Rise of the Godking

Six islands the size of Graiton lay around one that was larger than all of them.

Silver bridges arched between each island and the one in the center. Two storeyed, three storeyed, and even four storeyed buildings could be seen on each small island, but none were taller than the magnificent edifice on the central island, clearly visible from where they stood.

It vaguely looked like an hourglass, but in fact, it was a pyramid on whose point another pyramid had been somehow placed, their tips touching. The four edges of the overturned pyramid on top were gilded with gold that shone clearly in the brilliant rays of the sun despite the distance.

The rest of it was made from some sort of burnished metal that didn't really reflect sunlight. It was easily the height of a ten storeyed building from Earth; at first glance, there seemed to be nothing else on the central island, but as he looked closer, Daneel saw that large buildings could be seen all around it, too, clustered in a way that was pleasant to the eye.

He was on one of the islands surrounding the central one, raised on a hill that overlooked the entire place. From his vantage point, he could see a large street on every island that joined the arches, and all intersected at that large building.

All six surrounding islands were laid out in an orderly fashion, as if planned by a master architect. In fact, one of them even had a beach, the water of the Endless Sea lapping harmlessly at the shore as if it did not contain all sorts of dangerous creatures that could kill millions if they ever found a way to get on to land.

"Move along, move along! You'll have plenty of time to stare later!"

A rough voice returned him to his senses. The podium on which he was standing with the teleportation matrix was large, indeed, but at least ten people had already arrived since he had stepped onto it, so with an embarrassed nod, he walked to the steps that lay in front.

Alex and the elf were already waiting for him there. He looked to the thief, expecting some sort of mockery, but instead, all sorts of complicated emotions could be seen in the man's eyes as he glanced at the central building.

"Alex…have you been here before?" He asked, getting a hunch, but with a start that betrayed the fact that the thief had gone into a reverie without him even realizing it, he replied, "None of your business. Come on."

It was different from Athwarf, where everything had been lively and fresh. There, the hubbub had been pleasant, but here, it was like the buzzing of a fly that he wished he could swat. It was intermingled with the sounds of hand-drawn carts piled with pieces of metal or food being drawn along by people on the tiled floor of the street, or those of smiths and tanneries and bakeries all going about their work and hawking their goods even if there weren't too many to listen.

They passed a few inns, but Alex didn't pause at any of them. The din seemed to be getting louder the more they went on; soon, they reached another teleportation matrix, and after stepping through it, Daneel looked all around from a similar podium and realized that he was two islands away from the one they had arrived in.

This one was a tad bit quieter, but not by too much. There were fewer people all around even though the buildings looked the same, and soon, they were stepping into an inn named 'Mercy's Abode'.

It was half the size of the one that had been destroyed due to them in Athwarf. For the first time, Daneel saw a barkeep who didn't have a belly. He had a bald head and a cleft chin that gave him a menacing look, but the moment he saw a processed crystal waved in front of him by the thief, he broke into a warm smile and ushered them into a private booth meant for five.

Even the furnishings weren't as good as both the inns they had stayed in on that haven. The wine was almost the same, though, and after taking a sip, Daneel looked at Alex, waiting for what he knew the man was going to talk about.

With a dejected sigh, the thief looked like he had forgotten what had happened between them, for once. He had been on edge ever since they had come here; even now, he was bent over his mug as if he wanted to be anyplace but where he was, and finally, when he did speak, it was in a tone that left no doubt regarding how happy he was.

"The beggar king's city. It is called 'Marillein', the City of Kindness…at least, to all those born within its borders. If you're an outsider, though… heavens help you. Yes, you might try to marry in, but you'll still be seen as an outsider who does not share the blood of the beggar king. As for who he is…"

He checked all around, once, his familiar cautiousness showing finally, but then, it disappeared as quickly as it had come, as if wiped away due to the fact that it couldn't really guarantee their privacy in a place that was so near the abode of their enemy.

"No one knows where he came from, but one day, he bought the rights to all of these islands. After calling over someone from the Mainland, he...pushed them together in a manner that had never been seen in all the islands. Construction began exactly thirty years ago, and since then, it hasn't stopped. Each of the towns on all the islands are still expanding, still growing, as if they need to hold even more people than there are right now. There are already many empty buildings that have been built and left behind, so no one knows why the man still insists on expanding his city. No one questions him, though…because in truth, he is the kindest ruler that has ever been seen in these parts. He goes out of his way to help each and every one of his countrymen, even going so far as to deplete his own wealth if it means that they can live and sleep and eat well. On multiple occasions, when others who coveted his wealth came for him, he fought them off with the help of his citizens, blacksmith, farmers and even peddlers taking up arms to repay everything he had done for them with their blood. Not many know of his business with the other islands, but everyone knows that he sells charms. He supposedly obtains them from the Mainland, so in fact, he is only a merchant, of sorts, albeit one with more power than anyone can imagine. He has an army to himself, and numerous vaults where he stores all sorts of extremely valuable magical objects that were seen being brought in. No one can fucking get to him unless he wishes it. No one can touch him without being mobbed by thousands, first. Here, he is invincible… so to me, this seems like a fool's errand."

When Alex looked up from his mug, he groaned as he noticed that Daneel's eyes were actually shining.

Mors was more amused than ever. With a smile, he looked at Daneel, too, whose mind was going through his fondest exercise: that of making plans.

He had only been hopeful before…but now, it looked like there was a very high possibility that whatever he needed to connect with the power he had left behind on Angaria would definitely be here. Along with that, the machines that he needed to help the former slaves of Graiton were also present…and now, all he needed was a way to get to them, and to the man who had tried to kill him.

At the moment, everything seemed to be against him. He was one man, with an unwilling thief and a disguised elf. Even in his own companions, one couldn't completely be relied upon, and with no other help...he needed to go up against someone who had already established themselves in such a grand manner.

Only by taking risks could one gain great rewards. And only when facing such great odds did Daneel felt the thrill of the hunt course through him, which was almost as bewitching as the rush that came from absorbing energy, or using magic.

'It's time to scheme, and although I didn't think that it would be the case… I can tell now that this is going to be fun. Well… Let's do it!'