Chapter 36

Carl prepares an ambush in a secret corridor behind the Larracos nightclub to kill Astrid, the powerful fairy security chief. Meanwhile, Samantha distracts the bartender while Carl and Katia set up teleport traps and reinforce doors to contain the dangerous monsters locked in an adjacent room and prevent guards from responding to the attack.

Carl escorts Samantha into the Larracos nightclub, bribing the fairy doorkeeper Clarabelle to allow Samantha entry despite her freshly tattooed "quest mark" on her neck. Samantha immediately causes a scene at the bar, trying to seduce the badger bartender Charles while ordering elaborate drinks. Carl moves through the club toward the utility closet entrance to a secret corridor that runs parallel to the main hallway behind the shops. He communicates with Katia via messaging system; she is managing her recent addiction issues through Imani buffs and confirms other crawlers in the club are on the top floor and shouldn't interfere. Carl reviews his reconnaissance on Astrid, the security chief: she is a level-150 intelligence fairy with devastating blood-based spells, psionic abilities, and the power to summon one to three guards instantly up to five times daily with no cooldown. The ambush plan requires Astrid to be killed immediately and by surprise to prevent guard summoning. Carl disarms most traps in the corridor, sets up two-part teleport traps to redirect any summoned guards to a locked closet upstairs, and discovers a sealed door at the corridor's end leading to an abandoned Demon Tamer's Guild practice arena containing fifteen dangerous red-tagged monsters of unknown origin. He reinforces the door with blast-resistant walls and sandbags to prevent the monsters from escaping during the coming fight. While working, Carl and Katia exchange messages about the moral weight of killing Astrid, an NPC who has done nothing wrong. Carl justifies their actions as necessary and refuses to let doubt break them. As he finishes, a low growl emanates from behind the reinforced door.