BladeDust Online: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 1)

by Corey Thompson

  “I can give you two of these for 2.5 gold coins,” he replied.

  That didn't seem too bad. “Okay. I will take them,” I replied.

  “Also, Liquid Clouds will only work if you have active mana.”

  “My mana levels are only maxed at 10 right now. Is that a problem?”

  “Only if you don't have any backup mana potions. Did you want to purchase one today?”

  I felt a little irritated. This guy was trying to up sell the crap out of me. But, I figured if I needed mana, I might as well get some. “How much?”

  “I can throw in a basic potion for only 1 gold,” he replied.

  “Fine. Just give me that,” I replied.

  “Very well. Just make sure you drink this potion when your mana levels are running low. It will raise your mana back up to around halfway.”

  Before I left, I had a new message alert pop up:

  “Hey it's me Tommy. We are all wearing these new cool outfits that they gave us. We are in the city of FlatFall. I just got your message so I told Todd and Sonny that we needed to meet you in front of the Tavern. We are actually looking for it right now. So, see you soon!

  Tommy.”

  I ran outside and quickly made my way towards the Tavern. I kept running until my path was blocked by a white carriage. Crap. It was the Grand Champion and his girlfriend. I rolled my eyes. Maybe I was jealous, but it frustrated me to see how great his life appeared to be. I wanted to catch a glimpse of my dream girl, but didn't have time.

  Besides, what was the point? I had begun to realize that she would never take me seriously until I was more successful. Truthfully, she would never like me until I became a Grand Champion myself.

  I focused on the image of myself becoming a Grand Champion as I ran faster and faster towards the Tavern. Then, I stopped. I saw them all wearing the same basic outfits that I was once wearing. I had to admit, Sonny looked odd without his yellow robe. They stood in front of the Tavern and appeared to be arguing. I took a few steps closer until I could hear their words being exchanged.

  “I have never been treated so poorly in my life,” Sonny said while holding his pet's cage.

  “It's not that bad,” Tommy replied.

  “They said we only have a limited amount of time in the city. Then, we go back to our stinking cages,” Sonny replied.

  “Now you know how it feels to be caged up,” Sonny's pet squealed.

  “This is totally different. I shower you with love and respect.”

  “Love and respect?” the creature asked as his cage began to rattle. “I'm locked up in a cage and I'm stuck in a prison city. I was free until you came and snatched me up during the middle of the night. How am I ever going to escape now? Why would you ever bring me to this hellhole?”

  The two continued to bicker back and forth as I looked at Todd. He didn't say anything, but also didn't look happy about the situation. I walked closer to the group and raised one hand into the air. “Hey guys.”

  All of their heads turned towards me. Then, Sonny ran over to me with a desperate look on his face. “Where's my robe? Please, I need to put it on right away.”

  Oh crap. I had almost forgotten that the robe was gone. Sonny licked his lips and put his cage on the ground. Then, he began to twitch as he couldn't wait for my reply. “Give it to me,” he commanded with both hands out. “I want to get out of this ugly outfit right this minute.”

  “They took it. I don't even remember how it happened. I actually just woke up, and it was gone.”

  A blank look came to his face before he fell to his knees. After that, he put both hands on top of his head and began to scream. He didn't scream anything in particular, it was just a terrible sounding noise.

  “Oh shut up,” the creature yelled from his cage.

  I looked at Tommy and he gave me an odd look. Then, he ran over to me. “Dude! I told you I would save you. Didn't I?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You didn't exactly save me,” I laughed. “But thanks for trying. It really does mean a lot to me.”

  Todd walked over to me and hit my shoulder. “Good to see you again.”

  “I really appreciate you guys trying to rescue me,” I replied. “Thank you so much for that. I'm just sorry that you all ended up here too.”

  Sonny slowly came up with a red face. “It was a terrible idea to break a hole into the wall. I told him it wouldn't work. But he kept insisting that it would.”

  Tommy looked irritated. “You can't walk through a wall unless you break a hole in it. That's just basic science dude.”

  Sonny ignored him and grabbed my arm. “Who took my robe? You must retrace your footsteps and tell me the truth. If you can remember, I can talk to who took it. Can you think really hard? Just for a moment?”

  I squinted my eyes and tried to pretend I was deep in thought. “I can't remember. My memories are gone.”

  “Lets get a drink,” Todd said. “Come on. Let's all sit down and get a drink.”

  I began to twist my fingers. “I'm really in a hurry,” I replied with a stutter.

  “Come on,” Tommy replied. “How can you not drink with us? We came here and tried to save you.”

  Damn. He was right. I couldn't say no. I would have to be the biggest asshole in the world to decline a drink after all that had happened. “Fine. Just one drink,” I replied with a laugh.

  Chapter Thirty Two

  I quickly realized that everyone was broke. I had almost forgotten that they stripped your gold when you first arrived in FlatFall. Todd pointed to an empty table and everyone took a seat. “Beers on me,” I said with my finger into the air.

  “Thanks,” Todd replied as I walked away. As I walked to the bar, I worried that I would run into Cosmo. The last thing I wanted to see was his ugly face. I just wanted to get the beer and head back to the table. Once I arrived at the bar, I quickly ordered four beers. The bartender grabbed the beers as I waited for him to hand them to me. I payed him the gold and awkwardly picked up two beers in each hand.

  I made my way back to the table and took a seat. “Here you go,” I said while placing a beer in front of each person.

  “What about me?” Sonny's pet asked from inside his cage.

  “You can't drink. It could be dangerous for a creature your size. You know better than to ask such silly questions,” Sonny replied.

  “I wanna get drunk and I don't give a shit if it kills me. Better than being stuck here.”

  Sonny put his face close to the cage. “Just be lucky I found you again. Anything could have happened to you out there. Now your safe and sound in your cage. You need to start appreciating the smaller things in life. That's something we will work on.”

  The creature let out a nasty sounding hiss. Todd took a sip of his beer and leaned back in his chair. “Thanks for getting Tommy to find my soul. That was some good teamwork between you guys.”

  “Tommy just stepped up and took action,” I replied.

  Tommy chugged his beer and slammed it on the table. “I felt bad when I ran away. Like, I wanted to kill myself. I had to do something to make up for it. Just figured I would save everyone, and that's what I did.”

  “I was pissed when you ran away. In fact, I didn't think I could forgive you. But, you risked everything to come back for me. So, I forgive you.”

  “Sorry about that. I felt really bad,” Tommy replied. “I can't believe I ran. It just kinda happened without me thinking about it.”

  “It's okay. I forgive you,” I replied.

  “What are we going to do?” Sonny asked. “I can't live my life like this. How are we ever going to get out of this place?”

  “It's not that bad once you get used to it,” I replied.

  “Used to it? They want me to fight in the coliseum,” Sonny stuttered. “I'm a healer. Not a fighter. You can't take a loving man like myself and turn him into a hateful man. It just doesn't work. My kind heart won't allow me to fight someone.”

  In the corner of my eye, I saw a figure quickly a
pproaching our table. Then, there was a clapping sound. I turned around and saw Cosmo. “Look at this,” he said. “All of the losers are sitting at the same table. Kinda reminds me of lunch at highschool.”

  “Dude, you are the only loser here,” Tommy yelled back to him.

  Cosmo smiled and put both hands on Tommy's shoulders. “You're not too bright are you?”

  “Having second thoughts about the fight?” I asked.

  Tommy, Sonny and Todd all looked confused. “What fight?” Tommy asked.

  “Me and the backstabber are fighting in the coliseum tonight. Isn't that right Cosmo?”

  “If that's what you want to call it,” Cosmo replied. “Doubt it will be much of a fight.”

  Cosmo took a step backwards and put both of his hands together. Then, a serious look came to his face. “I do want to say that I am sorry. Sorry for what I did. I realize it was wrong, but I just couldn't help it.”

  “You're not sorry,” I replied. “If you were sorry, you would try and help us.”

  Cosmo tilted his head to the side. “You're right. I'm not that sorry. But, believe it or not, I do feel a little guilty.”

  “Okay. So why are you telling us this now?”

  “Just thought I would say it now since you are all here in the same spot. Figured it would be a good time to make amends. I didn't want anyone to think I was a bad guy,” he laughed.

  “Save your breath dude. We all know your a piece of shit.”

  “Fine. But, don't say I didn't try to apologize,” Cosmo replied.

  “Wait? Are you trying to back out of our fight? Is that what this is all about?” I asked.

  “You wish,” Cosmo laughed. “I just had a sudden urge to say that. Can't I just express my feelings?”

  “Dude. You are drunk. Did you forget that we were fighting tonight?”

  He smiled. “Do you see a drink in my hand?”

  “No, but I know you have been drinking. You are always drinking.”

  “Not before a fight. Only an idiot would do that.”

  I looked at the beer beside me. “I haven't even had a sip. Don't worry, I am ready for you. You are going to regret what you did to me. Just wait and see.”

  Cosmo began to walk away. “I can't wait,” he replied. “Surprises are always fun.”

  As he disappeared into the distance, I looked at everyone at our table. “I forgot to tell you guys about that. Me and him are seriously fighting in the coliseum tonight. Pretty crazy huh?”

  Todd looked confused. “Who was that guy?”

  “He was the guy who was helping us build an army. Everything was going great, but he betrayed us. He's the reason why we are all here. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have ended up here. And if I didn't end up here, none of you would have either.”

  Todd tilted his head and took a swig of his beer. “Beat his ass tonight.”

  “I wanna watch the fight,” Tommy said.

  “Okay,” I replied. “Tell the guards when they take you back to your cell. Tell them you want to watch me fight and they will allow it.”

  Tommy nodded. “Okay. Do you think you can beat Cosmo?”

  “I think so. I got a whole plan. In fact, I gotta get going. I actually have to learn a new skill real quick. Just in case something goes wrong.”

  Everyone stood up and shook my hand. Then, Sonny looked at me with a serious look on his face. “I will cheer for you. But please try and remember who took my robe. This is vital information that I need. Okay?”

  I sighed. Was this guy for real? “Dude. Your robe is gone. Sorry, that's just the way it is.”

  Sonny looked frustrated but tried to hide it. “Just replay your thoughts before you go to bed. That's all I ask. Sometimes you can reawaken suppressed memories with this method.”

  “Would you listen to yourself? Your pathetic,” the creature hissed.

  “Fine,” I replied. “I will be sure to try that one night.”

  “We will all watch your fight,” Todd said. “Good luck to you.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it. Hopefully I will see you guys tomorrow during our next free time. Until then, enjoy the fight.”

  I waved at everyone and made my way out of the tavern. Once outside, I knew I was short on time. My feet moved quickly as I headed towards the skill shop. I feared that the guards would arrive and grab me at any moment. But thankfully, they didn't. I looked for the shop with the sign I recognized. Then, I saw it. I saw the picture of a man swinging a sword. I pushed the metal doors open and entered the shop. Once inside, I saw the same NPC I had seen before with the scar on his face. I ran up to him and didn't waste any time. “I have 15.1 gold coins and need to learn a good skill. An attack that will catch my opponent by surprise.”

  The NPC looked at me while tightening his pony tail. “15 gold coins gives you a few options. What are you looking for exactly?”

  I began to think. What was it that I needed? If I had the dust on my blade, I just needed to land the blow. That was the most important thing. “I need a move that is quick. I just want to make sure I hit my opponent with my sword.”

  The NPC took a moment to think. Then, he put one hand into the air. “I have a good one. It delivers low attack damage, but has a high land probability. It is called IronPush. Did you want to learn that today?”

  “How much is it?”

  “Only 12 gold.”

  My eyebrows went up. Damn, this was nearly going to break me. But, I didn't care. I would pay my monthly dues with the money I would win in the coliseum. “Yes. I believe I do.”

  “Okay, but I should also tell you the skill uses mana. If you have low mana levels, it will not be as effective as it could be.”

  “My mana level is only 10. Will I still be able to land a blow?”

  “Maybe one or two times. But after that, your mana levels will be too low. You should get some mana potions to go along with this skill to replenish your levels.”

  Damn. I was glad I had bought a mana potion earlier. Hopefully I would have enough for everything. “I'll take this skill,” I replied while handing the NPC 12 gold coins.

  “Step this way,” the NPC said while pointing at a straw dummy.

  I walked over to the dummy and the NPC began to demonstrate the skill. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a potion. Then, he quickly drank it. After that, he held both hands in front of his chest. Suddenly, there was a burst of energy that came from him. The dummy jerked backwards before he delivered a rising upper cut move with his sword. “Wow,” I yelled. “That was really cool.”

  “The burst of energy stuns your opponent for a brief second. As good as the skill is, many players have a defense against it.”

  “If they can defend against it, then why would I use it in the first place?”

  “Most players don't expect this skill. Well, not unless you have a history of using it.”

  “So it should work right?”

  “Yes. It has a high chance of working the first time you use it. If the player is educated, he could have a defense set up for the skill. But usually only advanced players go through such troubles. If your opponent has never seen you use the skill, he would have no reason to believe you know it. If that is the case, I doubt he has set up a defense for it.”

  “That makes sense,” I replied.

  “While you are fighting in the coliseum, your opponent cannot see what skills you have. But, once outside of the coliseum, one can access a stat report on you if one talks to the right person. But that is a whole different story. You should be able to use this without any problems.”

  The NPC moved out of the way and pulled me closer to the dummy. “Practicing the skill will not drain your mana. This is all part of learning the skill.”

  I put both hands in front of my chest and the NPC handed me a mana potion. “Just drink this and feel the energy. Once you drink this, you will feel a warmness in your lower legs that will eventually rise to the pit of your stomach. This skill actually allows you to feel th
e mana increase as warmness. The warmness will begin to rise until it hits your lower stomach.”

  The NPC stopped talking and put his elbows against his stomach. “This part can be tricky for new players. Make sure your elbows are against your stomach. Once the warmness rises, you will feel your elbows start to become warm. You are simply directing the energy into your arms, and out of your palms. Once your elbows become warm, you need to believe that the energy is being transferred into your arms. See the energy in your mind, and know that it is there. Then, in your minds eyes, see the energy flowing into your arms and blasting out of your body.”