BladeDust Online: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 1) Read online

  His voice alone made a sick feeling come to my stomach. Deep down inside, I knew he was right. But that still didn't mean it was okay for him to take advantage of me. I wanted to kill him, but I couldn't. He was on the other side of the bars. So, I did all that I could do. I spit on him.

  He wiped it from his face. Then, a slow growing smile came to him. He laughed. “You will pay for that later.”

  No I wouldn't. In fact, I was going to get my revenge. I was going to make sure he would pay for what he had done to me. Even though I wanted him dead, I was still curious as to how he had arrived at FlatFall. “How did you get here? Did you screw over your own kind? You know, the other criminals who are running this joint? Did you screw them over too? Is that why you are here?”

  He tilted his head. “Sometimes you get a little too cocky. Thought I could pocket a little extra. They didn't like that too much though. Oh well,” he said while shrugging his shoulders.

  The line began to move faster. He was almost out of my site. But not quite. “You're not going to get away with this,” I said with my face against the bars. “That's a promise.”

  Cosmo laughed. Then, he flicked his hand into the air. “You're lucky all of these guards are around. I would dispose of you this very moment if I could. You aren't going to do shit to me. That's a promise!”

  After that, he disappeared from my view. I sat down on the floor. Douglas laid on his stomach but didn't say anything. My heart began to beat faster. I wanted my revenge on Cosmo, but I also just wanted to forget about him. Seeing him sent emotions through my body that I didn't enjoy. Pure feelings of hate. Truthfully, I didn't like to feel that. Douglas rolled to his back. “What was that all about?”

  “That guy is the reason I am here,” I replied.

  “Just kill him then.”

  “How? He's a higher level than me.”

  “Fight in the coliseum and level up. It's the quickest way to level up and get new weapons.”

  Yes, that was it! The troll had given me an idea. “I'm gonna fight Cosmo in the coliseum. How do I arrange that?”

  Douglas jumped to his feet. He was excited. “Yes. That's what I want to hear! That's what you need to do.”

  “How? How do I do it?”

  “You just fight. Fight until the people cheer for you. Once that happens, you will gain some power. You can get the Emperor to arrange the fight for you. Or, he can get the Emperor to arrange it. It just depends.”

  “Really? The Emperor would do that?”

  Douglas balled his hands into two fist. His body began to tremble. What the hell was he so excited about? “You win! You just win,” he screamed while jumping up and down.

  “Alright,” I said while scooting away from him. “I'll win.”

  “Can you see it? Can you see it in my eyes?”

  “See what?”

  “My passion. My passion for fighting.”

  My head slowly went up and down. “Actually I can.”

  “Good. That is what you need. Once you have this, you will begin to win. Understand?”

  “I think so,” I replied.

  Douglas began to breathe heavily. Then, he began to cough. The cough started to sound serious as he bent over. “Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine,” he replied. “I just need some air. My excitement is so high. It's almost deadly sometimes.”

  I leaned away from him. He was weird. But in an odd way, he was motivating. This little troll was passionate. I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing though. Slowly, the troll calmed down. We both just sat as I tried to rest. Hours passed until I heard incoming footsteps. Then, a guard arrived at our cell. “To your feet,” he said with his finger pointed at me.

  I stood up. “Am I fighting tonight?”

  “You are fighting now,” the guard replied.

  “Now? But I don't have any weapons or healing potions.”

  “This is hand to hand combat. You are not allowed any weapons, armor, or healing potions during this fight. These are the rules for your first fight.”

  Damn. This was kinda crazy. Douglas jumped up and got closer to the guard. “I want to see his first fight,” Douglas said. “Are there any openings for tonight?”

  The guard pulled out a piece of paper and began to examine it. Then, he put it away. “We got a few openings. I will send a guard for you.”

  A few openings? They let other prisoners watch the fight too? In a way, that was kinda cool. “I'll be watching you,” Douglas said with a stern look on his face. “I'll get the audience pumped up. I will give you the home field advantage. Just wait and see.”

  The guard led me out of my cell. Crap. I was more nervous than I ever thought I would be. My footsteps echoed as we headed to wherever we were headed. It was official, I was about to fight in the coliseum.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  After a long walk, we arrived in a small room. There was a round wooden table. On the table, were two cups of water, and two plates of rice. “Enjoy your meal,” the guard said while leading me to the table.

  I took a seat. Could this food and water be trusted? I didn't know. The guard left and closed the door. The room was very small and basic. I looked at the wall and noticed a large painting of a man. It was the Emperor. Wow. I knew it. This dude was an egomaniac. I looked closely at his painting. His smile was way too much. It was obvious that he was trying his best to look as pleasant as possible. But he didn't fool me, I could see the evil in his eyes. I stared at my food. I was hungry.

  The door slammed open. It was another guard. Behind him, was a tall skinny man. He wore the same basic outfit that I did. “Meet your opponent,” the guard said.

  The man sat down at the table across from me. His eyes were shifty and cold. His head went towards the plate in front of him. He sniffed the rice. “Did you eat any yet?” he asked without looking at me.

  My head went from side to side. “Not yet.”

  The guard laughed. Then, he stuck his hand into the rice and grabbed some. He tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it. “It's just rice,” he said.

  We both dug into our rice like wild animals. There was a thud as the guard left the room. After we finished eating rice and drinking our water, we just sat and stared at each other. What the hell was this? Were we just suppose to make small talk and act like everything was normal? This whole setup was kinda messed up. I put my elbow on the table and leaned closer to him. “Guess we are fighting each other,” I mumbled.

  He picked his lip. “Yea. That's what they are telling me.”

  I looked at his arms. He was skinny. He didn't look like much of a challenge. I looked at his display name and level:

  Anderson Lives80 – Level 02

  Human – Warrior

  Okay. I could handle a level 2. I felt lucky to be fighting such a low level for my first fight. We both didn't have any weapons. I was really starting to feel thankful that I stacked my strength. We continued to sit in almost total silence. It was awkward. So, I decided to ask another question. “Been in many fights?”

  His head went from side to side. “Not really. I haven't even had a chance to play much yet.”

  Suddenly, the door slammed open. “It is time,” the guard said.

  There was a tense energy in the air. It almost felt like we were going to the electric chair or something. Our footsteps were slow as I stood on one side of the guard, and he stood on the other. We headed up a straight narrow hallway. I could hear it. I could hear the crowd cheering. My heart beat faster and faster as we got closer and closer. Brightness was all I could see at the end of the hallway. There was a warmth when the sun hit my head and the crowd was almost deafening. Wow! My body spun around in a circle. The coliseum was massive. It was just like I had seen in the movies. Like a huge football stadium. But, it wasn't. It was an actual real coliseum. Humans, Trolls, Elves and Orcs cheered in the audience around us.

  The guard held his hand out to stop me from walking. Then, he looked at my opponent. “Position yours
elf over there,” he said while pointing at the opposite side of the coliseum.

  My opponent began to run across the open arena. I picked up some dirt from the dusty ground and rubbed it into my hands. I didn't know the purpose of this, but it made me feel tough. I continued rubbing my hands together. The crowd began to cheer louder. I looked around at the thousands of people watching. Were these actual players? If so, I was already kinda famous. I scanned the crowd. I wanted to see if I saw Douglas. But, I didn't. I was sure he was here though. But, there were just too many faces. I looked ahead at my opponent. Oh, he was going to be hurt. But, did I have to kill him? Was that the rules? I had somehow forgotten to ask that. Then, an uneasy feeling came to my stomach. Crap. Was this a fight to the death?

  I turned to the crowd and threw my hands into the air. They went crazy and someone even threw a white flower on to the ground. Wow. It actually made me feel kinda special. Then, there was a loud metal clanging noise. It almost sounded like someone rang a big ass bell. After that, the coliseum began to rumble as the crowd stomped their feet. “Fight, fight, fight,” they yelled over and over.

  This was it. This was my first appearance in the coliseum. My rise from zero to hero. I looked ahead and noticed my opponent was running full speed at me. Luckily for me, the arena was big. He wasn't even halfway to me yet. I had some time, but the situation was becoming urgent. I had to decide how I was going to defeat this man. Closer and closer he got as I started to panic. What was I going to do? Should I kick his knees and then follow up with a pound to his head? Or maybe I should pretend to be injured? Lure him in with a sob story? No, I couldn't do that. Only a coward would do something like that. Before I could begin my next thought, he was right in front of me. Damn. I was out of time. “Come at me,” he yelled.

  My hands went in front of my chest. Okay, this was it. I jumped from side to side as he did the same. Then, I swung my right hand but was stopped midway through. He kicked my left knee and delivered an upper cut that sent me to my back. With a leap, he was on top of me. I caught his hand as it came crashing down towards my face. Then, my other hand went around his neck. His face began to lose color as my grip got tighter and tighter. I didn't want to kill him, but I had to get him off me. He gasped for air and tried to loosen my grip. Our eyes met as I could see the life fading away in them. Crap. Was he about to die?

  My grip loosened and he went into a coughing fit. Without warning, sand went into my eyes. That bastard! How could he throw sand into my eyes? The burning was intense as I tried to get the sand out. But, he hit me in the face. Then, he hit me again. With a sudden burst of energy, I threw the man off me and got back to my feet. What was my health? I looked at my bar and saw that it was more than halfway down. 4/16? Crap, he had hurt me pretty badly.

  When my vision came back, all I saw was him running full force at me with his head down. I kneed him right in the jaw and soon afterwards he fell to his knees. He got up, but I quickly knocked him back to the ground. I walked over to him and grabbed the back of his head. I pulled his head back so that I could see his face. It was covered in blood. “I surrender,” he mumbled while spitting some blood on to the ground.

  I looked up at the crowd. Wow. They were cheering for me. Then, I looked back down at my opponent. Was I expected to kill him? I raised my hand into the air. But, I slowly lowered it. Then, I let go of his hair and watched his body fall to the ground. The crowd cheered harder. But then, they began to “boo” me. I could tell they wanted to see death, but I couldn't give it to them. I couldn't take a man's life that did nothing wrong to me. Both of my arms went into the air. I couldn't believe it! I had actually won my first fight.

  The “boos” slowly turned back into cheers as some white pedals floated down to the ground. Two guards came out and dragged my opponent away. Then, a guard pointed to the left. Two men were dragging a wooden chest towards the center of the arena. Wow. Was this my loot? What was inside of the chest? My footsteps were heavy as I walked to the chest. I opened it and examined the contents:

  Coliseum Victory Reward!

  15 Gold Coins!

  Nice! 15 gold coins for one fight? That was good, but I wondered if the prize would get higher and higher with each fight I won? I didn't know. But, I was just happy to have some gold. Now, I just needed to find out where I could buy new weapons. My thoughts were interrupted by a level up alert:

  Congratulations!

  You Have Leveled Up! Open Your Inventory To Distribute Points.

  I opened my inventory:

  Note To User: You Have 4 Points to Distribute. Use your points wisely.

  Walker Williamson – Level 5

  Human Male - Warrior

  Statistics:

  HP: 18/18

  Stamina: 14

  Mana: 10

  Attributes:

  Strength: 14 (+4 added)

  Persuasion: 3

  Intelligence: 1

  Willpower: 1

  Sneak: 2

  Agility: 3

  Skills:

  None yet acquired

  Perks:

  None yet acquired

  Abilities:

  None yet acquired

  Awesome! Would I level up every time I won a fight? If so, that was gonna be great. I stacked up my strength even more. I looked at my arms and saw that they were a little bit bigger. This was starting to get addictive. How strong could I get? Within moments, a guard walked over to me and grabbed my arm. I slowly walked with him. There was an overwhelming sense of power that came over me. Almost as if the crowd's positive energy was being funneled into me. I felt powerful and alive.

  The cheers continued as I left the coliseum. We continued down the long hallway as I wondered where we were going. It all seemed so weird. How did I end up in this position? Eventually, the guard took me back to the small room where me and my opponent had eaten our rice. He sat me down at the same table. I looked at my blood covered hands. Was this my own blood or the blood of my opponent? I reached up and touched my face and then looked at my hand. There was more blood.

  Suddenly, a short man wearing a black robe came into the room. It was the Emperor. “Very good,” he said with both of his hands together.

  “Thank you.”

  He sat down across from me and brushed the white hair away from his wrinkly eyes. “If you keep winning, you will become a very satisfied resident here in FlatFall.”

  “Oh yea? How can I ever be happy when I am locked up in a cell?”

  He leaned closer to me. “You have not been here for long. If you continue to win, you will get your own private home in FlatFall. You can live a life of luxury here. It's all up to you.”

  “Really?” I asked with surprise. “How many matches must I win?”

  “It's not about how many matches you win. It's about the crowd. Win them over, and you will win the life you have always dreamed of.”

  “How will I know? How will I know when I have reached that level?”

  The Emperor stood up. “It doesn't happen overnight. You are just another new player right now. A quick thrill for them, that's all. But, continue to win, and your name will carry weight.”

  I was starting to see how this place worked. If you made the Emperor gold, you were good. If you didn't make money, you would end up like the old guy. Thrown in some hole. For this, I didn't like the Emperor. Still, I had to take an opportunity when I saw one. “I will continue to win. I am certain of it.”

  A devious look came to his face. “Excellent. That is what I like to hear. We have no patience for losers here in FlatFall. A loser doesn't only bring himself down, but he also brings down the entire city.”

  “Where can I get weapons? And, is there somewhere I can train?”

  “Of course,” the Emperor replied. “That is what FlatFall is all about. The whole city is built around the coliseum. Once a day you are allowed to train and purchase weapons in the city. There is a large merchant here who sells nearly any weapon or armor set you can imagine. Look for the
star symbol on top of his shop.”

  I didn't know we could visit the city. Wow, that actually gave me some hope of living a “fairly normal” life. I could feel the motivation building inside of me. It was clear what I needed to do now. I needed to become obsessed with leveling up, getting new weapons and winning coliseum battles. I nodded my head. “I will work hard to gain my new life.”

  The Emperor walked away towards the door. He turned towards me. “You show a lot of promise. Do not let me down.”

  I didn't reply. He left and was quickly replaced with a guard. As the guard grabbed my arm, I wondered what had happened to my opponent. Did they just let him go back to his cell and rest up? Or did something much worse happen to the loser? When we arrived at my cell, Douglas was really excited to see me. The guard pushed me in and slammed the door behind me. “Did you see me in the crowd?” Douglas asked.