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  I charged into the room like a madman, swinging my sword. When no one jumped out at me, I lowered it a bit and glanced around. Gord-En sat next to the bed, bleeding out.

  “Hands up!” I shouted, realizing how ridiculous I sounded.

  “I’m dying, kid,” he said. “Go for it. You’re the lucky soul.”

  “Why are they trying to kill you?” I asked, keeping my weapon raised.

  He coughed, blood splattering onto the floor.

  “Does it matter?” he asked. “Make it quick.”

  I stepped toward him, not ready to swing.

  “Hey,” he began, “you’re one of the new players, aren’t you?”

  I nodded and said, “Yeah. Why?”

  “You’re special,” he said. “I’m not exactly sure how yet, but you and your two companions are the key to getting us out of this game.”

  “I’ve heard that before,” I said.

  “Forget Magi Inyontoo.” Gord-En sat up, grimacing through the pain. “He’s not a good person. If you haven’t known him long, you don’t know what he’s done in here.”

  “That’s true, but he’s going to help me find Sarah.”

  “Who’s that?” Gord-En asked then coughed up more blood.

  “My girlfriend,” I said.

  “Sarah?” Gord-En asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Have you seen her?”

  He shook his head.

  “I did run into another new player named Eric recently,” Gord-En said. “You three not having PINs is throwing the game for a loop. There’s too much going on right now, but I had to come to this separate timeline to take out the lich that your friends kill on the main timeline. You three really screwed things up by hacking into the Tower of Gates. I don’t think you could’ve picked a worse time to do it.”

  Gord-En coughed again, looking even more frail.

  “This is it,” he said. “I finally die. Do you want to do the honors?”

  I lowered my sword, not ready to end his life so soon.

  “Maybe there’s another way,” I said.

  He tilted his head to the right and said, “Tell me more.”

  “I’m not sure I can trust the Four Wizards,” I said.

  He nodded and said, “They’ve been acting strange for a while now. Most of us figure the game’s gotten to them. It happens to all of us at one point or another.”

  I wanted to ask him more about the timeline I was on, the Four Wizards, and anything else that might help me find the others, but I waited. He needed help.

  “The ball’s in your court,” Gord-En said. “Please don’t let the wizards kill me.”

  “Death is death, right?”

  He shook his head.

  “I’ve heard stories lately,” he said. “The Four Wizards have turned to the dark side.”

  With two healing potions in my sack, I might be able to save him.

  Should I, though? The question bounced back and forth in my mind as I stared down at him.

  For someone who was supposedly the strongest players in the game and one who had never been killed, he didn’t look like anything special. If I killed him myself, I might become a legend.

  As I stared down at his battle-ravaged body, I realized I could go either way. Would killing Gord-En make me a monster or a hero in the Tower of Gates?

  I weighed the decision in my mind.

  16

  The Smartest Barbarian

  Josh

  After pulling out one of the healing potions, I held it out to the battered player.

  “Will this help?” I asked.

  His eyes lit up as he grabbed the bottle.

  “Thanks,” he said as he fumbled with the cork.

  I watched as he drained the contents in one quick go. While all his wounds didn’t heal, he looked a lot stronger as he stood and stretched.

  “That’s more like it,” he said. “The lich had a surprise for us. Killed my traveling companions.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Not your fault.” He stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder. “You did the right thing, kid. Most people in here would’ve killed me in a heartbeat for the bonus.”

  “I try to do the right thing,” I said.

  He smiled and squeezed my shoulder once before letting go.

  “Tell you what,” he said. “Maybe I can help you too.”

  “Oh?” I raised my left eyebrow, a skill I’d been developing for a while.

  He removed a bag from his belt then stuck his arm into it.

  “Whoa,” I said. “That’s a nice trick.”

  “You’ve not seen a Sack of Stuff before?” he asked then chuckled. “I forget what it’s like to be in here for the first five or ten years.”

  A knot formed in my stomach.

  “I won’t be in here that long,” I said.

  He laughed like all the others who heard I was getting out.

  “You’re welcome to try, but you’re best off accepting that you’re stuck.”

  “Never,” I said.

  “Ah ha,” he said, pulling out his arm. “Found it.”

  I looked into his outstretched hand and saw a round, clear gem about the size of an eyeball.

  “Take it,” he said. “It’s yours. The least I can do.”

  I grabbed the gem, feeling a faint vibration as I held it in my hand.

  “What’s it do?” I asked.

  “A Gem of True Seeing,” he said. “Hold it up to your eye.”

  I did as he said, closing my left eye and holding the gem in front of the other.

  “Whoa!” I gasped as I saw all of Gord-En’s character stats and skills.

  “It works on other game elements, too,” he said. “Look at that chest.”

  He pointed across the room. I glanced to where he pointed.

  “That chest is breathing,” I said, lowering the gem.

  “It’s a mimic,” Gord-En said. “I’ve been thinking about crawling over and letting it kill me.”

  “This gem could be useful,” I said, glancing down at it.

  “Whatever you do, don’t give it to the Four Wizards.”

  I nodded, liking the rogue even more.

  “Thanks again,” I said.

  “Don’t mention it,” Gord-En said. “You saved my life.”

  “Maybe we can kill the Four Wizards together?” I joked.

  He laughed then said, “Another time. I need to go. So much is happening on the upper levels, things that will change the game forever.”

  I glanced over at him. “Sounds like a big problem,” I said. “Do you need my help?”

  “I can’t have a low-level noob like you hanging around,” he said. “No offense.”

  He reached out and grabbed my shoulder again, staring into my eyes.

  “You do need to get away from them,” he said. “Do you understand?”

  I nodded even though I had no clue what he was talking about.

  “Seriously,” he added, moving his hand away. “They’re dangerous. I don’t know what’s happened to them lately, but something isn’t right.”

  “They got into a fight with Wiley, their dragon,” I said.

  Gord-En’s eyes widened.

  “You’re kidding,” he said. “They love that dragon.”

  “Big fight right outside earlier. The dragon took off somewhere.”

  “Good to know, kid.” Gord-En took a deep breath. “I need to go, but maybe we’ll meet again someday. That is, if you don’t get out of here first.”

  He grinned then winked before turning and leaving the room through a window. I walked over and watched him nimbly scale the outside wall of the manor.

  When he hit the ground, he took off running. I’ll wait in here a bit to give him time to get away. Maybe I can find some other treasures.

  As Gord-En the master rogue once again made his escape, I turned to scan the room. With my Gem of True Sight, I easily found a shelf of magic items.

  Giving the mimic a wide berth, I wa
lked over the bookshelf. Okay, maybe it’s only this headband that’s magic. It’s glowing strong. Does that represent its power?

  I held up the gold headband and looked at it more closely with the gem. The stats popped up. According to the numbers, it would raise my intelligence by twenty.

  “Not shabby,” I muttered as I put it on my head.

  You feel smarter!

  +20 intelligence!

  Intelligence: 63 (+5%)

  A little smarter. How does the game handle statistics? Would I suddenly start to think of more new ideas? Or would it work in the background somehow?

  Even with the magic item, I couldn’t answer my questions. The Tower of Gates wasn’t short on mysteries. I’d get to the bottom of them all eventually.

  Can I find something else? Should I kill the mimic for the experience points? Before I could do anything, I heard familiar voices approaching.

  “I’ll kill him myself,” Sherlock grumbled.

  The Four Wizards walked into the room.

  “Nice headband,” Thom said, pointing.

  All of them laughed.

  “I’m keeping it,” I said.

  “Fine with us,” Sherlock said. “You wouldn’t catch us dead in trash like that.”

  “The smart barbarian,” Thom said, still chuckling.

  “He’s new to the game,” Aaron said. “Give him a break.”

  I reached up and self-consciously touched the headband.

  “Don’t worry about them.” Aaron walked over. “Intelligence is important. Now that I’ve seen you in action, I can tell you have a good heart. That will get you far in this game.”

  “No, it won’t,” Sherlock said, contradicting him. “Evil wins in here.”

  I thought about Gord-En. Had he escaped safely? Would he come back?

  “Aquarius is dead,” Ferris said. “There’s no reason to keep chasing the rogue.”

  “Good,” I said. “Can you help find my friends?”

  Sherlock laughed, his long beard bouncing around.

  “You’re my slave now,” he said. “Time to go to our home.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said. “Your home? What about my friends? I was kidding with that stupid bet, trying to be funny.”

  “Maybe you should’ve tried harder,” Thom said.

  I hated how he always fished for laughter.

  “Unless you can pay the platinum, you’re our property,” Ferris said.

  “We won’t hurt you,” Aaron said. “Don’t worry.”

  “Others might hurt you, but we won’t,” Sherlock said.

  I glanced over at the window. Should I run and jump through?

  “Before we go, we have to take care of something,” Ferris said.

  The other three wizards turned to him.

  “We need the barbarian to lie to Magi Inyontoo,” he said.

  Everyone turned to look at me in my sparkly headband.

  “What?” I asked.

  “To the Tower of Sherlock,” Ferris said.

  “I’m so glad I got to name that place.” Sherlock smiled. “Has a ring to it.”

  “Look,” I said. “Just take me to Eric and Sarah. They’ll pay you what I owe.”

  The wizards laughed, their dirty robes fluttering around them.

  “Very funny,” Thom said. “You’re good.” He pointed a finger at me while nodding his head and grinning.

  “I’m not trying to be funny,” I said, getting angry.

  Aaron walked over and said, “Calm yourself.”

  “Oh yeah,” I said. “What was with you going into a rage earlier?”

  Aaron smiled sheepishly.

  “I’m an urban barbarian shaman,” he said. “Rare class.”

  Even with his explanation, none of it made sense.

  Ferris clapped his hands together and said, “Let’s go.”

  “I want to try that teleport spell again,” Sherlock said.

  Aaron turned to him, nodding.

  “Seemed to go well last time,” he said.

  “We’ve all got our arms and legs still,” Thom said.

  The Four Wizards stepped to spots surrounding me. As they chanted and moved their hands, dust swirled up around us. I closed my eyes, hoping for the best.

  17

  Fate Worse than Death

  Josh

  We appeared in a room with brick walls and heavily scuffed wood beams covering the floor. The Four Wizards surrounded me, looking menacing in the dim candlelight. I glanced around, noticing stairs leading up and down on the opposite side of the room.

  “Stop fidgeting and pay attention,” Sherlock scolded.

  I sighed and focused my attention on Ferris.

  “You need to check in with Magi Inyontoo,” he said.

  “Is he here? Can I ask him about Sarah?” I asked.

  “He’s not here, dummy,” Thom snickered.

  “You’ll be talking to him through a magic mirror,” Ferris said. “When you do, don’t mention us.”

  “Not at all,” Sherlock added.

  I narrowed my eyes.

  “Why not?” I asked. “Aren’t you guys working together?”

  “Kinda,” Thom said.

  Aaron nodded and said, “But not really. It’s complicated, and you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Hold on,” I protested. “Quit treating me like I’m an idiot.”

  “Then stop acting like one,” Sherlock quipped.

  “I don’t understand any of this,” I said.

  Ferris sighed then rolled up the sleeves of his robe.

  “Do you see this armband?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Good,” he said. “You remember how well we tracked the rogue, right?”

  “Well, he did get away…”

  “Shut up,” Ferris hissed.

  I pursed my lips together.

  “You need to listen more,” Sherlock said.

  “Or we’ll make it worse for you.” Ferris leaned forward. “Do you understand?”

  I nodded again, keeping my mouth shut for the moment.

  “Without a prisoner identification number, you’re valuable,” Aaron said.

  The other three shot him dirty looks, but he continued explaining.

  “Magi Inyontoo wants to use you to get to the one who hacked you into the game. We’ve found it best to pay him lip service but do our own thing in the background.”

  “Are you going to ever take me to Sarah?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Ferris said. “When it’s time.”

  I didn’t trust the sly smile on his face.

  “All in due time,” Sherlock said.

  “Trust us,” Ferris pressed.

  “What if I can’t?” I asked.

  Ferris sighed while Thom stepped forward.

  “We’ll make your life in here even worse,” he said, staring up at me.

  I could’ve crushed the smaller man, but the other wizards would’ve zapped me. Until I could be certain of getting away without them tracking, I planned to placate them. The irony of giving them lip service while they gave Magi Inyontoo the same wasn’t lost on me.

  “You don’t know what it’s like,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “Things can be brutal in here unless you’re aligned with the right people.”

  “How is this even a prison?” I asked. “Locking people up in a virtual world and having them kill others doesn’t sound like a very smart idea.”

  “Player killing was banned for a long time,” Ferris said. “When Magi Inyontoo hacked the code to allow for it, thousands of players killed each other out of frustration.”

  “This place was supposed to be different,” Sherlock said.

  “How so?” I asked.

  Thom shook his head then walked over to a window. I looked over and glanced out, seeing mountains outside. Would I ever have a chance to escape them?

  “It worked as a great prison before the big changes,” Ferris said. “Prisoners could take out their aggression fighting monsters while learnin
g how to become a better person.”

  “Sounds like Magi Inyontoo messed everything up,” I said.

  Aaron nodded and said, “He did. Before his hacks…”

  “Shut up,” Sherlock snapped. “He doesn’t need to know everything.”

  “Look.” Thom turned around. “You need to listen us, okay? That isn’t hard to do. We’re all very reasonable wizards.”

  “Yeah,” Sherlock added. “This could be so much worse for you.”

  I nodded, wondering about Eric and Sarah. Would I ever find them again? After so much time in the game without them, I wondered if our paths would cross again.

  “Are you going to give us problems?” Thom asked. “Or can you handle talking to Magi?”

  “I can handle it,” I said. “What do you want me to say?”

  “Just keep your answers vague if he asks you anything,” Ferris said.

  Sherlock stroked his long, white beard while nodding his head.

  “Anything else I should know?” I asked.

  “You’re lucky we found you,” Thom said.

  “I just want to find my friends and get out of here,” I said.

  All four of the wizards laughed.

  “You don’t think we’ve been trying since we got in here?” Sherlock asked.

  He shook his head as if I were an idiot.

  “My friend who hacked us in here can get us out,” I said. “His father helped build the game.”

  Ferris’ eyes widened. “What did you say?” he asked.

  I frowned, wondering why I had blurted out the information.

  “That explains why Magi Inyontoo might be interested in them,” Aaron said.

  Sherlock nodded, stroking his beard again. “Could be,” he said.

  “Let’s go,” Ferris said, nodding his head toward the stairs.

  “Where to?” I asked.

  “Upstairs, dummy,” Thom said.

  They waited for me to climb the steps. I thought briefly about bolting down the stairs and making a run for it, but their threats from earlier killed the idea before I implemented it. To get away from then, I would need to use my brains instead of brawn.

  18