Carl, Donut, Mongo, Samantha, and the others watch Edgar the tortoise create a new tattoo on Signet using the remains of Miss Nadine. As Edgar works, Signet explains that her tattoos are made from fallen companions or worthy enemies and serve as living memorials. When Donut notices that one tattoo resembles Areson, Signet clarifies that Areson and his kin were born from the death of a three-headed nodling named Di-we, whose body became the tattoo while his split offspring lived on separately.

When the ritual is finished at sunrise, the new tattoo manifests as a small, frightened figure that is not truly Miss Nadine but a blood-and-ink elemental shaped by Signet’s memories. The image then shifts into a young chee woman with a child version of Clint beside her, because Miss Nadine’s love for Clint was strong enough to bring his memory into the tattoo as well. Holger is moved by the sight and says goodbye to Clint, and the surviving were-castors bow before returning to work on defenses around the castle.

Carl decides the group must reach a saferoom before his scheduled appointment, so he and Donut head south across the river toward a dryad settlement instead of returning to Point Mongo. Before they leave, Signet says she will keep moving southeast, continue hunting outworlders, and contact Carl when she is ready to strike the elves and eventually Queen Imogen. Carl warns Signet not to try capturing enemy crawlers because they are growing stronger, and Signet parts from Carl with a kiss on the cheek.

During the river crossing, Donut jokes that Signet is being pushed into a doomed romance arc with Carl and vows to prevent it. On the far shore, Carl loots the mauled ursine bodies for gear, disarms a few remaining traps, and pushes onward through the woods. Zev repeatedly urges Carl to hurry to a saferoom, and along the way Carl, Donut, and the still-tied Samantha kill several mobs, gather materials Mordecai wants, and avoid any major dinosaur encounters.

The group finally reaches the dryad village of Alucarda, where Carl notices the town already has a name and suspects something is wrong. As Zev gives a final urgent warning and the audience counter suddenly spikes, Carl and Donut rush to the saferoom at the pub called The Aloe Mana. A dryad outside explains that the former mayor, R’aggah, is dead and that an evil woman with two murderous beasts has taken control of the town: Lucia Mar. Before Carl can respond or learn more, the forced transfer takes him away.