Chapter 28

Carl and his party devise a plan to defeat Mrs. Ghazi Sand Ooze, a borough boss, by using a ceiling-walking ability to avoid detection while applying flammable gel to its core. The encounter succeeds but triggers a catastrophic chamber collapse that drives them deep underwater into the water quadrant, where they must survive pressure, debris, and an unknown predatory creature.

Carl, Katia, and Donut plan to defeat the sand ooze blocking the basement stairs. The creature is immune to regular fire but vulnerable to Mordecai's burn gel applied directly to its core hidden beneath a recliner. Since direct approach is impossible, Carl uses his Sticky Feet ability from a new toe ring to walk on the ceiling upside-down while Donut creates a distraction hole and Katia distracts the ooze with a bass-heavy music trap playing "Jump Around." Carl successfully applies the burning gel to the recliner and ignites it; the fire proves devastating to the ooze, triggering its defeat. However, the intense heat causes the chamber's engineered floor to collapse catastrophically. Carl and Donut become buried under sand but are saved when Donut bites Carl's foot and drags him free to a narrow space. Katia escapes the collapsing castle and, acting on impulse, kills Ghazi to attempt fixing the crystallization, discovering a note explaining the winding box. Nothing changes. With the structure collapsing around them, Gwen (via Tran) opens a water valve to blast them out. The valve creates a violent underwater current that sweeps Carl, Donut, and debris from both the castle and necropolis into the water quadrant. Both take severe damage; Carl uses healing and water breathing scrolls to keep them alive as they sink 150 meters before swimming toward the surface. As they rise, a large predatory creature attracted by blood begins hunting through the falling corpses nearby, forcing them to swim away quietly while Donut awakens in panic.