Carrying a fresh plaster cast of some claw marks found in the stone under the hot springs bath changing room, Zahn heads for Dontgointhe Castle. He finds Kalvin waiting outside, afraid to go in because the garden makes his rughrat nervous.

Kalvin explains that he's looking for Axel because one of the otter twins came and told him about the incident at the hot spring. Zahn takes him inside the castle with him, and asks Igor about Axel. The servant assumed the bird-man had left with the others last time, but figures he could still be down in the basement.

After handing off the cast to Igor, Zahn and Kalvin head down the long stairway to the sub-basement, where they look for Axel in the pipe room. Instead, they find a large, dark creature with glowing eyes and close the door. The creature manages to get the door open and follows them into the hall – and then pauses and turns to a side room to use the bathroom.

Zahn takes Kalvin to the elevator to try and escape, but the elevator starts going down instead of up, so he stops it and the two head for the stairs, only to run into a just wakened Dr. Pike coming down.

The monster leaves the bathroom and sits against the wall now, yawning. Dr. Pike doesn't find this very alarming, despite Zahn's near panic. Igor arrives and says the monster is Axel, just speaking a foreign language and covered in soot.

Eventually, Axel gets rid of the soot and puts some clothes on, and Kalvin tells him he needs to see Madame Natasha about Miranda and Bravil.