The Cursed RPG Book 1: The Curse
Chapter 6

I woke up and sat up quickly, stretching my arms. We were going to the blacksmith today to get me a new wand. Maybe a better one. I checked my inventory and gear, doubting I had much.

Character Inventory

Weapon: None

Chest: None

Boots: None

Hat: Magic Wizard Hat of Fire

Amulet: Silver Necklace of Life

Ring: None

Off-hand: None

Bracer: None

Gloves: None

Equipped

Weapon: None

Chest: Common Robe (Purple)

Boots: Worn Boots (Black)

Hat: Wizard Hat of Nature (Gray)

Amulet: None

Ring: None

Off-hand: None

Bracer: Rainbow Vine

Gloves: Leather Gloves (Purple)

I equipped the Silver Necklace of Life and checked the stats.

Silver Necklace of Life

+10% Nature Skill Damage

Reduces Mana Costs by 1%

+30 Armor

+10 Mana

I checked my stats.

Character Stats

Name: Zelia

Level: 3

Experience: 0/300

Health: 100

Damage: 2-10

Speed: 2

Mana: 101

Kingdom: Gateway

Class: Nature Wizard

Not bad. For level three.

I checked to see if everyone was still sleeping. They weren't. They were doing there own thing.

Except PurrBox, who was staring off into space looking bored like always. I checked his feelings. He was feeling extremely uneasy. But there was still a hint of fear that shot though that small part of him. I found it interesting that he was so hollow. It was like those trees. He was dark, empty, and cold. He just didn't seem to have and life to him at all. It was as if he truly was AI or a conputer.

Maybe he was. Maybe he'd lied to me. It certainly wouldn't be unexpected.

He noticed me looking at him and rolled his eyes. I looked away. "Are we ready or what?"

"Yeah," Jac said. "Just checking inventory." Then he muttered, "And making sure PurrBox doesn't do something stupid."

"Hey, what did you just say?" PurrBox asked. He sounded calm but in a meanacingly calm way. I don't know how to explain it. "I heard that!"

Jac pretended not to hear.

"Ok, let's go," Evra urged.

"K, coming," Jac replied getting up from the bed.

I got up, too, along with PurrBox. "Hey, PurrBox?" I whispered. "I don't expect an answer but why are you just so... I don't know... Emotionless?"

He froze for a second but recovered quickly. "It's not your concern. Besides, I'm fine."

I shrugged. It was worth a shot I guess.

*** PurrBox POV ***

Thankfully, the blacksmith was close to The Shack so we didn't have to be there long. Zelua got some weird Staff of Life or some shit. I don't actually remember but it was a staff and it had something to do with life. So...

I can't believe she asked me that though! She expected me, well not expected, wanted me to give up my secrets?

Hell no!

I wouldn't do that, like ever!

I help the white rock in my hand tightly. It was apparently called a White Rock of Fire. It was a lengendary and it's stats were pretty good.

White Rock of Fire

Level 12 Off-hand

+1200 armor

+100 mana

+3 attack

+2 speed

My stats got a lot better.

Character Stats

Name: PurrBox

Level: 12

Experience: 120/1200

Health: 200/200

Damage: 13-18

Speed: 7

Mana: 150/250

Kingdom: Flared

Class: Fire Wizard

So, yeah.

I rubbed the rock with my thumb. I liked messing around with things a lot so that's what I did. It was the only part of me that didn't die with my brain and I'd like to keep it that way.

Zelia noticed me rubbing the rock and she walked over to me. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I said simply. Remembering the one part of me I still have...

"You sure?"

Why wasn't she leaving me alone? Hadn't I just killed her brother, almost killed her and disintegrated her wand yesterday?

"Yes."

Evra grabbed Zelia's hand. "Just leave him alone, Zelia."

Zelia nodded in response and walked with her sister instead. Vennia walked up to me. "Hey, PurrBox," she said.

"I thought you were on their side now," I pointed out.

Vennia, I knew her from Flared and also knew her outside of the game. Her name was Victoria. She was my best friend and the only one outside of family that knew about my secret.

I wanted to keep it that way.

She snorted. "Haven't accepted me yet. Mainly Zelia. She's not too trusting."

I looked at her with a slight bit of confusion. Zelia? She seemed to trust me fine. Well, not trust nessacarily. But she didn't really despise me so...

I didn't respond to her as we walked.

"Are you ok?" Vennia asked finally.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm fine."

I spoke as if I had no worries in the entire world. Ha! Yeah right.

I didn't have as many worries as fears. Or did I? I don't keep track. See, I'm just emotionless. That causes slught worries about who I should trust or what if I lose who I am really close to? And then fears. Like what will happen if anyone else knows I'm part robot? I mean really? How can I trust anyone anymore when it's probably someone I trusted a lot that killed my brain in the first place.

Oh no. Now I have to talk about it.

Shit.

I won't say exacly how. Just that my dad kinda accidentally killed half my brain. With the technology we have now though the doctors were able to make it so that I could still control my whole body even without half of my brain.

Anyways, how was I supposed to trust anyone after that?

But, then I trusted Vennia. And then she got me stuck in the FUCKING game.

It was better than real life though.

Well, kind of.

Less worries, new worries to make it the same amout of-

Ok, forget what I said. This place sucks.

Maybe I'll just make the best out of it.

Without emotions.

Yeah, that's easy.

"Did you hear me?" Vennia asked.

"Oh, what?"

Vennia sighed. "I said that it's good you're ok."

"Oh..."

I started looking ahead of us. We all stopped to see a group in front of us. I recognized one of them. They were from Flared.

Riley, a paladin, stepped forward. "What are you doing here?"

Her long blond hair flowed over her shoulders and her thin armor clinked together.

"We're trying to beat the game," Zelia explained, stepping up to her unaggressively.

Riley laughed. "I'm level 150 and you really think you can beat the game when I haven't? My advice? Go back to Gateway and leave these two traitors with us." Riley spat out the word "traitors".

"Excuse me what?" I said, shocked. I hid my shock quickly, replacing it with boredom.

Riley smiled. "You heard me. You two teamed up with an enemy kingdom. Gateway, of all kingdoms."

"I am not teamed up with them!"

"You look like it."

I gripped my rock and staff tight.

"PurrBox don't!" Vennia whisper-shouted.

I didn't listen but I didn't move. Like I was gonna fight a max level when I couldn't fight a level thirty. Plus, she had Liv, a healer, and Gaeia, a death wizard as well.

Ha! We were so screwed.

*** Zelia/Katy POV ***

If I thought PurrBox was hollow I should've seen the death wizard in the beginning. She radiated death. She was hollower than hollow, darker than dark and colder than cold. I felt like I'd been dropped into below-zero temperatures. In the middle of a starless new-moon night. By the most echo-y canyon. She made me shiver. Who cared about the paladin I was worried about the death wizard!

Character Stats

Name: Gaeia

Level: 49

Experience: 40/4900

Health: 800

Damage: 20-30

Speed: 5

Mana: 800

Kingdom: Flared

Class: Death Wizard

Yikes. Level forty-nine?

Did Riley really need so many high-levels?

We were so dead.

The death wizard walked up to me. "A nature wizard, otherwise known as the life wizard." Her voice crackled and ask spewed from her mouth from time to time. Whenever the ash got on me i felt a burning sensation that didn't do any damage. The group of Flared characters didn't attack. They waited for us to leave. But we didn't. Us low-bies stood our ground. Which, was idiotic and would most likely get us killed. PurrBox eventually started messing with his rock again but Gaeia head whipped torwards him and he stopped.

She turned her attention back to me. "I would do as Riley says," she crackled. "We may have to force you."

"Gaeia," Riley commanded. "Contol."

Gaeia shut her mouth but rolled her eyes. I bit my lip, really hard. A warrior stepped up beside Riley, the last of their party to step forward.

Character Stats

Name: Difl

Level: 30

Experience: 0/3000

Health: 400

Damage: 10-25

Speed: 4

Mana: N/A

Kingdom: Flared

Class: Warrior

Why all the high-levels?

Yeah, we were definitely going to die.