Chapter 8 of 26 · Book 2, Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Chapter 8 — Water Lily

Book: Carl's Doomsday Scenario · Previous: Chapter 7 — The lion's heart · Next: Chapter 9 — Heather the Bear · Floor: Floor 3 — The Over City · Series: the series

Opening

» Time to level Collapse: 6 days, 23 hours.

Summary

Cat tree assembled with an Allen wrench; candle lit; a message from Brandon — the residents cannot choose human without staying as they are, and the Legendary Pacifist Boxes are absurd. Mordecai, hungover, has drugged Gordo to read the bopcas' newsletter and steal herbs: a major battle event is warned for this area. Leave now.

On the main road, a stun, a paralysis and a knockout, and a line from Of Mice and Men read in the AI's voice. Carl wakes fifteen hours later on a mildewed couch with Signet's hand on his knee. Donut is under Water Lily — asleep until Signet cancels it, dead if Signet dies, dying if moved — inside a ruined building. Carl builds a junk pyramid around her, tells Mongo to guard, and follows Signet to a sleeping bear. On the way she tells the circus story: she alone came through Scolopendra's cloud unaltered, and Grimaldi became the vine, commanding the infected troupe, whose dead are reborn the next day.

Characters

• Tsarina Signet — Kidnaps them; 'You lied to me, Carl.'
• Carl — The couch, the pyramid, the plan he tells Mordecai is batshit.
• Princess Donut — Unconscious for the rest of the day.
• Mongo — Left as guard: 'the most important thing you've ever had to do.'
• Mordecai — The newsletter, the stolen herbs, the battle warning.
• Brandon — The message about selection at Meadow Lark.
• Zev — Asked for something impossible.

Locations

• Signet's house — Where Donut sleeps.

Motifs

• Of Mice and Men — 'I didn't bounce you hard.'
• Achievements — Lazarus! — a spell above level 15; a Platinum Lucky Bastard Box.