Ephraim struggles to earn skuggi trust, noting their history of masking knowledge after centuries of Gold culling. Despite social friction—driven by their outrage at his kidnapping of Pax and Electra—the Obsidians prove quick physical learners. Pax visits, thanks Ephraim for securing nighttime access to a garage and a gravBike project, and continues to safeguard Ephraim’s engagement ring. Their banter reveals Pax’s unease with martial lessons and his restless mind.

Seeing the skuggi fail a crude lie detector, Ephraim reframes training around Karachi, a card game, to teach deception and reading opponents. He needles Freihild over hidden cards, summons Xenophon, and demonstrates “playing the player,” winning valuables while showing that tells and patterns matter more than math. He argues that reading people unlocks bribery, intimidation, and manipulation—preferable to killing—and drills the skuggi to spot breath, blink, and posture cues.

As games spread, Valdir and his braves watch from a balcony; Ephraim catches Valdir’s complicated gaze toward Freihild. Xenophon cautions him never to pit Obsidians against each other and, shivering, admits Valdir once rescued them from Atlas’s slavery. The shaman backed hiring Ephraim and the Alltribe experiment, despite Xenophon’s doubts. Ephraim returns the logos’s cloak and resumes instruction.

By night, several skuggi improve; Ephraim lets Freihild win back her losses and earns nods of respect. Freihild calls the lesson a “skillgift,” vows loyalty to Sefi, and warns Ephraim not to betray the Queen. She rejects superstition in private yet maintains faith publicly for the tribe’s cohesion.

Afterward, Pax deduces Freihild is sleeping with Valdir by scent and heartbeats, a risk if Sefi learns. Ephraim keeps clear of that “war,” then proposes they review schematics for a harness as insurance if things go south. Under Valkyrie eyes, Pax warily agrees to multitask—garage work and a discreet “picnic” planning session.