The Cursed RPG Book 1: The Curse

I watched Difl step up. I sighed as I realized they were all high level. Even if I was emotionless I still felt a bit of sadness thinking about what would happen if we died in the battle that was bound to happen. I guess I'm not fully emotionless but I practically am. Kind of.

I started to mess with the rock again, putting my staff on my back. Why did I do that? Whatever. I passed the rock back and forth between my hands.

Nervous fidgeting time!

Then Gaeia looked at me and I pretended I hadn't been doing anything.

Gaeia was a little scary, not gonna lie.

Especially since she was thirty-seven levels higher that me...

Derec kept giving me very nervous glances which I didn't like.

I really didn't mean to kill him! Why does no one believe me?

Anyways, whatever.

Jac was constantly watching me and Evra was standing really close to both Derec and Zelia.

Serina seemed ok though.

So did Zelia.

I stared directly at Gaeia as she continued to look at me. I tried looking bored but her pitch black eyes and bright white skin just made her seem... I don't know... Not human? Don't ask me, I have no clue. I kept my fear hidden until she finally looked away.

"We won't go back," Zelia said stubbornly. "We've already been traveling for two days!"

"Oh, two days. So horrible," Riley said as she rolled her eyes.

"We won't leave. Unlike you, we want to get out of here."

Riley laughed. "Good luck with that."

Zelia shook her head. "Just let us pass. Whatever happens to us isn't your buisness."

"Actually, it is." Riley looked over at me and Vennia. "Or at least, what happens to them."

Zelia held her breath for a while before saying, "You're not doing anything to Vennia. And PurrBox is our problem."

"See? You two are on their side."

"I am not!" I argued. Like I wanted to be anyway.

Honestly, I wasn't on anyone's "side". I was on my own in this and that was fine by me.

"You're not going to hurt them," Zelia ordered. Who did she think she was to go order players around when they were higher level than herself? Well, then again, who did I think I was to challenge everyone I saw?

My thing was why were the players bigger threats than the monsters?

I bit my lip as Riley looked at Zelia. I rechecked my stats just to make sure I wouldn't get one-hit...ed? Is it one-hitted? I don't think so...

Character Stats

Name: PurrBox

Level: 12

Experience: 120/1200

Health: 200/200

Damage: 13-18

Speed: 7

Mana: 250/250

Kingdom: Flared

Class: Fire Wizard

Uh... Possibly a one-hit if she did maximum damage. I already knew her stats were maxed out so I didn't bother checking. Riley had been in this game a long time.

Riley didn't even hesitate before running up to Vennia and slashing her with her sword.

"Vict-" I almost called her by her real name. "Vennia!"

I ran torward her to see if she was ok.

"Is this the part where we run?" I heard Derec whisper to Zelia and Jac.

"Yes," Zelia whispered back.

"I'm not leaving Vennia!" I shouted.

*** Zelia/Katy POV ***

For a split second, I felt genuine emotion inside PurrBox as he said that. He really didn't want to leave her. I checked her stats.

Character Stats

Name: Vennia

Level: 30

Experience: 2000/3000

Health: 200/350

Damage: 10-25

Speed: 9

Mana: N/A

Kingdom: Flared

Class: Archer

Riley had hit for minimum damage. That was good. I felt PurrBox squish his emotions back into that small part of him. But why? Was he afraid of people knowing his feelings?

If that was true, then why?

PurrBox cast a circle of flames around him and Vennia, keeping Riley just outside of it but also a keeping it a safe distace from them. I heard a voice coming from the trees and then arrows rained from the sky. They didn't hurt me so whoever did it had to have been from Gateway. I saw a hand wave me into the trees. I raced to the treeline and the others followed me except for PurrBox and Vennia.

"PurrBox, you, too," the voice whispered. PurrBox glared at the treeline before putting back on his bored expression. The voice sighed. "Fine, die."

The arrows were barely missing him and Vennia which I guessed was purposeful. PurrBox waited while Vennia recovered before putting out the flames and taking her quickly to the trees while Riley and her group were still distracted.

All this happened in like, ten seconds by the way.

I looked for whoever had brought us into the trees, wondering if it was a player. When I saw her, I noticed she was wearing a dark red cloak and black chest armor and pants. I checked her stats.

Character Stats

Name: Annora

Level: 68

Experience: 3000/6800

Health: 900

Damage: 20-30

Speed: 10

Mana: N/A

Kingdom: Gateway

Class: Archer

She had a spider standing next to her. It was pitch black and blended in with the shadows around it. PurrBox stayed deeper in the forest than us, where it began to get cold and dark.

I still had so many things I needed answered about him but he would never answer them. He was so weird. He could feel he just didn't know he could.

How that could happen? I'll never know.

Riley's group muttered a few things to each other before beginning to go further down the path.

"You guys should've been more careful," Annora scolded.

"You should've helped us earlier!" I retorted.

Annora glared at me. "At least I helped."

PurrBox was glaring at all of us while staying extremely close to Vennia. "Why didn't any of you help Vennia?!"

"Why should we?" I said bitterly. "We can't trust her anymore than we can trust you."

PurrBox shrugged before going back to messing with his rock.

"And that rock's an off-hand you should probably keep it there."

PurrBox went back to glaring at me. "Shut the fu-"

Jac interrupted him. "Just leave him alone, Zelia."

I sighed. "Fine."

I never said I liked him but he was very weird. It made him stand out more than the others. I was starting to wonder if he couldn't feel or if he'd simply forgotten how.

I glared at PurrBox and looked back at Annora. "You helped, but barely."

I felt a hint of anger from PurrBox. "She helped? Helping would've been helping us or at least you all and Vennia!"

I looked back torwards him. "I would suggest being quiet. You're still on our bad side."

*** PurrBox POV ***

I shut my mouth and forced my feelings back down. I don't know why I hid them. I felt forced to and they made me feel more vulnerable than running through a forest at 1 HP.

No, totally didn't get that from Zelia.

And who could I trust to know them? Vennia, fine. But Zelia was obviously horrible for it.

I rolled my eyes and laid against the tree behind me. I had to admit, I hated this forest. The Flared Desert was better than the Gateway Forests. I tried to find a hint of warmth near me but all I felt was the cold and emptiness of the trees behind me. To think Gateway could have a place like this surronding their kingdom.

I knew that all Zelia was finding inside me was emptiness with the slightest hint of feelings. But she found it interesting it seemed. I just found it sad.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I didn't trust anyone around me right then except Vennia and two of them could easily kill me. How about I worry about that instead?

I wanted to leave the forest but these people were watching me like hawks. I stayed where I was and waited, keeping an extremely bored look on my face.

*** Zelia/Katy POV ***

Why did everyone have to be higher level than me? Not a game for newbies. No, I refuse to call them "noobs". Everyone uses it as an insult, even when it's not meant to be used like that. I hate it, no, I just hate mean players.

Mean players like PurrBox.

PurrBox was mean and sarcastic and crazy and-

Nevermind.

I could go on. Forever.

I talked to Annora about helping us further. She said she knew where to go for the first quest but she wouldn't help us. I mean, really?

I finally gave up on talking to Annora, walking to where Derec and Evra were sitting. I sighed as I sat down. PurrBox was passing his rock between his hands and Vennia was messing with a piece of grass.

I put my hand on my head and waited for someone to do literally anything else.

***

When someone did finally do something, it was noon practically. Jac got up and signaled for us to get up, too.

"We've rested long enough," he said. "Let's keep going."

"With or without Annora," Evra added.

Annora shook her head. "Fine, I'll come with you."

The archer lead us through the trees back to the path. PurrBox stayed a good distance from everyone, including Vennia.

That was weird, even for him.

I decided not to think anything of it and kept walking. We climbed over a steep hill at one point and Evra slipped but didn't fall.

Annora's spider hissed, making PurrBox jump.

"What?" Annora asked him. "Are you afraid of spiders?"

"No!" PurrBox exclaimed. "I just didn't notice it!"

"How do you not notice a foot tall spider?"

The same way he doesn't notice a health bar at the top of his vision, I thought bitterly.

I don't know why, I'd managed to resurrect Derec so did it really matter anymore? I just couldn't seem to get rid of the thought that I'd come so close to losing my only brother. Uh, and one of my only friends but I don't talk about that.

Anyways, Annora called to her spider... She named it Spidey. Really? But I decided not to say anything about it. PurrBox was embarrassed that he'd been afraid of the spider but he wasn't too affected by it. I messed with my wand out of ACTUAL boredom. I think. No, pretty sure it was actual boredom. I hope it was actual bored-

Anyways.

I started walking ahead of everyone else because they were all standing there doing nothing. I walked down the path with everyone else following far behind me. When the path broke into two other paths I took a random one, hoping I was right.

I heard Annora sigh. "She's going the wrong way."

"I don't care!" I called.

"Let's go this way."

"But Zelia's not just going to come back so we can follow you," Derec pointed out.

"Then leave her."

"No!" Evra shouted. "We're not just going to leave her!"

Their voices started to fade as I walked away. Honestly, I doubted I'd run into anything. This game didn't seem dangerous. Then again, the day before I'd been running fro-

Ok forget it, I don't know anymore.

The path turned away and I followed it, going to sit beside a tree. The trees along the path were more like the tree in Gateway but further into the forest it was a different story. I swear I was only there for an hour but when Evra shook me it was night.

"Wow, you guys actually followed me?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes! Of course we did. It just took a while to win the argument," Evra answered.

"I did not approve of who won but whatever." I heard PurrBox's voice from somewhere nearby and Evra rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad we were able to catch up to you," Evra looked around. "PurrBox are you seriously the only one who followed me?"

"No, Derec came."

I sighed. "Now we have to catch up with them."

I followed Evra as we walked back down the path