Carl returns briefly to the saferoom to retrieve Samantha, then leaves with Princess Donut and Mongo to race toward the stairwell key location. Carl believes they must reach Sister Ines first; otherwise Quan Ch will kill Sister Ines, steal the key, and escape to the ninth floor.

In the quiet town of Guanajay, Carl readies his Harley-Davidson motorcycle while Donut insults the choice and argues about biker stereotypes. Samantha is excited and is strapped in front of Carl as they prepare to depart, and Carl notes Katia has already tuned the bike for him.

An official announcement declares the third and final phase has begun and the stairwells are open. Final conflicts will be card battles, but with a key change: if a keyholder uses a Flee card, the key automatically transfers to the opponent, and keys cannot be voluntarily dropped or handed off outside that method.

Shortly after heading east, Carl receives a warning that an Eye in the Sky spell has pinpointed his location. Mordecai explains it is a rare high-level scroll that reveals Carl’s location and level, pushing Carl to keep moving because someone now knows exactly who and where Carl is.

Carl checks in with Imani, who reports Quan Ch is no longer in the church and that a large fight is shaking the area outside. As Carl and Donut speed toward the coast while avoiding enemies, they discuss a contingency: if Imani cannot secure a key, Carl will force a battle and have Donut use Flee to transfer their key to Imani, relying on Carl’s jacket’s bone-key benefit to open the stairwell himself even if he loses the jacket. Donut worries about being forced to fight people they like, and Carl admits survival will require doing terrible things.