Calliope ramps up her attacks after the party demonstrates that they’re stronger than she thinks, swiftly defeating them. They firmly tell her that they won’t back down from going to Amissa Aestate to save Slenderbard, and she admits she never wanted them to, but rather wanted them to be aware of how much they can handle. She seems suspicious of Stabby‘s motivation, but dismisses it after he tries to convince her he’s doing a good thing and rescuing someone from the slaver.
Overnight, Xaveria has a dream about one of her “friends,” but is woken up by Pepper before it amounts to anything. Calliope tells the group that she’ll be flying overhead to keep Penelope off the road, but they quickly lose sight of their draconic allies when a thick fog rolls in. An almiraj named “Stew Meat” appears and offers to be their guide, although she quickly proves that she is unable to remember anything past the previous thing she was told. Xaveria doesn’t understand this, and continuously confuses the rabbit by going back and forth between mentioning Cassian Grimlock and Mnemosyne Aberdeen. They dispose of Stew Meat and feed her to Vesk, then continue on their merry way. After a strange log keeps appearing in the road, Klernt awakens it so that it can be his ally. Eventually, after wandering lost for a time, they encounter another almiraj named “Two Meat” that again offers to be their guide. Using quick thinking, Stabby tells it that they are going to Cassian Grimlock’s manor then shoves cloth into its ears so that it can’t hear.
They pass a checkpoint into the Vale of Long Nights and gather some gummy acorns in exchange for a secret from a giant rodent, then find themselves on the path by a nice vineyard. Craving something that he can’t find a way to satisfy, Dreamer eats some of the pearlescent grapes. This upsets the dryad of the grove, and she tells Dreamer he can either bring her the druid living in Amissa Aestate, Yua Bellowgale, or he can choose to go against his morals or find her an archfey’s secret. Seraphim voices his frustration about now having a sidequest in the city, but Dreamer agrees. He is told he has until the last leaf falls off of the trees in the grove to uphold his end of the deal.
An owl with pink swirls on its face flies past them and lands on a traveler’s arm. The Eladrin woman seems hesitant to speak with the party, save for Stabby and Dreamer, in fear that revealing her name could cause a problem for herself. She tells them she was actually on her way to Amissa Aestate and suggests they travel together and ditch Two Meat. As they approach the city, a herd of deer attack the group, showing much more hostility than the typical fear deer would. One even leaps from a cliff, dying in the process, in an attempt to attack them.
After nearly a week of travel, they arrive in Amissa Aestate.