The Crimson Quest: A LitRPG Adventure

by J. B. Smith

  I started to walk. Suddenly a small twig snapped under my foot. My body froze as my eyes closed automatically. Shit. He had to hear me. I feared the worst, but it seemed the giant was still sleeping. Both my eyes opened. I didn't want to move. Not yet. So I scanned the area and tried to come up with a plan.

  The fog had grown thick and the sun was not shining as brightly. I thought I had at most a few hours of light. There was no time to waste as I carefully took my next step. There was a growl as the giant let out a series of snores. The only thing that separated me from the giant was a small rocky hill. I knew he was right behind. Slowly I walked around the hill until I could see the great beast. His face was in the dirt. But, every breath he took sent a cloud of dust into the air. A few steps from him was a large wooden platform surrounded by metal bars. Inside the bars, I could make out two dark figures. They were hard to see and only looked like shadows from my perspective. I approached the platform, trying not to make a noise. The two figures on the platform had seen me . I put a finger to my lips. Damn, which figure was the NPC's brother? I noticed a small staircase that led to a door attached to the platform. This was how I would free them. There was a keyhole, but where was the key? Honestly, I didn't even have to ask myself that question. I knew the answer. The giant had the key. But, how was I going to get it?

  I looked at the figures and noticed that one of them was pointing to the giant. Each step I took felt like the most important step of my life as I got closer and closer to the wooden platform. At this point, I almost wanted to be locked in the cage with the two characters. I was seriously starting to regret taking the quest in the first place. My left foot stepped onto the first step leading to the platform door. There was a squeak. Shit. My head turned to the giant. There was a boom as he threw himself to the other side. He let out a long moan before putting his face back into the dirt. I looked at the numbers. They were only a few feet away and I could see that one of them was a human with short red hair. The other, however, was much stranger. In fact, I wasn't sure what it was. He appeared to be wearing clothes that looked like an animal. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to figure out what he was wearing. Why the hell? Was he dressed like a hamster? Yes, he looked like a sturdy brown hamster. It was a pretty compelling costume to be honest. The hamster-looking guy looked desperate. There was real desperation in his eyes as he mumbled to me. “Get me out of here . Please, ”he whispered.

  "Where's the key?" I asked while secretly knowing the answer.

  His furry finger pointed at the sleeping giant. I looked but then I looked at it. "Can't you get out of here or something?" For example, can't you get through one of the bars if you've been sucking your belly really hard? Perhaps?"

  His head was wobbling from side to side. "Don't you think I tried this?"

  I nibbled my nails. Damn, I really put myself in a mess. There was no way I was trying to steal the sleeping giant's key. It was too risky. I had to make a plan. I had to find something and it had to be quick. "How do I get the key?" Where does he keep it?

  "It's in his boot," muttered the red-haired man in normal clothes.

  "In his boot? How can I get it? "

  "Just take off your boot," replied the guy dressed as a hamster.

  Slip his boot? Yeah, sure. I could already see the end result of this scenario in my mind. The giant crushes me like a little beetle then scratches me with his boot. Nope. It wasn't going to happen. Finally, my best senses intervened. "Sorry, that just won't work," I replied, turning around.

  “Wait! Are you leaving us?” The hamster guy asked.

  "I made a bad decision," I replied as I walked down the stairs.

  "Please. I have to get out of here. I'm not an NPC," the red haired guy replied.

  "What is that supposed to mean? That you are more important than an NPC? Is that what you mean?" Asked the hamster guy.

  "You're programmed to be here," the red haired guy replied in a louder voice.

  “Keep your voice low,” I replied. “Just keep them. I'll help you. Let me think for a second.

  “Good because I'll scream if you don't,” the hamster guy replied.

  Shit. He wasn't bluffing. I could tell he wasn't. In truth, I had already decided to stay and help these two. I guess I was starting to develop a curse. A curse where I had to help people who were in need. I guess it was a good thing, but it was also a bit boring. I looked at the two characters and rolled my eyes. I couldn't leave two seemingly intelligent people behind in a situation like this. "I'll get the key, " I replied.

  I started to go down the steps. My heart was pounding double as I got closer and closer to the giant. He was just huge. It was difficult to estimate his height since he was lying down, but I would have guessed that he was easily sixty feet tall. The moment passed as I moved closer to his black boot. Wow! His foot alone was about the size of a car. Then my body stopped. What the fuck was I doing? Suddenly there was a loud cry. “Master, master! To wake up! Another has come!

  My head turned. Damn, the guy dressed as a hamster was working with him? That double-crossed bastard! Suddenly the earth seemed to move under my feet. The giant let out an unpleasant growl which was followed by the worst smell I have ever felt. His hand moved towards me with intense speed. Before I knew it, I was in his grip. His hands were much softer than I expected. And her grip, well, was surprisingly smooth. I guess he had a lot of experience handling humans and knew not to stall too much. It's all I could imagine. I started to draw my sword, but thought it would be too risky. Stabbing the great beast in his hand seemed to only make him angry.

  Then, for a brief second, I also considered biting his finger like a mad animal. But, that thought quickly faded as I realized he was probably going to throw me into his mouth. I would probably just like to eat a raisin or something. Yeah, I bet that's what I would taste. What the hell? Why was I thinking about what I had tasted being under the grip of a giant? I didn't know, but I quickly changed my thought process. Within seconds, my body turned to air. I was bouncing up and down with every step he took as we got closer and closer to the wooden platform.

  It was amazing, but terrifying to be so high in the air. In truth, I didn't know this giant well and I didn't know what he was capable of. The giant leaned down and began to feel the inside of his boot. Then he took out a large silver key and stuck it in the keyhole. The door creaked open and he threw me onto the wooden platform. His big head was hitting the bars that contained us. "Amuse me," he roared.

  Suddenly music started playing. It was terrible music. A chipmunk voice continued about its glory days or shit. The same words were repeated over and over again as the giant had a happy look on his face. The guy dressed as a hamster jumped in the air and patted his ankles together. It wasn't a simple tapping, however. He had managed to double-tap. Damn, that giant had it online. I had tried a double tap before, and it was not easy. In fact, I had never met someone who could actually be successful. "Good," I said, watching him do the trick over and over again. The giant slid his uncut fingernails against the metal bars. It almost looked like he was playing a song, but it wasn't. "Dance for me," he roared, pointing at me.

  Okay, that wasn't cool. The truth was, I wasn't exactly comfortable dancing for him. Not yet anyway . "Sorry?" I asked with unhealthy confidence.

  The giant did not seem satisfied with my answer. "Do not talk. Never ever speak. Only dancing, ”he growled.

  I narrowed my eyes and noticed that he had a big wart on the end of his nose. I wanted to say something, but I thought maybe he was serious about his whole "no-talk" rule. So I started jumping up and down. The NPC in the hamster costume did other tricks as the other guy started dancing next to me. Even the guy next to me had some cool stuff. He did three sixty laps and several different cart-wheel-type movements. I had to admit, it was pretty impressive. As the giant continued to watch us dance, he leaned down and pulled something out from below the stage. what was that? I was bouncing up and down looking impatiently at his hands. Then they came. "Put
this on," he ordered.

  His emotionless black eyes tried to show some emotion, but they couldn't because he was waiting for my answer. But I didn't say anything. He slipped the clothes through the bars and they fell at my feet. I reached out and picked up one of the clothes. I held it out in front of me. The guy next to me laughed. “It's the weasel costume. He really has to see the potential in you. He made me dress as a rat the first time.

  "A weasel costume?" Does he want me to wear this?

  I looked at the other combination on the floor. What was wrong with this giant? And how had he created such believable animal costumes? I have to admit he had a real knack for knitting. It seemed strange though. D id he sit under his cliff all day knitting animal costumes? It just didn't seem to match her look. The giant tapped the bars in front of me. "Put it on," he asked.

  Shit. What was the problem with this weirdo? Did he really sit under a cliff all day and make people dress up as animals? Someone really needed to find out the root cause of their emotional problems. Perhaps he had lost a weasel that was close to him? I didn't know, but I really didn't want to dress like a weasel. So I dropped the weasel costume next to me. Suddenly the terrible chipmunk music stopped. The giant let out a terrible roar. The roar continued as he tried to put the key back in the keyhole. Damn, was he coming after me? I quickly took the weasel costume and put it on . "I'm a weasel," I yelled nervously. "Nothing to see here except your standard weasel."

  The music started again. I jumped in the air. But I could tell the giant missed my tricks. I tried to do a wheel, but I failed. The giant laughed. "Good. More of that," he said, banging on the bars.

  I tried another one. Damn, it was almost like I was selling my soul or something. I had never felt like an idiot in my life. In fact, it was actually degrading. If I had known that this was how this quest was going to end, I would never have taken it in the first place. I did my best to entertain the giant and noticed that he was pointing at the other combination near my feet. "Give it to him," said the giant.

  I stretched the hand and I took the other combination. I looked at the other guy and handed him the costume. He held it out in front of him. "Oh come on," he said defeatedly. "Do you want me to come back as a rat?" Do I really have to start over? "

  The giant roared and created a gust of wind that nearly knocked the guy down. He quickly put on the rat costume and started to crawl. "Where's my cheese?" he asked in a squeaky voice.

  "Good. That's good," said the giant, laughing.

  It was messed up. Did this giant really get pleasure from it all? What was the point of dressing his prisoners like animals? I couldn't figure it out. He had to be just a crooked guy or something. The giant reached out to his side and pulled out a large brown container. He poured liquid down his throat and burped heavily. Damn, he was getting drunk. Then it hit me. I guess we were his drunken entertainment. I guess it made sense in a weird way. He had nothing else to do but look at a cliff. So one day he probably had an idea. He probably thought "I'll have pets" and walked away with the idea. I guess it wasn't a bad idea. But I didn't like it. I didn't like being degraded.

  The giant took another sip of his drink. I tried double-patting the ankle, but failed. Next to me, the hamster guy laughed at me with a series of double patches on the ankle. The giant began to cough before taking another sip of his glass. We all continued to dance for a while . Finally, the giant fell asleep after drinking too much. We all stopped dancing. "It's fucked up," I said to the guy in the rat costume.

  I took a moment to focus on his display name above his head:

  StevieJackson00 - Level 11

  Human - Warri or

  Stevie? This name suited him well. I took a closer look. He had leaned over his shoulders and looked like he hadn't eaten in days. He was about five feet tall and had a thin, narrow face. Red hair, brown eyes, and front teeth that hung over his lower lip. To be honest, I could see why the giant had put him in a rat costume. It was sad, but Stevie actually looked like a rat. He just had a natural shabby look to him. I wasn't trying to judge him, it was just something I noticed upon closer inspection. "My name is Walker," I said with one hand.

  Stevie started to twitch. He looked at my hand but looked skeptical. “Did you come here just to save him?” he asked pointing to the NPC in the hamster costume.

  “I am on a quest. Yes, I came here to save the NPC's brother. But, I will try to save you too. "

  Suddenly, the giant turned to his stomach. He let out a loud snore, then fell back to sleep in a more peaceful manner. I itchy nose and spoke in a soft voice. "If we are to get out of here, we all have to work together."

  I looked at the NPC in the hamster costume. "What is your name?"

  "They call me Johnson," he replied with an unusually proud look on his face.

  I moved closer to him. "Okay Johnson," I said with a finger to his face. "Which side are you on?" Giants or ours?

  Johnson got nervous. “It gets lonely here. I don't want to be the only one dancing for him. Can't you stay? Stevie has been here for many months and has come to appreciate the lifestyle.

  "I don't like shit," Stevie shouted in a restrained tone. “It's a living nightmare. All because I accepted a quest that was too high for me.

  My eyes turned to Stevie, then back to Johnson. “Don't be selfi sh. We didn't come to this game world to dance for a giant. Understand?"

  "Well, I had no choice now, did I?" Johnson asked.

  I shrug my shoulders. He was right. But, he was just an NPC. He wasn't real. Still, it seemed so real. It was one of the most amazing things in the game. NPCs seemed so real that I would sometimes forget they weren't. I nodded and told Johnson why I was here. “I came here to save you. Your brother sent me on a quest. Don't you want to see your brother again?

  Johnson looked bored. It looked like he wasn't sure what he wanted. "I don't know," he stammered. “After being taken hostage, I hated it here. But now I feel like this is where I belong. I got used to receiving my master.

  I blinked. Damn, what a depressing little life he's been forced to live. He was truly a sad soul who had to disguise himself as a hamster . “You have been brainwashed,” I replied. “You don't belong here. You belong to your brother, he's the one who probably loves you.

  "It's not true," Johnson replied with a burst of anger. “My master loves me more than my brother ever did. And I won't let you go. I will tell my master that you are planning to escape. Why don't you stay with us? I want you to stay with me and Stevie. You will make a great addition to our family.

  Wow. It was much worse than I once thought. This NPC has been extensively brainwashed . Did he really think his life was good? Why the hell should I stay and be part of his dysfunctional family? The truth was, I wouldn't. But, I needed to convince the NPC not to alert the giant of my escape plans. It was the first thing I had to do. After that I would find out what to do with Johnson. “I'll escape from here. Can I tell you that you won't alert the giant? "

  Johnson's eyes drifted to the ground and he thought for a moment before answering . "If I let you go, would you bring in any new players?"

  "Of course," I replied. "I will find others who want to take on this quest."

  The excitement covered Johnson's face, but it quickly faded. “You can go,” he said with quick words. “But not Stevie. Stevie has been here too long. Our relationship is too strong to be broken. "

  "That's bullshit," Stevie replied with a stomp on the platform. “Our relationship sucks. It's downright unhealthy.

  The two started bickering back and forth. Both my hands went up in the air. “Enough,” I say. “Stop arguing. We will find something. I just need your word Johnson. Can I have your word? "

  Johnson took a moment to think it over. He licked his lips and looked at Stevie. "You know you like it here," he mumbled before looking at me. "Fine. I'll let you go if you promise to bring me some exciting new players."

  My head was wobbling up and down. "Okay. You have a deal.

>   Suddenly an alert appeared:

  Congratulations!

  Your Persuasion skill has increased by 1 point!

  Persuasion level increased to 4

  Impressive! I got better and better at convincing people to do what I needed them to do. Soon I could get anyone to do anything. Or, that's what I was hoping for anyway. I turned my back on Johnson. It was good to know that I didn't have to worry about him alerting the giant again. One problem was solved, but I still had bigger ones to solve. I started to step back and fourth on the stage. How was I going to escape and free Johnson at the same time? Okay, the giant was sleeping. He was drunk and sleeping soundly. I looked at the wood beneath me. It didn't seem to be that sturdy. "Did you try to smash a hole in the wood?" It would work, wouldn't it?