Blood for Power: A LitRPG Apocalypse

I became nervous as we approached the city gate. The sun had been up for hours now and the goblins would definitely be looking for intruders.

The Fool was completely at ease though, strolling through the gate like he owned the place.

What kind of magic would his Class employ to allow us inside undetected? Would we sneak through the sewers? Would some accident happen nearby to divert a group’s attention so that we could walk by? There were so many ways his power could manifest that my nervousness was slowly being replaced with curiosity and excitement.

Hugo was of a similar mind.

Hugo: What do you think is going to happen?

Lucas: I don’t know. Maybe the artillery the goblins had launched at us before blows up in their faces, or those that try to chase after us keep falling over? If his power works as he said it does, then it could be anything. Let’s keep close and watch.

As we turned a corner, we spied two lightly armored goblins holding spears and guarding the path ahead. They noticed us as soon as we noticed them, but they didn’t react or raise the alarm.

So far, so good.

The Fool walked up to them and nodded. “Sup, Fizz. Sup, Klutch.” He tossed them a pack of cigarettes that the goblin on the left caught. Both of them nodded back and stepped aside to let us pass.

We passed on through without complaint. Hugo waited until we were out of earshot to voice his disappointment.

“Wait, that’s it?” The crow was underwhelmed.

The Fool smirked. “It’s best not to always overthink it.” His stomach then audibly rumbled. “Hmm, maybe we should swing by the human district for food first.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. It would cause unnecessary delay and we had to reconnect with Daisy.

“Do we have to?” I asked. “Perhaps we could deliver the water first or grab something nearby to eat?”

The Fool arched one eyebrow at him. “Have you ever tried to find a non-smoking section in a goblin restaurant before? Trust me, it's not as easy as it sounds.”

Hugo: Is that even a real thing?

Lucas: Careful. If it's not, his power might will one into existence.

Hugo: There’s no way he’s that powerful. Look at everything he’s used it for so far. Other than the coincidence of you showing up to save him, it’s just been him bribing goblins and you falling over. Maybe he doesn’t have grand powers. Maybe you just slipped.

Lucas: I did not slip. But you’re right. We assumed he was strong from his words and the fact that he got this far as a level one. He might’ve just been lucky. Still, Daisy trusted him enough to give him a task. We just have to keep him focused on taking us to her.

“Let’s see if we can find something to eat on the way,” I said. “If not, I’m sure Hugo could steal some. He’s an excellent food thief.”

“It’s true. I am,” he replied with zero modesty.

The Fool gave a half shrug and kept walking in the same direction we’d been heading before, so I took it as a positive sign.

We kept walking until an argument could be heard from one of the windows above. A goblin couple on the second floor were fighting about something, and The Fool stopped to eavesdrop.

“And I’m so sick of you always bringing apples back from the market! Buy something else next time!”

An apple flew out the window, presumably thrown by one of them. It bounced off the wall and fell into the Fool’s outstretched hand. He took a big bite out of it and while chewing said, “never mind. Let’s go see your shadowy friend.”

Lucas: See, I didn’t slip.

Hugo: Oh god, just let it go! Fine, he’s telling the truth, but that doesn’t mean we’re completely safe.

I think a part of the reason he disliked the power that The Fool had was because of how unpredictable it was. I told him we could handle any problems that arose, which didn’t calm him down very much. It was only when I pointed out that The Fool’s power seemed to only work in his favor, and that he seemed to like us, that he loosened his grip on my shoulder.

Instead of heading east, we went north into what was known as the unincorporated part of the city. I knew this because there was a literal sign hanging up ahead that the goblins had erected. The words ‘war zone’ were on it scrawled in blood.

The Fool had finished his apple and explained it to us like this. Before the Tower took the Strand, this was the industrial heart of the city. A place filled with productive factories and warehouses. All now abandoned as everything the people needed was now imported by the System.

There was always fighting between the factions, but it increased once the Tower moved them here. Each faction struggled to hold on to territory here and so it quickly became know as the unincorporated zone. A place where battles could take place without the risk of civilian casualties.

As soon as we passed under the war zone sign explosions could suddenly be heard in the near distance.

“What just happened?” Hugo asked.

The Fool looked around and scratched his chin. “It’s some kind of containment field the orcs developed. It keeps the bombs, debris, and such from accidentally falling outside the zone. The goblins don’t mess with it because it benefits them as much as it does the orcs.

He paused to listen as a few more explosions went off further away.

“Huh, it’s actually kind of mild right now,” he said.

“What about the humans?” I asked. So far, they hadn’t been mentioned at all in regards to this area.

“They typically steer clear of this place, although the zone stretches across the entire northern part of the city, so it’s connected to every district.”

I was surprised that The Fool was telling us all of this since I was under the impression that he either didn’t like to or couldn’t answer questions. He saw me frowning and the question I had on my mind.

“My power ebbs and flows,” he explained. “In the ebbs, it's easier to be a little more serious and answer questions. I just can’t rely on it too much or push things too far.”

“What happens then?” Hugo asked.

“Bad things. There’s a limit to how insightful a Fool should be.”

We continued walking until we heard orcs. Three of them near an intersection up ahead, talking and getting closer. They sounded happy about something.

The Fool ducked behind some crates and gestured for us to follow. We crouched down next to him and waited for the orcs to pass.

Once they did, Hugo asked The Fool, “couldn’t we have just walked past them?”

“Yes, but it would’ve been loud and sometimes trying to flaunt the power causes it to backfire. I’m The Fool, remember? I’m not an omnipotent jester.”

Hugo: Wait, what’s the difference?

I shrugged.

As soon as we left cover, The Fool broke into a run.

Lucas: He’s on the move. Come on.

Hugo held onto my shoulder as I walked briskly next to him. It turns out my fear of him getting away from us was unfounded. A level one running was nothing to me, but to him, he was huffing and puffing after ten minutes.

He stopped in front of a factory to catch his breath. The big iron sliding doors lay open, but inside it was too dark to see, as all the windows were too covered in dirt and grime to let any light through.

I guess this is the meeting spot. I almost walked past him to go inside when he threw his arm out to block me.

“Don’t. I have to clear them by going first.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant at first. It turned out that the warehouse was loaded with traps. The open doors hadn’t been from neglect or laziness, they were a trick. A false invitation to thin out enemy patrols.

We stayed close as The Fool pointed out the traps. The first was a tripwire that was so thin, I almost didn’t believe him when he told me. I mimicked his movements when stepping over it and saw just past it was a bundle of poison-tipped needles that were spring loaded.

The Fool looked around while rubbing the back of his neck. “You know, this reminds me of a place I used to work at. You know, in the before times.”

I nodded, though truthfully this place looked a hundred years out of date for our society.

“What kind of work did you do?” Hugo asked.

I shot him a look that said not to encourage him to go down this tangent, but it was too late.

The Fool grinned. “Well, mostly I goofed off. Used my smoke breaks to smoke weed in my car around the corner. The boss never knew.”

He absolutely one hundred percent knew. I gave an encouraging smile and kept listening. I didn’t know if this was part of his power or not, so it was best to just keep him comfortable.

“Huh, is that actuator?” he asked himself, staring at some dark corner of the room. He started walking towards it. I hurried after him until I felt my foot press down on something. I froze. The floor tile my left foot was standing on was slightly lower than all of the others around it. Must be some kind of pressure-sensitive trap.

“Um, Fool, could you come back here?” I asked loudly. And yes, I felt silly saying that out loud.

To his credit, The Fool came back and squatted down to inspect the tile. He squinted at it for a few seconds.

“What is it?” I asked.

He shrugged. “How should I know? It looks bad though.”

Fuck it. If I lose the foot to an explosion, I should have enough blood in my inventory to heal myself with. Still, it would be better if Hugo and The Fool got some distance before I set off the trap.

“Is there somewhere safe that Hugo could fly to?” I asked.

The Fool looked around. “No…?” He said it like he wasn’t sure.

“Wait, you mean you don’t know?”

“Look man, I don’t know what’s in this place. My power works on vibes, and the vibes are telling me that you shouldn’t move, even though you were thinking about it.”

Damn, how did he know that? If his power could account for my healing ability, then maybe the trap was worse than I thought? We’re over halfway into the factory now. So maybe the traps get more intense the further in we go? The explosion might be bigger than I was imagining. Instead of losing a foot, I could lose my life. Maybe even Hugo’s too, if he stays on my shoulder.

Lucas: Would you fly onto The Fool’s shoulder at least?

Hugo: I’m not letting you set that thing off. We’re figuring a way out of this together. Now relax. You’re sweating and it’s kind of gross with me so close to you.

Lucas: Of course I’m sweating, there’s a bomb under my foot!

“I did not tell you that you could bring friends,” said a deep, alien voice that echoed around the factory. “You were to tell no one of our arrangement.”

The Fool shrugged. “Yeah, well I got bored. Besides, it's not like you’re paying me. Now can we get this over with?”

“By bringing others, you’ve compromised this location. What makes you think you or your friends are leaving here alive?”

Hugo gave The Fool a panicked look. “Quick, do something!” he cried.

The Fool looked embarrassed. “Hey, so remember when I talked about my power backfiring if I push it too hard?”

Inwardly, I cursed. Somewhere in the near future, countless beings across the galaxy would receive their update on events within the Tower. And I could hear all of them laughing over the fact that I trusted a fool.