Rise Of The Godking

Reward: Body a.n.a.lysis Capability has been unlocked. Host"s body can now be scanned and a.n.a.lysed.]

He awoke all of a sudden, springing up and looking left and right, convinced that the a.s.sa.s.sin had returned to finish the job he had begun before.

Panting, he slowly realized that what he had heard was the voice of the system, so he tried to calm down… before remembering the circ.u.mstances surrounding his journey into the realm of unconsciousness.

Hastily, he checked his body, wondering whether he had been reduced to the same dest.i.tute state as the other slaves he had seen.

"Has the fire burned away all my muscle and strength, leaving me nothing but a thin veil of flesh hanging onto a sack of bones? I KNEW she was dangerous!"

The fear abated only when he saw that nothing had changed except his clothes. Before, he had been wearing the torn rags of his former life, rich and soft to the touch, yet hard to tear. Now, he was garbed in the grey vestments of the slaves that he had already seen.

"Wasn"t I burning?"

He hadn"t put the question to the system, but it answered anyway.

[Responding to host. Burning sensation was an illusion created by the shackling process. For the shackle to take effect, it was required that the recipient be in an extremely weakened state both physically and mentally, and the illusion was to facilitate the latter.

Host has been shackled by an object that limits both his body and mind.

Shackle can be controlled at any time to render host unconscious.

Shackle can be programmed to make host faint after host goes beyond a certain area.

Shackle has the capability of inflicting mental torture at any moment.

a.n.a.lysis done so far was using body a.n.a.lysis capability of the system. Object a.n.a.lysis must be unlocked for additional information to be uncovered regarding shackle.]

By the end of the system"s message, Daniel had begun to hate the word it had used so many times.

It took a few moments for the panting to recede, and after that, with confusion, he checked his body again.

Even then, he didn"t find that silvery bracelet anywhere. At the end, he had to pose the question to the system again to find out just what had happened to it.

[Shackle was absorbed by host"s body. It can be found, now, under the skin of host"s neck.]

The answer made his heart stop, for a second, and as he slowly raised his hands to his neck, he felt perspiration beading on his forehead.

Just the idea of having a chain around his neck like he was an animal was so revolting that he suddenly felt like using a rock that he saw nearby to rid himself of it. It was a natural impulse that had apparently been born out of the realization that he was not free, anymore, and it was really hard to control.

He managed to do so by the time his hands reached below his face and began to search, hoping to find it. At first, he felt nothing amiss, but then… when he pressed down at the exact spot between his chin and his sternum, he felt something hard press back. He groped around, tracing its shape that wound around his neck, and the more he pressed, the more it seemed to resist the force.

He continued doing so, wondering whether it could be coaxed out into the open… and finally, that was exactly what happened. Yet, it arrived with a spasm of pain that radiated outwards, affecting both his head and the rest of his body, and as he fell to the ground, shaking, it clanged on the ground beneath him.

"For the sake of your sanity, don"t try to do that again. It"s like a snake that hates to be brought out of its hole. It will bite you every time you bother it, and with each time it is forced out, the pain will increase. I know at least ten men who couldn"t resist the itch, and went mad eventually, unable to handle the pain. I tried to save them… but the Slavequeen took them away. Well, if what I"ve heard about the way she absorbs energy is true, it is at least a consolation that they must have died with a smile on their lips…"

His teeth still clacking against each other as he tried to fight against the pain, he looked up to find a face that was very welcome at the moment.

It was the kind, old healer who had helped him before. He stood leaning against the opening of the small cave that Daneel had woken up in, and it was his voice he recognized, as it was too dark to notice any details of his face.

Seeing him squint in his direction, the old man raised his hand and said, "Don"t bother. They keep it dark to remind us that they control even the sunlight that is free for everyone above ground. They also keep it dark to keep our minds muddled, and our eyes downcast, always afraid that we might trip and fall. I was convinced that your tale would end…but here you are. I don"t know yet whether I should congratulate you, or laugh like the others… but time will tell. Now, then… I expect that you must have some questions."

Walking forward, he sat down on the stone bed. The room was bare except for it, and a hole to the left that stank. There was barely enough place for two people to stand, together, and all of a sudden, Daneel felt so claustrophobic that he wanted to run back to the surface.

Seeing his eyes linger on the opening of the cave longingly, the old man guessed what was on his mind.

"Don"t. We are only allowed up if there is a hanging, or some other rare event. Rare events… like a young master being abolished, for example."

Daneel closed his eyes, hoping that it would help. It did, after a fas.h.i.+on, and he kept them closed when he asked the first question that came to his mind.

The news about the shackle was hard to digest, so unconsciously, it seemed that he had decided to distract himself so that he could forget its existence in any way possible.

He was also very curious about what the system had said, but it was best to first use this opportunity that he had found with the healer to find out more about the world that he was in. In his memories, he had been taught about how this was a prefecture under a powerful ruler…but that was all.

"Where are we? What is this place?"

During the pause that followed, it was almost like he could hear the man frown due to the unexpected question.

"I"ve seen slaves ask about what they"re supposed to do, and how they might be able to escape… so this is a first. Well, where do I start? Let"s see… I could tell you about what is taught to the children of the other three layers, or I could tell you of the history that was pa.s.sed down, tongue to tongue, for centuries. I expect that you already know the former. So, the secret tale it is…"

He gathered his breath, then, and Daneel leaned forward.

"Once, long ago, it is said that we lived on a land surrounded by the sea on all sides, but free, so free that slavery was unheard-of, and each and every child, whether born into riches or poverty, would have the chance to work hard and rise above their station. Everything changed when an enemy arrived. They had no difficulty in taking control, and casting those who resisted down to this pit, at the very bottom of the land. Slowly, it is said that the land was made to drift to become part of where they had come from, and then began the grand task. Every day, we mine these rocks for the glowing crystals that lay within. Every day, we-"

The old man continued, but Daneel had stopped listening.

When he had heard about a land surrounded on all sides, a flicker of recognition had pa.s.sed through his mind. He had been reminded of the image of a vast continent he had seen, with millions lying dead on top of it…and suddenly, a word surfaced from somewhere deep in his mind, reaching his lips and stopping there, as if it was dangerous for it to be said out loud.

"Angaria."

He didn"t know what it meant. He didn"t know what it was.

But saying it to himself, over and over again felt…good.

He knew that he had fallen to the worst possible state…but somehow, it gave him hope.

Puzzled, he began to investigate the reason behind it, but all of a sudden, the system spoke, making all other thoughts leave his mind.

[New mission: "Information Collection" is available.

Objective: Find all information about host"s present location.

Reward: World a.n.a.lysis Capability will be unlocked. ]