Chapter 16

Carl acquires a Goblin Copper Chopper—an unreliable steam-powered bike with a sidecar for Donut—and loads up on coal and explosives. After Donut manipulates Rory into revealing the location of drug suppliers (llamas), she triggers a full-scale goblin assault on them, clearing the area. Carl and Donut are left alone to loot the abandoned workshop and face the goblin chieftain.

Carl inspects the Goblin Copper Chopper that the goblin engineers have built for him, a ramshackle vehicle made from welded copper parts with an alligator skull seat and steam engine. The engineer explains it uses a permacube for water and runs on coal lumps that Carl must periodically feed into a hopper; he warns Carl about two relief valves on the side to manage heat and pressure. Donut demands modifications to her sidecar seat (an orc skull with bone backrest), which the engineers paint purple with added fur. Carl loads three stacks of 999 coal lumps from a massive heap into his inventory. While Rory and Lorelai return intoxicated, Lorelai proposes intimacy but Donut deflects, citing narrative priorities. Rory hands Carl a bag of dynamite and various bombs and grenades. Donut then reveals to Rory that she found drugs from llamas on the other side of the road. Rory immediately mobilizes the entire goblin force—standard goblins, engineers, and Bomb Bards—who equip themselves with metal spike helmets and roar off in murder dozers and copper choppers to raid the llamas. Carl realizes Donut orchestrated this raid deliberately to clear the area. Alone in the abandoned workshop, Carl notes piles of engineering supplies, explosives, and barrels of gunpowder. Donut presses him to loot everything and then kill the chieftain for a boss box. Carl hesitates, troubled by memories of his last boss fight and aware that going after the chieftain would be a betrayal after the goblins helped them, but agrees anyway.