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

“A demon that might go crazy and out of control at any moment,” Hellfish added.

I started to get angry. Meister or Destiny were one thing, but listening to whining from these supposedly strong fighters, leaders? Gritting my teeth, I got a grip on myself and spoke as calmly as I could:

“Do I really have to talk you into it? Let’s just pretend I tried. Listen, I can’t protect you here — I can’t be in two places at once. Are you coming with me or not?”

“Fine,” the titan nodded, exchanging a glance with Hellfish. “Listen, Alex, we’re not trying to act up here. Things just get weirder and weirder around you. You’re sketchy. Plans go wrong, everything’s ass backwards and you don’t seem to give a damn, you always get away with it. It’s hard to know what to expect from you, and that’s…”

“Awkward,” the werewolf grumbled. “Sketchy. But there’s no other choice. Let’s go.”

Quetzal was too heavy, so I had to fly low and slow with the both of them, but it was still faster than walking. On the way there, we noticed Destiny sitting on the ground and drawing something in the dust. Hellfish turned into a huge wolf and ran along the ground while I picked the girl up. She was lucky that Inchito was delayed and Youlang was still wandering around somewhere below…

Despot wasn’t by the staircase — either he heard me and was hiding, or…

“Hey, Horns, where are you?” I shouted into the Pitfall. My voice echoed back to me over and over.

“Useless pet,” Hellfish commented.

“Despot!” I shouted. “Horns! Here!”

Damn, I should have learned the Summoning Pentagram… No sooner did I think that than a rumble came from below:

“I sense an enemy spirit!” Despot growled. “It is close, but I cannot reach it!”

“Go down!” I shouted to my allies, then shot downwards myself.

“No, we’ll wait here,” Hellfish shouted down as I went. “That damn Godzilla of yours is down there, and we’re on our last lives…”

I found Despot before the open gates of floor 22.

“There you are! What about the enemy?”

The demon pointed into the darkness. Green flashes exploded within and I heard a girl laughing.

“I cannot pass the threshold,” the demon said. “Something blocks my way…”

“Nether!” I swore and flew into the instance.

Only then did I see the updated list of the raid group: a third of my allied portraits were covered with skulls. I hadn’t been keeping track!

Flying on in despair, the first one I saw was a motionless centaur girl — she was frozen in mid-gallop, her eyes wide, her arms spread and her front legs raised before her. Next was Meister, motionless in a crouch by the wall, sparks circling above his head.

The rest were stopped in various poses around the wide cave. Bloomer had managed to take out his swords, Michelle had begun a cast. It all looked as if I was in Clarity, only I wasn’t, which meant it was a mass stun…

…initiated by Youlang. She stood in the middle of the cave with her arm raised as if signaling to someone, holding something else in her other hand.

The spellcaster spread her fingers and an expanding figure appeared between them — I went into Clarity and shot toward Youlang, but still wasn’t fast enough. For the first time, I felt like I couldn’t move fast enough — the paladin Equilibrium, frozen opposite her, began to inflate like a balloon. He covered over with cracks and his body exploded, sending guts flying. The spell’s effect was lightning-fast even in my quickened state. Only when they shot into the air did the sprays of blood and scraps of flesh slow and seem to hang there.

Looking around, I groaned. A bloody mist filled the entire cave. Equilibrium wasn’t Youlang’s only victim; everyone in the hall died. For some, it was their last death in the Games…

Shooting toward motionless Youlang, I grabbed her by the arm, flew out of the dungeon and thought about what to do with her. Just killing her was pointless, as was dropping her down the Pitfall — she had Levitation, after all. That left only one choice — to deliver her personally to Abaddon and make sure the demon ate her.

And then I remembered Inchito. His allies in Marcus’s raid were still stuck in Spirit Shackles, but the light priest was at the graveyard! I’d have to fly down, then back to the surface, then to the cemetery… I wouldn’t make it. While I did that, Inchito would have time to kill my surviving allies several times over. Gritting my teeth, I raised Youlang before me with my left hand, looked at her face frozen in an evil, triumphant grin, pulled back my arm for a Hammerfist and… Lowered it again. If I killed the spellcaster, she would only revive at the graveyard and speed up my allies’ disincarnation before I got there. I had to take her out when I was in position.

I saw the barely moving figures of Destiny, Hellfish and Quetzal rushing down the stairs, but I didn’t stick around.

At that moment, a demonic whisper cut through Clarity and sounded in my head: Wait, ally. I sense that you will need my help above.

I stopped before Despot frozen on the second floor, asked him mentally: How can you help me?

Try to draw a Summoning Pentagram above. I will teach you quickly, it is not difficult, it is the easiest spell of the warlock. If we can circumvent the barrier, then I will leave the Pitfall and help you.

I know how you’ll ‘help’ me, I thought mistrustfully. You’ll eat everyone!

Summon me! I promise you I will do no harm to civilians or your friends, only to your enemies! I swear on the Inferno!

Despot had already proven to be an unreliable and wayward ally,