"Gate day!" Goofy said, focusing. "Grax is going to Bite the countryside as an opener and then Greeplox will goblintree the land for even more goblintide. Stupid Goblin will make all your magics miss and hit your enemies and Puppet will be here to make your Powers hurt each other. And then they take the gate and go after Memphi. They want to take both sides." He added, "And those are just the Pillars of Goblinhome, coming here to make war. There are a hundred lesser goblins, strong as me but with no ability to come back. They're coming here, and they have plans."

"… Okay. That's big," Mark said, as fresh comments from the command center, from Yoro and Aurora and Quentin and Eliot and then Rekaro and Lola, began filtering down the wall. Too many comments, questions, and concerns. Quark began moderating the chat, turning words into concise questions. Mark started at the top, saying, "Let's go over the pillars of Goblinhome, as you know them."

Goofy nodded seriously, almost bobbing up and down as he began, "At the very top there is Wongod! He's the God of Goblins, and he helps those he wants to help through the Dark, into the Green, so that we can come back and fight for Goblinhome…"

Goofy spoke of the known pillars of Goblinhome.

There was a lot to talk about. It was like hearing about a bunch of superheroes from another city, all of them bent on killing you and everyone you knew or cared about, and turning everyone into green reflections of themselves, if they could.

It was a horror.

Mark had some deep, unsettling reactions as Goofy spoke about gods and goblins, too. So did a lot of other people. Some people knew what Goofy was talking about, though, and Eliot or some other Techie set up a chatroom and a running commentary about what was going on in the interview. Mark was soon able to pick questions from that running commentary, because Quentin was curating that feed, now, and feeding Mark questions, through Quark's curating.

Mark had some of his own questions, though, and he asked those first.

"Backing up a bit," Mark said, "You spoke of 'Wongod' as the God of Goblins. What does that mean, exactly? Can he alter the world at his whim? Is he in a Pantheon like the human gods? Or is he just truly strong?"

Goofy instantly said, "All of the above, but his pantheon is dead… I think. No wait." Goofy thought. He shook his head. "I don't know. Yes. He can do a lot. No. I don't know what he can do exactly. BiggestBaddest is the one in charge of everything, but if people start dying everyone was always talking about how Wongod would move if he had to. I never saw him do much but go wherever he wanted and do whatever he wanted. Mostly he liked to make homes for goblins and then tear them down if no one was living in them. Really nice homes. I had one! Water came from holes in the roof and the bed was nice stone. A fruit tree gave delicious fruit. It was all different colors, too. Wongod didn't talk much but when a kaiju came by he waved a hand and the kaiju turned around and then the kaiju came back because it realized it was turned around, and then Wongod waved a hand and turned the kaiju around again. But it came back. So Wongod waved his hand and the kaiju turned to a red cloud. Then goblins went out and got dinner. A lot of sausage."

The questions continued.

A question from Lola came up and Mark suddenly realized he had wanted to ask that one earlier, too, but other things had gotten in the way. Some other people in the chat answered that question for her, but Mark didn't think those were correct answers. 'It's just a duplicated name' didn't sit right.

Mark asked, "The Greendeath mountains, Goofy. The goblins call them that, too, right?"

Goofy nodded. "Yes! Ancient name."

"Have you ever heard of 'Green Death Ecology'?"

Goofy paused in thought, his vector going deeply inward, and then he kinda skittered left and right inside and his face kinda fell. He didn't know the answer at all. Mark was kinda sad about that.

A while ago, Lola had told Mark about Green Death Ecology, and the Okuana Empire using necromancy and greenery together to create bound zones of dead things that would eat everything unapproved in their area. Okuana did that instead of walls.

Okuana still had walls, of course. Every place had walls. But instead of 500 meter tall walls, like they had here at the settlement and at Memphi and at every other big city of Aluatha and on Earth, Okuana had short walls and big, big trees, tied up with life and death and eternal defenders of the land. Some of the biggest defenders were called 'dryads' by Earth, and that's the name Mark knew them by, but here on Daihoon, in the Dominion of Okuana, all of the dryads had individual names that Mark did not know at all. Such defenders were very good at killing random monsters, and because of that Okuana was one of the safest lands on Daihoon.

Other than that, Green Death Ecology was all about trees and dead things automatically creating the kinds of environments that supported human life.

Aluatha, by contrast, had Elemental Ecology for emergencies, like what they were doing around the settlement right now, but they mostly relied on warrior patrols and actual stewardship of the Wilds to make the Wilds less wild.

Mark had connected a few dots here and there and it seemed like the 'Greendeath Mountains' and 'Green Death Ecology' were rather similar. Surely it couldn't just be a similar naming convention, right?

But Goofy was racking his brain trying to make a connection, and all he was doing was making himself fearful. He didn't want to be useless. Most of all, he did not want to be useless.

Mark said, "That's okay, Goofy. If you don't know, you don't know."

Goofy relaxed, his fear evaporating. He nodded, and repeated some words Mark had said to him earlier, "You'd rather a known truth than an imagined lie— OH!" Goofy said, "I remember now! The goblins were made by demons of Okuana to kill Aluatha! Old war. Old weapons. Back when Okuana was the Demon City of Daihoon. The sister city to that moon city… What was the name?" He frowned at the air. "Is that true? I don't know. You said not to tell lies so… Is a story a lie?" He looked back up at Mark. "Greeplox tells stories all the time."

Mark grinned, but it was a worried sort of grin.

At least Okuana's horror was an ancient horror, and probably something they were at least vaguely sorry for these days. Chat was blowing up, though. A lot of people didn't know that story. A lot of people were talking about how it was all an old dragon's tale.

Mark said, "I didn't know that. That's pretty interesting, Goofy. Let's move on: I'd like to know about today's assassination attempts on me, if you know about them."

Goofy nodded. "I wanted to leave very far from Goblinhome, but Grax told me that I couldn't, and that he would kill more humans if I tried to leave. But then I saw him kill a human anyway! So I raced away and he told me I better not go toward you!" Goofy grinned wide, showing off perfectly white teeth with no holes. His fangs were not back, but his jaw had rearranged into something cleaner. His vector felt as smug as his smile looked. "But he told me where you were! Said 'Goofy! Do not go to Mark at the Shrine!' So I went your way! And there you were, and here I am!"

… Huh.

Either Grax had been very stupid, leading Goofy toward moves that Goofy wanted to make…

Or someone had impersonated Grax?

Honestly, Mark had no idea what to make of that at all.

Chat was coming to a lot of the same conclusions as Mark, with people arguing back and forth about what was happening. Chat was also saying the goblin was lying, saying this whole thing as a sham. A few other people, from Yoro to Lola were saying that someone else was involved. Some third, fourth, or possibly unknown party was involved, too.

Mark said, "I'm glad to know someone out there is looking out for your best interests, Goofy. We can talk about that later. But I did not mean the one with Grax trying to grab us both. I meant the assassination attempt earlier today at the teleport trial. The International Teleporter List for Kaiju Response. ITLKR. Old Slave, Greeplox, and BiggestBaddest were there, along with Rubberboy. That's why I had Rubberboy with me while I was flying north."

Goofy paused. "… I thought you just went out and captured some goblins for answers? They tried to assassinate you? What's 'It-licker'?"

"International Teleporter List for Kaiju Response. It's a big crystal, and it's how Glorious Man and Crystal Tower responds so fast to disasters on Earth."

Goofy's eyes went wide. "OHHH! That's why it's 'Crystal Tower'!"

Mark grinned. "Yup. And today someone tried to kill me with an ambush while using ITLKR's timetables and destinations… Let me show you the recording. Tell me what you think."

Goofy nodded seriously.

It was a good time for a break, anyway.

While Goofy watched the recording of ITLKR's test, from post-teleport to finding-Goofy, cleaned up for time and content thanks to Quark, Mark got himself a drink.

Mark took Derek aside, and asked him, "How are you feeling about this?"

Derek said, "I feel that this might be the most important thing I do in the next short while, and that I still want to be on the front lines."

"Okay. That's what I thought. Glad you're here, Derek. Gate Day is gonna be big this time."

Derek chuckled, his thoughts going everywhere. "You know what's a 'big time'? A lot bigger than this gate day attack? 'cause I know you're gonna take care of that, Mark."

Mark suddenly, truly appreciated Derek, for that sentiment right there.

Derek continued, "It's this. Right here in this room. This interview happening right now has been recorded from a thousand directions, with more and more people tuning in to dissect everything being said. Goofy is highly intelligent, and powerful enough to see into Goblinhome in ways we simply cannot, and so this is gonna be someone's master's degree for sociology, or an entire class— You know. 30 years from now. In the next year it's gonna be a lot, because Goofy is way, way smarter than any goblin I've ever seen, and he ain't stopping anytime soon, especially when you've already upheld some of the bargain you made of 'turning him human'. But..." Derek asked, "Is that what you did?"

Goofy was watching the video, but he was also listening intently to Mark, and now Derek. Upon hearing Derek's question all of his attention turned toward Mark, though he was still pretending to watch the video of the transporter assassination attempt.

A lot of people were watching and wondering what Mark had done to Goofy.

Mark felt a bit like when he was doing an HVP show with Tartu, crafting his words for the camera, inventing kaijushit because he couldn't afford to look weak or unknowing. Derek understood that even before Mark opened his mouth to answer. Perhaps he had even planned for it? Derek had crafted his words, too, after all.

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Mark answered, "I'd love to be able to tell you, but it'll be a while and several conversations with people who know more than me before I understood what happened. It certainly makes Goofy look more Glorious, though. I mean look at that hair."

"It is pretty great hair," Derek said, grinning.

And now Goofy wanted to look into a mirror even more. He had noticed his hands and his teeth, but he did not see his face, or his ears, or most of his hair. He was in for a surprise…

Mark pulled out his hand, and Quark filled it with his phone without being asked. Mark needed to send off a text, so that Goofy didn't overhear, and so he did that. Soon Mark was done with the text and he hit send.

Eliot responded instantly with an affirmative.

Goofy's attention was even more split when Mark texted, but he dutifully stayed watching the video to the end of the video, trying to focus on it, and then he said, "BiggestBaddest is a jerk! He tried to Mind you! Greeplox was alright. He's a witch. He knows everything." Goofy got to his feet, uncaring about the assassination attempt. 'It happens' was pretty much his only thought about all of that. He was much more concerned with something else. He asked, "Is there a mirror here?"

Mark decided that he had reached the end of usable intel, for today, and it had been 3 hours by now. Mark had other things he had to do, like talk to Walaria, who was surely out there somewhere. Maybe Walaria was with Aurora already?

So Mark said, "Just one last thing, Goofy. They talked about First Prince Doomo being a traitor? And turning me into a goblin? Do you know what that was about?"

"Oh! Uhh. Yes!" Goofy said, all excited to be able to answer. "Greeplox turns people into goblins and Grax wants Black King and Rainbow Queen on his side… Maybe Rainbow Queen to be another lacuna for him? Yes. That's it. And that's what that was about…" He paused. He looked contrite as he said, "I don't know who First Prince Doomo is, but I will keep ears out!" He touched his ears, saying, "I have very good… ears… what?"

His ears had changed, and when he tried to grab where he expected his ears to be, he instead hit air, but when he reached up further, he touched his ears, and his eyes went wide. He needed a mirror, right now, and he floated a bit off of the ground—

"The bathroom is over—" Mark began, pointing a finger, and that was enough for Goofy.

The goblin flew into the bathroom and shocked into the middle of the room, to stare in the mirror. He gasped, his vector going crazy surprised. He stared at his fingers again, and then at his toes. He took off his ratty Glorious Man children's teeshirt and golden sequined belt to look at his body. At who he was. He was so blindingly happy that even in the private moment Mark looked in because he kinda had to.

He was a little green man. Still sexless, like goblins were. But he was absolutely more human-looking. Still green-skinned, of course. But like a little green man. Not like a little green monster, trying to appear like a man.

Behind Mark, Derek's vector was focused overhead as he moved toward a wall. Something clunked down into the wall, and Derek opened a panel, revealing folded white fabric wrapped with a golden belt. Derek handed it over to Mark. That would be Eliot's doing, from the message Mark had sent him.

Mark floated the clothes into the bathroom, to land beside the counter.

Goofy was floating up and down and sideways and looking at himself, but he noticed the white fabric.

He glanced over at Mark.

Mark nodded.

Goofy opened the package and unfurled a nice white costume with a nice golden belt. It looked professional because it was professional. With emotions running too deep, Goofy put on the costume and then looked at himself in the mirror. It was a full-white webweave with golden trim, and a golden belt, and yeah. Goofy looked like a tiny, green Glorious Man, but with long black hair.

Goofy sniffled, tears falling.

Mark said, "I also used to have one of his costumes when I was young, but then I got my own one day. Maybe you'll get your own costume one day, too."

Hopefully Mark wouldn't get an angry letter from Glorious Man regarding this costume. Heck! Maybe the guy would find it funny!

… Oh gods. Did Mark do the wrong thing?

No no.

Keep the face even.

Don't let them know that you're freaking out over possibly antagonizing your hero.

Goofy sniffled and nodded, saying, "Glorious Man is a good person. I want to be…" He looked at his hands. "… glorious, too."

Yoro cut into the feed in Mark's vision, his text reading, 'Cut it there, Mark. Leave on a high note. Resume tomorrow. Let Derek work.'

Mark said, "I'm gonna cut it here for today, Goofy—"

"I can still talk! I have lots left to tell! There are the witches of Goblinhome and the kaiju bombs! And the parts of Goblinhome that they didn't let me see! There has to be special stuff there!"

Mark wanted to know about all of that, but instead he smiled softly and said, "We got time, and a lot of stuff that needs to be acted upon. And I need to talk to some people about my assassination attempts— Ah. I didn't tell you about the other one, the one before the teleporter one, and before Grax today. But that can wait. Enjoy your costume and the facilities, Goofy. Derek is still here."

Goofy bowed in the air, and then he floated to the floor and bowed there, saying, "Thank you, Black King, for your helpfulness and food."

Mark nodded.

And then he left, giving Derek a glance on the way out.

Derek just nodded. He could handle this.

Soon, Mark was back above ground, standing in a field of grass, beside a large grey boulder that was not a boulder at all. The settlement was over there, the sun setting on the other side of it, bathing the sky in gold and twilight. Soft hallucinations of other other lands, of Endless Daihoon, flexed in the coming dark like auroras.

The moon was up there, too. Mostly full, and with golden lines showing in the cracks, illuminating the depths of Arakino, the Demon City on Luna. Apparently there was another 'Demon City' on Daihoon, somewhere in Okuana. There was probably a gate between those two locations, too… maybe. Did gates work like that? Mark knew that they crossed between the Veil and back, but did they cross between places on the same world? Maybe. Who knew!

Addashield would have known.

The original story of the New Pantheon had Addashield going through to Endless Daihoon to get to Arakino during the Reveal, to install Malaqua as the Stone God of the New Pantheon. But was the truth something simpler? Did they raid Okuana for a run through their gate?

Or was Mark theorizing about a gate that didn't exist?

Addavein would know.

Mark was not going to ask his talzarki.

For now, Mark took to the sky, to return to the settlement.

- -

"It would have been nice if there had been a gate in Okuana, but that's not how it works," Addavein muttered as he shifted his sights to elsewhere in the settlement.

Breaking into the settlement was probably a 3 out of 10 on the scale of difficulty that Addavein was making up, on the spot. Domal'Takela was a 10 out of 10. The settlement's security wasn't lax, by any means, but there was only so much security a place could have and still be usable as a place, and not as a prison.

And besides that, Addavein was a dragon, now. Breaking into places remotely was easy as Addashield, but as a dragon his power was a whole heck of a lot more.

He didn't like sleeping so much, for so long, but those were the breaks.

Addavein had only been awake for about a month now, having crashed hard after his ordeal in Memphi and transferring bodies with Mark, and all the rest. And so, he was taking it easy. He had still poked around some, of course, which caused Aluatha and the rest to try and pin him down with the ITLKR, but the up-and-comers they sent after him were nothing compared to Aurora. Aurora demanded eyes-on.

And so, Addavein was scoping out the settlement.

The assassins today with Mark had probably been a poke at him, to see if he would come out of hiding… but was that draconic arrogance talking? Addavein wasn't sure about that, either.

"More spying is necessary," Addavein mumbled to himself, as he went lookin—

"See anything interesting?" Reeni Thumb asked.

… Addavein looked a bit to the right, at one of the larger stalactites in the big cave that he had made his hiding spot. Reeni Thumb stood there in all her tiny, innocuous glory. She waved.

"Dammit. This was such a nice cave, too," Addavein mumbled. "Leave, Reeni."

"After you help me attempt to turn you human again."

"No," Addavein said, lifting his arm and preparing to flick Reeni away—

"Then how about I help you find or make a human body that you can transfer into whenever you want? Not a full humanization, but just an avatar. Avatar spells might be a lot easier!"

… Addavein lowered his flicking claw as he narrowed his eyes on the tiny woman. For a moment, Addavein almost wanted to agree. And then he laughed at that. He laughed at himself, rumbling the cage.

"I'll figure it out on my own. Now, if you don't want me to crush you, you will leave so that I can leave, too."

Reeni called out, "They're going to kill him!"

Addavein scoffed. "Aluatha can do what they want—"

"I'm not talking about Aluatha. I'm talking about—"

"Nope! If Mark dies then he dies. Goodbye, Reeni. Don't track me down again."

And then Addavein demolished the land with spinning, cutting, disastrous blades of adamantium, crushing the world and flying upward, into an ocean that did very little to stop his ascent. Reeni had left before the destruction, of course. Addavein doubted he could ever actually hit her with anything, unless she wanted to be hit.

… That fact made him miss the old days, where their enemies were the size of Addavein right now, and he and Reeni went up against them, tearing them from the skies and otherwise.

Addavein flew into the aurora-filled sky and got moving to a new location.

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