Rise of the Godking

One hour later.

In the middle of the central mansion, once again, Daneel sat with four other people on soft backed chairs, in front of the fountain that was empty of water, now.

The smell of burned marble had finally left the place, encouraged by open windows that were ushering in the pleasant smells of many delicacies being cooked from the outside. A feast was in the making, after all, for hundreds of people who had been eating nothing but tasteless gruel for all their lives. More than that, though, it was the sounds that made Daneel smile from the very bottom of his heart.

Sounds of laughter, sounds of friends talking to friends without being afraid of being whipped, sounds of families spending time together without a care in the world, sounds of slaves finally free to experience and enjoy simple things that so many took for granted. Even a simple, deep breath of fresh air was a luxury for them, and the way he had seen many just stand, sometimes, frozen in pleasure due to the sensations of the sun on their skin and the wind on their face had been equal parts heartbreaking and pleasant.

It had been remarkable to see how each and every slave who had taken part in their bid to take revenge had suddenly transformed into people so downtrodden that they had to rediscover their own personalities as soon as they realized that they no longer needed to be bothered by anything that anyone else might say. Daneel had left the place, by then, so that they could just be themselves without the presence of him or anyone else that they might still think they were indebted to, but now, he saw that he need not have taken that step.

They had not forgotten him, and neither were they afraid that he would do anything. It seemed that that that moment where he had led that young slave to pummel the old man had cemented his position in their hearts, and every time they looked at him, the way their eyes crinkled with joy and respect was so fulfilling to behold.

Daneel had loved every second of it, but now, it was time to sit down and discuss important matters. After asking around, he had been directed to the old man who sat in front of him.

He was the leader, apparently, existing in the pits in a hidden place that had been erected at the cost of many lives. With his age and wisdom, he was said to have saved so many people who might have died if not for his advice.

Daneel had been quite surprised when he saw the old man bring along the woman who sat on the other side of him. She had changed remarkably since he had last seen her. She seemed more sure of herself, more confident in who she was and what she was, and with clear eyes that had neither fear nor disrespect, she gazed at the three of them, waiting for someone to speak.

The elf had been amused to find this out, and he had said something in the ancient tongue about the unpredictable nature of humans. As for the thief…he had been the most stunned of them all, and since then, he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of the woman.

Without wasting any more time, Daneel stood up and began to speak. They were still using the faces with which they had come to the town as they had decided that it was best to hide their identities until they were out of this place, so still looking like a young master of the grand family that had come on a secret mission, he said, "Seline. As they say, our deeds, small or big, always come back to bite, or grace us. The past is past; I would advise that you look to the future. This is exactly what we are here to talk about. We came here to scam the three of you with a certain purpose in mind. I come from a town much like yours, where we rebelled and threw down our leaders. To help all the slaves there and improve their means of living, I need to buy certain equipment from the famous individual known as the beggar king. For this purpose, I need everything in your vault. Everything must happen secretly. The leaders will be the scapegoats, and the family must be made to think that they fled with the money and the slaves. This was our plan, at least. But the main problem we see here is that no tracks must be left, and for that to happen, we need to understand what the family is capable of, so as someone who has been in contact with them for years, we were hoping that you might be able to help us."

In the silence that followed, the woman pursed her lips in thought, and replied in a clear tone while Alex bent forward and the elf inclined his ears in her direction.

"It was obvious that you must have come for the money…but what you did for the slaves is a pleasant surprise, and a welcome one, of course. Others would have killed everybody and just left with the crystals. I believe you, and of course, I would like to help in any way I can. Everything in the vaults belongs to you now, of course, and so does the loyalty of all those free in Larefa. On the island where I was trained, I heard stories about how even a scrap of dirt that someone might have tread on could be used to track anyone that the family wants found. They are people who place too much store in their reputation, and hence, they are known to call upon experts from the Mainland even if the cost might not justify the task. This is a problem, indeed…and I doubt that even with the magic that Sir Elf is capable of, you will be able to erase all traces from such experts. Am I right?"

The way she talked made it seem as if she was someone who had found themselves after a long, long time, and was just enjoying this opportunity to be herself and speak without inhibitions, for once. It was actually liberating to see her in this manner, as before, it had felt as if she had been wound up by many strings the Daneel and, perhaps, she, herself, couldn't see. What she was saying was worrying, though, but expectantly, Daneel looked to Mors…and frowned when he saw the elf shake his head.

"I'm afraid I am not capable of such a feat. I know of those she talks of; there are people who have made tracking their life's work. I've heard that they can even pick up scents left in the air even if they are a year late. If those people come after is…they will find this, no matter where we run to. When we embarked on this mission, we did not know that the family would be involved, or that they are so prideful as to resort to such a thing. So…"

"We're fucked. We have the money, we have the slaves, but after we leave, those hounds will be at our doorstep. We won't even be able to run long. Even in my study of history, I did not hear such a thing about the family."

Outwardly, Daneel made his frown depend, looking as if he was completely stymied due to the problem. In his mind, though, he was trying to search for a way in which he wouldn't have to expose the capabilities of the system.

He had no doubt whatsoever that if he gave it the task, it would definitely erase any and all signs that even those experts might try to use. In the worst case, even if that was not possible, with its extensive computational capabilities, he knew that it would be able to create enough tracks to confuse anyone who wanted to come for them.

It was too much of a risk to show that he could do these things, though, so with narrowed eyebrows, he began to pace around.

Everyone seemed to be thinking of the problem. Everyone except the old man, at least, who was smiling at the empty air, completely unconcerned, and perhaps even unaware of what they had just talked of.

However…a few minutes later, it was he who spoke, and it was his words delivered in a slow, but steady voice that made Daneel freeze, blink, then stare, feeling foolish about the fact that he had severely underestimated the value of the wisdom that came with age.

"Does no one have any other option? Well, it seems I must step in, then. Before I begin, I must beg your pardon if I end up speaking a lot…it is the first time that I have a chance to just say what I want without being afraid of the guards hearing me and descending on us like wolves. Down below, in the deepest parts of the pits where I hide, there is a part of the island that was left alone. Slaves have been collected here from other islands, bought in auctions or through other means. They carry stories, and I have always been interested in collecting them. There is one particular story about such a place, and something that can be achieved if it is destroyed. So… would sinking this island into the sea solve your problem? If so, I might just have the solution…"