Progression Time

Book Recap

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Book 4 Recap· Released

TL;DR

Floor 5 splits the crawlers into 1,172 isolated bubble worlds. Carl's party must claim a castle in each of four quadrants to open the stairwell, assembles the Gate of the Feral Gods, frees the trapped demigoddess Samantha, becomes an acolyte of the fire god Emberus, and uses the Gate to flood part of the hunters' Floor 9 city before descending.

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I · The Main Plot

Where We Start

Carl, Donut and Katia arrive on Floor 5, a 'bubble wrap' layout of 1,172 isolated worlds. The party is in a desert bubble split into Air, Land, Sea and Subterranean quadrants, and must take a castle in each to unlock the stairwell.

Major Plot Points & Spoilers

  1. Crawlers in the Subterranean quadrant accidentally kill the Gnomish Commandant's pet pig, and the gnomes firebomb the Bactrian settlement of Hump Town. Carl fails to save the gnomish hostage Wynne, who is killed by other crawlers for loot.
  2. Carl builds a suicide machine, the Royal Chariot, to attack the Wasteland. He defeats Denise the Feral Goose, the Air Quadrant boss, in a falling suburban house.
  3. In the Land Quadrant, Ghazi's Sandcastle holds a failed summoning that releases the trapped deity Samantha (Psamathe), who ends up in a sex doll's head and becomes the party's trainer.
  4. In the Sea Quadrant, Carl kills Lusca, an Octo-Shark city boss, with a giant dangling buzzsaw.
  5. The party assembles the Gate of the Feral Gods from three pieces found across the quadrants. Using it unleashes the fire god Emberus (Blind God of Sun and Ash), who hunts for Orthrus, his two-headed dog.
  6. Carl refuses the group quest to kill Orthrus, fights the crawler Quan Ch, and becomes an acolyte of Emberus, with duties that include a tax and killing Emberus's brother.
  7. Maggie My, a spirit possessing the crawler Chris Andrews, is killed by Mongo and Chris is freed. Carl assassinates the bigoted Dungeon Admin Loita with a rigged toy robot.
  8. Carl opens a one-way portal to Floor 9 and floods the hunters' city of Larracos with ocean water, bombs and sharks, bankrupting the sponsors and crippling their ability to field armies.

Where the Book Leaves Off

Carl is the number-one ranked crawler and descends to Floor 6 with Donut and Chris, vowing to hunt the hunters sent after him. An epilogue on the surface shows bounty hunters killing Brad and kidnapping Beatrice, per one source.

II · Characters & Personal Progression

Romantic & Personal Status

No verified romance for Carl. In the epilogue, per one source, Beatrice and Brad live in New Queen Anne until bounty hunters kill Brad and take Beatrice.

Inner Circle Check-In

  • Carl: Number-one ranked crawler; acolyte of Emberus.
  • Princess Donut: Cat magic-user and Carl's partner.
  • Katia Grim: Doppelganger tank and strategist. One source says she leaves to reunite the Daughters; another lists her in the party. Unresolved.
  • Mordecai: Party alchemist and manager.
  • Samantha (Psamathe): Trapped deity in a doll head; the party's trainer.
  • Mongo: Kills Maggie My, freeing Chris.

Key New Faces & Factions

Emberusneutral

Blind God of Sun and Ash, released by the Gate; Carl serves him as an acolyte (spelled Embris in one source).

Orthrusneutral

Two-headed puppy god Emberus is searching for.

Quan Chenemy

Selfish high-level crawler who pursues Orthrus.

Chris Andrews and Maggie Myneutral

Chris is rescued after being possessed by Maggie My.

Admin Loitaenemy

Bigoted Dungeon Admin killed by Carl.

III · End-of-Book Stats & Power Gains

Current Rank / Grade

Carl is the number-one ranked crawler. Levels are not given by our sources.

Dao / Path / Class Evolution

No class change reported. Carl gains a divine patron relationship through Emberus.

Major Skill & Body Gains

  • Carl: acolyte status with Emberus (with a tax, blood offerings and a kill quest, per one source).
  • Party: Samantha as trainer.
  • Carl: the Royal Chariot build and the assembled Gate of the Feral Gods.

IV · Extras: Empire, Gear & World State

Territory & Faction Upgrades

No territory. The Gate was used to bankrupt the hunters' sponsors, and Carl hands it over to the Syndicate in Book 5, per our sources.

Signature Gear & Vessels

  • Gate of the Feral Gods.
  • Royal Chariot.

Ticking Clocks

  • Hunters will be sent after Carl on Floor 6.
  • Emberus's quest, including killing his brother.
  • Larracos and the sponsors' retaliation after the flood.