The Flying Emporium

“Well… this certainly was something, don’t you think? Haha.” Jake’s laugh was forced; it had been only the first screening of the event and things had already turned awkward – if not straight up disastrous.

Even with all his years of experience, commentating on people – sometimes monsters- going at each other in the savage, unrestrained fashion, he had never seen anything quite like this. And now it was up to him so salvaging the situation.

”I don’t think anyone here will forget this show anytime soon. It certainly met the requirements for something novel, that’s for sure,” he tried, but with his face put back on the giant monitor, it was easy to see just how uncomfortable he was. At least, judging by the reserved applause, he wasn’t the only one unsettled by what they had just witnessed.

Even the little applause that could be heard, most certainly wasn’t for the Saurian who had sounded so proud at the end of their broadcast, but was simply an expression of sheer relief that the show had come to an end.

Severin as well could only consider the show a disaster.

It was almost ironic.

All the blame he had lain on these people, on several previous occasions, when he had accused them of being obsessed with death and violence. And yet nothing he had seen during the Games came even close to what he had just seen during the event he had organized himself.

The short history lesson and the explanations of saurian societal structures, though somewhat educational, had already been awkward. It certainly didn’t help the entertainment value of the show that half of the saurian’s words were practically incomprehensible to human ears, even if it was technically still the common language of the continent. But it was the many repeated mentions of expected self-sacrifice and the gruesome details of how internal conflicts-both private and political in nature-were solved within the tribe that even at this point already painted a disturbing, off-putting picture that was truly unfit to entertain the spectators on Severin’s mountain.

And still, some sense of morbid curiosity managed to captivate the audience.

That was until the crowning finale of the broadcast, when the Limzahl introduced a saurian youngling wearing an intricate headdress and who soon went to prove that all the talk about self-sacrifice hadn’t just been a figure of speech.

Without much of a prior warning and with no shred of hesitation, the willing sacrifice rammed a discolored dagger into their stomach.

That was the body-part where at their age the scales still hadn’t completely hardened and could thus easily be penetrated, the Limzahl explained matter-of-factly.

The reactions at the two locations could not have been more different.

Back on the mountain, gasps and screams and cries went through the shocked audience, whereas cheerful chants could be heard sounding from offscreen; for not even an instant did the Limzahl turn their attention away from the disturbing sight, instead forcing their spectators to become accomplices, all while explaining just what exactly it was they were witnessing.

“Ve prefer zhe heat ov thiz dezert and ve need little vater to zurvive. Ztill, vater iz life, even for uz, and zhe dezert doesn’t provide even zhe little ve need. Not for free, that iz. Zo ve trade for it.

Blood of the land, for zaurian blood. Life for life.”

It was hard to watch, but soon came the proof that this was more than just a superstitious ceremony of a primitive people.

The small saurian, already on the verge of death, still held their head high, full of pride, reciting words in their native language, which, other than Severin, probably no one else in the audience could understand, and which even to him made only little sense.

It did, very evidently, however, did have some effect.

The moment the recitation finished, the pool of blood that had formed on the ground around the young’s feet started to glow. And then was quickly absorbed by the sand, leaving not even a single drop behind.

“You did good. Your sacrifice was accepted. Don’t linger. Rejoice and join the ranks of our revered ancestors. You and your sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

Again only Severin could understand the words the Limzahl said to the young sacrifice, making him feel as though he had heard something he shouldn’t have. That feeling was only reinforced by the fact that everything on the screen was shown through the Limzahl’s point of view, who was now intimately close to the child who, with their last breath, flashed a bright, toothy smile, relieved and proud of their accomplishment. Then their lifeless body fell onto the ground. In a matter of seconds, it quickly shriveled up as the dry earth absorbed even the last drop of liquid inside the body.

The whole audience on the mountain had become completely silent, whereas the chants on the other side only intensified.

And then came the downpour. Over the desert - where not even a speck of cloud could be seen even seconds earlier.

That was when the stream cut off, leaving them in the current situation where it was now Jake’s thankless task to save the situation

It truly was a disaster. Only an excited princess tried to convince Severin otherwise.

“Don’t mind the people’s reaction. We witnessed something truly outstanding. Something which probably no outsider before us has ever witnessed. People will study this for years to come!”

Mylana, who, without Severin’s notice, had joined them at some point in time, nodded in sober agreement.

“This is irrefutable proof of their use of actual [Ritual Magic].

They don’t just randomly kill, as people like to claim. Above all, they don’t sacrifice any other races. They can’t. It has to be their own - the sacrifice is also the one actually conducting the ritual! This is huge, you understand? In the long term, this will surely dispel some of the nasty rumors.

It’s a great step in the right direction. With this, I can only see our relations improve.”

Severin was very doubtful of her words. But it wasn’t like he cared much about its political implications, anyway. Certainly not right now.

At the moment, all he cared about was to get rid of the feeling of disgust he felt, and the success of his event going forward.

But surprisingly, it didn’t come to the great exodus of spectators he had already feared.

Maybe they were still too shocked to move, Severin mused.

Also, Jake did much better than expected and managed to make the best out of this situation. At a time like this, it seemed, his shitty jokes were just the right thing to lighten the mood; it certainly helped that people wanted to be distracted. By any means necessary. They willingly played along with their host, who soon went to introduce the next act.

“Think our next group of contenders can match the… excitement of the last show? Think they have a shot at winning the coveted grand prize? Well, let’s see and find out, shall we?”

More than one person prayed they would.