Chapter 16

Carl rescues Mongo and Donut from Street Urchin mobs that were attracted to his defensive barricade. After healing both pets and settling in for the night, Donut awakens the next morning having leveled up significantly from the circus quest. The group departs the circus area, discovers a new staircase to the fourth floor, and heads toward a skyfowl settlement where they book a media appearance and begin developing combat tactics.

Carl rushes back to Signet's building to find Mongo severely wounded defending Donut from Street Urchin mobs—nocturnal scavenger creatures attracted to the garbage barricade Carl had built. Using Heal scrolls on Donut and a custom potion crafted from cinnamon and thistle rot on Mongo, Carl saves both pets. He spends the night with them, reflecting on his lost family and considering Mongo and Donut his only family remaining. At dawn, Donut awakens fully healed and leveled to 15, having received experience from the circus quest completion despite being unconscious. As they leave, Carl notices the circus tents and corpses are gone, but a new staircase to the fourth floor has appeared where Grimaldi's tent stood. Donut suggests that production companies controlling show narratives might try to kill them once they become more popular than the main character Signet. Zev contacts them with a booking for "Danger Zone with Ripper Wonton," a talk show featuring other Crawlers. Carl learns the show is run by Sensation Entertainment, Incorporated, a company from a center system run by a Sac. As they travel to the skyfowl settlement, Carl and Donut develop their first combat play called "Panic"—Carl casts Fear while Donut attacks—and practice spell leveling. They reach a medium-sized town four times larger than the previous one, populated by skyfowl NPCs alongside humans and orcs. Carl notices a nightclub called The Desperado Club in a tower. They approach the tutorial guild to continue their journey.