After capturing their second card and adding Geraldo the monk seal as their first squad member, Carl, Donut, Sister Ines, Paz, and Anton leave the coast and move deeper into Havana to find a saferoom. The group is more comfortable after fighting together, though Donut remains wary of Sister Ines. While passing through quieter streets full of wrecked vehicles and ghostly traffic, Zev contacts Carl and Donut about media appearances.

Zev explains that Odette has delayed Carl and Donut's scheduled interview because Faction Wars preparations have accelerated. Instead, Zev books them on Shadow Boxer, a documentary-style program owned by their sponsor, the Open Intellect Pacifist Network. Carl resists discussing his troubled teenage years, but the involvement of the sponsor and a liaison makes him suspect the interview may matter, so Carl agrees. Zev also reveals that Carl and Donut will attend a virtual preproduction meeting for the ninth-floor Faction Wars, where representatives from all nine factions will discuss policy items.

On the way to the saferoom, Donut and Sister Ines detect a nearby cluster of monsters. The group investigates and finds more than a hundred small, hairy duendes swarming around crashed vehicles and stealing shoes from oblivious ghost pedestrians. Carl checks the Book of Lore and learns they are common level-20 monsters without special attacks. When the duendes notice the crawlers, combat begins, and Carl, Donut, Mongo, and Sister Ines's squad split up to clear them out.

During the fight, Carl's new essence bar fills after about ten kills, becoming sickly and unstable. A notification says the Scavenger's Daughter has been fed, unlocking a new skill called the Daughter's Kiss. Carl activates it because carrying a full essence bar appears dangerous, then stomps a fleeing duende. The attack vaporizes the monster, shatters the sidewalk, creates a shockwave, and briefly stuns everyone nearby, revealing that Carl's new power can grow stronger each time he fills and drains the bar.

After the battle, Carl and Donut collect three common utility cards: two Time Extend cards and one Stout card. Sister Ines's team receives two Time Extend cards and an uncommon one-use Flee card that can teleport an entire squad away from combat. They still do not fully understand deck combat, as Donut was unable to summon Geraldo during the fight.

The group reaches a saferoom inside a coffee shop called Cuba Libro, near a park containing more human-sized mobs. Carl asks whether Sister Ines's group belongs to a guild, and Donut encourages them to join theirs, but Sister Ines declines. After agreeing to meet again after the recap, Carl and Donut privately discuss the trio: Carl thinks they may simply be frightened and traumatized, while Donut likes Paz and tolerates Anton but remains deeply suspicious of Sister Ines.