75 Warning (1/2)

The voice was so utterly lazy and casual that Daneel wanted to believe that it was from a child who didn't know what he was talking about. Yet… the fact that it was emanating from up above made it abundantly clear that this was certainly not the case, and besides, the man had used magic of some sort that had made it rise above the cheers and somehow be heard despite the din.

”System… assessment?”

[Responding to host. Risk assessment in progress.

Conclusion: Depending on the type of energy used and the undetectable method by which the targets are in the air, it has been decided that the probability of the risk being high is greatest. It is recommended that host's capabilities, and host's connection with the Will of Graiton are hidden, as utilizing them might alert the targets and call down danger upon host.]

Daneel couldn't agree more. But first… who the heck were these people, and how had they come at such a bad time?

He had been happy with his speech, he had been confident that he had given the people what they deserved. But now… because they had been interrupted, he saw doubt and fear returning to many of the faces in front of him, so right away, he knew that he had to do something.

As he watched, the two figures slowly floated down. He studied them, hoping to find some clues about their identity, but even though he failed, he noticed some interesting things.

First and foremost, the one who had spoken was small, merely the size of a child. He couldn't have even been half of Daneel's height, but the arrogance on his face knew no bounds. His skin was somehow different from that of all those he had seen until now; it almost seemed to be sparkling, a bit, as if he was a proponent of the beauty products from Earth, and his head was fashionably styled into spikes that made him seem taller than he was.

The other figure was much, much bigger. He was easily 7 feet tall, with a heft to him that made it obvious that he was hiding a lot of muscle behind his clothes.

And this brought him what they were wearing. They were both garbed in loose, hooded robes, with the hoods thrown back and the sleeves folded up to their elbows. The robes were the color of the night; so dark that they even seemed to be somehow drinking in the light all around them, giving them a disconcerting image that added to their menacing nature which made the people close to the wooden platform shy away, as that was where they were headed.

The second man was bald, with plain features that hadn't moved since Daneel had laid his eyes upon him. Only his eyes betrayed the alertness with which he was scanning his surroundings, and from this, Daneel understood that he was some kind of guard to the one in front of him.

As for the kid, it seemed that he was interested in what he was seeing, but he was trying hard to make it seem as if he had seen it all before. When he landed in front of Daneel, he swept his gaze over the people, and when a few shirked away from it, even going so far as to shove into those behind them to escape his eyes, he smiled at the corner of his mouth which was a gesture that Daneel did not mess.

'A typical spoiled young master, maybe? I was hoping that I would not have to contend with them in this new world… but I guess they are like weeds that pop up everywhere.'

He hoped that he was right, because it would simplify things. He had quite a bit of experience regarding them, so if the opponent was simpleminded, he was sure that he would be able to make a plan to take advantage of the youthful arrogance of those with too much background to rely on.

He opened his mouth to greet the newcomers and find out more. Their identity was now apparent: they were the people to whom Harrold's descendants had sold out, so they needed to be handled with care and patience, two qualities that could be used effectively in the right hands to avert danger.

Yet, before he could say anything, a voice from the people of the town broke the silence in the air.

”No! We are free!”

The newcomers had been about to turn to Daneel. They stop, now, and moved to face the people again while Daneel cursed in his mind.

He could see that things were going south. He even raised his hand to stop them… but the kid was quicker.

”Bongo, crush.”

”HUMPH!”

With a loud grunt, the big man raised his hand… and the air in front of him seemed to congeal, and gather weight, and press down.