Rise of the Godking - Chapter 24

As soon as the old dwarf said the last word, he pushed Daneel, and incredibly, there was a group of the dwarves waiting behind him to catch him before he hit the floor. Hoisted on their shoulders like the three men who had been turned into dwarves before, a flicker of panic went through him as he wondered whether he was being taken for the same purpose… but it soon vanished when they went further inside and turned left, into a carefully hidden crack in the walls.

It was dark, but the dwarves seemed to know their way. They soon deposited him in front of a wooden platform that was lit by a single, flickering torch. As if they had done it many times before, each of them took up positions around a wheel and grunted as they made it turn, causing the platform to lurch, and then begin to move up.

That was when Daneel finally looked up and saw that there was a long tunnel above him. The platform had no railing to hold onto, so he had to sit down to be stable. Still, the power being applied to the elevator system methodically by the dwarves made it so that the platform moved evenly, and as he finally began to calm down, he suddenly realized that there was a weight near his chest.

Pulling it out, he saw, with surprise, that it was a slab of cured meat, bigger than his hand. He studied it, wondering how it had gotten there and what animal it belonged to, but then, as its salted smell wafted into his nostrils, he closed his eyes and sank his teeth into the stringy meat.

It was heaven. After eating gruel for so long, the taste of such a luxury was incredible. He munched on the morsel he had bitten away for a long time, forgetting everything that had happened until then, losing himself in this feast that he had thought he would not have a chance to enjoy.

When he swallowed, he looked down at what was left and was about to take another bite, but on second thought, he put it back where he had found it.

'That… was awesome! I don't know about anything else they've said, but they really know how to cook, and they have food! As for all their claims… well, I'm not dumb, now. I've already been betrayed once… so I should make sure that it doesn't happen again!'

Recalling the pain and fear that had gone through him when Xander's plan had been revealed, he decided that he would not let such a thing happen again.

'Weak links. I had no choice, so I couldn't do anything about them… but from now on, no matter what plan I make, there should be no weak links that will lead back to me. After all… I have no connection to this place! My real purpose is to find my past, and for that, I should carry out the missions of the system. From just the way I feel whenever I say that word, I know that it means so much to me… and I feel a longing to find out what it is. To find out what those images mean, to find out who those people are. So, Daneel, from now on… be careful, you dumb fuck!'

The horrific images of becoming a husk under the arms of the succubus if Xander hadn't been stopped were enough for him to imbibe these thoughts deep, deep into his mind. He felt himself change, slowly, and even though it had happened due to such a close shave… something told him that was a good thing.



"Come on! Quickly!"

A whisper interrupted his thoughts. He had been looking at the wooden floor of the platform and thinking until now, so when he looked up, he was surprised to see that a passage had appeared where before there had only been an unbroken wall of rock. In it stood a dwarf holding a fist-sized crystal for illumination, and seeing his urgent face, Daneel rushed forward.

They hurried down a small tunnel that was reminiscent of the one he had entered to reach the city of dwarves. Soon, though, sound started to reach them. Sounds of people sitting, standing up, and eating.

"Are we near the dining area?"

"Shh!"

Being shushed by the dwarf, Daneel sullenly closed his mouth and just followed, while thinking about what to do next.

He knew the answer right away.

��That damn Xander! Yes, I just told myself that I should focus on doing what the system asks… but still, his accomplice shouldn't get away! What if she tries to betray me, too? I don't know whether I can kill her… but at least, I want to find out whether what the giant was saying was true!'

He had already decided that he should take what anyone said in this place with a pinch of salt, but at least in this, he was confident that he would be able to find out the truth soon enough.

A few seconds later, they came upon a narrow exit that Daneel could hardly get through. The dwarf made him leave, first, and as soon as he entered the passageway beyond, the little man said, "Don't forget your task. This is where we part. We will be watching."

He turned around to leave, but Daneel spoke quickly, suddenly seeing an opportunity.

"Wait! Do you need that crystal? Can I keep it?"

The draft turned around with a puzzled look on his face. He glanced between the thing in his hands and Daneel's expectant face, and with a shrug, he tossed it in his direction and muttered, "It's your neck. If they find you with it, you will die. But the king did say to fulfill your request wherever possible, so… here you go."

And just like that, he was gone. Daneel caressed the sharp edges of the crystal in his hand, dazzled by this treasure that he had just obtained. It was ten times larger than the tiny ones that he usually absorbed. It was still only a pebble in his hand as it had been the size of the fist of the dwarf, but he held it to his heart and grinned before tucking it carefully away in his secret pocket.

Before leaving, he made a mental note of the location of the crack in the wall. As he began to walk down the passageway, small caverns started to emerge, and soon, he came upon the central tunnel of the Pit.

For a moment, he pondered on the idea of going to his cavern and hiding away the crystal and the meat, but then, he shook his head.

'No. Best to get over with it right now.'

The idea of children crying for food rankled within him. He found that he couldn't sit still, knowing that such a thing was happening.

With long strides, he headed in the direction of the specific corridor where he knew Xander's cavern was supposed to be. It was at the very edge of the Pit, situated right before a dead-end.

As soon as he turned into the corridor, he caught a whiff of something that was far worse than everything he had encountered in the Pit so far. Covering his nose, he walked forward and came upon the first small cavern.

Unable to stop himself, he ducked into it… and saw a skeleton lying on the stone bed. At least, that was what he thought at first…until he saw that the thinnest layer of skin was still present on the bones, and his ribs were still heaving up and down as he drew breath.

"W-water, pl-please…"

Hearing that someone had come, the man's eyes slowly opened and he mumbled so quietly that Daneel almost couldn't hear him.

He looked around, but there was no water or food. Intending to find water in the next cavern, he went to it, and found a similar sight.

He felt anger begin to build inside him as he went from cavern to cavern and found men and women close to death. He even found a few dead ones, and in fact, they were much better off than a few who are clinging on to life by eating their own fingers.

It was horror after horror, and as he saw that he was reaching the end of the corridor, he knew that he would find Xander's woman, soon. He had found no children, yet, but what he had seen already was enough to make him decide that both of them deserved a fate far worse than death.

Finally, he came upon the last cavern and was astonished to see that it had somehow been expanded to a room that could fit ten people inside.

There were two individuals quietly talking at the very end of it, and before they noticed him, Daneel looked to his left and right.

There they were. Chained to the walls and with rags stuffed in their mouths, little kids were looking around blindly. There were six of them, their ages ranging between ten and three. The sight of the youngest of them was heartbreaking; he kept crying to himself, silently, unable to understand why he had come into such a cruel world.

With red eyes, Daneel fixed his gaze on the one he had come to find. She finally saw him and her eyebrows raised, but Daneel wasn't looking at her to see this happen. Instead, he was eyeing the other occupant of the cavern, and as he recognized him…he screamed.

It was wordless, fraught with all the frustration he felt. He had believed that Sebastian was one of the best men in the Pit based on his interactions with him, so far…but he had been betrayed, again.

His mind went empty. Rage took over, so with a snarl…he raised his hands and pounced on his prey, eyes screaming death, death, death.