3001 Paths to Death - A Lite litRPG Looper

As soon as I heard Betty, I turned to look for her. The witch stood on the balcony of her potion shop. She wore a revealing blue dress, a stylish hat, and deep red lipstick. She sipped a cold brew of coffee that was most likely enhanced with an essence-boosting chemical. To anyone else, the witch looked like she was enjoying her late afternoon brew.

"Do you know how many people have been asking for you?" Betty asked with her whispered spell. "Your shop is busy."

That was concerning— not unexpected, but still concerning.

"Meet me under the rock. High moon." Her tone held obvious worry. "You should stay away from this place for now." A small pop signified the end of the conversation. It lasted one second before Betty sent another whisper. "It is good to see you. I'm glad you're safe. Now go."

I stood around for a moment longer, trying my best to look casual. There was a sizable group leaving the Frontier—about two and a half parties' worth of people. I integrated myself into the group, staying far enough away that they didn't think I was trying to intrude, and close enough that I looked like I was just lagging a bit.

Something felt off in town. The shops looked the same, the dust clung to the same cracked wooden buildings, but there was an unnatural stillness under all the bustle. Too many familiar faces turned away too quickly.

I knew exactly where Betty wanted to meet. The rock was a massive boulder that hung from the mountains. Some would call it a cliff. They were wrong. The rock was about five miles outside of town and was a prominent feature on all of my local maps. Under the rock was a natural cave that held a deep, hidden pond. It was often avoided due to a lack of interest.

Betty's warning kept me alert. There was time before the high moon, and though I wanted to swim in the pond under the rock, if people were looking for me, I wasn't about to lead them straight to the meeting spot.

So I set up camp near a different rock landmark. This one was more of a true boulder and a standard marker for branching paths. Left led toward the capital. Right led to Sunset.

The Sunset path cut through a clearing in the mountain range. The forest thinned out and gave way to green prairies—similar to the farmlands in southern Alderi, but charged with volatile mana. Spirit beasts loved it.

I traveled a reasonable distance toward Sunset, stopping short of the grasslands but close enough to see the mountain pass. There was another lake nearby, which made the perfect place to rest and wait.

Waiting didn't take long. I was just about to take my first bite of roasted rabbit when the dampening influence of a sleeper's domain silenced my mana. The sleeper was strong enough to shut off my power entirely, causing my water-anchored rabbit to drop into the fire pit.

I cursed. Good thing I was already geared up. Short swords, Light's Edge, pistols, knives, and runes—all at the ready in Lana's ring and on my person.

"Sogg's damp flame," I muttered. "Don't interrupt the chef. That's the second rule of wilderness tour guides and the first rule of decency."

I couldn't see the assassins. But they were close. Real close.

"Stop pretending to be sneaky," I said. "Also, someone's gonna need to rinse the rabbit. I obviously can't do it, and the lake water isn't exactly clean."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

That was a lie. The lake was perfectly clean. But I was sticking to principles.

"We've been looking for you, Kip…" a strong feminine voice said from my left. "You're a harder man to find than you should be."

Same voice. Different location. Damn creepers.

"Been a bit busy," I said, poking at the rabbit with a stick. "You know—plans and all that."

The intruder chuckled softly. "So we've heard."

"So... we gonna chat for a bit, or you just wanna just jump into the stabfest?"

"Bold and direct. I can see why the princess fancies you, if only for that." Her voice was attractive. Could be a fantastic bard. "Brave, if not foolish. Maybe a bit of both."

"Mostly foolish."

"Indeed. Where is the Princess?"

"Dead."

"Clip?"

"Flint?" I clarified.

"The bodyguard..."

"Oh. Most likely dead as well."

"Sasha?"

The grilling was relentless. "The first to die."

"Sounds like a terrible mission."

I nodded. There was a muffled chuckle behind me—someone else.

"How are you still alive?" The creeper asked.

"Parasites." I paused. "Look, it feels like I'm talking to a ghost. Can at least one of you step out to talk? I promise not to do anything until your light veil covers you."

To my surprise, the creeper appeared—a beautiful elf—long, slender ears, red hair, soft freckles, athletic build. I highly doubted she was real. Not the creeper's style to stand in plain sight. Most likely an illusion veiled with other spells.

She rubbed her hands and held them over the fire for warmth. The illusion was detailed. I could even smell her perfume over the burnt rabbit. She didn't seem to care about my ruined dinner. That miffed me a bit.

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions," Freckles said. "I'm surprised you even knew who you were with. I might be a little impressed you kept it to yourself. You could've bought the entire kingdom of Lackia with that information."

She crouched closer to the fire. The illusion held.

"So how did they die?"

"It was a setup…" I didn't know if it was true. Just throwing out lines to see what stuck.

"Oh." She looked disappointed. Slightly sad.

I liked Freckles.

Selene's abyss—was I being charmed? Damn creepers. No, this had a different flavor. Most likely a bloomer.

As I searched for the bloomer, I picked up more mana radiating from the hidden Jesters: two bloomers, one charmer. Confidence and poise pulsed from Freckles and three more assassins. One of them might be the real Freckles.

Calm sleeper mana was abundant—likely templars, not as strong as I thought. Two, probably. Passionate fire and stable grounder essence marked another pair. Wispy puffers were about as common as creepers. Then there was one distinct dowser.

Two full squads.

And me. No library to hide in.

Freckles' confidence worried me. The lack of palers was good, but two bloomers would be a pain. I stayed calm, mentally preparing, while fending off the charm effect.

This wasn't going to end well.

It never did when Jesters were involved.