The Crimson Quest: A LitRPG Adventure

by J. B. Smith

  Once I was far enough away, I pulled out a health potion and drank it. I checked my health again and saw it had gone to 11/20. It was not enough. I took out two more potions and swallowed them. My health went up to 2/19 . Yes, it was a lot better! Cosmo approached me and laughed. "Have you already used 3 potions?" It won't be long before you're dead. "

  He took out a health potion and swallowed it. He wiped his lips and raised his sword in the air. My eyes have grown big. Yes! I was happy to see that I had already wronged him. If I could just hold on I knew I could beat him. But I only had 3 health potions left and knew that a single hit with his sword could potentially kill me. So I had to take his sword away from him . But how could I do it? My mind began to make a plan. I had the potion that would create a cloud of dust, and I had my new skill. Maybe if I combined them, I could somehow take the sword away from him? It wasn't my original plan, but it made sense. It was the best idea I had and I was going to accept it.

  Cosmo threw both hands up and tried to use his magic against me. But, my shield went in front of me and grabbed the energy. This time it was much stronger than the first blow. My feet came off the ground for a split second and I almost lost my balance. But, all I could do was smile. I knew my shield was collecting his magic and that I would end up using it against him. "You can only hide behind your shield for so long," Cosm o yelled at me .

  "I'm not hiding," I replied.

  Suddenly the crowd started to sing. They repeated the same thing over and over again. "Kill, kill, kill."

  Cosmo raised his sword in the air before pointing it at me. "They are ready for the killing blow," he said, stepping closer to me.

  "Do I have to kill you already?" I asked.

  Cosmo's walk has become faster. I had to do something, and I had to do it quickly. I took out my mana potion and drank it. I focused on using my skills and tried to feel the heat in my body. He was there, just like during training. After that, I quickly scanned my inventory and located the Liquid Clouds potion. I threw it at Cosmo and a cloud of white dust appeared. Cosmo began to cough because I could barely make out his face through the thick layer of dust. Then I got busy and started using my new skills. Both of my elbows went up against my stomach as I tried to see the energy move through them.

  Heat ran through my legs as Cosmo swept the cloud of dust in front of him. Within seconds, I felt the sensation of heat hit my elbows. In my mind, I saw the energy flowing through my arms and out of my palms. Just like that, it happened. Cosmo's body bounced back and I jumped forward. With sudden speed, I jumped up and I launched an uppercut amount with my sword. There was a boom as Cosmo landed on his back.

  White dust lingered in the air and I jumped on him. I slammed my fist over his face over and over again. "I hope you like it," I yelled, pounding her face. Then I jumped to my feet and placed one foot on his chest. I grabbed the hilt of his sword, crushing his chest with my foot. I drew on his sword, but his grip was strong. He fought well, but in the end I had ripped the swo rd out of his grip.

  I put the sword in my inventory. Cosmo was still on the ground and looked hurt. I stood over his body and saw his bloodied face. Thin. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that I actually had his sword and managed to hurt him. Without saying anything, he took out a health potion and drank it. Then he pulled out another one. Wow. I had really hurt him. He only had three potions left and no longer had a sword. He continued to lie on the ground. I've watched it. Then I smiled. After that, I spat on him. "How are you feeling?"

  Without warning, a burst of energy came from him and I went flying through the air. I landed on the ground and my vision burst. Cosmo jumped to his feet and I quickly jumped to mine. Standing in front of me, he launched a wave of energy towards me. I tried to raise my shield, but I was too slow. Damn, he hit me. I fell to my knees and tried to catch my breath. Having no time to waste, I pulled out a health potion and swallowed it. Looking at my health bar, I noticed it was at 08/20. Damn, I needed more health. I stumbled back and I tried to get some distance between us. Once again, I pulled out a health potion and swallowed it. My health climbed to 13/20 as I regained my balance. Cosmo popped his knuckles and gave me a strange look. "I'm surprised," he said, wiping his nose.

  "About what?"

  "That you have in fact provided a challenge."

  The crowd cheered as we just looked at each other. I still had two potions and had to put them to good use. Cosmo had no sword left and my shield was already starting to accumulate a thicker layer of dust. He had no idea that my shield was collecting its magic and had no idea that I was going to land a killing blow with it.

  I put my shield in front of my body and slowly moved closer to Cosmo. Both of her hands began to glow, but the glow quickly faded. He tried again, but the same thing happened. Shocked covered his face when I saw the moment he realized he was out of mana. I beat my sword on my shield. "I 'm waiting. I 'm waiting for you to kill me.

  Cosmo was afraid. I could see it in his eyes. He had no weapon, shield, or magic. Now all I had to do was drain his health. I had to be careful though. Cosmo put both hands in front of his face and threw himself at me in despair. A hand passed around my wrist as he tried to steal my sword. "It's mine," I yelled with a kick in the chest.

  Cosmo sank to his knees and let out a series of coughs. I rubbed my hands across the surface of my shield and collected as much dust as I could. After that, I smeared the dust on the blade of my sword. The sword glistened in the sunlight as I held it over my shoulder. Cosmo looked up, but couldn't stop my part from entering his chest. Blood flew through the air before it fell by her side. Urgently, Cosmo pulled out a health potion and drank it. Then he pulled out another one. My sword flew over my head as I braced myself for the killing blow. Before he could land, Cosmo punched me in the stomach. I leaned over and tried to catch my breath. But, my vision faltered when he slammed his elbow into the back of my head. I fell to the ground and coughed. “Stay do wn,” he said, kicking me in the back.

  I quickly drank a health potion. I put a hand on the floor and tried to stand up. But, Cosmo kicked me in the elbow. "I said to stay downstairs," he ordered.

  I checked my health and couldn't believe what I saw. Only 2/20? Oh shit! Death was near and I had only one health potion left. I took out the potion and swallowed it. Cosmo's foot flew through the air and almost crushed my skull. But I rolled to the left before getting up. Cosmo was hunched over and had a crazy look in his eyes. Dripping down his face, there was a steady stream of blood. I looked at her black dress and noticed the bloody gash crossing her chest. Yes, he was almost dead. I ran up to him and slammed my shield in his face. He stumbled in the aftermath of the war and I punched him hard in the stomach. He regained his balance, but I could see he was badly injured.

  His movements were slow as he moved closer to me. Damn, he was starting to look a little ghostly. “Not so pretty there,” I laughed.

  Cosmo isn't laughing. "I don't know how that last sword blow caused so much damage," he hissed. "Your level is too low to cause such damage."

  I put the blade of my sword on my shoulder and walked over to him. "You will love what is going to go next."

  Cosmo was weakening every moment. Oddly enough, the crowd got stronger and stronger as he got weaker. They knew he was near death and were delighted to see him arrive. As I got closer to Cosmo, he started to walk backwards. "Where are you going?" I asked.

  He took out his last health potion and drank it. My head was coming and going. “It's not going to end well for you. You know that, don't you?

  I ran my hand over my shield to collect some more dust. Then I rub it on my blade. Cosmo seemed to have regained some strength since his last potion, but not much. His head dropped and he charged towards me. The sudden burst of energy caught me off guard. He tried to take me to the ground, but I didn't allow him . His hands wrapped around my neck as my shield mounted an uppercut. He fell to his side before I cut him across the chest again. He screamed and held his chest in pain
. Suddenly I grabbed his ponytail and held his head back. His eyes looked into mine. I didn't smile and spoke slowly. "Payback is a bitch, isn't she?"

  Before he could answer, I hit the butt of my sword in the face. His body fell to the ground. That was it. It was the big moment. Would I let him live or would I let him die? I rolled him onto his back and the crowd roared. I looked up and they started chanting "Kill him, kill him, kill him" over and over again.

  I looked at his face and noticed that even his eyes were filled with blood. He tried to get up, but he couldn't. Like a poisoned rodent, he was down for good. The Colosseum began to rumble as the crowd stomped. My sword slowly rose into the air. The crowd got louder, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to kill him. My sword fell as I put my foot on his chest. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill you." You have a chance to convince me.

  Cosmo coughed and blood gushed out of his mouth. He wiped away the blood and smiled. He struggled to say something, but I couldn't hear him. I tried to listen to his words, but they just didn't come out. I looked him in the eye and didn't really see any remorse. My head was going from side to side. Shit. He didn't care if I lived or died, so why should I care about him? My sword flew through the air as he tried to speak louder. But, there were just a few gurgles. My grip tightened around the handle as the sword rose higher and higher. Then I threw it into his chest. Blood flowed from Cosmo as his body began to shake. "Die you bastard," I cried, laughing.

  I looked up and noticed white pedals raining down around me. Of thousands and thousands of beautiful white pedals. Below me, Cosmo's body shrivels. Damn he was just another lost soul. Then something unexpected started to happen. The crowd started chanting "Walker, Walker, Walker" over and over.

  Wow! I couldn't believe it. How did they already know my name? I threw my sword and shield in the air while jumping up and down. Other white flowers fell and ended up covering the whole arena. The ground was so white it almost looked like snow. Then I noticed a booty sitting where Cosmo's body was. Impressive! The thought of taking her dress made me really happy. I leaned over and examined it:

  Robe of the Dark Eye

  Lunge: upper body

  Level: 10-20 (beginner)

  Weight: 1.3 lbs

  Denomination: 47 gold

  NightFall Magic Effects: +1 4% damage when worn. Increases magic damage, but drains mana levels 4% faster.

  Wow! Was that dress worth 47 gold coins? Pleasant. I quickly moved on to the next item and reviewed it:

  Yesterday's chain

  Lunge: upper body

  Level: Any

  Weight: 0.9 lbs

  Denomination: 02 gold coins

  Personal object: personal object which is of significant importance to its user.

  My head was going from side to side. Seemed pretty pointless. Maybe I could give it to Sonny's pet or something as a gift? I quickly searched for more items, but there were none. Then I saw some gold he had left behind me:

  87 gold coins

  Wow. Impressive! I put the gold in my inventory. I watched the cheering crowd and knew I was in my shoes. Never in my life had I felt so alive. Of course, I was in pain, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I had defeated Cosmo. I had made this shit a lesson he would never forget. I continued to soak up the crowd's love for me until a guard rushed to my side. He pointed to my left and I saw two men dragging a large chest towards the center of the arena. Oh damn, I was almost f orgotten. I almost forgot the gold reward they gave you. So, I guess they rewarded you for killing your opponent? You have their loot, plus the gold in the chest. I guess that made sense. I walked to the center of the arena and opened the chest:

  Colosseum Victory Reward!

  35 gold coins!

  35 pieces? It's come back since the last fight! Damn, I was quickly starting to see how you could get rich fighting in the Colosseum. The gold of winning this fight was really starting to add up. In fact , I had a lot of gold for my monthly dues if they came. Then an alert appeared in front of me:

  Congratulations!

  You have progressed! Open your inventory to distribute points.

  Note to the user: you have 4 points to distribute. Use your points casually.

  Walker Williamson - Level 7

  Male Male - Warrior

  Statistics:

  HP: 22/22

  Endurance: 14

  Mana: 10

  Attributes:

  Strength: 22 (+4 added)

  Persuasion: 4

  Intelligence: 1

  Willpower: 1

  Stealth: 2

  Agility: 3

  Skills:

  Melee Combat: IronPush

  Benefits:

  None yet

  Capacities:

  None yet

  Impressive. I added 4 more points to my strength. I loved getting stronger and watching myself grow taller. I examined my arms and noticed the increase in size. I flexed my muscles for the crowd. They clapped louder as I smiled. Before I knew it, I'd be a huge Colosseum warrior. Besides, everyone would be afraid of me. I returned to the guard and he led me out of the Colosseum.

  Once we started walking down the long hall, it was almost sad to hear the cheering crowds fade away. Within moments we had arrived in the small room where Cosmo and I ate rice. The guard pointed to the table and I sat down. Thin. Should I speak to the Emperor again? Both of his hands were behind his back as he entered the room. He didn't sit down and spoke quickly. “For a newcomer, you show a lot of promise. Keep winning and you will have your freedom.

  "How much freedom?"

  “I can give you a small housing unit. No restrictions. You can go and go as you please. "

  I couldn't hide my smile. "When? W hen can you do that?"

  "Show me that you are worth your investment, and you will receive it."

  "How can I show this?"

  “Keep winning,” he said with his chin down. "Win a few more fights and you will receive your freedom."

  The Emperor turned and left the room. I had to admit that sounded like a good deal. Life at FlatFall wouldn't be bad if I had complete freedom. A guard grabbed my arm and led me back to my cell. I got to my cell and Douglas threw his arms around me. “He was one of the best figures I've seen in a while,” he said.

  “Thank you,” I replied. “I'm still a bit shocked. It's hard to believe I beat him.

  “I knew you were going to win. I just knew it.

  I sat down on the floor and put my head between my legs. "The pain is starting to hit me," I mumbled.

  Douglas sat down next to me. "Yeah. Your head looks like a big tomato.

  "Thank you," I replied sarcastically. "I have to go get some healing potions."

  "He will heal on his own," replied Douglas. "You improved after the fight, didn't you?"

  "Yeah. Level 7 now."

  “Your health was then completely restored. The pain will gradually go away too. It just takes a while to show up physically. In a few days you will look normal again . "

  "Good to know," I replied, leaning my head against the bars behind me.

  My eyes started to close, but opened as Douglas had a burst of excitement. “We have to celebrate. Let's get drunk tomorrow at the tavern. It's gonna be fun!"

  "Damn yes," I replied. “I'm meeting my friends there tomorrow. You can join us. "

  Douglas rubbed his hands excitedly. I quickly sent a message to Johnny:

  "Meet me at the tavern tomorrow in our free time." The drinks are on me, and we get drunk!

  Walker."

  I closed my eyes. All I wanted was to sleep. The fight had taken the last ounce of energy I had. Without any effort, I fell asleep. I had a dream. A dream to stand in the middle of the Colosseum. I was a Grand Champion, and everyone applauded me . The dream did not last long, however. Before I knew it, the next day had arrived. We ate our meal and waited for the guards to come and pick us up.

  I got up and paced around. Douglas did the same. "I'm ready to get drunk," he said wit
h impatient eyes.

  “Me too,” I replied. "I just want to have fun."

  "Your face is already more beautiful," said Douglas, examining me.

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. You're not that bloody and swollen.

  Right after that, the guards arrived. They grabbed us and we started our walk towards FlatFall. As soon as we arrived I noticed something. A few players started to gather around me with curious looks on their faces. A tall, skinny elf walked over and pointed at me. “I saw your fight last night. You kicked this guy's ass.

  My face must have become even redder. "Thanks. Yeah, I punched her in the ass. It was a lot of fun."

  Other players have gathered around me. "When are you fighting again?" One of them asked.

  "I'm not sure. But I'm sure it will be soon enough.