Carl wakes in the back of a moving cart, badly injured after his attack on Zockau. Donut tells Carl that Miriam Dom, Prepotente, and Bianca rescued him and dragged him out of the city before he died. Miriam heals Carl while explaining that a crossbow bolt and an interaction with one of Prepotente’s spells left Carl comatose for about half an hour, and Carl realizes he is suffering from a lingering Blood Trail debuff that slowly drains health and makes him easy to track.

As Carl recovers, Donut demands an explanation for the raid. Carl says Carl’s plan was to block the Desperado entrance, identify and kill the mayor of Zockau, and then use the office to turn the city guards against the hunters, but Carl failed before reaching that point. Carl also confirms that Carl tested the new ring by copying a debuff onto a hunter, proving that its spreading effect works, though Mordecai has warned through Donut that the ring is addictive. Carl then notices that Miriam has become a vampire healer and that Bianca has transformed into a powerful hellspawn familiar.

Donut reveals that Donut earned a hunter-killer mark during the escape, and Carl checks Carl’s notifications. Carl has risen to level 54, Donut has also gained levels, and Carl receives a pile of achievements showing the scale of the attack: Carl killed 34 hunters and caused more than 250 non-mob deaths in the city. That success satisfies Carl’s desire to hurt the hunters, but Carl is also disturbed by how little the civilian casualties bother Carl, even while justifying the deaths as part of the hunters’ cruel system.

Miriam returns after feeding and explains that Miriam and Prepotente had been trying to sabotage the drunken hunters with stacked debuffs, but the effort failed because someone seemed to be countering them. Carl concludes again that the hunters are receiving outside information and cheating. During the trip, Zev contacts Carl and Donut to say their audience numbers are surging, warns Carl not to antagonize Prepotente, and announces that Carl and Donut will appear on Odette’s show the next day under extra security protocols; Katia will not be joining them, and their existing entertainment contract remains in force.

The conversation shifts to Miriam’s strange traveling household, including the many goat siblings Miriam carries in inventory for safety. As they near town, Prepotente discovers a line of dangerous traps at the entrance, but Carl uses Tripper to trigger them all from a distance and clear the way. Prepotente takes offense after insulting Carl and then being insulted back, Bianca prepares for a fight, and Miriam has to intervene like a parent forcing two children to behave.

Miriam makes Carl and Prepotente apologize to each other, then insists they hug. Both comply awkwardly, showing that the alliance is useful but unstable. The chapter ends on a comic, tense note when Carl embraces Prepotente and the goat screams directly into Carl’s ear.