by J. B. Smith
“The shi eld will actually absorb your opponent's nocturnal magic. But it only works when he uses magic against you. You will need to make sure that you are using your shield to defend yourself against magic. "
"So if I use the shield, the shield will start collecting magic?"
“That's right,” the mage replied.
Pleasant. I really liked it. "So I just drained all of his magic?"
“Yes. But there is more. Once your shield absorbs the magic, you can actually use its own magic against it.
Shit. This was the part I was waiting for. "How? How do I do this?"
“The shield will start collecting dust on it every time you use it against its magic. So the more magic he uses against you, the more magic you potentially absorb. "
"So I just need to play definitely ?" If I play defense, can I absorb all of its magic?
The mage nodded. "Yes. A thin layer of dust will collect on the shield after using it to defend his magic. The more often he hits your shield with his magic, the more magic you collect."
"But how do you use magic against him?" I asked.
The mage looked excited. “You have to pick up the dust from your shield and rub it on your sword. Once your blade is covered in dust, you can deliver a much more powerful attack to your opponent. The more dust you collect, the stronger the effect. Understand?"
“Yes,” I replied. "It makes sense."
Douglas seemed to be a bit bored with everything. "Are you okay there?" I asked.
"Yeah. I was just trying to stay focused.
I looked at the mage. "Thank you. Thank you for all the help."
"You are welcome," he replied.
I looked at Douglas and knew he was ready to go. "Okay. I guess we have everything we need.
Douglas suddenly came to life. "Thanks for the help," he shouted at the mage.
We left the mage's house. Once outside, we stayed just a while. I looked around while Douglas did the same. “How much time do you think we still have?” I asked.
"A little time. Not much though.
We both returned to the center of FlatFall. But, before we could get there, a guard rushed towards us. “Your free time is up for today,” he says.
Chapter thirty-one
I was pacing in my cell. Usually I was just bored. But, my boredom was replaced by nervous energy. All I could do was wait. Wait until the day of the fight. I was convinced that I could beat Cosmo, but I was also worried that I could n't do it. I had no experience with the shield and was worried that it might be more difficult to use than I expected. I looked at Douglas as he pointed to the barred window above us. “He won't come back. Isn't that awesome?
"Of course," I replied.
Doug Las walked over to me and had a strange look on his face. “You look nervous. Why are you nervous? "
I tried to pretend that his question was not valid, but it was. I shrugged before sitting down and leaning against the bars. “I just don't know how this shield will work. What if it takes forever to accumulate magic? "
"It will work. You just need to believe in yourself. Know that you are a future champion. That's what I do.
Douglas was still positive, but I had seen him get his ass kicked. So I knew her positive mindset didn't always work. Still, I appreciated his confidence. There was a small part of me that feared dying at the Colosseum. It was all so real itself , and I knew that death would probably be like death in real life. I couldn't think of it that way though. I quickly pushed my thoughts aside and tried to become more confident. "You're right. I'm a future champion. I just have to believe it and know it. All of Cosmo has his magic, and I know how to use it against him.
"That's right," Douglas yelled, clapping his hands. “You said he was weak without his magic. So you just need to take that away from him.
In the distance I could hear the sound of the incoming footsteps . The steps got closer and closer until a guard appeared in front of our cell. His eyes turned to me. "I'm here to let you know about your upcoming fight against the Colosseum."
"Okay. It's against the player named Cosmo, right?
"Yes. You have to fight him late tomorrow night.
"Good. That's good."
“There are limits to this particular fight. You can only bring one weapon. Additionally, each fighter will be limited to six base healing potions. And you can't have more than one base mana potion.
"Six basic healing potions?"
"Yes. That's all you will be able to use. All weapons, armor, and the use of magic are allowed for this fight. The only restrictions are those mentioned previously."
The guard turned and walked away. I looked at Douglas. "What aling potions is considered basic?"
“Base potions usually only restore about 25% of your health. There are many, but they all have the same results. Dust of Life would work fine. It is also probably the cheapest. "
Dust of life? I liked the name. "That's what I'll get then."
I will get the healing potions as soon as possible. As far as mana goes, I really didn't see the need for it. I didn't know any skill to use it. Until then, all I could do was wait. Wait until the next day. Douglas spent many hours trying to inflate me. He told me that one day everything would be different. Told me we would be great warriors and live outside the dungeon. It sounded exciting, but I wondered how long it would take. He also told me that we were going to live together in our own house. But I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure I wanted a roommate. If it was nothing against him, but I would rather live alone. Douglas continued to wander as his enthusiasm increased. Then I got a pop-up alert. It was not, however, a new message alert. It was a system alert:
BladeDust Online System Alert:
UPDATE ON TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!
Note to User: Our team is working hard to resolve current disconnection issues. We have informed all of your family and friends of the current issue. Please stay with us as we continue to work on the current issue. We hope to resolve it as soon as possible.
Thank you.
Have I informed all my friends and family? I laughed because I knew I had no friends or family. I looked at Douglas. "Did you just receive the system alert?"
"Yeah. It's fucked up, isn't it?
"Yeah. How the hell can this eve happen?"
"I don't know," replied Douglas. “Be very careful. You don't want to become a lost soul during a time like this. "
I nodded. He was right. To become a lost soul right now would suck. We both just looked at the wall. This whole experience was starting to get crazier than I ever imagined. I entered this game with the intention of having fun and making money. But now it seemed so different. As far as I'm concerned, it was real. It was a real world and I lived in it . I lowered my head as my thoughts started to slow down. Slowly, I started to fall asleep. I knew Douglas was looking at me, but I didn't care. If that was what made him happy, that was fine with me. Happiness was something that could be hard to find while sitting in this cell. Moreover, I used to live there and it didn't bother me anymore like at the beginning.
My world turned dark as I fell into a deep sleep. It seemed like no time had passed when I finally woke up the next day. “It's lunchtime, ” the guard shouted as two bowls slipped into our cell.
I jumped up and ran to one of the bowls. "Where is our water?" I asked urgently.
"It happens. Wait."
The guard placed two cups in the cell. I grabbed a cup and swallowed it. Damn, that water tasted good. The guard walked away as I looked at my bowl. Rice again? Is that all they fed us here? I took the bowl and threw it in my mouth. I started to cough and realized that I was eating my rice too fast. "Is it already mealtime?" Douglas asked behind me.
"Yeah. The rice is a little softer than usual. It's pretty cool, but I'm getting tired of eating rice.
“Douglas rushed to his food. His mouth quivered and he groaned a little. There were strange growls coming from him before he rushed into his bowl. Thin. It was a hungry little beast. "It's go
od. It's really good," he said in a shaky voice.
Within seconds he had eaten all of his rice. He picked up his water and crushed it. “It's all done,” he cried in a voice far too loud.
It was almost boring how intense he could be sometimes. “Today is the big day,” he said. "Are you ready? Are you still feeling excited?"
"Yeah. I'm pretty excited."
“You should go and learn a new skill. Something that will surprise your opponent. "
“It's a good idea actually. I should do all I can to prepare for the fight.
Douglas's head bounced up and down. “I will encourage you. You know that, don't you?
“Of course,” I replied. "I expect nothing less."
Douglas laughed. He ran from side to side, touching every wall. "You need to stay in shape while you're here," he yelled, running back and forth. “These are called wall keys. You should start doing them.
My eyes followed his body as he bounced from wall to wall. Damn, that was gonna drive me crazy. "Dude. Come on. You can't do this while I'm here. It's an invasion of my space.
Douglas stopped running. “You can do the same. If we want to be the best, we have to stay in shape. It increases your stamina over time. Besides, you want to be the best, don't you?
I nodded. "Of course."
"So we have to start using our time more wisely," he replied before running from wall to wall again.
I looked at the ground and tried to ignore it. He was right, but it was so boring. Within moments, I heard footsteps coming in. Passing both hands around the bars, I waited impatiently for the guard. “It's time to visit FlatFall,” said a guard.
"Damn yes," I replied. "You couldn't have come at a better time."
Douglas ran and the guards led us out of our cells. Once I got to Flatfall, I couldn't help but wonder where Johnny and the others were. I took a deep breath and looked around the city. A smile came to my face. It was so good to be free. F latFall seemed so full of life compared to the dungeon. Douglas pointed to the water fountain in front of us. “I drink water from it sometimes,” he says.
"Really? Did they let you do this?
"Yeah. It's really fun. Do you want to drink it with me?
“Not at the moment,” I replied. “I need to find my friends and learn a new skill. I'll meet you later. "
Douglas still pointed to the water fountain. "Okay, but watch me drink some water." Just look at me. Okay?"
Before I could answer, Douglas started running towards the water fountain. Within seconds, he was standing in front of him. Then he turned and looked at me. I smiled as he buried his head in the water. I continued to watch, wondering why he wanted me to watch him. I rolled my eyes. He was weird. After saving a few more seconds of my time, I turned around and started looking for Johnny and the others. But I haven't seen them anywhere. Surely they had to be here? Suddenly I realized I had to send him a message. I quickly started typing my message:
“Johnny. Are you currently at FlatFall? If you are, we can meet. We can meet at the tavern. Let me know as soon as you receive this.
Walker."
I walked slowly, looking at the various stores and merchant stalls. I just wanted to relax and casually explore FlatFall, but I didn't have the time. In fact, I had three things to do before my freedom was taken from me. The first thing I had to do was buy healing potions. Then I needed to learn a new skill. After that, I would meet up with Johnny and the others. Where can I buy a healing potion? I watched all the players running. Everyone was always very busy and never seemed to talk much. I knew why. They all had things to do before they were sent back to the dungeon. Being on a limited schedule made you see things differently. A little viking walked past me. “Where can I find basic healing potions?” I screamed.
"All kinds of places," he shouted without turning around.
Another player passed me. “ Where's the best place to buy healing potions?” I asked.
"There is a general merchandise store a few doors down from the tavern," he replied.
"Thank you," I shouted back.
I knew my question sounded stupid, but I didn't care. I didn't have time to waste and didn't want to wander aimlessly around town looking for a healing potion. I ran over to the tavern and started looking for signs of a general merchandise store. My eyes canned every building but didn't see it at first. Then I saw a large wooden building with double doors. In front of the building, there was a sign with a picture of a barrel on it. I saw the words “Anything and everything”.
I pushed open the doors and ran to the front counter. Behind the counter stood an older man. I could barely see his brown eyes because of his droopy eyelids. "Can I help you?" He asked.
"Yes. I need a healing potion called The Dust of Life. Do you have it?"
“You bet,” he said with a slap to the counter.
"Okay. How many for 6 of them?"
It will be 25 gold pieces.
"25 gold coins? Can't you just give me a deal or something?
His chin went up in the air. "If you have something valuable to buy, I'll buy it from you ." What do you have?"
I went through my inventory and found my weasel costume. I was almost embarrassed to ask, but thought I would. "How much will you give me for a weasel costume?"
“We don't buy weasel costumes here,” he replied.
Thin. I wanted to have this costume. I shook my head and took out 25 gold coins. "Here is."
He handed me 6 small bottles of clear liquid. I looked at the statistics:
The dust of life
Level: 1-20
Weight: 0.2 lbs
Health recovery: 3-97% depending on character level
Denomination: 5 gold coins
What did 3-97% mean? And it only worked for levels 1-20? I looked at the old man. "I don't understand. Will this potion heal me 3% or 97%?"
"This will have a higher healing effect on lower level characters while having less effect on higher level characters."
"I'm a level 6. So what can I expect?"
The old man took a moment to think. "I would say about 20-30% of your health will be restored."
I was however confused with how the levels worked. "Are there any basic healing potions for characters above level 20?"
“Yes. But the price is higher. The effects are similar though. This is how it works with base healing potions in FlatFall. But that's only how base potions work. It works . there are many ways to heal yourself. ”
My eyebrows rose as I felt slightly confused. I wanted to get into a deeper conversation about it, but I knew I didn't have time. I had my base potions and it was time to learn a new skill. "Thank you. I will be back in the future."
"Do you need anything else today?"
I started to leave, but I stopped. Do i need anything else? There was nothing I really needed. But I had some extra gold. If the price was right I might be interested in something else that could help me in the fight. "Do you have something that might confuse someone?" Maybe something that would temporarily stun them? Something like that?
"I have a potion called Liquid Clouds."
"What does that do?"
“It won't cause any damage. But it will create a thick cloud of white dust that can confuse your opponent. This can give you a chance to lower its defenses. Would you like one of these?
I sounded a bit crappy, but thought it might be useful. "How?"
"I can give you two for 2.5 gold," he replied.
It didn't sound too bad to me. "Okay. I'll take them," I replied.
"Additionally, Liquid Clouds will only work if you have active mana."
“My mana levels are only at max 10 right now. Is it a problem?"
"Only if you don't have any backup mana potions." Would you like to buy one today? "
I felt a little irritated. This guy was trying to sell me shit. But, I figured if I needed mana, I might as well get it. "How?"
"I can cast a base potion for only 1 gold," he replied.
"Fine.
Just give me that," I replied.
“ Very well. Just make sure to drink this potion when your mana level is low. This will increase your mana to about half.
Before I left I got a new pop-up message alert:
“Hey, it's me Johnny. We're all wearing these cool new outfits they gave us. We are in the town of FlatFall. I just got your message so I told Todd and Sonny that we were to meet you outside the tavern. We are currently looking for him. So see you soon!