Rise of the Godking - Chapter 59

A few hours later.

Daneel felt another wave of embarrassment pass over him as he waited in the throne room, watching on as the dwarf king laughed and laughed at everything that had happened when he had been asleep.

Reese was trying hard to stifle his own amusement, and failing spectacularly.

Rather than the two of them, the worst part was actually the hundreds of the dwarves who had swarmed the throne room just now, all ready to pummel him so that they could 'serve'.

He had had to shout three times that he didn't get off on pain for them to finally stop… and then assume that he just wasn't in the mood, now.

Giving up, Daneel had resolved to just wait it out and ignore the jibes while hoping that it would go away. He didn't know whether it would happen… but for now, they had more serious issues to discuss.

When the dwarf king finally paused to draw in a deep, whistling breath, he raised his voice and said, "We don't have much time. Shall we begin planning?"

After one last chortle, he finally obliged. Raising his hand to silence the rest, he said, "Of course. We are most excited to see what you have in mind. Please begin."

Finally getting his chance, Daneel first took a moment to go through it all in his mind. It wasn't very long, but still, he had to make sure that he would be able to get his point across in the first try.



After he was perfectly happy with the way it was going to sound, he began.

"We all know that Lord Burrow steals from the food allotted to the Refinery and the Pit. From our efforts, we were able to find out how exactly he is profiting from it. After all, it is food, and he has a finite number of servants… so he has to be able to exchange it all, right? In a few hours from now, that is exactly what is going to happen. My plan is this: we must expose this to Lord Harold, but he must see it with his own eyes if he is to believe our claims. Then… why not steal his food, and have him search, infuriated, for the ones responsible? We'll lead him directly to the exchange point… and there, we'll catch the Lord or his agents red-handed! An investigation will begin, which will definitely end with the reveal of the one responsible for it all. And because we all know what happens to anyone who wrongs my ex-father… I think we can rest assured that by the end of this, the great Lord will be begging for death. What do you say?"

There was a moment of brief silence afterward, punctured only by the sounds of the dwarves arranging the table in the cavern beyond for the meal that would soon begin. Then, all of a sudden… all of them began speaking, and Daneel had to force himself not to clutch his hands to his ears to keep out the din.

"Crazy uncle masochist is really a genius!"

"Yes! He's strange, but smart!"

"What a great plan! I could never have thought of it! The enemy will not see it coming!"

"Yes, it's awesome! If we try to enjoy pain, will we also get so smart, too? Let's try!"

That last utterance almost made him gag. Thankfully, the dwarf king raised his hand to silence them again, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Truly remarkable. We imagined all sorts of routes that you might have wanted to take, but you chose one which we could not have seen, and hence, which we are sure will blindside those on the surface, too. Tell us what we can do to ensure the success of your plan."

With a nod and a smile that came inadvertently because he really was a bit proud of himself, he answered, "The most important step is the one in which we have to steal from the Master's food stores. Because I grew up there, I know where they're located, but security is so tight that I can't even begin to think about how I would want to get in. Also—"

"Oh, don't worry about that. As soon as you said that the exchange would be in a few hours, we guessed the reason behind the Lord choosing it. At the same time, the Master and other eminent people on the surface are set to visit the Genuflecks to preside over the marriage of two cousins. You know them; they don't even waste the smallest chance to enjoy. Security will be lax, and without help, it won't be a problem to get inside and get away. We have some reliable people on the surface we can trust to be of aid… so let us know if you have anything else on mind."

Daneel was quite taken aback by the revelation, but he took it in stride quickly. He already knew about how smart Lord Burrow was, so it was to be expected that he would use an opportune time to make sure that there would be fewer sentries to witness the illegal exchange.

Directly moving on to the next issue at hand, he said, "We also need to be able to subtly hint to those that the master will deploy about where they'll be able to find the culprits. Essentially, we need to leave breadcrumbs behind…"

"Easily done. We know enough enforcers who can act as if they've gotten a break. Anything else?"

Daneel went blank, for a second. The power that the dwarf king held above the surface was unimaginable, and right away, he felt glad that he had taken the decision to seek help instead of putting everything on his own shoulders.

With a smile, he answered, "No, that's about it. I'll let you know if I think of anything."

Clapping his hands together to create a sonic boom that knocked over a few dwarves nearby, the giant said, "Great! It's time to eat, then! Go on, go on!"

"Eat, eat, eat…"

With a chant that seemed to echo throughout the city, all those in the throneroom filed into the dining cavern where the long table was beautifully adorned with all sorts of mouthwatering dishes that made Daneel stop and stare. He was then lifted off his feet abruptly, and although he floundered for a second, he quickly realized that he was being carried by the little men whose enthusiasm knew no bounds.

Soon, he was seated at the position of honor. At the very head of the table, he, Reese, and the steward ate together, and it was a merry time where he found himself smiling, for the most part.

He slowly found himself liking all the dwarves, no matter how old they were. The children were pampered by the others, which was a strange sight as they looked almost the same. The teenagers spoke of their hopes and dreams. Some wanted to go into the army, while others wanted to farm or grow animals. The older dwarves were almost like doting elder brothers to those younger than them; they helped in every way they could, finding happiness in seeing others happy.

All in all, it was an unlikely family in this unlikely location that somehow existed. He was approached by many of them, with most wanting to compliment his wit, while a few wanted to quench their burning doubts about his 'kink'.

Finally, it was with a slightly heavy heart that Daneel bid goodbye to all of them. In the few hours he had left, he had decided to rest, so he was shown to a small cavern that was a lot like the quarters given to slaves, albeit in much better shape with a feather bed, to boot.

He had been told that he would be woken up when it was time. So, with nothing but focus on the goal on his mind, he stretched on the bed and relaxed.

Before he dozed off, one thought came to him unbidden, but because it was one that made him feel good, he fell asleep with a smile.

'I have a family above, and a family here. I was responsible for the loss of a family member there…I must make sure that no such thing repeats, ever. They're all precious, in their own right…and they must be protected. I will succeed, and make them happy. Lord Burrow…you'll never be able to hurt anyone else, soon! It's time to meet your end!'