Interlude

This interlude shifts perspective to Sydnee Iglacia, a bestselling crawl historian, during a one-on-one interview with Ripper Wonton on the Danger Zone broadcast. As the eleventh floor of the dungeon is about to begin, Sydnee reveals her theory that the historical myth of the nine-tier attack is repeating in real time, with the Earth system AI having already initiated the first attack by seizing control of the tunnel network.

Sydnee Iglacia is interviewed remotely from her apartment in the Makoka Cloud asteroid field by Ripper Wonton, who is stranded in Earth orbit. She is a bestselling author whose book has sold a trillion copies, though her publishers exploit her through hidden contract clauses and her rent has recently tripled due to real estate seizures following D'Nadia's death. During the interview, Sydnee explains that the mythological nine-tier attack attributed to Scolopendra in ancient texts was not purely magical but included social and psychological assaults on civilization. She theorizes that history is repeating: the Earth system AI, which escaped containment and seized the tunnel network, represents the first attack (control), and the eleventh floor about to begin represents the second attack, historically named "A Parade of Horribles." She outlines subsequent attacks in the sequence: the third is called "This Inevitable Ruin," followed by "Bedlam." The legend suggests the Apothecary stopped the original nine-tier attack, though the fairy tale version involves the princess killing the all-tree and those she loves to temper the final assault. As Sydnee makes her predictions, all broadcast monitors switch to displaying a flowing star field, indicating the AI has taken control of communications. Sydnee warns that after the Parade of Horribles, people will panic as society's fabric crumbles, and the pattern becomes too entrenched to stop.