Chapter 1 of 26 · Book 2, Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Chapter 1 — The jury room

Book: Carl's Doomsday Scenario · Next: Chapter 2 — Race and class · Floor: Floor 3 — The Over City · Series: the series

Opening

» The previous level will collapse in 3 hours and 35 minutes.

Summary

The third floor opens on a golden hallway under a fake nebula and a Mordecai in a tuxedo: a level-50 Incubus now, 'the Gigachad of the Over City,' waiting three hours in formal wear. Race and class selection is a jury room the viewers can't see. Donut picks cat in one word, then works through 34 class choices — Artist Alley Mogul with its Pathfinder skill, NecroBard with bongos, Former Child Actor with a Cockroach skill and a Manager benefit — while Carl steers.

She announces Artist Alley, glows, and Mordecai roars 'Goddamnit, Donut!': she has taken Former Child Actor, and with it the Manager benefit, which binds him to her saferooms for the rest of the crawl and strips him of his codex. 'And scene.' The narration confesses the trick was Odette's advice and Carl's plan, and that he does not like lying to the closest thing he has to a friend.

Characters

• Mordecai — An Incubus; conducts selection; is tricked into being Donut's manager.
• Princess Donut — Stays a cat; Former Child Actor; 'I was acting!'
• Carl — Steers, lies, and feels it.
• Mongo — Asleep on Carl's lap with too many teeth near his crotch.
• Odette — Her off-camera advice, quoted: make it look like Donut's idea.

Locations

• Tutorial guilds — Mordecai's room with two transformation beds.
• The Over City — Entered, not yet seen.

Motifs

• Race and class — Donut's choice.
• The Manager benefit — Taken.
• 'Goddamnit, Donut' — Mordecai's now.