Chapter 46

Carl, Donut, and Samantha approach a fourth Ursine settlement (Prepotente Town Number Four) after a day of grinding and claiming two new towns. They discover the settlement is filled with corpses—bears killed by Big Tina the dinosaur—with no guards or living NPCs visible, suggesting the dungeon has allowed the bodies to remain unclean for a purpose.

The chapter opens with Carl reflecting on his earlier encounter with Edict while traveling toward another Ursine village. The group has spent the day fighting venomous plant creatures (Level 40 whip crackers immune to their poison), grinding experience, and claiming two new Ursine towns: Ferdinand Peak and Nipton. Donut reaches level 45 while Carl remains at 56. Carl has been attempting to contact his attorney regarding a legal question but faces communication restrictions requiring court orders. Mordecai advises him to ask his lawyer first, then wait for a recap episode before proceeding. Zev reminds Carl he has one more CrawlCon appearance scheduled. Carl continues to worry about Lucia's cryptic statement ("You killed the wrong one") and her mysterious connection to an invisible entity, concluding she must eventually be eliminated despite the unanswered questions. Upon arrival at the new town, surrounded by a massive Jericho Bush wall, the group finds it eerily empty with no guards or activity. Samantha scouts ahead and reports numerous corpses—bears killed more than a day ago, with pink feathers and blood scattered throughout. The dungeon's refusal to clean up the bodies signals intentional supernatural intervention. Carl spots movement in a building window—someone hiding. He begins looting corpses but finds they crumble to dust. The bodies are identified as Fodera, Level 40 Ursine Lamplighters killed by Big Tina the dinosaur, suggesting the ongoing dinosaur quest persecution continues. Zev contacts Carl, noting the recent Odette interview tunneling and Dark Hive incident have brought significant attention to him, and urges him to reach a saferoom for his CrawlCon appearance. Carl arrives at a nearby pub (not a true saferoom) and discovers a bear claw embedded in the doorframe with dried blood beneath it, suggesting the proprietor was killed trying to escape. Carl feels an ominous premonition about the dinosaur quest.