Chapter 42 of 89 · Book 7, This Inevitable Ruin

Chapter 42 — The warlord council; Princess Vinata

Book: This Inevitable Ruin · Part: The Ramp-Up · Previous: Chapter 41 — The production facility; Aryl goes dark · Next: Chapter 43 — Odette hosts; 'It's coming' · Floor: Floor 9 — Faction Wars · Series: the series

Opening

<Note added by Crawler Drakea, 22nd Edition.

Summary

Drakea, twenty-second edition: 'Beware the naga […] Underestimate them at your own peril.' A Mexx robot Donut calls Carla seats them; Juice Box appears virtually in a black bodysuit with a cobra emblem and round glasses, hiding a map, and gives Carl the nod: if Britney has done her job, Team Retribution's best assets are already moving. Chaco is the field correspondent with a lint roller and a microphone, because Magnificent Troy will not come down to the surface; 'Hello, Gravy Boat.' Cascadia sits at the head, really present, scales dulling and falling: 'I just can't wait to see how you make everything worse today.' The warlords: King Stalwart in a gold crown; Warlord Fang of the Reavers as a too-pink twenty-year-old in underwear with lights at his temple; Architect Houston with a fresh dent in his mask; Epitome Tagg in blood-splashed field armour though nobody has seen him fight; and, coiled beside Carl like a building, the Sultana — glossy white with gold along her hood, six arms in bracelets, solid red eyes, a golden breastplate embossed with a flowering branch, a scent of sweet flowers, and a charisma that makes Carl feel like a mouse in a snake's cage without any magic in play. Outside the game she is the sultan's daughter, a war veteran and her father's advisor; here she plays the Sepsis Whore; that the nagas are still in the game after three eliminations has not happened in a very long time. 'My name is Princess Vinata. But for these games, you're welcome to call me the Whore.' His hand passes through hers. This isn't going to work, he thinks. Chaco stage-whispers about hunter and hunted. Donut and Ferdinand collapse laughing: she bet him a gold piece Stalwart would actually wear a crown. 'Does King Stalwart look stupid wearing the crown? Let's vote!' Stalwart punches Chaco unconscious across the room, which works because they share a room. 'Am I able to vote?' Then: 'Warning: Scolopendra Stirs.' Silence. Tagg: it has never happened before. Cascadia laughs with a hint of madness. 'Well, why not? Why the fuck not?'

Characters

• Princess Vinata — The Sultana: six arms, red eyes, a flowering branch, a scent, and Carl's hand through hers.
• Chaco — Field correspondent with a lint roller; punched out by a king.
• Cascadia — Shedding scales, drinking, waiting to see how Carl makes it worse.
• Prince Stalwart — Wears the crown; punches the host.
• Warlord Fang — The Reavers' warlord as a pink boy in underwear.
• Architect Houston — A dent in the mask.
• Epitome Tagg — Blood on his armour from nobody knows whom.
• Juice Box — Virtual, in a cobra bodysuit, with a nod.
• Princess Donut — Wins a gold piece.
• Ferdinand — That chick is intense comes later; now, snacks.

Locations

• The production facility — The council table, everyone in randomised rooms but two.

Motifs

• The Blood Sultanate — Vinata named; 'I don't believe we've properly met.'
• Scolopendra — 'Warning: Scolopendra Stirs' — never before.
• The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook — Drakea's warning about the naga, on the day it matters.
• Faction Wars — Seven teams; a punch that lands because two warlords share a room.