The Crimson Quest: A LitRPG Adventure

by J. B. Smith

My stomach growled as hunger suddenly hit me. “I hope he has some food in there.

  Johnny was excited. "Do you want to eat his food?"

  I shrug my shoulders. "Why not?

  We climbed to the top of the cave and have located a fairly flat place. Suddenly, a large creature passed us from above. "What was that?"

  "I think it was a griffin!" Does this game have griffins?

  "I guess so," Johnny replied. "We have to be careful because a big bird like this would probably enjoy eating us."

  The big beast flapped its wings and moved farther and farther away. There was a roar. The sound of the roar sent chills through my spine. "I'm glad he hasn't seen us."

  A few moments passed as I watched the sun descend lower and lower in the sky. Then I brought up a message alert in front of me:

  New message alert:

  Accept Todd The WordSmith's message? Yes No?

  Todd texting me? T hat was pretty cool. "Todd just texted me," I yelled.

  "Really? I thought he was dead.

  I opened the message and started reading it aloud:

  "Hey! Are you okay guys? I need your help. After the mage killed me, I lost my body. I can't find it without a player's help. alive. I'm a "lost soul" right now and I need someone to take me into my body. Can you help me? I can give you some gold. I have it hidden in a secret place and I will give it to you when you save me. Can you do it? Please? Thank you

  Todd The Wordsmith. "

  I looked at Johnny. "How can we find his soul?"

  "I don't know. But it all sounds a little scary," Johnny replied.

  I itchy nose. “We have to help him. Besides, he said he could give us gold.

  "But what about the building of the army?"

  “We will always do this. Without our army, I doubt we would find Todd. It would be too dangerous for us to go there alone.

  I started to think. Should we even complete the Elf Quest? Part of me wanted to leave, but another knew we needed the gold. We were already there, so we might as well get the gold. The sun started to set as I looked forward to any sign of someone leaving the cave. Darkness came as the bugs chirped around us. The tweets began to follow. It was almost as if the bugs were playing a song. It was really very pleasant. I looked at the tree above us and noticed the amazing shiny golden balls . Wow, that was beautiful.

  "He's leaving," Johnny whispered, nudging me.

  Below us, a skinny elf held a lantern. We froze. If he looked up, there was a chance he would see us. Fortunately, he didn't look up. Instead, he kept walking and, for a few moments, he entered the village. “Let's go,” I yelled.

  We both walked down the hill and made our way to the cave entrance. “It's so dark,” Johnny says.

  He was right. Why didn't we get a lantern first? I felt like a total noob. But I didn't care . I could face a little darkness. We entered the cave and noticed a dim light in the distance. “His bed must be over there,” Johnny said.

  Our feet were moving quickly. How long was he going to be gone? It was something I forgot to ask. We moved closer to the light until we were right next to it. I looked around and noticed a worn bed. Then there was a growl. "What's the shit?" I asked.

  "What is this thing?" Johnny asked.

  "Thing? Who do you call a Thing?" Asked a voice.

  In a bronze cage was a small troll like a creature. He had big brown eyes and looked very friendly. He wasn't green though. Instead, he was beige in color and looked pretty cute. But one of the most amazing things about her was her hair. He had very thick orange hair that was straightening out. Her hair was beautiful and had a lot of moisture. I had never seen such beautiful hair before. Wait? Why was I so amazed at this troll's hair? In some ways, it didn't make sense. I quickly tried to forget and I started thinking about gold. “It's under the bed,” I said. "Push the bed."

  Johnny leaned back against the bed. He tried to push him but his feet just slipped in place. “Push harder,” I say.

  "Why don't you help him," the troll replied.

  In fact , the troll was right. I quickly ran next to Johnny and got into a strong pushing position. We both started to push but it still didn't move. What the hell? Has this little cave dweller nailed his bed? I did not know. Falling to my knees, I tried to see what the problem was. “It's like part of the ground or something,” I said.

  "What are you doing here?" Asked the troll. “My master does not allow guests here. So why are you here? "

  "Are you a mini troll?" Johnny asked.

  The troll looked offended. "What? I'm not mini. I'm a normal sized troll.

  “We have to crawl under the bed and start digging,” I said, my head under the bed. With a pound I tried to see how hard the dirt was. "It's not sweet," I yelled.

  "Are you ap and?" If so, are you happy here? " Asked Johnny behind me.

  “Johnny? What are you doing? I need your help."

  Johnny continued to talk to the troll. “I can give you everything your landlord gives you and more. I'm actually considering becoming a pet myself . Do you think you would like to live with a guy like me?

  "I barely know you," hissed the troll. "Can you provide the security provided by my master?"

  Johnny let out a long sigh. "It's hard to say. I'm really just starting to get back on my feet. I had a little difficult time, but now things are improving.

  "Are you doing this seriously right now?" I asked in frustration. “The elf's cousin could be back any minute. Help me get this gold!

  "Gold?" Asked the troll in surprise. "Are you taking our gold?" I should have known this was what the two of you were looking for. You can't do this to us. We are going to starve here without gold.

  Johnny crawled under the bed and started digging. "This filth is too hard ."

  He was right. The dirt was as hard as a rock. This stupid little elf didn't even know what he was talking about. I knew I should never have trusted him. If we wanted to get that gold, we needed a shovel or some kind of digging tool. I jumped up and started to look around the cave. "Is there a shovel around here?"

  "It's our gold," hissed the troll. “I will remember your face and your name. I will tell my master who you are. He will hunt you down and kill you both.

  “So I guess that means you do n't want me as the new owner of your pet?” Johnny asked.

  I stopped. Shit. Could this beautiful little troll really see my name? "Oh yes? What's my name then?

  "Walker. Walker Williamson."

  Shit. The little bastard wasn't bluffing. "How did you know that?"

  "It's simple. I can see the name of each character."

  Thin. I guess that made sense. It was pretty basic AI and the NPCs in this game were super advanced. “You can't tell your master. Okay?"

  "Oh I will," he replied. “He will find you and kill you. You'll just be another lost soul.

  "What happens to a lost soul?" I asked.

  "It's not pleasant," laughs the troll. “Your soul is being sent to a depressing place called UnderDead. It's contained there until someone finds it. Once someone finds your soul, they must take it to your corpse. But it is not an easy task. "

  "Damn. Sounds bad.

  “Yes, and I'll make sure you both get sent there,” the troll replied.

  Johnny crawled out from under the bed. "Should we kill the troll?"

  I nibbled my nails. "Kill him? We can't just kill him. Can we?"

  “Oh, I would like you to try,” the troll said with a growl. “Open my door and see what happens. Just open it. I defy you!"

  Johnny's eyes got bigger. "What are we going to do? We shouldn't be here without weapons or experience. I think we have to go rat hunting or something. It's too far along for us."

  Johnny was right. We were above our heads. Maybe we were going too fast? Maybe we should have done more to hunt rats before we start on a quest like this? I've always hated this whole grind thing in MMORPGs. But it was not a normal game. I didn't know what death was and didn't want to experience it. The rat bit
e was quite painful. I couldn't imagine what death would actually look like . Plus, this whole problem added an extra layer of fear to the situation. I was pacing. "Should we go?"

  "You better go," the troll replied.

  I started to think. Leave? But we had come this far and we were already in danger. Who can say the troll wouldn't tell his owner about us anyway? After all, he lived in a cave and must have been bored. In fact, I felt confident that he and his owner were probably talking for hours and hours every night. Was he not going to mention my name? Was he not going to tell his master about the most eventful day of his pathetic little life? I doubted it. "Will you keep your mouth shut if we go?" Pretend it never happened at all?

  The troll smiles. Dude, he was cute. "Yes," he replied in a soft voice.

  I narrowed my eyes. I didn't believe him. He was too nice about it. "Let's find some food quickly and get out of here."

  "But he will know," Johnny replied . "We can't take anything."

  Shit. Johnny was right. If we took something, the elf's cousin would know someone had come to his cave. Suddenly I heard a sound that I will never forget. The sound of an erupting fire. "Master," yelled the trolled. “They came to take our gold!”

  I couldn't believe it. He had caught us. A dark shadow approached the entrance to the cave. As I got closer, I saw the outline of his hand. Right above his hand was an orange fireball. Fire? Was he a mage?

  Chapter eleven

  The shadow moved closer until his face was revealed. Wow. He was a pleasant enough elf. Yellow eyes, a pointed nose, and no hair. He was tall, wore a blue robe, and looked like he hadn't taken a bath in months. Right away, I could smell alcohol on his breath. But, he didn't look like he was drunk. His name appeared above his head:

  Dante of Lucidity - Level 119

  Elf

  Level 119? Wow, that was pretty impressive. He took a few steps forward. "What is happening here?" he snapped.

  “These two came to take our gold,” the troll yelled.

  "Is that correct? You came here to take my gold?

  Johnny and I haven't said a word. "Answer me!" he ordered.

  "Your cousin sent us," Johnny replied.

  "Which one? Which idiot was that?

  “Samson the elf. That's what he calls himself, ”Johnny replied.

  Dante looked confused. "Samson? Samson sent you here to do this?

  We did not respond as his fireball increased with intensity. “That little bastard. He wants my gold, doesn't he? Is that why he sent you?

  Dante fell silent and placed a hand under his chin. "Why? Did he give a reason?

  “He said you stole his gold,” I replied.

  “This little weasel. I never stole his gold. In fact, he stole mine. If he stopped living in his own dream land, maybe he would make it happen.

  I looked at Johnny and nodded to him. “Well, we're sorry for the confusion. It's just a big mix then.

  Yes, said Johnny. “We actually have to go get a quest now. But it was nice to meet you and your mini troll.

  "My height is quite normal," replied the troll.

  "Wait," Dante growled. “You're not going anywhere. Did you think you could try to steal my gold without suffering consequences? Do you really think I would let you disrespect me like this?

  “Your cousin cheated on us,” I replied. “We thought he was telling the truth. We thought you stole his gold. We just wanted to get it back for him.

  Dante thinks deeply as he paces. “We're going to teach him a lesson. Do you want gold? "

  Our two heads bounced up and down. “Yes. That's what we're looking for,” Johnny replied.

  “Very good,” he said. "Where's Samson?"

  “He said he would wait until we came out with the gold. He said he would be hiding just outside the cave.

  "He probably ran away when he saw me coming," Dante replied. "Do you think he cares what happens to you?" I could have killed you both. And I always could.

  "Thanks for not killing us," Johnny replied.

  "How much gold does he think I have?" Dante asked.

  "Seven gold coins."

  "Very well," Dante replied, stepping closer to him. Suddenly he opened his hand and there were eight beautiful gold coins in it. “One more than what he offered. You can have them, ”he said, pushing them towards me.

  "But master? yelled the troll. "We will be hungry without your savings."

  "Oh shut up. Eight gold coins is not my savings. You don't know everything about me.

  The troll's eyes doubled in size. "Who are you?" he asked confusedly . "If we have more gold, then why did you only give me bread?" How can you do this to me? I don't think our relationship will ever be the same again. Not after learning this information. It just cannot be.

  Dante waved his hand in annoyance as the fire in his other hand went out. “Take it,” he said.

  "Really? Are you sure?" I asked.

  “Samson is an idiot,” he laughs. “I have well over eight gold pieces. It's just a simple change for me.

  I grabbed the coins and expressed my gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

  "Should I just put them in my inventory?" I asked.

  "Is this your first time winning gold?" he asked with a wrinkled brow.

  "Yes. Yes it is."

  He sighed. “Everything is controlled by your thoughts. Just mentally pull out your inventory and place it in the bag icon. Everything here is second nature. No more difficult than moving your legs in the real world. "

  "Wait?" Johnny asked. "Four of them are mine."

  "I've already put them in my inventory," I replied.

  “Take them out,” Dante said. "Just mentally take them out."

  I did as Dante ordered and saw four gold coins appear on the floor. Johnny picked them up and put them in his inventory. "You see, you get it right," Dante laughed. "Easy is n't it?"

  I smiled. "Thanks again."

  Dante raised a finger in the air. “There is a condition,” he said with a stammer.

  Thin. I knew it was too good to be true. "It would be?"

  "I need a favor."

  Okay?"

  "Have you added Samson to your friend list?"

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Great. I want to brutalize him a bit. But I can't do that unless he comes here. His village is considered a safe area.

  "Are you going to give him a beating?" Johnny asked.

  "He wants it, " Dante replied. “Nothing too important. Just a few shocks with my magic. He's my cousin, but he can be a real bastard sometimes. You can't let people walk through you here. Even if they are part of the family.

  “Fair enough. So what do you want us to do?” I asked.

  "Attract him here. I would go there, but I don't want anyone to see this. Tell him I'm gone and you need his help. Do whatever it takes to get him in here.

  "Okay. Should I send him a message?

  "Yes. That would be perfect."

  I opened my messages. Damn, I hadn't answered poor Todd yet. The truth was, I didn't know what to say yet. First I would, then I would answer Todd. I started typing a message and reading it aloud to Dante:

  “Hi Samson. We are in your cousin's cave . Sorry, it's taking so long. Your cousin came back and we had to go into hiding. But, he's gone now. The problem is, we can't find the gold! Sucks, does n't it? Can you help us? Your cousin has just left. I can meet you at the entrance to the cave. Hurry up so we can get that gold! Thank you.

  Walker."

  "Perfect," Dante chuckled. "Let's see how long it takes him to respond."

  Suddenly, a new alert message appeared in front of me. I opened it:

  "What? How can you not find him? It's so simple. Just start digging under his bed. Just find the gold! Hurry! I already left my hiding place after seeing him return. I am surprised he's gone again, he must be really depressed tonight. Keep me posted and hurry because I'm sure he'll be back soon. He doesn't like being in public for long. He just likes to drink his drinks.
problems as fast as he can. Then it's back to the cave to hide. Tick tock, tick tock! Hurry!

  Samson."

  A serious look came to Dante's face. "Drink my problems?" Do I sound drunk to you?

  My head was going from side to side. "Exactly," he replied. "Back to my cave to hide?" He's such a loser. Even in the outside world, he was a loser. Send him a message.