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  Thom turned to me and said, “You’re welcome to go off on your own.”

  “But it’s not recommended,” Sherlock added.

  “I’ll come with you guys,” I said. “Might as well.”

  While I wanted to ask about Eric and Sarah, I held off. Thanks to Monky, I knew secrets could be powerful in the Tower of Gates. Until I found the other two, I needed to be careful.

  The wizards walked toward the entrance of the cave with me close behind. As we walked deeper into the mountain, the architecture took on an epic scale.

  I wondered how long we’d have to walk, but I didn’t complain.

  Not out loud, anyway.

  Hours later, we reached the edge of a tremendous pit. I saw a wooden platform floating near the edge. The four wizards walked over and stepped on it.

  “Come on,” Thom said cheerfully. “It’s totally safe.”

  He jumped up and down. The platform didn’t budge.

  “I’m coming,” I said then stepped toward them.

  The platform lowered a few inches.

  “Better hurry,” Thom teased.

  I sighed then jumped from the ledge onto the wooden platform. Even with the other five of them on board, we had quite a bit of room to move around.

  As we descended into the pit, I peered over the edge, unable to make out much in the darkness. Someone walked up and slapped me hard on the back.

  “Whoa!” I cried, struggling to balance myself.

  “Careful, big guy,” Sherlock said. “We wouldn’t want you to fall.”

  I turned and saw Thom a few inches away from me. He smiled.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t resist. We would’ve saved you anyway.”

  I nodded and said, “Not a problem. Who are you guys?”

  “The Four Wizards,” Ferris said. “Don’t you listen?”

  “I meant why did you show up just in time to save us?”

  “Oh, we weren’t there to save you,” Sherlock said then chuckled. “We came to save who you call Monky. You got lucky, that’s all.”

  “Why do you say ‘the person I call Monky’?” I asked. “What’s her real name?”

  Ferris frowned and shook his head. “That’s not polite to ask,” he said. “On any level.”

  “Sorry,” I said, lifting my hands defensively. “My bad.”

  “It would be wise to keep your mouth shut and observe,” Ferris said.

  “Yeah,” Sherlock added. “We’ve got plans for you.”

  “Big plans,” Thom shouted then clapped his hands.

  “Settle down,” Sherlock scolded.

  I kept my mouth shut the rest of the ride down. We finally reached the bottom of the pit. I stepped off the wooden platform then glanced back up.

  Ferris turned to me and said, “Smash it. And hurry up.”

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “We need to break the platform,” he said. “Make yourself useful.”

  I turned to look at the thick wood hovering a few inches off the ground. Without a second thought, I drew my sword and hacked at the wood.

  The blade ricocheted off, causing all four wizards to laugh. Aaron, the supposedly quiet one, kept going long after the others stopped laughing.

  I attacked a few more times with the same results. Each failed attempt brought me closer to slipping into a barbarian rage. I stopped hitting it.

  “Nice try,” Thom said, sending Aaron into another laughing fit.

  “You guys are ticking me off,” I said.

  Wiley, still in human form, stepped forward.

  “Be calm,” he said then raised his hands.

  Flames shot out, burning the floating platform.

  “None of this makes sense,” I complained.

  “Don’t hurt your small brain trying to figure it out,” Sherlock said.

  Ferris walked toward a tunnel on the other side of the pit and called, “Move it! We’ve got work to do.”

  I sighed then followed the other five out of the pit. The tunnel widened then narrowed before widening again. At the end, I saw a glowing portal.

  “We’re here,” Ferris announced.

  A door in the wall opened, and a man stepped out. Dressed in black robes, he looked like he hadn’t bathed or slept in days or even weeks.

  “You’re early,” he said. “Or late. I always forget about time down here.”

  “Is everything ready?” Ferris asked.

  “Yeah,” the stranger said. “Leave it to me.”

  “Good,” Sherlock said. “We’re depending on you.”

  I glanced over at the portal, wondering if I should make a run for it.

  “Let’s go,” Ferris said. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

  I followed as the four wizards and a human Wiley walked toward the portal. They walked through one after the other until only the dragon was left.

  “Go on,” he said. “Don’t try anything stupid.”

  I sighed then walked through the shimmering magical field. On the other side, I found myself in the strange hallway with all the portals from the beginning of the game.

  And the time I had died. I saw the gamemaster standing nearby, but the four wizards ignored him and walked toward the next portal. I begrudgingly followed them.

  “Don’t go with them,” the gamemaster said. “It’s not allowed. You’ll be punished if you disregard your one-year penalty.”

  Thom chuckled at the hologram’s threats.

  “Maybe we should listen to him,” I said.

  “Keep moving,” Ferris said.

  The others stepped through the portal for level one-three. I glanced back at the gamemaster, saw his expression, then went through the shimmering magic.

  On the other side, we materialized in a room with a table and single chair. A man sitting down looked up, seemingly not surprised we’d come out of nowhere.

  “State your name and reason for visiting level one-three,” he said.

  “Magictology rules,” Thom said then pumped his fist.

  Wait... Are they working with Magi Inyontoo?

  “Oh, it’s you guys,” the man in the chair said. “Go on.”

  He motioned behind him with a nod of his head. Ferris walked past him and through an open doorway. I followed the others. We went down a hallway then left the building. Outside, I stopped and glanced around.

  Dozens of people walked back and forth down the street. Buildings of various sizes stretched as far as I could see in both directions. I saw glimpses of a grey wall in the distance.

  “Where are we?” I asked. “Are you guys working with Magi Inyontoo?”

  Sherlock grinned then said, “Maybe he’s not as dumb as we thought, guys.”

  “It’s a long and complicated story,” Ferris said. “We’ll explain later.”

  “No,” I said. “You’ll explain now or I’m going my own way.”

  Thom hooted with laughter at my response.

  “Breach of the southern wall!” a man shouted as he ran by.

  “We should help,” Ferris said then turned to me. “If you don’t want to die, come with us.”

  The Four Wizards ran in the opposite direction of most of the people fleeing. I took a deep breath, wondering what to do. Monky had told me to trust them, but had she known they were working for Magi Inyontoo? I took off after them, running to catch up.

  I caught up to them at the southern city wall. They climbed a set of stairs leading to the top of the thick wall surrounding the city. I climbed up and looked outside the walls.

  Thousands of short, green zombies covered every spot on the ground all the way up to the wall. I backed up and drew my sword as they climbed on top of each other to get up.

  Ferris pulled a blackened wand out of his belt. After pointing it over the edge of the wall, an energy field shot out, pushing the zombie horde backward.

  “That should hold them for a while,” he said. “We need to go.”

  He climbed down another set of stairs leading to the inside of the wal
l. I followed.

  “Where to now?” I asked, wondering if we would ever stop. “Where are we?”

  “The city of Talbot,” Sherlock said. “We’re going to see another friend with a problem.”

  Somehow, his yellow robes fit his personality.

  “Wiley, if you would…” Ferris said.

  In the courtyard, the dragon transformed from man to mythical beast in a flash. After we climbed onto his back, he leaped into the air. I saw a forest to the north as we rose to a higher altitude. The dragon flew south toward a familiar mountain range.

  I wondered if all the levels looked the same in the game. None of it really made sense to me, but I found the game sinking its claws deeper into my mind all the time.

  Would we ever find our way out? Even the spectacular scenery and thrill of riding a dragon couldn’t lift my mood. I vowed to find Sarah no matter what happened.

  11

  A Lich and a Rogue

  Josh

  Even using the mountains as a landmark, I had no idea where we landed. A dilapidated manor long since abandoned sat nearby. Dead bushes and trees with no leaves littered the land around the structure.

  “Wiley, keep us safe,” Ferris said.

  The dragon spread his wings then flew into the sky. I saw a man with rotten flesh hanging off his body stumble out of the manor. He shambled toward us as if he had a broken leg.

  “Monster!” I yelled, drawing my sword.

  “Calm down,” Sherlock said.

  Thom laughed as he pointed at me.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. “We should kill it before it kills us.”

  Sherlock raised a finger.

  “First of all,” he said. “It’s undead. Secondly, it’s not going to kill us.”

  “Put your sword away,” Ferris hissed. “You’re the rudest player I’ve ever come across.”

  “I’m new to the game,” I said. “Give me a break.”

  As the undead creature approached, I recognized him.

  “Hey,” I said. “That’s the guy who was making the goblins into zombies.”

  “Aquarius,” Thom said. “Killer dude...literally.”

  He was the only one who laughed at his attempt of a joke. The lich stopped a few feet away from us. He nodded his skull-like head at my sword.

  “You can put that away,” he said then turned to Ferris. “How did you guys end up with him?”

  The mage in green robes grinned and said, “Don’t worry about it. You have a problem?”

  “Yes,” Aquarius said. “His name is Gord-En.”

  I saw a flash of fear on Sherlock’s face.

  “Who’s that?” I asked.

  “A stupid rogue out to cause trouble,” Ferris said. “We’ll deal with him.”

  I wondered if it was Eric, but I didn’t ask any of the others.

  “He’s in the manor now?” Sherlock asked.

  The lich shook his rotting head.

  “No,” he said. “I ran him off. He’s hurt, but I think he might come back. I’m too busy to chase after him right now.”

  “Don’t worry,” Ferris said. “We’ll find him.”

  “Here, take this.” Aquarius held out a gold dagger. “It’ll help with him.”

  Thom snatched it from the lich’s bony hand and said, “Cool.”

  “What’s it do?” Aaron asked.

  “It’s blessed with dragonbane,” the lich said. “I heard Wiley’s been giving you trouble.”

  At the sound of his name, I glanced up and saw the dragon circling above.

  “The dagger will also help you locate the rogue,” Aquarius said. “He grabbed it out of my armory, but he dropped it on the way out. Your magic should be able to sense him on it.”

  “Nice,” Thom said, weighing the golden dagger in his hands. “Good feel.”

  “And Wiley’s fine,” Ferris said. “Don’t worry about him.”

  “I’m never worried,” Aquarius said.

  “Gord-En didn’t get your phylactery, did he?” Sherlock asked.

  “No,” the lich answered. “Luckily. I’d be after him if he did.”

  He then turned to me. “Don’t I know you?” he asked.

  “We met on level one-two,” I said. “Killing and raising goblins.”

  “That’s right,” Aquarius said then grinned. “How’s it going?”

  “Been better and been worse,” I said honestly.

  “All your killing has allowed me to populate this level with zombies,” he said.

  The dragon landed a few hundred feet away. He blew fire up into the air. I felt the heat on my bare skin. The lich hissed then crouched into a defensive position.

  “Begone, foul reptile!” Aquarius shouted then retreated a few steps.

  I glanced at Ferris, wondering what he would do.

  “We’ll talk to you later,” Sherlock told the undead maker.

  Thom stepped forward and held up the dagger.

  Wiley roared then shot more flames above our head.

  “Hold on!” Ferris shouted. “We’re your masters.”

  “You’re no masters of mine,” the dragon suddenly shouted.

  I watched as Wiley leapt into the air. When he flew away, I turned to look at the others. They all looked surprised at the development.

  “What now?” I asked.

  “Hunting the rogue,” Sherlock said. “Give me the dagger.”

  After Thom handed it to him, the mage waved his hand over it.

  The dagger, resting on his palm, moved to point west.

  “I could’ve told you he’s in the canyons,” Aquarius said. “Do you need anything else from me? Or can I get back to work?”

  “We’ll find him,” Ferris said. “Don’t worry.”

  “You know where to find me,” the lich said.

  He walked back to the manor, favoring his left leg. While I didn’t see a [PC] tag in front of his name, he acted too strange for a normal NPC.

  “Pay attention!” Ferris shouted.

  “Stupid barbarian,” Sherlock added.

  I turned, getting more tired of the wizards. “Maybe I’ll go back and help Monky,” I muttered.

  “Good luck finding your way,” Sherlock said.

  The Four Wizards laughed, including Aaron.

  “I want to buff before we go,” Ferris said.

  As the wizards cast one spell after another, I stood nearby, waiting. Blue, brown, red, and orange magic poured out of the hands, wrapping itself around all of us.

  You feel better!

  You feel skillful.

  You feel no hunger.

  Your feet are light.

  I picked one foot off the ground, amazed at how light it felt.

  “What’s that spell?” I asked.

  But Sherlock merely said, “Don’t worry about it.”

  After the Four Wizards stopped casting, I looked like a gaudy Christmas tree lit up before the holidays. Who exactly was the rogue character we were hunting?

  “Double-time,” Ferris said. “Barbarian out front.”

  “We have a tank!” Thom shouted, fist in the air.

  I shook my head then walked toward the mountains. My light feet sped me up as I speed-walked away from the lich’s manor. Everything about the wizards wasn’t bad.

  They followed behind me, arguing the entire way on what to do about Wiley, their dragon. I cringed when I heard Sherlock suggest killing the fire-breathing reptile.

  Would I suffer the same fate once they ran out of use for me? The Four Wizards might be powerful, but I had to slip away and out of their grasp as soon as I could.

  Thanks to their spells, we double-timed our way to the canyons at the foot of the mountains. I briefly thought of Sarah, wondering what she was doing.

  12

  Stupid Giant Stone Trolls

  Josh

  Around an hour later, we arrived at the entrance to an impressive canyon. Two tall stone cliffs on either side were much too smooth for climbing.

  “Ev
erybody stop,” Ferris said.

  I slowed down, amazed I still had any energy.

  “What’s the plan?” I asked.

  “You’ll go in first,” Sherlock said. “We’ll follow.”

  “That doesn’t sound smart,” I said. “Can I kill this rogue guy?”

  Sherlock laughed as if he had an advanced skill in mocking others.

  “Not likely, but you’re willing to try,” he said.

  “You’re the bait,” Thom said then smiled.

  “Hey, that’s not right,” I protested, frowning.

  Thom laughed then patted me on the arm. I turned and walked into the canyon. Would the Four Wizards protect me? Or was I just bait for them?

  I pulled my sword as I continued farther, the two towering walls of natural stone on either side of me. Traces of the sun spilled down between them, but it was dark.

  As I walked, I glanced up at the cliffs jutting at least a couple of hundred feet into the air. Someone on top of either side could make our lives difficult if they wanted.

  I glanced over my shoulder and saw the Four Wizards keeping their distance. With every step, a rumbling in the distance got louder. Thunder? I looked up to the sky.

  No clouds anywhere in sight, I kept moving forward.

  The wizards will protect me.

  My heart beat faster as the strange sounds grew even louder.

  Up ahead, I saw the canyon narrow to a couple of dozen feet across. The spot was perfect for an ambush. I slowed my pace slightly, trying my best to be quiet.

  Was someone snoring? The source of the sound popped into my head as I made it through the narrow part of the canyon. When I saw giant figures ahead, I stopped.

  Snoring statues? The figures’ grey skin blended in with the nearby rocks. I turned around to face the wizards and shrugged. As I did so, I dropped my sword on a stone.

  The blade hit the rock just right and rang out like a tuning fork. As the sound echoed up and down the canyon, it amplified, becoming piercing and harmful.

  I clamped my hands over my ears as the Four Wizards in their colorful robes gesticulated wildly, pointing behind me. What are they going on about? I turned.