Breg came back to town carrying the dead body of Billy Braid, one of the quarters' favourite adventurer, retelling the story of Billy's heroic demise at the handsfeetpawsmaws feet of bus-sized spiders to save some members of their party. The town, shocked and grieved, decides to host a public funeral to commemorate Billy and console his mourning sister and her wife.

Mike was nowhere to be found, probably running around for M'Toya. Mantike had once more disappeared, as she usually did. And…