BladeDust Online: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 1)

by Corey Thompson

  She didn't respond. The Grand Champion slammed his beer bottle on the bar in front of him. “What the hell is this?” he asked with a laugh.

  I became nervous. Shit, this was an awkward and fairly pathetic situation that I had gotten myself into. The girl looked at the Grand Champion and tried to calm him down. “Let's see what he wants to say,” she replied with a small laugh.

  My hands went together. Crap, what was I going to say? Surely I had something better to say than what I had already said. I looked over at the Grand Champion and then over at her. “I just wanted to introduce myself to you,” I said with an awkward smile.

  Everyone suddenly laughed. The Grand Champion stood up from his chair. The girl put one arm in front of him and began to laugh. “Oh, don't hurt him,” she said with a giggle.

  The Grand Champion itched his nose while a softer look came to his face. “I'm not going to hurt him,” he replied. “He's provided a good laugh. Hasn't he?”

  My head lowered as she pointed at me. “Don't say that right in front of him. Look,” she laughed. “You're hurting his feelings. He looks embarrassed. Doesn't he?”

  The Grand Champion sat back down and laughed. “I don't care about his feelings.”

  She rolled her eyes and smiled at me. “Look at him. He looks like a cute puppy who just wants a treat.”

  A cute puppy? Did she really think I was cute? “Thanks,” I replied. “I am pretty cute aren't I?”

  The Grand Champion turned back towards me. This time, he didn't look amused. “You better get out of here,” he said with a stern voice. “You better get out of here because I am trying to be nice right now. But, I can only be nice for so long.”

  “Kick his ass,” some random drunk guy yelled from the crowd around us.

  The Grand Champion threw both hands into the air. “Who wants to see me kick his ass?” he asked with a booming voice.

  The crowd screamed as loud as they could. “Kick his ass, kick his ass, kick his ass!”

  The Grand Champion stood up and walked closer to me. Man, he was a massive man. Suddenly, he pushed me. I fell back into the crowd and they pushed me back onto him. “Get off me,” he yelled while pushing me away from him.

  “Stop it,” the girl yelled from his side. “He didn't mean any harm. He's just drunk. Aren't you?” she asked while giving me an odd look.

  “Yes, I'm just drunk,” I replied while agreeing with her.

  “You are lucky we are not in the coliseum,” the Grand Champion replied. “I would tear you apart if we were.”

  The girl yanked his arm and pulled him down to the stool he was sitting on. “Just relax,” she said. “You have had too much to drink as well.”

  The Grand Champion sat down. “Give me another one,” he yelled to the bartender.

  I smiled at the girl. Our eyes met as she began to laugh. Then, she smiled back at me.

  She continued smiling but then shook her head. I could see it in her eyes. She kinda liked me, but knew she shouldn't. She knew that her place was with the Grand Champion. She spun back around and leaned into the Grand Champion's side. Then, she wrapped both arms around him. “See you later,” I yelled while taking a few steps back.

  Maybe I was a fool, but I knew I had a chance with her. Once I became powerful and beat the Grand Champion things would be different. I continued walking backwards as my thoughts went towards a different direction. With all of the excitement, I had almost forgotten about the half dead troll in my cell. Douglas needed me, and I wasn't going to let him down. I looked towards the back wall and saw many different people leaning against the wall. I began to walk towards them as I knew they must be the NPCS the guy had told me about. Before I could get to them, I felt someone grab my arm. “That was pretty stupid,” a voice yelled from behind me.

  I turned around and saw a face that I hated. It was Cosmo. “Let go of me,” I yelled back to him.

  He pulled me closer to him. “What kind of idiot talks to the Grand Champion's girlfriend right in front of him?”

  I laughed. “I think she liked me.”

  Cosmo tucked his long dark hair behind his ears. “You just made yourself a target. The Grand Champion won't forget what you did. I promise you that.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I don't care. I will beat him one day. Just wait and see.”

  His finger went into the air. “You said that with way too much confidence. Nobody can beat him, he's the best.”

  My eyebrows went up. “Nothing last forever.”

  Cosmo laughed and pulled me even closer to him. His laugh faded and was replaced with anger. “Get me another beer,” he said with slanted eyes. “I want you to buy me another beer. And I want it now.”

  I pushed him away from me. “Are you serious? There is no way I will ever buy you anything.”

  Cosmo pushed me. “You'll do anything I tell you to do. You understand?”

  “Oh yea? Why's that?”

  “Because I am the dominant one between us. It's just the way nature works.”

  Damn. His drunk ass was really starting to piss me off. Did he really think I was just gonna lay down and let him walk all over me? “You're wrong. It's me who is the dominant one between us. You will see that soon enough.”

  “I won't see shit,” he yelled back.

  “Just wait. I won't stop until I give you a proper ass kicking,” I replied with confidence. “It's one of my main goals right now.”

  Cosmo turned around and stumbled away into the distance. Then, he turned back towards me and yelled something else. “You'll never be able to beat me. If you wanna fight me, I'll fight you. Just let me know a time and date. I'll get it all set up. A good and proper beating in the coliseum. Just let me know when you are ready.”

  I walked away. Was he serious? Could he really set up a fight for us? I wanted to fight him, but how would I win? I had seen his magic and how powerful it could be. But, I did remember him talking about it having a weakness. What was his magic called? My mind began to think back and remember what he had told me. Then, it hit me. NightFall Magic. Yes, I needed to find out more about this sort of magic and learn what weaknesses it had.

  I looked at the characters standing against the back wall and examined them. I walked up to one who was wearing a basic brown robe. “Have any quest?” I asked.

  “Of course,” he replied. “Do you want to hear it?”

  “I'm listening.”

  The NPC tilted his head down. “My brother has been taken hostage. Not only that, but he has been degraded.”

  “Oh yea? How so?”

  “A giant has chosen him to be his own personal pet. Pretty messed up isn't it?”

  That did seem kinda messed up. “I'd say so.”

  “If you can rescue him, You will be rewarded a lot of gold.”

  “How much gold?”

  “This is a dangerous quest. You will receive 145 gold coins if you are successful. But be warned, this is a very challenging quest.”

  Wow! 145 gold coins? That was more gold than I had ever seen. With that much gold, I could buy the healing potions for Douglas, as well as some new weapons and armor. New weapons and armor would allow me to win my next coliseum fight. Once I won that, I would get even more gold. Suddenly, an alert popped up in front of me:

  Quest Invitation!

  Free The Giant's Pet! Accept or Decline? Yes/No?

  I debated whether or not to accept the quest. How was I to free his brother? The truth was, it was too much gold to turn down. No pain, no gain. I quickly accepted the quest and began to question the NPC. “How will I know if I have enough time to complete this quest?”

  “What do you mean? There is always time.”

  “I mean before the guards come and throw me back into the dungeon. I have already been out for a while, won't they come looking for me soon?”

  The NPC laughed. “You must be new here. If you accept the quest, you will be given the proper time to either complete it or fail at it. That is how it works around here. G
aining gold helps the city of FlatFall because you invest into food, weapons and more.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. Nice. I was glad I accepted the quest for that reason alone. Having extended freedom seemed like an added bonus of accepting a quest. “Where do I find this giant?”

  “He lives inside of the walls that contain the city. He is not far from here. When you exit the tavern, you will take a right. Keep walking until you see a narrow dirt path that branches off from the main road. Follow that path until you see a set of large cliffs. Under the cliffs, you will find the giant.”

  “So the narrow dirt path will take me right to the cliffs? Or do I need to get off the path?”

  “It will take you right to the cliffs. It's easy to find, but dangerous to complete.”

  “So I just free your brother and I will get my gold? It's that simple?”

  “You will need to bring him back to me. Then, I will reward you the gold.”

  I smiled. Seemed simple enough. I thanked the NPC and walked away from him. It was good that the directions seemed simple enough. I needed to hurry and complete the quest so that I could buy Douglas some healing potions. Just in case I got lost, I quickly opened my menu and looked for my quest log. I selected the quest and a map popped up. There was a blue diamond that marked the quest spot. It didn't look like it was far from my current location. I exited the tavern and mentally prepared myself for the quest.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  I stepped out of the tavern and walked to the right. My eyes looked at my feet as I followed the main road. The cobblestone looked to be hand placed. Every single rock was perfectly aligned. As I continued walking, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor soul that was probably forced to lay these stones. It must have been quite the job. Players ran past me as I didn't pay any attention to them. My eyes were only concerned with finding the narrow dirt path that branched off the main road. Where was it? The walk began to drag on until I finally saw a small dirt path that veered off to the right. Was this it? I looked around just to make certain I didn't see any other dirt paths. Nope. This was the only one.

  I stuck out my foot and watched it land on the dirt path. This was it. Was I crazy for accepting this quest? I guess I should have asked the NPC what quest level this was. Or, if someone as low level as myself could complete it. But, I didn't care. There was a lot of gold to be earned and I was willing to take the risk. As I continued down the path, I enjoyed myself. It felt good to be alone for once. The land was so beautiful around me. In the distance, there were many small ponds with tall oak trees hovering above them. The trees were covered with yellow glowing orbs that reflected off the water below them. I wasn't sure what they were, but they were beautiful. A light fog floated above the green grass as I began to run down the path. There was plenty of daylight left as I looked for the cliffs the NPC had told me about. Far away, I could see the borders of FlatFall. Huge walls that contained the entire island. It was odd to think that the island was totally boxed in with these walls.

  I continued following the path just as the NPC had directed. Then, a new message alert popped up in front of me:

  “Hi, it's Sonny. Just wanted to let you know that I am coming for my robe. You have it in a safe spot right? Your friend Tommy messaged me and asked where I was. Said he needed a healer. So, he actually found my soul and took it to my body. I told him I owe him big time! Now, we are going to save Todd. Then, he wants me to help bust you out. That's when I get my robe back. Please guard that robe with your life. It means the world to me. I am trying to track down my pet too. Luckily, I put a tracking potion on him. Time has allowed me to forgive him because I am a strong man like that. Tommy wanted me to let you know that we are coming to get you soon! All the best!

  Sonny The Healer.”

  My footsteps came to a stop. What the crap? Tommy saved Sonny? How was it possible that Tommy even knew how to do that? I had to admit, I was impressed if it was true. It was something that I would have never expected Tommy to do. If he could save Todd and bust me out of here, I would have to totally forgive him. I guess only time would tell if Tommy could actually pull it off or not. I began to walk faster while I looked for any signs of a cliff. After a few minutes, I saw a cleared off looking area ahead. As I got closer, I realized I was standing on top of the cliff. The ground beneath me rattled. Damn. I knew what was going on. The giant was right below me. I fell to my stomach and began to crawl closer to the edge of the cliff. I didn't want to look, but I knew I had to. There was a sudden roar. It wasn't words, but some sort of gibberish.

  I placed my chin on the dirt as I tried to see over the edge. My left eye finally reached the edge and I saw the giant below me. Wow, I was much higher than I had realized. The giant was easily two hundred feet below me and appeared to be sleeping. His skin was gray and he wore no shirt. The only thing he wore was some skimpy little white shorts. The shorts weren't clean though, in fact, they were filthy. Next to him, was a small wooden stage with bars surrounding it. My head came back and the image left my view. I stared at the rocky surface right below my eyes. How the hell was I going to save this NPC'S brother?

  I didn't know, but I knew I had a chance since the giant was sleeping. I quickly crawled backwards and began to look for a path leading down the cliff. To my left, I saw a fairly steep hill that looked to curve downwards. I carefully crawled in a reverse position while trying to keep my balance. It took quite a while, but I managed to reach the bottom. Once at the bottom, I decided I was a bigger idiot than I had realized. I had no healing potion. I guess my reasoning was that a giant would kill me in one hit anyways. Why get a healing potion when you would be dead before you could use it? My head went up and down. Yes, that was why I made this bad decision.

  I began to walk. Suddenly, a small twig snapped beneath my foot. My body froze as my eyes automatically shut. Shit. He had to hear me. I feared the worst, but it appeared the giant was still sleeping. Both of my eyes flipped open. I didn't want to move. Not yet. So, I scanned the area and tried to come up with a plan.

  The fog had become thick and the sunshine wasn't shining quite as bright. I figured I had a few more hours of light at the most. There was no time to waste as I carefully took my next footstep. There was a rumble as the giant let out a string of snores. The only thing that separated me from the giant was a small rocky hill. I knew he was right behind it. Slowly, I circled around the hill until I could see the great beast. His face was in the dirt. But, every breath he took sent a cloud of dust into the air. Only feet away from him, was a large wooden platform surrounded by metal bars. Inside the bars, I could make out two dark figures. They were hard to see and only looked like shadows from my point of view. I walked closer to the platform while trying not to make any noise. The two figures on the platform had seen me. I put one finger over my lips. Crap, which figure was the NPC'S brother? I noticed a small staircase that led up to a door attached to the platform. This was how I would free them. There was a keyhole, but where was the key? Truthfully, I didn't even have to ask myself that question. I knew the answer. The giant had the key. But, how was I going to get it?

  I looked at the figures and noticed one of them pointing at the giant. Every footstep I took felt like the most important footstep of my life as I got closer and closer to the wooden platform. At this point, I almost wanted to be locked in the cage with the two figures. I was seriously starting to regret taking the quest in the first place. My left foot went up on to the first step leading to the door of the platform. There was a creak. Crap. My head slung towards the giant. There was a boom as he tossed to his other side. He let out a long moan before putting his face back into the dirt. I looked up at the figures. They were only feet away and I could see that one was a human with short red hair. The other however, was much more odd. In fact, I wasn't sure what he was. He appeared to be wearing clothing that looked like an animal. I squinted my eyes as I tried to figure out what he was wearing. What the hell? Was he dressed like a hamster? Yes, he looked like a
solid brown hamster. It was a pretty convincing suit to be honest. The hamster looking guy looked desperate. There was some real desperation in his eyes as he mumbled to me. “Get me out of here. Please,” he whispered.

  “Where's the key?” I asked while secretly knowing the answer.

  His furry finger pointed at the sleeping giant. I looked but then looked back at him. “Can't you squeeze out of here or something? Like, can't you fit through one of the bars if you suck in your stomach real hard? Maybe?”

  His head flickered from side to side. “You don't think I've tried that?”

  I nibbled on my fingernails. Damn, I had really gotten myself into a fucked up situation. There was no way I was going to try and steal the key from the sleeping giant. It was too risky. I had to come up with a plan. I had to come up with something, and it needed to be fast. “How should I get the key? Where does he keep it?”