The Crimson Quest: A LitRPG Adventure

by J. B. Smith

  “Alright, cool. Keep me posted and let me know when you check in Todd.

  Walker."

  I got up and started to go back and forth. Douglas didn't say anything. "Are you getting nervous about your fight tonight?" I asked.

  “I'm never nervous about fighting,” he replied.

  The sound of incoming footsteps was heard from outside our cell. Within moments, a guard had arrived. "It's time," said the guard, unlocking the cell door.

  Douglas jumped to his feet and began to dive into the air. “I'm really going to put on a show for you tonight. Wait and see.

  "I hope you kick her ass," I replied with a chuckle.

  “ Get the crowd excited. This is what I did for you. Really pump them up, okay?

  I nodded. "Sure. I'll tell them all how awesome you are.

  The guard grabbed Douglas and looked at me. "Did you want to watch him fight?"

  "Yes. I will encourage him .

  The guard grabbed my arm and led us both out of the cell. No one said anything as we walked down the long hallway to the Colosseum. The guard handed me over to another guard as they led Douglas to the center of the Coliseum. I was slowly led into a narrow hallway. Every few feet there were torches mounted on the wall. Water flowed from the ceiling as the hallway seemed to go on forever. The ceiling above us shook when I realized we were under the crowd. Finally, we got inside the coli cell . Looking around I realized I was pretty close to ground level. I looked around and couldn't believe how many people were watching. The guard pointed to a section separated from the rest of the crowd. “Over there,” he cried.

  I looked at the players who were seated in the separate section. Yes, that made sense. They were obviously prisoners. Some were wearing the same basic outfit I had arrived in, while others were wearing heavy armor. There were only about five or six players watching the fight in total. One guy had an old notepad and seemed to be busy taking notes. Interesting. I guess he was studying his future opponents. The guard led me closer to the seat and pointed to an empty space. "Sit there," he ordered.

  I sat down next to the character with the notepad. His armor was a solid black and he wore a thick silver chain around his neck. His face was wide and he had a thick beard. I found it hard to believe I would fight characters like this guy. " Who do you think will win?" I asked.

  "The human," replied the man in a deep voice.

  "I think the troll has a chance."

  The man laughed. But, he did not respond.

  I looked at the arena. Douglas stood on one side while a good-sized human stood on the other. Both wore no armor or weapons. Douglas wore only his usual brown shirt and blue shorts. And the human wasn't wearing a shirt at all. But, I could see that the human was in very good shape. It made me wonder though. Why weren't they both wearing armor? I continued to watch them prepare for battle when a strange feeling washed over me. It was a strange feeling watching the fight from where I was watching it . I felt like I was part of something important.

  Everyone around us was there to see a fight. They had come to see players like me fight. The crowd started to cheer louder. I looked behind me at the many rows of seats that gradually climbed higher and higher. There were so many faces. Then one of the faces looked at me. It was not a pleasant look. "Don't look at me," a dark haired man yelled from just a few rows away.

  My eyes continued to stare at the man as he grew even more frustrated. "Do you have a problem with your eyes?" he asked with intense eyes. "Make a U-turn. I'm serious!"

  "I can watch whatever I want," I yelled before turning around.

  "What was that? What did you just say?" the man behind me asked.

  I just ignored it. A small part of me wanted to jump and slap him on the ground. But I knew it could cause problems. So, I just kept ignoring it. "He's drunk," said the prisoner next to me.

  "Yeah. I guess that makes sense," I replied.

  “A lot of the players who live at FlatFall are wealthy. They think they own us and we are only here to entertain them. But this is not true. We all fight for different reasons.

  The crowd suddenly started to clap at a deafening level. Then a bell rang. My eyes were fixed on Do uglas. My heart started to beat faster. I was excited for him and really wanted to see him win. Both my hands went up in the air. “Well done for the troll,” I shouted over and over.

  But no one applauded. My eyes fixed on Douglas. He jumped from side to side as the man started to move closer to him. Douglas sprinted to his left, then to his right. Again and again he kept doing this. The crowd started to make a few “hoot” noises. What was the troll doing? Was it some kind of weird survival technique he had invented ? Maybe a trick to get rid of your opponent? I didn't know, but the man got closer and closer as Douglas continued to sprint side by side. Suddenly, Douglas changed the direction of his sprint. He ran towards the man at full speed and jumped on him. There was a struggle and I couldn't see what was going on. My hands went up in the air. "Catch him! Come on Douglas," I yelled.

  Both fell to the ground. Douglas jumped on the man and started hitting him over and over again. "Kick him in the ass," I cried excitedly.

  The crowd screamed over and over. "Kill him, kill him."

  Douglas threw both hands in the air and looked at the crowd. I was happy for him when a smile came to my face. He really did. He was about to win as he had announced. Suddenly the man's hand passed around Douglas's neck. Douglas tried to release his hold, but couldn't. The man threw Douglas to the ground before putting them both back on their feet. Douglas's feet left the ground as the man lifted him into the air. With one arm, the man held Douglas. The players around us shouted and cheered d. The man let go of Douglas, but Douglas was too weak to stand. He fell to his knees and struggled to breathe.

  The man grabbed the back of his head and hit his knee in his jaw. Douglas fell to his side and struggled to stand as the man appreciated the crowd cheering him on . Both hands were in the air as the crowd clapped louder and louder. Douglas fell to his knees before finally getting to his feet. I had to admit the troll didn't look very healthy. I felt bad for him because I did n't want to see what was going to happen next.

  The man walked confidently as if he didn't see Douglas as a threat at all. Douglas held both hands in front of his chest. He swung, but the man grabbed him. Douglas swung with his other hand, but the man noticed it too. With a sharp jerk, he pulled her closer and gave her a crushing head butt. Douglas fell, but the man did not let go of his hands. Again, he gave her a head butt. Douglas' green face had turned red. Damn, this little troll was seriously injured. His body was limp but the man did not stop. He pushed Douglas away and started hitting him blow after blow. Again and again the man hit his face. My head was coming and going. I had to face the facts. Douglas was getting his ass kicked. The man continued to beat him as I wondered how long the little troll could endure such punishment. Blood splashed in the air as the beating continued.

  Thin. This troll was in pain. People cheered louder and louder as the beatings got worse. I had never seen a beating dragged out for so long. Was anyone going to stop this? Or were they planning to bury the troll? If so, I wondered if I would be invited to the funeral. I did not know. Suddenly the man descended from the lifeless body of Douglas. He was covered in blood as he jumped up and down. The crowd went crazy for him as white flowers spouted from the sky. What the hell? They threw way more white flowers for this guy than for me. It just didn't feel right.

  I kept looking at Douglas and hoped I would see him stand up. But he did not do it. In the corner of the arena, two men pushed a wooden wheel barrel towards his body. The wheel barrel has stopped. They grabbed both of his arms and threw him in. Douglas didn't move. In a few minutes they were gone. I narrowed my eyes. So they just throw people in a rotten wheel barrel and throw them somewhere? I looked at the prisoner next to me. He seemed very busy taking notes. "Where did they take the troll?" I asked.

  "It depends," he replied without looking at me.


  "On what?"

  "Whether he's dead or alive."

  “Do you think he's dead?

  "Hard to say," he replied.

  Was Douglas dead? Did I really witness the death of my cell mates? It was sad to think that I was just starting to like him. "What if he's still alive?"

  "He will probably survive if he does," replied the prisoner.

  "But where are they taking him?"

  "Where do you think? Back in his cell.

  "Do they heal him first?" Maybe take her to a clinic or something?

  The prisoner laughed. “You get lost mercy. After that, no one cares about you. Especially if you are a low level fighter. He had better hope he had plenty of healing potions. Otherwise, he will die a slow and painful death. It has happened to many people before, and it will happen to many more. "

  In the distance, I could see several guards heading in our direction. The crowd continued to cheer as the man did his best to convince them. He made many different gestures as he seemed to be enjoying his victory over the troll. Within moments, one of the guards had arrived. “Come with me,” he asked, grabbing my arm.

  Other guards arrived and began to take the other prisoners as well. We parted c olisée and walked down the long narrow hallway leading to our cells. No one said anything as we continued to walk. It wasn't long before I arrived in my cell. We stood outside the door as the guard searched for his keys. Then he inserted the key, opened the door and pushed me into my cell. "Your cellmate is coming soon," he said before turning to leave.

  "He is alive?" I asked.

  "Barely," replied the guard with a small laugh.

  I grabbed the metal bars in front of me. In front of me there was only a brown wall with a torch mounted on it. The flames flickered, spitting out some random pops. Down the hall I heard other prisoners talking. But, they weren't close enough for me to see clear words. My advertising before went against bars. When would they let me visit the city again? The schedule did not seem consistent. Or maybe I haven't fully figured it out yet? My eyes started to close. But then they opened up. Damn, I was getting drowsy. But I didn't want to sleep. But, my body demanded it as the darkness passed me.

  Chapter twenty-five

  The door to my cell opened. At first I thought I was still dreaming. But I wasn't. There was a thud after they threw her body on the ground. Douglas let out a cough which was followed by a shake. The wheels of the wheel barrel squeaked as it pushed the cart out of our cell and left us. He was flat on his back and did not move. His green face was not as green as it used to be and dried blood surrounded his mouth, nose and eyes. He looked like he was dead, but he was still breathing. I stood up on his body. “ Douglas? Can you hear me?"

  Her eyes opened, but they looked strange. Only a blank stare covered his face. "Do you need water or something?" I asked.

  Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and hung to the side. Thin. This troll did not look healthy. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

  There was nothing from the troll. Was he going to die? I started to go back and forth in the cell. Thoughts flooded my head. Suddenly I heard wings flutter above me. “Oh wow,” a voice creaked with excitement . "Is he finally dead?"

  I looked up and saw the pigeon that Douglas hated so much. He looked really happy. "He's not dead," I replied.

  “I watched his fight. I was there and I saw the blows, ”laughed the pigeon. “He did what he does best. He lost."

  " What should I do?" Should I get health potions or something? "

  The pigeon looked confused. His little head was going from side to side. “Don't heal him. Let him die. This is what I would do.

  Thin. This pigeon was really a little asshole. How could he be so cruel? "I won't let him die," I yelled.

  "Why not? I've been waiting a long time to see its last day," replied the pigeon with impatient eyes. "One less loser in the world is the way I see it. "

  I jumped in the air and tried to get the pigeon to fly. "I will save Douglas," I replied.

  “He's a naturally born loser. You cannot continue to save him forever.

  "Why do you hate him so much?" What has he ever done to you?

  His sharp little eyes grew even smaller. “There is just something about him. The first time I saw him, I knew I hated him. A bit like love at first sight, except the opposite.

  Was that his reason? What a little psychopath. The pigeon hovered in front of me with a hateful look on its face. “It's not that bad once you get to know it,” I replied.

  The pigeon laughed before flying out the window. In an instant, the hateful little creature was gone. I looked down at Douglas. I took a deep breath. Damn, I couldn't watch him die. I had something to do. But what? I had to get some more gold before I could save it. I wondered what his health was, but I couldn't see it. I walked back and forth. Then it hit me. All I could do was go on another quest or win another fight at the Colosseum.

  As I continued to think, footsteps approached from outside our cell. “It's mealtime,” a guard yelled before slipping a rusty bowl into my cell. After that, there was a cheer as the guard slammed with a small cup of water. “Enjoy your meal,” he says.

  "What about Douglas?" Where is his meal?

  "His meal? the guard asked in surprise. “He's almost dead. It is not a profitable investment. "

  The guard walked away. I rummaged in the bowl and grabbed some stale rice. I stuffed rice in my mouth and started to bite into it. It was weird because the rice shouldn't be crispy, but I liked it a bit. In fact, I started to enjoy the crunchy rice by stuffing myself more and more in my mouth. Then my eyes turned to Douglas. Should I give it to him? My head was going side to side as I remembered something. The troll had actually stolen my food the first day I arrived. Did I really want to share my food with someone who had done this to me? I ate another bite of rice and continued to stare at her lifeless body.

  Shit. The guilt was starting to sink. Yes, it was true that the troll had stolen my first meal. But that was before he knew me. I was ready to forgive him because I knew he had a good heart. He was the kind of person who took a long time to get to know each other. Overall though, I was starting to like it. I approached his body with the bowl of rice in my hands. Thin. Was I going to hand feed this troll? It sounded strange, but I knew I had to do it. My hand touched her dry, crusty little lips. I quickly realized that this troll was in desperate need of a quality lip balm. I mentally noted the condition of her lips just so I could remind her to take lip balm. Slowly, I forced her mouth open. I grabbed the rice and I threw in his throat. Then I manually opened and closed his mouth in a chewing motion. Wow, I was good at it. For someone who had never done something like this before, I was impressed. The troll didn't move. But, I knew he had nutrition now. I had given her the crunchy rice that her lean little body needed.

  I grabbed some water and poured it on his face. I looked at the few strands of yellow hair that were above her head. I almost felt like watering dead weeds. The trol I started to cough. I stopped watering him and leaned away from him. “Douglas?

  There was no response. I quickly poured water down his throat. Then I drank the last piece that was left. I didn't know if Douglas was okay, but at least I knew I fed him. I crawled to the back of the cell and leaned my back against the wall. Moments passed because nothing happened. I slumped down until my stomach and chest met. The minutes turned into hours as I just watched the troll. Was this my new life? I felt depressed as I waited for my brief moment of freedom. My ears became sensitive as I listened to the incoming footsteps. I continued to listen until a guard finally arrived. I jumped to my feet. "Did you come to take me out?" I asked enthusiastically.

  "It's time to visit FlatFall," replied the guard.

  I joined my two hands with joy. “Excellent,” I replied.

  The guard took my arm and led me out of the cell. As we walked through the many rooms to exit the dungeon, I started to think about what I was going to do. How was I going to cure Douglas? I knew I had
to either fight in the Colosseum or find a quest. When we got to the entrance to FlatFall I felt a sense of freedom. The guard let go of my arm and I walked quickly towards the heart of the city. I looked around. Where can I find a quest? I knew there had to be a place where I could find a lot of different searches. The players ran all around me like they were too busy to talk. "Excuse me," I shouted at a tall man in blue armor.

  He suddenly stopped. "Yes?"

  "Where can I find a quest? I need to make a lot of gold.

  "Go to the tavern," the player shouted back. “The NPCs providing the quest usually stand against the back wall. You will see them. "

  "Thank you," I shouted back as he fled away.

  I started to walk faster as my eyes searched for the wind. Shit. Where was he? The city was so big and I had already forgotten the location of the tavern. My steps became faster as I continued to search for the tavern. Then I saw the green door that I recognized. I looked up at the tavern sign. Yes, that was it. I pushed open the door and saw the red layout. Yes, it was exactly the same tavern. But something was different. There were cheers coming from the bar. I walked over to the cheers and noticed a large crowd around someone. I got closer to the crowd and tiptoed to see what it was about.