Chapter Summaries

Riel confronted Black Tea and fought him over Heka, while Kami attacked the carriage carrying Heka and his companions. Kami killed the coachman Carpenter, leaving the other Carpenter struggling to control the speeding carriage.

• Riel asked Black Tea to hand over Heka, but Black Tea refused and said he did not trust him.
• Riel offered to cripple Heka and deliver him to Black Tea a year later, but Black Tea drew his greatsword and fought him.
• Kami watched Riel and Black Tea clash, then shot an arrow at the carriage carrying Heka.
• The arrow pierced and killed the coachman Carpenter, and the other Carpenter grabbed the reins as the carriage hurtled onward.

Heka survived the carriage’s crash and an ambush by the Blood Sparrow Squad, then was forced to face an armored dwarf while an archer covered the street. The chapter ended as Heka charged beneath the dwarf’s warhammer, which the dwarf redirected toward his shoulder.

• The carriage crashed into a building, leaving Heka and Tuft of Hair alive among the wreckage while the horse dragged an injured Black Mountain warrior away.
• Heka and Carpenter Who Isn't Called Carpenter took cover from arrows fired by Kami, who wounded another survivor and demanded that Heka surrender.
• A dwarf and a half-orc appeared, and the dwarf threw Heka a shortsword while challenging him to fight.
• Heka asked if they could reconcile, picked up the shortsword, and maneuvered toward the dwarf while avoiding the archer’s line of fire.
• Heka charged beneath the dwarf’s warhammer, and the dwarf redirected the blow toward Heka’s shoulder.

Heka killed the dwarf with a dagger and fled from the half-orc Al as Mr. Carpenter warned him to run. As an arrow narrowly missed Heka, he revealed a loaded crossbow while Mr. Carpenter passed him, leaving the source of Heka’s hidden weapon unexplained.

• Heka used a dagger to cut the dwarf’s throat, then bound his wounded arm to keep it from moving during the fight.
• Mr. Carpenter shouted for Heka to run, and Heka rushed around a corner as Al charged after him with a club.
• Heka realized an enemy ranger had arrived and fell to evade an arrow that struck the wall beside him.
• Mr. Carpenter limped past Heka with an arrow wound in his thigh while throwing a knife at the ranger.
• Heka dropped his damaged iron scrap and produced a loaded crossbow from beneath his cloak, astonishing Mr. Carpenter.

Heka and Thirl tried to survive a ranger’s attack by taking an orc hostage, but Thirl was badly wounded and the ranger used their companions as leverage. Heka proposed an exchange, leaving the standoff unresolved.

• Heka wounded the orc with a crossbow bolt, and Thirl attacked him with throwing knives while Heka warned Thirl to keep him alive.
• The ranger shot Thirl through the upper arm as he drove the orc back into the lane, and Heka pulled Thirl into cover and bandaged his wound.
• The ranger threw Thirl’s comrade into the lane and offered to trade him for the orc, but Thirl refused, saying the exchange would leave all five of them dead.
• The ranger threw Tuft of Hair into the lane and shot him in the thigh after Heka threatened the orc if Tuft of Hair was killed.
• Heka explained that Tuft of Hair could survive if treated within five minutes and offered to let the ranger’s teammate go so everyone could live.

Heka and Thirl fought over the wounded half-orc until the ranger surrendered his bow and rescued him, leaving Thirl and Heka to face each other. Heka killed Thirl, spent his reward point on Strength, and passed out as his injured arm healed.

• Thirl and Heka negotiated with the ranger, who shot a wounded Black Mountain warrior, surrendered his bow, and dragged the half-orc away.
• Thirl realized Heka still had a hidden spatial magic item and attacked him with a concealed throwing knife.
• Heka made a bucket appear to block the knife, then stabbed Thirl in the throat with his damaged dagger.
• Heka checked the challenge rewards and spent his point to raise his Strength from 0.472 to 1.472.
• Heka's injured arm returned to normal as his muscles reshaped, and he passed out.

Heka woke after the battle and learned that Martin’s head growth had been treated, then negotiated with Riel about recovering before setting out. Left alone, Heka considered how the fight had exposed his role in killing Podoli and what evidence might reveal him.

• Heka woke weak and asked Martin for water while the doctor and the others let him rest.
• Heka asked Tuft of Hair to introduce himself, learned that his name was Martin, and told him he could stop using the old nickname.
• Deko told Heka that the doctor said Martin was not going to die for the time being.
• Riel told Heka they would set out the next day, but agreed to give him two days to recover and offered a shortsword instead of chainmail.
• Heka reflected that Podoli’s body and the wounds on the half-orc could expose that he had killed the dwarf.

After eating enough to quiet his hunger, Heka checked his status and went to the Carpenter's workshop to investigate, but Deko stopped him from using a light during a Black Mountain memorial ceremony. Deko then led Heka toward the armory to collect his short sword.

• Heka stopped eating after several tables of meat and left the kitchen with Deko following him.
• Heka checked his panel and held off on claiming his challenge reward because he wanted to save it to heal his injuries before returning to the sewers.
• Heka went to the Carpenter's workshop, but Deko forbade him from opening the window or lighting a lamp while the memorial candle burned.
• Deko led Heka down a guarded path toward the armory, and Heka realized it was where his short sword was being kept.

Heka practiced swordsmanship in the square while Deko tried to keep him from learning advanced techniques. Deko decided to teach him demanding basic skills instead, leaving Heka to keep pretending to trust him while seeking an opening to gain more instruction.

• Heka took back his wooden sword from the groom and asked where Martin was, learning that Martin had been sent elsewhere because the square would be unsafe that night.
• Heka began practicing with his short sword as Deko counted his swings and noticed the boy’s unusual skill despite his flawed technique.
• Deko corrected Heka’s stance, and Heka quickly applied the advice to make his movements smoother.
• Two warriors offered to teach Heka, but Deko sent them away and insisted that Heka focus on basic movements rather than advanced techniques.
• Heka acted as if he trusted Deko while glancing toward the departing warriors, and Deko resolved to teach him slow-developing basics to occupy him.

Heka practiced Deko’s Sword Sense exercises while Deko explained the plan to reach a hidden warehouse through the sewers. At dinner, Heka turned the Black Mountain crew’s crude prank into an inadvertent dirty joke, leaving them awkwardly speechless.

• Deko taught Heka a figure-eight sword exercise and explained that he needed Heka to guide the crew through the last stretch of the sewers to the warehouse.
• Heka practiced until Sword Sense appeared on his skill panel at 1/10000.
• The Black Mountain crew served Heka brain-like soup and rare steak as a prank, expecting him to react badly.
• Heka ate the food and asked for more, then remarked that Black Mountain culture was vast and profound, unintentionally turning his words into a vulgar joke in Black Mountain language.
• Deko apologized for the crew’s behavior as the Black Mountain people struggled to explain themselves.

Heka and Deko led their team through the sewers toward the northeast corner of the Dungeon’s main tower, where they encountered an abnormal rat swarm and discussed Ratfolk and the Realm Forger. They reached a massive boulder blocking their route.

• Heka spotted a rat swarm climbing the sewer walls and drove it back with a torch.
• Deko suspected the strange rats indicated a Ratfolk outpost, and the team blocked the holes with rat-repellent powder.
• Heka asked Deko about the Realm Forger’s challenge ratings and learned how the Adventurers’ Guild used them to assess monsters and adventurers.
• Deko described escaping a Ghoul by jumping into the sewage, then led the team onward.
• Heka and the others crossed a relatively intact section of the sewers and arrived at a massive boulder.