69 pages • 2-hour read
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Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.
Carl is a 27-year-old former Coast Guard member forced to participate in a deadly galactic dungeon game. He chooses the Primal race because it allows him to retain his physical human appearance, reflecting his desire to hold onto his humanity. Operating with the Compensated Anarchist class, he specializes in building custom explosives to overcome stronger enemies. He follows a strict personal code of compassion and often risks his own survival to help others.
Donut is a sentient, long-haired Persian show cat who participates in the dungeon as a crawler. She selects the Former Child Actor class specifically to gain a manager benefit, which she uses to secure permanent guidance. She actively curates her public image for the audience viewing the dungeon broadcasts. She frequently demonstrates strategic intelligence but hides it behind a superficial persona learned from her former life on Earth.
Mordecai is a centuries-old skyfowl and former changeling crawler who now serves as a game guide. After being manipulated by Donut's class choice, he becomes her exclusive manager and gains the ability to leave his guildhall. He possesses extensive knowledge of the dungeon's mechanics, factions, and traps. He struggles with alcohol tolerance now that he occupies an incubus body on the third floor.
Zev is a kua-tin species employee of the Borant Corporation who acts as a public relations manager. She coordinates media appearances and handles external communications for popular crawlers. She operates under strict corporate regulations but sometimes takes professional risks to relay important messages.
Odette is a former crawler who currently hosts a popular recap and interview show about the dungeon. She purchases interview rights early and uses her platform to influence crawler popularity. She provides covert tactical advice off-camera, leveraging her understanding of the game's mechanics and viewership metrics.
Signet is an elite, bioengineered non-player character designed as a half-naiad and half-high elf. She serves as the main character in a scripted drama playing out independently within the dungeon. She possesses a unique skill called Ink Marauder, which allows her to summon powerful warriors from her body art. She views crawlers strictly as expendable assets to further her own revenge storyline.
Hekla is an Icelandic crawler and the leader of a highly coordinated team known as Brynhild's Daughters. She fights using the Amazonian race and Shieldmaiden class, emphasizing discipline and combat efficiency. She calculates alliances based strictly on tactical advantages and views chaotic crawlers with disdain.
Katia is a crawler of the doppelganger race who struggles to accurately mimic facial features, giving her an unsettling appearance. She operates under the Monster Truck Driver class, granting her high physical constitution but poor secondary stats. She joins a new party to survive the increasingly dangerous ruins while waiting to reunite with her original leader.
Mongo is a rapidly growing, dinosaur-like pet who accompanies crawlers through the dungeon. He steadily increases in size and combat level, providing crucial physical attacks against standard enemy mobs. He consumes strange creatures found in the dungeon, which occasionally leads to erratic behavior.
Beatrice is Carl's ex-girlfriend and the original owner of a pampered show cat. Though she never physically appears inside the dungeon game, her past actions influence the emotional state of the crawlers who survived her. She taught strict lessons about suppressing intelligence to maintain a pleasing outward appearance.
Grimaldi is a former circus ringleader who was transformed into a giant parasitic vine creature known as a Pestiferous Vine. He uses mold infections to forcibly reanimate his performers so they survive the poisonous atmosphere. He sits at the center of a scripted elite drama playing out in the ruins.
Love interest of Signet
Controller of Heather the Bear
GumGum is an orc non-player character residing in a skyfowl settlement. She collects the bodies of murdered workers found in the streets each morning and attempts to seek justice for them. Her investigation into mysterious monsters makes her a target for the local powers.
Quest giver to Carl
Miss Quill is an older skyfowl woman working as the secretary for the settlement's magistrate. She collects dungeon versions of Beanie Babies and maintains strict control over who can enter the official chambers. Crawlers investigate her office while trying to solve a string of local murders.
Secretary of Magistrate Featherfall
Enemy of Carl
Magistrate Featherfall is the designated leader of the skyfowl settlement. He operates as a black cleric, a magic user specializing in necromancy and dark magic, giving him potential authority over local undead creatures.
Employer of Miss Quill
Remex is an undead creature designated by the game system as a Soul Leech Capacitor. He hides near a soul crystal that powers the settlement's guards. He exists solely to absorb and store magical energy for complex spells.
Interrogated by Carl
Daniel is a crawler who altered his physical appearance to look like a tiger. He is the last surviving member of a family group that entered the dungeon together. He expresses deep regret over giving up his humanity for game mechanics.
Ally of Carl
Lucia is widely recognized as the most powerful crawler currently surviving in the game. She chose the Lajabless race, transforming into a skull-faced monster at night. She travels with large, violent dogs that cause significant damage to safe zones.
Enemy of Donut
Prince Stalwart is the Crown Prince of the galactic Skull Empire. He views the dungeon game as a political theater and takes direct action against crawlers who agitate against his family's rule. He relies on advanced technology rather than engaging in the dungeon personally.
Prince Maestro is a member of the Skull Empire's royal family. He was publicly humiliated during a broadcast, leading to widespread protests against his family's spending habits. He travels aboard imperial spaceships orbiting the dungeon events.
King Rust is the sovereign ruler of the Skull Empire, a galactic monarchy. His government spends vast amounts of money on the dungeon games, which sparks political protests. He wields immense authority and dictates imperial responses to seditious crawlers.
Father of Prince Stalwart
Father of Prince Maestro
Fitz is a human non-player character who manages the One-Eyed Narwhal pub. He fawns over popular crawlers and offers favorable lodging rates to those with high charisma. He passes along local rumors regarding unusual monster activity in the streets.
Quint is a former crawler who now operates as a pharmacist inside the Desperado Club. He supplies advanced medical and chemical items to high-level players. He tracks gossip concerning violent incidents caused by top-tier crawlers.
Friend of Mordecai
Pustule is a female hobgoblin merchant who specializes in selling explosives and demolition supplies. She operates an odd but harmless storefront dealing in dynamite and custom bombs.
Merchant to Carl
Ripper Wonton is the host of the talk show Danger Zone. He guides conversations between crawlers and wealthy galactic guests, attempting to maintain order when live broadcasts are interrupted by violence.
Interviewer of Carl
Heather is a large bear trapped within a corrupted circus act. Her face is exposed to the skull, and white worms emerge from her paws to enact mind control. Despite her monstrous state, she retains faint moments of lucidity and actively desires an end to her suffering.
Target of Signet
Subordinate to Grimaldi
Eunice is a pregnant dwarven mother living in an apartment near a hostile gang headquarters. She aggressively defends her playing children from local thugs who throw rocks at them in the street.
Mother of Ricky Joe
Ricky Joe is a dwarven child living in the settlement. He accidentally provokes a violent reaction after his pet salamander is eaten by a crawler's companion, leading to severe physical injury during a street brawl.
Son of Eunice
Attacker of Mongo