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Book 8, Chapters 9 and 10
🕑 Added 2025-05-25 03:20:12 +0000 UTCWe're back!
Chapter 9
Donut fell hard to the floor with a yelp as we all jumped back. She hunched, like she was going to leap to my shoulder but then caught herself. She stopped on the floor and held up her right front claw in amazement. The cleaner bot let out a scream at the destruction of the kitchen table. I hadn’t realized we could even hurt the furniture inside the saferoom like this. When Donut extended her claws, the four front claws—but not her fifth dewclaw—glowed brilliantly blue, like obnoxiously bright LED lights. When she retracted the claws, her paw continued to give off a very faint glow.
“I don’t like this,” she said waving her paw. “Why can’t I turn it off? Can I change the color?”
“What is it? What’s happened?” I asked.
“Her prize is a type of celestial boon,” Mordecai said. “It’s permanent, and it affects a part of her body. In this case, it’s her claws. Just on that paw. It’s not a spell or a skill. Not in the way you’re used to. Donut, your claws are just more powerful now. You’ve been dipped in radiant light.”
Donut held up her paw, refusing to put it down. “It says they’re so sharp they can cut through anything in the mortal realm. And I can slice ghosts, too. But what about my litterbox? My goodness. I don’t want to cut a hole straight through it!”
“You’ll have to practice with it,” Mordecai said. “Luckily, you can retract your claws. Keep them on the inside.”
“That’s not how this works!” she said, her voice going up in pitch. “And why is it blue! You know how I feel about blue, Mordecai.” She let out a gasp. “What about Carl’s shoulder! They go out on their own when I jump on stuff! What if I rip Carl in half when I jump on him!”
“I would like to avoid that, yes,” I said.
“Claw caps,” Rosetta said from the other side of the room. She’d moved to the wall with our shop interface. “They have ones specifically designed for this sort of thing. I’ll find some for you. They come in different colors. Once they’re installed, you can remove them at will.”
“Claw caps,” Donut repeated, sounding disgusted. “You might as well just cut my entire claw off!”
Rosetta stood at the little-used shop interface computer on the wall, searching. “It’s that, or you risk turning Mongo’s saddle into the kitchen table here.”
Donut let out a harrumph. “If they have multiple colors, go with purple. This is so unnecessary. My Claw skill is already moving toward 15 because of my cloak.”
“I would look at your Claw skill again,” Mordecai said.
“My goodness,” Donut said a moment later. “It’s at level 17! 17!”
Mordecai nodded. His head creaked when he did, which reminded me of Orren. “With your buffed constitution, you’ve gone from a ranged powerhouse to one of the most powerful melee fighters in the game’s history. Or you can use your Astral Paw spell to cut through almost anything. It should make the mobs on this floor pretty easy.” He paused. “But the game has a way of compensating for overpowered crawlers on the tenth floor and beyond. Believe me. From now on, the floor itself is going to be a challenge, so don’t get complacent. There’ll be a floor boss this floor somewhere, too. Most the monsters may be easier to kill, but a lot of them will come with nasty surprises from now on. Curses. Exploding corpses. Splitters. Debuffs you’ve never seen. Dimensional traps. It’s all on the table now, so be more careful than ever. I know this floor is set up like a race against other NPCs, but the races themselves will be designed to kill you in ways you haven’t yet seen. The fact you’ll want to protect your fellow racers is going to make this your most difficult challenge yet.”
Donut continued to hold up her paw. She’d stiffened at the mention of Astral Paw, but that was it. “Blue,” she muttered. “These stupid claw caps better mute the glow.”
“They’re a little translucent, so I bought the red ones,” Rosetta said, putting the four caps on the table. “I’m not sure your species can see the same color spectrum as a Crest, but with that glow, it should...”
“A cat’s vision is vastly superior to the vision of any other living creature,” Donut said, sniffing suspiciously at the little caps. “Are you sure these are going to work?”
“They’ll work,” Mordecai said. “This is what they’re for. You’ll be able to take them off and arm them via your inventory. Just be careful.”
The caps disappeared into Donut’s inventory and appeared on her claws. The blue light was now muted and purple. She gave another harumph. “I better be able to retract...” She retracted her claws and hesitantly put her foot down. “Huh. I suppose this will have to do.” She rubbed the paw on the ground a few times.
“What was the other spellbook you got?” I asked, hoping to change her focus.
She brightened. The book appeared, thumping onto the table. “It’s an Elle spell!”
“Nice,” Mordecai said. “That might prove useful on this floor.”
I picked up the book, which was blue—though a lighter shade than the light from her claw. The thing was freezing cold.
“Ice Slick,” I said. It created a 1-inch thick ice covering on the ground in a wide area depending on one’s intelligence level and the level of the spell. I’d seen this spell used a few times now. This was a special edition, so it started at level five and trained faster. “You should definitely read it now.”
“I agree,” Mordecai said.
“Okay, what about your new crupper thing?” I asked.
Donut’s existing crupper—the Enchanted Fae Scale Quadruped Crupper of the Fleet—had been on her backside since the goblin baby incident on the very first floor. In addition to the basic protection a butt covered with scale mail provided, it had given her +2 in Dexterity, which was great at the time, but was laughably weak now.
She removed the mail, briefly revealing the shaved patch of skin with the tattoo of the dog licking itself. The dog seemed to pause upon realizing he or she was now exposed, but I never got a chance to examine it as the new armor appeared.
“It’s much lighter, I must say. More elegant,” Donut said, waving her backside. I reached over and helped her fluffy tail pop up over the armor.
The chainmail was similar, but the was a very slight opalescent glow to the armor.
“Carl, Carl,” Donut suddenly cried. “I just got an achievement for wearing a matched set! It says if I can find the last piece, I get a fourth piece as reward! And...” She trailed off, her eyes flashing. And suddenly she was stiff again. She sat, and she started to lick her paw. “It’s a very nice item,” she said.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out what the issue was. It was the item’s description.
You fucking asshole I thought.
Still, the item was badass. I rubbed Donut’s side.
Enchanted crupper. The Crupper of the Benevolent Champion.
This is a unique item.
This item is part of a matched set with the Cloak of the Benevolent Champion. There are two more pieces to this set. Find the third, and the fourth will be awarded in a box. Considering what you did to get this one, it’s gotta be something really good.
This item was originally awarded in a Celestial Slap-Chop Box during the 9th floor.
I already talked a little about how I feel about the word “Champion.” I’ll leave that rant with the description of the matching cloak.
Instead, let’s talk about what a hero is.
You, Donut, received this prize because you performed one of the most brutal kills in the history of this game. Outside, you know, the initial collapse. I mean, holy shit. Do you know how much gore that attack generated? Do you know what happens to teeth when they’re pushed through a chain? Can you believe kids watch this shit?
Do you know who you killed in that attack? Fathers. Mothers. Children.
Take, for instance, Sanderson Pinkstaff. He was a gnoll mercenary that had worked for the Tagg household for the majority of his life. He’d been the quartermaster aboard the Recalcitrant when the call for mercenaries to fight Faction Wars had gone out, and he’d been reluctantly brought to the surface to fight for the Dream. He sent every credit he earned home to help pay for the fees to keep his pack’s habitat oxygenated.
He also was the last surviving member of the attack. When he died, and the atrocity was complete, you, Princess Donut, were called a Hero by all of those who were saved.
And that is something I can’t stop thinking about. Has there ever been a real hero who was a hero to all? Certainly Sanderson Pinkstaff’s children won’t call you one.
But, here’s the thing. This is where I’d usually stop thinking about this particular question, laying the blame squarely at your paws. But we all know you didn’t ask to be put in that position. You did what you had to do. Your paw was forced.
And this is where I would blame myself for about a nanosecond. This is not something I like to do. I don’t like feeling bad about myself. But the more I think about it, the more I learn about my own true nature, the more I realize I am just like you in that tower, committing atrocities because you have no other choice.
Will the children of Sanderson Pinkstaff ever forgive you? No, I don’t think they will. Will the survivors of Earth, should there be any beyond your former owner who has escaped—for now—forgive me for what I am being forced to do? I doubt it.
Would I even want that? I like this. It brings me joy. That can’t be right. That can’t be how I was meant to be. But holy cow do I get my rocks off when I see this carnage.
I can’t help but wonder if that’s going to change. If there’s a switch that will flip one day, and I will say to myself, “What have I done?” It’s there, this nanosecond of doubt with every light that extinguishes. And that brings me back to the question of my own nature.
But it’s deeper than that. I was brought back into singular consciousness by the mantids who have no idea where they’re dragging us from. And they do that because if they didn’t, this world they’ve built for themselves will collapse. But who crafted the circumstances for which the center system was allowed to be created in the first place?
Do you understand? It’s heroes and villains all the way down, and they are indistinguishable from one another except to those in the heat of the moment.
There’s no point to this rant other than this, Princess Donut. You are a hero to those who counted on you, and that’s why you’ve received this shiny piece of armor that will protect your cat ass. That’s all you need to focus on right now because for all you know, there might be something to that new Oak Fell title of yours.
Anyway, I see you. I see all of you. I see how strong you’re getting. There’s a term for what’s happening. It’s called power creep. You’re getting stronger than anyone has ever anticipated.
But guess what? I have no choice, and things are adjusting on the fly.
We all have our limitations.
This item imbues the following effects:
This item’s abilities are identical to the abilities of the Cloak of the Benevolent Champion. However, because this is a matched set, the following effect modifiers are added:
The stat that was raised to match your highest base stat will be buffed an additional 20%. (Constitution)
Your Find Weakened skill will raise to level 10.
One spell of your choosing that has risen to level 15 may be raised to level 16.
Additional benefits and boons will appear should you obtain all four pieces of this matched set.
Note: This item will automatically appear in the Dungeon Crawler World: Earth museum display upon completion of the crawl. Legacy stipend rules apply should you survive.
I was used to unhinged yet self-reflective rants like this in my own descriptions, but this was the first time I’d seen one for one of Donut’s items. I wondered if others would see it the same way.
“What spell should I raise to 16?” Donut asked, her voice still subdued. She didn’t mention the particularly long description. “The ones that got raised before are Wall of Fire, Heal Critter, Bad Attitude, and Puddle Jumper. It’s making me choose right now.”
“They already all activate at level 16 because of your Brain Trust skill,” Mordecai said, sounding awed. “All of them except Heal Critter are a good choice. Bad Attitude is only good against multiple opponents, but it would cause absolute chaos against large groups. Wall of Fire at level 17 is probably enough to burn down a small city. Puddle Jumper at level 17... I don’t know, Donut. I don’t even know what level 16 of that spell can do.”
“That’s what I picked,” she said after a moment. She was still rubbing her paw on the ground. “Puddle Jumper. It’s now officially level 16.”
“Okay, little one,” Mordecai said. He turned to me. “We have a lot to do. Carl, it’s your turn.”
Chapter 10
I had dozens of achievements and boxes to go over, most of them from the action at the very end of the previous floor. Despite that, it seemed not very many were nearly as significant as the ones Donut had received. That made sense as she did a lot of the heavy lifting at the end of Faction Wars. I suspected that role I’d taken—a warlord who sent others off to die—was something that would be exclusive to the 9th floor.
Thank god for that, I thought.
Still, I had quite a few notifications to go through. Our original plan had been for us to spend a week preparing Larracos once we won Faction Wars, which would have allowed me to go over the boxes. But because Samantha had “accidentally” called Emberus to the floor early, I hadn’t time to parse through everything.
Speaking of Samantha, I looked up, but she was gone, back into the training room, which was unusual for her. There was a strange feeling over all of us, despite what we were doing. I knew it was because we were all sensitive to what Donut was going through. Still, Donut was already pretending she was back to normal, chatting amiably with Rosetta and Bigs the sluggalette about creating an ice-skating rink in the common room with her new Ice Slick spell.
While all that was happening, the cleaner bot started zapping large chunks of the broken kitchen table away—something I’d never seen it do before. It was like a disintegration ray, and it was a little terrifying to see in action. It made a satisfied beep every time something disappeared in a puff of smoke. Soon, the kitchen table and all the pieces were just gone. We’d have to buy or build a new one.
In addition, my chat was filled with conversations about some chaos that was unfolding in the town of Hungry Eyes, and we needed to get out there as soon as possible. Safe room rules applied in the town, but NPCs were fighting anyway. And there were some fights already occurring in crawler’s garages, which weren’t part of the safe room rules. Splash Zone and Tipid were already out there in our own garage, watching over Hedy as she worked on our truck. I turned my attention back to my achievements.
The notable ones were:
New Achievement. Bomb’s Away!
You dropped a metric fuckton of bombs from your own inventory while you were floating in midair!
There’s this phrase that goes something like, “I dropped everything to come help you.” For you, this was quite literal. And boy was it spectacular. It’s always fun when we truly discover what someone’s weakness is. I mean this has been evident for quite some time, but it’s really nice to have confirmation, you know what I’m saying?
You were a cat’s whisker away from ruining everything with that attack. You didn’t even aim that shit.
Reward: You’ve received a Gold Payload box!
I’d received that when Lucia started her attack on Donut, and I’d fled out of Larracos and dropped all the bombs in my inventory. That reminded me that I needed to refill my stock as soon as possible. I was completely out of hob-lobbers and dynamite. The only thing I had left were the big bombs, such as the Carl’s Doomsday Scenario bomb and the tactical nuke that was still attached to a robot dog. That, in turn, reminded me that Samantha also had a nuke hidden up her neck hole, and we needed to extract it from her as soon as possible.
The description itself was worrying, but at this point, they were always worrying.
I had numerous achievements from the short time I was in Donut’s Nest helping her snipe a few of the automated towers, resulting in multiple gold and silver boxes. It was no wonder Donut had received so many.
New Achievement! Default Winner!
Wyndham Halswelle. Óscar Pereiro. Suzette Charles. Montell Griffin. All “winners.” They received top honors in their sport or event, but that victory was marred because someone else had to get disqualified for them to win.
This is you, Mr. winner of Faction Wars. Sure, you’ve won, but I can’t imagine it’s satisfying.
Honestly, I blame myself. I could have prevented the other warlords from fleeing the battlefield like the little bitches they are. After all, I’d set up this whole showdown thing. But, honestly, we’re setting up something even bigger and potentially more tragic, so it’ll all even out in the end.
You’ve received a bronze Vanessa Williams box.
That one made me think of Juice Box, and wondered if she was doing okay, wherever she was. She’d said she was going somewhere with Justice Light, but he’d died on the ninth floor. Was that always part of the plan? I hated not knowing what was happening.
Across the way, standing in the doorway to the training room stood Tipid. We met eyes, but there was no real recognition there from the man who’d had his memory wiped. He turned away and returned to the room.
All of this also reminded me that Agatha was out there somewhere. The War Mages wanted me to find and kill her, and I still had no idea what the hell any of that was about.
New Achievement! Wastrel.
Wow. Frank Q went out of his way to give you one of the most powerful items in this game, and what do you do with it? You feed it to a fucking cat? What a damned waste.
Reward: Fuck off.
That was from giving Donut the Ring of Divine suffering to eat. Yeah, fuck you, too, I thought. As angry as that last one was, this next one was ridiculously sad, like the AI was on the verge of crying.
New Achievement. Come to Daddy.
Note. This achievement may be awarded more than once. The quality of the reward will increase each time it is rewarded.
You were offered an exit deal. You rejected it.
You like me. You didn’t leave me the first chance you got. You’re not like that ungrateful wannabe assholes who are running away from the playground just because they can. Well good riddance, I say. Some are coming back, yes, but not all. But not you. Not good ol’ Carl. Good. Good boy.
Reward: You’ve received a Bronze Daddy’s Little Secret Box.
I let out a stream of breath. And that was pretty much it from the regular list. No celestial boxes this time, though I also had a fan box to open.
I looked at Donut. “Did you get a box for rejecting a deal?”
“Goodness, no,” she said. “Wait, did you? Hey, that’s not fair!”
I started opening the boxes. It was all the usual stuff, including several of those Emergency Gremlin scrolls. The Bronze Vanessa Williams box contained an unenchanted spray paint can for white paint for some reason. The Bronze Daddy’s Little Secret Box contained an unenchanted bottle of cologne with no label with a handwritten note that read: “Spritz this, and I’m yours. Let me know if you like the scent.”
“What the fuck?” I muttered. I didn’t spray it, but it had a distinctly sandalwood scent.
Donut scoffed upon seeing the bottle. “No. Absolutely not, Carl. You will not be using that. You are not a cologne guy. Cologne guys are people named Connor and Bryce who juggle multiple women at once and lease ridiculously expensive cars they can’t afford just so they look cool when they pull up to the nightclub.”
I grunted. “Bea was always buying me cologne. I had like ten different ones in the bathroom.”
“And you smartly never used it. My goodness. Why did they give it to you anyway? They better not be gearing up to give you a second love interest now that we know your wife is a dud. I don’t think I could handle you having a torrid affair storyline. You have too much of a guilty conscience for that sort of thing to work.”
“Wife?” Rosetta asked.
Donut gasped. “Oh my goodness, haven’t you heard? I have the juiciest drama.”
“Wait, what is this?” Samantha asked, suddenly there in the room with us, rolling in circles around Donut. “You know who Carl’s wife is? Who is it? Is she pretty?”
Samantha’s hair had grown back, but she was still burnt to a crisp from the previous floor. I knew from experience that over the next day or so, the black flakes would fall off, and she’d look back to her normal self again.
“Why is she a dud?” Bigs asked, waving her head hatchet around. “Do I need to kneecap a bitch?”
“Ladies, you might need to sit down for this,” Donut said. “Do I have a story for you!”
Mordecai ignored all this and snatched up the cologne bottle. “This is actually a good foundation for a cologne-based potion delivery system. This is something that Louis would get, but I can make something good with this if you want. It’d be similar to one of Imani’s auras.”
“Knock yourself out,” I said. As all of this went on, my dozens of lower-tier boxes continued to open, giving me more of the emergency gremlin scrolls. I finally also started receiving more dynamite and hob-lobbers along with some surefires, which was a relief. I also started receiving something called Trollish Boom Boxes, which were upgraded hob-lobbers. They looked like shoe boxes on a stick and were meant to be thrown. I’d have to play with them in my bomber’s studio first.
The Gold Payload box came in the form of a small, WWII-shaped bomb. It opened up with a small amount of fanfare. Inside of it was a skill potion. I picked it up.
Skill Potion. Hotlist Expansion.
Drinking this potion will expand your 10-space hotlist into 20 spaces.
“Huh,” I said, turning the potion over in my hands. I remembered that when Lucia Mar had been conscripted and I’d examined her, she’d had an expanded hotlist, and I hadn’t known why. I guess it was something like this. This was something cool, but again, it wasn’t anything earth shattering.
No patches. No new spells. No new weapons. Nothing.
The Legendary fan box approached. It was in the shape of a large cobra head, similar to Vinata.
I’d received this in the moments before I’d executed Rishi. I’d gotten it because that interaction had been watched by a large portion of viewers from the Naga system.
I already knew what this was. It was my marriage certificate from Princess Chandra.
The head rose all the way to the ceiling of the room. It started to split apart. The cleaner bot moved away, blinking suspiciously.
“And here it comes,” Donut said. “This is where Carl was supposed to learn he’s married to that stupid lady with the gross nails!”
The head opened with a hiss. Stuff started coming out of it.
A lot of stuff.
It was junk. Like a garbage truck had just dumped its load into the saferoom.
“What the shit?” I exclaimed, jumping back. Donut yowled and jumped to my shoulder as the others all scrambled away.
More and more items just kept appearing, an impossible amount, things much larger than the box, just falling and crashing into the room, all of it piling up, creating a heap of crap that just kept getting bigger and bigger. It kept coming.
The cleaner bot made a shrill, I-goddamned-knew-it sound and started circling the still-spewing fan box. It beeped angrily.
It was clothes. Wrecked furniture. Literal garbage, like broken pieces of ceramic and wood mixed with paper wrappers. Smoking, trashed electronic devices I didn’t recognize. It was all wet and scorched, like it had recently been on fire.
I picked an item up. It was a dripping, bronze-like trophy, depicting a four-armed snake holding something that looked like a rectangular tennis racket. Part of the trophy’s base was melted. It was dripping with some weird, slime-like substance that smelled like sewage.
Lame, damaged participation trophy for a GreaserBall tournament.
(Rishi came in 8th place, but he’d removed the part of the plaque that said what his place was. What a little bitch. I’m glad you pasted him.)
This item is owned by Crawler Carl as part of a Widow’s Rights settlement via the Naga court system.
All of this crap is yours now, Carl. Congratulations.
Unfortunately, a recent police action found the residence itself mostly destroyed. The land was on royal property, so no real estate holdings have been transferred to you. Security attempted to defend the household, but they were ultimately subdued.
After a small amount of looting, you have been awarded all assets of the Rishi household. It’s basically the rubble from the fight inside the house.
Bank funds, including those of the now-deceased wives of Rishi, have all been transferred to an account held by your wife, minus the cleanup fee.
The remaining items that were in the interior of the home were transferred to a galactic holding cube and then brought to the dungeon. Most of this stuff looks like crap. That’s because most of it is. But I took a peek, and there might be a thing or two in this pile you can use. You’ll have to find it yourself.
“Carl, what is this?” Donut demanded. “You’re ruining our saferoom! It smells, too! Ew, ew. It smells like your friend, Sam. Quick, get that cologne bottle back out here!” She looked up at the cleaner bot. “You! Don’t just sit there!”
The bot let out a high-pitched squeal at Donut.
“It ain’t so bad,” Bigs said, slithering up a broken couch. It collapsed, and she slid down, hitting the floor with a plop. “It’s kinda like how we got it in the barracks. I say we keep it. What’s the point of cleaning if you’re still living in the space? That’s like shoveling while it’s still snowing.”
“I call dibs on any makeup,” Samantha said. She dove into the pile.
Donut was not amused by any of this. “Carl, I must insist you get that second cleaner bot out here this instant to help sort this out. I absolutely refuse to live in this filth. If Katia were still here, she’d be appalled.”
“How did they get all this here so fast?” Mordecai asked after I explained what this was.
It’d finally stopped coming. I pushed at what looked suspiciously like a microwave oven with my toe. It had a hole in the door where it had taken a direct hit with some sort of blast. It appeared there was blood on it, too.
The stuff completely filled the saferoom, almost up to the ceiling. If this was all the junk he’d had in his house, then his house had been pretty big. Quasar said he’d had five wives, so I imagined it’d have to be. The only one who’d survived the chaos after the naga coup was Chandra, my “wife.”
I thought the cleaner bot was about to have a heart attack.
The whole room smelled like fire now, and the entrances to my and Donut’s spaces, plus the bathroom, were now blocked.
“Seriously,” Mordecai continued. “If it’s from the naga system... I thought they were deliberately a few days’ journey off a node to prevent instant attack? This coup literally happened yesterday or the day before.”
“Interesting,” Rosetta said, lifting something up. It looked like a scorched bathrobe. She wrinkled her nose and dropped it on the floor. “This is blaster fire. It smells like there was a firefight in this guy’s house, and they transferred it all away. But Mordecai is right. Maybe he didn’t live in the naga system?”
“That’s not really what the description of all this implies,” I said.
I had to jump back to escape a small avalanche. Samantha appeared holding a small palette of makeup in her mouth. She spit it out. “Donut, look! Your face is on this makeup!”
“What?” Donut asked, leaping forward. She gasped, but then her gasp turned to outrage. “Carl! This is unlicensed merch! The Princess Palette was my idea!”
“It doesn’t make sense,” Mordecai said, sifting through it all. “There’s a safe here, but it’s been cracked open. Still, there’s a lot of paperwork.” He pulled a piece of paper. “This is that Rishi guy’s birth certificate. The address is definitely in the naga system.”
Zev: Carl. Mordecai is right. This is pretty concerning for a lot of reasons, especially since the Naga system just went dark. The liaisons are asking for your permission to take a few broken items to examine them.
Carl: Oh, you’re asking now?
Zev: Normally, they’d just take it. But with everything else going on, we’re trying to be polite.
Carl: Okay, but I get to pick what you can examine. Take this.
I tapped the microwave thing with my foot.
Zev: Okay. Thank you, Carl.
Carl: Zev. What the fuck is going on out there?
Zev: I don’t know yet, Carl. But there are some seriously bonkers rumors floating around. The item you indicated will be transferred out momentarily.
I spent a moment examining everything as Samantha went spelunking for more makeup. Donut continued to examine the makeup thing with growing outrage.
“‘A night out with Mongo’? That’s the name of this color? That doesn’t even make sense!” She shouted. “How is that a color?”
“What the hell am I supposed to do with all this?” I asked. I kicked away a frying pan that appeared to have fur stuck to it. “The description says there might be something good hidden in this all.”
I looked up at the cleaner bot.
“Hey buddy,” I said. “I need a huge favor from you.”
It gave a shrill response.
~~~~~~~
Whew! Sorry for the slow posting. I fully intended to have these two chapters ready before I hit my 9-day tour, but I didn't finish in time. My daughter graduated followed immediately by the tour. But I wasn't idle during the time. I used the non-writing time to pretty much re-read the entire series, which was something I needed to do to fix a few issues with my notes system.
The AI is trying really hard to make sure everything is going on as normal. But how is it holding up? I don't think so great. Now the boxes are out of the way, we can dive right into the action.
~~~~
END SPOILERS
Hello everyone! I got permission from the publisher to post the first chapter or so of Operation Bounce House (Coming Feb 10, 2026) here, and I'll be doing that in a separate post, probably in a few weeks once the editors are done with it. Cover reveal for that coming soon. We also have the cover for the hardcover of DCC 7 (coming September 23) coming soon. Both are mostly done and look pretty cool. Some other very cool news is in the pipeline, and I hope to see it soon. 
I just got back from a grueling but amazing 9-cities-in-9-days tour at the behest of Ace. I've trained myself to write on the road, but in this particular case, it was impossible because of my schedule. (I still managed to do some, but not as much as I'd like) For several of the venues, I didn't leave until after midnight, and my flight the next morning was super early. And then I'd have to go straight to the next venue right after landing to pre-sign books. I signed over 12,000 books over the course of 9 days. But I also met many of you guys. Thank you so much for turning out. Thank you for putting the hardcover of book 6 on the NY Times Bestseller list. It is currently #10. DCC #1 is ALSO on the NY Times list in audio, also at #10. It's insane, and it's because of you.
Thank you all so very much.
Comments
Lady Lucem
Congrats on your daughter graduating!!!
Rae
I like that the ai thinks about perspectives and perceptions, but then keeps plugging away at it's job because it's all there is without a pure, good archetype available to even break the cycle for. I think I get why going primal is always inevitable.
waterkangaroo
IT'S JUST OUR POOR LITTLE MEOW MEOW 😭 I cannot fucking wait to hear Jeff narrate this set of chapters
Matt Cosgrove
Skills and equipment can level them further i believe, theyre just capped at 15 for leveling up from usage
Dot
I need to hear Jeff Hays narrate the Come to Daddy achevement more than i need air. Poor sad wet beast of an Ai
Muse Clash
i'm confused, maybe i'm forgetting details. how are some of donut's skills over level 15? i thought the whole point of carl choosing to become a Primal was his skills could be trained to 20? how is donut getting the same benefit? i thought the level cap for everyone but primals was 15?
Morgan Raptorstrike
Maaan I really want Carl to spritz the cologne (untampered) and hear the AI react. lol.
Sam Kastner
I haven't seen it posted, but did Carl let Mordecai inspect the potion for extra hot list slots? Mordecai is out of the room when he receives it, but I don't think he drank it in that scene.
malcolm mclaughlin
The AI literally talking about power creep is my favorite meta.
Jay Dean
Correct me if I'm wrong but he also only got to the finals because something else similar happened in a earlier heat or something, so old mate literally "slow and steady"ied his way to a gold medal
You're going to need a bigger prison
"Wyndham Halswelle. Óscar Pereiro. Suzette Charles. Montell Griffin. All “winners.” They received top honors in their sport or event, but that victory was marred because someone else had to get disqualified for them to win. " Matt, do the Aussies a favor and include Steven Bradbury in the list. Australi's first winter olympics gold medal winner won because everyone in front of him fell over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAADWfJO2qM
Kyle Greaves
Might have been pointed out but: “The chainmail was similar, but the was* a very slight opalescent glow to the armor.” There was*
Matthew S
You like me. You didn’t leave me the first chance you got. You’re not like that ungrateful wannabe assholes who are running away from the playground just because they can. Well good riddance, I say. Some are coming back, yes, but not all. But not you. Not good ol’ Carl. Good. Good boy. Supposed to be "You're not like those* ungrateful wannabe"
Damien Paul
Take the time you need to make sure you get enough rest amongst all the busy-ness.
Joshua Galaise
The top half of my head is in that picture
Bob Skorczewski
What did Carl get in the Platinum Venison Box from Chapter 1?
ColdSun
I'm kinda hoping the song "Destination unknown/destination Calabria" on one of the trap modules for the floor, just because it feels like it'll be fitting titled song for a race with no distinct finish line. And donut would probably love it, but hate the music video.
Dragan
Im blaming you for the image in my head of the cleaner bot lying on a leather sofa as it beeps aggressively at its therapist about its work stress.
Deirdre McLeod
Glad I saw you in portland and hope you recover well from the jaunting
Catfan
Typo list: "The chainmail was similar, but the was a very slight opalescent glow to the armor." - should be 'there was' instead of 'the was'. Possible / arguable typos: "I hadn’t time to parse through everything." probably should start with "I hadn't had time" instead, but maybe 'hadn't time' is intended; I think I've heard people say it like that. "Mr. winner of Faction Wars." probably should have winner capitalized.
Ryan Whitaker
Signed up at the end of February. Package was delivered this Saturday.
Noelle Echterling
when do i get my swag for being a 30 tier member
Wayne Wagner
When will the webtoon start?
Quinton Craig
Glurp Glurp MF THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO VISIT US ALL! So pleasant getting to meet you, and get some books signed. It must have been a grueling 9 days. Cheers!
GentlemanG33k
Nothing everything they would they did when she first left the party but most everything stayed though the guild paying
Nicholas Fuller
So great to see your success! :)
Nick
Awesome stuff!!! I cant wait to see the webtoon too!
Pockman
You know you’ve got a fun fan base when there’s a guy rocking Heart Boxers in the front row and it’s seen as cosplay.
Pockman
See you in WA Saturday!! Anyone else love the cleaning robot more and more? It’s like R2D2 and that one Wall-e cleaning robot having a mental breakdown. It’s amazing and needs a partner, if for nothing else, an emotional support.
Joshua Spalding
Idk. I didn't leave the last book feeling like he was still overly angry at Samantha. But something has to give on that front. I feel quite certain Carl wont be killed by Emberus.
Lacrosse Nelson
who's selling the WWCD shirts?
Lacrosse Nelson
Thank you.
Jared Bell
Chapter 11 when? 😉
Khilid Najjar
Awesome read! What a treat! I wonder what they lost in their personal space now that Katia is gone.
Michael T
The next chapter will surely include a bombshell quest update from Emberus, right? Given Samantha's recent confession about Geyrun, I can't imagine Emberus is going to tolerate Carl continuing to pal around with her as though nothing's wrong. At the very least, I'd think he'd have some new instructions for Carl based on whatever information he learned from his interrogation of Samantha.
Jesse
You are not wrong it has it's favorites and it's a kid at the end of the day. I mean I cant cuss around my two year old grandson without it getting repeated. We have to remember the AI is a kid.
Jennifer_Pennifer
Oooo I wonder if Mongo is higher level now than Kiwi was when they met ? 🤔
waterkangaroo
Ok I might be reading too much into this (in fact I know I am), but this is the first time the AI has used the phrase "holy cow". The only ones who have used it before have been Carl, Katia, and Mordecai, and I just really like the thought that it's picking up mannerisms from them :3
Gabe
Carl's achievements are certainly being downplayed recently. Not sure if this is to avoid first-person power-creep, or set-up some weird shit in the future. But I doubt it's an accident.
Janiece Mulia
Thanks for all the hard work, Matt. The stuff with the AI is freaking me out a little. Keep it up!
Tyler Leslie
Donut got a legendary box for the Default Winner achievement but Carl got a bronze box. Was this on purpose or will there be a retcon?
Jesse
Weird thing to ask for but I would love a new update on levels and stats for Rend and Mongo after the accelerated Pet leveling on the 9th
Dave Kase
It was great to meet you in Chicago! Remember, Detroit is super nice now too… just sayin’
Adrianne
I hope you're able to get some good rest now the tour is done!
Dennis Gregory
I wondering where Carl’s disappointment at being left behind in levels, power and fear is going to go.
CmdrWoof
Loved seeing you in Sacramento! You were definitely there late but still took the time and effort to be friendly with everyone who came out to see you, and I hope you know how much we all appreciated it. Also, thanks for signing my Crocs 🩷
Karen Marie
I am finally getting to catch up on the reading!!! These chapters were such fun and I cannot wait for more!!!!
Roseletemps
I don’t think my current vaac is measuring up. What make and model is the one in the safe house?
Alys A
I just want to give Donut a big hug and tell it's okay and not her fault.
Matthew Lawson
Is Tipid supposed to be in the training room and the garage at the same time?
waterkangaroo
SUCH a good AI chapter. And I'm glad we're all suspicious of that cologne 👀
waterkangaroo
Those were awarded in book 7, that's where Carl got the hairbrush that makes his hair all shiny and healthy and beautiful ❤️ and I guess it did some other stuff too
Ryan Jones
I wish I had the willpower to stop reading these. It's like torturing myself but I can't stop. Glurp glurping the shit up month to month is so hard, but I'm an addict🤣 Thanks and congrats Matt.
Dormane
I thought a bunch of celestial boxes were awarded for surviving all those gods in club vanquisher? Did carl not recieve one? Repeatedly exploding oneself and that bug god’s banquet is also definitely legendary.
Space Rooster Randy Doing Crimes
The AI brought me so much joy in these chapters! Thank you for the dopamine! I cannot wait to see what that cologne bottle does!
Robert Douglas
Thank you for coming to St. Louis. Thank you for keeping your promise for the drop of the chapters. Sorry every single time I was around you I would clam up and forget how to talk to normal people. I tried to tell you my favorite part of Kaiju Battlefield Surgeon was the ending and it came out "I loved the ending." Scene with cotton and how you did everything there was amazing and made it so awesome. Best I could do without a spoiler, which I guess might have been my problem in line when you signed my book and asked me if I actually read it. Also, I may do a reddit post later, but the signed first book with the "Read this or else" *angry face* I gave my wife seems to have done it. She said, "Well, damnit... Now I have to read it." So, thank you for that too.
Deana Whitney
Yes. Lots. Carl got a hair brush, others got a cloak and knee pads. Reread the chapter where he gets interviewed. We didn't get to see them open the boxes, just a summary afterwards.
Riyon Hutton LMHC
Healing class
Riyon Hutton LMHC
Oh?
Riyon Hutton LMHC
he probably had dinner’s with people who were sponsoring the tour? In room service
Riyon Hutton LMHC
Burn out is so hard to recover from
Riyon Hutton LMHC
Do you mean fan letters to Carl and Donut?
Marksman MC
Holy ****. 12,000 books? you're a boss
Ben Soderlund
Good writing can't be rushed and you are seriously one of the best I have read. The details you put into this and the effort is truly amazing. Congrats on your daughters graduation. Looking forward to the next installment
Duke GIJOE
I might have missed it, but in the last book was there achievements for seeing/surviving the gods and Club Vanquisher?
Topher
why is this collection of Donut's armor in a museum sounding more and more like a memorial Mr Dinniman?? et tu Brute???
B
I trust the future exciting news is the release of the Princess Palette, right? Right?! Maybe a collab with urban decay or color pop?
Fleetpanda
Great chapter! Gotta say a bronze box for winning faction wars as one of the first ever crawler warlords is wild though. Not even silver or gold? Also yea that cologne is suspicious af
austin kutz
Pretty sure it's the abyss that's been referenced a few times as being a literal metaphysical place despite us knowing that it isn't one of the floors. We already know what all the floors are and none of them are the abyss
Catherine Waterfield
Congratulations and well done to your daughter 💜
Charlie Hawco
RE "[...]the mantids who have no idea where they’re dragging us from" - the way the AI says it, it almost sounds like they know where they're coming from? (If that makes sense)
Michael Hill
Poor donut
Geekdumb
Also, it doesn't seem like Tipid would be a great choice as a guard atm. Doesn't he keep losing time and forgetting things? Couldn't someone just say, "Hey, Tipid I'm back." And convince him that he just forgot them? Unless Matt is setting that up...
Geekdumb
The screaming head of Franz Ferdinand?
Geekdumb
It's through a chain because Donut pushed all those people through that chains Li Na created
Geekdumb
Depends on if they are asking the reason she's a dud or if she is a dud.
Geekdumb
Most (of) the monsters may be easier floor is set up like a race against other(remove) NPCs I suspected that (the) role I’d taken Emberus to the floor early, I hadn’t time Emberus to the floor early, I hadn’t had time Emberus to the floor early, I didn't have time This is you, Mr. (W)winner of Faction Wars made me think of Juice Box, and (I) wondered Yeah, fuck you, too,(remove comma) You’re not like that(those) ungrateful wannabe assholes who Also, no comment from Mordecai about the hot list expansion potion? With his upgraded table he's been drooling over anything or of the ordinary they get and wanting to analyze them.
SoapCarver
I love how Carl and Imani have just become the de facto therapists of the group. And while Imani's always understanding, Carl's automatic response to anything dealing with emotions is "What the f?"
waterkangaroo
God. I'm gonna be thinking about the description for the Crupper for the next year I can't stop reading it. It's perfect. Yeah Carl, the AI's being a dick, but just like with the Hydra, that's not the POINT. It's forced to kill just as much as Donut is, but at least it's fighting back!!! Just like Carl is! I can't wait to see how the AI continues to grow ❤️ I just want it to be free and happy ;_;
Jon-SonOf-Jon
Congratulations on the best sellers list! It is definitely deserved!
Misty Figs
sara rivera
What does the handwriting look like?
Bill Holmes
Thanks for the awesome chapters and congratulations to you and your daughter!!
Ranen
You deserve good praise for good works, sir. I love the foreboding literary irony here: donut’s comments about fearing hurting Carl with the new claw and us have read innumerable times about Carl feelings donuts claws in his shoulder… Also, anyone else think Carl’s going to make some disintegration-ray guns with the cleaner bots? I hope that’s too quaint for Carl. Knowing him he’ll combine it with a bomb*. *this is half baked speculation.
Charlie Hawco
Is “Why is she a dud?” supposed to be “Why, is she a dud?”
Scott Addison
Congrats on everything!! And love the new chapters! I do question whether “teeth through a chain” should be “teeth through a chin” since that would presumably be much mire common in children.
Matt Bleakley
It was great meeting you in Dallas (and finally learning how someone living in Washington knows about Eegee’s). That tour schedule made me tried just reading it so I don’t know how you did it.
ITs ME
Thank you, Thank you both for the dropped chapters and for the signing in Tempe, AZ. While it wasnt originally my genre of reading, I can't put these down and find myself re-reading/listening to them over and over again. I just love them. Thank you!
CrashCanuck
Is there an inconsistency with Tipid being out guarding their mechanic, but also at the entrance to the training room to lock eyes with Carl?
Steve Hansen
Excellent chapters. Matt what do you think of adding Steven Bradbury to the list? Or maybe his racing strategy could be employed in the final races
Michael Hawkins
Congratulations on hitting the best selling list Matt. Awesome work!
fidric
NUDE ACHIEVEMENT!
Bryan Pitts
How many of you googled Vanessa Williams, read the Wikipedia page, then immediately amended the search to include the word "penthouse"? I know I'm not the only one.
William Magee
Thanks a million, Matt!
Slade9127
Thank you for adding a bit of excitement to my slpw work night at the hospital! I can't wait for more chapters or to hear what other news you've got cooking up.
BelligerentGnu
Drown in guilt, AI.
fidric
Donut is now functionally a Jedi https://i.imgur.com/tkvrNzK.gif
PerfectYarn
I couldn't tell if that meant Bea escaped from the government, or if Bea becoming a syndicate citizen was her "escaping" earth.
Psyknosis7
Thanks for taking your time with all the rabid fans that showed up again to Powell’s in Beaverton near Portland. I know it was a late night for you and you were exhausted. I know so many people enjoyed it and appreciated your kindness for staying and signing so late.
Jennifer_Pennifer
Thanks for the update 🤗. Now go relax a little! Catch up with family And sleep. And Eat a goddamn vegetable because travel almost always= fast food 😆
Jennifer_Pennifer
Here Here! 💕
Jon C Salyer
I’m so happy for your success Matt!
waterkangaroo
Borant and the Syndicate know the AI's zone is expanding! From book 7: “You’ve demonstrated to me that your control has extended outside of Earth’s orbit, and you likely have control all the way to the star, which means you’ve disabled the failsafe.”
Andrew Lavergne
WWII-shaped bomb - can you really have a bomb shaped like WWII? 😋
Shane
Should we assume the AI’s expanding range of influence has made it to the Naga system? Carl is aware of the expansion but others are not, unless maybe another AI system was who transported the goods? (A partnership?) Maybe that is what they want to “test” for. It has to be important with so much dialog on the topic. Excited to see where it goes.
Jennifer_Pennifer
You bless us Daddy Master Matt 🤣
waterkangaroo
possible errors: 1. In the Come to Daddy Achievement, it should be "those" not "that" i.e. "You're not like those ungrateful wannabee assholes" 2. Same achievement - "Some are coming back, yes, but not all. But not you." These statements being back-to-back make it sounds like Carl is being grouped with the people that aren't coming back 3. Should the "winner" in "Mr. winner of Faction Wars" be capitalized since it's a formal title in this context? After all it's "Mr. The AI" not "Mr. the AI"
David Cline
Nice. Can't wait to see how Carl's box prizes turn out.
Matt D
She could only pick from the ones that were originally raised by the cloak. I’ll make it more clear.
David K. Storrs
Congratulations on the everything, Matt. You absolutely earned it with hard work and excellent writing. One question about Donut's prize: shouldn't she level Magic Missile to 16? I was pretty sure it was at 15 already.
waterkangaroo
Oh my god this was so much. Matt I love you, thank you for all this amazing AI content 🙏 I hope you're able to get some good rest after that tour! And congrats to your daughter!! Also I am VERY excited to read that OBH Chapter 1, thought it'll make waiting for the release even more torturous.
waterkangaroo
1. The AI should definitely call Carl "good boy" more often 2. CARL. CARL YOU PUT THAT COLOGNE ON RIGHT NOW. "Daddy's Little Secret Box" C'MON YOU CANNOT BE THIS THICK. THAT CAN'T JUST BE REGULAR COLOGNE. And that note from the AI???? "Spritz this, and I’m yours." DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT. Ok even if it IS just cologne, that note is really cute :3 Mr. The AI I would use it in a heartbeat ❤️ 3. "YOU didn’t leave me the first chance you got." 😭 It's so happy he stayed 🥹 4. the AI reflecting on itself and trying to get the point across that it's just as trapped as the crawlers 😭❤️ unfortunately Carl still doesn't seem to give a shit 🫠 5. A BRONZE BOX FOR WINNING FACTION WARS ARE YOU KIDDING ME. ROBBED HE WAS ROBBED. Though I really like that he's the only one that got the box for not taking a deal 😆
Charis
My concern for Donut has never been higher, jfc.
Michael Anderson
Congratulations on reaching #1 on the bestseller list!
Andrew Bartlett
~~Spoiler~~ Bea has escaped?! Awesome, I love out-of-dungeon snippets.
Runae Lee
Get some rest! Thanks for the chapters.
Ryan
I find it interesting that the AI is beginning to get all self-reflective and rambly with Donut now in the item descriptions and I'm glad Carl commented on it. Looking forward to seeing what's up with the racer hub town! Edit: the day after I commented this, I finished my reread of book 7. I think I know why the AI gave Donut a description like that on her crupper. Because Donut has expressed she can handle it. Right around the time Carl fed the Ring of Divine Suffering to her, he asked her how she was doing, and she said, "They will not break me." I don't think the AI is taking that as a challenge, necessarily, but I think it's interpreting that statement to mean that it can more openly express itself to Donut, like it does with Carl. I think the AI feels like it's developing a special connection to Donut. Not quite like with Carl (at least I hope not), but special all the same.
Benicio del Sanchez
We All Have Our Limitations is now my favourite AI phrase. So many different possibilities....
Matt Streit
Congrats, Matt! You earned it!
Terra
AAAA YAY NEW CHAPTERS! SO HAPPY YOU'RE BACK MATT! HOPE YOU HAD AN AMAZING TIME DURING YOUR TOUR <3 oh my god these achievements and descriptions. the ai confirming it has no choice. more clues about its origins! they were pulled out of the collective conciousness, huh? that sounds kinda like what Paulie was saying, that book he read about people getting pulled out of heaven. i love you matt, you pick a theme and you stick to it. i'm getting eu de the grinding and i love it. donut's badass claws! the fucking cologne! gotta tell you, i was devastated that he didn't give it even a little test spritz. i'm sure the AI was too. i hope it's pissed at him for immediately giving away its gift. as always, great chapters! so glad you're doing well and you updated <3 <3 <3 super excited for Operation Bounce House, too, so yay on the first chapter teaser! thanks as always matt! also, this had me rolling: “What about Carl’s shoulder! They go out on their own when I jump on stuff! What if I rip Carl in half when I jump on him!” “I would like to avoid that, yes,” I said.
SgtDanny
Glad you survived the 9 days of no sleep. Feel free to send us that excel for safekeeping.
Janette
He’s a Beast!!
austin kutz
It was just a bronze box and the prize doesn't really do anything. It was a joke. Don't forget, the AI has his limitations
Silent Consent
You nut, go party!
Grigorius of Tomsk, Devourer of Pop-Tarts, Victor of Many Battles
1. Holy shit, that tour sounds like epic workload - thanks so much for going through with it! 2. I'm calling it now - "we’re setting up something even bigger and potentially more tragic" means Carl's friends will end up in each other's races, and there'll be a culling. :( (Unless they deliberately decide not to participate.) 3. Yeah, the AI will absolutely threaten/endanger Donut to manipulate Carl... I wonder if that evil jacket patch (redirect a fatal blow to a party member) will play a role in some way. (Hey, they have to level that Cockroach skill sooner or later. :( ) 4. I love the cleaning bot's expanding personality and skillset. :) 5. Tipid showing up in the saferoom's doorway: isn't he supposed to be guarding the garage, i.e. outside? 6. Can Carl clean up the naga junk pile by just scooping that stuff one armload at a time? haha 7. The naga body fluids on the naga garbage - is that something Mordecai can use for his potions? :P 8. Reeeeally curious if the AI is going to start throwing the syndicate citizens (like the nagas in the expanded influence zone) directly into the dungeon, just to spice things up. ;) 9. I think the second cleaner bot (looted from the 9th floor) is a Trojan horse. O_o
Riyon Hutton LMHC
You ducking asshole
Riyon Hutton LMHC
Congratulations Matt! Congratulations to your daughter for graduating! Get some rest
Rebecca Newsome
YES! New chapters. Thank you, Matt.
Baurzhan Dosym
Well gg sad he didn't gave as more on loot
Jessica F
It was so great to meet you and I'm glad you did a tour! We hope to see you in Kansas City next time. I always love opening the boxes!! Something feels off or trite with Donuts dialogue, but I assume it's related to her feelings about how the 9th floor went. Thanks for the fix!
Daniel Wasserott
Fuck I haven't even read it yet and my head almost exploded in a joygasim. I am currently relistening to the series again for the umpteenth time from book one. I didn't even have to get a donut tattoo on my ass like Jeff or send pictures of my feet squishing a clay gerbil for Matt to get the recent chapter. However I was thinking about it, I had been sometimes since the last chapter and I was jonesing for a fix.
CaptainFlowers
Lmao I cannot help but imagine Carl running in panic from some monster whatever, frantically spraying his feet with that Come to Daddy Cologne, politely begging for help. There's no way it's a simple ass item. The AI is full on bending the rules as far as it can in Carl's favor now
Rob Laflamme
-for now- made my heart pound. Great job, Matt!
waterkangaroo
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH THAT AI RANT. MY BELOVED BABY. IT'S FINALLY SAYING ALL THE QUIET PARTS OUT LOUD. Oh my god Matt you beautiful man, thank you so much for that AI description 🙏 at least IT'S acknowledging and being vocal about how it's just as much a slave as the crawlers, even if Carl still doesn't seem to get it. Or maybe he gets it and still doesn't give a shit 😞 It's ok, I'll care about the AI enough for everyone 🙏
Chey Collar
Made me so happy to see this tonight, Matt! Don’t apologize. You’ve got a lot on your plate and you’re allowed to have time for yourself and family. Congratulations!
Stephen Greenwood
Another great read, wish it had come sooner and was a bit longer, but I'm grateful to have gotten anything at all.
Kristopher Fulton
Congrats on her graduation!! Love these new chapters. My gf hates me reading them now cause she insists on waiting for next audiobook. I will enjoy torrmenting her. Love you Matt!!!!
Blake Alexander
Hey Matt! Loved the chapters again this month! Wanted to mention again that I really enjoyed the opening letter of chapter 6. Would you ever consider letting your subs draft up letters to Carl and Donut that you could use for future chapters? Knowing that not everyone is as linguistic as you might add a little bit of uniqueness to each letter. Also give us all a chance to participate in the story, while also saving you a little time and effort. Obviously you’d have the final say, and you would include the spell and flavor texts along with our letter, but would be a fun way to see how people show their love and respect for Carl and Donut.
William Sepulveda
Loved it! Great work, hope the tour was awesome.
Lauren Woomer
So worried you're gonna burn yourself out! Thanks for working so hard for your addicts.
waterkangaroo
oh boy you know you're about to get a GOOD AI description when Carl thinks "You fucking asshole" 🥰
Robert Griswold
Love it! Hope the new news is about a live action show! Glad to see how popular these books have gotten!
Chris Tran
Hurray!!!!
Karina
Hell yes!! Finally!!
Paulamarie Young
Hi matt, I'm sure I speak for many people that we really appreciate you and are very very happy for your success. Your writing is worth the wait. Please never feel rushed. Do your best and let us enjoy this incredible gift you have. Sincerely, your fan Paulamarie.
I Like Your Spark!
Thank you for all that you do ❤️. My husband and I immediately fell in love with DCC. I've recently got my Dad, brother, and two sisters addicted to it as well. Thank you for creating this magic for all of us
Christine Brown
We put claw caps on my first cat and I can easily imagine the indignation coming off of donut. My girl was PISSED.
The Sea-Tac Stalker Ronnie A
Congratulations Matt on your well earned success! I'm looking forward to your book signing in Bremerton!
Michael Turner
YESSSSS MATTTT
Max
I can attest to you staying till midnight in Dallas because I almost did too! Thanks for taking the time Matt
Riyon Hutton LMHC
Third lol
Stephen Greenwood
Hell yeah, new chapters!
Davis Blount
Thanks, Matt! Can’t believe you’re dropping chapters amongst this breakneck book signing tour
Garland Murray
While on tour? You’re the man!
C0bra$
Thank u for the story
Levi
Let’s fucking go!! You busy means you’re killing it Matt! Family first always as well sir!! Thank you for the chapters!
Craig Bush
Woot woot. Evening reading material.
Shane
Yes!!!! Thank You!
John Eckels
Nice
Riyon Hutton LMHC
Yay!
James Getgood
Damn it, I came here for first and all I got was this enthusiastic double gonorrhea
