Arief leads Carl, Donut, Louis, Britney, and the others out of the college and into Larracos. Donut keeps talking about Juice Box and Louis’s rushed wedding, but Carl privately asks Donut to wear her sunglasses and watch for changelings by body temperature, because their supposed allies may still need verification.

As the group descends through the ring-shaped funnel city, Carl is struck by Larracos’s beauty and lived-in reality, which makes the coming destruction feel more personal. Arief explains the city’s numbered levels, the lingering flood damage, the defensive traps on ramps, and Juice Box’s decision to keep lower levels partly flooded so attackers must deal with water near the castle.

While Donut recruits passing crawlers into their army, Arief reveals that some NPCs remember previous seasons and past lives. He says most awakened residents know the outworlders shape their world, though only some fully understand it. Arief also draws his sword and vows revenge on Architect Houston, the leader of the Madness, because Houston captured and tortured Arief’s brother before Juice Box ended the brother’s suffering.

Arief describes failed sabotage against several enemy factions and says nobody has infiltrated the naga inner sanctum. Carl reflects on what he already knows about the Blood Sultanate: the naga faction is tied to a real royal family, led in-game by the Sultana, a crown princess playing the role of the Sepsis Whore. Carl recognizes that the naga leadership may abandon its usual theatrical protections now that real death is possible.

The party continues downward through recently flooded districts, including the ruined but active Piccadilly Theater, where NPCs are preparing a final show. They pass damaged shops and training soldiers before reaching the reopened Desperado Club, now under new management. After Mongo and Rend are put away, Arief brings the group through the entrance bar and into a hidden passage.

Donut privately alerts Carl that the gnoll bartender is a changeling, confirming Carl’s caution. In the private room beyond the passage, the group finds Hunger Hammy, the one-eyed gnoll manager of the Headlamp Colonnade. Before anyone can speak, Hunger Hammy leaps onto the table and enthusiastically kisses Louis, ending the chapter on a startling reunion or greeting.