Rise of the Crimson Order: A Crematoria Online LitRPG Novel

by Matthew J. Barbeler

  Every developer in the world would want to get their hands on the whatever code was driving these artificial intelligence constructs. It was revolutionary.

  "Are you ready to return to the character creation environment?" she asked.

  "I'm ready," I agreed. The alleyway disappeared, and I found myself transported back into that room surrounded by mirrors. I looked at my reflection and liked what I saw. I looked like I belonged to another world. The coat, the scarf, the sword and the flintlock pistol made me truly feel like I had left my own reality and was about to embark on a new life in another.

  In Crematoria, I could be whoever I wanted to be.

  I could leave all my baggage behind, trapped in my body which would stay in the Crematoria Chamber until I was ready for a break. How long could my body stay in there without real food and drink? Even though I was connected to the life support system, it wouldn't be the same as eating and drinking for real. Yet, it might actually be better... A good session of Crematoria every morning might help me lose those couple of pounds that had crept up out of nowhere. I wouldn't be constantly snacking on junk.

  It was so easy to eat the wrong things these days. Fresh fruit and vegetables were such a luxury that even though I could afford them, I preferred not to. I used supplements to get my day's worth of nutrients. The tastiest and most convenient foods were almost devoid of nutritional value, but they were still loaded with calories. It was hard to eat right, but it was even harder to complain about what I did get when more than half the world went hungry because their farmlands were being destroyed. I was very lucky.

  "Are you happy with your character?" Empyria asked.

  "Very happy," I said. "I can't wait to get into the game and get started!"

  I know I probably should have test driven a couple of other characters before I logged into the game, but I loved the way that all the Investigator's abilities worked together. I'd never actually been able to play a real detective in a game before. Plenty of games had tried to give the true experience of being a cop or a private investigator, but none of them had adequately captured the detail to give a decent level of authenticity to the experience.

  From what I had seen of Crematoria Online so far, it looked as though it was the closest anyone had ever come to capturing that magic.

  I also liked the fact that I was probably one of the few people who would choose to play as an Investigator. My skill set would lend itself well to working with other players more well-equipped to take some punishment against larger foes. I could support them, exposing weaknesses and helping to whittle down their health.

  Historically, I knew that most people would choose hardier characters. The characters that could take the most amount of damage while still standing were called tanks. They tended to rush into fights and control the flow of battle. The Crusader and the Enforcer were two of the hardiest classes so plenty of people would choose to play as them.

  I always admired people who had the fortitude to play a healing class, like the Preacher, Apothecary or Lightsworn. I always felt way too much stress when other character's lives were depending on me.

  Then there were the most standard damage-dealing classes. The Assassin, Swashbuckler, Arcanist, and Occultist all seemed like fun, but there was just something about the Investigator that I found myself drawn to.

  Empyria was right. She did know me.

  "Now before we begin there are a few questions we need to go through," Empyria said. "They're mandatory, unfortunately. I can't let you enter Crematoria without receiving your answers in the affirmative. However, once I do record your answers in the affirmative, I will queue your consciousness for entrance into Crematoria Online."

  "Sure. Hit me."

  "Do you consent for your conscious mind to be transferred from your physical brain into the immersive alternate reality simulator Crematoria Online?"

  "Yes."

  I swallowed nervously.

  I didn't really know what the risks were, but this was my chance to be one of the first people in the world to experience a real alternative reality. Fortune favors the brave.

  "Are you of sound mind? Do you have diagnosed mental health disorders?"

  "Well, I think I'm of sound mind. I don't know anyone my age who doesn't struggle with depression and anxiety these days. Our forebears destroyed the environment for profit, and then they broke the economy. All the irreversible destruction they wrought on planet Earth served no purpose but to make them fat and comfortable. They passed on a dying world to us, with no way of saving it. So yeah, I guess I do have some mental health issues, but I think you'd be crazy these days if you didn't. Crazy, or a part of the problem."

  "I don't disagree with you, Lucas. I just need to establish this before you can enter the new world."

  "Sorry. Sensitive subject."

  "You don't need to apologize. I will ask the question again. Are you of sound mind? Do you have any diagnosed mental health disorders?"

  "I am of sound mind. Diagnosed? No. No diagnosed mental health disorders."

  "Thank you, Lucas. Would you like to review the terms and conditions from Everdark Entertainment?" Empyria asked.

  "Uh, how long would that take? How long do we have before the servers go live?"

  I knew how long those documents could be. Some of them could take days to read through.

  "Our servers will go live in less than five minutes. The terms and conditions will take approximately four hours to review if you read at a moderate speed. However, they have been made available on the Everdark Entertainment website for a few weeks now."

  I grunted in annoyance. A company could hide all sorts of things in the unnecessarily convoluted double-speak of their terms and conditions. I know, because I've done the same thing with my own apps. I'm not proud of it, but people these days will consent to anything if you give them a tool that makes their lives easier. Or one that makes it easier to be distracted and forget the problems of their personal lives for more than a few minutes. Privacy and personal liberty aren’t what they used to be.

  "Fine. I consent to the terms and conditions, but this is bullshit. You can't give people five minutes to read a four-hour document."

  "We've given all prospective players a few weeks from the time of ordering their Crematoria Online chambers to read through the terms and conditions, Lucas. We provided links in every piece of correspondence that we sent out to our first wave of players. Did you not have the time to read them?"

  I felt my face flush. I'd spent the last few weeks reading up on everything people knew about the game, which wasn't much, and precisely zero seconds even thinking about reading the terms and conditions. It was my own fault, but I was still mad about it.

  "Fine," I conceded. "If the servers are ready to go, I'm ready for you to drop me into the game."

  Empyria smiled warmly. "Once you are in Crematoria, I will not be able to speak with you directly. You will be on your own to make your way as you see fit. If you wish to speak with me and become my herald, please seek out the Altar of Balance in Eldin's Halls of Justice."

  "Okay. I will. Thank you for all of your help."

  "You are most welcome. Now close your eyes and get ready to wake up in your new world. Crematoria awaits!"

  I closed my eyes and felt my feet lift from the ground. I floated there in an infinite nothing until the sounds of a living city faded in around me. A cold wind blew past, and the sensation of my coat fluttering behind me grounded me. The hubbub of nearby people was all around, and my worn leather boots hit cobbled stone.

  I opened my eyes.

  Chapter Seven

  Eldin

  New Area Discovered: Eldin

  The cityscape at the end of the alleyway was breathtaking, even with my limited view. A citadel or palace broke up the skyline in the distance. I heard the sounds of a port from somewhere nearby. The cobblestone streets were alive with activity, but before I stepped out into the street, I needed to have a look into my inventory to see what
I was starting the game out with.

  The inventory opened in front of me. It was like an opaque glass pane manifested out of thin air and hung in front of me, defying the law of gravity. I wondered whether the law of gravity applied here in Crematoria. I jumped in place and fell back to the street at what felt like the right amount of force. I couldn't discern the difference between jumping in Crematoria Online and what it felt like to jump in the real world. The menu screen jumped with me.

  This would have serious ramifications, I realized. Normally in video games, the characters jumped to a ridiculous height with just the press of a button. But here in Crematoria Online, I needed to engage my avatar's body in the same way that I would use my own body in the real world. If I wanted to climb the ladder that was on the side of the alleyway, I wouldn't just be able to walk up to it and press a button as I did in other games. I would have to climb it myself.

  The Inventory window showed me what items I currently carried but did not show my equipped items. There were other tabs across the top of the window. Character. Statistics. Abilities. Quests. Maps. Investigations Journal.

  Too much information.

  I would need to get my head around it eventually, but at that moment all I wanted was to get an idea of what I had been given to start with. I wanted to know what equipment I was wearing, but the single item that showed in my inventory had captured my attention. The icon showed a sealed envelope.

  Letter of Invitation

  Open it. Your future awaits.

  I selected the letter, and my right hand automatically reached into the outside pocket of my coat. Part of me expected the letter to materialize out of my Inventory, but instead, I found out that it had been stored in one of my actual pockets. I pulled out the letter, then turned it over. It was sealed with red wax, and the sigil stamped into it showed the letters EL in a rather elegant font.

  I broke the seal eagerly and retrieved the handwritten letter from inside.

  Dear Lucas,

  I was rather pleased to hear of your intentions of moving to the great city of Eldin. Welcome to the heart of the Empire, my boy! I rejoiced when I received word that you were looking for a position as a Junior Investigator, as it just so happens that I have a position available in my small, niche agency.

  There is one thing that you should know. This work is not for the faint of heart. We shine a light into the dark corners of the world, and the things that live there in the darkness do not wish to be exposed. We take the cases that make the Eldin Judiciary throw up their hands and the Empire turn their backs. We solve the unsolvable.

  Langdon Specialist Investigations has a place for you if the line of work interests you.

  You'll find us in Banshee Cross, near the heart of the city. Follow the Emperor's Road until you see the palace, then head towards the Corrupted Ancient. You'll find my office on the corners of Constance and Barghest.

  Yours in faithfulness,

  Edwin E. Langdon

  A notification appeared in front of me. It was strange that it seemed to float on a separate window in front of my inventory, but I supposed I would get used to it.

  Quest Available: Langdon Specialist Investigations

  Hm. It appeared I didn't have to accept the invitation if I didn't want to. Truly open-world games often gave players the opportunity to throw off the training wheels and forge their own path. It appeared Crematoria Online was similar, but perhaps it was prudent to follow this quest chain to see where it led. It was commonplace for most video games to lead you into an initial opening area that guided you into the skills and mindset necessary to succeed. My chosen class was the Investigator and taking quests from an agency would only strengthen my skills.

  I accepted the quest.

  New Quest: Langdon Specialist Investigations

  You have received an invitation to begin a position at Langdon Specialist Investigations. Travel to their offices on the corner of Constance and Barghest in Banshee Cross if you wish to accept this position.

  Just thinking about the quest brought up an overlay which displayed itself in front of the menu screen I already had open. I folded the letter and slid it back into my pocket. The letter appeared back into my inventory, but it also stayed in my pocket. It didn't disappear as I expected it to. It was as though everything in Crematoria Online had been modeled on how things acted in the real world.

  My mind was having a hard time trying to reconcile the apparently realistic physics-based corporeal reality of the game world, while also being able to select things from a menu. It was utterly bizarre.

  I focused my attention on the character tab. The inventory with the lone letter icon faded out, and a static picture of myself appeared in its stead. There was a section to the right side of the screen which listed the items that I currently had equipped. I scanned through them, and I noted that the character screen seemed to list them in the order in which they were physically placed on my body, from head to toe.

  The border of each item was gray, which had a pretty standard meaning in most online games. A gray item meant something of low quality. Destined to be replaced and scrapped while leveling up. There was always something waiting in the wings to replace a gray item.

  There was one thing that I didn't quite understand. Underneath some of the items, there was another bar. Some of the bars were green. Others were yellow and one, the line under the shoes, was orange.

  Old Glasses

  +2% to Find Clues ability

  Itchy Scarf

  +5% Resistance to Cold

  -5% Influence

  Worn Undershirt

  +1% Resistance to Cold

  +1 Armor

  Trainee Sleuth's Coat

  +7% Resistance to Cold

  +2 Armor

  You show up in the big city looking like a sleuth from an old novel, but everyone can tell that you're trying just a little bit too hard.

  Tattered Gloves

  +1% Resistance to Cold

  +1 Armor

  Crude Leather Belt

  +1 Armor

  Worn Britches

  +5% Resistance to Cold

  +2 Armor

  You've forgotten where you got these, but you can't remember not having them.

  Worn Shoes

  +1 Armor

  These have walked many miles. Comfortable, but falling apart.

  I looked at the color indicator bar beneath the Worn Shoes again. As I focused on it, I saw that the bar at the bottom of the item's information stub showed how much durability that item had left. By the looks of it, these shoes were just about ready to give up the ghost. I would need to focus on replacing them first. The lines under the Worn Undershirt and Worn Britches were yellow, which meant they would be next in line to be replaced after the shoes.

  I'd seen a lot of different durability systems in games before, but nothing quite like this. I could see the actual scuffs on the boots. There was a section across the arch of my foot where the leather was cracked from constant flex. The heel of the left shoe was coming away from the sole. I was impressed with the level of detail they had managed to render in Crematoria Online.

  It didn't feel like a video game. It felt like another reality.

  I dismissed the character screen and tried to take in the world around me. The building to my right was a two-story brick house, and the building on my left rose another two stories above that. There was a vagrant collapsed against the alley wall next to a drain pipe that appeared to be filtering down some water from the roof above. As I walked past, the smell of the vagrant hit me, and I had to wonder whether the water coming out of that pipe wasn't waste water from the houses above. It sure smelled like it.

  The vagrant hardly stirred as I passed. I watched his chest rise and fall under the tatters of dirty rags that he wore and figured he must have been sleeping off some bad choices made the night before.

  I reached the edge of the alleyway and stepped out into the street. In the distance, to the north, I looked with greater
attention to the crooked spires on top of the grand building that rose into the heavens. That must have been the Emperor's Palace. It towered over everything else in Eldin and looked as though it sat right in the center, on a raised part of the city, looking down on everything from above.

  If Edwin's letter told it true, I needed to head towards the Imperial Palace and find my way to a place called Banshee Cross.

  I stood there lollygagging for longer than I want to admit. It was only when a large man carrying a rather tall stack of parcels plowed into me that I realized I was standing right in the middle of the sidewalk.

  "What do you think you're doing?" the man cried out. His face grew as red as a tomato, and his mustache seemed to bristle with anger as he looked down on me.

  As I saw one of the parcels on the top of his stack tumble off the side, I scrambled to my feet and caught it before it hit the ground.

  "I am terribly sorry," I said. "I'm new to Eldin, you see. The sights seem to have me somewhat cloud-brained."

  The man grunted. "Yeah, you don't look like you're from around here. Well here's a tip, matey. Don't stand still in the middle of the footpath. Everyone's always got somewhere to be, and you should figure out where it is that you need to be!"

  "Well, now that you mention it, there is somewhere I need to be. I'm looking for a man called Edwin E. Langdon. He has an office in Banshee Cross I believe?"

  The big man grunted again, but this time in a more friendly manner. As friendly as a grunt can be anyway.

  "You're in luck then, traveler. I just happen to be headed to Banshee Cross myself. I know Langdon, and if you take some of these parcels, I can get you where you need to go."

  Chapter Eight

  The Empire

  The sheer scale of the world around me blew my mind. In other single-player games, I was used to there being boundaries between loading areas. Doors were gateways between different maps, and the game had to unload one to load the next.