Chapter 23

Carl and Donut continue their journey through the dungeon, defacing signs to prevent other survivors from finding the elderly encampment. They grind through multiple encounters with increasingly dangerous troglodyte creatures, leveling up their combat skills and teamwork. They locate and prepare to enter a boss room disguised as a gym.

Carl and Donut depart from the encampment and begin systematically covering up or altering the spray-painted directional signs Brandon's group left behind, fearing that other survivors motivated solely by experience gain might massacre the elderly residents. As they travel north, they encounter and kill numerous rats, many of which have grown larger from feeding on the corpses of the initial dungeon victims. Carl discovers the remains of the slain elderly people—now skeletal and torn apart by rats—and finds nothing salvageable. They encounter and battle Troglodyte Pygmies (level 2), then spend an hour grinding through higher-level variants: Troglodyte Bashers (level 3) and Troglodyte Virtuosos (level 4), which possess poison attacks and whip-like tongues. Carl and Donut develop strong combat synergy, with Donut perching on Carl's shoulders or back to gain advantageous firing positions for her Magic Missile spell. Though they don't reach level 9, their experience climbs steadily and their fighting skills improve noticeably. After killing a Basher, they locate the troglodyte boss room, which is housed within what appears to be a gym entrance with glass automatic doors. Carl smokes one of his last two cigarettes before entering.