Chapter 5. The Goan Paths.

On the edge of the kingdom of Valle Roble.

Over the remains of some shattered humble dwellings, the King's soldiers tied up the giant at the site of his defeat. It took several naval chains to restrain his entire body. Three Generals arrived at the scene to take charge of the prisoner's surveillance and interrogation. Generals Haggif, Fyrod and Dannak were on the site. While the first of them was making sure that all the security measures were fully complied with, the other two were talking about the case:

-Drinking the potion inside the kingdom must have been a desperate act, it could not have been part of the original plan. It would imply a great waste of Goan in an absurd way -General Dannak commented.

-Yes, it all went awry because Haggif caused the potion to break and be drank by a couple of pets. Since he was also unable to keep the thief in custody, he escaped and licked the substance off the floor in an attempt to save his skin. I'm sure his intention was to give the potion to someone else, not to consume it by licking it. -Fyrod replied to her.

-I understand, but don't you think that calling three Generals to investigate and guard the theft of such an ordinary potion is excessive? It is surprising to me that something with so little power is now considered a treasure of the kingdom. A few years ago it would have been seen as an item of little appeal because of its limitations.

-Scarcity modifies the value of things, Dannak. Look at us, years ago we were ranked as the weakest among all Goan holders, now we are at the top. A lot has changed in a short period of time.

-I would have loved to witness the difference with the blue Goan. -Calling Haggif, who was approaching them- Haggif, you are the only one of us who was able to see the blue power with his own eyes, was it really as strong as it is said to be?

-That's right, the red Goan was always considered an inferior version of it. Remember that each one comes from a different source. Although both originated in the Cave of Power, the two original heirs made distinct uses of it. The blue Goan was transferred directly by Adorisse to those closest to her, concentrating all of her Goan among a few members of her family. While the red Goan, coming from Bopo, was diluted between hundreds of people over the years. That is why the blue variant was far superior, because it was a version with more abundant power. In the Great Revolution we had to fight against the surviving members of the family that possessed the blue Goan, the Móruvel family. Once we ended their tyranny, the blue Goan became extinct in the world. But I can tell you that it was a power far greater than anything you've ever seen. It's crazy what we accomplished that day, I still can't believe it was possible to defeat them. Only with the twelve warriors united and using our great technological breakthrough, we were able to stand up to them. The fights against the Móruvel family members were brutally uneven, it was necessary to battle as a team versus every blue aura wielder. Even so, we lost several of our best men in combat.

-What a shame that the Móruvels made such a bad use of their Goan. They could have achieved a great good for mankind with it. Now the world must settle with less and less. Soon there will be only crumbs of the power left, like those potions they now call treasures -She exclaimed in disappointment.

Haggif remained thoughtful and answered:

-It is true that the potions are only a minuscule fraction of the red power, though with the blue Goan now extinct and the recent decease of Bopo, the few Goan available in the world is now considered to be of great value. Once these potions are finished, there will be no more Goan to be distributed among mankind. But don't make the mistake of underestimating the power contained in the potions, as a handful of them combined would be able to match the power of a direct red Goan transfer in the previous era. Or do you consider the four circus performers to be weak?

-What's that got to do with it, Haggif? I would never dare to insult them.

- You're young, Dannak, - Fyrod got involved in the discussion - there's a big connection there. Haggif and his circus pals were the test subjects that preceded the creation of the potions. Being the mercantilist that Bopo was, he never conceded Goan unless it was in exchange for money. He was always seeking to maximize the lifetime of his power and charging the maximum for it. The only exception to his rule were the four individuals who served as an experiment for a new and much more profitable transfer method: the potions. One could say that Haggif was lucky enough to receive a super powerful potion for free.

- That's right, the four of us obtained a power close to that of a direct transfer. Subsequently, having discovered that the process was safe, Bopo continued to increasingly dilute the Goan in his potions. By doing so, he was able to sell a greater number of transfers with a lower quality. This ensured that his original Goan could last him longer. Once he took this step, he decided to put a definitive end to the direct transfers. If I am not mistaken, Dannak, you were one of the last people to receive one from Bopo. -Haggif added.

-Yes, I was just a child then. My parents paid Bopo to give me Goan. It seems outrageous to me that a person who received such a unique gift was only thinking about how to profit from it and could not see the opportunity he had in his hands to transform the world.

-That's easy to say because no one was in his shoes. -Haggif smiled as he spoke- What would you do if you acquired the original Goan from the Cave of Power? Concentrate it in a few people to build a dynasty like Adorisse? or convert all that Goan into economic wealth like Bopo? I always felt that being the original Goan heir was a cursed blessing. To have so much power, but not being able to use it and be forced to give it away is an undesirable situation. Adorisse relied on transcending through his lineage, while Bopo managed to transform his original power into the largest monetary fortune in the entire world. To me, the possibility of turning that gift into as much booze and food as possible sounds much more appealing, hahaha.

- I understand, it is very human to prioritize one's own well-being over that of others -Fyrod added-. If we analyze it properly, Adorisse did the same and focused on turning her own people into an elite family. But your parents also desired that for you, Dannak, that's why they paid Bopo to transfer his power to you. And people are still doing it today with those potions you consider insignificant. Even the King pays to have his soldiers drink them and acquire simple powers such as the ability to manipulate fire, ice, electricity, wind and other skills that allow his troops to be strengthened. Everyone wants the best for themselves.

The giant behind their backs regained consciousness and began to force the chains in an attempt to break them. The three Generals stopped their conversation and focused their attention on the noisy prisoner who had gathered them there. Fyrod, who was the most relentless of the three, took the floor to question him.

-Thief, you made a mistake by drinking the potion. The only way to recover the Goan inside you is to end your life before your organism fully absorbs it. We have no other choice. I can only promise you a painless death if you agree to cooperate with us. But if you make this difficult, I guarantee you the most cruel and agonizing death you have ever imagined. You decide how you want to end your existence. Tell me, who hired you to steal the potion?

The thief was outraged when he heard Fyrod's threats. He shouted insults against the three Generals standing in front of his huge face, experiencing deep pain with every word he uttered, due to the fracture suffered in his jaw from Fyrod's blow.

-You are no one to restrain me! You don't know who you're messing with, a greater force than yourselves is behind all this.

-Such a force like that of Prince Dorba? -General Fyrod asked.

The giant's eyes were transfixed and his head began to shake with panic.

-There is no need for you to confess, your body has already talked for you... I am a man of my word, give me all the details of Prince Dorba's plan and I will kill you with a single withering blow, free of suffering.

The Generals spoke with the giant for about twenty more minutes, after which the three of them turned around to walk towards the King's castle. As they did so, behind them, the giant head of the man could be seen with a lost gaze and a motionless face, blood dripped from his forehead after being pierced with a sharp and accurate spear. Fyrod commented to Haggif.

-You are about to lose another colleague of your generation.

Chapter end