The Crimson Quest: A LitRPG Adventure

by J. B. Smith

  " Are we going to attack a bandit villa ?" It's going to be awesome! "

  Todd kicked the dirt under him. “It's awesome,” he replied. "If you can really do it."

  I stood taller than usual. “I know I can. I know I can train these peasants to be full warriors.

  For dd laughed. "I don't mean to laugh, but you're sounding like a total noob right now. You know that, don't you?

  I didn't say anything as we went deeper into the village. Several NPCs have gathered around us. Todd held his arms wide open in the air. "Who here wants to join our army?"

  The NPCs were shaking. Damn, these peasants seemed fragile. None of them responded. Instead, they just exchanged awkward looks with each other. A few characters ran in and out of the village but didn't pay attention to Todd's voice . "You have to get them something," Todd shouted at me.

  "Like what?"

  “Gold,” he replied. “Or food at the very least. No one will join your army for free. "

  I looked around the village. The peasants looked so sad. It was weird, but I almost felt sorry for them. I knew they weren't alive, but they seemed to have so many emotions. “I don't have any gold,” I replied. “But I can give them my word. My word that we will become a mighty army. Once I'm in charge I'll make sure they have food and gold. I'm sure.

  “Your word is not enough. They need it from the start. This is how the game works. "

  “Well, let's get some gold then. Let's find a quest. "

  Before Todd could respond, a system alert popped up in front of me:

  BladeDust Online System Alert:

  Note to user: We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our servers. Please note that we are working hard to resolve these issues in a timely manner. Due to these issues, users will experience disconnection issues. Please stay with us as we work to resolve these issues.

  Thank you.

  What is this mess? Disconnection problems? "Did you receive a message?"

  “I just read it,” Todd replied. “Check your menu and see if you can locate the exit button. I can't see it anywhere.

  I opened my menu and started looking for the exit button. But I haven't seen him anywhere either. "I do not see it. What does it mean?"

  “Does that mean we can't go home anymore?” Johnny asked worriedly.

  Todd looked like he didn't have an answer, but he did answer us anyway. “It must be just a glitch. I'm sure they will do it soon. "

  A glitch? What the hell? It was a terrifying problem to face. I loved the game, but I also wanted to leave whenever I wanted to leave. "How long do you think it will take to fix?"

  "Probably a few hours," Todd replied.

  I tried to relax and trust what Todd had told me. But, there was still a small part of me that worried. As I continued to think, I did not feel a growing thud from the distance. I turned my head to see what it was. On top of a white horse was a man in a silver robe with bright blue eyes that seemed to glow. "Send me a friend's request," Todd yelled, stepping back a few seconds.

  "Me?" I asked with confusion. "Do you want me to send you one now?"

  Yes! " Todd shouted. " Do it now. "

  I opened my menu and quickly added him as a friend. Within seconds, the man on horseback had arrived. There was a pop as he jumped off his horse and landed on the ground. I looked at the name displayed above his head:

  LucidTitan - Level 104

  Human mage

  Was he a mage? Wow, I couldn't believe it. Level 104? What was the level limit in this game? He looked up and smirked. "Did you think you could escape?" he asked calmly. "Did you really think I was going to let you escape?"

  Todd hit him. “You started this,” he shouted. “You stole the last ounce of gold I had. And you expected me to take nothing in return? I had to survive. What was I supposed to do?

  "You're supposed to be like everyone else," he replied with a growl. “S erve me and obey my every command. It's your life. You have disobeyed and you will receive a lesson.

  “This is shit. Your subscribers are being brainwashed. But not me! I will no longer be an idiot.

  The man stood taller as his silver robe blew in the wind. Even with the robe on, you could tell the guy was built like a tank. There was something about him, something I couldn't put my finger on. Something magical. He took a few steps towards Todd and raised a hand in the air. "You are a fool," muttered t- it . “You did exactly what I predicted. I knew you couldn't stay in the safe zones indefinitely. Peasant villages have always been your real home. I knew it was only a matter of time before you came back to them.

  I took a step back and ran into Johnny . "What is happening?" he asked in a trembling voice. "It's a little scary."

  Suddenly the man's hand began to glow. A yellow light swirled around him. Todd reached out to his side and pulled out a huge sword. Wow! The sword was absolutely massive. A smile of confidence came to Todd's face. "You didn't think I would kill you with your own weapon, did you?" he asked before rushing over to the mage.

  With a wave of his hand, the mage shot a fireball at Todd. But that didn't seem to put Todd in tune as he walked it. At around us, the peasants began to shake himself. “We are under attack,” they shouted repeatedly.

  Most of the peasants ran inside their crappy houses, but one continued to drink mud puddle water. I couldn't believe it. This guy was drinking mud puddle water in the middle of a battle? I had to hand it to him, he was engaged in his ways of drinking mud puddles. I turned to Todd and the mage. "You won't find your body this time," said the mage. "I'll make sure."

  "I won't die this time, " he replied.

  "Yes, you will," laughed the mage. "And this time, I'll be sure you won't find your body." Your soul will remain lost until it is too late. They will find your soul before you even find it.

  Todd made a quick movement towards the mage, but the blade stopped a few inches from the mage's body. "Why are you even trying?" he asked with a burst of energy that threw Todd to the ground.

  I bit my lip. I did not know what to do. Should we help Todd? But how? How would we help him when we had no weapons? I looked at Johnny. He shrugged his shoulders. My eyes turned to the mage. "What did he do to you?" I asked.

  The mage fell silent and did not look at me. "Tell those noobs to stay out of this," he said in a stern voice.

  "It's okay," Todd replied. "It's between me and him."

  The mage grabbed Todd by the neck. He squeezed his neck and Todd found it hard to breathe. "I don't need to waste my magic on you," he said with cold eyes.

  More and more tight, he squeezed, until Todd's body started to go into a spasm. What happened? Was he dying? Was I really going to sit here and watch him kill our new friend? “Stop,” I shouted. "If you let him live, I'll help you." I don't know how , but just give me a little time. I'll find something I can give you.

  The mage's body froze. Suddenly there was a laugh that came from him. His grip released and Todd fell to the ground. His body twisted in a ghostly way. With a flash, the mage was right in front of me. His eyes scanned my soul as a strange sensation took over me. My thoughts started to blur. Was he really that bad? It was the question I kept asking myself. Weird random thoughts flooded my head and I had no idea where they were coming from. Wait. Why did I think this mage was doing something wrong? Yes, it was Todd. Todd was the one to blame. How could I have been a fool? My eyes turned to Todd. "Why are you doing this? You have to respect what this mage has done for you," I yelled.

  My mind was hazy. Wait. What was I saying? Todd wasn't the bad guy, was he? What the shit? I did not know. The mage raised his hand in the air and held it to my forehead. Sparkling red features floated around my face. They were beautiful. Heat built up on my skin as her hand grew redder and redder. "What are you doing to him?" Johnny asked. "Are you spellbinding him or something?"

  A fuzzy feeling built in me. It felt good. Wow, that was so to go . I didn't even care what was going on. It was the most euphoric feeling I have ever felt in
my life. A growl came to the mage's face as the energy built up inside his hands. “Stop,” Todd shouted from behind him. “He's new to the game. He doesn't fully understand the dangers yet.

  The mage slapped Todd to the ground. But, Todd came back right away. His sword slipped over his head. The mage let go and grabbed Todd. Suddenly I could think clearly again. What the hell? How could I have had these kinds of thoughts? It just didn't make sense. Then, in the center of my view, a message popped up:

  Congratulations!

  Your Persuasion skill has increased by 1 point! High level persuasion has resisted! The persuasion level is 2

  Impressive! I knew something strange had happened. Guess the game was rewarding me for resisting persuasion? It made sense. A few moments later, I had another pop-up alert in front of me:

  Congratulations!

  You have progressed! Open your inventory to distribute points.

  Note to the user: you have 4 points to distribute. Use your points wisely.

  Walker Williamson - Level 2

  Male Male - Warrior

  Have I taken it to the next level? I guess increasing my persuasion skills propelled me to the next level. I realized the mage must have tried to brainwash me. I wanted to distribute my points, but now was not the time. I will do it later. With everything that had happened, I was lucky that Todd stopped the mage when he did. But what would happen to Todd? I continued to watch the mage squeeze both his arms tightly. "Your soul will be lost forever," he muttered under his breath. Todd's eyes turned white and he had a blank stare on his face. It was something that I will never forget. Suddenly, Todd's body started to vibrate.

  Then there was a burning smell that filled the air. After that, Todd collapsed to the ground and started to sizzle. He was screaming over and over. But there was nothing we could do for him. I hadn't known him for a long time, but I still felt bad for him. He saved me, but I couldn't save him. The mage stood over his body and watched him shrivel until he disappeared. Now what? Was the mage going to kill me and Johnny next?

  Chapter nine

  I was afraid. I had seen the pain on Todd's face when he died. I knew it was a game, but her pain felt real. Johnny didn't say anything. We both couldn't take our eyes off the mage. He didn't say anything at first. Then he turned to us. "He was hardly worth killing," he said with a growl. "Even if I stalk his soul, I will only get twelve more gold."

  He shrugged with some disappointment. “Tracking a soul is such a pain sometimes. But at least I'll get my gun back.

  The mage approached us because I knew he could sense our fear. He looked at me then at Johnny. "You better give me a reason not to kill yourself," he said.

  I said nothing. My eyes must have been twice their normal size. My lips tried to move but they couldn't. The mage burst out laughing. “You are both pathetic,” he said. "I won't even waste my mana on you." Besides, you have nothing to give me.

  His footsteps were heavy as he walked past us. "Consider yourself lucky," he shouted back. "I have a soul to find."

  The mage has disappeared in the distance. Relief flooded my body. "This game is too real," Johnny said, brushing the hair with his eyes.

  “It really is,” I replied. “I don't know how long I'll be able to play this. This guy almost brainwashed me . I was thinking all kinds of crazy thoughts. What if he takes control of me or something?

  "I was worried about you," Johnny replied.

  "So why didn't you stop him?" I asked irritably.

  "How was I going to stop him?"

  "I do not know?" I answer by shrugging my shoulders. “You should have done something though. Should at least tell him to stop. I would have done that for you.

  "I doubt he would have stopped if I told him to do this." It's not like he's going to listen to me.

  I rolled my eyes. "Try, at least. I just wanted to see you try it for once in your life.

  "Sorry," Johnny replied. "I didn't know you cared so much about me trying."

  I shook my head. "I don't. It was just frustrating that you didn't try to help me. That's all I want .

  Johnny's lips drooped a bit. "Fine. Next time, I'll be sure to help you. I was just scared.

  I didn't really blame Johnny. The truth was, this place was a little scary. It was wonderful, but scary at the same time. Deep down inside, I was still worried about the problem. I wondered how long it would take to resolve. But I tried to stop worrying about it and focus on what we needed to do next. If we were to survive here, we would need an army. "We have to get gold for an army."

  “But we need the money for the outside world. This is the reason why we came here. Remember? We have to pay rent.

  “I know,” I replied. "But did you hear what Todd said?" He said gold was worth four times as much as silver. So if we are building an army, I consider it an investment. An investment to bring us even more gold. With more gold, we can make even more money. "

  “Yes,” Johnny replied in confusion. "I guess. But how are we going to use the military to get more money?"

  “We are going to attack villages of bandits. Remember? That's what Todd told us. We need to know how much gold these villages have. "

  Johnny straightened up a bit. "So that we can get rich?"

  "Maybe," I replied with a smile.

  I started to go back and forth in the village. My boots splashed over the mud puddles as I came and went. I had so many thoughts. Where did Todd's soul go? Could we find it ? Then my feet stopped. “We can't let the mage find Todd's soul. I think it's really bad news if he finds his soul.

  “But, we barely know the guy. He's obviously gotten into some sort of mess with this mage.

  "It does not matter. He saved my life. I have to return the favor. What if finding his soul would save his life? I don't know how it all works, but I feel like being a lost soul is bad news in this game.

  "How are we going to save his soul ?" We're not even where it is.

  He was right. How were we supposed to know where a lost soul was going? It was obvious, we were going to have to ask around and find out. But in the meantime, we had to create an army. Without an army, we had no protection. “ First thing first. We must create an army. There's no time to lose. Don't you agree?

  There were soft whispers exchanged behind us. A few peasants left their homes and began to surround us. “If you can bring us food, we'll do it for you,” one shouted. "We are hungry."

  Another peasant looked irritated. “I'm not dying for a loaf of bread. We need gold. If you want us to fight, bring us some gold.

  A few other peasants left their homes. They seemed upset. “Yes,” one of them shouted. “I ate dirt yesterday. I'm so hungry I'll eat anything.

  Did he eat dirt? Wow, they were sad little men. Much sadder than I had imagined. "Take a seat, " I say with both arms in the air.

  The peasants looked sad and desperate. How could they live such a shitty life? Why haven't they left? Guess they couldn't because they were programmed to be here. It felt like such a pathetic life they were forced to live in. But I could fix it. I could fix a lot of things. I just needed to earn some gold and start my army. Yes, that was it! I would start my army and find Todd's soul. I stood up straight and held my head up. “We will bring you gold,” I said in a deep voice. "Then we'll be the most powerful army this game has ever seen."

  The peasants began to applaud. One of them was so excited it looked like he was almost going to have a fit. He was way too excited for his own good. “Sit down there,” I said with concern in my voice.

  I raised both arms in the air. That was it. It was time for me to become the leader I needed to be. "We will be back soon. First, we have to earn some gold. But don't let despair take over your heart . For I am the hope you were looking for. I have arrived."

  The NPCs started clapping and yelling random bullshit. It seemed like a very emotional time for the poor. “It was a really good speech,” Johnny said. "Where did you find it?"

  "My min d. It just happened to me, ”I
replied, leaving the village.

  Johnny followed me. "Well actually, it wasn't that good of a speech," he replied with a chuckle. "But I guess those stupid NPCS are easy to turn on, aren't they?"

  “They aren't that stupid actually . In fact, they seem really smart.

  I secretly knew my speech wasn't that good. I was mostly having fun during the moment. But it came from my heart and the warmth of the moment. It was something I needed to practice though. My steps increased faster as we climbed a hill. I kept a close eye on my stamina bar as Johnny huffed and puffed behind me. “They should give you an air machine in this game,” he said with a stutter.