The author really isn't afraid to maim or kill familiar characters, even if they're only side characters. The boyfriend of the parchment/paper couple lost a leg, Zazach of the constantly flirting couple lost an arm, and I think the guy who got beheaded is Kettlehead of the Wild Goose Hunters. Maybe missing limbs and even death can be solved with magic, but we've seen at least a few familiar faces die permanently, like that one girl from the Information Office.