Chapter 52

Carl and Donut race to reach Miriam after learning that vampirism has spread among dinosaurs in the forest, causing a catastrophic situation. Along the way, they discover Big Tina using reanimated body parts to create powerful composite creatures, and they fire missiles to slow the spread before heading toward Miriam's location through a storm-ravaged landscape.

Carl receives a communication from Miriam Dom revealing that a giant allosaurus she fought has been infected with vampirism, and the curse is spreading rapidly through the dinosaur population in the forest. Carl realizes this elite-related storyline is spiraling out of control. He sends Prudence and her cubs into the safety of the guildhall and ventures outside with Donut into a fierce rainstorm. When Donut activates her light spell, they discover a horrifying scene: Big Tina has been collecting body parts from slaughtered mobs scattered across the town's streets. The pieces are being reassembled into composite creatures with combined levels far exceeding their original power—a strategy where victims are dismembered and then reanimated two days later so their individual components can recombine at higher levels. Carl and Donut assemble the royal chariot with a missile launcher and fire multiple missiles at the body parts pile to slow its progression before racing westward toward Miriam. Along the way, other crawlers report similar vampire infestations across the map, with varying severity. They reach a small dryad settlement and take shelter in the Y-Not Lounge, a saferoom bar, but are immediately branded troublemakers by the dryad inhabitants who recognize Carl's connection to black magic and non-Diwata worship. After the hostile dryads are teleported away, Carl and Donut prepare to access the guildhall door, with Carl reluctantly asking Mongo for blood, suggesting they may need to use it for passage or power.