Rise Of The Godking 58 The Path Of The Gluttons

It wasn't just him. A gaggle of children was also present all around, inspecting his body in the most studious way possible, staring open-mouthed at his hands and legs as if they belonged to an extinct race come alive once again.

Feeling suddenly as if he was the subject of some horrific experiment, he used his hands to support his upper body as he raised it upright, causing the children to squawk and move back.

'What the h.e.l.l is going on?'

His question was quickly answered when one of them pointed at him and shouted, "Uncle m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t is awake! Should we call the Lord commander, again?"

The old steward began to chuckle as the children talked between themselves.

"Maybe we can be of service, ourselves!"

"Yes! Who's the strongest? Father said that we should serve him in any way possible, so if he likes to be beaten, we should help, too!"

Daneel felt his face burning as understanding hit him all of a sudden. Taking his face into his hands, he groaned, seeing that his actions had been interpreted in this manner.

He couldn't really blame them, though. He still remembered that bright, broad smile that had come on his face before he fainted, but how could he tell them that it was because a voice in his head had given him some very good news?

Seeing him in this manner, the steward finally stepped forward to help.

"Go out, children! The king's brother needs some time to himself!"

"Alright! We will help later!"

With a coordinated reply, the ten dwarves left. After watching them go with a smile, the steward turned to him and asked, "If you wish to explain anything, the time is now."

Daneel fumbled for something that could perfectly explain what had happened, but he quickly saw that it might not be possible. So, going the other route, he chose the dumbest explanation possible and hoped that it would be enough.

With a shrug, he answered, "I was just happy to find out that you guys are powerful."

The Steward looked at him with one raised eyebrow, then stifle a chuckle, again.

"They're making tales about you, you know. The ones that just went out are in their teenage phase, you might say, so they're the most insufferable gossipmongers in this place. One of them even spun of a tale about how you were so happy when the king laid his hand on you mistakenly, back in the throne room."

'And that explains the ache in my back…'

His back had been hurting ever since he had woken up, but he had been ignoring it as it wasn't anything major. With another sigh, he got to his feet and said, "it's all a giant mistake. Is the king awake, yet?"

With a snort that made it clear what the man thought about Daneel's words, he answered, "Not yet. But judging from my experience, he will be in an hour or so. I have some work to take care of. Wait here. I'll come back when his Eminence awakens."

Daneel nodded with enthusiasm, suddenly anxious to be left alone so that he could discover the new skill of the system. After shooting him one last odd look, the steward left, and he had the small recovery cavern to himself.

He looked around, first, to ensure that there was no one else. All he found was a few cupboards with bandages and potions inside, so after lowering himself on to the only bad in the cavern, again, he spoke in his mind.

"Replay the notification that came before I fainted, and tell me all about the new skill!"

[Affirmative.

Replaying notification:

"Data scanned and a.n.a.lysed. Mission "Uncover the Power of the Gluttons" completed. Skill 'Power adaptation' has been unlocked.

Power adaptation: Any completely a.n.a.lysed power system can be applied to host's body on host's command

As the a.n.a.lysis of the Path of the Gluttons is complete, host can now begin training in this path.

Path of the Gluttons: In the absence of the ability to absorb energy directly, the body adjusts by choosing an aspect of absorption that will result in the same effect in a roundabout manner, along with an increase in physical strength. The effect can be discarded if needed, resulting only in the absorption of power.

There are different sub-paths that one can take, but all of them boil down to one rule: Choose an aspect, study it and understand it to facilitate conversion, convert and absorb to gain power.

The target known as 'Dwarf King' converts and absorbs the 'growth' aspect of individuals. Side effects include memory loss and r.e.t.a.r.dation of basic intelligence. Aspect of absorption is 'growth'. As a way has either not been found to separate the aspect from the energy or because the decision was taken not to do so, target has grown to a disproportionate size.

The target known as 'Madeira' converts and absorbs the vitality of an individual after taking permission. Her path is different from that of the Gluttons, but the core remains the same. Additional rules regarding permission, et cetera are present due to the nature of what she absorbs. Here also, a decision was taken to not separate the aspect from the energy.

Target known as 'Jezara/Jezaro' uses a refined version. He/she converts and absorbs ingested food into energy. A minor version of the aspect of growth is a side effect.

Target known as 'Lord Commander' has a dual path, which has exposed the fact that multiple types of absorption can be learnt, although there are drawbacks. The effectiveness of each type is reduced, and a long time period is required to be able to do so. The two paths are: absorption from food without the side effect of growth, absorption of the ability to grow facial hair, with the decision to not separate the aspect.

This target has also physically learned a method to control one's own hair over time. Such a skill does not come under any pathway of magic or strength.

Host must choose what to absorb to activate the skill.

Because the system is the one deploying the path, multiple types of absorption can be used if enough data is collected for each.

All types used by the targets scanned are available to be used by host.

At the end of the day, the Path of the Gluttons is a means to reach a higher rank in the base power ranking already learned by host from target known as 'Jezara'. It facilitates faster growth of strength, granting one power that can be used effectively only with proper training.]

Daneel sat enraptured, listening to every word that the system said. This was the first time it was being so long-winded, but he didn't mind, at all.

'A cheat! It's a d.a.m.n cheat!'

This was the thought he had gotten when it had told him that it could now allow him to absorb power in the same manner as those four individuals, who were all much, much stronger than him.

He didn't need to study the aspects they had learned to use over time like them. He didn't need to worry about side effects, or any problem that might come in his training.

Armed with the system, all he had to do was find a source to absorb, and he was golden!

Excitement and joy surged through his mind, making him feel that all the hards.h.i.+ps he had had to go through to finish the mission had been worth it. The system demanded a steep price, for sure, but when it was paid… oh, boy, did it deliver.

All of a sudden, he felt much more confident in the plan they were soon going to use to get back at the Lord. It wasn't just this; he felt more confident of the future, itself, as he now knew with certainty that his future was limitless with the system at his side.

He wanted to test it out, to see how it would feel, to know what he was capable of. In a sconce on the wall, he spotted a crystal mined in the Pit, and right away, he got a thought that made him ask the system, "Can I absorb energy from the crystals? If so, how is it different from breathing that same energy in?"

[Responding to host. Using the pathway that was unblocked, energy that is absorbed tempers host's mind, for the most part, while also having a minor effect on the strength and recovery of host's body. It can be used for sudden bursts of power, but it does not have major long-term effects. The path of the Gluttons is different because it caters only to the physical strength of the body. Hence, by absorbing the energy of the crystals using this path, host can achieve a surge in growth of might. ]

"Do it! Do it now!"

[Affirmative. Deploying Path.]

Daneel watched, agape, as a vortex formed in the air in front of the crystal. In the same way that the dwarf king had absorbed something ephemeral from his victims, a faint, misty light began to be pulled from the crystal to the swirling currents the system was creating, and then, the light entered his skin where he felt each cell in his body hungrily drink it up, as if they had been starving for weeks.

[Pausing absorption to allow for adjustion of body.]

With this message, the vortex disappeared, and although the crystal was intact, it was a lot smaller. 

Daneel raised his hands slowly and stared at them, amazed at the sheer vigor he could feel from every part of him.

"Hyeah!"

With a battlecry, he punched the stone wall beside him and grinned when he realized that he was already able to move faster than before.

Yet…when a voice appeared from the entrance of the cavern that was followed by the sound of the speaker running away, another heavy groan reached his lips, and he felt like huddling into a ball and going to sleep for an eternity.

"They were all right! I didn't want to believe it…but you are Crazy Uncle m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t! I'll go tell everyone!"