The Crimson Quest: A LitRPG Adventure Read online

  “I don't have many. What about you? ” Cosmo asked.

  "Nothing."

  "I have nothing," Johnny replied.

  "Me neither," said Ronald .

  “We'll pick up some along the way. There is a small trading community not far from the peasant village.

  We walked towards a set of snow-covered mountains. They were massive. Then something wet hit me. Then again and again. "It's starting to rain," I say, holding out my hand.

  “Great. We'll have to hurry. I hate it when it rains in here,” Cosmo replied.

  "It often rains?"

  “Almost never. It's such a pain when it does.

  We started to run. "How far are we from the trading village."

  “Maybe a mile. A mile and a half at most.

  “Wait. Wait guys,” Johnny replied, huffing and puffing.

  “You have to watch your stamina bar. Make sure it never hits bottom, ”I replied irritably.

  “Hey. I think my stamina just improved!” Johnny yelled with bright eyes.

  I laughed knowing the feeling. “Great. Now maybe you can follow better.

  I reached out and noticed the rain had ended. Cosmo looked at me. “See. It usually doesn't last that long.

  I looked around. The earth had become dry, flat and dusty. Only small dead weeds were clustered in the earth. All at once, a new message alert appeared before me:

  "Are you on your way? Have you already obtained Astral Dust? Please let me know ASAP. I am ready to return to my body. It is pure hell to be a lost soul.

  Todd "

  “I just got a message from Todd,” I said.

  "Who is Todd?" Cosmo asked.

  "Sorry. I never told you his name. He's the friend we're going to save. The lost soul."

  Cosmo didn't answer. He just kept walking.

  I sent a message to Todd Back:

  “I don't have Astral Dust yet but we are working on it. Hang on tight! Will be here soon!

  Walker"

  “We hardly ate anything,” Johnny said.

  "It's true," I replied. "Actually, I'm really hungry."

  “We're going to grab something from the trading community,” Cosmo replied . "It's right across the bridge."

  With the terrain being so flat, you could see a lot farther than normal. About five minutes away was a long wooden bridge crossing a narrow river. Between us and the bridge, I noticed a figure walking towards us with a backpack. Closer and closer, the figure moved closer until he was right on us. “Hello,” he said happily.

  It was hard to tell if he was a real player or just an NPC. All he wore were brown shorts and a white shirt covered in dirt. "You can't help me, can you?"

  "With what?" I asked.

  “Someone stole my horse. This horse was my best friend and now he's gone. If you kill the horse thief, I can give you some gold. What do you say?

  Suddenly an alert message appeared in front of me:

  Invitation to the quest!

  Kill a horse thief! Accept or refuse? Yes No?

  Okay. He was an NPC. It could be so confusing at times because they felt so real. Did I want to take on a quest? I wanted it, I really did it. But I just didn't have time for it. May be later. I chose no.

  "It's not a good quest anyway," Cosmo replied. "Just a dumb side quest that probably won't pay off."

  I nodded. He was right. It actually sounded pretty bad. We started to cross the bridge. As I crossed, I couldn't help but stop and look over the edge. Below me I saw strange fish swimming. “Wow, look at those fish! They actually have faces.

  “It's strange isn't it? I remember the first time I saw them . I was a little panicked. One of the fish looked exactly like my uncle.

  At the end of the bridge there were two large oak trees. The trees blew in the wind and a few acorns fell. At the foot of the tree, a small chipmunk waited impatiently for each nut to fall. Every time a nut fell, it would jump up and down with excitement. What a simple-minded little creature he was. I couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like to be so excited that a walnut fell from a tree. After getting bored watching the chipmunk, we walked past the trees and into the trading community. At the entrance there was a small, half-broken sign that said "SideBlade".

  “I like the name SideBlade,” I said, looking around. In front of us there was a long stone road. On either side of the road were dozens of different tents and merchant stands.

  We walked the road and carefully examined each merchant. One sold apples, while another sold smoked turkey thighs. The smell of the cooked turkey was too strong to resist. "How?" I asked.

  "0.10 gold," replied the merchant.

  I didn't want to spend my gold, but I needed food. “I'll take one.

  After that, Cosmo and Ronald also bought a turkey leg each. But, Johnny didn't. "Do you have any gold? I asked.

  “Not much,” Johnny replied.

  I knew Johnny had gold, but I was in a generous mood. "Give me another one for my friend," I said to the merchant.

  The merchant held out his leg to Johnny. Suddenly he ran behind the tent like a wild animal. Neither of us spoke as we all started to eat our food. Right now, all we cared about was eating our turkey thigh. After I finished eating I decided to see how much my health had improved. 7/10? Has it increased by a point? I guess it was better than nothing.

  We left the food vendor and started looking for a healing merchant. My head spun in all directions to locate one. Not far from me, I saw a chubby little man in a tight yellow dress. Her hair was sand brown and cut in a bowl cut style. He wore big brown boots and had a smirk on his face. I walked over to him and waved my hand. "Can I buy you healing potions?"

  "Healing potions?" he asked with a la ugh. “I don't use healing potions. I channel the energy into the pit of my stomach. Why would I need a bucket of water when I have the garden hose? "

  Wait? If this guy was a real healer, we could use him in our army. "So are you a healer?"

  “Yes, I am,” he replied. “I have already healed every living creature. Humans, elves and even a chicken. "

  "Could you bring yourself back to life if you died?" Johnny asked.

  The healer laughed. "Of course. I would only channel the energy into my soul. I never let anything die.

  He was a little strange, but he seemed pretty confident in his abilities. "We need your help. Do you want to help us?"

  "The world needs my help," replied the healer with a serious look. "I can't help everyone who just needs my help."

  “I 'll give you 7 gold coins to join us,” Cosmo said. "No longer an opportunity for a permanent position in our growing army."

  The healer frowned. “You can't put a price on what I offer. Because what I offer is life itself.

  What was this guy's level? I looked at its display name and level:

  Sonny the Healer - Level 34

  Human Male - Mage

  A level 34? It was quite high. “It's awesome to be able to heal anything. This is exactly what we need.

  "Yeah, I'm pretty impressive," Sonny replied proudly.

  Cosmo walked over to him. "10 gold pieces, take it or leave it."

  "I'll leave it," Sonny replied, chin in the air.

  "Goodbye," Cosmo said, turning around and starting to walk away.

  “Wait! ” Sonny yelled.

  "Yes?"

  "12 gold coins and I'm your guy."

  Cosmo laughs. "Fair enough. I can let go of 12. So will you come with us?"

  "Yes. I want to see the gold. Show me the gold and I'll come.

  Cosmo threw 12 gold coins on the ground. " These are mine," Sonny cried in panic, dropping to his knees. He frantically grabbed all the pieces and put them in his inventory. “It will be enough to get me started,” he said.

  We started to leave his tent. But then he held both hands up . "Wait a second. I just need to get something very important to me.

  Sonny rushed to his tent and started looking for something. There were muffled noises and crashing noise
s. "I know he's here somewhere," he shouted. “Hang on a sec guys. I have to find my pet.

  His pet? Why was it so hard to find her pet? In my mind, I couldn't help but imagine a poor creature hiding in a corner praying that its owner wouldn't find it. I didn't know why, but it seemed like it wouldn't be nice to live with someone like Sonny.

  "Here he is," Sonny yelled from inside his tent. “I finally found it. He's a sneaky little guy.

  Sonny waddled out of his tent while holding a small furry creature above his head. The creature was brown, had yellow eyes and long, pointy ears. By the look on his face, I would say he was very unhappy with his life. "Drop me off," the creature yelled.

  Sonny closed his tent and began to prepare for his travels with us. Then he reached the ground and grabbed a small wooden cage. “Come into your house,” he said with a slap in the face. “We are going on a trip. Isn't that exciting?

  The cage was brown and had 3 wooden walls. But on the front there were small bars. Almost like a mini prison cell. "Does he like her in there?" I asked.

  "No," the creature replied. “I hate it here. He doesn't care though. All he cares about is that stupid yellow dress he's wearing.

  “This is not true. I have to wear it because I am a mage. It signifies my importance in this world.

  "It's too tight," the creature replied with both hands around the tiny bars that held it. “Don't you know people laugh at you? How many times do I have to tell you this?

  “I think your pet is right. You should probably buy a new dress because it's a little tight, ”Johnny said.

  "See," the creature replied eagerly. “It's time for someone to stand up and tell him the truth. Thanks for that."

  "You're welcome," Johnny replied shyly.

  Sonny slid the cage under his arm and began to walk in front of us. "Why do you still need me?" Will I just heal you every time you're hurt?

  “Yes. That's all we need from you,” Cosmo replied before stopping in front of another merchant tent. “Better stock up on bread. We will have to feed the peasants if we want them to survive. beat. "

  I wondered how much gold Cosmo had. And why was he helping me so much? In some ways, it just didn't make sense. "Why are you helping me so much? Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate it. But why are you helping someone as new as me?

  "Because that's part of the fun, isn't it?" The chance to meet other players and experience crazy adventures. That's why I played the game in the first place. Some people play for real money, I play for both. Plus, I've always wanted to start an army from scratch. It sounds a lot more rewarding that way. "

  I guess that made sense. I guess since I was playing for money, I had forgotten that some people saw it as like a game. But it was not a game. It was too real to be a play. Yet , I understood where Cosmo came from.

  Sonny looked frustrated as we waited for Cosmo to pay for the bread. "Hurry up. My time is golden," he said, stamping his foot on the ground.

  I rolled my eyes. I knew we needed a healer, but this guy was already starting to bore me. We left the village and entered an open field. I took a deep breath. It was going to be a long trip to the peasant village . Minutes turned into hours as we made our way to the village. After circling around a few times we finally arrived.

  Chapter seventeen

  When we got to the village, most of the peasants were inside their crappy houses. But a few were outside of drinking water. One of the peasants stopped drinking mud puddle water. Then they all stopped. Slowly they stood up. I waved to them. “We bought you gold, food, weapons and armor.”

  A few peasants emerged from their homes. “Give us some food,” one of them shouted.

  Cosmo took out a loaf of bread. The peasants approached him. Their hands were trembling with eagerness. Damn, these guys were hungry. “Let's go to one of the houses and have a good meal,” Cosmo said with a smile.

  We entered one of the poorly constructed wooden houses. Against the back wall was a long wooden table. All the peasants sat down and writhed uncontrollably. “Put it down,” one of the peasants yelled.

  Cosmo put eight loaves of bread on the table. "Have fun."

  One of the peasants jumped onto the table while another bit his arm. "You bite me," he cried before slapping the offending peasant .

  Several peasants stuffed bread into their mouths as fast as they could. One peasant in particular ate two loaves of bread so quickly that it looked like he was going to strangle himself to death. After a few moments of pounding on his own chest, the bread seemed to come down. In three minutes all the bread was gone. "To feel better?" Cosmo asked.

  “Yes. But we want more,” replied a farmer with an intense look on his face.

  “You will have a lot more. But first, we have to practice. After that, I will give you more bread.

  The peasants all looked at each other as if they weren't sure whether to join our army. But then I think they realized their life was too bad to turn down any offer. A peasant stood up as if he represented them all. “It's a deal. We will fight for your army.

  Sonny crossed his arms in disapproval. “This is going to waste a lot of my precious healing magic. How do you expect me to keep these mediocre humans alive? "

  The peasants all seemed surprised at the way Sonny saw them. But, they didn't say anything . Cosmo threw his hand in the air. “Your job is to heal. Just do your job and you'll be fine. Understand?"

  Sonny left the table. "I need air. I'm starting to have doubts about this whole situation.

  On the table, the small container containing Sonny's pet began to shake. "He's gone," the creature whispered. "Quick. Someone has unlocked my cage. Please, this is a rare opportunity for me to escape.

  A peasant sitting next to his cage looked worried. “You shouldn't be in a cage. I'll set you free, ”he said, trying to open the cage.

  "Wait," Cosmo replied with a slap in his hand. "It's not your property, is it?"

  "Property?" hissed the creature. “I am not owned by that idiot. I also have a life to live. He captured me against my will. It was like any other day when he captured me. I was basking in the sun when he suddenly threw a net at me. Can you imagine that? I was living such a great life before this idiot came along and ruined it for me.

  "How long ago was that?" I asked.

  "Long enough. My life was good before he arrived. I had dreams. Dreamed of becoming a world traveler. But no, this guy came and ruined everything. He stole my life and I will make him pay for it. it.

  "Pay for that? B ut how?"

  A sly look appeared on the creature's face. He looked out of his cage just to make sure Sonny wasn't there. Then he rubbed his little paws together. "I'm going to kill him. That's the way it is. Wait and see. I'll have the last laugh, I know that .

  Damn, this little creature wasn't kidding. I could see it in his eyes. He thirsted for revenge. "How are you going to do that?"

  "Yeah. You live in a club," Johnny replied.

  "Oh I will," the creature replied. "I'll get it when he least expects it."

  The creature opened its mouth wide and revealed its razor sharp teeth. Shit! His teeth were really white. How did he manage to keep them so white? Was it possible that he was brushing his teeth? In my mind, I couldn't really imagine her holding a toothbrush. It just didn't seem to suit him. As the creature closed its mouth, Sonny walked back into the room. “If too many of these peasants die, I will leave. Do we have an agreement?

  "Wait. What do you mean?" I asked. “I thought the whole point of having a healer was to heal the injured. If they die, doesn't that mean you suck as a healer?

  “Don't blame me for their deaths when this happens. I can't do everything. "

  Cosmo stoo d up. “Let's stop all this negative talk. No one is dead yet. And that's how I plan to keep it.

  The peasants around us started to chat with each other. Lots of sneaky little whispers were exchanged because I knew they were worried. One of the m's stood up. "We will be safe, won't we?"

&n
bsp; "Probably not," Johnny replied.

  "Of course you will," I replied. "I will make sure you all are safe to the best of my ability."

  Cosmo walked out of the house. "Let's go. No time to waste."

  Once we got out , Cosmo threw gold, weapons, and armor on the ground. "First come, first served."

  The peasants went into a frenzy as they scrambled to try and get as much gold as they could. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ronald pick up a coin. "Hey there?" I asked. "What are you doing?"