Rise Of The Godking - Chapter 97 The Masked Man 1

It took a few stunned moments for Daneel to realize that just by standing there, without moving even his eyes to blink, he was giving away so much that he needed to keep hidden.

By then, it seemed that the damage had been done, though, as the eyes of the masked man took on a knowing look, as if he had caught Daneel in a lie. For a few more instants, though, all they did was stand a few feet apart and look at each other, weighing each other up and trying to decide what their next move would be.

Daneel would have been lying if he said that he wasn’t intrigued, to say the least. Before, he had seemed just like someone who had come upon Daneel by chance, but now, it was almost as if he had been delivered by the world so that more information could be uncovered about the Mainland, and the surrounding islands.

This was also the first time he was ever hearing of a different language. True, the language spoken on Angaria and on Graiton had been different, but there had been no trouble, whatsoever, because he had had the memories of learning it to go by. This Ancient Tongue, though, seemed important, for some reason, as the past always found ways to interfere with the present even when it stayed dead.

The man had caused him to become curious, for sure, but at the same time, his cautiousness grew, as there was now something so obvious linking him to the prophecy. Once again, he felt the frustration that came from not knowing everything, and right now…the way to curing this state of his seemed to lie with the man.

Two things still bothered him, though, which made him want to put as much distance between him and the masked individual as was possible. One, despite whatever he had said, there was no reason why he wanted to travel with Daneel. And two…how had he listened to what Daneel had told the maid even though the system had been sure that no one had been nearby?

True, the system was akin to a tool. Right now, it was like a set of a master blacksmith’s tools in the hands of a novice as Daneel did not have the strength to enable it to do everything it was capable of, but still, he was sure that it should have been able to detect anyone listening in the radius of a few hundred meters.

Folding his hands, he decided to have both of these issues resolved, first, before making any decision. The masked man mimicked his actions, and looked as if he was expectantly waiting to be asked something.

“Answer two of my questions, and if I am satisfied with the answers, we might be able to travel together. First, why do you wish to travel with me? And second…where were you when I was talking to the maid? How did you eavesdrop on us?”

Daneel raised one eyebrow.

“Then you’re a thief, a historian…and also a liar. You just said that you were in the bar when it collapsed. That couldn’t have been possible if you were following Hopkins.”

Wincing, the masked man raised his hand to his head as if expecting to find his hat there so that he could use it to hide his face. Finding nothing, though, he cursed under his breath and said, “Yeah, about that…sorry. I hate being caught in a lie…but of course, lying goes hand in hand with thieving. You looked dangerous, then, so I just wanted to distance myself from any reason that I might give you to attack. Well, the truth is… I saw your fight. I saw the way the land broke because of you, and the way Hopkins was swallowed up by the earth in front of you. There is no evidence that says that you caused it all…but I don’t believe in coincidences. And I always believe in my gut. It has saved me too many times in the past for me to ignore it, so… I just want to see what fucking happens! You might or might not be connected to the prophecy. You might or might not even be the prophesied one. If I’m being frank, though, I doubt it, because there are explicit statements that talk about someone who is definitely older. You seem all of 16, or 17. No offense, but…if you are the chosen one, then these guys are all probably screwed. Still…who knows? You might grow into him. Or you might lead me to him, as there have always been those who were capable of seeking out prophesized ones.”

Daneel had felt his throat go dry as he heard that the man had witnessed everything. Immediately, he regretted his earlier decision of letting him go…but then, remembering the alternative, he almost shuddered as there was no way that he could bring himself to kill the man.

Of course, another option was to use some sort of spell to make him forget what he had seen, but Daneel doubted that he was strong enough for something like that, yet. Even if he was, he would have to use up too many crystals, and later on…what if someone found traces of it, in turn revealing the secret he was trying to keep in the first place?

As he thought about it, a fourth option appeared to him. There were too many holes in what the man was saying, and if Daneel was frank, he didn’t really like him, either. He could just let him go…and continue his journey with a changed face.

To confirm whether this plan would work, he asked the system, and sure enough, its reply gave him the confidence he needed.

[Responding to host. Physical feature alteration is capable. Only side effect is pain due to the presently weak state of host’s body.

Physical feature alteration is already being used on host’s wounds to decrease blood loss, and hasten healing. It is recommended to ingest food or energy as soon as possible to supplement system’s efforts.]

He had already guessed the second part, so he wasn’t surprised when he heard it.

And as for the first…he was no stranger to pain. So, making his decision, he looked up at the man and said, “I’m sorry, but I like traveling alone. I don’t even know how you look. I don’t think I can entrust my back to someone I’ve just met…so let us part ways here.”

Turning around, Daneel made to leave, once more, but after he took just two steps east, a sound behind him made him stop.

It was that of something solid, something made of cloth and leather falling to the ground. Curious, he turned around…and found a face that looked as if it had been immersed in fire looking back at him.

Compared to what he was seeing, Jezara’s burns seemed almost like nothing. There was so little skin left that the shape of his skull was visible. Even on that burned, pale skin, numerous criss crossings scars could be seen. His nose looked almost as if it had been bitten off, and he was missing more than a few teeth.

“This is why I choose to wear a mask. I’m not new to hellholes. I was born and raised in one, and when I found a chance to escape, I took it. That is why I’m so interested. I abandoned my people…but if it’s at all possible, I want to see them saved, too. If I weren’t sure of the fact that you have seen something of suffering, and might even be a slave, too, I would never have done this. If I’m right, then one slave to another, I ask you, brother, to take me along. Whatever you are, whoever you are, I wish to witness your deeds. I’m not saying that I’ll give up my life for you, or that I’ll do whatever you want as I have other things I need to accomplish…but I’ll be there to stand guard when you can’t. If you still don’t trust me, then fine, go where you wish. But if you have no problem with having a former slave as a companion…then come close, and we can break bread together to seal the deal.”