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

viewers will recall that this is the sixth time Meister has entered the Demonic Games!”

“Only for this singular wine!” Joseph shouted, raising his glass.

“You pay a high price for our wine!” Octius laughed. “For those who don’t know, after each loss, Meister gave up 1% of his total health to the champions of the Games!”

“Take it all!” the jeweler waved a hand. “I don’t need it in my workshop anyway!”

Everyone laughed and Octius moved to my bald neighbor:

“Theodore Novak, better known as Shemshur the Tamer, master of the Pet Battles at the Arena! I remember that final like it was yesterday! Shemshur’s spectral chimera versus Mushekvi’s rhinoceros… A stunning battle, Theodore! Glad to see you among the contestants!”

Theodore struck his chest twice with a fist and sat down to roaring applause.

Octius saved me for last.

“Alex Sheppard!”

I rose to a tidal wave of booing and whistling. My heart thumped in my chest and I felt the blood rush to my face. I wanted to hide under the table, but I kept standing there like a tin soldier. I didn’t feel like waving, striking my fist on my chest or smiling.

“Also known as Herald Scyth…” Octius fell silent, waiting for the public to calm down, but they had no such plans — the shouts drowned out even the music. “Ladies and gentleman, I demand respect! I swear on my role as master of the Games, if any of you fail to be silent now, they will get a personal penalty from me for the entire first day!”

The threat worked and the room fell silent, but then someone figured out a loophole and the rest took it up — they all just started roaring so that it would be impossible to make out individual voices. They all howled.

Octius twirled a finger in the air and someone behind the scenes raised the volume on his voice sharply:

“Alex Sheppard, the class-A Threat! Scyth the Herald! I have to give credit to this boy’s bravery for accepting the summons! Remember, Scyth has none of the abilities from his Threat status here! So let’s applaud him for not being afraid to be here in the same room with all of you! A welcome this warm will boil the blood in your veins!”

Guy Barron Octius smiled and the hall laughed.

“Sure, you can’t hit Alex here, but what stops you doing it in the Cursed Chasm? Ha-ha!”

The Cursed Chasm was the damned place where they were going to send us all.

The master of ceremonies finished laughing, coughed and began speaking again, his voice growing more serious:

“Before we finish the opening ceremony, let’s wait for the votes! Our viewers have had the opportunity to meet all the contestants. They have seen not only this ceremony, but also your videos and greeting messages. The vote will determine the best and worst contestant of the Demonic Games on opening day!”

The hall froze. I filled with a sense of foreboding. Thinking about it, I had many fans, especially among those sick of the preventers. But votes were easy to manipulate, and the audience bonus could go to anyone. A one-time ability, artifact or enhancement. The debuff, on the other hand, lasted for a full day following the vote. On the first day, a second death meant ejection from the Games, and running around the Cursed Chasm with a debuff… That would mean guaranteed disincarnation for me.

“The viewers’ favorite player of the opening day is…” Octius paused as if drinking in the tension in the hall. “Priestess Tissa! My sincerest congratulations, Melissa Schafer! With a slight lead of a fraction of a percent, you overtook unrivaled gladiator Quetzal and queen of beauty Anna! It seems the viewers appreciated your performance earlier on!”

All the cameras turned to Tissa, who squealed and jumped into Malik’s arms. I looked at her shining face, recalling the night I’d spent reassuring her after she suddenly turned up on my doorstep. Back then, Tissa had been on the edge — in despair after burying her hopes for a bright future. Now the girl was the total opposite of the Tissa I loved.

Octius raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. A hole opened up next to him and a huge boiling cauldron rose up onto the stage, multicolored smoke whirling above it.

“The Cauldron! The Measuring Cauldron!” my neighbors all gasped at once.

“That’s the good cauldron,” Anna said.

“Remember, there are no secrets on opening day!” Octius said with a flourish. “We’re about to find out exactly what Tissa’s reward will be…”

Octius stuck an arm into the brew, mixed it and pulled out an orb around the size of an apple. He raised it above his head and it exploded in thousands of colorful sparks. A message flashed above him:

Banshee Queen’s Cry

 

One-time ability.

 

On use, makes all enemies within visibility radius freeze in terror for 1 minute.

 

“My congratulations to Tissa! This Cry could save this beautiful young woman’s life! But, Melissa… Are you listening to me? Remember, the ability will disappear after one use!”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Mr. Octius!” Tissa answered.

“Great, great! It’s always nice when a young lady like yourself doesn’t argue and just takes advice gratefully!” Octius blew her a kiss. “And now we move on to the worst player of the opening day. Unfortunately, that will be… Wow…”

As if from nowhere, a glass appeared in Octavius’s hand and he took a big swig. Then he wiped his forehead with his sleeve:

“Ahem… It’s never nice to give bad news. The viewers have made their choice almost unanimously. With a huge lead over Meister the Jeweler and Infect the Bard, the unlucky loser of day one is… Herald Scyth!”

What a surprise!

I knew the voting would be easy to rig, I’d expected those kinds of tricks from Snowstorm, but I’d still hoped for