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  He yelled as the short sword hit him in the arm. The lich stood, his tattered crimson robes ruffling. Cario caught up to me then shot past.

  “Borrowed one of those potions,” he said.

  I stopped running and watched as the cleric leaped into the air and cast a spell at the same time. Flames shot out of his hands, hitting the lich and catching his robes on fire.

  Bernard, Boki, Derringer and Rekon reached me and stopped next to me. Cario landed on the platform next to the throne and wrapped his hands around the lich’s neck.

  A primal scream filled the cavernous, underground room. Mario rushed over and stabbed his brother in the back with a glowing dagger. Cario turned, grimacing.

  “Watch out,” I said, but it was too late.

  The lich reached out and put his bony hands around Cario’s neck, squeezing the life-force out of him.

  “Help him,” I said then rushed forward.

  I need the Everlast potion, I thought as I ran toward the platform raised about a foot off the ground.

  Cario wrestled free then jumped twenty-feet away.

  That’s a powerful potion. When did he steal it from me? Are the other ones missing?

  I reached the throne of the lich and attacked, hoping for a critical hit.

  Your pierce HITS Aquarius the Lich for 9 damage.

  Your pierce MISSES Aquarius the Lich.

  Cario rushed over and slammed his mace into the lich at least a dozen times. I stepped back as the lich turned to face him. The cleric laughed, an insane smile on his face.

  “Get the mage,” Rekon yelled from behind me.

  I turned and saw Mario casting another spell.

  He got it off before I could attack him again.

  Mario’s High Lightning DEVASTATES you for 41 damage.

  You have [87/128] health remaining.

  I fell to the floor of the raised platform behind the golden throne.

  Boki and Bernard ran up and attacked Mario, distracting him.

  The lich screamed in pain. I stepped back and looked.

  Cario had his hands around its neck again, squeezing.

  “Mage on the loose,” Rekon yelled. “Pay attention, idiot.”

  I turned and saw Bernard and Boki both frozen like Josh.

  This isn’t going well. It’s time to take the Everlast potion.

  As I reached into my pouch and pulled it out, Mario cast another spell.

  My entire body froze as Rekon ran toward the mage with his sword raised. He hit the mage in the stomach – a solid hit.

  Mario cursed then pulled a wand from his robes.

  “Die, gnome,” he shouted.

  Thick, black smoke shot out of the wand and filled the air. I couldn’t see anything, but the battle raged on.

  Cario screamed. As the smoke dissipated, I saw Mario standing over his body.

  “Flee to safety,” Mario said to Aquarius then turned.

  I saw murder in his eyes.

  “You’ll pay for this,” the lich said, sounding like a spoiled brat.

  Rekon ran over and put his hand on my arm. The paralyze spell faded.

  “Get the lich,” the paladin said.

  Mario raised his hands to cast another spell.

  I ran to the right, hoping to flank him. The lich wouldn’t matter if we let his mage minion kill us.

  A blue beam of light shot out of Mario’s palms. They hit Rekon, bringing him to his knees. I’d never forget the sounds of pain coming out of his mouth.

  Silent and deadly, I ran toward the evil mage with my sword drawn.

  Critical Hit!

  Your slash MAULS Mario the mage for 31 damage.

  Mario the Mage is dead!

  Combat is Over!

  You get 10,000 xp.

  You have 6 party members.

  You get 1,667 xp.

  You have 96,733 xp.

  You need 8,267 xp for Level 10 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter.

  Only six party members?

  I glanced around.

  “Everyone okay?” I asked.

  “Fine,” Bernard said. “The spell ended when he died.”

  “Someone died,” I said.

  “Cario.” Rekon stepped beside me. “He almost had the lich too.”

  “Wow. His own brother stabbed him in the back,” I said, shaking my head.

  Josh glanced around and said, “Let’s get that lich. He can’t be far.”

  Rekon put away his sword.

  “I can’t sense his evil anymore,” he said. “We’ve recaptured High Keep.”

  “For now,” I said. “We can’t stay here and protect it.”

  “No,” Rekon said. “We should go to Westwood and tell the king of the gnomes.”

  “And look for Sarah.” I glanced over at Josh. “We’re going to find her.”

  “I know it,” he said. “Can’t believe I got froze and missed the whole battle.”

  “You helped us get here,” I said.

  Rekon clapped his hands, the sound echoing in the room.

  “Enough chit-chat,” he said. “We’ve got loot to collect.”

  He walked toward the entrance of the room.

  I felt bad for Cario, but we had to keep going.

  Chapter 5

  Hero-Sized Side-Quest

  Eric

  I sat on the roof of High Keep and stared out at the landscape. The sun had set hours earlier, which limited my sight, but I wanted to be ready if the lich returned with reinforcements.

  Rekon had raised the gnome flag nearby. It rippled in the wind. We hadn’t beat the lich, but we’d cleared the keep and won a lot of loot.

  I’d have given it all up to see Sarah again. After burying Cario in the courtyard, I’d come to the roof for a moment alone to think. The reality of being stuck in a video game hit me hard.

  “You okay?” Bernard asked.

  I turned and smiled reflexively.

  “Yeah,” I said. “What’s up?”

  “Derringer is still underground chopping off blade wight arms for swords and daggers.”

  I nodded then turned back to admire the view as Bernard stopped next to me. He also stared out into the darkness of the surrounding countryside.

  “This game can be darkly beautiful at times,” he said.

  “What do you think of Rekon?” I asked.

  He smirked. “About the same as any other gnome, I’d say.”

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “There’s something about him.”

  “You think he’s going to betray us like Sylvar, Ryu, and everyone else?”

  “We’re a gullible group, aren’t we?” I asked with a chuckle.

  “It’s this game.” Bernard’s smile faded. “I hate the Tower of Gates.”

  “Me too,” I said. “Don’t worry, man. We’ll get out of here.”

  He nodded. “I don’t doubt it, but at what cost?”

  “Hopefully not too high of one,” I said.

  We left the roof and climbed down the ladder to the third floor of High Keep. A lot of the other rooms held treasure, but Rekon claimed it for the gnomes.

  I considered fighting with him over it, but it wasn’t worth it in the end. Back on the first floor, we found the others in the main entrance room.

  Derringer sat off to the side, quietly cleaning blade wight arms.

  Josh walked up and put his huge hand on my shoulder.

  “That little gnome’s nuts,” he said. “I’ve had enough of him bossing me around.”

  “We’ll talk to him later,” I said. “We need him at the moment.”

  “Talk to who about what?” Rekon asked as he walked up.

  I took a deep breath. Was it time to talk to him?

  “We need to talk about the way you’re trying to lead the party,” I said.

  Rekon laughed. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d all be dead right now.” He looked up and shook his head to shame us while wagging a pudgy finger. “You’re the lousiest group of new players I’ve seen in a long time. And I’ve seen a
lot of them over the years.”

  “How many people do you think are trapped in this game?” Josh asked suddenly.

  “More than you could count on your two hands,” the gnome shot back.

  Josh stepped toward him.

  I moved to intervene. “Careful, Rekon,” I said. “He’s got a temper.”

  “If half-orc scum like him tried to kill a gnome like me, he’d deserve everything that happened to him.”

  “Watch it, half-pint,” Josh said, reaching around me.

  Rekon chuckled. “Get some rest,” he said. “We’re leaving for Westwood first thing in the morning.”

  I watched as he walked away, head raised high.

  “That little guy better watch himself,” Josh said. “I’ve had about enough of him.”

  “You’re not alone,” I said. “Maybe this is something we can finally agree on?”

  Josh grinned as Bernard stepped over.

  “We should’ve went to find Sarah in Shockly Forest first,” he said. “We’re getting off track by helping the gnomes.”

  I pursed my lips together and nodded.

  “We should follow through with this side mission,” Josh said, surprising me. “Or we could kill that gnome and take all the treasure instead of letting this so-called king decide what we get.”

  “It’s not our treasure,” I said. “The lich stole it from the gnomes, and we don’t want any more trouble on this level than we have already.”

  Josh mumbled something under his breath.

  “Finished!” Derringer yelled excitedly.

  I turned and saw him stand. A stack of blade wight arms stood next to him, the bones wiped clean and ready to be turned into proper hilts.

  “That’s great,” I said. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ve had a long day.”

  “You’re telling me,” Boki said. “I wish Axelrod would hurry up. Things were chaotic when I left to come find you guys.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” I said then turned to the others.

  “Goodnight, all. Let me know when it’s time for my guard shift.”

  I turned and walked toward the sleeping chambers. With room for hundreds of soldiers, I felt confident about finding a spot alone and away from Rekon.

  As soon as my head hit the lumpy pillow and my eyes closed, I fell asleep. Once again, a strange mix of game memories and real-world ones flooded my dreams.

  The next day, we arrived in Westwood atop the floating platform. I didn’t recognize the city. On this level, it had been scaled up spectacularly.

  Four sets of walls protected the interior of the city from everything else. I finally understood why Westwood had survived the undead uprising. Had Fishguard and other locations changed too?

  I wondered about Harrisburg, my character’s hometown. Memories of the early game rushed to the forefront of my mind.

  “Take this contraption down,” Rekon said after we flew through the fourth gate. “The king will be waiting for us. We don’t have time to mess around.”

  If Rekon acted so high and mighty, would King Angmore be even worse?

  “There’s so many people,” Boki said. “Where should I land?”

  “Over there.” Rekon pointed to an opening in the crowds. “The hero and his companions will walk to the king. It’ll play brilliantly for the gnome commoners.”

  “We’re companions now?” Josh asked, shaking his head. “You’re so full of yourself.”

  Rekon turned, showing no fear.

  “And you’re not full of yourself?” the gnome asked.

  “I can back it up,” Josh relied without hesitation.

  “Here we go…” Boki landed the platform on the ground. “End of the line.”

  Gnomes swarmed the spot, crowding around to get a glance at us. Word of our exploits at High Keep had apparently spread.

  I stepped off the platform and onto a stone lined trail leading to a castle in the distance. Gold-plated towers brilliantly reflected the sun’s rays. Everything in the city had an eerie glow.

  “Let’s go,” Rekon said, pushing me aside. “The king is waiting.”

  He scurried down the path toward the castle.

  “This is going to be rich,” Josh muttered then walked past me.

  I took off after them, Bernard, Boki, and Derringer following behind.

  Along the way, the gnomes around us began chanting, “The Lich is Gone! High Keep is ours! Tomorrow the world!”

  The chant wasn’t short, but it had a gnomish simplicity that carried through the grand plaza, bouncing against the interior walls of the castle complex and coming back to us.

  “Sounds like the gnomes are after world domination here,” Bernard said as we walked next to each other. “Crazy game.”

  “All the undead have definitely affected this level,” I said.

  Derringer laughed.

  “You guys haven’t seen anything yet,” he said. “On the upper levels, it gets even more intense. The power struggles for control over this or that land is all anyone thinks about.”

  “That’s why I’ve stayed on the lower levels my whole time in here,” Bernard said. “At least until now.”

  “What made you change your mind?” I asked as we walked.

  “Huh?” he asked, cupping a hand behind his ear.

  The crowd had gotten even louder as we neared the sturdy stone castle at the center of Westwood.

  “Never mind!” I shouted.

  He nodded then looked ahead. Despite Rekon’s shorter legs, he’d kept ahead of us the entire time.

  I respected him in some ways, but he still needed to leave our group.

  Right after the audience with the king, I’d tell him we didn’t want him in the party any longer. He’d saved our lives, but I didn’t trust him enough for him to stay.

  In the Tower of Gates, some things were more important than gold, items, or skills when it came to survival. Friends you could trust meant so much.

  We reached a set of intricately carved wooden doors taller than four gnomes standing on top of each other. I glanced over at Bernard.

  He raised his eyebrows. The doors opened on their own as Rekon approached. Inside, more gnome paladins lined the hallway leading deeper into the castle. We kept following him.

  At the end of the hallway, Rekon continued through an arched doorway also carved and painted. On the other side, I saw the throne room of King Angmore.

  He stood next to a simple wooden throne talking to another gnome in blue-steel armor. Both turned as our group of misfits walked into the room.

  “Stay here,” Rekon said, still walking forward.

  The rest of us held back. I stared at the so-called king of level one-three.

  “Are you sure the blade wight arms will be okay out on the platform?” Derringer asked.

  “Is that all you think about?” I snapped, a bit too loudly.

  He’d been talking about them so much, I couldn’t hold back any longer.

  Rekon twisted around to shoot me a nasty glare then resumed walking.

  Bernard laughed nervously. “We’re a group, guys.”

  “This is taking too long,” Josh said then sighed.

  Rekon reached the king and the other gnome. As he stopped and talked to them, I kept my eyes on them the whole time. Would they double-cross us too?

  “You may approach,” Rekon said, motioning us over.

  I walked toward the throne, wondering what its simplicity told me about the current king of the gnomes.

  Angmore smiled as I approached, breaking into a slow and steady clap.

  “You’ve done well for the gnomes,” he said. “Rekon has told me wonderful things about your assistance in clearing High Keep. For this, you shall be rewarded handsomely.”

  “About time,” Josh muttered.

  Derringer poked the barbarian with his elbow.

  “Rewards are fine, but we’d like some help finding a friend,” I said.

  “Oh?” Angmore tilted his head, his long sideburns off-kilter
. “Where’s your friend? In Fishguard? That’s the only other safe city I know of in the entire realm. Unless you have other information?”

  “We don’t know anything about what’s going on, but we’re looking into it,” I said. “Our friend is somewhere, and we need to find her.”

  King Angmore tilted his head back slightly.

  “What’s her name?” he asked.

  “Kali,” I said.

  Her in-game name sounded odd on my lips.

  “I’ve not heard of her, but I’m pleased you helped clear High Keep for the gnomes. You did do it for us, correct? You’re not claiming the fortification as your own?”

  He stared into my eyes, not wavering.

  “No,” I said. “We’re on a quest to find our friend then get off these islands.”

  King Angmore settled back into his throne, looking more relaxed. When he clapped his hands, two new gnomes in robes walked out carrying a chest between them.

  “Please accept these gifts for your help,” the king said. “Additionally, if you want to stick around, I’ve got an old fortress north of the city I’d like occupied.”

  “Land would be great,” Derringer said.

  “Hold on,” I said. “We’re not sticking around.”

  “Well,” Angmore said. “It’s yours if you change your mind. This realm was nice once, and it will be again once the undead hordes are stopped. My kingdom needs good strong men like you even if you cavort with a half-orc.”

  “Hey,” Josh said, stepping forward.

  The gnome guard moved in between him and the king as the two gnomes in red robes set the chest on the ground in front of us. One handed me a slip of paper, which I glanced over quickly before passing it to Josh.

  Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds (42 of 50 charges) – Heal 1d20+50 health.

  Ring of Water Walking (15000 gp)

  Tome of Strength (15000 gp) – Read and get +1d10 strength permanently.

  Tome of Dexterity (15000 gp) – Read and get +1d10 dexterity permanently.

  No Tracks Boots (20000 gp) – These boots leave no trails.

  “I’ll need to drop out of your party,” Rekon said. “No hard feelings, I hope.”

  “Sounds great,” I replied without missing a beat. “Guys?”