CH523

Ben noticed them waking up and couldn’t hide his excitement. He just had so many things he wanted to test, things he would have felt bad about doing to two-thirds of Sachel’s party, but now there were three test subjects waiting in front of him to help push his skills to their limits, albeit, still trapped in stone and wearing looks that were some mixture of glum, defeated, and horrified.

Well, that’s officially not my problem. Still, probably need to get them out of there.

“Thera, you mind?”

“You sure? We could just leave them, I’m sure it would make things a bit easier on you.”

“Nah, I’m sure Nare’s already made things clear enough.”

“Alright, if you’re sure,” She brought down the stone that had been imprisoning them, leaving the three unsteady on their feet after being squeezed for so long, not that any noticed. Their eyes were on Thera for the level of power she’d just displayed, along with her next words as she addressed them. “Just to be perfectly clear, if anything happens again in the rest of the time you have with him, your god won’t be able to save you from me a second time.”

God, is it weird how enjoyable it is for me to hear her threaten people on my behalf?

<A little.>

Her comment was met with quick nods, none of them wanting to go up against the power she so casually displayed and it left her with a satisfied look as she leaned over to Ben and kissed his cheek.

“Okay, I kind of left Insia and Rocky in a rush so I’m going to go back and explain what happened. See you tonight?”

“‘Course, I shouldn’t be too late today.”

She gave him one last smile before leaving him, flying off on a block of stone to return to her new friends as he focused back on the three he had, looking bright amongst their gloomy moods.

“Okay guys, no, friends. I am so excited. Words can’t actually express how excited I am, even if I try and pull from the dozens of languages I know. This entire time, I’ve been trying to be my best self despite the constant crap attitudes you’ve all shown, but that’s over now. Nare has said you all have no choice but to learn however I want to teach you and you can’t get out of it, meaning I don’t have to be at my best, you guys finally get to see me at my worst. We are going to have such a good week together. And by we, I mean me so let’s get started.”

It was a worrying start for them, all of the more so for just how thrilled Ben seemed to have no restrictions for what he might do, even if none of them could imagine just how bad whatever he’d been intending could be as he started rummaging around the destroyed space, looking for something and finding it as he pulled out the two circlets they’d tossed away earlier in the week and modified the enchantments he had on them before their eyes.

“Now, originally I’d tried to make these as comfortable as I could as a courtesy, even if it ate at me. I mean, trading efficiency for comfort is kind of insane, isn’t it? And nobody would even buy the comfier ones I’d make back home either, so what’s even the point? It’s heartbreaking. But now, thanks to you all, I can see how far a brain can be pushed! Isn’t that exciting? To really test the limits of an enchantment against a mortal mind? You guys don’t need to say anything, we’re all enchanters. Well not you, Zallith, but you’ve got some crafting-type skills too, there’s no way you all don’t want to see the limits of what can be made, do you? Nah, you don’t need to answer that, your faces are answers enough. Hold on a minute, let me grab a couple chairs”

They weren’t sure what he was seeing because what their faces were wearing was looks of fear. They didn’t fully know what he was talking about, but they knew they didn’t want to put those on after whatever he’d just done to modify them when they didn’t even know what their supposedly comfortable state was supposed to be like, but they had no choice. Nare had been clear and Ben didn’t look like he’d be taking pity on them.

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He grabbed three chairs, one for him, Nati, and Xilly, and directed each to sit down before grabbing some rubble off the ground for each of them to enchant on as practice, leaving Zallith to stand off to the side, looking grateful to be spared from whatever was about to happen until Ben locked eyes on him.

“Oh man, my leg sure is sore after being left with a hunk of metal in it,” Ben exaggerated. “If only I had a place to kick my feet up.”

“Ah, I’ll get you something right away!”