AFTERWORD

Chapter 100

Chapter 84

Overview

With Emberus arriving to destroy the 9th floor in 66 minutes seeking Samantha for her role in his son's death, Carl's team executes their plan: Katia consumes the orchid to summon the Huanxin Jinx goddess, while they perform emergency surgery to transplant naiad organs into Louis so he can become a water-capable flesh golem. They successfully defeat Warlord Tagg and the Dream faction, leaving only one faction remaining.

Summary

Carl receives a quest notification that Emberus, an angry god, has entered the realm and will destroy the entire 9th floor in 66 minutes unless Samantha is delivered to him for interrogation. The quest offers survivors one year off their indentureship contracts and upgraded food boxes. Carl immediately orders everyone back to Larracos and forces Katia to eat the Orchid of Eileithyia despite her protests, which renders her unconscious for an hour and summons the Huanxin Jinx goddess. The goddess will arrive in approximately 64 minutes, but the ceremony to transfer power will take additional time, cutting their margin extremely thin. While they wait, Carl's team performs an intricate surgical procedure: Mordecai, Edgar, Imani, and Rosetta extract the heart and lungs from Princess Lunette's body (a full naiad with gills) and transplant them into Louis's chest cavity. Juice Box casts magic to make the organs function, and Mordecai installs a kua-tin rebreather into Louis's bronchial system and applies water breathing magic connected to gills slit into his neck. During the surgery, Donut distracts the increasingly enraged Warlord Tagg through crude psychological manipulation via system messages, eventually driving him to abandon his control of Louis's body in disgust. Louis awakens with the new organs functional, though disoriented. Mongo, Carl's pet, spits out the discarded mechanical heart and lungs. With Tagg's suicide counted as a kill credit to Mongo, the Dream faction falls, leaving only two factions remaining in the Faction Wars. Carl now has 32 minutes to complete the ceremony before Emberus destroys the floor.

Characters

  • CarlLeader of the Princess Posse who triggers the crisis and orchestrates the emergency plan to win Faction Wars before Emberus destroys the floor
  • SamanthaA demigod who admitted to involvement in Geyrun's death; her presence will trigger Emberus's arrival and interrogation
  • KatiaConsumes the Orchid of Eileithyia to summon the Huanxin Jinx goddess, becoming unconscious for the duration and central to the plan's success
  • DonutAssists in surgery and distracts Warlord Tagg through system message insults to prevent him from shutting down Louis during the transplant
  • MordecaiPerforms the surgical transplantation of naiad organs into Louis, installing the rebreather and managing the delicate graft procedure
  • EdgarDirects the surgical procedure and manages critical timing during the organ transplant
  • ImaniExtracts and holds Princess Lunette's organs for transplantation into Louis
  • RosettaAssists in extracting Princess Lunette's organs and provides expertise on naiad physiology during surgery
  • ElleHelps hold and prepare Princess Lunette's organs for transplantation
  • Juice BoxCasts magic to activate the transplanted naiad organs in Louis's body
  • LouisReceives the naiad organ transplant, gaining water-breathing capability through gills and becoming a functional flesh golem
  • TipidAssists in holding Louis's ribcage open during surgery
  • Bucket BoyRemoves Louis's mechanical heart and lungs during surgery and installs stops to keep the gills functional
  • MongoCarl's pet bird who chews up the discarded mechanical organs and receives kill credit for Warlord Tagg's death
  • Warlord TaggAntagonist controlling Louis's body who becomes enraged during surgery and eventually abandons control, leading to his faction's defeat
  • BautistaFlees the surgical tent before assisting in the procedure
  • TranGuards the Dream castle remains and alerts the group to Emberus's arrival
  • Justice LightReceives orders to activate a trap that has been prepared for days
  • VictoryProvides information about stairwell appearance timing after Faction Wars victory
  • FopsyClarifies the precise timing of stairwell appearance after victory
  • EmberusAngry god seeking Samantha for her involvement in his son's death; threatens to destroy the 9th floor with fire and lava in 66 minutes
  • Princess LunetteDead naiad body provided by Signet; her organs are transplanted into Louis
  • KiwiMentioned as recently giving birth; not present in the scene
  • SledgeCalled upon by Carl at the chapter's end to initiate the next phase of the plan