The Cursed RPG Book 1: The Curse

I crept closer to the entrance, hoping no one saw me. I jumped when I heard someone yell out an alarm call from behind me. I turned to see gaurds rushing around outside the castle. I quietly but quickly walked over to see what was going on. It was the players from earlier. They were attepting to push through the gaurds without attacking them. Seeing as most of them were from Gateway, they couldn't attack them anyways. I watched as Vennia whispered something in PurrBox's ear and they went away from the group and around the castle. I followed them quietly.

I watched as they walked torwards a stage-like structure. It was made of oak, I think. I'm pretty good at identifying wood types but this was a video game. So...

There was another structure next to it. It was a cylinder with oak stairs connecting it to the stage. Kinda like a vertical tunnel.

Maybe I should've said that instead of "cylinder".

Oh well.

The two climbed up the stairs, Vennia behind PurrBox.

I knew what was going to happen before it did.

Vennia pushed him into the structure, closing a trapdoor made of iron bars behind him.

*** PurrBox POV ***

"Help!" I cried. "Vennia!"

Betrayal. That's what that was. What even was I stuck in? Honey?

Whatever it was, I was sinking into it and fast. I couldn't get out, the bars were too high for me to grab onto. Vennia was staring down at me with the weirdest look. Almost like she was smiling?

But why?

This is why I don't like trusting people.

The one time I thought I could and she betrayed me.

Well fuck you, too, Vennia.

I tried to grab onto anything that could help me get out.

This was probably the most emotion I'd ever felt. Betrayal, anger, sadness. All boiling inside me and even rising to the surface, where Vic- I mean, Vennia could see.

It reminded me of the time when I trusted some player from Safety named Nedesha. She convinced me that I could trust her and I did. But that was a long time ago. Saftey and Gateway had an alliance and were always at war with Flared. Censes had been at war with Faladara for as long as I'd been stuck here as well.

And I'd been stuck here for a long time.

Anyway, I guess I need to talk about Nedesha now.

Sigh.

We were walking through the desert, me and Vennia. Flames swirled around my feet as I walked. I'd jyst found my element and I was glad to find out that it was fire and not some weird thing like death.

Don't tell Gaeia I said that.

The cacti grew around us in small clusters or alone. Vennia stopped as a player approached us.

Character Stats

Name: Nedesha

Level: 50

Experience: 740/5000

Health: 600

Damage: 30-40

Speed: 5

Mana: 600

Kingdom: Safety

Class: Paladin

I walked up to meet her confidently. "Who are you?"

"Nedesha," she said. "I've come to join Flared."

I can't believe I was stupid enough to believe her. Of course, you can't join another kingdom once you've already joined one! But I was more trusting at the time. Not as much now bu-

Keep going? Alright, fine...

Vennia seemed on edge as we walked back. She apparently didn't trust Nedesha as much as I did. I figured out I was wrong when she pushed me to the ground and slashed me with her sword.

-30 HP

70 HP remaining

"You really think I'd join your kingdom? Yeah, fuck that," Nedesha said rolling her eyes.

I got up and whirled around to face her.

Basically, we fought, I almost died. End of story.

There, happy?

No? Well deal!

I grabbed onto the edges of the hole I was stuck in. The smooth wood did nothing as a foothold.

Was I really going to die becayse if my best-friend?

"Vennia, get me out of here!" I yelled.

Vennia smiled down at me. "How about no? You really thought I was your friend in school, didn't you? And you seriously thought you could trust me? We've been 'friends' for five years. You trusted me with your secrets, your life, your thoughts. All for it to end like this. I can't believe you were so gullible."

I sunk further into honey-like substance. For the first time in forever, I cried. Tears rolled down my face as Vennia turned and walked away. All this time, I thought I could trust her. She'd been the only person in the world that I thought I could tell my secrets to. And now she threw me in here and left me to die.

"Help!" I cried. No one answered. Of course they didn't. No one knew I was here.

After what seemed like forever, someone finally opened the trapdoor, staring at me in shock. It was Zelia.

Oh, great. Of all the people to come rescue me it had to be Zelia.

Zelia reached her hand torwards me. "Grab my hand, I'll get you out of there!"

"Ha! Fuck no!" I replied.

She took her hand back. "Fine, die in there. See if I care."

I sighed. "Fine."

She reached her hand back into the hole and I grabbed it. She pulled me slowly out of the hole and onto the stairs that lead to it.

I got up, wiping the whatever-I-was-stuck-in off my gear. I sughed before muttering a quick, "Thanks."

"How'd you even get in there?" Evra asked, climbing up the stairs behind Zelia.

"Vennia," I replied simply. "She pushed me in."

"I thought she was-" Zelia began.

I cut her off. "Doesn't matter. She's just evil, who cares."

I pushed past them and walked down the stairs. I was pretty sure Zelia could read my feeelings so I put them back in there place where they belonged.

Who needs feelings anyway? If everyone's just not gonna care then why should I?

"Now come on! Let's go to the community dungeon and get out of here." I tapped my foot, turning back to face the other players.

*** Zelia POV ***

That was weird.

PurrBox had just had really strong emotions and then he just, stopped feeling them?

Well, technically he just pushed them back into that small part of him but how...?

I shook my head. I swear, I'd never figure this guy out.

Anyways, we walked to the community dungeon, avoiding the gaurds and other players. When we stood at the entrace, I looked up at the tall, stone tower towering high above us. Twenty-seven floors, I believe. I took a deep breath and lead everyone into the dungeon.

The room was dark and I had to wait for my eyes to adjust. When they did, I noticed cobwebs lining each wall and even just above the doorway, making the stone look a lighter gray than it was. Moss lined some of the stone while others were clear of it. A ladder leading to the next floor lie just across from us.

I walked up to it and climbed it, opening the trapdoor at the top. I stepped into a darker room before crying out in surprise as a sword narrowly missed hitting my side.

"What is it?" Jac asked, coming up behind me.

"Skeletons!" I yelped, dodging an arrow.

The others came in behind me and we fought together.

Except there was a problem.

We were blowing through the levels. We got to the top fairly quickly.

I checked my stats once I pulled myself onto the last floor.

Character Stats

Name: Zelia

Level: 7

Experience: 89/700

Health: 200

Damage: 10

Speed: 5

Mana: 200

Kingdom: Gateway

Class: Nature Wizard

Not bad for level seven. At least, not in this game.

I looked around. There was a stone roof and all the walls were iron bars except for the corners. There were eight chests in the middle. We searched each one for the next clue. After searching every chest, I found the clue in the eighth chest.

It was a piece of paper with writing on it, along with a silver key. I read it aloud. "Below the hot red sands, lies a structure of sand and stone."

"Hmm," PurrBox wondered aloud. "I know a dungeon below the Flared Desert. It's near the kingdom but the entrance is hard to find."

"Maybe that's what it is?" Evra said.

"Maybe..." I replied.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Annora asked. "Let's go!"