And The World Shall Tremble: A Class War in a LitRPG World

The day was bright when Alex awoke, and the sun had risen for several hours. They shifted out of bed, moving slowly and stiffly, head pounding and limbs aching. They had begun getting used to the voice shrilling in their head, telling them they leveled up, telling them they are becoming better. Giving them hope they could succeed against the countless forces weighted against them.

But it was still strange, and something about last night had been strange even by the standards of someone who had found themselves in a fantasy world just a few days ago. There was...there was...

The day was bright when Alex awoke and the sun had risen for several hours. They shifted out of bed, moving slowly and stiffly, head pounding and limbs aching. As much as they didn't like sleeping in - it would make getting enough rest tomorrow a painful process - they at least didn't have any urgent business. The meeting wasn't for a couple hours.

One step at a time, they made their way out of bed and down to the kitchen...and hesitated. This was the kitchen for Lord Erthwing and his daughter and other important people. It had warm, fluffy bread and rich honey and thick cuts of meat. It wasn't the kitchen of their comrades, the kitchen that fed the workers and toilers in this castle. There was a moment of moral debate, that was soon interrupted.

"Here for lunch, Alex?" a familiar voice asks.

They look up from their ruminations to see Eliza, wearing a green dress slashed with black thread. Her eyes are swollen and puffy, like she's been crying, and her hair is full of tangles and knots.

They nod, and the girl brightens a little. "Me too, its the best meal of the day. At breakfast father is there, so I have to mind my manners, but he's always too busy to talk to me. And then at dinner its always so slow and I get so hungry. At lunch I can do whatever I want."

The cook, who has overheard that cheerful little soliquoy, chuckles and hands the girl a basket. Its heavy for her, and she struggles to carry it until Alex steps forward and takes some of the weight off her.

"Thanks, now follow me!"

"She's very used to getting her way," Alex thinks as they obey.

Eliza is walking quickly, with a bit of a furitive air about her. She lifts her skirts so she can walk faster glances around corridors before crossing them. As the pair make their way through the castle, Alex gets increasingly concerned.

They would very much like to not be thrown into the dungeon for imprisoning Lord Erthwing's heir.

Finally, they decide to raise an objection. Gently, Alex grabs Eliza by her shoulder and tugs her into an alcove, pushing her towards the rough stone wall to hide her from the corridor. "What are you doing?" they hiss.

"Seeing my maids, and making sure they have enough to eat," she hisses back, and then adds "Now out of my way if you won't aid me."

They step aside and let her pass, continuing to follow along. They've passed from the nice part of the castle, and are dodging pools of water and stained patches of floor. Eliza wrinkles her nose with every step she takes, but on she walks, determined and resolute.

Until finally they come to an obstacle she cannot simply ignore: two guards, looking much like the pair from the chapel, standing before a barred door. At the top of the arched doorway sits a stone glowing with a soft silver light.

The guards stiffen and exchange alarmed looks, silently shouting at each other for nearly a second before one steps forward. "My lady, you shouldn't be here."

She looked up at them and crossed her arms. "I am a lady of House Erthwing, and I am going to ensure my vassals are not being ill-treated. Are you going to stop me?"

She tried to sound confident, imperious, adult, but her lip wobbled a little as she spoke, and her eyes were moist and bright. The guards exchanged looks again, and slowly lowered themselves, crouching to bring their heads closer to hers.

"Please, I'm so worried about them and there's no one to read me bedtime stories anymore and I'm scared please won't you let me see them you can stay with us the whole time please!"

She speaks in a rush, words pouring from her mouth with enough force to make the two guards rock back. Alex feels a dozen things faintly, tinges of emotion, inspired by a child's lonely misery, but they are not the target.

The guards rock back, and one starts sniffling, but the other growls out a skill and shakes it off. "I'm sorry, my lady, but I am under strict orders. However, if you have something for them, I can take it to the prisoners."

Eliza sighed and handed him the basket, then turned and walked away. "I've tried three times now," she tells Alex, keeping her expression as stern as she can.

It doesn't hide the fact that she's about to cry. "I wish he wasn't so mean...I wish it was me who got in trouble."

Alex tries to comfort her, but it's not something they know how to do. So they give her an awkward half-hug and then an old maid comes and takes her away. They wonder where she came from, but then they check the time...they can do a bit more before the meeting.

[] Go to the village. It's closest, letting you spend more time there, and you owe them some time for the sake of those who you saw die. Furthermore, there are clear injustices you have seen, and awareness of those injustices.

[] Go to the Free City. Distant and mysterious, it seems to be a rising power compared to the fading star of the local nobility, one with great industrial and economic strength. Strength that almost certainly comes with brutal exploitation. It would be worth investigating.

[] Go to House Derkendaus. The riskiest move, and the longest trip, but you want to see their peasants, to make contact with the ones they oppress.