Carl converses with Imani, who questions why Signet is present in their goodwill ballroom. Carl explains that Apito personally sets the guest list and is testing Queen Imogen by inviting her greatest adversary. He suggests that Signet’s presence is advantageous: If the peace seal breaks, Imogen will target Signet first, buying them time.

Carl greets Signet, who remarks that she’s weary of fleeing and effectively immune from attack while the seal holds. When Carl asks about Imogen’s promised boon from Apito, Signet reveals that the reward is rumored to be immortality but has never been granted—every Butcher’s Masquerade has historically failed, with the hosting cleric dying or being disgraced before the spell completes.

Carl approaches Chaco the Bard, a winged, wolf-headed man who once traveled with Mordecai’s party. A hunter named Zabit, a level-66 Atoll Beastmaster, compliments Carl for nearly provoking Vrah into breaking the seal. When Carl asks why Zabit hunts crawlers, Zabit explains that his people aren’t citizens and must pay for habitat and oxygen; without hunting income, they face indentured servitude.

Onstage, Theobold announces the pet show. Chaco warns that the dungeon eventually forces everyone to betray their allies, leaving them broken and alone.