Gerk frowned, and looked past the assembly. "Death may not be a great adventure, but nothing can, or should, last forever. Those who have the option to prolong their life should do so with great forethought and caution." As he said this, his eyes locked with Rafel, but his gaze was soft, not stern. "As for me, while I have no aversion to passing from this life, I do not wish to so soon. There are many things I leave unfinished. But no amount of magical healing has been able to stave off the inevitable. I am not sure what the reason, but the relief is only temporary." As if on cue, Gerk let out a hacking cough. "My body is failing me," he continued, "Far more quickly than I had hoped."
There was silence, broken by Rafel clearing his throat. He reached toward the pocket inside his leather vest, which the keen observer would have noted him feeling almost obsessively for quite some time now, as he said, "Gerk, do you want me to-"
"No," Gerk interrupted. With an enormous smile, far greater than any they had seen previously this day, he said, "You'll know when the time comes to open it."
Waldgrave now spoke up. "I don't mean to sound redundant, but it is an important matter; would you care to share with us your plans for the future of the Tokian throne?"
Gerk looked surprised, but had to wait through a coughing fit before he could answer. When he did, he sounded more tired than he had just before. "Oh, had I forgotten?" he exclaimed. "It would seem my mind isn't quite what it used to be. You know, this was a problem that was puzzling me for the longest time. Naturally, I first considered Rafel, but decided that I would not wish the country to be once again placed under leadership of someone who has more important duties, as it has been done under me. It wasn't fair to Toketi, and I am many times sorry." He broke into another coughing fit, and spent a few seconds catching his breath. They were coming much more frequently now. "Rafel," he spoke, in an almost pleading tone. Rafel held the green orb up with magic so that Gerk could reach it, and Gerk placed his hand on it, in order to gather the energy he needed to continue. "I spoke to a number of other accomplished Tokians," Gerk finally continued, "But received no good answers. Longbow has long since removed himself from the outside world, and nobody is quite sure what happened to Tsunade and Prodigy. I even extended the offer to Liam here-" Gerk broke down into coughing in the middle of the sentence, as the people in the room held a mix of shock and concern on their faces. The idea of a previous secessionist becoming king did not sit well with most of the room, after all. When he was finally able to speak again, Gerk's voice was quieter and less clear. "-as it is technically his birthright, but he turned me down. I think, perhaps, the whole Al-Magroth incident was a bit of a turn-off for him." Gerk chuckled, which turned into a coughing fit that lasted nearly a minute. His hand was beginning to glow with all the energy he was using from the anafanred orb. "In fact, until a week ago, I hadn't really made a decision. Then something wonderful happened. Something exceptionally wonderful." Gerk smiled a dreamy smile, and his eyes began to close.
"Gerk!" Rafel's call snapped Gerk back to the moment, but triggered another fit of coughing. "You don't have much time left," Rafel pleaded. "Out with it already!"
But Gerk was unable to speak between coughing and regaining his breath. His eyes nearly closed twice more, but his coughing fits helped keep him cognizant. Finally, with a great surge of energy from the orb, he quelled his coughing, but was only able to manage a quiet, raspy tone. It was clear he had only moments left. "Give... her... one week," was all he could manage, before his hand slipped from the orb and his eyes closed for the last time.
It seemed like minutes went by as the orb slowly fell to the floor and Rafel leaned over to check the old man's pulse. "He's gone," came the quiet declaration.
Waldgrave broke the silence. "I don't mean to be rude, but what in the PRH are we supposed to do now?"
Rafel looked up from his position over Gerk's body. "I'm sorry. His sickness progressed far faster than either of us had predicted. I-" he suppressed a sob, but a telltale tear ran down his cheek. "I don't know any more than you do."
"But what about Toketi? How long can it be held together without a king?" The question came from Z-hin'il.
"The Tokians know me," Rafel replied, "And I still have command over the military at least. It's not much, but it should be enough for a week or two, worst case scenario."
"You can't seriously be considering just waiting around," Waldgrave exclaimed. "How do you know this... woman, whoever she is, is even going to turn up? How do we know she's even qualified to succeed him?"
Rafel's face took on a hint of offense behind all the sadness. "This is Gerk we're talking about. Has he ever steered us wrong before?" Rafel wiped his face with his hand. "Besides, I've got a good feeling about this. And trust me, I'm usually not the type to put too much weight into 'feelings.'"
Rafel suddenly felt exhausted, and conjured himself a chair to sit in, as he placed the anafanred orb back in its box.
The room fell silent.
And that's a wrap. If you want, you can make conversation with Rafel, but he doesn't know any more than you do. Other than that, I'm basically done here.
Come back in a week (mayhaps I'll post it before then, actually) for the big reveal.
If you feel like it, you can try to guess at or muse about who 'her' is, but I will not be saying anything on the subject. You don't have long to wait to find out, after all.
Bayen's ring asks why Gerk doesn't just magick himself healthy again.