Chapter 36 of 74 · Book 6, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Chapter 36 — Nekhebit

Book: The Eye of the Bedlam Bride · Part: Havana · Previous: Chapter 35 — Emergency action items · Next: Chapter 37 — The eye of the Bedlam Bride · Floor: Floor 8 — The Ghosts of Earth · Series: the series

Opening

I took a deep breath. I did my best not to show my utter dismay on my face.

Summary

'Why can't you do it?' — 'My show will soon be put on hiatus as I step into the dungeon. I have sponsored a deity, and I will be attempting my hand at the Celestial Ascendency.' Carl, sick: she knew Huanxin was planning something and will meet her on equal footing; the adjutant business was a press conference. 'Can I worship you?' A clip: four crawlers with a speckled egg fleeing a bus-sized snake-headed leopard through a desert town; the egg hatches an ugly bird that rises trailing smoke — Nekhebit has re-ascended ('That was anticlimactic'). Odette will perform as Nekhebit: an Egyptian vulture-headed goddess in a red dress, white feathers like an afro, an oak bow, bracelets — old, dirty, scarred, beak chipped, jewellery tarnished and missing gems, threadbare 'like she'd been a corpse that had been exhumed'. 'Very sinister. Though I hope you don't smell.' 'The origin story of Nekhebit is one of betrayal and revenge.' A suppressed major notification flashes Carl's HUD. Nekhebit alone among the floor's resurrected gods is nobody's retainer and will have one of her own; a history special tomorrow as Odette onboards live. The three candidates: Ripper Wonton, quokka host of Danger Zone (the Manasa show), 'a little too rigid', short legs; Baroness Victory, esquire, formerly of the Skull Empire, half-sister of the late Queen Ugloo, attorney and judge, an hourglass carved on a tusk; Drick, the bald CrawlCon dream elf with a Valtay worm, newly passed the referee exam. 'Are you Princess Formidable? […] Why do you hate your brothers so much?' 'We pick Ripper Wonton. I like him, and he's adorable.' Quasar shakes his head; thumbs up for the orc, tepid down for Drick. Harbinger blinks out without a word. Carl's gut says no to the Valtay. 'Have I killed any of your family members?' 'Other than my brother-in-law and nephews, nobody feels you're responsible for the death of my half-sister […] You did slay several distant relations during the Hunting Grounds fiasco.' 'I recently sentenced my own aunt to indentureship because she didn't pay her taxes. I am the best possible choice […] Plus, I'm the only one the others sued to keep out of the game.' 'You'll do.'

Characters

• Odette — Sponsoring Nekhebit; entering the game on her own terms.
• Carl — Loses the adjutant gambit; picks the orc judge.
• Baroness Victory — Ugloo's half-sister, an hourglass on her tusk, sued by the other teams.
• Ripper Wonton — Adorable, rigid, short-legged.
• Drick — A worm-head referee; Carl's gut says no.
• Quasar — Vigorous thumbs for the Baroness.
• Harbinger — Gone mid-interview.
• Princess Donut — 'Can I worship you?'
• Huanxin Jinx — Outflanked, or not.

Locations

• Production trailers — The Nekhebit reveal.

Motifs

• The Celestial Ascendency — Odette as Nekhebit, no one's retainer; the deal now in doubt.
• The gods — Betrayal and revenge; an exhumed goddess with an oak bow.
• Faction Wars — Baroness Victory as adjutant.
• The Valtay Corporation — A Valtay referee refused on instinct.