The Crimson Quest: A LitRPG Adventure

by J. B. Smith

  I turned and faced Johnson. “The giant doesn't care about you. Believe me on it. I enjoyed meeting you and I wish you the best.

  “I always think my master takes care of me. It's just a complicated situation, ”replied Johnson. “We're going to save him first. Then I'll look for Stevie. It's weird, but I already miss Stevie.

  I started to walk away, but the NPC pulled me back. “Thank you for saving my brother. I will tell others about your remarkable quest solving skills. For this reason, other quests will be available for you. "

  It was interesting. If I completed a quest, would I have more quest choices? I smiled. Then I remembered that I needed a healing potion. "Do you know where I can buy a healing potion?" I need to get one ASAP. "

  “There is a tall man in a green robe who sells these potions. He is here precisely for this reason.

  "This very reason?

  "Yes. Once you get out, the guards will have a better chance of seeing you and bringing you back to your cell. After completing a quest that spans your free time, you only have a few extra minutes to spare. supply. the green man knows . So it provides players potions care after finishing a quest here. that is why it is parked in this tavern. His name is Hugo. Go talk to Hugo, and will provide you with healing potions. Remember, he charges a higher rate for these express services. "

  A few minutes? I didn't have a lot of time. I turned around and started looking for a tall man in green. Suddenly an alert appeared in front of me:

  Congratulations!

  You have completed the quest "Free the Giant's Pet"!

  Congratulations !

  You have progressed! Open your inventory to distribute points.

  I was happy to level up. I opened my inventory and started playing with my points:

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

  Walker Williamson - Level 6

  Male Male - Warrior

  Statistics:

  HP: 20/20

  Endurance: 14

  Mana: 10

  Attributes:

  Strength: 18 (+4 added)

  Persuasion: 4

  Intelligence: 1

  Willpower: 1

  Stealth: 2

  Agility: 3

  Skills:

  None yet

  Benefits:

  None yet

  Capacities:

  None yet

  I couldn't resist the urge to get stronger. Watching my body grow was addicting. I looked at my arms and noticed they were bigger. In fact, my height increases were starting to add up. When I flexed my bicep it was waving now. My han ds passed over my chest and felt the firmness. Yes, I was becoming a beast. It was exciting to see such changes. But I couldn't bask in my glory for too long. I knew I was running out of time and that there was a half-dead troll who needed my help. My eyes scanned the room of the man the NPC had told me about. Within seconds, I spotted a man nearby who matched the description. I ran to him. “Hugo? Is your name Hugo?

  "Indeed," he replied. "What can I do for you today?"

  “My cellmate is near Ath. He was beaten at the Colosseum and needs to be healed. What do you have for that? "

  “Is he conscious?

  “No, not really. He breathes, but doesn't really move.

  “He then needs 'The Seed of Life'. This is the only potion that will work for him.

  "Fine. I'll take one.

  His old face looked delighted. "Very good. "It will be forty-five gold pieces."

  "Forty-five gold coins?" Are you kidding me?"

  "You want to save his life, don't you?"

  I started to think. It was a good question. Did I really want to save his life? I mean, would it really be that bad for me to let him die? He would become a lost soul and would likely reappear in the cell once his body was found. I rolled my eyes. Damn, I just couldn't do it. He needed my help and I was going to help him. "Alright, I'll take it."

  I took out forty-five gold coins and gave them to him. Hugo reached into his bag and pulled out a long, thin tube filled with blue liquid. "Pour it down her throat." That's all we can say about it. "

  I put the potion in my inventory and thanked Hugo. I turned and my eyes landed directly on Cosmo. He stumbled to his feet because he was visibly drunk. "Where have you been recently?" he asked, coming closer to me.

  I tried to ignore him, but he wouldn't let me. "I asked you a question," he said, moving even closer.

  "Dude. How many times do you drink? You're always drunk when I see you.

  Cosmo laughs. "It's because you always see me at the tavern. Is it really that hard to believe that I would be drunk? My kes sense, doesn't it?

  "That doesn't explain why you're still here," I said as I walked past him.

  “I love to have fun. Can you blame me? What else do we have to do here?”

  I did not turn around. I just kept walking. "You're pathetic," I yelled back without looking at him.

  “At least I'm not a coward,” he replied. “If someone was responsible for sending me to this dump, I would be sure to teach them a lesson. I would be sure to give them a real kick. But you can't do that, can you? It doesn't go with your loose lifestyle, does it?

  I stopped walking. Damn, this guy was seriously starting to get on my last nerve. I slowly turned around. My steps were slow as I approached him. Then I stopped right in front of his face. “I will fight you. In two days. Set it up and get ready for a kick. Agreement?"

  His lips turned down. "Are you serious? Do you really think you have a chance against me?

  “I know I have a chance,” I replied. "But do you have a chance against me?" That is the question, isn't it?

  "You're funny," he replied, popping his fingers. “I'll take advantage of this. I'll set it up and tell the guards to let you know the exact time . "

  I turned my back on him. "You have no idea who you just played," I said before walking away.

  Suddenly, two guards rushed to my side. “Your free time is up for today,” one said.

  A long laugh came from Cosmo. He did n't say anything. He only laughed. The laughter continued until we almost got to the door. Then he stopped laughing just long enough to yell something at me. “The moment the guards came to pick you up was hilarious. You are a naturally born loser. Everything you do cries out for the loser. It's just so funny.

  We left the tavern. I had to admit, the moment the guards grabbed me sucked. It really made me sound a little pathetic. But it was good. It was good because I knew I could beat Cosmo . All I had to do was understand his weakness. Maybe I should have waited to know his weakness. But I couldn't. There was no way I was going to let this little backstabber call me a coward. I just couldn't. Plus, I knew his magic had a weakness, and I was going to learn what it was. My head fell as we began our walk to my cell.

  Chapter twenty-nine

  When we arrived in my cell, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I had done something productive. And more importantly, I was about to save someone's life. The guard pushed me into my cell and the door closed. Douglas did not move. Was I too late? I approached his body and he was given a kick. "Are you already awake?"

  There was no movement. I leaned down and rested my head against his chest. His breathing was much shallower than when I had left him. This poor troll was in trouble. He was lucky, however. Fortunately I was here with the special potion to cure him. I opened my inventory and found the "Seed of Life" potion. I held it up and examined it. There was a small brown plug that contained the liquid. My fingers squeezed it and tried to pull it out . Damn, that was a hard plug to get out. There was a struggle, but time finally allowed me to win the battle. I held the potion with the steadiest hands ever. That was it. It was the moment when I would bring back a troll from the dead. It seemed like a very valuable skill to include in my CV. "Troll Saver" would look very good.

  I opened Douglas's mouth with one hand as I poured the potion in with the other. Seconds passed until the potion was empty. It was done. I had g
iven the troll his cure. Now what was to happen? Would her eyes open and everything would go back to normal? I did not know. I continued to wait with the most impatient feeling ever. Then something happened. Her body started to shake. After that, he began to mumble some strange gibberish. Her legs became stiff and her body started to shake. I took a few steps back. The tremor got worse before Douglas made a horrible sound. The sound persisted. Then his body slowly rose. He leaned down and began to cough uncontrollably. His eyes were still closed, but he was awake. “Douglas? Are you okay? ” I asked.

  He turned his head to the left and there was a loud pop. “It felt good,” he said.

  "How do you feel?"

  “I don't know,” he replied.

  “I gave you a potion. You almost died in battle. Did you know?

  Douglas wiped his nose. “I almost never die. It's impossible."

  “This time you did it. I think you've been lying on the floor for about twenty-four hours now.

  "I was probably asleep ," he replied. "I like to sleep after my big fights."

  "No man. You weren't sleeping. The guards and everyone said you were going to die. Trust me."

  Douglas plucked one of the few remaining hairs from his head. "I think I was fine," he mumbled.

  “I saved your life. It's a fact. You have no idea what I went through to get this potion for you.

  Douglas fell silent. His eyes got a little hazy. I could see he knew I wasn't lying. But, he was too proud to admit he was almost dead. "Thanks," he replied. “I probably would have been fine though. But I appreciate the effort.

  I sighed. Unbelievable. I had to become a dancing weasel and that was the best "thank you" I was going to get from him? I guess it didn't matter. I knew I had saved his life and that was good enough for me. "So what happened during the fight?" I asked.

  “He was just lucky. That's all. I will beat him next time. He won the battle, but I will win the war. Just mark my words on it. "

  I sat down next to the weary Doug . “I'm going to fight the backstabber who sent me here.

  Douglas suddenly got excited. "Really? When are you going to fight him?

  “I am not sure of the exact time. But I think it will be in two days. I need to understand his weakness . Who can I tell about NightFall Magic? "

  "NightFall Magic? There is a well-known mage here at FlatFall. I'm sure he knows it.

  "Where can I find this mage?"

  “There is a guild here for mages. But, this mage is the most famous of FlatFall. He's the one you need to talk to.

  "And his name would be?"

  “Edern. He lives alone and will charge you for information. I can take you there tomorrow in our free time . I want to see you mop the floor with the bastard who betrayed you.

  "Really? Would you take me to him?

  “Of course,” Douglas replied. “You would do the same for me. I see it now.

  I smiled. Douglas was weird, but he was fine. I guess my good deed didn't go unnoticed after all. "Thanks. I can't wait. If I can just understand his weakness, I know I could beat him.

  Apart from our cell, there was the sound of many ps footste . "What's going on over there?"

  "A few more newcomers," replied Douglas.

  "Do they always come this way?"

  “Not always. Sometimes they go through another entrance. It just depends.

  Without warning, Douglas ran to the bars and grabbed them while falling to his knees. "Let me out of here. I'm innocent," he yelled over and over.

  I laughed. Douglas really was a strange troll. He continued his little act as I examined the sad faces that passed by our cell. You could say that most of them were new lawyers. I'm sure they were deceived like me. Douglas came back to me. "Did you see how scared they were?" he asked with a smile.

  “Yes,” I laughed.

  “You have to create fear in their hearts. Make beginners fear seeing you at the Colosseum. They will remember that beautiful face, wait and see.

  I let out an awkward laugh. "I'm sure they will."

  The newcomers faded from our sight as the silence replaced them. I leaned against the bars. "How many fights do we have to win to get out of here?"

  "It depends. Some people did it quickly, while others are still there. It's all about the crowd. Just remember that. If you turn them on, the Emperor notices. I have known a crowd. once a guy who got his own home after just a few fights. But that's rare.

  "Do they have complete freedom once they have won the residency?" Are they free to come and go as they wish?

  "Yeah. That's awesome, isn't it?

  My head was rising and falling slowly. “It would be great. If I could just go home, it wouldn't be bad to live here.

  I looked at the ground. Then a new message alert appeared in front of me:

  "Hey. It's me Johnny. We're almost there. The ship's captain said we would be there early in the morning. I spoke to professional bandits, and they told me it was possible to get you. away. There is a weakness in the wall and we have a duty to break it. I'll send you a message instead of tomorrow escape. We'll set up a time. I have come fully loaded too. I ' have 8 peasants, Todd and Sonny the healer. I told you I'd save you, didn't I? See, I told the truth. Anyway, see you tomorrow.

  Johnny.

  Thin. Johnorrow? Was that the day I was potentially going to get out of this place? It seemed so strange. I had actually grown to like FlatFall in a weird way. But I couldn't miss the opportunity to escape. If I ever wanted to join , I knew how to do it. I'd just get involved with bastards like Cosmo. It was a surefire way to come back here.

  I fell to the ground, my back against the bars. Thin. Just another boring day in my cell. I had to admit that if I wasn't asleep time would pass during this time. It seemed to me that I was always waiting for my "free time" to arrive. I looked at Douglas. "So what's the deal with the Colosseum fighting?" Do they sometimes choose you at random? I've only had one fight and it's been a few days now.

  “If the Emperor has been informed of your scheduled fight, you probably won't fight until then. Otherwise, they will come and get you soon.

  My heart started to beat a little faster. It was a little scary to think that they could come and get me. I wasn't prepared and it was something I was going to have to remember. We fell silent as I waited for someone to come and pick me up. But that did not happen. Finally, I started to fall asleep. But I couldn't help but notice that Do uglas was looking at me. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.

  "Do what?"

  "Look at me. Why are you looking at me while I sleep? He's a little scary guy.

  "I told you before," he replied with quick words. “It's fun for me. Almost like a hobby. You go back to sleep. E verything will be fine ”.

  I clear my throat. What was his business? This one thing was the most annoying thing about Douglas. But, I closed my eyes. I guess it was something I had to live with. I fell asleep and before I even knew it the next day had arrived.

  Chapter thirty

  I am getting more and more used to my new life. Shortly after waking up, our meal came. Douglas and I planned our trip to see the mage while we ate our meal. In a strange way, I kinda enjoyed it. Hours passed before the guards finally came to pick us up. One of the hems grabbed my arm. “It's time to visit FlatFall,” he says.

  "Finally," I replied.

  Another guard grabbed Douglas by the arm and we began our walk towards FlatFall. The short time we were given at FlatFall was definitely something to look forward to. I f we did n't have it, I would have been miserable. Once at FlatFall, Douglas started running. “Follow me,” he shouted. "No need to waste time."

  We flew over all kinds of players and passed the fountain in the center of FlatFall. Within moments we had arrived in a part of FlatFall that I had never seen. It was a much more relaxed neighborhood. There were more NPCs than characters in play. “He lives there,” Douglas said with his finger in the air.

  I followed Douglas until we were in front of a small, closed h
ouse. It looked like a giant egg. There was a window and a fairly small cut out entrance. But, there was no door. Did this mage forget to build a door for himself? It seemed quite strange to me. With all of his magic, it seemed like he could summon a door one way or another. But, maybe he just didn't want a door. I did not know. We started to enter the house. “Wait. Shouldn't we knock or something first? I asked.