Little-Guy Shortcuts, Episode 4 of the Aetherdrift story, begins as Mohar reveals the plan (thanks to Jace’s influence) to start the next revolution to an old friend and soldier, Rudra. The plot involves putting an end to the Ghirapur Grand Prix by laying a trap at the end of the race. Rudra notes it will be bloody, but Mohar isn’t concerned, stating that no revolution has ever been bloodless — he, of course, still doesn’t know his daughter is one of the racers in the interplanar extravaganza.
As the race continues on through Muraganda we learn the terrain is rough and barely resembles a track. What appears to be floating islands and rivers aren’t floating, instead they are slowly falling. The towering trees are also constantly tumbling, creating an onslaught of obstacles the racers have to keep an eye on at all times. Chandra navigates the dangerous land and outmaneuvers opposing racers while torching a hole through a fallen tree trunk that’s 30-feet tall. When she emerges from the scorched tunnel, she finds only Winter somehow still ahead of her.

Spitfire also has to get through the giant tree, but follows the Amonkhet chariot that clears a more safe path through it than Chandra’s impromptu tunnel. On the other side, the going gets even tougher as a moonfall is taking place — literal pieces of a moon crumbling and falling to the ground which will cause a sizable earthquake upon impact. Rather than risk navigating the falling moon shards and the earthquake, Spitfire takes a pitstop in the closest valley. The moonfall isn’t the only problem — marauding raiders riding dinosaurs take advantage of the chaos to attack the distracted racers, gobbling up and destroying numerous pilots in the surrounding area.

The floodplains beyond the moonfall are also littered with raiders and their dinosaur mounts, but Chandra continues attempting to catch Winter. Chandra sniffs out an ambush, dodging at the last second and uses a blast of fire to create some space as she gets back into the race. She closes in on Winter, but when a raider captures the cage — and the creature inside it — from Winter’s car, Chandra decides to attempt to rescue it. She tells her co-captain and fellow racer, Kolodin, that she’ll see him at the finish line as she ditches her motorcycle for a dinosaur.
As Spitfire returns to the race and throttles through the floodplains and raiders, she spots Chandra’s decimated ride and Chandra herself on the back of a dinosaur. Pia Nalaar calls for her racers to help Chandra, but Spitfire is determined to win the Aetherspark and flicks off the radio.

The caged creature turns out to be Loot and is now in a new prison-like cage, but fellow prisoner, Daretti, chats with him and offers him some hot chocolate. Loot drinks up, recalling it tastes similar to what Vraska had given her in the past. Loot spots Chandra creeping up to the holding cell and he watches as Chandra fends off a raider, only to reveal Pia is with her daughter in this daring rescue attempt. Pia picks the lock and the four of them jump in Daretti’s car to escape. Raiders chase them as they attempt to flee, but Daretti’s car is packed with firepower to give them some breathing room.

They race back but the raiders are closing in on them and throwing spears. The path appears to only go forward, but Loot commands them to turn left into a giant tree. Pia and Daretti are skeptical but Chandra trusts the creature, taking the wheel and turning the car into the direction of the tree. As they head right for the trunk, Loot uses some magic and melts away the tree to reveal an Omenpath they barrel into and a few seconds later they arrive in a different world.