Shovels In Spades

'Well? Your answer, Child of Man? Will you or will you not swear under the system to eradicate the Children of Giants known as the Overgiants?' Clearly, the spirit of King Mofolo had no intentions to talk further about the true core of Atlantis.

Daz frowned. "A shame. Grip of Death."

With his hand outstretched and looking like it was grasping something, Daz stared at the spirit twice his size as its hands reached for its throat. 'What... What is this?'

"Submit to me. I will destroy you if you don't," Daz coldly stated. 'Mercy isn't needed for someone who has obviously lost themselves in their grief and hatred. It disgusts me that I could have easily become like this if something horrific had happened to Maddy or Rose... At the very least, I pity him.'

'Ha... Hahahaha... Release me, this farce is no longer required,' King Mofolo said as he smiled while enduring the pressure on his very being from Daz's skill.

The reaper didn't comply with his request. "What farce?" Not a second later, he came to a swift realisation. "You were testing me to see if I'd agree to pit myself against an entire species of people whom only one of which was able to wipe out the Alphorians, weren't you? Stupid. Stupid and incredibly unwise."

'Stupid in your eyes it may be, but many people are quick to get blinded by greed. Not only can you see me, but you also wish for my city, Atlantis. Do you really think that I would hand over the jewel of Frila to someone so morally bankrupt that they would agree to commit genocide at the behest of a crazed and revenge-drunk spirit?' Regardless of him being choked by Daz's Grip of Death, there was conviction in Mofolo's words.

He was clearly in pain having his very being strangulated, but regardless, he soldiered on. 'No. You are all that is left of Frila. You and your kind. What sort of fool would I be to let my personal feelings risk jeopardising the fate of my home and her people once more when the system already threatens to potentially destroy Frila? I have paid for that mistake once before. I took a vow to never pay for it again.'

"I see. So you do wish to see the Overgiants die then, don't you?" Daz asked, aiming straight for the heart of the matter.

'It would be dishonest of me to say that I do not. Yes, I wish to see them wiped out of existence, but I shall not force this wish of mine onto anyone. I shall serve you faithfully as the tiny spirit over there does. An opportunity to aid a young Child of Man who possesses a good sense of justice has fallen at my feet. Let me accept it by allowing me to serve you. I... I wish to help Frila,' the spirit of King Mofolo was radiating sincerity and his every word spoke volumes of his deep and unending love for the planet that they both called home.

Daz stood in silence for a few seconds before he slowly nodded. "Very well."

He cancelled his Grip of Death, releasing King Mofolo. He grasped Hamson and extended it towards the spirit. "Bind yourself to my weapon. I trust you can do that on your own seeing as how you are such a powerful spirit."

King Mofolo nodded. He spoke no more words and immediately flew directly into Hamson.

A bright flash of blue light enveloped the shovel before it coalesced into a new skull that appeared on Hamson's shaft just below the others.

Unlike the murky-white one which had shown up after Hamson had absorbed Matt Bleak's soul, and different to the blood-red skull that represented Reika, this one was deep-sea-blue in colour.

'Seven more skulls before something great and something terrible happens if Hamson's secret is anything to trust,' Daz remarked as he looked at his trusty shovel. 'Well, ignoring that idiot Matt, Hamson has two powerful souls within him now, doesn't he? I wonder if that affected his description and abilities. Master Identification.'