Cold. An impossible cold beyond the frigid bite of the air sent a chill down my spine. These auras the demon possessed couldn’t alter my mental state, but I sure as hell could feel them. It settled like a weight on my shoulders. The pressure slowed me down. I knew where this was going. Everything had been building to this clash.

This world was violent. By all measures, so was I. Since I came into existence nearly every problem I faced was ultimately settled by me killing someone. I didn’t like it but I had done it all the same. I could justify it even. That said it was taking a toll.

Here we go round again.

Before I could turn, the Demon of Frost spoke. It wasn’t his words that froze me mid turn. It was his voice. A deep sonorous thing with a slow thick southern drawl. “It is good to meet you, old friend.” It was the voice of Richard. It was the voice of my brother.

The ramification of that stopped my heart in its tracks. So much for knowing where this was going.

Wilson knew all along. This and whatever was about to follow is why he was always grinning at me. The Titan had to know. Did she know?

I felt Angelica tense. In the split second before the inevitable, I considered stopping time. I needed to… to…

The telltale thrum of time stopping did nothing to soothe my nerves.

All Processes stopped

Arbitration beginning in…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

Brand wasn’t in my arms anymore. Aiko was gone as well. I was in the shitty conference room and apparently they didn’t get the invite. Angelica was still with me.

“How do you know the Demon of Frost?” Angelica asked. She wasn’t angry or scared. She was trying to figure out what terrible trick had been played on us.

“The titan and I were foster brothers,” Richard explained. He was standing in the corner behind us. It was strange. Richard was simultaneously the same as ever and so very different. His crystal blue eyes were the same shade and shape as always but his gaze had iron in it and a cold edge that wasn’t there before. He was always a beanpole sort, tall and thin. Now he was wiry like springsteel. The wings, claws, and horns were new, but the dress shirt and slacks were the same as ever. He leaned his weight on a dark pitchfork. The strange metal was etched with jagged patterns that burned with orange fire. It was a cruel thing, and he held it easily.

Angelica looked back and forth between us, “Well that just sucks.”

“I hope you kids are getting along well?” Wilson said appearing from nowhere. He gave me a nod and smiled as he walked to the head of the table and sat down.

“Sorry I am late!” Denise shouted as she stumbled into view. She was hopping on one foot trying to slip her shoe over her heel. She got it on and stood ramrod straight. She cleared her throat, “I see I am not the last to arrive. Miss De Leon, Doug would you please sit over here. Negotiations are about to start.

“What is happening?” I asked… I guess the room.

“I wanted an opportunity to speak with you,” Richard began.

“You really shouldn’t be talking without your representative in the room,” Denise cautioned.

Richard ignored her, “Kate is alive. I don’t know where.” A pained look wracked his face, “Mark and Jo are… they passed. I am sorry. When the system first hit-”

“Stop talking!” Lindsey yelled. Her shirt wasn’t tucked in and she was pulling her long red hair into a ponytail.

“Nice of you to join us, Lindsey,” Wilson said looking at his wrist. I suspect early morning was somehow late in Narrator time. I may hate him, but Wilson did look dapper in his grey suit.

“You’re not wearing a watch,” I told him.

“Yet you got the joke, and I somehow have a better sense of time than Lindsey,” Wilson said. He tilted his head and cracked his neck. “Let’s get this shit done.”

Richard shrugged and walked past Angelica and me to sit at the table. I just stared at him. Two very troubling things were occurring to me. The first was people I -the Titan- knew were out and about. Yes, I knew about Kate, but until now everyone I met was a stranger. That shouldn’t matter but it did. Sure Wilson holding a gun to someone’s head would upset me, but him pointing the barrel at someone who sat at the dinner table and was there when Hank died… it was different.

The second troubling realization was my memories of him weren’t complete. I had suspected as much after Cole mentioned his daughters and I remembered Kate. It had been like a damn breaking that time. I had remembered Richard, but it was a cliff notes sort of thing. I remembered his voice with the thick accent, his fascination with the complexities of the stock market, and that I trusted him.

Now that I saw him so much more came back. It was like being able to see in the flash of a lightning bolt.

Richard was telling the truth when he said he had been my -the Titan’s- brother. Technically Jo and Hank weren’t officially his custodians but… Richard lived with us. His mother had left his father because he beat both of them like drums. She picked them up and moved cross country to the town I lived in. We met in middle school. Outsiders tend to find each other. Normally I would have to respect the bravery of a woman picking up everything to escape a cycle of abuse. Trouble is two years later she kicked Richard out because her new boyfriend didn’t like Richard for being gay. I don’t have any respect for that.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Richard smiled, “There it is. You do remember me.”

“Doug, Please sit down,” Denise tried.

I am not the Titan.

“What are you talking about? You two have never met?” Lindsey demanded.

Wilson cackled.

“That’s embarrassing,” I said, moving to sit next to Angelica. “Did you just take over Fiona’s client list without doing any research?”

Lindsey glared at me. When she spoke it was through gritted teeth, “I don’t have to answer to a player.”

“But you do have to answer to me,” Wilson cut in. His grin had a predatory lean to it. “Let me guess. You figured Doug’s victory is only assured if he reaches the tower, so why not just toss your guy at mine?”

“That is well within my rights, and there is a lot of narrative potential,” Lindsey argued. It also more or less confirmed Wilson’s accusation.”

“I disagree,” Denise spoke up. She cleared her throat again, “ If Enkidu were to die now, the climax at the tower would need to be completely reworked. It would require no less than four major retcons. We don’t want them fighting.”

“I don’t want to fight Ri-” I started

You are about to say the True Name of a Demon.

This action will have consequences.

Continue: Yes/No?

I hit no, “I don’t want to fight him.”

“I do,” Angelica said softly.

And there are the ramifications.

“She has more reasons than most, “Richard said. His voice had that patient almost teaching tone he used when explaining the in and out of IRAs and living trusts.

“If you say one more word-” Lindsey began

“I told you to knock that shit off,” I interrupted.

“Or what?” Lindsey demanded, “Do you know what will happen if you lay a finger on me?”

“You die?” I offered.

Lindsey paused and considered for a moment, “I would like to have that logged as a threat.”

“Doug please stop threatening Narrators,” Denise said. She had modulated her tone to be soothing like she was trying to calm a toddler to sleep.

I turned to Wilson, “What the hell are we doing here?”

“What indeed?” Wilson asked. He turned his focus to Denise.

“I noticed a major adjustment of plot had occurred causing the player Enkidu to know the exact location of Doug. I suspect a leak of information from our end had caused a continuity break. So I filed a request for review,” Denise explained. She sounded like she had rehearsed that.

“You uppity bitch!” Lindsey shouted. “What gives you the right to fuck with my story, intern?”

Denise took a breath, and her voice only quavered a little when she said, “I am a Narrator just like you.”

Lindsey sneered, “You’re nothing like me.”

I am not proud of what I said next, but I am also not going to apologize, “Are you still barking you junkyard dog?”

“Shut your mouth player!” Lindsey looked about ready to burst a vessel.

“Or what?” I challenged. “Take a swing or shut the fuck up.”

“I will sanction that,” WIlson added. “Doug and Lindsey can fight this out backstage.”

“What?” Denise and Lindsey both demanded.

Wilson shrugged, “it is a valid methodology for a Narrator to control a story. Beat them till they learn or fuck ‘em till they love you.” he looked to the middle distance, “I miss the early storylines.”

The room was quiet for a long moment after that.

I spoke first, “Okay. Fine. I will ask. Why is everything either violent or sexual with you?”

Wilson smiled, “I enjoy sexy violence and violent sex. Don’t yuck others yum Doug. it’s narrow-minded.”

I shrugged and focused on Lindsey, “pool’s open and the water is fine.”

“What does that even mean?” She demanded.

I stood. “Stop talking and do something.”

“I would like to push for a minor retcon,” Lindsey said facing Wilson.

“Oh?” Wilson asked.

“If this is going to devolve to a brawl, it would make sense for Enkidu to have brought some back up. One squad of fire imps inside the veil should suffice. Enough to make thing hectic.” Lindsey never took her eyes off of me.

“I am not sure that is a good idea. Aiko and Brand would have trouble surviving that encounter.” Denise said.

“Both of them are below heroic scale. They shouldn’t be punching this far above their narrative weight class,” Lindsey said.

“They are not your clients,” Denise said. She considered for a moment, “If a retcon is to occur. I ask we perform a moderate retcon and simply have Enkidu not be in the material plane and have him be behind the veil.”

“That would ensure that a fight could not happen,” Lindsey argued.

“Exactly,” Denise agreed.

“That is not acceptable,” Lindsey spoke up. “Jumbo has mental resistance. He will know everything. There is no way he won’t metagame.”

“That is why it is important to coordinate with Wilson and me before you make these sort of decisions,” Denise pointed out.

Lindsey frowned, “Let them fight then.”

This kicked off a lot of back and forth between Lindsey and Denise. I didn’t give a faintest trace of a damn. I met Richard’s eye, “What happened?” I asked quietly.

Richard shrugged before whispering, “You know me. I had a chance to be an edgelord.”

I halfway grinned. I forced myself to be serious, “I don’t want to fight you.”

Richard smiled, but it was a wan thing. A forlorn thing, “I don’t want to fight you either.”

“Doug, I have to kill him,” Angelica said. She spoke softly but her voice had the unshakable certainty of someone telling the time.

I was silent for a long moment, “Why?”

“That I am going to have to insist that be explained on screen,” Wilson said. He had been watching Denise and Lindsey bicker, but clearly he had been listening to us.

Angelica froze. She almost spoke, but closed her mouth.

“What do you have on them?” I asked Wilson.

He leered, “Not gonna tell ya, kid.” he turned his focus on Denise, “Make your pitch.”

Denise took a big breath and spoke fast.“Have Enkidu be behind the veil and pull Doug to the other side. That will give them time to talk, while preventing an early fight. It is also more in character for Enkidu as a careful plotter. Plus this will then require Angelica and Celeste to try and reach Doug. raising the question of whether they are trying to save him, or kill Enkidu.”

Wilson turned to Lindsey, “What ya got fire crotch?”

Lindsey bit her tongue. She clearly wanted to snipe back, but managed not to. She glanced my way and a wicked smile twisted her face, “The intern’s idea, except still have the fire imp kill squad. Give the audience some blood. Let the Chosen one do what she does best. Fight demons.”

Wilson leaned back in his chair. He put his feet up on the table, “See that idea I like.”

Suddenly I was back in the cold. Brand was still in my arms. Aiko was on my left. Angelica was on my right. Presumably Richard was behind me.

Time started. The winds surged. For one brief moment that still felt like eternity, everyone was still. Then reality cracked, and Angelica struck like a lightning bolt.

In an act of desperation I made a desperate grab as a powerful hand seized my back and yanked. I was pulled into darkness.

I really hate Narrators.