Carl, Katia, Gwen, and Tran leave the pub during a violent storm and discover that Orthrus has grown so large he fills much of the bubble, hanging over the necropolis like a trapped, frightened puppy. Donut reports from above that Orthrus has two heads and is drooling over the bowl, and Carl realizes the creature is a juvenile gate guardian whose death would enrage Emberus. Carl also understands that the lightning trap he set for Quetzalcoatlus may now kill Orthrus instead, turning the entire situation into a deliberate moral trap.

A mandatory group quest appears, making Carl's party the hosts and stating that if Orthrus dies, Emberus will devastate the bubble. Carl decides he cannot simply abandon the dog, even though finishing the quadrant is urgently necessary. Using the new quest-wide chat, Carl learns that Chris Andrews 2 is enslaved with Maggie My, that several tomb raiders are possessed, and that Maggie has outside help; when Chris tries to reveal more, he is muted. Carl tells the possessed crawlers to injure themselves to break the possession, while Katia, Gwen, and Tran fend off a wave of feral pazuzu in the sandstorm.

At the same time, Carl orders Donut to use Heal Critter on Orthrus from the Twister, with Louis and Firas helping keep position behind the dog's heads. Carl also learns from Morris Sp and Low Thi that a submerged electrical connector may be the missing link in the necropolis trap. Even though he knows the attempt is likely fatal, Carl directs Morris to reconnect the line and Low Thi to distract Quetzalcoatlus so the trap can be completed.

While Carl's group fights the feral monsters on the beach, Donut succeeds in healing Orthrus, though the puppy's health continues to fall. Low Thi distracts Quetzalcoatlus and dies; Morris reconnects the line and also dies as the trap finally activates. The lightning strike electrifies the area, traps Carl's group in newly formed glass for a moment, and destroys the guardian of Anser's tomb. With the subterranean boss dead, the final quadrant is liberated, all four quadrants are cleared, and bubble 543 pops open.

After the storm abruptly ends, Carl feels the bubble open and the stairwells become available, but Orthrus is still losing health because sharks continue attacking him in the water. Carl refuses to flee and leave the others behind, especially with Maggie still loose and more rescue work ahead. When the damaged Twister lands, Carl regroups with Donut, Louis, and Firas, sees that Orthrus still has not escaped danger, and prepares a new plan by asking Donut whether she still has the old Meat Hooks scroll.