Rise of the Godking - Chapter 77

With a large group of dwarves, slaves and refinery workers behind him, Daneel waited in front of the large crimson crystal formation that, until now, had been covered with bones all around to warn the slaves going into the Pit about the fate waiting for them if they were even a tad bit belligerent.

The crimson color was still menacing to look upon, but it was a whole lot better without those macabre remains souring the site. Beside him stood Reese, his skin covered with bandages and his face with a few more lines that there had been before the beginning of Daneel's plan.

Behind them both stood the old man whose hospitality Daneel might never be able to pay back, and as one, they kept their eyes on the crystals to see them glow, and result in a scene that no one had ever thought would come to be.

As they all continued their vigil with bated breath, Daneel thought of what had happened in the past few hours. He had only been able to rest for a few minutes before getting up reluctantly without even finding a chance to talk to the system as he was intent on finding where his friend had gone to, and after an hour's search, he had found the answer in the form of a jail cell deep in the headquarters of the enforcers on the surface.

Many of them had run away, but a dew had still put up resistance in the building. They had been easily swept aside after being told about how the surface was no longer under the control of Harrold, and a few had even come over, talking about how they had always wanted to switch sides, but had never found the opportunity to do so as Harrold had always been known for his bloodthirstiness.

Daneel had viewed all these people with the impassive eyes of a judge, watching but not passing judgment on whether they deserved to transition so easily from their previous lives into what they would be now. He had specially kept a lookout for the special enforces of the master who experimented on bodies for reasons unknown, but alas, they seemed to have fled, too, and he had found no sign of them.



Daneel's anger had flared when he had seen his old friend. He had been discarded like a dog kicked repeatedly until it could not move. A pool of blood had even formed around him, and for an instant, Daneel had thought that he might have to go on another killing spree to satiate the fury that had burned anew within him.

Thankfully, after feeling the faintest hint of a breath, he had called upon the best healers on the surface who attended to his friend's wounds, and had declared that they had only been shallow as the master had been quite clear on the fact that anyone taken had to be kept unscathed, for the most part, so that untold torture could be done to them in full view of all the netizens of the town.

A small smile came to Daneel's lips as he remembered it. The way the two men had a clutched at each other so desperately had made him remember his own parents… which had been something both bitter and sweet, causing him to go through his memories of all the immeasurable love he had received, and all the love he had yet to give.

His thoughts lurched to a halt when the crystals glowed, and cheers went up behind him.



As the dwarf king appeared on the surface for the first time, his head blotted out the sun which had begun to set, causing all those in front of him to fall into shadow. For a moment, Daneel felt such awe that he widened his eyes and ran them up and down the man's body, extremely happy with the fact that he had made a recovery, and was standing in front of them, resplendent and supreme among all the others whom he could crush with a single movement.

He then had to squint to bring the dwarf king's gaunt face into focus, and as soon as he saw it, he broke out into a smile that mirrored the one on that giant canvas.

Despite the shrunken nature of his body that had been aggravated due to his recent exertions, the dwarf king seemed… happy. He looked all around, avidly drinking in everything he was seeing, and after laying his eyes on the children at his feet, he threw back his head and roared out a gale of laughter that echoed in the town, over and over again.

Hearing it, even the few slaves who had stayed inside for various reasons walked out, blinking with astonishment when they laid their eyes on the giant, and understood that it had been no exaggeration to call the man so.

Daneel hadn't really given instructions after going to Harrold's residence, so the dwarves had freely mixed with everyone they could find and had proudly talked of their heritage, their king, and their 'crazy masochist uncle'.

Many hadn't believed them, but they had still fallen into deep thought as they could figure out no other explanation for the existence of all the halfmen. Now, with the arrival of the king, there was no more doubt regarding their origin, and walking forward, Daneel declared, "Welcome to the surface, brother! Your wish stands fulfilled. The town is ours. The people are saved. Many of the nobles who deserve death have died… and although a few remain, they shall be judged quickly, as soon as I have a chance to rest."

The dwarf king nodded, his eyes tightening a bit when Daneel said the word 'noble'. He opened his mouth to speak, but he paused and suddenly shook with what could only be rage as he saw something behind him.

Turning, Daneel saw that a few of the nobles who had been confined to their homes had come out to see what all the ruckus was about. They stared just as stunned as all the others at the giant… but when they met his red-hot eyes, they shuddered before immediately ducking back into their mansions whose roofs that they had walked onto to see what was going on.

It took a few moments for the giant's anger to calm down. Then, taking a deep breath that sounded like the warning signs of a tornado, he bellowed, "Dwarves, slaves, workers! You—"

Daneel had been expecting a good speech that would impress all those present, and give root to what he had said. However… before he had a chance to launch into it, the dwarf king broke into a series of coughs, and while holding one hand to his mouth, he turned around, as if not wishing to have his vulnerability seen by his children, and the others who had been startled by his magnificence until now.

Daneel frowned. Stepping forward, he stood in front of his brother and turned around to address all those gathered.

"The dwarf king is still injured from the great effort he had to take to help subdue the powerful servants of the master. Without him, what we have today would not have been possible. Go back to the town; continue the tasks that have been assigned to you. We shall speak to you again soon."

Daneel's eyes were such that they brooked no argument. Many nodded and immediately began to turn away and leave, and even though a few lingered, they merely looked between him and the giant and then decided that he was telling the truth.

After a few moments, Daneel turned around and saw the giant look at him gratefully. He then began to stomp onwards, into the land surrounding the town, and with curiosity slowly beginning to bubble inside him, Daneel followed.

They walked in silence, the giant's footsteps making the ground shake while Daneel had to keep his eyes firmly set downward so that he wouldn't trip and fall due to the undulating landscape. They kept walking and walking, farther than he had ever been, and soon… they reached a spot that seemed no different, at first glance.

But when the giant raised his hand thoughtfully and searched for something in the air, then took a step forward and disappeared… Daneel blinked, and the system spoke in his mind.

[Illusion formation detected.]

With haste, he walked forward, too… and felt his jaw drop as the world suddenly changed.

They were the very edge of the land, where it fell away…to glittering, blue water below that crashed against the stone bedrock, causing spray to jump into the air with loud 'BOOM!'s that he could only hear now.

The sky was no longer cloudless. The dry, muddy land had disappeared, and in its place was a small grassy area before the edge of the cliff where the air smelled of salt. Daneel was instantly taken back to the first time he had seen the Endless Sea from Angaria. This was the same; he knew it in his very bones, apart from a few differences he quickly picked up after stepping forward to the edge, where the dwarf king had reached.

Islands dotted the sea everywhere. The closest one was a few tens of kilometers away, so it was still easily visible. It seemed to be covered in a yellow dome that showed nothing inside, but Daneel was sure that what he had seen of Graiton until now must be visible inside there, too.

There were so many islands that they took his breath away. At least a hundred of them could be seen dotting the water, and as his eyes wandered past them… he finally saw the place he had actually intended to come to, but had been sidetracked as he had had no other option.

The Mainland was so vast that it filled the horizon, its yellowish earth seeming so far away, yet finally, within reach.

Its sheer size was beyond his comprehension. From just the part he could see vaguely, he could tell that it was at least a hundred times the size of Angaria, which could be said to be as big as the biggest continents on earth.

His mind going blank, he stared and stared at where his future lay, and finally, when the dwarf king spoke, he only half heard the man.

"We had only heard of it… and we never thought we would see it with our own two eyes. It is… magnificent. And also utterly demoralizing, at the same time. How can we fight so many? How can we hope to go against all that might? One step of the journey is done… but it might just be that it was the easiest one. Brother, what we… No, what you have achieved is incredible, but will it last? That is the question. For the truth is that this is not the first rebellion that has succeeded… and if it fails, we will not be the first hopeful slaves who have been put down over all these islands. The true test begins now. Either we find a way to float… or we sink down, back to the Pit, or even back to somewhere deeper, where lies hell. But no matter how it ends… we are happy to have journeyed with you. Long live Graiton!"