Origins

His books have no shortage of admirers. Having struck him down on the battlefield, Dynamo said he was so sorry he had to do that, and confessed that it was an awkward time to say it, but he truly loved his book. Paige was blunter still: knowing full well that the man across from her was her hero, she counted it a stroke of luck to get to be the antagonist in one of his stories.

“It's an awkward time to say this, Kelvin, but I love your book.”

“开尔文，现在说这话可能有点尴尬，但我很喜欢你的书”

“Man, I get to be the antagonist in one of Kelvin's stories.”

“天哪，我居然有机会在开尔文的故事里扮演反派角色！”

His readers are grown-ups and children alike. Pocket says he idolized him when he was younger; Ivy asked him, on her little brother’s behalf, for the chance of a talk, since the boy is a big fan of his adventure stories. Calico had read In Search of the Tyrant Skull, and asked him to his face whether he was really as sanctimonious as he is in the book; all he could do was concede that people say that was him at his most humble.

Long before the Arctic, he had a name, and he had friends. He told Dynamo he hadn’t seen him since the Black Chateau, and his friend teased that he’d been a little busy “being dead.” He has been to Ixia, too: Mo & Krill confessed to having moved quite a few pieces from his Ixian expedition. When he pressed them on whether those were the ones that were stolen, they answered: certainly not the ones that are still in the MET. “Yet.”

Then came the Arctic. When rumor had it that an Astral Gate, the eighth, lay hidden there, he couldn’t assemble the Arctic Expedition fast enough, gathering the brightest minds of his generation. It was the crew of a fishing trawler, chipping away at the ice around his frozen body, who at last set him free. None of the expedition survived; he alone came back. Billy mocks him without mercy: so the guy in charge is the only survivor. He offered no defense, saying only that he would give anything to change that. When The Hidden King counts him an adversary, he does not forget the expedition either: Kelvin is to be buried with the rest of his expedition. The Archmother, in the same position, says only that Kelvin will not be easy to stop.

“Bury Kelvin with the rest of his expedition.”

“将开尔文与他探险队的其余成员一起埋葬”

Nor does he ever shy away from where he fell. He told Lash that he died in the Arctic, and that he dares not even take off his coat: the glowing rock he carries could be the only thing keeping him alive. Venator, striking him down, said the same: his life ended in the Arctic. Where the Runed Rock came from, he himself cannot say.

As for what he should be called now, he is vague on that too. He told Vindicta that some people say wight and some say revenant, and he isn’t sure there’s really a difference. He takes it lightly enough, though; even at his worst moments he can joke at his own expense: technically, he supposes, he’s a wight, but let’s not get bogged down by specifics.

Old Friends and Foes

Seven: Hatred and Fate

Seven hates him and makes no secret of it. When Kelvin asked him to his face why, he answered only that the Patron would reveal all, and that then he would let Kelvin stew on when he’d come to kill him.

Yet there is a strange fixation in this hatred. He admits he hates Kelvin, but will let no one else lay a hand on him: if anyone is going to kill Kelvin, it will be him. Kelvin now, he says, is but a pale imitation of the man he was, and to mock someone in such frailty is beneath him. When it truly comes to blows, he says it was always going to come down to the two of them, and once the deed is done he says it outright: “So satisfying.”

“I do. But if anyone is going to kill you, it's going to be me.”

“是的。但如果有人要击倒你，那也会是我”

“It was always going to come down to you and me, Kelvin…”

“最终都会是你和我之间的决战，开尔文…”

When Kelvin saved him, he even said, “Like old times, eh Kelvin?”, as though the two of them had crossed paths long before.

Lady Geist: A Withdrawn Investment

The money for the expedition came from Lady Geist and her Geist Foundation. Kelvin’s thanks are sincere: were it not for her funding, they would never have had the opportunity. She, however, suspected sarcasm.

“I'm serious. Obviously the expedition didn't go as planned, but we wouldn't have had the opportunity were it not for your funding.”

“我是认真的。显然，远征没有按计划进行，但如果不是你的资金，我们就没有机会了”

But his gratitude has not bought him any closeness. When he urged her to keep some friends about her, she shot back that she doesn’t need friends: that’s what money’s for. When she struck him down, she declared it the official removal of her funding. Another time, when he struck her down, he said that she was the monster, not Oathkeeper.

“I don't need friends, that's what money's for.”

“我不需要朋友，钱就是用来干这个的”

“Consider this the official removal of my funding.”

“请将此视为我资金的正式撤回”

Others use that money to needle him. Billy says he likes to pretend he’s on some moral high ground, yet he was happy to take Geist’s money; Silver, haggling over her rates, reminded him that he has Geist Foundation money.

Dynamo: Fellow Men of Science

Dynamo is an old friend he trusts. He knew he could count on him, he says, and wishes he had had the Professor on the expedition. He keeps close track of his friend’s family, too: he asks after Marla first thing, and hears that they have been married thirty-one years.

“I knew I could count on you, old friend…”

“我就知道我可以依靠你，老朋友…”

Baba: The One Who Sees Through Him

Baba asked whatever happened to Ettrick, whom he wrote so much about. He had no answer, saying only that the ritual was about to start. Later she told him flatly that he had all the notes but none of the music: she didn’t think he was Kelvin.

When she struck him down, she said only that he used to be a good man, and that she never wants to lose herself like him.

“You used to be a good man.”

“你以前可是个好人。”TL

Billy: The One Who Won’t Forgive

Billy says that Seven killed people that got in his way, while Kelvin got people killed who believed in him, so he trusts the asshole who knows he’s an asshole a lot more. Kelvin’s retort: Seven is a mass murderer.

“Seven killed people that got in his way. You got people killed who believed in you…so yeah I trust the asshole who knows he's an asshole a lot more than the asshole who doesn't”

“柒杀的是挡他路的人。你害死的是信任你的人……所以没错，比起那个不知道自己是混蛋的混蛋，我更信那个清楚自己是混蛋的混蛋。”TL

McGinnis: Talent, and a Lackey’s Lot

McGinnis keeps calling him “Kevin,” and when corrected she insists she said it right. He, for his part, has watched her career from afar and calls it very impressive; yet he regrets that she works for Fairfax Industries and Maximilian, which to his mind is a waste of her talents.

“I'm looking forward to working with you Kevin.”

“我一直很期待和你联手，开文。”

“McGinnis, you deserve more than being a lacky for Maximillian.”

“麦金妮，你不该只是马克西米利安的跟班”

Deadman Danny: A Partner Picked Apart

Paired with Deadman Danny, Kelvin drew the job of support, but his partner picked it apart piece by piece: why walk an ice path when he can soar through the heavens on a jetpack; what good is an ice dome when he’s raining fiery death from the sky; the ice grenades don’t even detonate in the air. Unable to get a word in, Kelvin finally told him to shut up. Having actually struck him down, he still insisted the man was a snake oil salesman: sometimes the march of progress needs to be stopped. Yet at the mention of Fairfax Industries, his tune changes: he asked Danny to tell Mr. Fairfax that he appreciates his investment in his last expedition. Danny muttered that it might be best not to remind the man of his failures; Kelvin answered only that he was grateful nonetheless.

“If you see Mr. Fairfax please tell him that I appreciate his investment in my last expedition.”

“你要是见到菲尔法克斯先生，请转告他，我很感激他对我上一次远征的投资。”TL

Vindicta: Rescue and Revenge

He said it was strange to return after being gone for a year; Vindicta answered only, “Try 200.” He hastened to say he was by no means drawing comparisons, and she admitted that the language had really been the hardest part, and that only later did she find her way and her purpose. When he told her that a lust for murder isn’t purpose, she shot back that it wasn’t for him to say: he wasn’t there. He says his priority will always be saving life; she says that she is saving life too.

“That's not for you to say Kelvin. You weren't there.”

“开尔文，你没资格说这话。你当时不在场”

Nurse Harrow: Trust Not Bolstered

He spoke first, hoping his condition wouldn’t lower her trust in him; Nurse Harrow answered crisply that it certainly did not bolster it. He said he was here to help, and that between the two of them, death would not find their allies today; she corrected him: she was here, so death was never going to find them. He said he liked her confidence; she said it was not confidence, just the truth. Another time, seeing her look unhappy, he asked about it, and in return she brought up the expedition; he answered only that she wasn’t there. On the battlefield itself, striking her down, he sneered that she hurts more than she helps; striking him down, she urged him to discard the rock and die the way nature intended. Yet when he saved her, she said too that she wouldn’t forget it.

Venator and Grey Talon: Those Who Won’t Trust Him

Venator says that Kelvin doesn’t even know what he is, and so cannot be fully trusted. Later, striking Kelvin down, he called him a ghoulish mockery of life, yet admitted that the power coursing through Kelvin is unlike anything he has ever encountered. Kelvin, for his part, remarked ruefully that he never thought he’d be at war with the Vatican.

“You don't know what you are Kelvin, and if you don't know what happened to you, then I can't trust you. Not fully.”

“你不知道自己是什么，开尔文。你连自己遭遇了什么都不清楚，我就没法信任你，至少不能完全信任。”TL

“That abomination is a ghoulish mockery of life.”

“那令人作呕的东西是对生命的骇人嘲弄”

Grey Talon has no more use for his kindness. When Kelvin urged him to let go of his rage, since all that rage won’t bring his family back, he dismissed it as dime store platitudes. When Kelvin asked him not to sully the name of the Baxter Society, he answered that he built that name.

“I built it's name. And the reputation of monster hunters is the least of my concern.”

“它的名字是我一手打造的。至于怪物猎人的名声，我最不关心”

Shiv: Entrusted, and Despised

He once asked Shiv a favor: if he ever did lose himself, he wanted the Baxter Society to put him down. Yet he is not without his reproaches for the man: striking Shiv down, he called him a bully, said he hates bullies, and said he gives the Society a bad name.

“If I ever do lose myself - I want the Baxter Society to put me down.”

“如果有一天我真的失去了自我……我希望拜克斯特协会能将我处决。”TL

“You're just a bully, Shiv… and I hate bullies.”

“你只是个恶霸，希弗… 我讨厌恶霸。”

The Doorman: The One Who Saw It First

The Doorman says that to look at him is to look at the human condition: proud, strong, but ultimately a slave to his own hubris. He says, too, that Kelvin pushed Ettrick away for his ambitions, yet remained a slave to his own. When Kelvin said this was a little different from an expedition, the Doorman twisted the knife: you haven’t led your fellows to their death yet, but there’s still time.

“To look at you is to look at the human condition. Proud, strong, capable of incredible things, but ultimately a slave to your own hubris. Truly, you are the total package.”

“看着你，就如同看到了人性的缩影。骄傲、坚强、能力超群，但最终却沦为傲慢的奴隶。你真是个完美的人”

Solomon: Refusing to Admit Defeat

Seeing him so downcast, Solomon told him the great man is still in him. He answered that he was great once, but no longer, and that he had failed. Everyone fails, Solomon counseled; but he was adamant: “Not me.” Later, striking him down, Solomon told him flatly that his arrogance led to his expedition team’s death. This refusal to admit defeat is at its most frightening when he is angry: this story will have a happy ending, he says, even if he has to kill everyone himself.

“Not me.”

“我不会。”TL

“This story will have a happy ending, even if I have to kill everyone myself…”

“这个故事会有个圆满的结局，就算我得亲手杀光所有人…”TL

Drifter: Together, for the Answers

When Drifter asked what was on his mind, he answered that he was weighing whether getting the answers he seeks is worth helping such a man. He has said he doesn’t want to work with someone like him, and he reminded him that violence in the ritual is unavoidable, but there is no need to make people suffer; the other man said only that he likes to go above and beyond expectations.

“Just wondering if getting the answers I seek is worth helping you in the process.”

“我只是在想，我找到答案的过程是否值得帮助你”

Violet: A Young Woman Who Shouldn’t Be Here

He has always looked on Violet as an elder looks on the young. Seeing her mad at the world, he told her she was too young to have a chip on her shoulder; rebuffed with “Don’t tell me how to feel,” he politely withdrew his advice. Even when he struck her down with his own hands, he said the same kind of thing: there are better ways to find yourself, and this was not the place for her. To his mind, the greatest pity is a promising future cut down.

“I hate cutting down promising futures.”

“我最讨厌斩断有前途的人生。”TL

Anecdotes

Rockefeller. New Yorkers take one look at his ice path and see a skating rink. He jokes that he brings Rockefeller Plaza wherever he goes, and opponents who strike him down on the ice path mock him with the same thing: this ain’t Rockefeller Center.

“I bring rockefeller plaza wherever I go…”

“我走到哪里都带着洛克菲勒广场…”

The Coat. Silver asked whether that was wereotter fur on his parka; plain otter, he said: “Otter otter.” Vyper asked whether he kept any liquor in that coat; he said he doesn’t get cold anymore.

“Otter otter.”

“就是普通的水獭。”TL

The Next Stop. Rest is not what he has in mind. When Solomon asked where his next expedition would take him, he answered either Appalachia or the Deep. Viscous asked whether, if he ever explored the deep, Viscous could be his guide; he said he would be honored, and Viscous cheered that he had made a friend.

“Either Appalachia or The Deep.”

“阿巴拉契亚，或者深渊。”TL

Jezebel’s. He was glad to hear that Jezebel's is still up and running, and he once told Infernus he was sorry about what was going on in Ixia. When Infernus said he didn’t know much about it, Kelvin asked whether he didn’t care about what was happening back home; Infernus answered that he was born in New York, and home is right here. Kelvin himself admitted that it came across poorly.

“I was born in New York. Home is right here.”

“我出生在纽约。家就在这里”

Paradox. Paradox says an explorer is just a thief who specializes in stealing from the dead. She had always meant, she also said, to pay his home a visit during the ritual, and thinks he ought to be flattered.

“An explorer is just a thief that specializes in stealing from the dead.”

“探险家只是专门从故人身上拿东西的”

Sleepless. When Rem asked whether he sleeps, he answered not anymore: it’s a result of becoming a revenant.

“Not anymore.”

“已经不睡了。”TL

The Name. McGinnis calls him Kevin, and Ivy has too. Rem put it most plainly: he is one of those adults who use big words to make it sound like they make sense.

“Kelvin you're one of those adults that makes no sense but uses big words to make it sound they do.”

“开尔文，你就是那种大人，说的话根本没道理，却用一堆大词让它听起来有道理。”TL

Optimism. A positive outlook and a freeze ray, he says, make all the difference in the world.

“In life I find that a positive outlook and a freeze ray makes all the difference in the world.”

“在我看来，积极的态度加上一把冰冻射线，能让一切都不一样。”TL

Open Questions