Tower of Gates Omnibus Read online

  Tower of Gates

  Omnibus One

  Paul Bellow

  Contents

  Tower of Gates Omnibus One

  Hack

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Chapter 1 - Never Ever Split the Party

  Chapter 2 - Elf Mage Spawns in Thyananore

  Chapter 3 - Half-Orc Warrior Spawns in Mang

  Chapter 4 - Human Rogue Spawns in Harrisburg

  Chapter 5 - What’s that Strange, Sour Smell?

  Chapter 6 - I Don’t Know Your Father, Brah

  Chapter 7 - Quest: Join Party is ... Successful?

  Chapter 8 - Take as Many Maps as You Want

  Chapter 9 - Can we negotiate my payment?

  Chapter 10 - Monster Hunting We Will Gnoll

  Chapter 11 - Master Gong and a Strange Note

  Chapter 12 - This New Quest Sounds Too Easy

  Chapter 13 - Cut Scene

  Chapter 14 - We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Party

  Chapter 15 - Finally Finding a Friendly Familiar

  Chapter 16 - A Maze of Twisty Little Passages

  Chapter 17 - That’s No Ordinary Wax Golem

  Chapter 18 - Rogue’s Ring of Spider Climbing

  Chapter 19 - Let’s Destroy the Pendant Now

  Chapter 20 - At Least We Got the Pendant

  Chapter 21 - A Resource Gathering Side Quest

  Chapter 22 - Benji Knows This Guy Too?

  Chapter 23 - Random Overland Encounters

  Chapter 24 - When Heroes and Villains Die

  Chapter 25 - How Long Were You an NPC?

  Epilogue

  Hate

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 - Old Friends and New Enemies

  Chapter 2 - On the Road to Fort Bliss

  Chapter 3 - More Like Sylvar the Stupid

  Chapter 4 - Two Wizards Walk into a Bar

  Chapter 5 - Grisly Grizzly Gang Attacks

  Chapter 6 - Time to Use Summon Monster

  Chapter 7 - There’s No Place Like Gnome

  Chapter 8 - Never Trust a Ranger Weasel

  Chapter 9 - Off to See the Four Wizards

  Chapter 10 - Bringing Out Their Evil Dead

  Chapter 11 - Inconceivably Botched Ambush

  Chapter 12 - That Dawn Acid is Dangerous

  Chapter 13 - CUT SCENE: I’ll Take Nerds Over Crazy

  Chapter 14 - Entering the Forbidden Kingdom

  Chapter 15 - We Should Probably Leave Now

  Chapter 16 - Goblin-Style Soup for the Soul

  Chapter 17 - Back on the Road Again

  Chapter 18 - Escape is a Bittersweet Word

  Chapter 19 - Are You Two Following Us?

  Chapter 20 - His Armor Sure Looks Familiar

  Chapter 21 - Think This Happens Every Day?

  Chapter 22 - Preparing for Chong Monastery

  Chapter 23 - Sometimes You Just Get Lucky

  Chapter 24 - He’s Not Your Real Father

  Chapter 25 - What Can I Say? I'm Thrilled

  Epilogue

  Brute

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 - Barbarian on the Run

  Chapter 2 - Initiate Initial Initiation

  Chapter 3 - A Ring of Teleportation

  Chapter 4 - Not a Victimless Crime

  Chapter 5 - Can We Work Together?

  Chapter 6 - No Remorse, No Regret

  Chapter 7 - Controlling My Emotions

  Chapter 8 - Raising a Quick Army

  Chapter 9 - The Battle of the Brute

  Chapter 10 - Trapping the Dwarves

  Chapter 11 - A Lich and a Rogue

  Chapter 12 - Stupid Giant Stone Trolls

  Chapter 13 - You Guys Aren’t Nice

  Chapter 14 - A Battle with Gord-En

  Chapter 15 - Another Choice to Make

  Chapter 16 - The Smartest Barbarian

  Chapter 17 - Fate Worse than Death

  Chapter 18 - Miscommunication Mirror

  Chapter 19 - How to Befriend a Dragon

  Chapter 20 - The Midgaard Arenas

  Chapter 21 - Controlling the Rage

  Chapter 22 - Where Is My Mind?

  Chapter 23 - Call me Spartacus

  Chapter 24 - The Four Deadly Sins

  Chapter 25 - Brains of the Brute

  Chapter 26 - The Dragon of Truth

  Chapter 27 - The More You Know

  Chapter 28 - Memory is so Strange

  Chapter 29 - The Scent of a Woman

  Chapter 30 - Enter the Wastelands

  Chapter 31 - Another Huge Monster

  Chapter 32 - Just a Rat in a Cage

  Chapter 33 - Return of the Wizards

  Chapter 34 - Guild Council Decision

  Chapter 35 - Battle of Eight Wizards

  Chapter 36 - Big City, Bright Lights

  Epilogue

  Hero

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 - No Honor Among Thieves or Old Men

  Chapter 2 - Magic the Mirror Gathering

  Chapter 3 - Chain Mail of Orc Odors Stinks

  Chapter 4 - You Know, Half-Lion and Half-Tiger

  Chapter 5 - Why Won’t Anyone Join Party?

  Chapter 6 - An Attorney Will be Provided

  Chapter 7 - If the Gauntlet Fits, You Must Acquit

  Chapter 8 - Cut Scene

  Chapter 9 - Random Encounter Resources

  Chapter 10 - Solemnly Seeking the Sword of Sands

  Chapter 11 - Can’t Keep a Good Dwarf Down

  Chapter 12 - Formerly Known as the Four

  Chapter 13 - Entering the Mines of Oriam

  Chapter 14 - Revenge of the Hill Giants

  Chapter 15 - A Giant By Any Other Name

  Chapter 16 - A Game Within a Game?

  Chapter 17 - Dream a Little Nightmare

  Chapter 18 - Standard Troglodyte Infestation

  Chapter 19 - Troglodyte Mass Destruction

  Chapter 20 - That’s No Ordinary Tunnel

  Chapter 21 - Feats of Dwarven Engineering

  Chapter 22 - Wight Mage, Glitches

  Chapter 23 - Cut Scene: Potion Power

  Chapter 24 - Blame a Black Dragon

  Chapter 25 - Remember the Worm!

  Chapter 26 - Not So Wonderful Wand

  Chapter 27 - Dark Knight Seeks Asylum

  Chapter 28 - Goodbye, Dear Friend

  Chapter 29 - Prisoner Identification Number?

  Chapter 30 - New Class: Valkyrie Skyrider

  Epilogue

  Roguelike

  Chapter 1 - Out of the Game?

  Chapter 2 - Mage Morphs to Rogue

  Chapter 3 - Don’t Get Distracted!

  Chapter 4 - Not (Usually) a Thief

  Chapter 5 - There Goes My Recall

  Chapter 6 - The Amulet of Yendro

  Chapter 7 - Way of the Samurai

  Chapter 8 - Master of Min / Max

  Chapter 9 - The Gnome Impersonator

  Chapter 10 - Chasing Bones Files

  Chapter 11 - Rusty the Monster

  Chapter 12 - Victory is So Close!

  Chapter 13 - Cursed Item Blues

  Chapter 14 - Twisty Little Passages

  Chapter 15 - Fall of the Zookeeper

  Chapter 16 - Everyone Gets Stoned

  Chapter 17 - Speedrunning Levels

  Chapter 18 - Guess I’m a Thief Then

  Chapter 19 - Best Weapon Ever

  Chapter 20 - Crafting in a Dungeon

  Chapter 21 - Worse Than a Dragon?

  Chapter 22 - Riders on the Storm

  Chapter 23 - Wizard of Yendro

  Chapter 24 - Out of the Frying Pan

  Newsletter

  Glossary

  © 2018

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  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thanks to all who helped on my journey.

  Paul Bellow Newsletter

  LitRPG Reads Newsletter

  Hack

  Tower Of Gates: Book 1

  Paul Bellow

  1

  Never Ever Split the Party

  ERIC

  I stared at my father as he stood behind his desk, wondering if he would ever leave. He swiped the screen of his tablet, ignoring me.

  “Why can’t I play the game a few minutes?” I asked. “You said it’s safe, right? I can help playtest.”

  He looked up and frowned.

  “It’s perfectly safe,” he said. “But I don’t want you playing it.”

  Using my mind, I moved my hover-chair toward the door.

  “Why aren’t you using your exoskeleton?” he asked.

  “They give me headaches, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said in a distracted tone.

  I watched as he peered back down at his tablet.

  “You can go to your meeting,” I said as I hovered near the door. “You know I can’t get into the gaming cabinets myself.”

  He sighed as he lowered the tablet.

  “Come on, Eric. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You spend too much time in games. You need to grow up and decide what you want to do with your life.”

  “Maybe I want to be a game tester,” I said.

  He shook his head and said, “No. That’s my final decision. I need to leave for a meeting, but I’ll be back in a few hours. Can you stay out of trouble that long?”

  I frowned and dropped my head to hide my excitement.

  That’s more than enough time for my plan, I thought.

  “We’ll talk about it at dinner,” he said. “Maybe I’ll tell you more about the Tower of Gates when I get back. We’ll look at a new exoskeleton for you tonight too. There’s no reason for you to be wallowing in self-pity. You’re paralyzed, but it’s not the end of the world.”

  “Sounds good,” I said then whisked out of his study.

  As I floated up the stairwell to the second floor, I thought about the Tower of Gates. My father had been working on the Virtual Reality Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game for years. If half the features I’d read about in his notes had been completed, it would be the most immersive and immense RPG ever created.

  At the top of the stairs, I veered left and headed toward my bedroom. I went to the large window facing the front of the house and looked out the smart glass. I smiled as I watched my father walk toward his land speeder, and the side slid open as he approached. The dull grey vehicle levitated a few feet off the ground before speeding down the driveway. With him gone, I’d be able to try out the game and see Sarah in person.

  When I could no longer see him, I spun around, ready to put my plan into motion. He had programmed the androids to not help me get into the gaming cabinets, but I didn’t need them. Sarah had promised to come over and help if I let her try the game.

  I grabbed my tablet and tapped out a message to her.

  He’s gone, I wrote. Come quick.

  On my way, she responded.

  I smiled as I set my tablet down. We hadn’t hung out as much as we had in our younger years, but I still considered her my best friend.

  My heart raced as I went back downstairs to wait by the door.

  Time to get rid of the robo-snitches, I thought as I lifted my tablet.

  With a few swipes and taps, I sent all our androids to their charging stations.

  They couldn’t stop me if they were plugged in.

  Hacking our state of the art security system to allow entry into the basement had been more difficult, but I’d pulled it off. If my father caught me sneaking into the game, it wouldn’t be good. He’d been super-secretive since he started to work on it.

  The doorbell rang. Another tap of my tablet screen opened the front door. I smiled as I saw Sarah step inside, but my expression changed when I noticed Josh, her boyfriend.

  “What’s up, brah?” he asked as he strolled in.

  “Hey,” I said, looking at Sarah. “You made it…and you brought him.”

  “I’m her boyfriend. Why wouldn’t I come?”

  Josh looked around the grand entrance of our ten thousand square foot house.

  “Great pad.”

  Why did she bring him? I wondered.

  “I’m sorry.” Sarah put her hand on the edge of my hover-chair. “I didn’t think you’d mind if I brought him along. We won’t be staying long anyway.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, playing it off. “Good to see you.”

  “Besides, there’s no way I could’ve lifted you on my own,” she said.

  “Yeah.” Josh grinned. “She’s cute but not strong.”

  I ignored him, still staring at Sarah.

  “Are you sure it’s okay for us to try this game?” she asked.

  “It’ll be fine,” I said. “The script I wrote to get us in should work great. I haven’t tested it yet, but you trust me, don’t you?”

  Josh stepped forward, still looking around.

  “Your dad invented this game or something?” he asked.

  “He works for the company that’ll be releasing Tower of Gates,” I said.

  Josh nodded like he didn’t care. “Sarah doesn’t play games anymore.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Which is a shame.”

  “Let’s do this,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

  “You can’t stay and play for a few hours?” I asked.

  “We’re going on a date,” Josh piped in. “You know, like normal people.”

  He laughed, your typical level twenty brainless jock.

  “Cool,” I said. “The game is in the basement. Let’s go.”

  Josh stepped forward and waved his arms.

  “Lead the way, fly boy,” he said.

  I ignored the insult and turned my chair.

  They followed as I floated toward the back of the house.

  “How have you been?” Sarah asked as we headed down the stairs to the basement. “You didn’t answer my last email.”

  “Busy,” I said, still wishing Josh hadn’t shown up.

  At the bottom of the stairs, I lifted my tablet.

  “Prepare to be amazed,” I said as I tapped the screen.

  My subroutine flooded our security system with bogus data, allowing me to unlock the door to the basement. It swung open inward.

  “After you two,” I said.

  Sarah and Josh walked past me, and the lights came on automatically as they entered, illuminating the once dark room. Six metal boxes stood against two of the walls, a single light flickered on each one.

  “Whoa,” Josh said. “What kind of game is this?”

  He walked toward one of the six cryogenic units.

  “The latest in immersive VR,” I said. “My dad’s a genius.”

  “Sure thing, kid.” Josh stepped over to one of the machines. “Are we supposed to get in these, or what?”

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “Won’t hurt too bad.”

  “It’ll hurt?” Sarah asked.

  “No,” I said. “Just teasing.”

  She frowned then said, “don’t do that. You know I hate it.”

  I floated toward the nearest game-pod and stopped next to it.

  “Josh, can you help me get in here?” I asked.

  “Sure,” he said, walking over.

  “Why are there six of them?” Sarah asked.

  “Groups are supposed to be six people,” I said. “But we should be okay because we’re just checking it out. We won’t stay long.”

  She walked over to one of the other units, running her hand over the smooth, black metal below the glass cover.

  “How do you want to do this?” Josh asked.

/>   “Just don’t hurt me,” I said. “Hold on.”

  I leaned over then pressed a square button on the side of the machine. The glass bubble over the unit lifted open, revealing a plush interior. A cap with wires sat on one end.