Chapter 20 of 78 · Book 5, The Butcher's Masquerade

Chapter 20 — Viva la revolución

Book: The Butcher's Masquerade · Part: The Vengeance of the Daughter · Previous: Chapter 19 — Miss Beatrice · Next: Chapter 21 — CrawlCon · Floor: Floor 6 — The Hunting Grounds · Series: the series

Opening

“She always wanted to be a reality television star,” Donut said.

Summary

Donut wonders whether she was too cruel — Bea always wanted to be a reality star — and confirms that Carl snores, or did before the new beds. Odette asks them to say nothing until the interview airs, after the recap after next. In the green room Lexis smokes a candy-smelling vape and waits for the lights to flicker — the hand-off from kua-tin to Valtay control, a minute with no sniffers online — and talks fast, Odette's words through a deniable mouth: Queen Imogen of the High Elves is a country boss, new this season and unseen, therefore a repurposed human; the obvious choice was Beatrice; the top fifty will be transferred to the Butcher's Masquerade in the high elf castle whether they like it or not, mingle with the hunters, and the party will end in a battle designed to zero out the top crawlers. The Valtay have 51 per cent and are control freaks, 'a new apex predator taking over a pride' who will want a top ten of their own choosing; they sponsored Carl only as a thorn for the mudskippers. Odette's advice: go down the stairs before the ball. Donut: then the next fifty go, less prepared, 'plus I've already started training Mongo.' And, as the system reboots: 'I certainly would never have smuggled all those Valtay secret agent guys to Zev and the Borant Emancipation Front if I'd known this was going to happen.' Back in the space — 'Don't say a word. But god fucking damnit' — Mordecai finds the shop still on kua-tin software, a sign the fantasy theme will hold; the town has beaten off two Dream elves; Clint and Holger have upgraded the southern wall; Imani is guildmaster and a guild space is bought; Katia wants to borrow for a manager's headquarters so Mordecai keeps his room. A drop of blood in the shrine; a first boon soon. 'You snore, too.'

Characters

• Princess Donut — Says she smuggled Valtay agents to Zev and the Borant Emancipation Front.
• Carl — Learns why the Valtay sponsored him and that the party is a trap; will not ask what Donut did.
• Lexis — Odette's mouth during the hand-off: Imogen is a country boss, the ball ends in a battle.
• Odette — 'You poor bastards'; sees them at the collapse.
• Zev — Named beside the Borant Emancipation Front as a recipient of Donut's smuggled agents.
• Mordecai — Checks whether the shop software changed; contracts frozen when owners change.
• Katia Grim — Wants a manager's headquarters before she leaves the party.
• Imani — Guildmaster.
• Queen Imogen — A country boss: a repurposed human nobody has seen.

Locations

• Production trailers — The green room during the hand-off; no sniffers for a minute.

Motifs

• The Valtay Corporation — A new stepdad: control freaks who will want their own top ten.
• Borant — The Emancipation Front; still in charge of the game.
• The Butcher's Masquerade — In the high elf castle; the top fifty transferred; a battle to zero them out.
• Sponsorship — The Valtay sponsored Carl only as a thorn in the mudskippers' side.
• The guild system — Imani's guild; a manager's headquarters.
• The gods — A drop of blood; a first boon soon.