Returning from the collapsed monastery, the party is battered and weary. They retreat to their mushroom airship for a long rest, but the night brings no peace. Kil'mori is plagued by prophetic dreams of his best friend Archie, who was transformed into a raven by a curse. The dreams show Archie begging to be found, then a vision of leaping from a tower together. Tara Zellphera, meanwhile, suspects that Archie and Kil'mori's lives are mysteriously linked.
In the morning, Archie stops breathing, and Kil'mori reaches into Tara Zellphera's pocket, grabs the Soul Gem, and stabs the bird—trapping Archie's human soul inside the gem. Tara Zellphera is horrified, knowing the truth, but takes the Soul Gem back from Kil'mori and agrees to hide it and find a way to free Archie later. The mushroom crew builds a funeral pyre, and Kil'mori cremates the bird's body, burning his hand as he retrieves the skull, keeping it as a memento.
Zahara gives the party a new mission: investigate raiders near the Linkardy Desert on the mountain's far side. Olad Freeye acquires a mushroom pirate flag and an eyepatch from the tailor, giving them to Bellow, the mushroom captain, who embraces a new pirate aesthetic. As The Market Circle flies toward their destination, they spot a massive columned entrance and are suddenly attacked by a cult of W, who harpoon the ship and begin dragging them down to be sacrificed.