Carl receives a disappointing boon from Emberus that boosts fire spells he barely has, then he and the group locate the second Dream elf hunter's corpse. The seeking missile has decapitated the hunter, slugs are already eating the body, and Carl loots a strength ring, a plain bow, arrows, another gonorrhea arrow, and a filtered photograph of Louis that Donut finds hilarious.

The most important find is the elves' compact enchanted trebuchet, which can hurl large rocks and infuse them with Poison Cloud. Carl studies the device, suspects part of it uses out-of-place advanced technology rather than true magic, and takes it along with nearby boulders, gaining a new Siege Equipment inventory tab. After searching for more traps or signs of additional hunters, Carl and Donut discuss whether they have killed all the Dream elves and worry that Louis is still being specifically targeted.

As they prepare for the next several days, Carl feels overwhelmed by competing obligations: helping Signet assault the naiad castle, pushing south to secure another town, dealing with the dinosaur quest area, and attending fan-box events. That pressure feeds Carl's growing suspicion that the Vengeance of the Daughter storyline is being steered toward a tragic finale before the floor's big party, because Signet's real target, Imogen, also seems too important to be killed early. Carl concludes that if Signet is doomed for dramatic reasons, Carl and Donut may die with her. His brooding is interrupted by Samantha, who is being mauled playfully by Mongo.

Later, Carl, Donut, Holger, Clint, and Samantha travel for hours through the forest toward the rendezvous point for the assault, killing slickbacks along the way. Carl puts Mongo away so the dinosaur will not steal all their experience, Donut lights the path with Torch, and the group passes the time with absurd conversation about beavers, castor oil, perfume, and one of Samantha's crude stories about gods. Samantha rolls along under her own power, complains constantly, and repeatedly gets stuck in brush.

The mood changes when a blinding blue lightning flash erupts near the all-tree where Signet's team is supposed to gather. Smelling burned wood and fearing an ambush, Carl urges the group forward carefully, but Samantha rushes ahead on her own. Donut checks the map and reports that Signet, Areson, the beavers, and other allies are alive, while two hunter bodies appear to be down, suggesting the attackers were caught or killed before Carl arrived. The chapter ends with Samantha screaming for help after getting herself stuck again.