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Rise of the Godking - Chapter 168




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Chapter 168 - Decision

With his eyes carefully watching the elf, Daneel stepped out of the medical tent, a step behind the ancient being who looked completely normal, for the most part, except for a few instances now and then when a confused expression came on his face.

Although the system had told him that this sort of temporary disorientation would disappear soon, he was very worried. He had just messed with the consciousness of such a prominent figure in the mainland, and he already knew that this decision was going to cost him.

At the least, eventually, it would cost him the friendship they had come to share over the time they had spent together. He felt ashamed to say that he was now worried more about the other effects, but putting aside that emotion, he thought about what he would do if someone found out what he had done.

There was nothing else to do but run, so with a shrug, he was about to take his eyes off of the elf. Before he could do so, though, a roar that shook the very ground suddenly erupted from everywhere, and with wide-open eyes, Daneel entered a fighting stance, anticipating the blow that would surely arrive after such a tremendous sound.

It took a few moments to realize his foolishness. Sheepishly, he dropped his hands and smiled as he met the eyes of all the Graitonians he had left behind.

His face hardened when he spotted all the missing spots in the crowds, which, before, would have been filled by all those who had died in the attack by the family. Normally, the smile would have fallen away, but he forcefully made it stay now, knowing that as a leader, it was best for him to try and improve the spirits of his people as much as possible, especially after such a devastating incident.

The wordless roar continued, swelling in intensity, reaching the heavens and echoing back, enveloping the land and probably even being heard in the islands nearby to any travelers walking across their edges. It was a roar of anguish, of resistance, of defiance...and of welcome.

The system had told him that none of the people had been conscious to see what had happened before. This was a very good thing as he would have been very hard-pressed to delete all of the memories, too, as he had done with the elf.

While the shouts of the Graitonians went on and on, he surreptitiously glanced at Selene who stood nearby, knowing that she was the last loose end. There was a hurdle there, though, as he knew that it would be impossible for him to replicate the feat he had managed to perform due to the elf's misstep where the ancient being had entered his mind without worrying about the fact that he might be entering a place where a being much more powerful than him had complete control. If it was just Selene, there would have been no problem, but with the presence of that citizen of Larefa who had lived for so long within the Will of that island, there was no way that he could intrude and hope to mess with her recollections of what had happened no matter how much he wished to.

This meant that he would have to take a gamble, and although ordinarily, he would have loved to do so more often than not, this was a very sensitive issue where the lives of millions was at stake.

Shaking his head to shelve these thoughts for the time being, Daneel raised both his hands to signal that the people should stop. He was genuinely afraid, now, that they would continue until their throats completely broke, but thankfully, understanding what he wanted, they quieted down.

It has not been a continuous sound. Rather, it had been a combination of multiple individual roars, all with their own unique flavor and emotion. A few lingered even when the others died down, and he took note of the ones from whom these were being thrown into the world.

These people all had tears in their eyes, and from this, he could tell that they were the individuals who had lost loved ones just now. They collapsed to their knees, now, to return to their mourning, but while he looked at them all, they glanced up, too, occasionally, laying eyes on him then looking away, as if afraid that he would disappear if they didn't do so.

In the short time he had spent with them, Daneel knew that he had made a lasting impression, and this was exactly the reason behind such a rousing homecoming. He was about to open his mouth to give one of his characteristic speeches, but just then, a man supported by two men on either side came forward from within one of the crowds arrayed in the large clearing and the streets beyond.

The moment Daneel spotted the man's face, he felt like hitting himself on his head. Due to all the new worries that had nested in his mind, he had almost forgotten the entire reason behind his loss of control.

Running forward, Daneel embraced Reese. He felt his eyes get wet as the absence of the man's left hand caused him to return the gesture in an awkward manner, but a few seconds later, the two of them were enveloped by hundreds of tiny little hugs near their knees which made them both laugh.


"Uncle!"

"Uncle is back!"

"How did you hurt yourself on your trip, Crazy Masochist Uncle?"

"Bad people came, uncle, but we hid, then helped! Grandfather said we all did well!"

The little shouts of the pure-hearted dwarves made Daneel feel warm inside. Parting from Reese and nodding at them all to satisfy them for a short while, he turned back to his friend and felt his throat go dry, seeing the bloody marks all over the rest of his body which he had missed, before, as he had been completely focused on the gaping absence of his limb.

"I'm…sorry," he finally managed to croak. Reese just looked at him for a few moments, as if stunned. Then, those familiar lines that had come into his vision all those months ago, when he had first arrived at this island stretched, and a warm smile broke out on his face, giving the illusion, for a moment, that everything was alright.

"What the hell are you saying? I should be apologizing to you! You put me in charge, but I could do nothing while those bastards did what they wanted. I tried… I really did!"

Seeing the rush of emotions in Reese's face as he said those words, Daneel stepped forward and held the man again, making shushing sounds as he had already detected the initial signs of a breakdown. Not wanting the rest of the people to see the leader who would have to lead them again soon in such a vulnerable state, he turned back and began to walk to the tent while everyone else looked on.

Reese's shaking shoulders were unmistakable, though, and before he got to his destination, Daneel saw, with joy, that he was wrong.

"Don't worry, Reese! We don't blame you! You did what you could!"

"Yes! If not for you, it would have been so much worse! Thank you!"

"Yes, exactly! Thank youm Reese! No matter what anyone says…you're the best thing that ever happened to Graiton! Well, since Dan, of course!"

The smile returned to Daneel's lips as he heard the people. Patting the healer's shoulder while still supporting him, he exclaimed, "Look! You didn't do so bad,eh? The people are always the final judge."

Nodding, the healer tried to control the sobs that had already begun to erupt from somewhere deep within him. Swaddled by the supportive messages of all the hundreds of Graitonians gathered, the two of them entered the medical tent.

All the anguish broke out of Reese as soon as they were alone. Daneel tried to calm him down, but amid the sniffling and the sobs of one who was unhappy because they hadn't performed to the lofty expectations they have set for themselves, the entire story came out.

Daneel didn't learn much that surprised him. The family had arrived, and Reese had tried his best to give an explanation. He had even asked to be killed instead of the others, but the family only laughed and played with him, torturing him to within an inch of his life before using his hand to write that message and leaving, cackling all the while.

When he was done, he continued to let out everything he had bottled up for all this time. In all that time, Daneel stared into thin air, chasing and then fleshing out the thoughts that had appeared before his descent into madness, spurred forward to do so by being placed face to face with the atrocities of the Garbonors once more.

By the time Reese had regained his composure, Daneel knew what he was going to do even though it might sound like madness to anyone else but him. When the healer looked up, he saw his friend's eyes burning with something he couldn't recognise, so after leaning forward, he asked, "You look exactly like you did before, when you created the plan to enter the mansion. What is it? What do you want to do?"

Daneel's words made Reese freeze while the words echoed in the empty tent.

"I'm going to take them down. All of them. Each and every one of this knocked-up family who rule over us. I'll take them down...and free everyone. Thus is my word.. And my word shall be done."



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