The Demonic Games (Disgardium Book #7): LitRPG Series, Dan Sugralinov [the read aloud family TXT] 📗

an hour, my enemies would be stuck in the great nothing. Youlang and Inchito may have survived, but it would be a while before they got out of the Pitfall.

I found Marcus still frozen in a lethargic sleep beneath a heap of corpses. He should be able to hear me…

“You aren’t going to survive this time, bruiser,” I said, returning to my own form, grabbing his body and taking off into the air with it. “Sorry I tricked you with my Quetzal disguise. I’m not as rotten as you think. I’m not undead anymore, you know…”

Flying over the village where my allies had spread out, I noticed that Quetzal and Hellfish weren’t letting anyone relax: sentries stood around the perimeter, and a queue of people wanting to repair their gear had formed at the blacksmith.

As I approached the Pitfall, I kept talking to the silent Marcus, explaining my actions to the viewers.

“Just wait until the end of the Games, and you’ll understand what all this was for…”

Hanging above the Pitfall, I dropped the gladiator down to meet Abaddon. The orc bruiser, along with the titan destroyer Quetzal, was probably one of the best players here. But as a man, judging by Renato Loyola and Destiny Windsor’s reviews, he was a total piece of shit. And now, with no control over his body, he fell like one.

Done with him, I shot back toward the village. As I got closer, I saw strange activity: people gathered by the well. I wasn’t close enough to see who. Could Inchito or Youlang have gotten out of the Pitfall and attacked my raid? Sensing that something was off, I activated Clarity, got closer and realized I was just in time.

Although what was happening wasn’t what I expected.

My enemies hadn’t found my allies. Something of the reverse had happened: my friends had found Destiny and still thought her an enemy! And had decided to lynch her, and take out their anger in the process. Bogatyr Arioch and warrior Kart held the girl while the others suggested various methods of mortification, each more terrible than the last. For an instant I thought I was lost, that the civilized people I knew had been replaced by sadistic inquisitors.

The tailor Hox, his bloody mouth set in a grin, was trying to cut Destiny’s leg off with a rusty knife. Blood spurted out in a fountain. At the same time, to keep their prisoner from dying, they had three healers focusing her at once, including Michelle.

“Hold back, we won’t be able to heal her!” the dryad cried.

Holy paladin Blondiecat and templar Alison helped with the healing — that was all our healers except Equilibrium the paladin, who wasn’t there. And they were all girls! Even they didn’t feel any empathy for Destiny!

I came out of stealth and dove down to the cobbles between the prisoner and the crowd, pushed away the bloodthirsty craftsman so hard that he fell down onto his back in the queue of others hungry to torture the silver ranger.

“Leave her alone!” I turned to Quetzal. “What’s going on here?”

Surprise flashed across the titan’s impassive face:

“You’re not the only one with a bone to pick with her, kid! We need to blow off steam! You weren’t there yesterday. You didn’t see what she and her lackeys got up to in the graveyard!”

“Yesterday was yesterday, Quetzal.” I stood before the silver ranger, shielding her from the others. “She’s with us now! With me!”

Meister’s furious face appeared before me. The jeweler raised his finger, jabbed it at Destiny and then at my chest.

“Excuse me, young man, but how’s that? She’s an enemy! And if she failed to make good on her deal with Marcus, that’s her problem!”

“I said she’s not our enemy anymore!” I snapped back angrily, although mostly because I couldn’t even explain my position. “Not our enemy! Right, Des? And she sincerely wants to apologize!”

The elf girl flared her nostrils, but nodded. Someone from the crowd threw a stone at her, hitting her in the face. Her temple turned crimson and tears flowed from her eyes. Holding back the pain, Destiny looked down at the ground.

“I’m not your enemy anymore,” she whispered. “I really shouldn’t have caused you all that trouble. I’m really sorry.”

“Sorry?” Hellfish scoffed. “Scyth, did you know she was supposed to help us since day one? Horvac and Hinter made a deal with Joshua. Destiny and her people were supposed to come over to our side and follow my commands! Whatever she promises you, she won’t make good on it!”

“An Arbiter officiated the deal!”

“So what? She had a contract with Marcus too! And she weaseled out of it without giving a damn about the penalties!”

“Listen to me! She is not our enemy! I promised to protect her and I will keep that promise, just like I’ll keep our agreement!”

Meister grabbed the front of my shirt, shook me and shouted, turning red and spraying spittle:

“No, you just think she isn’t our enemy! I don’t want anything to do with that… lady!”

“Get a grip, kid!” Hellfish shouted. “That bitch deserves punishment!”

“We want justiiice!” Michelle sang.

“She has to answer for it!” Meister said, still spitting in fury.

“I said no!” I barked, putting my arms around Destiny and getting ready to go into Clarity and fly away if necessary. “You won’t just not touch her! She’s coming with us! I’m bringing her into the raid!”

I sent her an invitation, which she immediately accepted, but the next second one of the leaders kicked Destiny from the group, then removed my right to invite new members.

“Go on, kick me from the raid too!”

The snarling crowd surged forward, closing in around us.

“What?” Michelle shouted, her voice shaking with outrage. “You’re swapping us for her?”

“Scyth, have you forgotten that she tried to shoot you in