A Meeting(1)

A half-hour later, Daneel burped happily and patted his bloated stomach.

He had relished each and every morsel with the enthusiasm of a man starved for decades. The system's exertion had left him drained, so in front of him was an empty table that would have easily fed more than than the two enforcers snoring peacefully on the ground.

He stretched, his hands up in the air and his legs finally leaving the resting spots they had enjoyed until now. They left a black spot on the cheeks of both enforcers, but the two were so out of it that even when Daneel stood up after pushing back the chair noisily, they didn't wake up.

Seeing that he still had some time before the show began, he went over his plan once more. That moment when he had put aside all his fear outside the door seemed to have worked wonders, as he felt none of it now, even though he knew the risks perfectly. Caution was his friend, but he was keeping it at arm's length while his hand was around a different mate whom he had reconnected with: courage.

Satisfied with all of it, he decided to take a tour of the house he was in. He had a certain motive behind it, but he wondered whether he would have the chance to fulfill it. The house was the same as the one he had been shown by the old man, except for a small area where weapons were kept. There were two swords and three knives, all polished recently until they could be used as mirrors.

It was in a certain corner of the kitchen that he finally found what he was looking for. This was the best meal he had eaten in a very long time, and he had been loath to think that it might be the last, too, in an even longer period that would soon follow. So, he had been hoping that these bastards might have stored away more food… and sure enough, their cache was plentiful.

Looking around, he opened the cupboard and found a cloth bag inside. It had red stains on one side that looked oddly like they had been made by blood, but it had been washed recently, and there was nothing else nearby.

A minute later, Daneel tied the knot on the sack and heaved it in his hands with a wide grin. It was filled to the brim with meat and mead that would make any inhabitant of both the layers he had seen so far go crazy, and even though he had not placed any restraint on himself during the feast just now, he resolved to let that be a one-time thing as he wanted to make this treasure last for a long time.

Walking out the door, he looked down the street and saw that it was empty. The old man had said that this was what one might call 'night', outside, as the refinery was supposed to be left to its own devices for some time before being used again every day. Hence, all of the heavily worked inhabitants were definitely sleeping. A few enforcers would be patrolling the streets, but he faced none of them on his way back to the old man's house.

When he arrived, he saw the old healer's father passed out on the porch, his face still set with worry. After all, Daneel had dropped a bomb and left, but the man seemed to have drunk too much to have enough energy to pursue him.

Stepping over him, he carefully stashed the food in his little room before carrying the old man to his bed.

"Mmm… Sebastian… Don't fight with Reese… Give him…the toy…"

Just as he was about to leave, he heard a mumble that made him turn around. The old man was simply talking in his sleep, but just the fact that he cared so much for his two sons that he wasn't able to forget them even when he wasn't awake was remarkable.

'In this hellhole filled with depravity and darkness, your love is a beacon of purity that gives me hope, old man. No matter what, I'll make sure that your son's judgment wasn't wrong.'

The thought made him smile, and the smile remained on his face until he got out of the house, and got a different thought.

'Wait… I'm doing this just so that I can find out who I am, right? Oh, screw it, I shouldn't be thinking about this, right now…'

The words sounded hollow, but he shrugged and put the matter out of his mind. After arriving back at the house of the enforcers, he kicked the door that was swinging on its hinges as he had left it open, and finally, the two awoke.

Groggily, they looked around, their faces a perfect mask of shock and disbelief. When their eyes finally stopped on Daneel, they seemed to understand that it all hadn't been a dream, and together, in sync, they backed away.

Daneel raised one eyebrow. He had anticipated that this would go one of two ways: either these two were proud pricks who would lose their minds with anger and attack, or their ego would be so hurt that they would convince themselves that their memories were false.

So… his surprise was palpable when things went to a third way that he hadn't anticipated, at all.

"Uh… what do you want? You knocked us out, you ate your fill, so why are you back here? If you just let us go… we'll forget all about what happened here!"

"Yes! We can understand that you must be very starved… but let it be a one-time thing! Just… leave us alone!"

Daneel felt like laughing as he saw them both against the wall, their entire bodies quivering as if he was a demon come to suck away their souls.

'Well… this really simplifies things. I'll take it!'

He took a step forward, and a shudder went through the both of them.

Convinced that they might faint if he did anything else, he stopped where he was and spoke after putting his hands behind his back.

"Take me to the one who gave you all this food."

Both the enforcers were extremely taken aback as they heard this. They looked at each other, wondering whether they had heard the same thing… and then, one of them said, "But…why? We're giving you a clear escape route! We're not lying!"

Daneel's reply made them sweat.

"Do you want answers, or another nap on the floor?"

The two large lumps on their heads were testament to what had just happened, so just a mention of the past made them nod hurriedly.

"Right this way! We'll take you to the High Enforcer Ga—"

"No. I want the one who's really in-charge. Here's a clue: he's on the surface."

Daneel saw the man gulp as the word 'surface' was heard in the room.

He thought for a bit, still maintaining as much distance as possible from Daneel, and finally said hesitantly, "All right…but you shouldn't blame us for anything that happens afterward."

With a smile, Daneel stepped aside and replied, "Deal. Lead the way."

They made a strange procession. Both the enforcers were in front of him, and constantly, they would look back fearfully as if afraid he would stab them in the back. Daneel walked along leisurely for the most part, unless other enforcers appeared in the way who ignored him after seeing that he was being taken somewhere.

Soon, they were stepping through an outcrop of crystal that looked almost exactly like the one in the Pit, except for the color. Here, the crystals glowed a dreamy emerald, and when he arrived on the surface, the color lingered in his eyes until they adjusted.

As soon as they did, he sought out the moon and took in a deep, deep breath.

The air was clear, so clear compared to that underground that he greedily kept taking it in, his mind reveling in the clarity and peacefulness that were a result of something he had taken for granted so long. The enforcers were already walking in a certain direction, so he hurried forward.

The familiar gaudy houses on the surface soon appeared in front of them. The had arrived a few hundred meters away from the main road that cut through the entire town of Graiton, and as soon as they set their foot on it, they were accosted by a guard holding a spear who looked at them questioningly.

"Enforcers from the Refinery, here to meet Lord…Burrow."

That was it. That was the name of the one behind it all, and Daneel was really looking forward to seeing what kind of man he would be.

'Without information, what can I do? Time to see my enemy…"

A few minutes later, they were at the gate of a large house built in the style that could be seen all over the surface. The walls were painted a rich gold, and the gate was ornate, inlaid with gems that glowed in the moonlight.

No one stopped them as they stepped inside. The house was opulent, to say the least. It was preceded by a large garden that could hold an army of a hundred, and it was all a single floor, stretching on and on. It was big enough to house at least fifty individuals, but Daneel doubted that that was the case.

They didn't step into the house, though. They made for a small outhouse to the right, in front of which five guards dressed in purple livery.

They barred the way with their spears when they approached, and one of them said, "Wait. The Lord is busy."

The enforcers nodded respectfully…but from inside came a deep voice.

"Send them in!"

The spears were removed, and the way was clear.

As soon as they stepped inside…Daneel sucked in a breath as he spotted a familiar figure.

The succubus was on top of a naked, muscular man, his body covered by a sheen of sweat, his lips stretched into an ecstatic smile.

For a moment, he wondered whether he had underestimated the succubus.

'Is this Lord a plaything of hers? Maybe he's addicted to her like the rest! Am I screwed?'

If it was true, things would go very, very wrong…but before worry even set in properly in his mind, he noticed something off about the whole scene.

The succubus looked like she had aged twenty years. She had looked twenty in the Pit, but she looked middle-aged now, and in front of their eyes…she was aging even further.

Faint wrinkles appeared on her body. Her face bent back as the man thrust into her, and the three of them saw that she was in agony.

With another thrust, he grunted, and stopped. She collapsed on top of him, but he threw her aside as if she was nothing but a sack of dirt.

Getting up, he smiled with satisfaction for a moment, and when he spoke, Daneel heard his heart thundering in his chest.

"Taking vitality is always a pleasure…but I hate to see this wench turn ugly each time I finish. Well, it can't be avoided…so, why are you here?"