Dungeon Crawler Carl
by Matt Dinniman
Contents
Chapter 71
Overview
While temporarily merged with Shi Maria, Carl loses control of his body as she digs through his inventory and turns on his allies. Shi Maria casts Self-Immolation, injuring Mongo and severely hurting Katia, then brutalizes Li Jun by taking his eye to fuel a rapid tattooing ritual on Carl’s chest. Before the merge ends, Shi Maria forces the team to use Carl’s potions to stabilize the wounded, and Carl is left with a mysterious new mark—The Eye of the Bedlam Bride—that suggests Shi Maria has gained lasting leverage over him.
Summary
Carl, still merged with the totem Shi Maria due to Donut’s misfired Golden Combo, receives a warning that he will not regenerate if slain and that the merge will end in 180 seconds. Shi Maria immediately seizes control of Carl’s body and mind, rifling through Carl’s inventory and threatening to use his items—up to and including explosives—to kill his allies.
As Carl fights to hold on, Shi Maria pulls out crafting supplies and begins manipulating Carl’s resources, while an unknown male voice inside Carl’s head warns him not to trust Shi Maria. Shi Maria prepares something with a beaker and a sliver of toraline root, then escalates by casting Self-Immolation, forcing everyone nearby to retreat from the lethal heat.
The brief immolation burns through the floor, dropping Carl into an apartment below and widening the burning, melting pocket in the building. Donut shouts that Carl has hurt Mongo and Katia, and Li Na reports Katia is grievously injured. Speaking through Carl, Shi Maria issues threats: if anyone approaches, Carl will die, and if Shi Maria is unsummoned at the wrong moment, Carl will die as well.
Li Jun descends on a chain to help, but Shi Maria uses Carl’s body to attack him, jabbing a tattoo needle into Li Jun’s eye and then eating the eye off the needle. With Li Jun screaming and Li Na held at bay, Shi Maria rapidly tattoos Carl’s bare chest using black ink, claiming the blood on the needle may steal traces of Li Jun’s power and warning Carl that this spell is dangerous but will make him stronger.
Shi Maria drops specific potions from Carl’s inventory—two for the burned (one for Mongo, one for Katia’s doppelganger form) and a gold-standard healing potion for Li Jun—then finishes the tattoo. When the merge times out, Carl regains control and learns Shi Maria has returned to the deck, but a new mark remains: Tattoo. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride. The tattoo briefly blinks, then vanishes into Carl’s skin, leaving Carl feeling an internal “hole” before he begins to lose consciousness and asks after Katia and Mongo.
Who Appears
- CarlTemporarily possessed by Shi Maria; harms allies, is tattooed with a new magical eye mark, then collapses.
- Shi MariaTotem entity controlling Carl; casts Self-Immolation, attacks Li Jun, drops triage potions, leaves the Eye tattoo.
- Princess DonutShouts warnings as Carl’s possession injures Mongo and Katia; tries to reach him during the chaos.
- Li NaAttempts to manage the crisis; reports Katia’s condition, restrains herself, administers potions to the injured.
- Li JunTries to help Carl; is attacked and loses an eye to Shi Maria’s ritual; receives a healing potion.
- KatiaGrievously injured during Shi Maria’s brief immolation; needs a potion dropped from Carl’s inventory.
- MongoBurned when Shi Maria uses Self-Immolation through Carl; intended recipient of a dropped potion.
- ImaniAppears nearby during the aftermath; receives potions as the group triages injuries.
- TranMentioned as trapped below; the group’s larger goal remains reaching him and Imani.
- Unknown male voiceA warning presence in Carl’s mind urging him not to trust Shi Maria and to remove her influence.