Rone eventually falls when he brings forces into the heartlands where all factions are united in taking down the Akari scourge. Although Rone is gone, pockets of Akari remain and word is received from York that things are particularly unpleasant there, with the living being caged by Akari and sometimes turned to vampires. The Urchins track down a source of some of the moss problems that continue to plague the Harts, an abandoned lab in which surgery has been used to implant moss in victims. Fingers are pointed towards the Black Flame. The Nix visit and pass on information regarding the cult.