Mash nodded; his eyes softened as he looked at Jill. He would help her kill this god. Jill claimed to have a way to get to the god, which was more than he could say for the world owner. He did have a plan for that, although there was no guarantee that it would work. Jill’s gaze became eager at his nod. Her gaze was a little wrong, foggy, twisted, and insane. It was at that moment when Red walked into the conversation.

“I want to destroy my family. The betrayer is alive, and I would imagine he is at your level. He did kill a king after all.”

She just threw that into the middle of the conversation as Jill had. Mash kind of understood why she choose this moment. This was it. They would have to decide what was important to them. They could stick together, but their plans didn’t align. Mash stared at the group, and his hand clenched instinctively as if he could literally hold the group together with his bare hands. He couldn’t.

“Is this it? Are we all going to do different things?”

He didn’t want that. He would help the others even if it bothered him. There were some things he had to do, and he knew that his actions would help people. There was a cost, and it frightened him. He expected Red to agree, but she shook her head.

“No, I don’t want that. Lisa said something to me, and I realized that we weren’t thinking about this right. Lisa said that she wants to help each of us.”

Mash’s clenched hand relaxed, and he stared at her. Just a few words were enough for him to hope. He could try and wait for Luke, but there would never be a right time for him. Even if Luke had a thousand years to prepare, Mash was certain that his actions would change the world either way. There would never be a ‘good’ time for him. Red’s intentions didn’t seem to care about that.

“We should just help with everything. Mash, you don’t actually know when you will find the world owner. It might be this year, but it might be in a hundred years. Let’s all help the people brace for it. What do you even want to do with the owner?”

Red put the question in the air. The one that he had yet to share the answer for. It was obvious if you considered what he was, but he hadn’t actually told them. Red and everyone stared at him. Curiosity flashed in their eyes. He spoke clearly, making sure that they would understand his exact intentions.

“I’m going to kill them and become the new world owner.”

The words didn’t make him feel cold. That wasn’t even the whole plan, just the part they needed to hear. He could explain the rest later. This was what they would be agreeing to if they decided to help him. In his domain, he could see all of them react. Lisa and Jill gave him a nod of understanding. Had they guessed it? Red’s emotions were hard to read on her face. The sickly grey skin made it hard to see, but his domain and her own skills let him feel her emotions. A very chilly acceptance hung around her. Even Luke nodded after a little bit.

“Fine, let's leave it that for now. Then let's do the other things while we figure out how to find the person. If it even is a person. We each have things we want to do too. I think we all want to help the beastmen. Let Mash repent in service.”

She turned to Luke with the final statement. His eyes still blazed like golden lights, and Red struggled to meet them. Just as Mash was different from Luke, Red’s existence was another that Luke’s power couldn’t accept. Other than Lisa, Luke’s divinity probably didn’t like any of them. It wasn’t exactly a ‘holy’ group of people here. A god-slayer, a taboo plague being, and finally a chimera of chaos. He didn’t have the aspect of chaos, but his actions were chaotic.

“They won’t accept his help. I can feel the prayers of my people. Most of them already curse Mash as an evil monster. Many want vengeance.”

Luke spoke and his body tensed. It flashed gold for a moment, but he managed to suppress the other him. The sight was as startling as it was dangerous. Luke was dangerous now, especially with everyone else here.

“So what? They can’t refuse Mash’s help, and you aren’t the god of vengeance. Go and help them, with Mash at your back, nobody can stop you from securing a place for your people.”

Hope. It rose in Mash’s chest as Red spoke. Her points weren’t ingenious, but they had been too blind to see it before. He had been especially irritated, and Luke was still figuring out his situation, Mash nodded eagerly as Red spoke. He wanted to help the beastmen, although that might be difficult if his aspects get involved. Can he actually forcibly help people? Freedom might say otherwise. He could test it though.

“I don’t know if I can wait for all of that.”

Jill’s eyes were sharp. Stiff and narrow as her single-minded focus bore through the argument. Red looked at her and did something unexpected. She hugged Jill. Pulled her into an unexpected embrace. Jill seemed the most confused of them all. It was an awkward sight. Red was shorter than Jill but was squeezing her tightly. Red’s grey hair and sickly skin made him think it should be the other way around. The hug stopped being awkward after a moment, and Red spoke slowly.

“Of everyone here, I’m not letting you run to your death. Your family needs you. They deserve it. And we need to figure out how to kill a god in the first place. Let’s figure that out first. I can think of at least three people we can ‘question’. Not to mention everyone that will want to meet Luke and Mash.”

Red was a little too good at dealing with Jill. Jill nodded, and her wing wrapped around the both of them for a moment. It seemed a little bigger too. Then she looked around at everyone else and spoke.

“Sorry, that’s not… I mean, I kind of freaked out and overreacted. Sorry.”

Jill’s face turned a little pink as she apologized. Mash looked at her, and then at Luke.

“I’m sorry too. Not for hitting you Luke, you deserved that. But for doing all these crazy things and just expecting you guys to be there. Let me just explain everything.”

Mash prepared to share his whole plan. Tell them what he planned on doing with the other powerful people. Luke hesitated.

“I’m not sorry. I can say the words, and a part of me might mean them but it wouldn’t be real. I will take your help though. I will be made mortal for doing it though.”

It might be the whole godly thing, but his words sounded like edicts. When he spoke, it felt like there was a truth behind his words. It was as if his words were literal bonds.

“Mortal, why?”

Mash just couldn’t believe it. Why would help make a god mortal?

“If I do something against my divinity, I become mortal. So long as I work with Mash, I will be vulnerable.”

Back when they had been arguing, Luke had sounded more like himself. Less self-important and absolute. Now his words were so certain and harsh. It so hard to reconcile the current Luke with the friend that he remembered. Those words stopped Red from insisting. She took a long breath.

“There are some details we will need to work around. Maybe Mash can help indirectly or something. Will you know when you become mortal?”

Luke nodded, and the conversation devolved a little. They traded explanations and questions. Just talking things through like that helped even if didn’t solve everything. It was a long conversation, that had far too many problems to count. Mash’s own plan had plenty of really annoying variables. Many of which Red did not like hearing about. Red didn’t have a good plan for her family, but she thought Mash’s plan would force them to act. Finally, Jill’s was the most straight forward, and it worked well with Mash’s initial plan.

Once they talked everything over, it was pretty clear that the first part of Mash’s plan would probably help each of them with their goals.

______________________________________________________________________________

Lisa P.O.V

Lisa was the only one who didn’t have some grand goal in mind. She couldn’t compare to the others. They were heroes, legends. The kind of people that stories were made for. Even before Mash killed the King of Chains, he had become a legend. There was little chance the north would ever forget about Mash. He would become a monster that threatens good and bad children’s dreams. Hearing them come up with plans, she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. She had told them of her intention to help where she could, but that was it. She didn’t have her own dream or desire to request. Not too long ago she would’ve said freedom. It had already been given to her, and he had even taken it further. Mash freed everyone, and in a way stolen her dream.

She kept her eyes on his back. His now much broader and sturdier back. He hadn’t changed that much physically with the last advancements, but he had been making small improvements since then. They had changed him in small ways. The visible density of his muscles was hard to see with his clothes, but she noticed how they had hardened around his neck and arms. His body was clearly morphed to be more ideal. Jill had mentioned how it was more than a little disturbing to her, even before her recent advancement. Lisa might be biased, but she liked it.

She waited until they were finished with their conversation, interrupting only occasionally when someone, usually Red or Jill, tried to make her talk. Either way, she didn’t comment too much. Their plans were all too insane and personal for her to add much. She didn’t really have any compunctions against any of their plans. She would help them though, and now she had some actual power too. Plus, she realized something in their conversation and general attitudes over the past few months.

They treated each other like bad siblings. Their personalities often clashed, and they shared few things in common. Despite, that they seemed unable to abandon one another. She was envious of that. She felt slightly hurt and disappointed feeling among them and walked over to Mash. They had ultimately decided to open the portal after an hour of rest. She tapped him on the shoulder. After everything was said and done, she still felt like they had missed something.

“You did the right thing, Mash. In killing the King of Chains, I mean. And… Thank you.”

She squeezed his shoulder, and he turned to look up at her. His unnaturally white pupils pulsed with a dormant light, and he smiled, showing her a monster’s grin. Sharpened teeth filled his mouth like a small dragon's fangs. Then she remembered something else.

“What about Ythass?”