While going through the notes he found from the lab, Ward finds a note marked "stable portal???" and labeled the Dolmen Gate. Vera talks to Liscena, asking her about her cool powers; Liscena explains that she is a death knight, going where she is called to on behalf of the dead. Who calls her, she says is a secret, but it is likely that they will meet again.

With the intention of scrubbing the lab for information, Talthis, Alibi, Cecily, Invicta, Greyson, and two of Cecily's crew, Asher and Friday, head into the lab, while the party heads back to the hole. Vera digs a tunnel around the side of the blockage. Once they are prepared to descend, Cecily calls them on their badges to let them know that they are taking care of the stragglers in the lab and have scooped what info they are comfortable grabbing. The lab team returns to the airship while the party goes down to the Underdark via Feather Fall. Using what magic they can to bolster Merely and Dorean, the two begin attempting to unravel and absorb the magics of the Gods Slayer. Dorean makes a connection with the sword, feeling the folded possibility, the power to sever the connection between what is and what could be. It speaks to her, stating that she is not better than it, causing harm to stop harm, and assaults her psychically in return. The trio go at it, Merely and Dorean pulling the shard magic from the blade, while the blade attacks them back. Eventually, Dorean and Merely are able to absorb all of the shard stuff out of it, leaving the sword an inert hunk of metal. After healing Dorean, Vinorel appear, remarking that they have returned. The party tells them that they intend to leave the way they came after cleaning up more of their mess—the sword is safe to scrap now, if they wish to do so. Assured that they truly intend to go straight back up, they allow them to leave unchallenged—Vera thanks them for the help they likely served in getting them back out the first time.

Fulkin arrived, and shortly after destroyed the lab in a huge column of fire.

Greyson explains that there are five boxes, ancient artifacts passed down through the elemental bloodlines. Mira is the Inheritor of Wind, as was her mother, leader of the queendom; Logir Sol, the empreror, was the Inheritor of Fire. It is concluded that Fulkin is likely using the serum to connect with Logir, who is presumably his scopy in Mira's shard. Whether Mira is in some way related to Logir is left unresolved, but hinted at.

Ward spends his evening primarily working on studying the notes they took from the lab, not really making any progress. He also contacts Leonora about potentially collaborating on researching shard travel, which she says she might be interested in. One evening, Ward comes across Merely reading them. She thinks that the portal in the notes are simply theory; she remarks that it's interesting because it would take a lot of colorless mana. Colorless mana is a debated topic, sort of the opposite of the aspected magic that mages usually call on. If shard stuff is a possibility, mana with affinity could skew it, so you would need a neutral power source to fuel it. Merely thinks she could possibly use the notes to make a portal.

Vera asks Greyson about the Inheritors. They were called upon to protect their sector from an invading force, which they successfully fought off. Raya, Blue, didn't like Logir, vocally opposed him when he consolidated power; Logir boiled them from the inside out. Keteris, Green, had been close to Raya. Picture of five figures in the power armor. Blue is svelt, androgynous, long flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, space elf Green is a mantis person resembling Fulkin but not really—weirdly not slutty— she returns to her room to draw her shardsona and tell her raven friend every detail she can think of from the last couple of days.

Invicta talks to Dorean about the things she found in the lab. The Shady Motherfuckers is actually a very large organization, with Hayward and Fulkin in charge of separate branches, with a third person implied to be over both of them.

Mira asks Greyson about suggestions for increasing her syncronicity with her box, which he explains is simply by using the armor.

Fulkin sends Ward a message, asking "Did you do this?" Ward responds in the affirmative, also passing along AF's message to her brother. The Hatman mocks him for having responded as such, suggesting he should have not responded at all. Ward acknowledges this to be true.

Introduced

• Asher - TFA crew
• Friday - TFA crew

Returning

• Cecily Cardew
• Talthis Vim
• Invicta
• Merely
• Alibi
• Uncle Greyson (Yellow)
• Ser Liscena
• Vinorel
• Leonora
• The Apparition

Mentioned

• Logir Sol (Red)
• Fulkin
• Freyjalise
• Coral
• AF (posthumously via recording)
• Raya (Green)
• Keteris (Blue)