Chapter 58 of 74 · Book 6, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Chapter 58 — Amayon

Book: The Eye of the Bedlam Bride · Part: The Bedlam · Previous: Chapter 57 — Samantha's secret · Next: Chapter 59 — Velma · Floor: Floor 8 — The Ghosts of Earth · Series: the series

Opening

The spider automaton crushed under my weight as I teleported atop it.

Summary

Carl teleports to the Havana Capitol, crushing the spider automaton he lands on, Samantha recalled to his side, while Donut fights her own duende battle far away. One red spider carries Donut's emergency Loop-De-Loop, which swaps any non-party crawler with her. The starting room is ablaze: Quan at the ceiling shedding pox slugs, with his turtle and a pig; Ren with her flamethrower at the stairwell door, Chuluuna casting, Garret the meatball; Khulan still missing. Carl's exploit is that Donut's distant battle keeps her deck live, the traps bring her totems here, and Quan's snares cannot touch them while they attack him directly — 'a chickenshit move. I didn't care.'

Then the Madre de Aguas dies and rises, and a major demon slips through: Amayon has arrived. The Scavenger's Daughter fills with dark power, turning all Carl's fire spells to Sheol fire, and a Platinum To Hell in a Handbasket Box follows. Samantha explains the four crown princes of Sheol — the eldest calling himself King though their mother is in charge — and Amayon the youngest, a fire-lover who dislikes Emberus. Emberus orders Carl to question Amayon about Geyrun's murder.

Ren plays her big card, Basquiat, the bus-sized Mongolian Death Worm, with Temporary Immortality. Donut combines Lazarus with Skylar and sends Jola. A sticky hob-lobber knocks Quan down through his shields. Then Quan's Toss-Up swaps cards three for two, and the death worm goes to Quan: it eats his own old totems and swallows Lazarus whole, while Chuluuna is pulled apart by one of Ren's own totems. The worm vomits Lazarus in pieces, and out of the gore rise Uzi Jesus — Gold Edition and Lord of Blight — Gold Edition: Skylar's split makes the halves stronger. Jola's Fashion Critic strips Quan naked and Carl pockets his shining cloak; Quan's stump bears half a tattoo of a young girl's face. Bullet Hell and Asojano's debuffs rain down; Ren shells herself against the worm, Garret shoves her clear, and a snare freezes it.

Quan begs for something back — not the cloak but the gold ring from his severed arm, 'For Daddy' inside: 'She'd be ashamed of what I've become.' He dies before the punch, a sixty-plus-skull player killer finally dead, the champion's bounty credited to Donut. Khulan runs in to Chuluuna's body. Only Donut can loot the dozens of cards — and both keys went to Donut, fifteen kilometres away. Then the Capitol's stairwell door is damaged and will fail in five minutes, and a crumbled door dissolves its key. 'God fucking damnit.'

Characters

• Carl — Runs the exploit; takes a cloak; returns a ring.
• Quan Ch — Naked, blind, boiled; 'She'd be ashamed of what I've become.'
• Tserendolgor — Loses Chu to her own totems; 'I didn't get the keys!'
• Chuluuna — Chain Lightning; pulled apart by one of Ren's own totems.
• Khulan — Arrives to a corpse.
• Samantha — On Quan's shoulder; the princes of Sheol explained.
• Princess Donut — Combines and sends; credit for a champion; both keys.
• Jola — Fashion Critic; eats the pants; threatens the thief.
• Heyzoos — Gold Edition, twin Uzis, Bullet Hell.
• Asojano — Lord of Blight — Gold Edition; a hand of boils.
• Amayon — Youngest crown prince of Sheol, loose in Cuba, hated by Emberus.
• Emberus — Wants Amayon questioned.

Locations

• El Capitolio — The starting room, on fire, a worm through the floor, a door with five minutes.

Motifs

• T'Ghee totems — Toss-Up; a remote deck as an exploit; Gold Editions from a split.
• Demon Eviction — A Demon Prince through a zombie boss; Sheol fire in the patch.
• The Scavenger's Daughter — Fills with dark power for a demon as for a god.
• The gods — Four princes and their mother; Emberus's rival.
• Quests — Geyrun's murder: ask a demon.
• This is what we lost — 'For Daddy' on a ring; a father's shame.
• The three phases — Keys to the wrong squad; a door about to fall.