I didn’t hang out with the Chimera Corp for long. Honestly, it was probably a good idea to get out of there. It wasn’t that long ago that we were fighting to the death, and now I was technically their god. Minimum contact was probably necessary. That said I wasn’t exactly rushing back to the goblin camp either. I needed to figure out a plan for what to do with Celeste and Angelica… I mean besides… It may sound dumb, but having other people insist that we have sex really rubbed me the wrong way.

Okay that wasn’t the best turn of phrase.

My point is if either of them asked me something, ‘hey, wanna bang?’ I would be tempted. Maybe not right here right now, I think a good time needs something more comfortable than an ice hut. Clearly a lot of the goblins walking with me agreed, a bunch of them were carrying rugs, and blankets. Over the course of the night they had set things up in their frigloos. Like I said I wasn’t negative about sex in general. I just didn’t like the idea of other people watching, and having someone not involved having a say in one of my relationships.

That was my other issue. Not to imply that I had such an abundance of suitors and would-be lovers that I could be particular, but I didn’t fully understand how a relationship with Celeste and Angelica would work? Celeste and Angelica clearly were different people but they existed in the same body. Celeste and I seemed to have something. I didn’t want to assume too much, maybe it was as simple as what she said, she wouldn’t say no to sex.

I don’t think it was that simple though.

It is possible I am projecting. I can only really say for certain what my feelings were, but even though the time I spent with her was limited, I knew she was someone I wanted to be closer to. I had big hopes of getting to talk to her about little things. I wanted to listen to Celeste tell me about her day, develop little inside jokes with her, and hear her curse again. At the end of the day I trusted her. Life can be damn confusing but I have never regretted being surrounded by people that brought me peace. The bottom line was Celeste was someone safe. Whatever happened we could figure it out.

That isn’t to say Angelica wasn’t also a safe person, but I couldn’t treat everyone the same. Angelica was someone I wanted to watch my back. She was fun to bicker with. I didn’t mind when she teased me. Angelica was my friend. I am not going to say something stupid like just my friend. I categorically reject the claim that romantic love is somehow greater than another. I never understood how we got to that stage as society in the world that was. I couldn’t tell you who I -the titan- loved more. There was no measure of the depths of …my feelings for Marnie, or Kate, or Hank and Jo, or Mark and Richard. It cheapens all those feelings to compare them in such a way. For example there was nothing noble in that I loved Marnie more than my ex, Karen, and it would say something that had nothing to do with love if I felt the need to proclaim it constantly.

That didn’t change the fact that my feelings for Angelica weren’t exactly romantic.

At some point the three of us needed to talk this out. I didn’t want some dumb act of capitulation to Wilson’s dictates to ruin things with either Angelica or Celeste.

Was that the point of this? What was Wilson’s endgame? Besides beating Grace…

I was too deep in my head. We were nearly to the camp. I was at the front of the parade of smiling goblins. Next to me, fully committed to his stride of pride was the goblin in the chicken suit.

To hell with it I had to know, “So what’s up with the chicken suit?”

The Goblin cackled, “It’s funny I thought the whole idea was a bit…”

“Odd?” I supplied

“Fucking stupid,” he corrected. “Thing is my dad insisted, ‘if you want to get laid with a human two words: chicken suit.’”

Somehow this answer raised so many more questions. Questions I simply wasn’t willing to ask.

When I got to the tent. I could hear what seemed to be a vigor discussion. We were probably going to decide if I was going to be war lord, yet another thing I had no idea about. No doubt my murder Madigan after insisting on a trial would undermine any claims I could make about steady handedness.

I ducked and entered the tent. Angelica was sitting on a pile of cushions and had her bad foot propped up on a table. It did indeed look… yeah. I am just going to describe it. The skin was gone and a collection of semi-transparent scabs formed an incomplete membrane over Angelica’s foot. I could see the muscles, tendons and bones. It should have been bleeding but it was clearly too burnt.

I bring this up because everyone in the tent was staring at Angelica's foot. She seemed weirdly proud of her gnarly battle scar.

“Listen, I am not judging. Everyone has their go to thing. Let’s just stop pretending that you aren’t into feet,” Nanny Shank told Toad. she didn’t sound judgemental if anything she had a conspiratorial tone.

Toad mortally offended. Took a slow breath before answering, “My fascination with Carl’s fantastic feet is well known. That said I resent you implying my appreciation of aesthetic perfection is somehow something so base. Again, it is nothing perverse that drives my fixation on the podological peculiarity that is Miss De Leon’s current situation. I am simply stunned by the wonder of the mechanism.”

“Is it weird that I kinda want to touch it?” Spine asked.

“Nah, I am right there with you,” Nanny Shank said, trying not to stare at Angelica’s foot. After a moment she added almost like she was talking to herself. “Thing is, that is probably gonna hurt, so don’t do it.”

Grimset frowned. I expected him to want to focus on yelling at me, but instead he offered, “Perhap a light touch?”

“What are we doing, everyone?” I asked. I looked around, “Where’s Brand.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“Waiting on Helen, and the Brit is with the priestess. They went to examine the stew shower.” Nanny Shank said. She turned to look at me briefly and clearly found me less interesting than Angelica’s situation.

“Not staring,” Toad insisted as he stared at the foot.

“Looking at my foot,” Angelica said, raising her burnt appendage. She thumped it back down on the table.

I flinched at the impact, “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“Not really, Brunhilda gave me some pills.” Angelica said. She smiled, “Good pills.”

“She got soaked in essence from beyond the veil,” Brunhilda explained, “for the next few hours it is best to just let her heal naturally. Magic is at a 99% penalty until the death essence disputes.”

“How concerned about that should we be?” I asked the room.

“Very,” Brunhilda insisted.

“Like a 4 out of 10,” Angelica offered.

Brunhilda shot Angelica some serious side-eye. “Those pills are probably going to outlast the essence, but if they don’t it may do you some good to wait out the last fifteen minutes or so.”

Things went quiet for a beat after that. Spine piped up first, “So, just to clarify. Right now, touching the foot won’t hurt?”

Brunhilda frowned but didn’t speak. She looked to me for help.

“Let’s not poke injuries,” I said. I am the voice of reason.

“Agreed…” Philip said. He was also fixated on Angelica’s foot, “but it does sort of follow you around the room.”

“What?” I asked. “No, it is just visible because it is in the center of the room.”

“Doug,” Angelica cut in, “Touch my foot.”

“I don’t want to touch your foot,” I said confused.

Angelica gave me a shit eating grin and waggled her toes. Her burnt, scabby toes. “Do it.”

“I’ll touch your foot when it has skin,” I said. This seemed like a fair compromise or at least a reasonable boundary.

“Do it now, coward,” Angelica insisted.

“Why are you pushing this?” I demanded. This seemed out of left field.

“I am high, and I never get to tease anyone.I am taking my chance.” She raised her foot and whispered, “do it… touch… the… foot.”

I didn’t want to argue anymore. “Fine,” I sigh. I gently pressed my index finger to her big toe.

The nanosecond I touched Angelica, she shrieked in pain. It was a blood curdling thing. I jumped backwards. My head hit the roof of the tent, and a lot of things pulled tight. The tent held but ended up tilting on the tent roof and then face planting hard on the floor. I picked myself up to discover Angelica cackling with laughter, “Sorry, Sorry. I couldn’t resist. Gotcha?”

“If Doug get’s to touch the foot it is only fair everyone does,” Toad pointed out. He was staring. It may not just be aesthetic appreciation.

“Let’s just get this done,” I said. I was done fighting whatever this was… Angelica teasing me…

I needed to focus on war.

The foot touching ritual didn’t take long. You may think ritual is the wrong word, but I was not convinced the goblins hadn’t formed some sort of highly specific cult. It may just be that we all recognize that you shouldn’t do that, that made the goblins want to touch the foot so much.

“Let’s get to business,” Nanny Shank said.

“Indeed,” Grimset spoke up. He glared at me, “I will not follow a tyrant.”

“I take it you object to my killing of Madigan,” I said. It wasn’t worth pretending it was a question.

“Damn right I do. You had no right,” Grimset said. I’ll give the goblin this, he had the fortitude to stand up to me.

“Madigan’s followers tried to attack the camp with artillery. If Brand hadn’t stopped it, who knows how many goblins could have died,” I started.

Grimset didn’t let me go unchallenged, “That is a great argument for us to leave, not a justification for extrajudicial murder.”

“He admitted the attack, and was found guilty of murder,” I tried.

“And sentence to service in our military” Grimset spoke louder. “I know you don’t respect our wishes, but don’t condescend by implying we have no memory.”

I almost snapped back at him. He was trying to goad me. “I did what I thought was best for everyone’s saf-”

“And what happens when you decide it is best for all of use to live boot?” Grimset demanded.

“I am not trying to rule over you,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Odd, it doesn’t look that way. Perhaps I am not high enough to see your point of view.” Grimset snarked.

“You’re out of line,” Philip said. He stood but stopped when Nanny Shank held up a hand.

“Let them talk it through,” She said. She didn’t look all that pleased with either Grimset or me.

I just glared at Grimset. The little shit was getting under my skin. I was running myself into the ground trying to help the goblins. I wasn’t perfect. I needed their help, but to have someone spit in my face and claim I thought I was better than others pissed me off.

My knuckles popped as my fist clenched.

Grimset wasn’t cowed. He almost seemed egged on, “Not used to having someone argue with you? Is this the worst thing you’ve ever dealt with, disrespect?”

I nearly snapped.

Willpower check… Successful

Emotional state remains in control

Rather than slug Grimset and probably paste him, I roared in his face, “You think my life is good! I had a good life! I lived in a world that was safe with friends and family! I had a daughter! That’s all gone! All I do is fight, suffer and kill in this joyless shell!”

A lot of that was just bottled stress. The constant weight of all the violence and loss was wearing on me. I probably shouldn’t be lashing out at Grimset, but honestly he was being a dick. He was actively trying to hurt me. I was holding the front of Grimset’s robe.

He had a knife in his off hand. “If the law isn’t sacred then nothing is. If you can bend now, you can bend it at any time. Why should we trust you ever?”

We glared at each other. Neither one of us wanted to push things further, but neither of us was willing to back down either. This may sound tense and dangerous, but I cannot overstate how fucking stupid it was. What had started as a robust debate on principle was now two morons staring into each other's eyes. There was also a real chance someone could get hit and/or stabbed over a matter of pride.

“Sorry I am late!” Helen called. She entered the tent nervously. “What are we yelling about?”

“A lot of stuff, but technically Madigan’s murder,” Spine said. Trying to put things back on track.

Helen nodded, “Okay. Doug, I know you’re angry, but Madigan was dangerous. You can’t blame Grimset for having him assassinated. He was a threat to everyone.”

The silence that followed her words was phenomenally toxic. Grimset turned a different shade of green. I knew I was turning red. Everyone in the room was affected by it.

Nanny Shank broke the silence, “Grimset, would you care to amend you stance on the sanctity of the law?”