Chapter 53

Carl and his group attempt to flee a dryad settlement where the mayor has put a bounty on Carl. After Donut accidentally sets the town ablaze with a fireball, they retrieve a Charm Animal potion from the next town and head toward Miriam Dom's location. During the journey, Carl is ambushed mid-air by Sierra, a Northropi vampire pterodactyl—a former mount of the deceased Viscount Fog who was turned undead after being wounded by Miriam. Carl defeats the boss creature through a brutal close-quarters fight.

The chapter opens with Donut having used a sleep potion on Mongo while a dryad mayor attempts to bribe her to capture Carl. Carl and Mordecai discuss their plan to use knockout and charm animal potions to get through dryad settlements. Prudence the bear and her cubs watch a Land Before Time movie while awaiting the completion of a blood potion from Mongo. Donut spends considerable effort collecting a full liter of Mongo's blood by repeatedly cutting and healing him. After gathering the potion, Carl uses an invisibility potion to exit the pub and create a smoke curtain. At the western gate, Donut casts a fireball at the dryad mayor as instructed, but the spell is far too powerful and sets half the town ablaze. Carl assembles the chariot and they travel to the next dryad settlement, Prepotente Number Seven, to collect the completed Charm Animal potion. The group passes through without incident and continues toward Miriam Dom's location. When Carl uses a levitation potion to search from above and spots Miriam's signal flares in the distance, he is suddenly ambushed by Sierra, a massive undead Northropi pterodactyl boss (level 65). The creature was formerly the mount of Viscount Fog, a hunter of vampires, but was turned undead after being injured by Miriam Dom during a confrontation that killed her master. The battle is brutal and chaotic: Sierra's talons nearly tear Carl apart, Donut provides support with magic missiles and light magic from the treetops, and Carl uses holy water potions and healing magic to survive. After being tossed high into the air and crashing through the forest canopy, Carl uses his last health potion and delivers a devastating punch through the creature's body, then stabs its still-beating heart with a branch to finally kill it. The chapter ends with Carl and Donut discussing the need to avoid contact with the vampire corpse's remains to prevent vampirism infection.