Chapter 30: The Mechanic and the Last of the Feldroks Part 2

Daniel does his best to comfort Hekate. She knows now that they've found the Feldrok. While it was his intention, he had hoped Hekate would have been able to resolve herself. But then, maybe the Feldrok does emit a fear aura or something of the like. Even now, it's only sleeping, and Hekate couldn't even bear to glimpse it without shutting down in panic.

She was crying, and she's still hyperventilating. It may not get through to her, but he reassures her, "Hekate, I'm going to kill this thing for you, alright?" He kisses her forehead, and she locks up, stunned. The tears don't stop flowing, but he can't waste time. There's no telling if or when the Feldrok will wake up. Now is the perfect time.

He takes the magic bag off of his waist and lays it in front of Hekate. She can use it if he doesn't make it. But, he's optimistic. Assuming dragons were CAPABLE of killing Feldroks, that would indicate physical attacks. And, although it was difficult, he was able to make pseudo sabot rounds with shards of dragon teeth for a handful of the rounds for his rifle. Thankfully, dragons seem to go through teeth similar to sharks, so they have lots of extras and loosened teeth of all sizes, depending on what they eat.

Daniel takes one last stabilizing breath for himself. He's admittedly scared, but he's scraped by in this world a few times now. At this moment, he has the advantage, and he's convinced he can win. He just has to be mentally prepared and ready.

Daniel whirls around the corner quickly jogging as quietly and quickly as he can to get closer. The Feldrok is still sleeping on the big pedestal at the back of the room, seemingly napping in the sunlight that is pouring in through a massive hole that is acting as a skylight. 

Seeing it in clear daylight, the Feldrok is truly majestic. It reminds Daniel of a black, winged version of a monster in a video game he liked; a dragon-like being that shared many traits of a fox. The Feldrok has raven-like wings on its back, curled in against its torso and obscuring its arms and legs as it naps on the pedestal. And, its big, broad… bushy tail is curled around its body.

Though it looks properly like a dragon in most respects, it reminds Daniel quickly of a certain companion of his.

However, he can't think about that right now. Whether she's somehow related to Feldroks or not, Daniel promised he would deal with this one. 

He drops to a kneel when he's in a comfortable range. His 'rifle' isn't actually rifled properly, and he didn't have the luxury of machining any of the equipment or stamping out the bullet casings. Instead, he forged them all in a manner similar to making a cannon loaded with mini cannons, in a simplified sense. It was the best he could do with his means, but it does the job, and he already has two dragons and a drake under the strike of his modern weapon's unprecedented firepower.

Daniel lowers into a prone position on his stomach, carefully taking aim. The Feldrok only shifts a little. The way it's laying, its chest is exposed in a large enough area for him to see. He knows many of the creatures of this world are structurally similar to their Earthly counterparts. In general, the hearts of most terrestrial creatures are located in their chests. If Daniel can do enough concussive or traumatic damage to the chest, there's a high chance he can stop the heart of even ferocious beings like a dragon or a Feldrok… he hopes. He's relying on the penetration of his modified rounds.

And, in his prone position, he won't be able to escape, meaning his only option is to launch as many attacks as he can in quick succession. Daniel's rifle doesn't have a magazine, unfortunately, because it was too complex to assemble the extractor and other parts of the bolt, let alone the pieces that are supposed to allow only a single bullet to feed in from the magazine, instead of jamming the bolt with two bullets trying to load at the same time.

So, he feeds each bullet in through the breach after the previous shot is extracted. In this case, he'll have to cycle the bolt, reload, close the bolt, and aim all in as little time as possible. He grips two bullets in his left hand, ready to reload as quickly as possible.

Now or never.

Daniel takes careful aim down his iron sights. That's the other major reason he wants to be close for his shots. Without rifling and machined tolerances, he can never hope to be able to take out targets at over a mile away, in spite of his rifle's power easily being capable of putting a bullet that far away with deadly power. He puts makeshift earplugs into his ears.

Daniel's courage wavers, but he boosts himself with a silent conversation in his head.

'Hey Daniel! What've you been up to this week?'

'Oh, you know… Invaded a castle. Murdered an unkillable mythical god-monster. Ate some dragon meat. The usual.'

Daniel pulls the trigger.

BOOOOOOOM!

The blast hits fast and hard. The recoil kicks like a direct shot to his shoulder. Smoke and fire fill his vision.

Daniel can't delay, though. His right hand snaps up to the bolt, ripping it up and back as fast as he can. He can see the glint of the empty casing fling out of the breach, and he slaps one of the spare rounds he has in his left hand in as quickly as he can, slamming the bolt forward and down. He ensured to put enough strength into it right away. He can't have it stick on him and cost him precious time.

The shadow moves, startled awake by the first shot. It raises its head, bellowing a confused roar.

Daniel fishes in his non-magic shoulder bag with his left hand as he aims with his right, pivoting against the bipod anchor. As soon as he can definitively define the Feldrok's shape as it still is trying to make sense of its sudden attack, Daniel fires again.

BOOOOOOOM!

The Feldrok cries out in startled pain. Without a thought, Daniel pounds the canister he fished out of his bag on the ground, and it immediately begins billowing thick white smoke. Daniel casts it just in front of himself and scrambles to his feet, darting to the side, withdrawing and throwing a couple more. The room begins to fill with a cloud of smoke, and Daniel continues his strafe out behind the Feldrok. It looks like it's lowering its head, and he reloads the rifle with his third round on the run. 

The ground shakes as something impacts, perhaps the Feldrok stomping or slamming its tail.

However, as Daniel takes a couple of breaths to pump himself up and charges towards the Feldrok's back, he stumbles to a slow stop.

Blood is pooling on the pedestal, and some is already pouring down over the edge of the pedestal.

It's not especially high up, and Daniel is able to climb up with ease. The humongous, bushy tail of the giant being is like a giant pine tree, but pitch black, and all at once, Daniel is certain of several things that he should be more surprised by, but he needs to finish the fight.

Daniel keeps the rifle trained on the Feldrok's chest until he can clearly see its head. The creature is truly humongous. In all honesty, it's a tragedy that he is killing it. It's majestically beautiful, and though it behaved like a monster and was Hekate's true obstacle to claiming the castle, it is likely a treasure of this world in its own right.

Once Daniel is approaching its head, he aims at the head. He can see where his shots are dribbling blood, but it's clear that his hopes were founded; the real damage was done inside.

"A… human…?"

Daniel flinches, halting. He feels sick almost instantly. "Y-... You were sentient?"

The eye opens slightly, and Daniel's grip tightens on his rifle's grip, ready to squeeze the trigger.

However, it seems to have no strength remaining.

"In a sense, yes, but in effect, no."

"I don't understand, but if we can talk, hang on. I have some potations…"

"Do not fret, human. You've done the right thing. I am not this child. The child before you was lost… alone for all his life. He never had a single guiding voice, only the death of those around him."

Suddenly, the Feldrok's eye color changes, and the voice shifts a little.

"Feldroks are unique in this world. The life energy of those we fell in battle is absorbed into our own. The child before you was present in its egg when the last of us died. Without guiding voices to care for it, it was already powerful, but unable to do anything but become feral."

Daniel listens patiently. He's cautious, but the Feldrok hasn't moved a muscle. Again, the eye color changes once more.

"A feral Feldrok is the epitome of danger in this world. Every creature it destroyed, it gained more power. Eventually… it would become something unstoppable that would threaten this entire world."

Daniel is silent for a long time. He finally replies, "I understand… But…"

"The girl… You've done the right thing, and we will not cease to be. It'll be some time before the girl can hear our voices, but we will aid her when the time presents itself."

"So it's true. Hekate is…?"

"Yes. The little one near you is a Feldrok child."

Sounds about right… thinks Daniel to himself.

Suddenly, the first voice of the Feldrok makes the grim request.

"Finish your mission, human. The Citadel is now yours, and will answer your call behind this pedestal. Our power, as well as that of this child, shall become that of the girl, Hekate."

"A-... Are you sure? If you can control…"

"This child is unconscious. The extent of our control, even if he were merely asleep, is what you see now, and would risk awakening him. Finish your mission, human. You will know our words when we are able to speak to your companion."

"You won't manipulate her, will you?"

"No. We were a peaceful race by nature, but were forced into war. If we can cling to existence through one child…"

"Time is short," cuts in the third voice. "Finish your work human, and thank you… It is tragic, but thank you for freeing this one from madness. And please, don't let his form go to waste."

Daniel hesitates, but he nods gently. "I look forward to the next time we are able to talk. Even indirectly. Take care of him and Hekate, and please rest in peace."

With that, Daniel makes sure to aim carefully. This time, he wants to end all suffering as instantly as possible. He aims for the eye towards the mass of the skull; the softest point and in towards its brain. He can see the color fade from its eye, and he pulls the trigger.

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BOOOOOOOOM!

As Hekate stares at the shadow beyond the white smoke being backlit by the sun, she's ripped out of her trance by a third shout of the god of thunder. She reacts by flailing back, but suddenly, her heart races anew.

This time, it's not pure fear. Her feet and hands move on their own. She scrambles up and sprints across the massive room, darting through the smoke. Every step, she picks up speed as resolve washes over her. She's not thinking as she does, but her thoughts begin to catch up.

No! Daniel! I have to save him!

She flashes through the room, putting herself between the Feldrok and Daniel as she unleashes all of her magic in every element she can summon; fire, stone, lightning, darkness, ice, wind, water, light, death; all but healing magic. While she does so, she uses her body to push backwards into Daniel, forcing him away from the magical monster.

It only registers as she and Daniel flop onto the ground below the pedestal and he wrestles her arms to stop her.

"Hekate! Hekate! Calm down! It's over! It's dead!"

She finally cuts off the elemental magic with a final fizzle of fire, glancing over her shoulder at Daniel as he hugs her arms to her with his own. "We did it, Hekate. The Feldrok is dead."

Hekate looks up at the pedestal, where even now, the Feldrok hasn't moved. It didn't shift when Hekate launched her attack. It didn't flinch. It didn't sigh. It didn't wake up. It's not even breathing. And, now that she looks, its blood is pouring down the pedestal.

It all sinks in.

The god of thunder is none other than the sorcerer currently hugging her. His staff, which launched three consecutive and deadly attacks, is the item that called forth the wrath of the gods themselves, striking down the most powerful living creature in the world.

Daniel holds Hekate for a long while, and she finally blinks her disbelief away. She looks over her shoulder. "Daniel?"

"It's dead, Hekate. The Citadel will soon be ours."

Her eyes water, and she twists in his arms to hug him. "DANIEL!" She begins sobbing. He doesn't seem to understand -or, he feigns ignorance at least-. She's not crying because she's happy. She's crying because she thought she had lost him forever. Which, of course, is cause for happiness that it wasn't the case, but she still hasn't gotten over the terror and feelings of loss.

After a while, Daniel finally urges her to let him up. "We need to collect our spoils, right? Don't want anyone else to come after us." He takes his magic bag back from her, and he extracts one of the giant ones. He murmurs, "Hmmm… Both of these are getting kinda full. Here's hoping." He begins putting the Feldrok into the bag.

A Feldrok. One of the deadliest and most powerful beings in the world.

The monster that dragons fear.

The leviathan that Daniel defeated.

Like it was nothing more than a goblin, he stows the feral Feldrok's corpse and collects his terrible staff. He slings it over his shoulder and looks at Hekate, who is still standing in a dumbfounded stupor. She spots a glint on the floor, and she jogs to it. It smells of metal and chemicals that have burned, and she picks it up. She jogs to Daniel, offering it to him. He smiles. "Oh! Thank you. That's a spent shell casing, though, so it's not a crisis if I don't collect them."

She cocks her head. He takes it, sticking it into his magic bag, and says, "It's not useful unless I can reload it." He pulls out a similar tube-shaped object, except that it has a cone sticking out of the top. She flinches. Peeking out of the tip of the cone is a bone like material, though its coloring could only be a tooth.

He's using dragon teeth as catalyst? That would make sense. But… how powerful does someone need to be to…?

She swallows hard. Daniel seems so calm and… normal. He's his usual self, even after what he just accomplished.

He then looks towards the back of the room. "Now… to deal with that."

There, standing next to a strange pillar with a glowing light on the surface, is a humanoid golem with a rigid head instantly reminiscent of a Feldrok.

Without a second longer of pause, Daniel walks towards the golem. Hekate jumps into step with him, but she keeps behind him, whimpering, "Daniel…"

"It'll be alright, Hekate. I have it on good authority that this will go alright for us."

As he approaches, the golem looks at them. It begins spouting words, but all of them are different languages for the words, "[Please speak.]"

Daniel asks, "Any chance you can understand it, Hekate?"

Suddenly, the golem says in its mechanical, hollow voice, "Eastern Imperial Trade. Acknowledged. I am the caretaker of the Citadel. As my master asked me to ensure the survival of knowledge, I am to assist you in maintaining the Citadel. Please place your hand here, Master." It gestures at the pillar next to it.

Daniel looks at Hekate. "Well? Go ahead."

Flabbergasted, Hekate glances at the golem and then at Daniel. And then, she repeats.

"What's wrong? You wanted the Citadel, right? Looks like to truly conquer it, we have to do what this guy says."

She shakes her head. She tries to gesture with her hands as she speaks in demon common. "[No! Daniel! We can't! It could be cursed!]"

The golem looks at her, and then at Daniel. Daniel states, "I can't understand you, Hekate. Just go ahead and touch it."

"NO!"

The golem translates, "The young one is afraid of curses, but I assure you this Citadel is carefully moderated."

"See?"

"NO!" snaps Hekate. "[That's exactly what it would be programmed to tell us!]"

She tries to block him. 

Daniel sighs. "Mr. Caretaker, the Citadel can be transferred again, right?"

"Correct. The procedure is the same."

"Good." With that, Daniel instantly picks Hekate up effortlessly and sets her to the side. He steps up, fending off her frantic attempts to stop him. He places his right hand on the pillar, and it instantly glows.

The golem lets out a sigh of immense relief as its shoulders slump, shocking both of them. It states, "Finally… It's been so long since anyone has enabled our functions. Would you like to engage maintenance protocols, Master?"

"You're… an artificial intelligence?" asks Daniel in surprise. Hekate has no idea what that meant, but neither does the golem by its answer.

"Artificial…? Not quite. My former Feldrok masters engaged in many artforms. In this case, I am a soul-bound golem. A volunteer became the golem before you, in charge of the Citadel's maintenance program. Would you like to begin?"

"Not yet. Soul bound?"

"Yes. It's a process by which…"

"A living soul is crammed into a golem, right? A living being was turned into a power source."

"Your surprising knowledge aside, your interpretation is a little inaccurate. I am still myself. I did in fact volunteer, and I am proud. I would have died otherwise, and instead, became a faithful and honored servant of the Feldroks and their most precious home."

"What about your life? Family? Friends?"

"I lived my life. I have no regrets. I've been waiting centuries for someone to be able to restart maintenance."

"What happened?"

"As you can see, the Citadel fell into a state of disrepair in the last war. An apprentice of one of our younger masters, a dragon, learned enough to disable the Citadel, and they were able to defeat all but three of the masters here. The second eldest perished today."

"You considered that one your master?"

"Indeed. Though, communication was impossible, it was a child of my original masters. I would have maintained its home had it simply activated the system."

Daniel nods now that he knows the basic gist of things. "I have lots more questions, but I'll pick your brain in a minute. I want you to transfer control of the Citadel to Hekate, here."

The golem cocks its head. "I cannot."

"You just told me you could before I touched the panel."

"Correct. The procedure is the same. For me to recognize a new master, you will have to cease to exist."

Daniel sucks his teeth, and Hekate flinches. She glances in terror between them both. Daniel turns towards Hekate, and she shouts, "NO! NO NO NO NO NO! NO! No, Daniel. NO!"

He chuckles. "I haven't even said anything."

She points at him, saying in a fiery tone, "NO!"

As they stare at each other, the golem finally chimes in. "If I may, Master; with your permission, I can add administrators to the Citadel's systems. If killing you isn't an option to begin with, it's the next step down from the Master."

"What can administrator do?"

"Anything a master can, save override the master. Conversely, the master can override or veto any action of any administrator. And, only the Master can assign new administrators. Those are the only differences."

"I see."

"Additionally, there are guest roles intended for villagers and servants, as well as intermediary roles that can be customized to the needs and desires of the Master."

"That's handy."

"Obviously, I have already added your wife as a guest presence. All others in the Citadel will be purged once maintenance begins. Repairs will follow."

"Wife…? Oh, you mean Hekate. Please make Hekate, here, an administrator, then, please."

"Acknowledged. If I might make a request, Master…"

"Yes. Please tell me how to activate maintenance."

"Thank you."

Hekate watches as the golem guides Daniel through using the 'panel', as Daniel and the golem refer to it, and Daniel operates it as if it were something he's been using all of his life. It's strange, but then, Daniel is a strange person. If he was secretly a Feldrok, Hekate wouldn't be surprised at this point.

It's a long process of finger-swiping and tapping on the panel, 'activating this function' and 'reestablishing that channel'. While Daniel seems to understand, it all flies over Hekate's head. She watches nervously. She doesn't feel any different, now that she was an 'administrator' of the Citadel.

However, whatever they're doing seems to work. Suddenly, light fills the room they're in; not just from the sunlight. Magic stones on the walls and ceiling illuminate, filling the room with natural and comfortable light.

Daniel remarks, "Nice. Can I change the brightness and color?"

"Of course, Master."

And, just like that, Daniel dimmed them to a soft blue color. He chuckles. "Look at that. Feels just like home."

"I'm surprised, Master. I didn't think Humans had low-light vision."

"We don't. But, I liked to keep my house a little darker, personally. It'd… be a bit of a challenge to explain the whole thing. Though, this is a pleasant surprise."

"The Citadel is yours to do with as you please, Master."

With that, doors open around them, and Hekate flinches, keeping her back to Daniel; the only safe direction in the world.

However, golems march in a small army. Some instantly begin making a loud whining noise, and Hekate snarls. However, the golems that started making extra noise are sliding something across the floor, while the others march into other locations. Some crawl up the walls. Others have swords and shields, but they march past Daniel, Hekate, and the Caretaker, splitting up at the hallway and continuing on their way.

The Caretaker explains, "Maintenance protocols active. Are there any further allies in the Citadel, Master?"

"No. But, if there are any sentient races, I'd like your golems to try to communicate first and place them under arrest. We'll decide what to do with them."

"There are a handful of goblins, orcs, and beast folk, Master. I expect hostility."

"If you can immobilize them and contain them, I'd prefer that. Can you speak every language?"

"Indeed. The Citadel's systems can translate intent from any language that processes thought. Even animals produce 'thought', though communication is generally much less successful, depending on the species."

"I see. I don't mind if animals and sentients flee, so please don't attempt to trap them if they are fleeing towards the exit."

"Understood, Master, but what of their life essence?"

Daniel looks at Hekate. She flinches, pointing at herself. She asks, "Daniel?"

Daniel replies, "She doesn't need every drop of death. We'll manage. Can she really absorb all of that from here?"

This shocks Hekate, and she wants answers. "Daniel!?"

However, the golem answers him first. "No. Specifically, the Citadel's magic channels collect the life essence, and it can be extracted at various locations. Shall I guide you to them?"

"Later, thank you. I assume that includes what the other one accomplished?"

"Indeed. Though, in both his and Lady Hekate's cases, some is absorbed on the spot if they were close enough at the time of death. Regrettably, only the magic channels were functioning all this time. Fortunately, this has created an enviable stockpile for Lady Hekate."

"I see. Thank you."

"DANIEL!?" snaps Hekate, demanding attention.

Daniel sighs. "Hekate, I don't know all of your circumstances, but… I'm pretty confident you're a Feldrok."

She stares at him, blinking only once. She shakes her head. "No."

He nods. "Yes."

"No."

"Master speaks the truth, child. It is why you are able to naturally understand languages, even if you can't speak them. It's also why you can use all elements of magic with ease." It gestures towards the pedestal, where a couple of golems are mopping up blood and sweeping up ash and icicles. "And, did you not notice your growing power as you and Master defeated monsters?"

Hekate fidgets. She glances at Daniel. "It seems that Feldroks gain strength from those they defeat. And… your tail and ears definitely looked like the one we defeated today."

She twitches, and then she looks at her own tail, touching her ears. 

Daniel then asks the Caretaker, "Is there a way to teach her spells here? It would be extremely helpful if she could learn the spell that teaches to speak and write."

The Caretaker nods in agreement. "Indeed. The library has all of-..." It pauses. "It has sustained damage. I won't make promises I can't yet guarantee, Master, but I shall have units catalog the contents of the library as soon as the library floor is cleared. While intruders are being purged or contained, please make yourselves comfortable in this room. Personal quarters are still being purged and will need cleaned."

Daniel understands completely. "Thank you. Hear that, Hekate? If we can find the spell for languages, hopefully you can learn it pretty quick."

She nods with a slightly distant expression, still disbelieving everything happening. Daniel requests politely, "I don't want to be too demanding, but is it possible for us to get some chairs, then?"

"Of course, Master. Allow me." The Caretaker golem proudly serves, and it seems to give a silent signal to its workers. It then states, "You also don't have to pass courtesy to myself or any of the other units. We exist to serve the Master."

"You say you were a person. I'd like to think we can get along better than mere Master and servant. Thank you for everything so far."

The golem cocks its head, but it bows its head politely. "Very well, Master. Your courtesy is appreciated."

After a few moments, a few more worker golems appear with a pair of chairs. They're not particularly fancy, but Daniel thanks them and takes a seat, positioning himself in front of the panel. From there, he asks the Caretaker what functions are available to him.

The Caretaker guides Daniel through the various screens in the panel. Hekate tries to sit on her knees to watch, leaning on Daniel's shoulder to see better. Again, even though he didn't seem to know what the Citadel was before this day, Daniel operates the control panel like a natural, which the Caretaker remarks on.

Even Hekate notices when he deflects with a simple nervous chuckle.

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