Rise of the Godking - Chapter 172

Chapter 172 - Graiton's Dirge

About an hour later, Daneel stood in front of the large pulsing orb in the deepest pit of Graiton with his hands behind his back, his eyes seeming to pulse in rhythm with the Will of the land as he immersed himself in his thoughts, waiting for his companions to arrive.

He had sent the summons and come first, knowing that he needed some time to figure out his next few steps. His end goal had already been decided, but the devil was always in the details.

Even in Angaria, he had always prided himself on his meticulous planning skills that had allowed them to execute impossible feats with the precision of someone who had done it many times before, even if he was attempting it for the first time in his life. Right now, in his mind's eye, a few paths he could take stood in front of him, each with a certain, specific chance of success that had been calculated after having a long talk with the system following Selene's exit.

Even in her case, he had had no choice but to give in to the heavy weight of his responsibilities. From her reaction which the system had studied and relayed while his eyes had been closed, his gut told him that she would keep the secret, but still, he was unwilling to take the chance. Hence, a spell had been cast on her on his command which he would apparently be able to check upon even if he was far away using the large communication crystals that he had brought from the beggar king's city.

When he had found this out, he had marveled at the effectiveness of these two items which justified their high price tag. In essence, they were capable of amplifying signals, and because energy was also a sort of signal, albeit one with strength and not just information, they suited his purposes perfectly with a few minor modifications. They stood ready, now, to give him a brief burst of the sort of strength that had made people think he had ascended to the heavens back on his homeland, and even as he thought about this, he found himself itching to experience that sensation once more.

It was a truly elevating sensation, to be above all and below none. He wished that he had been awake when he had called upon it all when he had lost control. Knowing that sending alarm signals that might just be interpreted by the people of strength on the Mainland just for his amusement would be the dumbest thing he could do, he sighed and resolved to relive the recent experience whenever he had time if the longing grew too strong.

With a start, he saw that his thoughts had started to take this meandering route as they often did whenever taking a decision was a hard task. Each path had been vetted by both him and the system, and all of them seemed equally enticing as he could see the death of the Garbonors at the end of each and every one of them.

There was one that he was inclined towards more because of a feeling rather than a reason steeped in logic, and he had discarded the idea of going for it before as it might not be wise to make such an important choice based on something that was even quite faint. Now, though, since there were no other factors at play, he suddenly found himself dwelling on that path again, and at that exact moment, the sound of footsteps reached his ears and his lips curled up into a smile that quickly disappeared when he was once again reminded of the betrayal he had had to orchestrate.

This had always been a failing of his, to obsess over decisions taken even though he knew that the reasons behind him choosing them were right. He had barely been able to stop himself from looking at the elf with the face of a kid who had left behind a friend who had been there for him and helped him through so much for reasons that could never be enough. The system had been tasked with making sure that the memories they had erased could not be obtained once more in any manner, and apart from an incident a half-hour before when Mors had been seen standing somewhere for a long time with a blank face, everything seemed normal.

After a thorough analysis of everything it had detected so far, the system had given him the assessment that there was nothing to worry about as, surprisingly, the elf had a compassionate heart that had been put on display each time he failed in saving a life. This had only driven the wedge of distress deeper into Daneel's heart, but right now, he dismissed all such thoughts and resolved to be normal from now on, lest he gave away signs that would bring his own downfall.

The two of them arrived to stand on either side of him, both looking up at the wonderful quintessence of life, itself, that was now in front of them. Even the cave was suffused with an aura of natural peace, and as he let himself be swept away by it, Daneel felt his heart and face relax as the Will almost seemed to be consoling him, as if it knew everything he was going through.

He hadn't spoken with Alex much since arriving, and the man had also been busy rendering his services in every way possible. Suddenly overcome by a surge of emotions that came out of nowhere, Daneel spread out both his hands and enveloped his friends in a bone-crunching hug, tears dripping down his cheeks as he thanked them in this manner that was more effective than anything that could have been communicated with words.

He felt the both of them look at each other than hug him back a few moments later. He felt a bit ashamed, again, as a small part of him checked the elf to see whether the ancient being was acting normally, and as it is detected nothing, he forcefully snuffed it, making sure that it would not appear again as the time period that the system had given him which would be necessary for all signs of their meddling to disappear had already passed.

This only made him hug them tighter, and he only let go quite a while later, after he was able to control himself enough to appear stoic even though he had broken down in such a vulnerable manner. When he took a step back, they both just smiled at him and nodded together, understanding what he wanted to convey, and with a broad smile, Daneel turned back to the Will.

They stood in silence for some time, and unwittingly, Daneel let himself become one with the spirit of the land, losing himself in the ebb and flow of his thoughts. Back in Angaria, he had found in an explosive manner that the Will was capable of holding onto the memories of everything that had happened on its land. As could be expected, because of the present state of his emotions and that of the sentiment surrounding the island, the Will, combined with Daneel's urging, began to recollect all the instances where the blood of its children that had been shed indiscriminately, where its natural urge to protect them had been left unfulfilled as there had been no one who could help it to take action, where its very self had been sundered each time it yearned to give succor to those it had given birth.

For an hour, with their eyes closed, the three drifted in the sea of sadness all around them. The burned thief was the only one whose eyes did not flow freely as the emotions surged into them. The elf even collapsed to his knees at one point, unable to take it anymore, and eventually, Daneel had to forcefully take the Will in hand, afraid that if it continued, they might be lost within it forever.

In the calm that followed which still held slight susurrations of what they had just felt, Daneel spoke almost in a whisper.

"I was going to try and justify what we are going to do next…but the Will has already finished that job. I'm going after the Garbonors, next. All those who deserve death shall find it at their doorstep, by my hand. But before that, I'll be heading to the Ushanbos because I suspect something about them. Everything that happens next will be filled with even more danger than what you two had to go through for me. I understand if you wish to depart. Take your time to think. If you're with me, let us depart together, tomorrow at dawn. If not…I will always think of you fondly."

Saying his peace, he turned around to leave. Before he exited the underground chamber, though…a voice sounded out behind him, making him pause, then grin.

"Ha, thanks to you, I've won another vajram! Mors was so sure that you wouldn't have another speech ready…but I know you too well! I wanna keep winning, and the elf's gotta keep losing, so of course we're with you!"