Chapter 42

Chapter 42

As some of the guards pulled a screaming Roan off to a cell somewhere, the rest gathered with the adventurers to form a plan, leaving Thera and Ben alone.

“This is all my fault,” She said. “I drove that asshole insane and now people are going to die.”

He didn't know what he could possibly say, so he didn’t even try to raise her spirits, instead asking more important questions. “Thera, are you alright with facing a bit of danger to try and help save the town?”

“There’s nothing I can do. Maybe if my magic was better, but I’m a level one earth mage Ben. I can’t save anyone.”

“That's not what I asked. Are you willing to try?”

After a moment of silence she gave him a nod. “Yes.”

“And will you trust me?”

A longer silence. “Yes, I trust you Ben.”

He smiled. “Alright, come with me,” He took her hand and led her over to where the group of adventurers and guards were arguing over what to do.

“Let’s just wait them out.”

“For how long? They wouldn’t obey their tamer, why would they just leave?”

“If we attack now we may be able to catch some by surprise.”The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.

“Sure, some. But how many of us will die after? And what if they make it through the gate?”

“We don’t know how long we have until they attack,” Said a woman who appeared to have the most authority among the adventurers. “If anyone has any options, say them now. Otherwise we try to attack while we still have the light.”

“I have an option,” Ben called out from the back of the group.

The woman eyed him for a moment, as well as casting a more complicated look at Thera next to him. “And who might you be?”

“Ben, sixth rank adventurer. Let me and Thera go around one of the other gates and try to draw as many as we can towards us. We’ll bury as many as we can with Earthwave, while we’re doing that any mages and archers can fire from the walls at the stragglers.”

“Oh gods, what else could there be?”

“I’ll have to connect with you.”

She could only sigh. “Fine, compared to everything else it’s not like that matters much.”

“Well we’ll see,” He said awkwardly. "This will be my first time using the skill on a person since it leveled up, so it may feel a little weird.”

“If it will keep us alive I’ll deal with it,” They got within view of the monsters, but it didn’t look like they had been noticed yet. Many of them had gotten fairly close to the main gate though. “Should here be good, do you think?”

“Yeah, I think it will be good. Let's get ready and once you’re about to start the spell, pull off your hood to attract them, okay?”

“Alright let's do this. Gods this is crazy.”

She held her staff forwards and Ben wrapped one hand around the staff and the other around Theras hand. He took a deep breath and connected.

The feeling was intense. Like he was about to be blown away. The moment he connected to her he felt a more extreme pressure than he had ever felt in his life, Like he was trying to push off a car that was driving into him, and he realised he was feeling the force of her mana. He couldn’t let it distract him though, and he pushed his focus skill to the limits to keep his attention on everything. Thera’s mana, which was nearly overwhelming, her emotional state, which was horribly scared from the situation she found herself in, as well as just enough trust in him to go through with his crazy plan, and something else, moving out of her and into her staff. Her earth magic skill.

Ben felt it pass through the staff he was holding, more aware of the enchantments Falk had laid on it than he had ever been before, and knew that if he tried to lay a single strengthening spell on it that it would probably break, that was how many enchantments he’d forced into it to help make it manageable for her magic, so instead he didn’t use his enchanting. He used his crafting, Passing mana through it at the same time as Thera, and doing the opposite of what he would usually do as he forged something. Instead of making it easier to work with using his mana, he made it harder, selectively strengthening areas he felt becoming more fragile as Thera prepared her own spell, and draining his mana in a way that his low-intensity skills normally never would.

She tore off her hood and all the monsters turned at once, and as if they were a singular herd moved to run towards them, hunger in their eyes. They were far enough away that it would be a minute before the fastest one got to them, and they passively watched as the seconds ticked by, Ben remaining calm and focusing on the task at hand, ensuring that the staff would hold for the spell, but felt her panic begin to spike from the approaching hoard.

“Thera,” He told her with as much confidence as he could convey. “You can do this.”

Her panic dropped slowly and the burden on him to hold the staff together eased up as she got a bit more control of her magic. When the nearest of them was a short fifteen feet away she finished activating her spell, the earth rose up.

Tens of meters of earth around them lifted from the ground and started to roll into itself like a wave, dragging each beast it caught in an ocean of dirt with it, and it didn't stop. The waves continued, flying out and devastating the land around them, altering the landscape and even reaching the town walls, tearing chunks out of it as it went.

As dust filled the air and a scene of chaos and destruction appeared before them, the last staff she had gotten from Falk shattered in their hands, and no monsters could be seen amongst the carnage.

“Oh gods Ben! My earth magic level just increased, and we’re alive, and we did it!” She had him in a hug before he knew it, completely catching him off guard, but he hugged her back weakly.

“That’s fantastic news Thera,” He said, only barely getting the words out before falling into her and losing consciousness.