Toad and I spent a significant period of time going over his new plan. It was a lot. I had a massive role not just in setting things off but also in ending things. The gate that led beyond the veil needed to be closed. Toad was convinced the best path to reach it was from within the tower. Apparently the inside of the tower was prone to shifting and altering as a defensive measure. Something Toad insisted I could hard counter with my Craft, Construction, and Destruction skills. That made it a better choice than me trying to King Kong my way up the side.

Honestly, his ideas made a lot of sense. I still worried about him, but as I listened to his plan I grew more and more certain he was fit to lead.

Eventually though we had to get back to work. Our Convoy was going to split up. There were still thousands of things that should be done before that. I trusted the day to day things to goblins, and the big picture to the nannies and pappies. That still left the defense. Not to say I didn't trust Spine and the younger goblins but there was one thing I could do to help them.

I found Pinky. The Machana-beast was helping to repack a hauler. The giant metal bird picked up a large pallet of material wrapped in a tarp and chains. Pinky just hooked the loop with their beak and lifted it with ease. The load landed on the flat bed of the hauler with a heavy thud. The load weighed well over a thousand pounds. Then Pinky did it again, and again, and again.

As a few goblins climbed up to get the chains to attach to yet more material, Pinky spotted me.

"Hey Pinky," I said with a wave.

Pinky waved back with their one good wing.

"Can I ask you a favor?" I started.

Pinky nodded.

"Would you be willing to go with the younger goblins to the entrance into the Dark and watch out for them?" I asked.

Pinky nodded immediately.

I considered a moment, "I think Giselle and the others are heading toward the tower. Are you sure you want to go somewhere else?" I needed to be honest. I wanted Pinky to go with them, but the Mechana-beast deserved to be informed.

Pinky nodded.

"Thank you. You're a good friend, Pinky," I said.

Pinky nodded emphatically. I really needed to figure out a way to fix their broken wing. That was one thing down. I waved as I moved to the next.

Cutting my way through the convoy I found things were oddly enough still moving along well. People were getting loaded up, and soon we would be moving again. I found Spine with Nanny Shank. They were working with Nanny Shiv, Pappy Havok, and a bunch of the old guard to hammer out the last of the plans. It may sound unimportant but figuring out when you are going to have snack breaks and balancing security with basic people skills really matter when dealing with children in a monster filled frozen hell scape. The hard part with kids is they aren't adults. They can act like it for a time, and it is easy for adults to forget that they are still kids. They aren't going to stay focused. They won't regulate emotions despite it all, because they can't. Technically adults can't either, but on average they are way better at it then an eight year old.

Nanny Shank looked up at me, and quickly decided I wasn't useful in this moment. She pointed to Spine, "Talk to him, away from here."

Fair. A huge part of leadership is letting others do what they are good at. I -the Titan- struggle fairly hard supervising one kid. The memory of Kate getting her hand stuck in her mouth flashed in my mind. By all means laugh at that, but from the perspective of the kid's parent it was a fundamentally horrifying and embarrassing moment. I remember driving her to the ER terrified she was going to choke. I can still see the tears streaming down her face as she hiccuped and sobbed. She was nine and had seen a magician do some sleight of hand and tried to do it herself. She was eight. It was also embarrassing as hell for me, petty as that is to say. My job was to watch her, and… yeah.

I trusted the experts and stayed in my lane.

Spine led me over to a different aisle between trucks. A good dozen of goblin kids were playing some sort of game where they would throw a large ball against the side of the truck. And then bounce it back again without letting it touch the ground. There seemed to be teams. Beyond that though I doubted there was much for rules.

"What's up Doug?" Spine asked me.

"Is there anything else you need?" I asked him.

Spine thought about it for a very long time. Eventually he said, "I… no. Technically we need all sorts of shit, but we can handle it. You and the others should focus on the tower."

I wasn't going to press him any farther. Like I said. Leadership is trusting others. "Good. Take care, Spine. I'll see you after the tower."

Spine did a double take, "That's it. Goodbye is all you got."

"This isn't goodbye." I started.

"We are literally splitting up," Spine argued. He paused, "I don't want to leave things unsaid."

"I'm listening," I told him after a moment.

Spine shuffled from one foot to the other for a few moments. He was quiet for such a long moment I started wondering if there was something I should say. That put my brain down a bunch of paths. I did kidnap him. That had been an accident. The goal being to have a guide so we wouldn't have a repeat of Brunhilda massacring his village. After that I did drag him into the Mandir. That had to be fun walking into a bastion of people who didn't see him as a person, and actively leveraged that to harass him and try to kill him. Then there was the highjacking of his entire people to fight multiple battles against gods and demons. Let's not forget dumping the burden of the entire next generation on his shoulders.

"I just wanted to say thank you. You helped me so much, even when I was less than respectful." He paused again.

"You're welcome, and don't worry about it," I told him.

"Why?" Spine asked immediately.

The ball bounced off the side of the truck and then off my head. It was then immediately caught by one team and thrown against the wall only for the other team to cry foul. Apparently I did not count as a wall. This sleight against my bulk was not tolerated by the other team.

Ignoring the debate I shrugged and then sat down so I didn't loom over Spine so much, "I get embarrassed when people make a big deal out of things."

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"No, why do all of it? You don't owe me anything," Spine asked.

The words hit me. I -the Titan- had asked Hank the same thing. It was when the Titan and Marnie were trying to buy their house. Hank had been setting money aside for the Titan. Originally for college, but when the Titan didn't go to college and instead became an HVAC tech held onto it until then. Hank was able to add another forty thousand dollars to the down payment. That had changed the monthly payments from $1,350 to $1,092 and had turned a flight of fancy into a reality.

Hank and Jo had done so much. They literally saved my life. Then they had fought for me and raised me like their own. I could never repay that. Sure I had Spine's back, but looking at it, at least from my perspective, it wasn't something you could truly compare.

Paradoxically it was all the same.

"I just tried to do the same as Hank Smith. He stepped up when the Titan needed them. He did right by someone who had no one. He did that because a man called Buck Brenan found Hank as a young man kicked out on the streets by his drunk father. Buck offered Hank a job, taught him how to survive, and be a man. Buck was following the example of his father. Buck's dad Jakub was an immigrant who was a refugee from a world war and found himself in a strange land with no one. A local minister had taught Jakub English and opened the door to a community had originally been terrified of."

"I don't get it," Spine said. He stared up at me expectantly.

"Kindness has a way of echoing through history. It is almost never written down, but that's not the point. If you think you owe me something, then don't be the man that lets this chain stop with you," I repeated Hank.

Spine considered that for a long time, "It's funny. Two month ago I begging for a chance like this. Nanny Shank want me to take charge of things. She believes in me."

"Scary as fuck isn't it," I said. I figured he needed to hear someone else say that, "I know it is for me."

Spine nodded, "I didn't realize it was this hard. I just wish I knew what to do.

"It's only hard if you are good," I said standing up. "You're a good man, Spine. Take care of your people, trust your instincts, and listen to Nanny Shank, Nanny Shiv, and Pappy Havok."

Spine stood too, "Oh well, when you say it like that, it sounds so simple.

"I know right? All I have to do is go to the tower and save the day." I joked.

"That's like two things," Spine agreed. "Take care Doug. See you soon. I should get back. We are going to head out soon."

I checked my mystic well. It was down about 3,600 MP and dropping. That was less than it should have lost in that time, but it was still heading down. While I had Mental Resistance and probably couldn't be affected by a condition like anxiety. This setup certainly could replicate that feeling in a very accurate way.

That was likely intentional. Narrator fuckery was both widespread and multilayered.

There wasn't much else to do. Everyone was finishing up the last steps before we would split up. The energy had moved past a tipping point. The frantic lively chaos was now an organized business-like movement. Even the kids weren't playing anymore. The youngest were being shepherded to their bus. Those older were assisting in last minute work. Everyone was saying their farewells.

Yep. This was happening. We are going to war. It's funny. I never really saw myself as the send people to kill and die sort of guy. Okay, it wasn't funny, it was sobering and terrifying. People were going to die. I was okay with that. I hated that, I was okay with people dying. The thing is this world was bloody, violent and the goblins had nowhere to go, so choosing to fight was easy enough to see as choosing to live, or at least try. It also didn't hurt we were picking a fight with demons… and Richard. That last bit was complicated, but wasn't going to stop me.

I made my way back to the tent and the others. Brand and Aiko were heading away from the tent.

"Greetings Doug, I am escorting Miss Sato to a bus. She will be traveling with the younger goblins," Brand said..

"Is that safe?" I asked. Grond was still out there. He may be out of avatars, but he still had his full essence. It would be an actual risk for him to manifest, but he was a very big and bad dude.

"Ultimately yes," Aiko said. "I received a message from Goddess Adora. Grond's focus has shifted from me. I do not know the full story, but he has abandoned his purview. I worry for his Priestesses in dungeons."

Oh shit. "Yeah that is a valid concern, but shouldn't Adora be coming to pick you back up?"

Aiko tilted her head slightly to the side, "I have been sent to assist you in the foundation of a city. I expect I am where the Goddess has placed me, and here I will remain."

Adora is the worst. She just tossed this poor woman out into the goblin wastes, and was now leaving her here.

"Thank you," I told her. I turned to Brand, "Will you be back."

"Not exactly. I will be moving into position with several other more stealth focused groups. Our goal is to infiltrate the dungeons. We won't be traveling with you."

I felt a pang of… I guess dread. I am not going to pretend like Brand and I were best friends. We hardly knew each other. That said, I trusted Brand with my life. I knew he would fight and bleed for me. Who was I kidding, that made him family.

I didn't trust the Narrators. They could insist that Brand was going to get through and then head off to do… Europe stuff all they wanted. I knew something hateful and damaging was still in the cards. Also at some point I may need to trigger 'Empowered Critical' and crash the system. That would slap the Narrator's hands from controlling things but it would also let the dice roll.

"I feel like I should say something," I admitted.

"Do worry about it, your actions speak volumes," He offered his hand.

I took it, "Stay safe brother."

Brand smiled, "You are second to none." and then they had to go.

Outside the tent I found Brunhilda and Sunit.

"I wish you well," Sunit said. He was leaning on a trident like it was an overlage walking stick, "Before I go to lead the second wave may I ask you something?"

"Absoulutely," I answered.

"Could I follow you at least for this battle?" Sunit requested.

"Why?" I asked.

"The army follows you, and I wish to align with them. Besides in the fighting of demons, you and Goddess Lola are united."

"Only on one condition," I told him.

"Name it." Sunit playful eyes sharpened.

"Never call me God Doug. Just Doug is fine," I told him.

You have gained Follow Sunit Patel

Sunit's mustache twitched, "Very well Just Doug. See you when I see you."

"I best be going too, buddy," Brunhilda said. "I will be backing up the first wave. Do you think the plan will work?"

"I will do everything I can to give you the opportunity to make it work," I told her.

Brunhilda nodded, then sighed, "I admit I am relieved. We are almost at the tower. One more battle. I can finally find redemption or die trying." She punched my leg. "Take care of yourself." She then started to walk away.

I had to limp after her, "Hey buddy, about that find redemption or die trying thing-"

"I know what you are going to say," Brunhilda started.

"You know I am going tell you: fuck that shit?" I asked.

"Okay no," She admitted.

"There is no redemption, and no sacrifice will ever achieve it. The only thing you can do is live better and do better." The image of Marnie lying on the floor bleeding and pale nearly dead flashed in my mind. Nothing could change the fact that in one of her darkest moments, I worried more about losing her than being there for her. Nothing could change that. Hell the fact that it was technically the Titan's memory barely mattered to me. I would never be that man again. I had a responsibility to do better.

"That's a happy thought," Brunhilda muttered, not turning to face me.

"It isn't. The truth is the misguided idea of dying for a cause is romantic bullshit. A stupid lie dangled in front of desperate, hurting people as a means to control them. No fuck that, aim them." I took a breath and calmed my tone, "Please don't throw your life away. You can do so much more by living."

Brunhilda stood there for a very long time, "I'm scared. Not of battle, nor the demons. I am afraid that this guilt will never stop. They were people, Doug. They were children."

"Sometimes even to live is an act of great courage," I tried. Quoting the classics may be a bit crass but Seneca did say it best, "Take it from me, it never goes away, but it does get easier."

Eventually she started walking again, "I'll see you tomorrow, buddy."

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