The Crimson Quest: A LitRPG Adventure

by J. B. Smith

  I slapped a beer bottle on his table. “You have it upside down. It's you who won't last a minute with me. Wait and see.

  At first he did not respond. He bit his lip and covered his nose. A slight laugh started to emerge before turning into a full-fledged laugh. "I look forward to this."

  I turned around and started to walk away. He yelled back at me. "You're going to need a lot of practice if you ever want to compete with me." We do 're not even the same. You remember it. Okay?"

  I just kept walking. I was going to take revenge, and it would be much sooner than he thought. After leaving the bar, I sat down on a bench next to the fountain. I was so angry. All I cared about was killing Cosmo. But how? How could I do it? I ran my hands through my hair and stood up. Not far from me, I saw Douglas stroking a white horse. I was about to call him, but decided I needed to find the gun store. I walked in the opposite direction and started looking at each store. There were many houses that players walked in and out of. Were these players prisoners in the past? I approached a man dressed in expensive fur who was busy locking up his house. "Excuse me," I say.

  "Yes?"

  “Did you come here as a prisoner?”

  The man looked offended. "Of course not. Living here was an investment choice I made on my own."

  "What do you mean?"

  The man has finished locking his door. "Nothing," he replied, hurrying away. “I am one of the permanent residents here. I live here because of my career. "

  "But I thought the prisoners also lived in FlatFall?"

  “They do,” the man shouted, pointing to his left.

  I looked at the buildings he pointed to. They weren't that nice. They actually looked shitty. As I got closer to the houses, I realized that they were really bad. Small wooden crates with plastic sheeting for a roof. What the shit? Thi s was where the locals lived "satisfied" that the Emperor spoke? I knew this guy was full of them. Still, it looked like a big improvement over my dungeon cell. At least I would have privacy. Even though I was starting to like Douglas more, the "looking at me while I sleep" thing was scary.

  I turned around and started looking for the gun store again. Many moments passed until I saw a strange building. The building was shaped like a triangle and had a flat roof. I looked up at the panel above. Yes, that was it! The symbol of a star. I ran to the building and walked inside. Swords, daggers, maces and all kinds of weapons hung on the wall. Behind the counter was a totally bald man in a white jacket. The brown age spots on his face looked like he was about sixty years old. “Welcome to my shop,” he said.

  I looked closely and realized he was probably an NPC. "Thank you."

  He sniffled and examined me with his cold blue eyes. "Did you have anything in particular that you were looking for?"

  "Yes. But what's your name?"

  “Henderson. Just call me Henderson.

  “Okay Henderson. I have 15 gold coins. I want whatever my go ld can buy for me. I really need a weapon and good armor.

  Henderson seemed to be thinking. "What do you usually use?"

  "A sword," I replied. “But I'm open to anything. I just need something with heavy damage.

  “It's not always a question of damage. You have to make sure that this will hold up too. "

  He came back and pulled weapons from the wall. I reviewed them:

  Frost sword

  Slot: left or right hand

  Level: 2 (beginner)

  Weight: 11 lbs

  Damage: 16

  Cost: 7 gold

  or

  Soul Hand Sword

  Slot: left or right hand

  Level: 5 (beginner)

  Weight: 13 lbs

  Damage: 29

  Cost: 13 gold

  or

  Enchanted Iron Moon Sword

  Slot: left or right hand

  Level: 7 (beginner)

  Weight: 07 lbs

  Damage: 29

  Enchantment: Reduces magic damage by 7%

  Cost: 21 gold

  I wanted the enchanted long sword. But, the CrimsonBlade also looked really good. I could afford the Soul Hand Sword, but what about the armor? I had to have armor. It was too risky to go into my next match without having any armor. “I want the sword from the hand of the soul . But I also need armor. I only have 15.05 gold coins.

  Henderson looked at me with sagging lips. “I can also add inexpensive armor. I'll do this for you.

  "Thank you," I replied happily. "What kind of armor?"

  “It's pretty basic. but it's better than nothing.

  He pulled out armor from under his counter. I reviewed it:

  Frost armor

  Location: chest and arms

  Level: 4 (beginner)

  Weight: 29 lbs

  Defense: 09

  Cost: 4 gold

  I quickly grabbed the white ball because I was afraid he would change his mind. “It will work,” I said.

  Henderson handed me the Raysword and I examined it. To be honest, it was a pretty cool sword. In fact, it even matched my armor. A long white handle with black lacing that runs down the side. The blade was long and seemed to have a lot of range. I examined the steel blade and could see that it had a sharp edge. I nodded at Henderson as he seemed to be examining my face. "You fought at the Colosseum earlier, didn't you?"

  "Have you seen me ?" I asked enthusiastically.

  "No. It's your face," he replied. "The fighters always come here, all screwed up."

  I sighed. "Yeah. Well, I won. I won my first game. And this?

  He's laughing. Then he pointed the finger at me. “Look at those shining eyes. They all look that way when they win their first game, ”he said with a smile. “It's good, but you still have a long way to go. There are a lot of levels in the Colosseum.

  "What do you mean?"

  He didn't seem to have almost regretted saying what he had done because he didn't want to explain it further. “If you want to become a great champion, you have to go through each level. Each level has its own champion. Of course, the Grand Champion is on top. He's been champion for over a year now. So I wouldn't be too determined to be the next Grand Champion.

  "What is his name?"

  “Alberto. That's all he passes.

  Alberto? It was a pretty cool name, I guess. “Has he never been defeated ?

  "Not yet," Henderson replied, turning away from me. "Give me all your gold and we'll even call it."

  I dropped the 15.05 gold on his table. “Oh, and something else,” he said. “If you want to improve your weapons and armor, come back here. I will buy them back from you at a reasonable price. "

  “Sounds good,” I replied.

  I opened up my inventory and tried equipping my armor and sword. I looked at my white armor. It was beautiful. But where was my sword? What the shit? "How can I not equip my sword?"

  “They don't let new prisoners equip themselves with weapons in the city,” he replied. “You have to earn the trust of FlatFall before you can do that. If you want to try your sword out, you will have to visit the training grounds. "

  "Where are they?"

  "Not far from here. About a three minute walk directly behind my shop."

  I waved at Henderson. "Thanks again."

  I left the store and started walking around town. How much time do I have left before I have to go home? I was starting to love the city and I really couldn't wait to go back to my cell. In fact, it was bad. It sucked that there was this big city and yet I had to spend most of my time locked up with a troll. As I continued walking, I noticed a store with a large sign in front of it. On the sign was a photo of a man swinging a sword. What was it? I approached the building and pushed the heavy metal door open. Inside, I saw several players doing all kinds of different moves. Wow. What was this place? A man with a long scar running down his cheek approached me. He had long black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. "Welcome. Did you want to learn a new skill today?"

  Fresh. Was this guy going to teach me new skill
s? Around us there were about half a dozen characters learning new moves. “What kind of moves can you teach me?”

  He pointed to a tall man in full armor who had made a straw dummy his victim. He made the same movement over and over again. His left elbow struck the mannequin and was followed by a punch from the right. Finally, he offered a strong left uppercut. It was a pretty cool move. "How much does it cost to learn this one?"

  “It depends on your class. There are certain skills you can learn depending on your class. "

  I rubbed my hands. Yep, it was going to be awesome. I wish I had some gold, but I didn't. "I'll be back soon. I just need to earn some more gold first."

  "Can't wait to be there," the man replied before walking away.

  I just needed more gold. Once I had that, I would learn all the skills I could afford. Just before leaving the store, the man yelled something else at me. "You are a fighter, aren't you?

  " It is true."

  He approached me. “Weapons, skills and armor are important. But there is something else that is just as important that many fighters don't pay attention to.

  "And what would it be?"

  The man looked from side to side. “You must know your enemy. It wouldn't hurt to watch fights and study who you're ready to fight. If you know what skills or magic he uses, you can prepare for it. "

  “Thank you,” I replied. "It's not a bad idea."

  He was right. I needed to learn as much as I could about my opponents. After leaving the store, I walked around for a few moments. There was a slight clicking sound from the distance. On a long paved road in the center of FlatFall, stood a horse pulling a white carriage. The horse ran towards me as the sound of the hooves got closer and closer. Then he stopped. The car was wonderful. White wood lined with gold paint on the edges. Players and NPCs have gathered around the cart. What was happening? The door creaked open. The first thing I saw were his white slippers. Then I saw her. She was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Long, luxurious black hair that hugged her curvy waist. Her big brown eyes had a softness in them as she looked around. A man in black clothes rushed to her side and lifted the hem of her shapely white dress. "Thank you sir," she said taking her first step.

  Everyone was looking at her. It was a magnificent sight, until I saw what came out of the car behind her. A tall, muscular man wearing white armor looking expensive. The armor was laced with gold and had several layers. Everything he wore was made of white and gold. Even his hair was white and he had pulled it back in a ponytail. I had to admit he was a little intimidating.

  But I looked closely at his face. Despite all his fancy gear, he really didn't have such a beautiful face. In fact , it was a bit ugly if you looked hard enough. His nose was too big and set too low on his head. I mean sure, he was a pretty good looking guy. But the real reason this girl was with him was probably because he was rich or something. Or maybe I was just telling myself that to make myself feel better? The man grabbed the woman's hand as they began to walk together. My eyes were fixed on the beautiful woman. She looked from side to side and waved to everyone around her. Then our eyes met. She looked at me . Much longer than she had looked at anyone else.

  Honestly, I think she saw how cute I was. I mean, I had fixed all of my minor real-life flaws during the character creation process. I smiled. It was a goofy smile. But, she didn't smile back. Inst ead, she just kept walking. After that, the man in the white armor gave me a strange look. Damn, I think he saw me smile at him. I nodded and smiled at him too. His eyes fixed on me as he continued to walk. I kept smiling until I couldn't see him anymore . Who were these two? I didn't know, but I was going to find out. Suddenly a guard rushed to my side. “Your free time is up for today,” he says.

  My head fell off. The reality of my life struck me. And it was even more depressing after seeing what I had just seen. How could a girl like her love me when I was just a prisoner? It was obvious that she and the man were rich. The return to the dungeon was slow. When we got to my cell, Douglas looked happy to see me. The guard threw me into the cell and slammed the door behind me. Great, it was just another day with the troll.

  Chapter twenty-four

  I sat down on the floor. Douglas seemed eager to tell me something. “I am fighting tonight. I'm up against a pretty tough guy.

  "Really? Do you think you can beat him?

  "Of course I can," Douglas replied too confidently. “I'm going to stomp him on the ground. He will fear my name even after this game is over.

  "What is his record of victories and defeats?"

  “He won four matches and lost only one. But, he fought a bunch of easy people.

  “How do you know they were easy people?”

  “Because I watched his fights. I always watch him fight, ”Douglas replied with a sly look.

  I leaned my back against the cold metal bars. “I think I'll watch your fight tonight. It could be quite fun.

  His two hands came together. "Yes. I want you to see the punches I give this man. I'm going to clean the floor with him. Wait and see.

  Douglas's teeth twitched. Was he nervous or just really excited? I did n't know, but his teeth continued to shake. There was a constant contraction in his jaw as his eyes became unsteady. We didn't speak for a while, until I decided to ask him what I had seen earlier. “There was a white car that arrived at FlatFall today. A man in white armor and a girl in white came out. Do you know who they are? "

  "Of course," Douglas replied. "She is the Grand Champion and the daughter of the Emperors."

  The daughter of the emperors? How could something so beautiful come from something so ugly? It just didn't make sense. "So, are they dating?" Married? What's the situation with these two?

  Douglas laughs. Then he stopped. Then he laughed again. "I recognize that look," he replied. "You're interested in her, aren't you?"

  My head was going from side to side. “Not really. I was just curious, that's all. I just wonder because I saw them holding hands.

  “It's hard to say what they are,” replied Douglas. “They have seen each other for many months. The Emperor has plans for her to marry the Grand Champion. But that hasn't happened yet. "

  Only months? How much could she really like this guy? The Emperor was forcing her to see him? Yes, it was not real love. It was just kind of a status-based arrangement. I shrug my shoulders. “Oh, well, I was just wondering. That's all."

  “You should stop wondering. For the moment, it is prohibited. Pursuing her will only get you in trouble. Trust me. "

  “I was just curious,” I replied.

  Douglas looked from side to side. He leaned forward and whispered. "Can I tell you something?"

  “I guess,” I replied. "What is that?"

  "The Grand Champion doesn't just see her."

  "How do you know?"

  “I saw him and another girl kissing behind the tavern. It was only a few days ago. "

  My eyebrows are raised. "That unfaithful bastard," I yelled. “I knew this guy was a bastard. I just knew it.

  Douglas put both hands in the air. "Don't tell anyone that I put up with this for you . Believe me, you better forget about it. She's nothing but trouble right now.

  Difficulty? I appreciated this troll's advice, but what did he really know? He was just a troll locked in a cage. What made him an “expert” on potential problems ? “I'm not afraid of any problem,” I replied.

  Douglas laughs. "That's what everyone says until they're in the middle of a problem."

  My head went against the bars. Dreams filled my mind to be a great champion and to park in the same white car. Yes, I could see it. I saw crowds cheering for me and the girl. We were both so happy together. It all felt so real as I played the scene over and over in my mind. But then I looked down. All I saw was Douglas's face. He smiled. "Are you ready to cheer me on tonight?" He asked.

  Before I could respond, I received an alert. It was a new message from Johnny:

  “Hey, it's me Johnny again. So many crazy
things have happened since our last conversation! Me and Todd talked both ways. I'm about to get the Astral Dust stuff Todd needs. Then I go to his place where his soul is. After that, we come to blast you. We have a whole big plan. It's gonna be really cool. So don't worry. We will be there soon! BTW ..... I have a very small army of 4 peasants at the moment too.

  Johnny.

  Stop me? Was he serious? There was no way Johnny would get me out of this place. I just didn't see how it was possible. Honestly, in a weird way, I didn't know if I wanted to leave. The seed of becoming a great champion had been planted in my mind. There was just something so exciting about it. But, then I looked at Douglas. Yes, I didn't want to stay here forever. I replied to Johnny: