Ken is having weird dreams, a river of shadows in a colorless world, and the deity Ambrotam speaking to him in riddles.
Before the group departs Sterlingshire, a wood elven druid with red hair - Aloy - approaches the group. She lost her companions, a ranger party from Taesi Forest, just days earlier to a giant bat creature, the very same the IRA is now trying to hunt.
On their way to the watchtower where the bat creature nests, the place where Aloys previous party was slain is deserted, as if the dead just walked away. A day later, the group encounters an odd traveling merchant, Dobbel the Goblin Elder, riding a giant tortoise with a shop on its back. Some items are traded, then the group continues west.
At the tower, the group not only encounters a giant creature with long arms and legs and wings, but also a seemingly endless supply on ghouls that crawl out of the tower. And while Bruri silently loots the hoard of the creature, the others destroy a weird ritual on top. When the eventual combat breaks out, Flo is dropped out of great height, almost dying on spot.
When the enemy is defeated, the group rests nearby, planning their further adventure towards the grave of horas. Aloy flies away as a bird, Ken discovers divine magic through Ambrotam and Bruri learns a few magic tricks from a book.