For a moment, the tension in the room was so palpable that it could be cut by a knife.
Thankfully, after a few seconds, Cain opened his mouth and said, "Enough, Melissa. You know you were told to stay away from the newbies, especially those who can't resist your… Let's say charms. Be careful, Daneel. Melissa, here, is one of the official members of the Order who assigns missions and also collects custom oaths specific to people so that they can go about their goals while still not being bound too much. Of course, even though many of us have completely given ourselves over to the Order, we still understand that some people may have reservations, and we try to work around them. You'll find out all this during the newcomer's session, anyway. Right, let's get to the matter at hand, because I think that the one behind you is quite confused."
Daneel breathed a sigh of relief as he heard this, and after that, he couldn't help but ask the system how these two had managed to sneak up behind him without him even being able to sense that they were coming.
[Targets used means that were beyond the capabilities of the complexity of the system. Please upgrade system to prevent further such incidents. Additionally, all the formations laid were removed when the Chamber was teleported away. System also reports that teleportation of the chamber occurred before the arrival of the targets.]
Due to the shock of the situation, it was only now that Daneel realized just how much of a close shave he had had.
He couldn't even imagine just what might have happened if he had been found red-handed with the chamber, and he almost felt like shuddering again as he imagined himself having to hand over this treasure which was definitely the most valuable thing he had after saying that he, too, had only arrived here out of chance.
There was no way that he could have overpowered two Heroes, and if that really happened, he would definitely have wanted to kick itself until eternity.
Thankfully, it was a stroke of luck that had prevented this, and it was actually the second one that he had been graced by in such a short period of time.
Vowing to take care for the bad luck that might soon make its appearance on account of these two instances, Daneel put aside his resident frustration that had been born the very first time the system had asked him to upgrade it, long ago, when he had been but a nameless kid on the streets of Lanthanor.
After that, though, just as he was about to think that there would be no more surprises, he received another one when he turned around to see what Cain meant by the Divine Cockroach being confused.
Gone was the gigantic being which had been bleeding, and which had also burst through the ceiling as this was actually a small place that Daneel had chosen in the hopes that it would remain hidden. In its place… Was a little girl, and for the briefest of moments, Daneel got a glimpse of her body and realized that she might not be so 'little' after all, because of what he saw before he whirled around again hastily.
It was only a vague image, and right away, without even thinking, Daneel made a pile of clothes appear above her that rained down and covered her completely.
The reason that he had thought of her as a little girl was that she was small - she was possibly only about 5 feet tall, and compared to most people that he was with who were at least 6 feet tall except for Eloise, she did warrant that word to be used when describing her.
Daneel did remember her face, though, and it had had the same antennae on her forehead, although they were shorter. Apart from that, what had really struck him were her extremely innocent features, with a broad forehead, a cute little nose and thin lips which had been pursed while her eyes had been closed with an expression of slight pain visible clearly.
Before he could think any further, though, the woman's voice was heard in the area, and its deep timbre was one that would stay with anyone even long after they had met her.
"Ah, boys are all the more cute when they show that they have pure, or at least decent minds. Alas, Cain is right. I really don't want to get into another altercation. You humans are so uptight about these things. Why don't you be like us Godbeasts more? We just mate, and that's it! No useless thoughts! That is unless you count the weirdos who do develop feelings and stay together for hundreds of years, though. It's rare, but it happens. Now, boy. Step aside. She needs a proper Divine Cockroach to guide her through her breakthrough."
She said this while walking forward with a very vexatious expression on her face, and for all her beauty, Daneel felt his skin crawling as he heard her.
And that… Was also when he realized that she had just said that she was also a Divine Cockroach, which made him stare at her with shock.
There was actually another one alive?!
Seeing his expression of confusion, Cain explained, "I know that you have been through the records in the sects of the Big Four, so you must know of Godbeasts. As a Bloodline possessor, you must also know about the extreme survivability of Divine Cockroaches. They are purportedly the only species which have survived the Apocalypse. It is always said that if anything ever happened to the world, they would be the last remains of Angaria, and that might have turned out to be true if the Apocalypse was even more devastating. Anyway, many of them went into hibernation, and they've been popping out of it in multiple areas all around the continent. The Order takes complete control of all matters regarding to Godbeasts, and we have special formations that can even sense awakenings like these. We have three Divine Cockroaches back in the Order, but only Melissa is the Hero level one. The other two are only at the Warrior level, and they have difficulties breaking through because of something that happened during their hibernation. Oh, that's new."
As Cain said that last part, Daneel put aside his astonishment at finding out that there were actually three other specimens of Godbeasts still alive, and turned around to find a blur flash across his eyes.
A sweet scent reached his nostrils, and even before he could completely turn, he saw someone huddling behind him while Melissa looked in his direction with bewilderment on her face.
Daneel half glanced behind him cautiously, but after seeing that Skrr had dragged on a pair of trousers upside down on her head, resulting in her antenna holding up the two ends while her face was completely hidden, he realized that he had mistakenly teleported over all the clothes that he could find without picking out only those that would fit a woman. She had also chosen a shirt to cover the lower part of her body, and she seemed to have a knack for using things in the opposite way that they were intended to be used, because her legs where poking out of the hands of the shirt and one of her hands was holding the bottom of the shirt at her waist to stop it from falling down.
Dressed in this hilarious fashion, she was hiding behind Daneel's back, and after he turned to look at her, she spoke in a surprisingly adorable voice which actually reminded him of the same being which he had seen dancing after she had entered the Natural Energised Training Chamber.
"Even if you're a useless male that can't mate, Skrr met you before, and Skrr trusts you, because you said that you wouldn't cheat me, and he didn't. Mom always said that you should trust someone until they give you a reason not to, at least if they're a member of your species. Skrr doesn't like the feeling coming from her, even though she is more like Skrr than you are. Stranger, bad! And you, can you please, please find Skrr someone to mate with so that she can make mom happy? Please, Skrr will even give you the secret rock collection that was made out of boredom when Skrr had to wake up from hibernation!"
She had retained her way of speech, and after she said her part, she actually huddled closer to Daneel on seeing that Melissa had begun to walk towards them.
Seeing this made Melissa stop and put her hands on her waist helplessly, but after that, instead of anger appearing on her face, she actually… Laughed out loud.
It wasn't pleasant laughter, by any means, and if anything, it only made Daneel not want to stay in any room that she was in.
After she was done, she actually licked her lips, and this seemed to be some sort of unique thing that she liked to do, as she had already done it thrice since coming here - once when she had said that part about him not wanting to live after she was done, once when she had been walking forward and once now.
She finally spoke after fixing her gaze on Daneel.
"Divine Cockroaches can imprint on those who show them kindness, and it seems that you gave her a hiding place. Is that right?"
Right after Skrr had spoken about him helping her, Daneel had slightly panicked, but it looked like those in front of him were dumb enough to make up their own reasons for things that had happened, which was perfect, and also made him wish that more people did that instead of making him tax his brain.
"Yes, she was hiding in a village in my Kingdom when she left for some reason. I just found it odd, and when I found her, I understood what she was, but I didn't know what to do with the information. I just thought I would place her somewhere that I could track, and then see what I could do later."
She had to leave their village because of me.
Of course, Daneel didn't say this part out, but both Cain and Melissa got understanding expressions on their faces when they heard this.
"What a strange series of events that are all tied to you. And look how she also trusts you, and not one of her own species! Well, I don't blame her, though. My mother back in the age of the Empire was a tyrant, and a monster in bed. It was said that males would run away when they saw her coming, and I seem to have inherited some of those characteristics. After sensing her breakthrough, I was really hoping that she was a male, but if that is not the case, I guess the only thing I can do is feel happy that there is another one of my species still alive. For a time period, you should be with her, and make sure that there are no problems with her. Divine Cockroaches are weak after breaking through, and it takes time for them to come into their full power. They're also sensitive in this period of time, and it is best for her to be in a conducive environment. That seems to be the one around you. You can use other people in this process, if you want, but their memories will be wiped later. Also, be warned, boy. Do something to make her cry, and…"
CRACK!
In a motion that was so fast that Daneel would have had difficulty seeing it even if he used the Basilisk's Breath, a cockroach's leg shining with sharp, ridged bladed instead of hair appeared out of nowhere and made a deep hole appear in front of Daneel.
If it was aimed at him…it would have easily been able to cut him in half.
Such a measure of strength and speed…was simply terrifying.
Daneel could only gulp in response, and as if she was satisfied with it, the woman nodded and teleported away.
Cain followed, and it looked like even he didn't have anything to say in the situation. He only nodded at Daneel, as if to indicate that they would meet soon.
In this way, the strange situation came to an end, leaving Daneel with the Cockroach.
Right after they were alone, he heard the sound of clothes dropping to the floor.
He closed his eyes tightly right away, but what she said made him hastily call for Eloise, as he was definitely not equipped to deal with the situation, and he really didn't want to be the one to give the answers to her questions which were as unique as her.
"Mother said that I should wear garments in front of humans. But they're so stuffy! And what are these on my body, anyway? Mom only told me how to transform, but she didn't tell me that! And these? And these? Hey, you're human, too, right? Explain to me the point of these two, in particular! Are you sick? Why are you so red? And why are your eyes closed? Skrr is confused!"