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“...You really don’t make it easy to be your friend,” said Jercash.

“You throw that word around as if it has merit,” said Gohvis. “You know as well as I that we do not have the luxury of friends.”

“Hmph. I know no such thing. The minute you start thinking that way is the minute that these long lives of ours start to seem like they might not be worth continuing. Friendship is a key component to retaining our sanity.”

The Monster regarded him for another long moment. “...You honestly think you are still sane?”

From anyone else, that question might’ve sounded like a sarcastic taunt, but Gohvis’ tone was one of genuine curiosity, so Jercash held back the biting retort that first came to mind in favor of something more serious. “Of course I do. It’s the rest of the world that’s mad.”

“Mm. Or perhaps you were never sane in the first place and so have no basis from which to discern any difference.”

“If that’s the case, then there’s no point fussing over it, now is there? I am how I’ve always been and clearly nothing will change that.” Jercash’s gaze narrowed as he sized the other man up. “You, on the other hand, seem to be going through something... dare I say, transformative? Something that’s making you behave quite strangely, at the very least.”

The Monster made no response.

Jercash had to push. “What is going on in that head of yours? You went through a lot of trouble to help me out, and yet you’re still acting so cagey.”

“Abolish is on the verge of collapse,” said Gohvis. “If I’d done nothing, the balance of power would have shifted enormously in the Vanguard’s favor.”

Collapse, was it? Jercash might’ve heard a thing or two about that. He decided not to mention it yet, though, in part because Gohvis was not done.

“Your Mad Demon has his back against the wall as we speak,” said the Monster. “I went to his aid as well, but it is not looking good for him.”

Jercash’s brow twitched. “That’s news to me. Is it Sermung’s doing?”

“No. I cannot yet see all angles, but it is not him.”

That was somehow a relief and also not. For this entire war, he’d been waiting on word of Sermung’s movements to arrive. His greatest worry had been that the bastard would decide to show up here first in order to try and get a swift victory for his stooges so that they could move on to a different battlefield, but that had never happened.