Book 7 Part III: Open Hostilities. Chapter Justice Light. Also, Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 7 Cover Reveal.
Added 2024-07-03 00:41:05 +0000 UTCPart III. Open Hostilities.
Justice Light
“Leave,” Justice Light said to Pernicus G, the lead sluggalo. “You have done good work, but it is time for you to join the others above the surface. You don’t want to be down here for this final part.”
The slug had just tied off a manual tripwire with his mouth. He looked up, surprised. All around, the other slugs paused their work.
“Yo, whatchu talkin’ about? We’re a team.”
Justice leaned down in the dark tunnel so he was beak-to-face with the slug. In these past days, he’d grown fond of the strange creatures. He’d held several incorrect assumptions regarding them. He’d told Carl and Tipid that he wanted them to help build the trap system because it was dangerous, and these creatures didn’t appear to care if they died. That was only partially true. It was also only part of the reason he’d insisted on using them as his assistants.
It turned out he was incorrect about his second assumption regarding these creatures as well.
But that was okay. That was something he’d learned long ago. Wishing for favorable air currents does not manifest them. You ride the currents you have, or you don’t fly. It was as simple as that.
With his lone wing, he patted the fat, painted slug on the side of his squishy neck. “Warlord Carl and Donut are doing such a great job, If you stay down here, you might end up not getting to fight at all. They need as many soldiers as they can, and you and the others will miss out. If the plan succeeds, all of this work won’t be necessary, and you won’t see any action at all. I know you want to fight. Go find General Tipid and tell him you’re trained sappers, and maybe you can join up with the Frothing Tunnel Moles. They’re sure to be busy in the coming hours. Operation Ruin will start the moment the timer ends.”
“Ugh. That sounds epic, but it’s not here. I want to do the chop-chop in my hood, not some other area code. Know what I’m saying?”
Justice chuckled. He had to take a moment to decipher the slug’s words. It was one of the things he enjoyed about the small creatures. It was like having a never-ending supply of puzzles to solve. Justice Light loved puzzles. So had his children.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “If it goes bad, and you have to retreat, I want the whole squad to come back down here for the final defense. That way you won’t miss it if something happens.”
The slug whooped loudly, and turned. “You heard ‘im, boys. And Lucky, you too. We going to war!”
Without another protest, they all started sliming and shouting their way toward the surface.
“Not that hallway,” Justice called. “You’ll set off the proximity scythe! Remember what happened to Lickity Spit!”
“Oh, fuck. My bad,” Pernicus called as he veered toward the correct hall.
“Not you,” Justice said to Scary Skeeto, the level 53 slug at the end of the line.
The large slug paused. He seemed to hesitate.
“Yo, bossman. Whatcha need?” Skeeto asked as the last slug slithered away.
Justice examined the creature. This one had a metallic club—called a “baseball bat” for some reason—dangling from the side of his neck. It dragged wherever he went. His fine touch with his mouth had been instrumental in setting the manual tripwires from the eastern approach. He’d been one of the hardest, most focused workers on the squad.
“Tell her we need to talk,” Justice said, taking a step back. With his one, good wing, he gently touched the wall, activating the hidden traps in the room. The extra ones he’d planted himself.
“Yo, what you on?” Skeeto asked.
“Your real boss,” Justice repeated. “Juice Box. Tell her we need to talk.”
The slug seemed to think on this for a moment. “Damn, man,” the slug finally said, sighing. “I’m supposed to kill you if you figure it out.”
“I assumed as much. At this moment, there are three traps between you and myself that I have secretly placed. You might get to me, no matter what form you take. You might. But you won’t stop the message I have prepared for Carl and the others. I’d like to avoid that, and I suspect your boss would like to avoid that as well.”
“I actually count six traps,” Scary Skeeto said after a moment. He sighed again. “I’m going to change form so we can talk. Don’t skewer me.”
Justice was impressed. It was actually eight traps, but some of them were very well hidden. Had the changeling actually seen them, or was it a guess?
He’d known from the beginning not to trust the NPC team. He’d brought it up with both Tipid and Rosetta. Tipid, in his enthusiastic naivety, had thought the risk would be negligible. Rosetta was a bit more realistic in her assessment of the threat. Carl didn’t have the proper point of reference and had no idea what he was dealing with. That was the problem with most revolutionaries. They had tunnel vision.
Not that you’re any different, he told himself. Was it still tunnel vision if he was aware of it?
Justice Light had chosen the sluggalos to help him because he’d incorrectly assumed that the procedurally generated NPCs wouldn’t be copy-able by the class A and B NPC changelings.
He’d obviously been wrong.
But, luckily, paranoia had been Justice’s way of life for a very long time now. He kept careful, careful track of everyone around him at all times. He even knew when the change had occurred. When Skeeto—the real Skeeto—had gone down the new tunnel and come back just a few minutes later, Justice had noticed the change immediately. His built-in neural implants had noted the subtle change of body temperature and weight. Also, the lack of hormonal emissions had been a dead giveaway.
The fact that these changelings could mimic the slugs at all was alarming on several levels. His working theory was that these particular changelings had their gating removed because of that quest on the fifth floor with the Quetzalcoatlus ghost. That whole setup never came to pass, but the system would have allowed them to add the demi-god into their library should they have survived an encounter with the ghost. As a result, all the changelings that the crawlers sent down here to the ninth could now mimic just about anything they managed to touch, which was terrifying, especially with them gaining memories of their past iterations.
The slugs were procedurally generated, which made them throwaway one-offs. They were barely a step above the NPCs they used to populate the clubs. Mimicking them didn’t sound like it was a big deal, but it had never been allowed before. The slugs were a different classification in the programing. And if Justice Light knew one thing about this damn game, it was that if one door was unexpectedly unlocked, it was possible—even likely—that other doors would be unlocked as well.
This realization had changed everything for Justice Light. His impossible plan, which was really just an overly complicated suicide plot, was suddenly not so impossible. But first, he had to get the changelings on his side.
Skeeto the slug transformed into a humanoid, blank form, crouching so he wouldn’t trigger the dart needles above him. This was a big changeling, meaning he was likely old and powerful. The head on the creature changed, leaving the rest of the body the same, which was something else only the most powerful changelings could do.
The head became that of Juice Box herself, in human form.
“Well, well, well, aren’t you smart for an outworlder,” she said as she looked up at Justice Light.
Justice felt his feathers around his neck ruffle. “Am I really talking to you?”
His seismic monitor suggested a slight uptick in activity underneath him. He took another step back. “And I take offense to the title. I am of the White Cliffs, and I never asked to be taken from my original home. I am no outworlder. Not by choice. If anything, I am just as much a child of the dungeon as you are. I was reborn here much in the same way you’ve been reborn. How many times has it been? One hundred?”
“Yes, you are really talking to me,” Juice Box said. “I’m using the chat system to talk to my helper, and he’s helpfully using my image to relay the message. So if your plan is to kill me, I am out of reach.” She paused. “I do apologize for calling you that, though your estimates on my age ain’t even close. I’ve been writing down my memories as they come, and I believe I have lived at least 400 different lives up until this point.”
Justice Light sighed. Four hundred lives? He believed it. NPCs were supposed to be recycled after 20, but the showrunners insisted that expensive, deeper-level audits weren’t necessary since the Class A and Class B NPCs got auto-recycled when they were killed.
His seismic meter continued to warn of movement below. The eagle held out his one, good wing. “Please, call off your digger. I’ll make a deal with you. If you don’t wreck everything I spent the last week building, I promise I won’t tell the others of this conversation, no matter how it goes. I believe you have no desire to be our enemy and all you want is to protect yourselves. I truly believe that, but if you use the digger to get to me, you will hurt your allies and ultimately yourself. All I ask is that you hear me out.”
Juice Box cocked her head to the side. The digger below stopped moving. Justice Light took that as assent.
“Good. Good. Thank you.”
“I am a very busy girl, skyfowl. You wanted to talk? You have five minutes. I’m listening.”
Justice bowed slightly and then without further preamble, he started to speak.
“I killed an NPC once, out of anger. It was a very long time ago. Most people don’t understand why I care so much about this one incident when I would eventually go on to kill thousands of mobs and NPCs alike over the course of my crawl.” He paused, emotion caught in his throat.
“This one. He was one of those lizard creatures. The ones that smell funny and have a strange, talkative way about themselves, always saying what’s on their mind. Can change their gender at will based on their environment? I can’t recall the name of the species at the moment, but one such creature had cheated me earlier, and I was already on edge. And this one insulted me. He didn’t even mean anything by it. It’s just their way. But my people. We are proud...”
Justice Light trailed off, remembering.
“He was the proprietor of the only trap store on the entire level. I snapped, and I killed him. Because of that, dozens of my fellow crawlers were unable to find the supplies they needed to complete the level, and they died.”
Juice Box said nothing.
“I felt horrible about it, about my mistake. But even that wasn’t why it affected me so.” He held out his single wing and examined it. He rerouted some power in his implant and ratcheted up the sensitivity on his seismic sensors. He could now sense the enormous digger, just sitting there, idle but with its dwarven engine still on.
“When I got out, I made a deal. I asked for the right to run the trap store. I know, it was a bit silly. It added some time to my indentureship, but, you see, I wanted to make sure the best supplies were always available to the crawlers. Still, it didn’t help. It was already too late.”
“What do you mean?” Juice Box asked.
“I killed that NPC because I allowed the cold to get inside. It is inevitable, yes. How can it not be? But that was the moment I could no longer return to who I once was. In that single, unnecessarily violent act I allowed them to win. Everything after that ceased to matter, or so I thought.”
“This is all very touching, skyfowl. But you forget who I am. I have heard the confessions of a thousand men. If you’re attempting to gain sympathy, I am the wrong audience.”
“I know,” he said. “But, please. I am not finished. Hear me out.”
The blank form crossed its arms. Justice Light continued.
“I’m not sure how much you know about what happens to crawlers after they’re finished with the dungeon, but I became an indentured servant. I spent the next several hundred years working as a merchant. When I first arrived, my next door neighbor was someone named Dante. A crocodilian. I didn’t know it at the time, but he and I had a lot in common. A similar burning distaste for the position we found ourselves in.” Justice let out a soft caw. “One season, they told us we could no longer be merchants, and we were to be NPCs. Castle guards. Our job was to simply stand outside this ice castle and guard it. They told us we weren’t supposed to stop crawlers from entering. Just keep the peace, so Dante and I hoped and prayed it would be a simple assignment.”
“Still not following.”
“You are quite impatient for someone your age. I’m almost there. At the end of the floor, we ended up not seeing a single crawler, and Damien told us we would be able to go back to our regular assignments. But first, we had to do one last thing. The castle was filled with NPC servants. Ice elves, if you’ve ever seen them. More fairy than anything. They are as tall as your human form, but I can fit my entire talon around their waists. They are gentle, simple creatures. Innocent. Not like regular high elves. Over the weeks we spent watching the castle, they became our friends. I knew all their names. They would play in the snow, like children. This was all off camera, and I still don’t understand why they asked us to do it. They loved puzzles.” He paused, remembering what came next. Dreading the telling of it. “All this time later, and I still don’t understand.”
Juice Box suddenly changed form to an ice elf, and Justice Light felt as if he’d been kicked in the chest. He caught the cry in his throat. He physically took a step back, and he had to quickly hit a hidden panel on the wall to stop yet another trap from activating.
The changeling spoke, but this time it was not Juice Box. This was the changeling who’d been pretending to be Skeeto. “Juice Box does not have these creatures in her library, but I do. I lived amongst them many lifetimes ago. They are indeed simple, gentle creatures.”
All Justice Light could do was nod. After a moment, the Juice Box head returned. Justice took a moment to compose himself.
“My friend, Dante. He refused. He looked up into the air and said he wasn’t going to do it. They ordered us a second time. Again, he refused. There was no third warning. A beam came from the sky, and he was just gone. Just like that. He’d worked so long, so hard, and he was almost free. The light simply erased him, as if he’d never existed.”
Juice Box cocked her head, not saying anything.
“He’d already passed the point of no return, or so I thought. But in the end, I was wrong. He stood his ground, and he died. And by the gods, he died free.” Justice Light filled with pride for his friend, his brother. “Execution by the AI, which is actually quite rare, believe it or not. Usually they send in a mercenary squad for folks like us. Same as those we’re fighting outside right now.”
“They used to call them hardshells,” Juice Box said.
Justice Light nodded. “I’ve heard that term before. They’re usually gnolls, but not always. Hired mercenaries to do the dirty work when the cameras are turned away. Can’t have the AI do too much of the clean-up. They like to keep it focused on the crawlers, lest it go primal early.”
And what about you?” Juice Box finally asked. “What happened to you after your friend was killed?” There was a new gentleness there.
Justice held out the stump of his wing. “I, too, refused. But I only did so once, and unlike Dante, I was given a warning. They ordered me a second time.” He lowered his head. The beam of light that had removed his wing had been so fast, there wasn’t even pain. But what happened next... “I am still not free.”
In the telling of this story, Justice usually ended it right there. But this time, he finally voiced what happened next. He’d never told anyone the specifics. Not even Porthus. But this was important.
“Sometimes, I have this dream. In this dream, I go into the castle to find the ice elves all dead. They’d overheard what was happening outside with me and Dante, and, in their kindness, they killed themselves to protect me—their friend—from having to do something I didn’t want to do. That is my dream, but that is not what happened. Even that would’ve been the coward’s solution, so why do I yearn for it? And after I have this dream, I always go back to that moment with the clerk at the trap store. The first person I killed out of anger, and I wonder, what difference is there between anger and cowardice?”
Skyfowl were proud, and they did not weep.
But what happened when one lost himself? Justice Light had no pride left, and he did not feel worthy of the title Skyfowl.
“They didn’t even fight back. They loved puzzles and the snow. I was already done. It was all off camera. I still don’t understand why.” He barely got the words out.
Over the course of this story, Justice felt himself hunching in on himself, shrinking. Now he stood straight. “But Dante taught me that there is no such thing as the point of no return. So I want you to know this, Juice Box, leader of Team Retribution. You are distrustful of us former crawlers. I understand that. You fear we crawlers will sacrifice you to save ourselves, and you have positioned yourselves to protect against that.”
Juice Box sighed. “I’m not sure if this story is as helpful as you think it is.”
“But,” he said, holding up his good wing. “I now understand what you’re really doing, what your real plan is, and I want you to know I can help you. I, too, have a plan, and I believe it is compatible with your own. We can do this together. I have a new dream, and I am no longer afraid. I am still angry, yes, but it is a different type of anger. It is focused, purposeful, and together we can both achieve our mutual goals.”
Juice Box raised an eyebrow. “What we’re really doing? Oh, I can’t wait to hear this.”
“You have spies in all corners of our base, correct? And not just our base, but all of the bases.”
Juice Box didn’t answer.
“It’s okay,” Justice Light said. “I know who many of them are, at least in our base. But you know what I couldn’t figure out, at least at first? The Blood Sultanate. Their security certainly wasn’t as good as the Madness, yet you managed to infiltrate the Viceroy headquarters over and over before the ceasefire. I believe you decapitated multiple viceroys in the days leading up to the ceasefire. Yet, you claimed you were unable to reach the Sultanate, an obvious lie.”
“What is your point?” Juice Box asked.
“Someone, and I’m guessing that human, Louis, told you all the way back on the fifth floor the details on what Carl and Donut need to do to defeat the naga, and why it is so important. You’ve been pretending to not be able to get to the Sultanate because at first you were keeping your options open.”
“Why would I do that? I owe Carl. Despite your accusations, we are allies. I understand he had a difficult time with the assassination of the naga whore. If he had died, and we could’ve prevented it, it would’ve destroyed our alliance.”
“I believe that you’re a good person, Juice Box. I believe you intend on honoring the alliance, but I also believe the alliance is secondary to your true purpose, which will always come first. You could’ve killed the Sultana and her entire court quite easily. Hell, I believe you could end all this right now. I am quite certain of this. You are poised and in position to kill every leader at any moment.”
Below, the engine on the digger ticked off from idle. It still wasn’t moving, but the machine was ready to surge upward.
Juice Box didn’t appear to show any emotion, but she stood straighter than before. “If that is true, then why wouldn’t we have done that by now?”
Justice Light reached over, hit a few buttons and deactivated all the traps between himself and Juice Box. He stepped forward and leaned in.
“The gods. It’s all about the gods. It has been about them the whole time. You’re risking it all so you and your kind can physically touch as many of them as possible.”
Juice Box was silent for a long moment. “Tell me something, Mr. Skyfowl. Assuming this little theory of yours is correct, where does that leave us? What was your purpose in calling me here?”
Justice Light suppressed a chuckle. “Well, that’s easy. I told you my backstory because I need you to believe and to understand how committed I am to what I’m about to tell you. But first, let me ask you something. I’m not sure what you did in Club Vanquisher just now to cause all those gods to appear, but I’m guessing it didn’t go well for you guys?”
The changeling frowned. She seemed to come to a decision. “We lost three. We did not cause the gods to appear, but we were in position just in case. One of us managed to touch Bast—the panther god—but she died before she could escape. At this point, only one of us has touched a deity, and that one is... wrong.”
Justice nodded. “What if I could show you how to touch a god and not get killed? And in exchange, you agree to honor all of our previous deals. No more of this subterfuge. You agree to help with Operation Ruin and not sabotage it. You help us win this war as quickly as possible.”
“If Operation Ruin goes off like you want, the gods won’t be an issue. This will be over before any more appear.”
Justice Light finally did chuckle. “Oh, my dear. You are thinking much too small. Let me tell you my plan.” He sat down and started to explain to her what he’d truly been building down here. He showed her the trap he’d started designing the very moment he watched Carl discover the Gate of the Feral Gods.
Far below, before he even finished relating his plan, the digger engine kicked fully on, but the machine started to move away. He sighed with relief.
You ride the currents you have, or you don’t fly.
Class: Trap Master
Race: Skyfowl.
Birth Race: Skyfowl.
Top Level: 86
Dungeon Exit: Took deal at the beginning of the 11th floor.
After a tumultuous and ultimately tragic tenure as a merchant selling trap supplies, was released into the wide universe where he spent every waking moment learning about dungeon lore, hidden trap exploits, gods, and the Ascendancy of the 12th floor. Eventually returned to the dungeon to assist the Princess Posse and to implement his great plan.
Author of the eighth Edition of the Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook.
Current status: Alive.
~~~~~
Hey all! Just got back from the UK where I met several of you guys and had a great time. Chapter 56 isn't quite up to snuff, so I left it out, but I figured I'd get you guys this cryptic-as-fuck Justice Light chapter out of the way. I was kinda hoping to position this later for the popping off of his grand scheme, but I think this works just as well. Also had a Katia and Carl flashback as another leading chapter, but I think I'll keep that for the lead for part IV.
The title for book seven is locked in now as This Inevitable Ruin, and this is the cover by Luciano Fleitas. The typography is NOT final, and there are a few bits and pieces that aren't done. Specifically Carl's patches. Also, there's a bit of a spoiler on the cover that will be revealed in chapter 56. For most of the background characters, I told Luciano to just make fantasy characters, so the dwarf, etc., aren't anyone specific. Please don't share it just yet. But here it is:
EDIT: FIND THE CAT. SHE IS ON THE COVER. 
Comments
Just joining y’all, here’s my spoiler guess from the cover: There are 4 enemy warlords left, and 4 lines coming from Donut up on the tower. Are they somehow supercharging her sniper ability and taking all 4 out in an instant? Maybe they’ve tattooed Carl’s Ping ability to let her pinpoint them immediately?
Michael Lehrman
2024-07-19 21:26:50 +0000 UTCI feel like an addict… started with audiobooks 4x times then went to this… now caught up and in pain waiting
Jason Tinnel
2024-07-15 18:35:45 +0000 UTCI'm off work today after eating something doesn't agree with me. I need a pick me up. Chapter?? 😂. (Insert donut comments on what it's like to be around someone in my condition)
Joseph Slaughter
2024-07-15 08:11:08 +0000 UTCI'm not matt dinniman, I don't know his upload schedule...
Godlyvex5
2024-07-15 03:04:51 +0000 UTC??
Baurzhan Dosym
2024-07-15 02:16:25 +0000 UTCWhy not
Baurzhan Dosym
2024-07-15 02:16:01 +0000 UTCSurely it must be the loot drop chapters after all of the shenanigans that have occurred since they last opened their boxes
Dustin Bentley
2024-07-15 00:18:00 +0000 UTCShame, you would think he'd sort that out after getting put on blast like that.
Sabe F.
2024-07-14 14:06:52 +0000 UTCHe did not
QueenofHartbrake
2024-07-14 10:17:03 +0000 UTCLet us know if Dwight ever saw that doctor.
Sabe F.
2024-07-14 04:05:33 +0000 UTCI hear you my friend. I'm actually re-listening to the audio version starting at book 1 to see all of the original rules
Paulamarie Young
2024-07-14 03:30:02 +0000 UTCI also subscribe to patreon because of the series. I enjoy the community of ideas and the explanations when I don't get it. Thank you guys!
Paulamarie Young
2024-07-14 03:27:06 +0000 UTCIt is very hard waiting for your next chapter to drop
Paulamarie Young
2024-07-14 03:23:02 +0000 UTCIt hasn’t posted for me yet there must be some kind of glitch in my internet connection
worldSeries
2024-07-13 22:08:09 +0000 UTC#weaponizingDwightsanus
QueenofHartbrake
2024-07-13 16:42:43 +0000 UTCI’m calling it … new chapters today! Either that or I’m calling Dwight and there will be butthole pics inbound
QueenofHartbrake
2024-07-13 16:37:16 +0000 UTCwhy are you asking me
Godlyvex5
2024-07-12 16:29:49 +0000 UTCThis might not be the right chapter to comment this on but I'm calling it now. Orren will somehow end up helping the crawler team. Maybe not on this floor. But maybe on the later floors. He's like the recurring minor antagonist in a tv series slowly turning protagonist. Like that fella in Buffy.
Jamal Jahabar
2024-07-12 16:14:33 +0000 UTCWhen is new chapter
Baurzhan Dosym
2024-07-12 13:17:10 +0000 UTCI pictured him cuter, kind of like a Japanese mascot
DannyK
2024-07-12 04:50:04 +0000 UTCNo toe rings? Mongo is appalled!
Kris Costalas
2024-07-12 04:06:51 +0000 UTCDinniman its your fault for our crack addiction to your chapters.....ima just lay that out there.......more please.
One Winged Angel
2024-07-11 23:43:59 +0000 UTCI think carl is missing a toe ring on the cover
Jonathan Davidson
2024-07-11 01:21:46 +0000 UTCIt's meant to be an interlude to the start of the next phase of the book.
Douglas Erdman
2024-07-10 15:22:28 +0000 UTCI was a bit confused about this chapter, it's a very sudden change from the last one.
Godlyvex5
2024-07-10 01:13:32 +0000 UTCReread the post Book 7 Chapter 5. The item was obtained from the first mantaur killed by Carl in The Dungeon Alchemist's Cookbook
Sabe F.
2024-07-09 16:26:08 +0000 UTCTravis Beecher
2024-07-09 13:34:30 +0000 UTCDang it. I'm all caught up.
John Martin
2024-07-09 11:25:46 +0000 UTCThank you!!
worldSeries
2024-07-09 10:53:12 +0000 UTCFrom the post chapters 9 and 10 of this book, Juicebox explaining what menu/warlord abilities she has and doesn't have, second paragraph of the explanation: “I know of which you speak, but I do not have access. I do have the mental voice messaging system. And I do have the mental words that speak to me in my mind and float before me when there is a change.” She sighed. Then she reached over and booped Louis on the nose with her finger. “But the good thing is, that means we can now talk when you like.”
Sabe F.
2024-07-09 04:05:10 +0000 UTCI'm way late to the comment party (busy week haha), but damn, Justice Light had some serious badass paranoid survivor vibes. Like that one-eyed DADA teacher in Harry Potter. 🙃 The short sentence about his children ("He loved puzzles. So had his children" IIRC) was gold. Even if his kids were removed to a kinder facility instead of being squished, that means they lived and died while he remained an indentured servant. O_o Also, I absolutely knew the changelings had a sinister agenda. :P When Juicebox had told Carl to use his own damn veto, that was one hell of a foreshadowing. (I was wrong about their motivation, though - thought they wanted to leave the dungeon and become citizens of the galaxy.) Lastly, the AI's ability to just strike down NPCs is one helluva Chekhov's gun. ;) Since the AI has gone off the rails a loooong time ago, I fully expect it'll fry Zhang just before he escapes Club Vanquisher hahaha - just for the shits and giggles.
Grigorius of Tomsk, Devourer of Pop-Tarts, Victor of Many Battles
2024-07-09 02:35:03 +0000 UTCOooo I forgot about the berserker spell. She also has “bitch what” and that’s a type of berserker spell as well. Maybe someone hurt mongo 😢
Dakota Skildum
2024-07-08 12:10:37 +0000 UTCIn Doomsday Scenario when Odette is explaining the manager benefit she lists chat access as part of it: “As long as he wants to help you, it’ll be the next best thing to having him in the party. He’ll be able to use the chat feature. He is an alchemical master.” Excerpt From Carl's Doomsday Scenario: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 2 Matt Dinniman
worldSeries
2024-07-08 10:50:17 +0000 UTCI was about to start a riot because there was no sign of donut on the cover, but then I saw the edit, and Oh My God! Well played.
Daniel Fraser
2024-07-08 07:45:46 +0000 UTCThey chat with Mordecai..?
Robin Draycott
2024-07-08 06:39:06 +0000 UTCShe's a sniper on this floor. She can see further and her spells have more range.
Gregory White
2024-07-08 03:03:31 +0000 UTCWhen Carl and Donut hire guards inside the Desperado club in a previous book Donut adds them to her chat shortly thereafter. I forget which book that was, but they were NPCs I believe.
Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason
2024-07-08 00:01:54 +0000 UTCLook at that picture. Even if Bianca were the size of Big Tina, which she isn’t, we would still see Pony on her back. He would have to be doing rodeo tricks and clinging to her side for us not to see him.
Joseph Harris
2024-07-07 19:54:22 +0000 UTCJuicebox is using the chat system to talk to her helper… I either forgot or never knew that the NPC team would have access to chat, is that anywhere in previous chapters?
worldSeries
2024-07-07 18:54:11 +0000 UTCDonut has the berserk skill that she got at the start of .. this floor? She probably just had to activate the skill. Mongo is missing and that’s what worries me. What made her activate the skill.
Konlin Gappmayer
2024-07-07 18:52:10 +0000 UTCAh, of course. Thanks!
Bobby Martin
2024-07-07 05:41:31 +0000 UTCYep people posted it everywhere and Matt made a post on Reddit
Riyon Hutton
2024-07-06 20:39:21 +0000 UTCTop o' the Nest (the tower).
Tom
2024-07-06 19:48:05 +0000 UTCWhere's the pussy? How can you have a Carl Cover without Princess Donut?
Bobby Martin
2024-07-06 18:54:18 +0000 UTCRen is TERRIFYING. Not what I imagined at all. I think it's the huge eyes. In my head he's like a darker sort of ...cooked meat color with a face at the top. Of course, that means his mouth opens the entire length of his body which is horrifying in its own way, but at least he's cute when he's happy. Lol
Rickey
2024-07-06 17:45:40 +0000 UTCI would love to see that series finished some day.
J Serial Kilroy
2024-07-06 05:46:24 +0000 UTCScratches neck: got any more chapters
Nick
2024-07-06 03:49:43 +0000 UTCI demand a Ren plushie
Derrick O Bass
2024-07-06 02:18:46 +0000 UTCDamnit, I'm all caught up already... Holy fkn hell!!
Mentive
2024-07-06 00:37:11 +0000 UTCI love the Fabio look of Carl! Very good interlude and I adore Justice Light’s perspective!
Corey Pittman
2024-07-06 00:07:35 +0000 UTCRings updated in cover shared on reddit. Donut has magic missle, so it could be that. The Samantha head has runny porn star makeup by default, that's exactly what's pictured. And I think the Embrus tatts glow all the time, but orange. Only new thing I see in the updated image is the patch on Carl's jacket on the left breast near the arm hole. I don't remember that one.
Sabe F.
2024-07-05 23:05:47 +0000 UTCYou missed the patch near his left shoulder. I think that one is new.
Sabe F.
2024-07-05 22:57:49 +0000 UTCI could totally hear the character in this lol. Well played
Jordan Jones
2024-07-05 19:49:13 +0000 UTCHonestly though, it would be on-brand for her to jump to that conclusion lol.
Jordan Jones
2024-07-05 19:48:06 +0000 UTCI believe he got the epicure patch on the 4th(?) floor
Jordan Jones
2024-07-05 19:38:18 +0000 UTCHer getting controlled makes me think it would be The Madness, but **potential major spoilers ahead** considering how many people have pet Donut, and the fact that we now know the changelings are EVERYWHERE, it's more likely that a hostile Donut is actually a Changeling. I'm guessing it gets revealed that their limitations were removed to set up for when they start impersonating crawlers.
Jordan Jones
2024-07-05 19:37:10 +0000 UTCAm I just retardant? I can't figure out how to view the image on Reddit, when I click on it, it just reloads the page, and when I try to download it just gives me a fuzzy partial picture, please help
Russ Stevens
2024-07-05 16:40:52 +0000 UTCI think Jamal might be right, one of the lines isn’t coming from donut. *Spoiler* don’t read further if you’re not caught up to the chapters or not reading. Due to the fact Donut is a sniper, she might just be looking over the group. Not attacking them. I think the spoiler is Bianca without Pony (which makes me sad due to pony’s revelation in the last chapter)
Dakota Skildum
2024-07-05 15:07:48 +0000 UTCJust bought pateron just to read this love the series!
Connor Sanders
2024-07-05 09:56:10 +0000 UTCI thiought the exact same but in the updated cover the line coming toward the crawlers is red
worldSeries
2024-07-05 09:31:52 +0000 UTCNah, I think those thin lines eminating from the tower are the aura thingy that Li Na casts on the previous chapter.
Jamal Jahabar
2024-07-05 09:30:15 +0000 UTCLinked below on reddit
worldSeries
2024-07-05 09:29:38 +0000 UTCWhere are you seeing the updated cover?
Jamal Jahabar
2024-07-05 09:28:48 +0000 UTCCan we keep Samantha on every cover moving forward till the end of the series please.
Jamal Jahabar
2024-07-05 09:28:25 +0000 UTCCan't kill Pony, that would be too big of part of the book cut out. He brings so much humour, without him all of it is less. It can not be.
Neil Taylor
2024-07-04 22:07:12 +0000 UTCCarl's hair is majestic. Put him from a 6 to a 9 easily.
BlaueFeder
2024-07-04 19:35:21 +0000 UTCSpider cat spider cat
Dakota Skildum
2024-07-04 18:31:53 +0000 UTCOh yeah great point. Maybe shi Maria 👀
worldSeries
2024-07-04 18:29:05 +0000 UTCThat’s a great point, but it said early on that if a crawler is a member of an army, the conscription spell doesn’t work. So it would have to be some sort of mind control spell, or possession
Dakota Skildum
2024-07-04 18:27:51 +0000 UTCIf that dinosaur dies I don’t know what I’m going to do
Dakota Skildum
2024-07-04 18:23:41 +0000 UTCWhere the FUCK is mongo
Dakota Skildum
2024-07-04 18:23:08 +0000 UTCSpeculating on spoilers: especially on the updated version of the cover, it looks very much as if Donut is targeting the main crawler group with her sniper abilities, and that they’re running in the wake of a fireball. I’m wondering if she gets conscripted or controlled someway to attack the other crawlers. Maybe something about the new tower backfires.
worldSeries
2024-07-04 16:02:06 +0000 UTCCarl received a Reaper Spider Minion (it is not specifically Shi Maria) patch early in book 7. As for ram’s head, I think it is Epicure, the anti-vampire patch
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-04 13:53:33 +0000 UTCOn the revised version of the cover with the patches, I see a couple of patches that I don't remember Carl having. One is a picture of Shi Maria. Another is a ram's head. Also, what is that yakuza-style tattoo on his shoulder of a serpent wrapped around a flower?
Tyson Vaughan
2024-07-04 13:28:32 +0000 UTCTrue, although I think the real endgame is the "inevitable ruin" of the game itself. That's what the Princess Posse and Team Retribution both want the most: end the Dungeon Crawler World enterprise for good, and get some "retribution" in the process. And whatever that looks like is probably going to involve the Ascendancy contest. This jives with the whole thing about changelings wanting to add deities to their libraries.
Tyson Vaughan
2024-07-04 13:19:57 +0000 UTCWell... if all of Team Retribution either joined the Posse or left the floor via the gate, then there would only be one winner.
Rob Procter
2024-07-04 12:06:27 +0000 UTCI think Juicebox is the betrayer and now I'm really wondering who she replaced in the crawler camp
Joshua Galaise
2024-07-04 10:38:19 +0000 UTCIt's just going to ruin things for all of us in the future as Matt won't share anything that's not ready for a full public release.
Brandt Boulden
2024-07-04 10:09:17 +0000 UTCInteresting. Thanks! <3
Teal
2024-07-04 07:00:43 +0000 UTCI thought he'd always wear it for the +5% to all stats
Nancy E
2024-07-04 06:39:29 +0000 UTCI assumed that they were the wires from le na’s aura abilities.
Dragan
2024-07-04 05:22:11 +0000 UTCJust about, sometimes less, than 2 weeks.
Dragan
2024-07-04 05:18:30 +0000 UTCI had a fright, thought Donut wasn't on the cover.
Patrick Turner
2024-07-04 04:14:51 +0000 UTCSo….we have to wait another 2 weeks for another chapter? How many times you want me to reread the series?
peggydavis3
2024-07-04 03:34:47 +0000 UTCI don’t think it’s a betrayal. I think Justice Light and Carl and juicebox really have the same goal. End the crawl. They might have different ideas how to achieve that end .
peggydavis3
2024-07-04 03:33:46 +0000 UTCSure. He doesn’t always wear it. He probably should wear it ‘never’.
peggydavis3
2024-07-04 03:31:23 +0000 UTCAgree! Because there can only be ONE winner. And that has to be addressed. Getting the most NPCS and Crawlers to the next floor (or further- maybe straight to 12?) has to be the endgame.
peggydavis3
2024-07-04 03:29:44 +0000 UTCYeah. I’m not sure what people didn’t understand about that. Dicks, I’m guessing?
peggydavis3
2024-07-04 03:26:21 +0000 UTCOooh, potential spoiler hunt. Carl’s tattoo is glowing - which could be major! No Mongo but Tina is in battle. Bianca in flight without Pony??? Looks like Carl has a new tattoo - a snake (naga?) curled around an orchid. Could be an achievement around the recent battle, or my theory is that it could be an ‘achievement’ from the AI if something goes wrong with the plan with the flower and the sepsis whore escape plan / something happens to Katia and Carl gets credit from the dungeon for it. (I hope not 🥲)
Cupocryptid
2024-07-03 21:34:05 +0000 UTCMatt himself shared an updated version of this cover and the title of the book over on the DCC subreddit, https://old.reddit.com/r/DungeonCrawlerCarl/comments/1duns8c/dungeon_crawler_carl_book_7_this_inevitable_ruin/ ... so I'm *assuming* it's probably fine to talk about the title everywhere now? Since noone over there is being asked to not share it around and all (and, let's face it, they wouldn't do it anyways. Especially since people HERE weren't able to help themselves and started sharing this image around against the wishes of the author...)
Jordan Reynolds
2024-07-03 21:03:55 +0000 UTCMatt just posted an updated version of this to the DungeonCrawlerCarl subreddit which shows Carl with his his toe rings, finger rings, and the patches on his jacket too. Seems like people here couldn't keep quiet about this image and started sharing it around, which led to Matt sharing the most up-do-date version there to stop the unfinished one from being posted everywhere :( https://old.reddit.com/r/DungeonCrawlerCarl/comments/1duns8c/dungeon_crawler_carl_book_7_this_inevitable_ruin/
Jordan Reynolds
2024-07-03 21:01:00 +0000 UTCCan we share just the book title?
Brandt Boulden
2024-07-03 20:06:47 +0000 UTCDonut gets the "Eye of Sauron" upgrade or a sniper ability.
Eric
2024-07-03 19:05:28 +0000 UTCDonut could be singing and buffing them up.
Joseph Harris
2024-07-03 18:37:15 +0000 UTCShe isn’t THAT big. We would see him on her back.
Joseph Harris
2024-07-03 18:35:09 +0000 UTCIsn't Bianca very big? If pony is standing on her back we wouldn't necessarily see him
Björn Söderlind
2024-07-03 18:27:17 +0000 UTCIt’s probably from her sniper class sight lines.
Trevor Mallow
2024-07-03 18:09:33 +0000 UTCThose lines seem to be coming from all around the tower. I was thinking that it might be Donut singing and giving everyone a buff.
Joseph Harris
2024-07-03 17:23:02 +0000 UTCFuuuuu....how did I (and so many others) miss that?! I do love that Big Tina is there. We named our largest Jersey Giant hen "Big Tina" =]
Dan
2024-07-03 17:16:52 +0000 UTCAs for the spoilers, Bianca is flying without Pony. Maybe something happened to him? Also Ren is much larger now. Maybe he got a huge upgrade and rose up a bunch of levels? And the final possible spoiler for me, and the one I hope is true, is the fact that Samantha’s head is on the ground and not floating. Maybe it’s lifeless? Maybe she finally got her body back!
Joseph Harris
2024-07-03 17:14:05 +0000 UTCOh, she's on there.
Chris Furry
2024-07-03 16:59:45 +0000 UTCIf it is a new tattoo, I'm guessing it's another extinction sigil tattoo. The Sepsis Whore was saying "You killed us all!" during the fight with her. Maybe Carl & Donut spoiling all of her plans and exposing secrets caused the Naga empire to implode, much the same way the Orc empire is falling apart.
Douglas Erdman
2024-07-03 15:34:02 +0000 UTCThank you, the Tummy aches name is Rend or Sir Rendalgoer. There is a demon guy on the left side I'm really curious about, he looks special
Russ Stevens
2024-07-03 15:11:27 +0000 UTCOn the cover are: Carl, Donut, Imani, Tina, Bianca, Samantha, and the Bellyacher pet whose name I've forgotten. Rest of the characters are generic fantasy characters, as Matt said in the update. Hope that clears it up for you!
Andrew Bartlett
2024-07-03 15:06:44 +0000 UTCWe're trying to spare Neil's feelings here, there are absolutely no tits on that goat-dragon! I'm glad our spoiler theories align.
Andrew Bartlett
2024-07-03 15:03:43 +0000 UTCIf you zoom in to maximum, she does have breasts. You can see one breast between her front legs, and what may be another one peeking out underneath it.
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-03 14:51:23 +0000 UTCI think the spoiler is that there is no Prepotente on Bianca's back. Several things which MIGHT be spoilers, but I think are oversights, hopefully corrected in the final version: No patches on Carl's jacket. Carl has no rings or toe rings. Also, where Carl’s bandanna?
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-03 14:45:43 +0000 UTCThe sun tattoo. It marks him as a worshiper of Emberus.
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-03 14:44:28 +0000 UTCI’m glad you started addressing this issue of the NPCs’ aims and loyalties more directly. Since one of the throughlines of the series has been Carl’s struggles to justify killing so many NPCs (must be thousands by this point), it seemed like a sore point between Carl and Juicebox that would flare up eventually, and potentially with catastrophic consequences. Looking forward to seeing how this all plays out!
Tyson Vaughan
2024-07-03 14:40:59 +0000 UTCDonut: THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE CARL! WHY AM I NOT ON THE COVER?! WHO DOES THIS 'MATT DINNIMAN' PERSON THINK HE IS SHARING AN OBVIOUSLY WRONG COVER WITHOUT ME ON IT? MONGO IS APPALLED!" (looks great, no matter what Donut thinks...)
Dan
2024-07-03 14:37:52 +0000 UTCIf you zoom in, you can see details. Same with Big Tina, but rather more spectacular
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-03 14:30:40 +0000 UTCLove the cover art! Carl is missing a toe ring(s?).
Dan Stover
2024-07-03 14:24:44 +0000 UTCMONGO IS APPALLED!!
Melissa Glisan
2024-07-03 13:57:57 +0000 UTCAnd here I was going to vote, in her ghoulie suit under Carl's magnificent hair!
Melissa Glisan
2024-07-03 13:55:36 +0000 UTCPotential spoilers: Carl has no visible rings or toe rings. There is a line coming from the tower that has the right trajectory to be coming from Donut. Could she have/get an aura power? I forget under what circumstances Carl’s Emberus tattoo glows. Could the god have been summoned? Da head is crying- does her mom show up again and confirms to her she’s sponsored?
Spencer Miller
2024-07-03 13:45:11 +0000 UTCDid anyone guess the spoiler? There are a lot of creatures in the back ground so we know all of them? I sure dont
Russ Stevens
2024-07-03 13:25:35 +0000 UTCIt’s not a tower.. it’s the “Nest”
John Georgas
2024-07-03 12:44:32 +0000 UTCI don't see the ring of divine suffering on Carl's finger
Nancy E
2024-07-03 12:36:33 +0000 UTCI love this cover! I love how Donut is framed. Wonderful Imani. I do wonder why we haven’t seen Katia on a cover yet (right?). Hope we get her at some point.
Fyzzghank
2024-07-03 12:33:43 +0000 UTCEPIC cover! Love Carl's luscious long hair. Haha. I'm scared though... The title... The latest chapter updates. It's going to be crazy and I'm not ready for whatever lies in store for Carl and Donut (and the others of course).
Jen
2024-07-03 12:30:53 +0000 UTCLove the cover ... but what about this Justice Light thing going on here? Betrayals most foul are afoot
Joshua Galaise
2024-07-03 12:28:00 +0000 UTCThanks a million, Matt. And congrats on the cover!
William Magee
2024-07-03 12:18:42 +0000 UTCWhat's on Carl's hand?
Zachary Baker
2024-07-03 12:08:35 +0000 UTCImani looks more badass than i could have dreamed
Trevonz
2024-07-03 11:52:51 +0000 UTCIt also could not be Bianca, I don't see any human breasts on that thing! 🤣
Andrew Bartlett
2024-07-03 11:39:16 +0000 UTCNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Neil Taylor
2024-07-03 11:32:22 +0000 UTCyeah, thats not how I imagined it, more as a blob, happy to be corrected
Neil Taylor
2024-07-03 11:10:25 +0000 UTCLooks like Donut is firing at Bianca?
FauxLegs
2024-07-03 10:54:17 +0000 UTCBrain Patch Notes: Updating Tummy Acher image from meatwad (Aqua teen hunger force) to that thing
Shea Transue
2024-07-03 08:52:18 +0000 UTCLol, I do exactly the same. I'm happy to pay monthly just to keep updated.
Shea Transue
2024-07-03 08:45:36 +0000 UTCNo you were in the uk! Damn would have loved to join that!
Walter Pfaff
2024-07-03 08:23:55 +0000 UTCYep, this is just getting better and better…. My mind is swirling and I love it!!
Vickie Rashvand
2024-07-03 07:41:39 +0000 UTCI'm worried that the spoiler is that we can't see pony on bianca..... 😬
Matthew Richardson
2024-07-03 07:27:15 +0000 UTCHugs
Riyon Hutton
2024-07-03 06:20:45 +0000 UTCI’m thinking open gate of the gods, the shape shifters touch and let the chaos flow
Riyon Hutton
2024-07-03 06:18:36 +0000 UTCTower
Riyon Hutton
2024-07-03 06:17:37 +0000 UTCCover looks great, Princess Donut, like all good princesses is sitting at the top of the tower overseening all her domain.
Linettea
2024-07-03 06:10:43 +0000 UTCMy god, Carl is just fabulous! It took me a second to realize that Imani on the left. Then I realized she had butterfly wings. But I really love seeing Tina, Bianca, and then I even found Donut on the tower! And then I saw you challenging everyone to find her lol.
Fuzzy Wuz Writing
2024-07-03 05:46:30 +0000 UTCMy theory for the spoiler is that Pony dies. Guessing that's Bianca top left and there's no rider on her back.
Andrew Bartlett
2024-07-03 05:41:22 +0000 UTC"Find the cat, she is on the cover" Donut is the only female cat that's been seen in the dungeon so far.
Andrew Bartlett
2024-07-03 05:38:56 +0000 UTCI had forgotten about that tattoo, but upon rereading, I still think this one is new. Per chapter 36 of the butcher’s masquerade: “Donut started to inspect it, as the gold Apostate Box opened. The symbol appeared in the air, and then slapped itself right onto my left upper arm. This was yet another tattoo. It appeared to be a flaming ball of snakes, almost like a free-floating Medusa wig. One of the snake heads reached down and curled around the web pattern on my elbow tattoo….” So the tattoo is in a similar location on his body and it also involves snakes, but it’s otherwise described pretty differently. Since there aren’t any other obvious candidates for what the spoiler might be, I still think this is it, but you could be right.
Michael T
2024-07-03 05:17:26 +0000 UTCshe’s on top of the tower.
Joseph Harris
2024-07-03 05:11:40 +0000 UTCHa. It took me a minute but I finally found Donut. She’s on top of the tower.
Joseph Harris
2024-07-03 05:11:10 +0000 UTCWith the chapter itself I am really interested how juice box play will turn out. Since this book many allies seem to be more of a danger to carl than the enemies
son of gaming
2024-07-03 05:05:35 +0000 UTCLove the cover especially Samantha is perfectly between creepy and comical
son of gaming
2024-07-03 05:03:00 +0000 UTCThe tummy acher is way less meatwad than I was expecting but still awesome!
Mark Fore
2024-07-03 05:01:36 +0000 UTCWait where is she
CypressBill
2024-07-03 04:45:49 +0000 UTCCan we have Donut that small on all the rest of the covers? Please
Bru-
2024-07-03 04:39:32 +0000 UTCWasn't that in the Gold Apostate Box he got for destroying Dewata's shrine?
Bru-
2024-07-03 04:36:54 +0000 UTCStill hoping for a ghost ship trap. Would be super awesome to see that get set off and kill a bunch of enemies. A trap so magnificent that Popper would be proud.
Stephen Greenwood
2024-07-03 04:31:49 +0000 UTCI am not keeping up with reading patreon chapter but took a peak at the cover and I love it! So cool to finally see Imani. And I found donut!
T
2024-07-03 04:09:09 +0000 UTCVery happy to see the cover. Thanks for the chapter.
John Anastacio
2024-07-03 04:05:21 +0000 UTCYeah I think you’re right. Looks more like a snake (naga?) and an orchid.
Nick
2024-07-03 04:00:25 +0000 UTCSir Rendlegore
peggydavis3
2024-07-03 03:58:39 +0000 UTCDonut is on the tower
Cory Wages
2024-07-03 03:58:12 +0000 UTCI like it until I noticed something. Where's donut, The Donutholes do not approve and Mongo is outraged.
Mushy
2024-07-03 03:53:24 +0000 UTCHmmm… Croissant?
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-03 03:36:49 +0000 UTCDonut is more than just a silhouette. If you zoom in, you can see her face
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-03 03:34:52 +0000 UTCI told myself I would wait to read because I hate waiting weeks for the next. And then, immediately, I read it all. It was amazing (no surprise) and I’m still so nervy. So many characters are so fleshed out and I feel for them all.
Lauren J
2024-07-03 03:34:12 +0000 UTCWhoa. Justice Light is planning something nasty with the gate.
J Holmes
2024-07-03 03:30:21 +0000 UTCThat dog is vascular
Lauren J
2024-07-03 03:30:10 +0000 UTCShe's an epic Sniper this floor if I'm not mistaken, we just haven't seen her in action yet
wartgalore
2024-07-03 03:28:33 +0000 UTCWhat does it have to do with her class?
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-03 03:27:55 +0000 UTCSo the spoiler. Is it that they are all running away from the club vanquisher area into Battle? It seems that way with the lines coming from the tower or is it that all of the posse has li na's strands with them and are attacking the remaining teams? That would be seriously epic! How many teams remain? Skull empire, the madness, and the reavers, right?
william brown
2024-07-03 03:26:09 +0000 UTCDonut is on the top of the tower
Ilya Taytslin
2024-07-03 03:24:49 +0000 UTCDonut so small and only in silhouette? Mongo is appalled.
Michael Le
2024-07-03 03:22:55 +0000 UTCThanks to all. It will not break us.
Kevin Hall
2024-07-03 03:16:35 +0000 UTCCarl has some veiny feet!
FauxLegs
2024-07-03 03:00:53 +0000 UTCghillie suit donut in a sniperrific position
FauxLegs
2024-07-03 02:59:11 +0000 UTCBe safe brother!
Zach Gibson
2024-07-03 02:58:10 +0000 UTCWho's on top of the tower?
E13design
2024-07-03 02:52:33 +0000 UTCAtop the tower
Joseph Costa
2024-07-03 02:52:19 +0000 UTCCarl's hair is GLORIOUS!
CrashCanuck
2024-07-03 02:47:23 +0000 UTCWhat if you used photoshop to replace just his feet with fully photorealistic but heavily beautified and filtered feet
Super Super Supportive Supporter
2024-07-03 02:45:34 +0000 UTCI think the tattoo on Carl’s arm is the spoiler. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think we know about this tattoo yet. It isn’t his Li Na tattoo—that one is on his right arm, not his left, and it depicts a dragon made of chains, whereas this one, if you zoom in, looks like a snake coiled around some kind of flower (an orchid, perhaps?). My guess is he’ll receive this tattoo in a box for surviving getting choked out by Vinata and/or successfully resolving the sepsis whore situation.
Michael T
2024-07-03 02:45:30 +0000 UTCShe's there ...look closer
Christine Batch
2024-07-03 02:43:28 +0000 UTCDonut is there on the tower :)
Richard Sawyer
2024-07-03 02:41:14 +0000 UTCI was holding my breath until I got to Alive at the bottom. Justice Light is a favorite of mine.
Christine Brown
2024-07-03 02:41:07 +0000 UTCTop of tower
Mike McElhiney
2024-07-03 02:36:20 +0000 UTCWhere is donut
Nigel Evans
2024-07-03 02:27:14 +0000 UTCI LOVE the cover! The meatball!!!!
eva smith
2024-07-03 02:21:32 +0000 UTCNo Donut on the cover?
alaric
2024-07-03 02:21:04 +0000 UTCAnd I'm still worried about the implication that there's a sponsor trap waiting to happen to some of our favorite people, otherwise, why foreshadow it so early in the book?!
Duke GIJOE
2024-07-03 02:21:01 +0000 UTCNo Donut and is that the airship behind the "L" in Inevitable?
Duke GIJOE
2024-07-03 02:19:25 +0000 UTCI love how Matt had to add an edit because everyone missed Donut on the cover and got scared.
PerfectYarn
2024-07-03 02:10:04 +0000 UTCIs that Party Planner on the right side of the tower behind the title? Also, for the life of me I can’t figure out what the spoiler is that’s being shown here.
Beth Rawson
2024-07-03 02:08:52 +0000 UTCI hope the hurricane leaves you and your family unscathed.
PerfectYarn
2024-07-03 02:08:41 +0000 UTCWe are so fucking back
Skitter
2024-07-03 02:08:35 +0000 UTCDefinitely a great punch, but I’m a fairly contextual reader and it still flew over my head.
Micah Longmire
2024-07-03 01:57:22 +0000 UTCI felt like I had to reread a few times to confirm that it did in fact come out of nowhere.
Micah Longmire
2024-07-03 01:57:00 +0000 UTClmao. i’ve been reading about how Carl now has glorious long hair… But seeing it illustrated is absolutely amazing!
Jordan Reynolds
2024-07-03 01:51:26 +0000 UTCAnyone have thoughts on the cover spoiler? Also this could be some alt 90’s romance novel with Carl standing in for Fabio let’s give it up for the hair!
David Duncan
2024-07-03 01:46:55 +0000 UTCWhen I read it it had a heavy punch because we fill in the blanks
worldSeries
2024-07-03 01:44:36 +0000 UTCSo I’m a bit (a lot) behind in chapters here, and was freaking the F out that Donut wasn’t on the cover. Til I finally realized she was on the tower! WHEW!!!
Cee Vi
2024-07-03 01:42:43 +0000 UTCWhere's Mongo? Big Tina is the right
Nathan Sanchez
2024-07-03 01:40:47 +0000 UTCSamantha is creepy as he'll. And I love it! Wonderful cover art. Superb chapter.
The Lost Pages
2024-07-03 01:38:59 +0000 UTCLook at the silhouette on the tower
worldSeries
2024-07-03 01:38:25 +0000 UTCExactly where she should be.
Kevin Hall
2024-07-03 01:35:46 +0000 UTCGreat title, mind if I steal it for my spicy tuna cheesy casserole recipe?
Tyler Vickers
2024-07-03 01:35:30 +0000 UTCIs that Bianca in the background, just above the V?
Tom Krausse
2024-07-03 01:33:22 +0000 UTCAmazing!!
Matt C
2024-07-03 01:31:47 +0000 UTCLook up player, she on there, it would preposterous if she wasn’t
Trae Gesling Jr.
2024-07-03 01:26:10 +0000 UTCBianca is up there!
Luke Woods
2024-07-03 01:25:27 +0000 UTCThis cover is absolutely everything to me.
Cinnamonly
2024-07-03 01:21:44 +0000 UTCStrange lack of context before talking about Dante’s refusal. I think you skipped a sentence or two where the AI ordered him to kill the NPCs.
Micah Longmire
2024-07-03 01:18:44 +0000 UTCShe's at the top of the tower! She's just a silhouette.
vivelox
2024-07-03 01:15:13 +0000 UTCPeople have such a good sense of when there will be a drop.
worldSeries
2024-07-03 01:15:05 +0000 UTCThat cover had me worried a bit. I was like oh no where's donut!! But no worries, I found her.
Mrburns93
2024-07-03 01:12:55 +0000 UTCCarl’s long hair is a vibe and I am here for it.
Maggie Porter
2024-07-03 01:11:42 +0000 UTCTook me a minute to find Donut...
Anna Rogatkin
2024-07-03 01:11:23 +0000 UTCLook at the tower 🤫
Nikita Koltay
2024-07-03 01:09:24 +0000 UTCLook at the top of the tower.
Alyssa Houle
2024-07-03 01:08:30 +0000 UTCFound her! That's a good spot for what her class is!
wartgalore
2024-07-03 01:06:57 +0000 UTCAmazing cover!! I love that we get to see so many characters 😁 Imani looks so badass! Rend is perfect. And is that Bianca?? 10/10
Lucas P
2024-07-03 01:05:09 +0000 UTCMatt I’m in Jamaica for a funeral, now waiting for an incoming hurricane at my parent’s house . I haven’t read this new update yet but it’s literally the only reason I brought my IPad with me. Literally the best news all week. Thank you!
Kevin Hall
2024-07-03 01:05:01 +0000 UTCShe’s on top of the tower
Nick
2024-07-03 01:04:10 +0000 UTCTop of the tower
Scott Wright
2024-07-03 01:03:46 +0000 UTCDope! Haven’t read it yet but the cover is awesome. Awesome title as well
Nathan Poulson
2024-07-03 01:02:05 +0000 UTCCover looks great 👍
Stephen
2024-07-03 01:01:33 +0000 UTCAlso I’m glad you had a good time in the UK and loved the picture they took at the dinner
Paul pollard
2024-07-03 00:58:26 +0000 UTCAbsolutely terrified by MIA Donut but appreciate our boy's perfectly angled foot.
Tiffany
2024-07-03 00:57:51 +0000 UTCSorry found donut in the tower.🥰
Bonnie Abrams
2024-07-03 00:57:44 +0000 UTCI fucking love that cover
Paul pollard
2024-07-03 00:53:33 +0000 UTCShe’s on the top of the tower!
Josh
2024-07-03 00:53:13 +0000 UTCOH MY GOD SHE IS THERE!!
Jessica F
2024-07-03 00:51:54 +0000 UTCNope. On the tower
United States of Bob
2024-07-03 00:51:04 +0000 UTCWhere the HELL is DONUT! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!!!
Bonnie Abrams
2024-07-03 00:50:24 +0000 UTCLet's gooooooo!
Tom
2024-07-03 00:49:52 +0000 UTCHopefully casting the fireball.
United States of Bob
2024-07-03 00:49:22 +0000 UTCI think thats her on top of the tower
Solomon Silence
2024-07-03 00:48:48 +0000 UTCI'm so excited. This made my day. It's been rough day but I think I'll make it through the rest of my shift now, resisting the temptation to spend it playing "where's donut"
Erica S
2024-07-03 00:47:54 +0000 UTCNew chapter day is the best day.
Sydney McConnell
2024-07-03 00:47:32 +0000 UTCAwesome love this artwork and so excited for all the kickstarter goodies too!
Matt Fitzpatrick
2024-07-03 00:47:28 +0000 UTCimani & tina? 🥺
Claire
2024-07-03 00:47:28 +0000 UTCAll the way up there? 😂 No wonder I didn’t see her at first.
Demi Uwechue
2024-07-03 00:47:15 +0000 UTCWhere's donut?!??!!?!? Ah.. she's up on the tower. Cryptic shadows await
Mark Estep
2024-07-03 00:47:00 +0000 UTCHoly crap such an amazing cover!
Alexander T Gandon
2024-07-03 00:46:42 +0000 UTCRanen
2024-07-03 00:46:28 +0000 UTCWell I haven’t read more than about 3 paragraphs of book 7 but I read all of the notes. Love the name and the cover looks rad.
Michael
2024-07-03 00:46:22 +0000 UTCShe is on the cover. Look again.
Matt D
2024-07-03 00:45:47 +0000 UTCThat's a sick cover, love it!
camelDetective
2024-07-03 00:45:14 +0000 UTCWell that’s *incredible*!
Ian Coverdale-McCord
2024-07-03 00:44:50 +0000 UTCLETS FUCKKKINNNGGG GOOOO
Trae Gesling Jr.
2024-07-03 00:44:43 +0000 UTCWhy’s Donut not on the cover? 😭 That said it’s gorgeous as expected.
Demi Uwechue
2024-07-03 00:44:29 +0000 UTCOpen Hostilities, title of my marriage as well.
Jake Tompalski
2024-07-03 00:44:21 +0000 UTCI'm back after some time, glad you are posting regularly.
Keera thoughts
2024-07-03 00:44:14 +0000 UTCI love that cover!
Stephen Stanko
2024-07-03 00:44:13 +0000 UTCLet’s fucking go.
Levi
2024-07-03 00:43:47 +0000 UTCWooooooo!
Jake Tompalski
2024-07-03 00:43:44 +0000 UTCA Tuesday night surprise - Thank you! And the cover looks wild and amazing!
Andrew Gerber
2024-07-03 00:43:26 +0000 UTC
