC wasn’t recommended.

  “I’m just going to find someone else to go with me,” Augusta said over her shoulder. “You better not tell anyone until after I’m gone. Do you hear me?”

  “You can trust me,” I said, hoping she wasn’t around for the next twenty years.

  The monumental amount of time struck me once again. Why had I agreed to the gamemaster’s stupid deal instead of listening to Magi Inyontoo? Maybe the others would break into my penalty level and rescue me somehow. The thought brought a smile to my face as we kept walking. All types of leaves pressed up against us as we walked along the trail.

  I heard singing up ahead. A party in the jungle? I sped up as Augusta reached a clearing. The vines, trees, branches, and leaves all pushed in on the tiny encampment. One large hut stood in the middle with a thatched roof. A group of men and women sat in front of the building, clapping and singing like they had no care in the world.

  “Your father looks upset,” Augusta said in a low voice.

  The man she was talking about frowned as he stood and walked over.

  “Where have you been?” he demanded, looking deep into my eyes.

  “Swimming,” I lied, hoping it worked.

  The man’s frown slowly changed into a smile.

  “Did you have fun?” he asked.

  Augusta slinked away as I answered.

  “Yeah, but I’m tired now.”

  With only one hut built, did everyone sleep together or something?

  “Something wrong, dear?”

  I nodded, determined to make the best of my time.

  “Our village,” I said. “There’s so much we could do to make it better.”

  Kron smiled and put an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer.

  “This is all yours to do with what you want,” he said. “You’re my daughter and will take over the entire village soon.”

  “Are you dying?” I blurted out.

  The older man laughed, removing his arm.

  “Not for another few years, hopefully,” he said.

  “Good,” I said.

  While he didn’t feel like my real father in that moment, I could see myself becoming closer to him if I had to really spend twenty years by myself in the game. I wondered if Eric and Josh would be able to find me somehow and rescue me from my bogus punishment. Kron lovingl
y patted me on the back then returned to the other half-dozen people sitting on the ground.

  I continued standing near the edge of the clearing. Screeches and other sounds from the jungle were gradually becoming less frightening as I became accustomed to them. I couldn’t access the normal player character sheet with the game menu, but a button labeled Village Building caught my eye. Did all NPCs have access to this feature, or just me?

  Village Building - Main Menu

  1) Increase Tribe

  2) Gather Resources

  3) Construct Building

  4) List All Villagers

  5) Train Villager

  6) Research

  I stared at the basic game menu hovering in the air with nobody but me able to see it. The options looked very basic, but they reminded me of a few old non-VR strategy games Eric had shown me years earlier. As true gamers, we’d frequently gone back to simpler times with older games that weren’t based on virtual reality.

  While the others returned to their singing, I clicked around some of the options, trying to familiarize myself with the options available to me as a village building NPC. Did Bernard have access to all this when he was an NPC, or was this special because I was on a penalty level? He’d never mentioned it, but we’d never asked him directly. I found another screen that outlined what I had to work with at that moment in time.

  Position: Chief’s Daughter

  Action Points Per Day: 5

  Action Points Remaining: 5

  Assigned Tasks: None

  Interesting. Beyond the basic stats, I had options on how to spend the action points. As my tribe grew and I increased in power, I would have access to more action points and instructions for all the other villagers. Could I command Augusta not to leave the island? I’d grown fond of having her around. She was the only other tribe member in her late teens.

  Assign: Augusta

  Task: Training

  Goal: Level 1 Seamstress