Rise of the Godking

As Daneel saw Alex's broad back rise and fall due to the uneven landscape, he finally took a moment to think about what had just happened on the last island.

He had been sure that the Will must be dead…but somehow, the tiniest fragment of it had survived. It almost seemed as if it had done so out of pure spite, after seeing that something artificial had taken its place, and when it had gotten a chance to rise, it had taken it despite knowing that its life would end. 

There was much to learn from such a decision, but more than that, Daneel was intrigued about the new properties of a Will that he was finding out. Only someone with a conscience could think and decide on such an action. So, when put under such duress…was it possible that a Will could grow, and gain a personality of its own?

And if this was true… could it be that the Will of the mainland, which was definitely much larger and more capable of anything that the Wills of these tiny islands could hope for, had already grown into a being that could think and decide on its own?

This was worrying, as the Will was probably the only thing that could ferret out his secrets if he did something flashy. He wished that he could know more…and of course, now that he had a method available, he decided to do just that. 

The only problem was that he didn't know how to broach the topic. Of course, he still didn't trust the man fully, so he didn't want to give away anything about himself…but at the same time, Daneel felt a strong urge to know, so for once, he threw caution to the wind and asked, "What do you know about the Will of the world? The Mainland's Will, specifically?"

His question actually made Alex stop mid-step, then turn around and glance furtively at their surroundings. Due to his impatience, Daneel almost blurted out that no one was looking, but he stopped himself at the last moment as that would raise questions regarding how he was sure of this.

Finally, after checking even the lip of a cliff nearby, he seemed satisfied that they were alone. Then, walking right up to Daneel until there were only a few inches between both of their noses, he muttered, "It's not safe. Anyone could be listening. Let us reach our destination, and then we can talk. And also…you're definitely hiding much more than I had imagined. From the way that anger controlled you, I was reasonably sure that you knew nothing about what had happened…but you know enough to suspect that it is connected to the Will. I have no fucking idea how that changes things…but we do have a lot to talk about. Come. Let's move quickly."

Alex set a faster pace, then, and Daneel hurried to catch up. He had no idea whether the man's caution was justified or not, but he decided to go along with it, for now.

Soon, they got to the teleportation matrix. Taking out a processed crystal, he moved his hand to touch it to those jutting out of the land.

Daneel almost called out to stop him. Wasn't it obvious that it was better to use the processed crystals if they got the job done, instead of wasting away this precious object, which was worth 10 times more?

He almost bit his tongue when he saw what happened next. The dead crystals glowed a dim yellow, and then, as Alex took his hand away, the processed crystal was still there, albeit looking a bit smaller than it had before.

Turning around and seeing Daneel goggling at what he had done, he said, "So you know about the Will, but you don't know that if processed crystals are used, then the amount of them used up can be controlled according to the number of people stepping in? You grow more interesting by the second. Wait… I don't even know your fucking name! Trust me to forget the important things. So…what is it?"

Daneel took a few moments to answer, committing to memory what he had just seen. There had been a certain trick to it, in the way that Alex had touched the teleportation crystals after the processed one had disappeared from his palm.

It was only then that he opened his mouth, but he paused, wondering whether it was wise to give away his real name. With a shrug and a smile, though, he spoke a moment later, remembering a vow he had made to himself back on Angaria.

"Call me Dan."

'I promised myself that I would never again conceal my identity, but I didn't know then that I would be in a situation such as this. Still…I see no reason to drop it entirely.'

With a nod, Alex stepped into the crystal, and Daneel did so, too.

In silence, they traversed four islands, and on the way, Daneel found another reason to feel happy about his decision to give in to Alex's request.

At the third island, Alex had paused and taken his time with the exit teleportation matrix before stepping into it. He had drummed his fingers on the topmost crystal in the interweaving stalactites that grew out of the ground, and when he had done so, the entire thing had flashed between three different colors before finally settling on to a fourth.

Daneel had managed to not gawk, this time, but he had still been thoroughly amazed. Both he and the system had recorded and understood what he had done: it was another trick, but the problem with this one was that as he didn't know what colors responded to which islands, it didn't matter that he had found out how to change the destination of a matrix when options were available.

It was at the fifth island that Alex once again made his way into the dome, instead of skirting around it as they had done until then. Daneel got a vague, ominous feeling as he saw him, remembering what had happened the last time, but unlike that dead land, this one seemed alive, with grass and trees all around and even crops that were similar and different from what he had seen on Angaria laid out in careful patches on both sides of the mud road they walked down.

Soon, the signs of a village lying nearby became apparent. Even Alex seemed to have relaxed; he fell back so that he strode alongside Daneel, now, and when they passed the first small, wooden hut in front of which a pair of children were playing with clay toys, he said, "Before you ask…this island is like a paradise among pockets of Hell, in a manner. You see…just a few hundred years ago, an organization on the Mainland started a business where they took over islands from which everything of value had been mined. Through some process that is proprietary, they nourished the Will so that it survived despite the absence of crystals. They then sold the islands at a lucrative price. Many were bought by individuals of power or wealth to act as holiday homes. But some were chosen by those looking to retire from the hectic life of the Mainland. This particular village was bought by one who wished to live out the rest of his years in a village similar to one he had grown up in. Apparently, it had been wiped away in one of the many wars that ravage the Mainland, so he found those interested to make new lives and set this place up. It slowly evolved into a sanctuary for those traveling between the islands. No one makes trouble here. There is even a militia comprising of a single man strong enough to kill us both easily if he wishes…so no matter what, don't even think of being violent here."

Daneel had found out so much information in just a single utterance from the man that he was dazed for a few moments. He digested it all ravenously, though, like someone starved, and by the time Alex stopped, he found himself musing about the fact that he had spoken about a period of a few hundred years as if it was yesterday.

Before he could say anything about it, though, a low stone wall with an open gate appeared in front of them, and as they step inside, Alec said in a low voice, "Welcome to Athwarf, or, literally, 'Haven' in the ancient tongue."

Daneel ignored him for once, though, as he had seen someone that he had never thought he would find here.

Unable to believe it, he looked on, and as it dawned on him that he wasn't dreaming, memory clashed with surprise in his mind.

'It's an elf. An elf! How? Am I seeing things?'