"So last season we had a total of ten participants. However, sadly there weren't any winners." Mister Θ remarks as he appears in front of the camera.
No one knew who Mister Θ was. When he first appeared on the Internet, he was considered a joke - a clown to entertain the masses. He always wore a flamboyant suit and one of the two theater masks, which changed depending on his mood. However, as people continued to watch the episodes, they soon realized that the game show was not like any other...in it the losers all died.
Because of this, the police, the world governments, even the regular citizens would scour the Internet for any information that could lead them to uncover the identity of this sadistic host. According to the community forums, Mister Θ should be around six feet tall and between thirty to thirty-five years of age. Judging by his accent, many concluded that he was of American descent. But other than that, no other information was revealed.
And now that a new season has begun, the US government as well as the other first world governments have placed their full attention on solving the mysteries of the game show in hopes of preventing any more deaths. As the viewers fidget in their seats and glare at their screens, the masked host continues with his introductions.
"But that's all in the past. Now, we have with us - ten new contestants! Here they are! Give them a round of applause!"
Suddenly, ten holes appear in the ground within the glass room as a whirring noise hums out. Man-sized tubes emerge from these holes. When the elevating platforms come to a halt, the tubes open with a hiss. Ten confused people, men and women of varying ages, step out. While they glance around with panic and bewilderment, Mister Θ begins introducing them.
"If you look at the screen above, you will see the names and general statuses of each participant."
"First, we have Gustaf Kohl...male and thirty-one years of age. He works as a CEO of a small company in Essen, Germany."
"Next is Inka Sheinfeld...female and twenty-six years of age. She is currently an international student from Finland studying in the UK."
"The third contestant is Winona Littlerock...female and forty years of age. She is a national USA champion in archery. She is currently teaching archery skills to young children. Hopefully, when you guys decide her weapons, she will get a bow. Otherwise...." Mister Θ giggles impishly.
"Anyways, the fourth contestant is Nthanda Opeyemi from Yoruba, Africa. He is a seventeen year old high school student working part-time as a waiter in a small diner. Don't look at his young age short stature. He's part of the national track team and specializes in the hundred meter dash."
"The fifth contestant is Sacha Fontaine from Paris, France. He...eh, I mean, she is a rising model for ShoeMax. As for her age, she doesn't like disclosing it, but ahem ahem it's thirty-seven."
"The sixth contestant is Sita Patel - a twenty-seven year old lawyer from Nepali, India. I heard her hobbies involve gymnastics and yoga."
"This seventh contestant is my favorite. He is Jarvis Hackett. He's a thirty-one year old veteran and an expert gunslinger. Give him a gun and he can win against any enemy. Give him a knife and...well, he can still win. It'll just take longer."
"The next contestant, however, is disappointing. Skinny...no special skills...lacking in the IQ department...give a round of applause to Nolan Fitzpatrick from Cleveland, Ohio. Hmm? What was that? Did someone booed? Well booed! This twenty-one year old hikkimori will definitely die in the first round."
"Let's move on. The second to last participant is Lee Min-Su from Seoul, Korea. The chances of her beating level one is the second highest in my opinion. Some of you may have heard of her. She's a rather famous violinist, but that's not what makes her likely to win. This eighteen year old rising star is also an esper. She has what is known as telekinesis. Of course, her skills aren't powerful as she can only move small objects a few feet away. But, nevertheless, I feel that this woman will give us a nice surprise!"
"Finally, we have Lindsey Chu...female and twenty-three years of age. She is a Chinese American and works as a part-time translator for a small gaming company located in Seattle, Washington."
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"There we have it folks. These are our ten new participants. Let's have a closer look, shall we?"
Mister Θ reaches over to the camera and hoists it over his shoulder. He walks towards the glass room and points the camera at the nearest player - Lindsey Chu. Mister Θ smiles at the frightened woman and asks.
"Any words you like to say to the audience?"
Lindsey Chu stares at the camera...or rather at the person holding the camera, "W-Who are you? Where a-am I? Why a-are you d-doing this?"
"Now, now. Say something motivational to the camera. Something like 'I'm gonna do my best!' or 'Level 10? Hah! That's easy to beat!'...yea, something like that." Mister Θ gestures towards Lindsey and urges her to continue.
"Wh-What do you mean? W-What do y-you want from m-me?"
"This isn't going anywhere. Let's move on to the next contestant." Mister Θ brings the camera to the next person - a small youth of African descent.
As the masked host begins to interview the small man, a large hand appears and pushes the young African man away. A fist flies towards the glass wall, but the bulletproof glass did not break. Mister Θ, however, did not flinch despite the sudden movements. The owner of the fist is Gustaf. The middle-aged man glared a Mister Θ, fumes of rage blowing out of him.
"What do you want from us?! Let us out!"
"Now, look at this. Even though Gustaf here is clearly German, his English is flawless. This is due to my advanced technology that destroys any language barriers between the participants and the viewers."
"Is it money you want?" Gustaf continues to question after begin ignored. "I can give you five...no ten million USD if you let me out! Hey! Wait, don't leave!"
Gustaf frantically tries to persuade Mister Θ but he becomes angrier by the minute until he finally starts to curse profusely and begins smashing his fists on the glass. In the meantime, Mister Θ has moved on to the next contestant - Jarvis Hackett.
"Got anything to say to the folks out there?" Mister Θ asks the blond man.
Jarvis had his eyes closed initially but when Mister Θ approached him, he glanced up and stared at the masked host.
"Why am I here? Is this how you treat one of your loyal fans?"
"Eh? I was asking if you have anything motivational to say to the audience, why are you bringing an entirely different topic up?"
"Answer me! I swear! If you don't let me out, I'll beat this goddamned game and kill you myself!"
"Haha! Now that's the motivation I'm looking for. Fine, since you have satisfied my desire, I'll answer your question."
It is at this moment when everyone stops what they are doing. Gustaf, Lindsey, everyone calms down to hear what Mister Θ has to say. The flamboyant man casually turns off the camera and leans close to the glass wall. As everyone strains their ears to listen, Mister Θ tells Jarvis the reason why he is selected.
"There's a hidden rule that I forgot to mention to you guys last year. Sometimes, the contestants will be told the name of the person who makes the most 'Majority' decisions. This is to liven up their mood if you know what I mean. When they die, they are given a decision to make on their own. Who...should...they...sent...here...next? Now you understand?"
When Jarvis heard this hidden rule, his eyes bulged out and he stammers in fury. "This son of a bitch! You motherfucking son of a bitch! I'll kill you!!"
"Haha! I'll give you a chance to kill me if you beat Level 10."
"You most fucking bet I will!" Jarvis smashes his hand on the glass wall, causing it to vibrate.
Mister Θ walks up to the camera and turns it on again. With a sorry expression, he bows to the audience. "Sorry folks, there was a minor technical difficulty. Now, any questions? Of course not. Let's begin the games!"
He hoists the camera to his shoulders once more and pans the entire room, making sure the audience gets a look at all of the contestants. Then, he brings the camera to a picture next to the glass room.
"This here is the map. The blue icons represent the enemies a.k.a the monsters of the dungeon floor. There are a few treasure chests, a few key-holding vases, and a trap or two. After defeating all of the monsters, there's a boss battle at the end of the floor. Everyone got a good look at the map yet? I'll give you five more seconds to save it to memory. Five...four...three...two...and one."
The masked man spins around and brings the camera towards the contestants once again, "We will be airing level one during the weekdays of this week. That means, two contestants per day. The first two for today is Contestant Gustaf Kohl and Contestant Inka Sheinfeld. Security! Send the rest to the waiting lounge."
Suddenly, the doors fling open as numerous masked guards emerge and rush towards the contestants. They quickly separates Gustaf and Inka from the rest and drags the others out of the room. Four guards remain in the room to watch over the two contestants left behind.
"Contestant Gustaf and Contestant Inka, please step into the pods that you came out of earlier. Now don't resist or those guards will force you to enter and they might break a few bones while they're at it. We don't want that, now do we?"
It seems that Mister Θ knows of Gustaf's intentions as he stares at the German man with stern eyes. Gustaf sighs in resignation and proceeds towards the pods along with Inka. They enter the pods while facing the camera and the guards come over to close the pods. As the tubes descend, Mister Θ looks into the camera once more and smiles.
"Now, it's time for you viewers to play your part and share your luck with the participants. Come, you will see below your screen, four polls of some sort. Select the choices you feel are the correct choices. The most decided selection for each poll will be given to the contestants. The first two polls are called 'Starting Weapon'. These polls basically decide the starting weapon each contestant will use. The last two polls are called 'Starting Pill' and they will decide which starting pill each contestant will be given. Of course, when you look at the poll choices, you will see only five different item boxes and four different pills. You won't know what's in the item boxes - the only hint is the letter on the boxes. In addition, you don't know what the pills do either and like the boxes, the only hint is the letter on the pills. It could be something good or it could be something bad, it all depends on your luck. Come, make your choices. Decide the fate of these two contestants."
Gustaf Kohl:
Starting Weapon - http://www.strawpoll.me/13259786
Starting Pill - http://www.strawpoll.me/13259836
Inka Sheinfeld:
Starting Weapon - http://www.strawpoll.me/13259819
Starting Pill - http://www.strawpoll.me/13259861