Rise of the Godking - Chapter 159

Chapter 159 - Bait

After a brief moment of panic during which pin-drop silence reigned around them, Daneel regained his composure and looked around to see that everyone else still bore the faces of thieves who had been convinced that they had carried out the perfect crime, but had just found out that they had left behind something as stupid as their wallet.

Frowning, he realized that time was of the essence. Ordinarily, he would have chosen to draw their attention in a more subtle way, but because they needed to make a decision about what they were going to do right away, he clapped his hands as loudly as he could and made everyone else turn in his direction.

"Mors, think about how they might be following us. Alex, help him using your knowledge of the Ushanbos. List down all the possible means of discovery, and whittle it away until only a few remain. Larefans, set down your burdens and take a little bit of rest. We might have to run faster than before soon, so be prepared."

Seeing him rattle off instructions, some of them were confused, at first, but they quickly recovered, finding a path in the darkness they had been thrown into that they could follow while ignoring the gaping jaws of hopelessness that was all around them. Each and every one of them had been appraised of the dangers. If they were caught, death was the least of their worries. No matter what, they had to get away from their pursuers right now, and that meant that they would have to pull something out of their proverbial hat that they hadn't even thought of before while they had been planning out everything regarding the heist.

The large chest, which was hanging in the air due to the complicated formations that had been etched into the metal blocks carried on the shoulders of the Larefans thudded to the ground while all eight former slaves set down their burdens and stretched on the bare earth, giving relief to their aching muscles. Meanwhile, his two companions had huddled together behind him, discussing the capabilities of the Ushanbos and all sorts of methods in which they might have picked up the trail.

Daneel paced to and fro, talking to the system and trying to find out, by himself, what they might have left behind. This entire situation had not really been accounted for, as the plan had been to ensure that there would be enough time between the crime and the investigation to decrease any chances of anyone being able to pick up on where they might have gone.

His sense of urgency seemed to filter through the air, affecting all those nearby. The faint whisperings between his two companions sped up, and even the former slaves looked all around them warily, prepared to get up and run at a moment's warning.

The system proved to be inadequate, this time, as it simply didn't have enough data to figure out the answers that he needed. Thankfully, after a few seconds, Mors spoke out loud, making Daneel turn in his direction with a hungry determination in his eyes that gave a hint as to how far he was willing to go to evade any pursuit.

"At such short notice, we can't figure out what they might have done, but there is something we can do. From Alex, I found out a list of their capabilities, and I'm confident that I can create a spell that will remove all traces from all of us's. There is a catch, though. I will need to transfer these traces to a single person. They will bait away the pursuers, ensuring the safety of the rest. Because I need to make sure that we are not seen on our way, our options are limited. It must be you, or Alex. And from everything I've seen so far, I can already tell that you're going to insist that it will be you."

Not in the mood for any banter, Daneel simply nodded.

He had already proven that his means were far beyond what any of them could expect. With a confident set to his face that wasn't being feigned in any manner, he walked to the elf's side and waited with his eyes closed as the ancient being weaved his magic.

After a few seconds, Daneel felt all traces of the smell of earth and sweat that had been in the air, emanating from all of them disappear, then concentrate on him, forming a film that clung to his skin. This was only one sign of what the elf is doing; it was obvious that the spell's effects were much more complicated than that, and already, he was looking forward to modifying it as he wished using the system if there was a need.

An entire minute later, the sound of footsteps being taken hastily away from him made him snap his eyes open and turn around. With widened eyes, he found the elf who had staggered back, his brow matted with sweat, and his eyes wavering from extreme exhaustion.

Supporting him by his shoulder, Alex looked at him with worry, but after a few moments, Mors composed himself and said, "There is always a trade-off between speed and energy. Because I chose speed, I had to use all my power. It's done. The faster we leave this place, the safer we shall be. We must depart first. If all goes well…"

Moving forward and clapping the elf on his shoulder, Daneel smiled reassuredly.

"It will. I will see you all, soon, in Graiton. Go. Make haste, but take care."

The elf looked at him for a few moments, which felt much longer due to the danger they were in. Alex was also looking at him at the same time, but Daneel only had eyes for the ancient being who seemed to be trying to communicate something through his gaze.

In the end, he sighed, giving up. Daneel had no idea what his intention was. Telling himself that he would ask later, he nodded to the two of them and the former slaves before turning around and walking away from them all, in the direction they had just come from.

He could feel all their gazes on his back for a few seconds, and then, the sounds of the huge wooden chest and the smaller one which had been filled with all of their genuine vajrams being picked up reached his ears. Two minutes later, he looked back and found only an empty spot of land where they had been. Finding himself alone, instead of feeling the panic or dread that might come upon one given such an important and risky duty, he simply let out a deep breath and felt a smile filled with expectations spread across his lips.

Without danger, one could never grow. Each and every one of the confrontations he had been through had only made him stronger, and he expected the same to happen here, too.

"System, check the map for an island that fits the criteria I set down before. Choose the one closest to me, and map a route to it. Also, be prepared to burn energy for an explosive burst in speed."

Patting his chest where he could feel the sharp ends of five vajrams, he felt his smile broaden. With the system, an almost unlimited amount of energy that he couldn't possibly hope to deplete in a short amount of time, and his experience standing at the ready to aid him in any way required, there was nothing to fear.

With his legs spread apart, his back straight as a rod and his arms folded behind him, he waited with his head held high, standing around a kilometer away from the teleportation matrix of the island they were on. Nearly ten minutes after the departure of the rest of the party, it glowed, and with narrowed eyes, he got his first look at the ones on their trail.

He almost felt like laughing when he observed how similar they were to the disguises that the three of them had pulled off just a couple of hours ago. All of them wore their hair in braids, and their skin was the same olive color as that of the faces they had taken on. Even their features were similar, with high cheekbones and blunt chins, and the fury that masked them set his heart racing with excitement.

It was going to be a good fight. He could feel it in his bones, but first, the location had to be set.

He could have fled beforehand, but the system had told him that the spell cast by the elf had a small chance of being thwarted if the pursuers were skilled enough. Hence, he had decided to make sure that they would follow him, no matter what, so as soon as their eyes gathered on him, he grinned and shouted, "Over here! I heard that the Ushabos come from a pisspot of a village they call an empire! I've also heard they're just barking dogs with no bite to them! I've always been an inquisitive guy, so....care to prove me wrong?"