CH1015

“What exactly is all of this?” Ben asked as he arrived at the edge of the demi’s area of town, the church of Myriad in hand after making the detour to grab it and finding a far larger crowd than expected had formed.

The dryads and sirens were there of course, Hentath having convinced her people to stay there despite a few misgivings, with all of the demis there as well to fulfill the task Ben had left them with as they mingled, trying to make the dryad’s feel comfortable and safe despite what happened, but that wasn’t everyone.

No, on top of that, there were adventurers, guards, and just normal townsfolk there to watch as well, some looking unhappy but most of them just looking curious as Ceselee answered, keeping quiet for him to hear alone.

“You said you wanted to make sure there were no arguments about this, right? I think most people here know not to mess with you by now, but this can be a good reminder for anyone with a shorter memory, so just make sure the display you’ve got here looks good, alright?”

“Mmh, I get it. Don’t worry, I’ve already committed to going all out for this.”

Despite the fact that he’d been trying to reduce his reliance on the church of Myriad and all of the power he’d made it hold, when it came to helping those he cared about he wasn’t going to be so picky and a proper display of power wasn’t just to keep others in line, it could also help the dryads believe they’d made the right choice so, overfilling his soul and feeling it burn from the volume of mana he forced into it, Ben spent that power before everyone’s eyes.

The town’s wall moved, separating from itself as both ends slithered farther out while the land itself was warped, the ground flattened and rebuilt as dirt changed to roads and houses grew from the soil, materialization applied where it was needed to make up for whatever he couldn’t get from the environment but was otherwise simple. His mind could easily model a village by that point, and he had the power to take the mana he’d need to bring it to reality. By the time the new wall was built, the extension was done, leaving the crowd in shock and awe while he addressed the ones who would be moving in.

“It will be a little bit longer till everything is completely finished. I’ll need to go to each house to fill with some essentials, but that shouldn’t take too long. What matters is that they’re arranged in roughly the same orientation as they would have been in your village, so you should have no issue finding where to stay. For now, just relax for a bit, and in an hour, I’ll have you all ready to move in.”

With that all said, he got to work, going from house to house and materializing what he needed to to make sure they were comfortable, not wanting them to feel like they’d made the wrong choice in moving there. Already the houses he’d built were superior to what they had in their village, each structure that had been there old enough that, even with the bit of upkeep he’d done for them in the past and the work it seemed Delair had been doing for them since then, a fresh start was automatically going to be superior.

Beds and bedding, plates and cutlery, chairs, tables, and everything else they might need, Ben materialized it all, using his expertise to put an emphasis on ensuring the comfort of the ones who would be using it all before he was finished, letting them all begin to move, seeing that after all they’d been through, many of them just wanted to rest.

With the show over, by the time he’d finished, most of the town who’d come to watch had slipped off, leaving a few of the demidemons to help out with what dryads weren’t immediately hiding away as they tried to build a connection between them like Ben had wanted, with only a handful still there.

Thera and Mora were keeping Fontesh and Delair occupied at the side, but Ben could see from there the effect it had on all of them. Fontesh, having gone through the panic of coming out through the gate and finding her daughter wasn’t where she’d been left, was keeping her as close as she could without stressing the child out. Something Mora had no concerns about. Whether it came from seeing what happened to Ben and imagining the same thing happening to Delair or if it was just from knowing that more people he’d cared about had been in such danger, he was holding onto Delair’s arm tight in his own and showed no sign of letting go, the girl more than willing to take it. Delair, at least, he’d seen the thoughts of and knew that as bad as things had been, what had really set her off was seeing Ben lose his head, and Mora being there was a comfort and a distraction.

Thera wasn’t spared the aftereffects of seeing what had happened to him either, but at least in her case, she’d gotten a bit of security back from saving him. It didn’t change what had happened, but it was making it more manageable for her.

Yeah, there really is a lot to deal with, so I need to finish up here and get to it.

He turned his attention to the few with him to get that done; Ceselee, Hentath, and Sachel all waiting for him as he sorted out the last few things they’d need to do.

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“Okay, with that done we’re mostly good, only a few things to sort out. First, Sachel, I know you have seeds of all sorts at home and I know the dryads are used to being pretty self-sustaining about food so gather whatever they can grow to eat since they’ve lost their fields and give them to your grandmother. Hentath, I’m assuming you don’t mind being put to a bit of work while your village is resting?”

“You don’t get to be in charge if you’re going to rest at a time like this.”