What begins with the group’s usual chaos—hot sauce, fire whiskey, and mischief—quickly shifts as Zechs proposes a risky but calculated plan: speak directly with Malar. With Galahad, Hoshino, and Glad supervising, the tense attempt offers cryptic fragments but reaffirms Zechs' suspicions of Malar’s evasiveness regarding his origins and divine ties. Their next steps lead them through confusion between the vineyard and the ritual site but ultimately to a trio of divine effigies representing the Pantheran goddesses. A booming voice demands tithes, and suddenly, Zechs, Arguile, Salix, and Glad are cast into Sloane’s Second Age. There, revelations about acceptance and closure, warnings of Malar’s rising influence, and whispers of divine conflict build tension. In the present, the rest of the party mobilizes—meeting allies, gathering intelligence, and preparing for a growing war that stretches across timelines.

While Zechs’ group infiltrates a ritual and witnesses Malar’s avatar emerge, Hoshino uncovers his status as a cosmic anomaly, Shanks and Greyleaf extract critical information from a cultist, and Galahad sabotages enemy forces through intoxication rather than violence. All paths converge as Turk is introduced, JM’s newest ally and the team shares gathered intelligence, including the emergence of Enich—Arguile’s alternate—and rising threats in Gamsby, Luxenborough, and Ors Thamar. As Zechs steels himself to extract Malar’s aspect during a gruesome ritual, the party splits: one half faces Malar within, the other guards against Enich outside. The battles are ferocious—divine powers clash, spells fly, wolves swarm, and Zechs and Galahad deliver final, critical blows to their respective foes. With Malar banished and Enich defeated, the exhausted party regroups, though the threat within Zechs remains unresolved.

After the final blows are struck, Zechs collapses from spiritual exhaustion. The group brings him to his childhood home to recover while Galahad sanctifies the ritual site, vowing no more sacrifices will occur. That night, the party finally allows themselves rest and revelry, visiting the Faint Mandolin and Jaded Kitty Kat, reuniting with Little G, and deepening bonds with their new ally, Turk. Later, Ickra of the Cloak of Feathers arrives with urgent messages from JM, revealing Argo’s recovery, rising fiend activity, threats to Mechfall’s arcane core, and a new, rifle-wielding alternate of Arguile. She leaves the party with warnings, updates, and heavy implications—foes old and new are on the move, and despite their recent victories, the storm still brews on multiple fronts.

There’s so much happening, and we pick up with arc 25, “The Darkness Within”. How will the rest of this story unfold? Find out next time on the Medusa’s Cascade: Collateral Damage!