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Elend stood for a few htful "I want you to tell me about the Survivor," he finally said

"He was lord of the mists," Demoux said immediately

"Not the rhetoric," Elend said "Someone tell me about the ht before he died, but I never knew him"

"What's the point?" Cett asked "We've all heard the stories He's practically a god, if you listen to the skaa"

"Just do as I ask," Elend said

The tent was still for a few rand He wasn't just a e--his dreaht"

"And it wasn't false," Breeze added "I can tell when aa fake That's why I started my first job with Kelsier, actually Aenuine Everyone wanted to be the best Kelsier really was"

"He was a man," Vin said quietly "Just a man Yet, you always knew he'd succeed He made you be what he wanted you to be"

"So he could use you," Breeze said

"But you were better when he was done with you," Ham added

Elend nodded slowly "I wish I could have known him Early in my career, I always compared myself to hi a legend It was unfair to force ardless Anyway, those of you who knew him, maybe you can answer another question for me What do you think he'd say, if he saw us now?"

"He'd be proud," Ham said immediately "I overnment"

"What if he saw us at this conference?" Elend said

The tent fell still again When so, it came from a source Vin hadn't expected

"He'd tell us to laugh more," Sazed whispered

Breeze chuckled "He was coot, the more he'd joke I remember how chipper he was the very day after one of our worst defeats, e lost most of our skaa ar in his step,one of his inane jokes"

"Sounds insensitive," Allrianne said

Ham shook his head "No He was just deter the Lord Ruler couldn't take from him He planned and executed the overthrow of a thousand-year e his wife die thinking that he hated her But, he did it all with a s fate in the face"

"We need what he had," Elend said

The room's eyes turned back toward hi this," Elend said "We bicker a the ash fall, convinced that we're doomed"

Breeze chuckled "I don't know if you noticed the earthquake a fewThat is an indisputably depressing event"

Elend shook his head "We can survive this But, the only way that will happen is if our people don't give up They need leaders who laugh, leaders who feel that this fight can be won So, this is what I ask of you I don't care if you're an optimist or a pessimist--I don't care if secretly, you think we'll all be dead before theDo it in defiance, if you have to If the end does co As the Survivor taught us"

Slowly, the h his face seemed troubled

Cett just shook his head "You people are all insane How I ended up with you, I'll never know"

Breeze laughed "Now, that's a lie, Cett You know exactly how you ended up joining with us We threatened to kill you if you didn't!"

Elend was looking at Vin She ood speech She wasn't certain if his words would change anything--the crew could never again be the way it had been at th1e beginning, laughing freely around Clubs's table in the evening hours However, maybe if they kept Kelsier's set just why it was they kept struggling on

"All right, people," Elend finally said "Let's start preparations Breeze, Sazed, Allrianne--I'll need you to talk with the scribes about supply estimates for your trip Ham, send word to Luthadel and tell Penrod to have our scholars work on culturing plants that can grow in very little sunlight Demoux, pass the word to the y, it is called, because of the connection to blood It is not a coincidence, I believe, that death is always involved in the transfer of powers via Hey Marsh once described it as a "messy" process Not the adjective I would have chosen It's not disturbing enough

13

I'M MISSING SOMETHING, MARSH THOUGHT

He sat in the koloss ca He hadn't moved in hours Ash dusted him like a statue Ruin's attention had been focused elsewhere lately, and Marsh had been left with more and le Struggle just brought Ruin's attention