ghid’s been speedrunning these chapters lately, though the latest seems pretty nice. Renner and the rest have made their way into the real world…
So, in BoR Pakari and Bird, two policemen, got killed, along with many other people. That’s why Renner said that they were M.I.A. But, at the very end of BoD literally everyone that had gotten killed in the cider factory got revived by a computer underneath it, including both Pak and Bird. When the final battle of BoD ended, these two returned to work in the police building.
This… also confuses me though.
Maybe he had a change of heart or something
Wasn’t Tott the third party that gave Monops a coat and sent him to the factory? Cordax and I both remember that, which means that it has to be true.
Theory: this Chronicler is TheCobaltCorsair
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that would make sense, considering Chronicler the user isn’t in the sign-ups
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Tott did give Monopoly a coat, but just because Cordax poked holes in the bottom of styrofoam cups doesn’t mean he was there for that purpose.
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I’m calling it now: Renner’s entire party is gonna-
I mean, he is a blue metal pirate… a cobalt corsair
Edit: while Dhig is writing the new chapter, I’m gonna do a little theorising and predicting.
!!!MAJOR WARNING!!! if I get any of details right in the following prediction, that will mean that it contains major spoilers for chapter 18, so if you’re not Ghid, read at your own risk! No, actually, read it only after Ghid has released the new chapter and you’ve already read it
Somebody once told me The world is gonna roll me
Renner wished to get to Ghid, and his party got transported directly to Volume’s tower, which means that the real, original Ghid responsible for everything is currently in it. And, considering that there are two Ghids in the tower, we’re only left with two options: either Tott is the original (which I highly doubt), or Volume (which is extremely likely).
So, my prediction is: Renner is going to kill the wrong Ghid (Tott), ending Tott’s story (that would mean that when you wrote about someone’s journey ending, you were talking about Tott’s). The thing supporting this theory is that, narratively speaking, Renner’s story cannot possibly end here, as it would make his entire journey and, by extension, all chapters about him completely meaningless, so Tott is the only sensible option.
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–
Chapter 18
–
The glow in my eyes faded out once more as four thousand eyes glowed in response. They strained into the darkness, no longer awed by the incredible display of lights dazzling below, but searching for the slightest amount of movement in the void.
There. All the eyes turned to meet the object, which would have been invisible had not so many perspectives been viewing it at the same time. Indescribably tiny, it hurtled from that mass of seas and cities through the darkness of the night, making its journey up towards where I stood.
At the speed it traveled, it would arrive in only a few minutes. The time on Earth would be hours. There was no way out now. Whatever fate had in store for me, I would face it with no reservation.
The eyes faded as mine returned, taking in the situation before me. Renner had returned - in spiffy new armor, nice getup - and had resurrected Jethro as well as recruiting SON∩S to his side. I have to admit, he made very good use of his time, and arrived at the exact moment my plans could have been foiled.
Of course, I always have a backup of some kind, if only to ultimately secure myself. Even as Renner examined the motionless Ghid, light sprung into his eyes and he shoved the anodize airhead to the floor, kicking away and bolting towards the elevator shaft. Those in Renner’s party panicked as Ghid dove through the hole Diero had made and fell like a rock to the city below.
My eyes faded once more so I could prioritize my focus. The wind whipped past my face, the flaming ball of fire above me trying to figure out what everyone was so upset about. Good. He’s the only one who could’ve reached me in time.
My feet slowly dug into the glass as I fell, splintering it in a shower of shrapnel above me as I slowed my fall the best that I could. Flipping over at the last second, my static figure crashed upright through the roof of the police station and almost through the top floor, leaving two very deep triangle-shaped holes in the tile which compressed the piping beneath them. Diero stood beside me, in the middle of both arguing with the police who had arrived to apprehend him and straightening the massive crease his hat now had. Seeing me seemed to change his attitude, but I kicked him through the blockade of officers trying to stop him.
Picking up a piece of the tile I had broken, I scratched the smallest handwriting possible into its surface, and when Diero had recovered and shaken off the officers trying to pin him down, I shoved the tile into his mouth as he bolted at me. Blue flames licked from his eyes and he threw a card at me, which I caught between my fingers.
I watched him bolt back up the side of the tower as if the laws of physics meant nothing to him. It seemed only hours ago he had carried me up the face of a tower much like this one. As the blue flames engulfed my form, my eyes faded once more and returned their full attention to the body known as Tott.
“telling you. The One To Trust and Tott - GHID and Tott - are one and the same.” Renner insisted to a sea of mostly unwilling ears. “Jethryn is here, he can vouch for me.”
“You have a pirate ship and the sun.” Pakari choked out, his voice weary from having been hung by the neck for so long, only now freed with a misshapen ceiling collar still around his neck. “Bird, how long do the Tears effects last?”
“As long as the user or recipient is willing them to, I suppose.” Bird shrugged. “Never experienced it. I’m not an addict like so many people. Didn’t really want the opportunity to become one, either.”
“Well I want off the crazy train.” Pakari walked to the hole in the wall and looked down. “Think this fall will wake me up?”
Renner rubbed the bridge of his nose as Jethryn and Bird forcibly dragged Pakari away from the window. “I’m not sure what else to tell you people, but he is Ghid. Would I have skewered him to the wall if I seriously doubted that fact?”
Oh, that’s why the whole room was upside down and I had the strangest falling sensation. It’s why my body was starting to shake again. I hate Renner so much, but I- yes, I had decided to undecide to tell the truth of the matter, but now I had UN-undecided to tell the truth of the matter. In short, I was going back to my initial decision, for better or for worse.
“I am Ghid.”
The whole room turned to look at Tott, me, as my body remained stuck in place, affixed by the poker to the wall through the hole which ran through my side, caused by that giant so long… No, it was last night. Goodness, my sense of time is all messed up with everything happening constantly.
“I hired Monopoly to go to the cider factory after my first agent went to ensure the complete radio silence was justified.” I tried so hard to keep my voice from trailing off in exasperation, but the feeling of your entire world falling apart isn’t exactly a reinvigorating one. “I only later found out the stupid brute had dragged my son directly into harm’s way, almost housing him in the same nuclear chamber which either killed Pakari or irradiated him so much he died soon after.”
Pakari looked at his hands in disbelief, even more sure this was some kind of absurd high as I continued. “I tried to go find Monopoly and break his arm off, but I was dragged into your search party trying to find Cordax. You found my old tower in the dark wall, which I built as a prototype to this one, and the original Tott design without the artificial lungs I built into this one.”
Reaching up - or I suppose down would be more accurate - I took the mask from my face, revealing the smooth spherical head underneath, with holes bored in the corresponding spaces for the Akaku’s lower holes, as well as two normal eyes and two eyes on the right side, all of which glowed with a deep orange light. “I couldn’t have you take off my mask, Diero. If you did, it would have revealed prematurely that this form was just a wooden puppet, and nothing more.”
Diero, who had climbed back up the tower at this point, advanced to remove the poker, but Renner put a hand in front of him. “Say the word, boss, and I’ll take every bone from his body.” The cadaverous cowpoke hissed, glaring contempt into his former host.
“Unnecessary.” I replied, replacing the wooden Akaku to my rather boring-looking face. “I think we’re done here, Renner.”
“Not remotely.” Renner stalked forward and knelt down, his eyes lining up with my own. “You started this whole series of events against yourself. You orchestrated events so everyone would go after you in this high tower of yours. Why? So you could kill everyone here in some kind of climactic victory?”
“So I could die.” I bit back, my eyes tearing into Renner like- like something that tears into something else look I’m running out of allegories, okay? Just go with me here. “This entire society is built off the premise that Ghid is a monster, for whatever reasons - and everyone has their own. So I played my part, instigating people to throw up the dark wall and think that Ghid was finally trapped and the world safe from him. But some people knew better. You knew better.”
“You used your pet Diero to enter in and out of the dark wall trying to find Monopoly. If you clods could get in and out, what stopped Ghid?” I paused, both for emphasis and to see if I had successfully offended anyone. “Nothing. I chose to sit there and wait while a good friend of mine replicated my Dreamer design based off the ten that came through with Diero.”
“The ten?” Renner questioned, his natural curiosity really killing his trying-to-be-intimidating vibe which he wasn’t any good at regardless. “Are you making stuff up to buy time? Because you don’t have any time left to buy.”
“I don’t have any time left at all.” My eyes never left his. “My entire plan revolved around your group arriving and defeating Ghid once and for all. That backfired when Monopoly began killing members of your party, forcing me to take you out of the scene. I couldn’t have you dying and Diero shutting off for good.”
“Thank you so for thinking of my best interests.” Renner growled. “I’ll remember your kindness when I stick your body in the fireplace.”
“I also- Diero, please.” It was hard for me to talk with this idiot sticking his stupid fleshy nose in my face. Diero hauled him off by the collar and after dumping him in what was formerly the ceiling, sauntered back up and leaned towards me. “The chip.”
Without a word, Diero craned one finger into his eye socket and clumsily drew out a circuit board from inside his cranial cavity. It appeared to be worse for wear, but it was still intact. I pulled the sphere out from my pocket, the lens inside adjusting to the light level. “Leave.” I snapped, causing a greenish gas to emerge from it, which floated in the air for a moment before dissipating.
It was quickly disassembled, with the main chip being ripped out and replaced with the one from Diero. The moment I had closed it back up it sprung from my hands, rolling around on the floor for a moment before slowly lifting into the air and looking around.
“I made sure to save everyone I could.” I continued, gesturing to the floating sphere. “Monopoly had the opportunity to kill Krelikan once before. I had to destroy him in a way that kept him alive and not give Monopoly the opportunity to kill him for real.”
The sphere did not comment, as it did not have a microphone through which to speak. Eilrach must have figured out some other way to speak through it without an outlet to do so. Renner looked down at me with an expression of the utmost disgust from his throne of ruined ceiling while most everyone in the room had something between mixed pity and utter repulsion plastered across their faces.
Except my son. His featureless helmet hid any emotion, forcing me to guess what his train of thought was. Did he feel fury at my having traveled with the group this whole time and never saying a word about my identity, or bothering to crush Cordax with an embrace but not lay even one hand on his shoulder out of pity?
“We’ll find wherever your other body is hidden.” Renner stood up. “I don’t need Diero to accomplish that.”
“You’ll never reach me without him.” I replied. “So here.”
I pulled a book off the shelf behind me and ripped out a page, drawing with the seam of my glove over the words. It was completely invisible and the letters were stacked on top of each other, but Diero’s eyes flamed all the same after shutting off for a brief moment.
“Best of luck.” I gave a two-finger salute to Renner, who replaced his wolf helmet and glanced at Diero, who stood dutifully by his old boss’s side. “You can keep the book, Diero. It may come in handy soon.”
“Volume’s Ghid, and I might just be out of a job.” Pakari rubbed his forehead. “I must ask you all to come down with me for the limited time I’m still employed. Bird, take charge.” Pakari lead himself to the elevator and waited for the party to go.
“Anyone?” Bird said as the party walked to the elevator and, one by one, through the hole and onto the waiting pirate ship. “Okay, so no then? Okay. I don’t get paid enough anyway.” He got into the elevator and went down.
Everyone had boarded the ship, Cordax hesitating for a moment as he tried to interject some kind of comment, but it would have been better spoken alone. Winger was still in the room, and after Cordax walked away he slowly approached, looking down at my upside-down figure pinned to the wall with the fireplace poker. For a long while neither of us said anything, just reflecting on the absurd series of circumstances which led us to this place and time.
“I don’t want to see you again.” Winger mumbled. “But… Don’t die.”
I reached out, but Winger pulled away. “Please. Just once.”
With some hesitation, Winger knelt down and embraced me in a hug, one which I returned with all the strength that I could. It seemed to last both a second and an eternity, time seeming an irrelevant concept in that one brief moment. He let me go, and I felt him shudder as he gripped my arm.
“Don’t go.”
I touched his shoulder. “You know I’m not really gone.”
The moment was ruined by Renner storming back in and grabbing Winger’s collar, dragging him back towards the ship. “Sonus, bring this place to the ground.” Renner boarded and took the wheel. “Leave nothing standing.”
As the ship ascended, I twisted myself around on the poker until I was upright, then slid across it until I fell off. Replacing my hat on my head, I slowly walked to the remaining chair and the numerous glasses of cider which sat by it. Sitting on the floor in front of the fire, I sniffed one of the glasses for a moment before tossing it into the blaze.
It had gotten warm.
There was a terrible groaning of metal as SON∩S flew into the tower further down, carving a massive hole through it as the sides buckled. To control the fall, he swung around and carved another section out of the side, screams becoming audible from below as the massive structure began to descend. The fireplace spat its contents upwards, which exited the chimney and cut off the light from inside the room as it plummeted, eventually forcing the floor to give way and dropping me into unending darkness beneath, with only the occasional sparking of severed wires to light my descent.
And what lies in that dark? What unforeseeable sights and unknowable entities hide in that harrowing gloom, that pit of ruin sunk into the heart of the observer, casting an impenetrable shroud across the innermost parts of the mind? Why does the dark of a silent night and the void of endless despair speak such different words?
In spite of the darkness being a respite for me, the infinite void of nothingness makes for horrible conversation. That can get to you if you let it in, if you let the solemn silence overtake what little you have. It’s a fight which is impossible to win on your own.
I don’t like to be alone.
The Book of Tears.
–
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I think this is the biggest chapter I’ve ever posted.
yes I literally spelled it out as blatantly as possible that he is a pirate with a pirate ship who is also blue aaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I ain't the sharpest Tott in the Ghid
Correct!
Or the third option, which I’ve tried to make as obvious here as possible: Tott and Ghid are one and the same.
Curious to see what people think is going to happen next.
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This chapter cleared so many things up!
Well, the years start coming and they don’t stop coming
So, I was mostly correct here. The best kind of plot twist is the one that you can predict if you look for the hints carefully enough. Many moments from this book foreshadowed Tott’s death
That’s coming tomorrow. That and my review.
Now I have a question: did Renner lose his ability to create things using his mind when he and the crew entered the real world? He still has Chronicler’s book on hand, right? Which would probably mean that he still has this ability. I’m just trying to think what this potential plot point can be used in the story for…
Edit: one more question: did Ghid/Tott control the Ghid Dreamers from BoD or did they have a mind of their own? I wanna know how much control over this entire situation he had
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Didn't make sense (but nothing here does)
If there is one thing I don’t want to screw up, it’s Tott’s death.
lol I hope it’s done before I impulse write the next chapter
With the Chronicler freed from having to tell his story, the book was more or less forgotten. It would only have operated in that realm, anyway - Ghid outside of there can’t control all of reality like how he does inside it.
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and here’s the last chapter. Very nice, with Tott clearing up everything. Also I quite like the end, it’s worded very well and vaguely enough to make another book off of.
also, I survived
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But Tukah, it hasn’t ended 
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exactly.
ok im gonna do it
im gonna write the chapter
i can’t stop myself
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GHID I’M SO CLOSE TO CATCHING UP PLEASE STOP
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MY POWER CANNOT BE CONTAINED SAVE YOURSELVES
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–
Chapter 19
–
Renner watched the tower fall in a heap of smoke and rubble, the thundering of the impact sending out small shockwaves through the air. The Chronicler lowered the clipper ship to where it gracefully floated above the rooftops of the grey, dirty buildings beneath it. The cacophony of music that had been playing died into silence at the sight of the tower falling.
“People aren’t gonna be happy that Volume is dead.” Jethryn murmured, holding his chin while he looked out over the sea of neon. “Ghid got rid of the only proof that he and Volume were the same man.”
“His body.” Renner sighed, nodding his head. “Without that, we have no way to prove to people he was the monster we claim. I don’t like it, Jethryn, but with so many people here who could get hurt, we may have to leave the city for a little while until things cool down or until we find some kind of proof to aid our cause.”
Jethryn nodded in reply. Renner pointed towards the cliffside, and the Chronicler dutifully turned the ship into a slow ascent. With its trajectory set, Renner turned to address the group.
“I know that most of you must be under a significant amount of stress due to what’s happened.” He began, noting Racie in particular was huddled in the darkest corner of the boat with her hands over her ears. “Ghid’s masquerading as Tott was… Impressive, honestly. He completely fooled me for the longest time. But I’m not one to mince words. Ghid’s identity of Volume was beloved by most of the people here in this city. Their resources are not quite significant enough to pose a serious threat to us at the moment, but if we stay we will most certainly be attacked to avenge their fallen leader. Diero,” He turned towards his trusty Dreamer. “I wonder if you might know where Volume’s body may have gone.”
Diero, who was thumbing through the book from Ghid’s library, looked up in confusion. “Uh, yeah, uh, so. Bit of context first, I think. You remember all those Ghid Dreamers that attacked us in the cider factory?”
“No?” Jethryn commented.
“Well you weren’t there at the time.” Diero continued. “Anyway, they’re on the moon.”
“What. WHAT.” Renner clenched his fists. “What do you MEAN they’re on the moon?! Have they been there this ENTIRE TIME?!?”
“Well, yeah, I mean, look,” Diero took his hat off and scratched at his smooth, skeletal scalp. “It was a rough moment, and I was feeling adventurous, so y’know… Look, sending everything to the sun gets boring. Is it so bad if I want a little variety now and then?”
“No?” Diero shrugged as Renner’s scowl got more animated. “Look, you hadn’t ever asked me to send anything to the sun before until that Dreamer that killed Jethryn, so don’t blame me for not adopting it as protocol immediately.”
“Ghid is ALIVE.” Renner hissed. “Diero, I need to reestablish your Dreams again and then I’m going to have you send so many wild cards-”
“That’s the second thing.” Diero continued, shielding his eyes from Sonus, who heard the Sun get mentioned and found himself curious. “Before Ghid saw Ghid- No, after he saw him, okay Tott saw Volume and then gave me orders to throw a wild card to the moon and collect all of them.”
“THEY’RE COMING HERE?!?!”
Diero’s neck retracted as far down between his shoulders as it physically could, his knees bending to get away from Renner’s reddened face. “Man I do not like it when you stand on your toes to try and get taller than me.”
“GET BACK TO THE TOWER!!!” Renner roared, the ship turning about sharply and making speed towards the ruinous wreck just in time to enter a hail of gunfire from below. Everyone on deck moved astern aside from Renner and the Chronicler, both being armored too heavily to allow any gunfire to injure them.
“Looks like the welcome party came a little soon,” Renner quipped as a bullet knocked the wolf mask out of his hand, which he quickly snatched back up and placed atop his brow. “Can someone find out if there’s any opening down there?”
“Well tomorrow, I don’t think there’s any sort of is that a car?” The Chronicler glanced quizzically at the rectangle flying through the air towards the ship. Diero quickly jumped in front of Renner, but with no written command the car easily picked both him and his boss off the ship and down into the city below.
Landing and catching Renner in one motion, Dier set his boss down to collect his stomach while he looked about the alley they had landed in. “No sign of the police. You alright?”
Renner shook his head, staggering back slightly. “I’m alright, about twenty five pounds lighter I think. That car knocked the wind out of me. Well, getting back up there will be a challenge, I suppos-”
Diero smashed a finger over Renner’s mouth. Down one of the alleys, which ran up to a large, grey wall with a service entrance, stood a very short individual with a large, round head, which reflected the limited light in the alleyway. He tapped his foot in irritation, eventually kicking the door and groaning loudly. “Hasn’t anybody decided to follow procedure?!”
Diero had approached during his remonstrance, and the figure spun about suddenly. A simple, cartoonish face was almost drawn across his smooth, mostly-spherical skull, which perked up immediately upon seeing him. “Oh, finally! I get invited here all on my lonesome, told to go find this Volume guy, but when I get here this big cloud of smoke blasts me into the alley and I had to spend at least twenty seconds figuring out where the stupid building was. What’s your story?”
“Uh,” Diero awkwardly stalled, hoping his boss would take over. “I guess we’re in the same boat? Or were, eh?” Diero nudged Renner’s ribs with his elbow. “Regardless, let’s not wait around here.”
“Good point,” The short figure smiled, turning back to the door and slamming his tiny foot into it, denting the steel but doing little else. “Wish these stupid things had a knob.” He grimaced, clutching his kicking foot and hopping away from the barrier. Diero politely opened the door by ripping it off its hinges. “After you.”
“Thank you very much, mister-?” The little figure asked as he squeezed in front of him.
“Diero, much obliged.” Diero’s ever-absent cowboy accent came crawling back even as the light of the hall they entered made Renner rub his eyes to adjust.
“Thank you very much, Mister Diero.” The little figure smirked, walking backwards, the light which passed over his white head revealing the extra pair of dot-like eyes on the right side of his noggin. “My name’s Ghid. Shall we?”
–
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I’ve got to stop doing this to myself
ok ill stop
don’t read it til your chapter review 
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GHID
I WAS SO CLOSE
AND THEN YOU MOVED THE GOALPOSTS YET AGAIN
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