Chapter 35: The Gift

It's been a few days since the raid against the bandit camp. The captured bandits were tied with ropes and led to the guard's dungeons. Most were slated to be hanged for their crimes while others had bounties to collect. The loot was mostly in the form of coin and jewelry. The bandits seemed to be at it for a long time since our raiding party scavenged over 300 gelding and many jewels. In appreciation for our contribution and the fact that no one died or suffered any long-lasting injury they agreed to split the loot.I had no interest in the coin or jewels, but Benny decided to take as many rings as she could fit on her fingers. Now all 10 of her fingers were adorned with at least 1 ring, some had two or three depending on the ring's size.Today we sat in a field barely a few minutes' walk from the city, enjoying a picnic to pass the time until the trading caravan was to arrive, which was in two weeks. On a large blanket sat wines and cheeses, dried meats and an assortment of fruits and pastries. Benny, after stuffing her face, continued practicing her water magic which was still a bit lacking. One would think a child who's life didn't extend beyond a small village and a cabin in the woods would have some issues with killing.But from all I could see Benny had not changed in the slightest. Surely someone of her age would show some outward change after slaying at least 30 humans. I would even listen in on her during the night to see if she had any nightmares. I was slightly disappointed that none of the speeches I prepared for an eventual emotional breakdown was used. Benny, I assume, was simply different from most normal humans. However, killing in the middle of combat was one thing. I had to wonder how she would react to my latest idea, since it was what most humans would consider murder."Master, what is it?" Benny asked, breaking me out of my thoughts."Hm?" said intelligently."You've been staring at me for over 10 minutes, you only stare like that when you're agonizing over some decision."Did I really? I'll have to keep that in mind; regardless, my current problem is whether she is ready for that evolution. Did I trust her enough to keep my unique status a secret? and what would she do once she had enough power to rival a journeyman or even a master mage. She still had a lot to learn but in terms of affinity and stamina she would be in a class of her own at least compared to other humans.Once she had this power, would she remain loyal and stay by my side? Or would she consider leaving once she had enough power to forge whatever destiny she wanted? I couldn't know with 100% certainty so now I am plagued with indecision. Time, however, is not in my favor. As the days pass, I will eventually reach the capitol. I could of course choose to live in obscurity, but I refused to spend my life living in fear. So, I don't have the luxury of years to build perfect trust. The elves and whoever else had bad intentions for me would not wait for me to get over these feelings. I took a deep sigh, fully knowing the enormous risk I put myself in revealing this to her.No more hesitation, I will move forward and deal with the consequences as they come.Benny seemed to be getting bored of my extended silence since I didn't answer her question. she sighed loudly then said."I'll get back to practicing if you don't want to tell me now." I stopped her before she got up."Tell me Benny, what would you sacrifice for power?" I asked.She sat down in front me, her green eyes locked with mine."Anything." she furrowed her brow as if that answer didn't satisfy her."Well almost anything." she corrected."What exactly wouldn't you sacrifice?" I was genuinely curious."Ummmmmm." she seemed embarrassed to say but after a few moments."Well, I wouldn't sacrifice you or our relationship for more power." She said, now she looked sure of her words."Do you really mean that or is that what you think I want to hear?" My eyes were trained on her to see if there were any falsehoods. While I'm not a great reader of humans, Benny was rather open with her emotions. Her eyes twitched back and forth as nervousness set in."There is no right, or wrong answer, simply answer truthfully and clearly so I cannot misunderstand." I said to ease her nervousness.She calmed down, thought for a moment then she settled on an answer."It's both, I know you want me to be loyal to only you and I truly don't really care about other people, and I've never been happier and it's the first time I've ever felt like I have a fa-friend."From what I could see there was no deception. I'll just have to roll the dice and see how she reacts."I believe you. So, know that what I'm about to tell you is of the highest secrecy. I couldn't even imagine the threat it would pose if this became common knowledge.""I swear Moon, you can always trust me." She said it with such solemnity and conviction that I believed it, or she was perhaps an incredible actress."I am a Unique mage." I said.She looked slightly disappointed. I continued before she could ask any questions."I can see what I call life ether, to me it looks white, using it and my medicant knowledge I can heal almost anything without even casting a spell. "To ram the point home, I took one of the small paring knives we were using for fruit and stabbed my hand clean through. She was jolted in shock, but I raised a hand to forestall anything she would say."A light mage could heal this injury, but the wound would scar and there would be permanent damage to underlying tissue. But with life ether I can rebuild the flesh and heal the wound perfectly"As I explained I healed and closed the wound with a small amount of life ether. Then I wiped away the blood to reveal perfect flesh beneath."I can also alter the flesh of living creatures and command it to change and grow as a see fit."As I did it my hair grew by 6 inches. At this point it was well below my waist and needed trimming."But the last and likely most dangerous power I have is the ability to take life from others and use it to strengthen myself. Take in too much and the body has to rebuild itself to accommodate the influx of power or die. I did it once and after that my magical abilities increased 3 or 4-fold. Before I was powerful but after. Light magic was as easy to use as breathing and my stamina increased to the point where I would be considered a master by human standards and it's still growing as I push myself to greater limits. This gift, I can also offer to you for the price of 3 or 4 human lives."Benny had her jaw hung open as I finished explaining it took another two minutes before she responded."That's why loyalty is so important to you, if this ever gets out. I couldn't even imagine the consequences. Wars could be fought over you and elven matriarchs........" she trailed off as she considered the consequences."Now you understand for the price of a few human lives I could turn any mage from average to a world class talent. If you were transformed by my power in time, you might even be a match for princess Morianne."As an air mage Benny wanted to know as much about her as possible. The stories I've either read or heard about her were more ridiculous than the last. But all had the same message. She was powerful beyond all imagination."Why haven't you done it again to get more powerful? Does it only work once?" she asked."The amount of lives needed to create the transformation increases. The drake eggs had as much life as a human but after absorbing the Ether from them I didn't feel myself reaching that barrier. I'm guessing I would need 30 or 40 lives to increase my base power by another level and it needs to be done all at once.""So, you just squeeze them like a ripe fruit, give their life ether to me and I get 3 or 4 times stronger?" she said."Essentially yes, though you will experience more pain and suffering during the process than you can imagine. You saw me after my battle with the assassins. That pain was barely a pinprick compared to what I felt during my evolution.""Can we do it today?" she asked, her eyes practically glowing with enthusiasm.Well, she certainly accepted it easily."We would need to find some humans to sacrifice for the process."Benny responded quickly as if human sacrifice for power was a small matter."We can just grab a couple of peasants. They're plenty of homeless in the city." She said as if the answer was obvious.There is something wrong with this child.Honestly, I wasn't really comfortable with the idea of kidnapping innocence and ripping their life from them to feed my hunger for power."I have a better idea and it's best that it doesn't spread around the city that I'm kidnapping humans off the streets. I'm sure the guard captain and I can come to some kind of arrangement."Benny and I walked into the captain's office after being escorted by one of her guards. Assistance with the raid was enough to buy some popularity amongst the guards.The captain, however, didn't seem excited to see us. The guardsman who escorted us left as soon as we entered."What can I do for you Moon." Fennic said. She seemed primed to be annoyed by whatever I was about to say."You see, Captain, I intend to teach my apprentice healing magic soon and as such we would need humans to practice on." I had a charming smile on as I spoke. But that seemed to do little to curb her suspicion."And?" she asked."Well, I know you have quite a few prisoners on your hands. I would like to test them. This would involve harming them then having my apprentice heal them. So, expect a significant amount of screaming or accidental death. 10 of them should do.""What? You will do no such thing." She refused vehemently."If it's a matter of coin I'm willing to pay say 20 gelding a head?" I asked.She stood up and slammed her palms flat on the table utterly offended at my suggestion."The answer is no" she sounded final."Would you prefer I practice on the citizenry. I'm more than willing to grab some peasants off the streets." I said, while I don't care for it, the lives of some random peasants were worth less than my safety."I will not allow it. Take your butchery someplace else." She said,I sighed, very well then threats it was.I gave her a dead stare as I said. "It's simple captain. My apprentice will get her practice. If you do not give me what I want I will take it. If you or anyone tries to stop me then you will all die, and I will get what I want anyways."Rage billowed behind her eyes as I, in her seat of power, threatened the lives of both the citizenry and her guards. Unfortunately for her she had no ability to do anything against me and she knew it. She was just a human in the end. Her eyes lowered as she voicelessly acknowledged my superiority."At least 10 Young and healthy. If guilt plagues you choose ones that are slated for hanging. Have a carriage ready with their limbs firmly tied so there is no chance of escape. Best to not do this within the city. The screaming might become a problem. You can spin this however you wish to save face. "She sat quietly, her hand clenching and unclenching; the woman really had some self-control."I want you and your apprentice gone when the caravan leaves." she said firmly."Of course, captain. You have 3 days to arrange things."I turned on my heels and left with Benny following behind.Once we left the guard barracks and returned to my room and Drake's rest we sat down at one of the desks in the room sharing a glass of some sweet wine."So, it's going to happen." She said, staring into the dark liquid."Most likely, unless the captain decides to do something foolish.""Do you think she will?" she asked.I thought back to the guard captain's personality. She was a generally angry woman, but I've never seen her let her anger take charge of her personal judgment."It's unlikely but not impossible, humans are foolish creatures who would rather break than bend."Benny sniffed, and with mock offense said. "Hey I'm a human.""Most humans are foolish." I corrected it."Besides, in a few days you will be as much more than a human.""What will it be like after I change?""It's more than just an increase in power, you will be stronger, your senses sharper. Your mind is clearer. You will need very little sleep. That's what I assume at least based on what happened to me."I downed the rest of my glass half wishing that I had a bottle of Gardenia's fine bourbon. I wonder how things are going in Vernon."While I'm not sure about this, I assume you will also live far longer than most humans. Perhaps a few centuries."That seemed to surprise her as she raised an eyebrow."Really? Centuries." she asked, sounding both confused and excited."Most likely yes, there will be no other human like you in the world." I thought about all that I have seen of her both during and after the raid on the bandits."Though even without the gift that I will give you and your magic. I doubt there are many like you in the world."Coughed, slightly choking on the wine she drank. She reached for a cloth to wipe her face."Do you really mean that?" she asked."Of course." I said while refilling my glass.I doubt there were many her age who would kill with such ease. Noting Benny's silence, I looked up at her. She was using said cloth to hide her blushing face. Why is beyond me. I wonder what part of what I said embarrassed her. I shrugged, resolving that I will never truly understand the heart of a girl her age.A day later, a knock in the middle of the night broke me from my meditation. It was rather unusual for someone to bother me this time of night since the sun hasn't risen. Double checking that I had a radiant carapace on myself. I got out of bed and went to the door.Opening the door, I realized it was captain Fennic herself, looking angry as usual."Captain, what can I do for you? "I asked.In a quiet voice she said. "I have seen to your request, and it is best you leave with your test subjects under the cover of darkness."I raised an eyebrow; it was rather fast and by the look of contempt in her eyes she did not like what I forced her to do."Very good, then I'll fetch my apprentice and get ready."All lethargy rushed from me as anticipation built. I was more excited about absorbing more life ether than I expected. While Benny was certainly one of the motivating factors, I was mostly excited about feeling that rush of power again.Benny and I were dressed in our armor, and she carried a pack with food supplies for the next few days. She practically skipped in anticipation. Captain Fennic said nothing as she led us through the street to the gates of the city. Sitting on one side of the gate was a covered carriage. Gazing into the Ether I could see pass the covering to the tied and seemingly docile humans inside."Sleep shade?" I asked the captain.She looked confused for a moment then said. "Yes, they should sleep for a few more hours. Dealing with them when they wake is your problem. Return the carriage when you return. The trading caravan will be here in 6 days. I expect you to be gone. If you are not gone you will be removed from the city. Damn the consequences."The captain held my cold gaze, surprisingly I believed her. I suppose that some humans had a limit that once reached they would dig their heels in regardless of the consequences. I had no interest in decimating her guard force nor branding myself a criminal. I took out the 200 gelding I promised her she looked at the coin with disgust and spat on the pavement. I suppose that meant she didn't want the coin."Most of the guards believe that you're collecting their bounties out east so stick with that story."She walked away without another word signaling her guards men."She seemed angry." Benny said."Indeed, come, let's be on our way the sooner we start the better." I said. watching the captain's back. Her reaction to the coin sitting in my mind. Was it so wrong to take coin for this? They were criminals and were going to be hung anyway. Is there really any difference between taking my coin or the states? Shrugging I put it out of my mind.We took the reins of the carriage and drove it through the gate. I decided that the old elven watchtower was the perfect place for this. When we were a few hours from the wall I stopped the cart. Looking around and stretching out my senses I couldn't detect anyone around us."What is it, master?" Benny asked."I suppose I should simply consume their lives now. No point in keeping them alive for the entire journey." I said."Ah ok" she said awkwardly."Come, you should see the process for yourself."I parked the carriage on the side of the street, and we climbed into the back moving the converting so we could see the occupants. As requested, 10 humans were sleeping strewn half-hazard on the floor of the carriage. There were 8 men and 2 women all seemed to be in their 20s.Before I started, I asked benny."Are you truly ready for this?"Benny looked at the defenseless humans, hesitation showing in her face."Not as simple as combat, is it? Make no mistake, Benny by most human law this is murder." I needed her to know and accept the crime we were about to commit.Benny's eyes darted about the carriage nervousness and hesitation taking root. Then she took deep breaths as she settled down. Her eyes slowed and turned cold then until her green orbs settled on me."But I won't be a regular human anymore so what do their laws matter?" She said, devoid of emotion.How can a child do that? In moments she went from nervous and hesitant to cold and calculating. I could almost, in her eyes, see the moment when these humans went from people with mothers and fathers' histories, hopes and dreams to walking bags of meat. Who's only use was to increase her power.Those eyes seemed so familiar."Start with that one, he was their leader I think." She pointed to a young man, with brown hair and a well-trimmed beard."Very well my apprentice." once more marveling at how ruthless this child could be. I suppose I'm not a very good influence.Once by one I rippled the life from their bodies. The ecstasy growing after each extraction by the time the 10th human, a pretty young blonde-haired woman died, I felt like a god. So much power was rippling inside me, still I wanted more. I took deep breaths to calm the growing hunger. Once I had myself under control I said to benny. "We can burn the bodies once we get to the watch tower."Benny simply stared at the 10 dead humans seeming to be looking into the ether."Do we do this here or…." She trailed off."No, when we get to the watch tower, the little that bleeds off is negligible."With the carriage it took less than 18 hours to reach the tower and another two to get all 10 bodies lined up to be burned. I gazed down at the now cold corpses. I thought I would feel some form of remorse for this, but I mostly just felt Regret. Not for taking the lives of the defenseless or forcing the captain to take part in it.It was regrettable that I didn't ask for more humans. I should have bargained harder.I released a stream of fire over the corpses, overcharging the spell until they burned to ash. The magical flames burned far hotter than normal fire and the massive plume made the process quicker than what was expected. I turned to my apprentice who was watching the process."Well apprentice, are you ready?" I asked benny."Yes Master." She said her eyes filled with anticipation."Very well let's go to the armory." I took her by the hand and led her to the broken watch tower.We walked down the steps to the armory; I cast a few light orbs to fill the area with light. Once that was done, we sat in the middle of the room facing each other. I reached a hand out to her."Once you take my hand you will become something different, you will live a life most people would never understand or dream of. Are you ready, my apprentice?""Yes, My Master." Benny said as she grabbed my hand.I started to push life ether into her in a great stream. Immediately her back arched her eyes bulged as the massive torrent of life ether rushed into her. The sheer ecstasy of the process was something beyond simple pleasure. Her body shook and moans escaped her lips as she absorbed enough life ether for a single person. Then I started to reach the barrier about halfway through the second life. Her face was currently drowned with ecstasy then she started to show worry. She probably felt it as I got closer and closer to the breaking point. It got more difficult to force more life ether into her. Then the barrier broke at almost two lives absorbed.I channeled more into her then cut off the flow."That was. Something" she said. she struggled to catch her breath and was twitching oddly."Now comes the pain. prepare yourself." I said seriously."Don't stop the process, not even if I beg you for death. Ok master." she said."Of course."Her breathing slowed; her brow furrowed. No doubt she was starting to feel the burn. She groaned as the pain started to spread. I moved her to a wall since her mind was far too focused on the growing pain inside her. I sat behind her with my back to the wall and her back to my chest. Then I trapped her arms with mine in a hug and she rested the back of her head on my shoulder. Then I use life ether to examine the process.So many changes were happening inside her it was uncountable. Her muscles began twitching violently as if she was having a seizure. Then they began to tear. This ripped a scream from her throat that rang my ears. All over her body tissues were being destroyed and rebuilt Benny remained conscious for the entirety of it. I did have ideas about rendering her unconscious through the process, but I didn't want to introduce variables like drugs. I wanted to replicate the conditions I was under as close as possible.She started thrashing to get out of my grasp, but my grip was iron. Her screams of agony echoed in the large room as even her bones started to fracture and repair themselves. After over an hour of this I could feel the tears running down her face."No more" she gasped out."Please master no more," she begged. A fresh spike of pain as several joints were dislocated and snapped back into their sockets, ripped any cohesive thought from her and the screams redoubled. I knew the suffering would be great, but this was something else to watch. Eventually the intensity of the pain grew to the point where even screaming required too much thought. blood ran from her eyes, nose and ears. At this point she could do little more than twitch.I actually started to feel regret, but I couldn't stop the process. I took a deep sigh as I smelled urine and from where I was sitting, I could feel it pool on the floor. This wasn't unexpected so I put it out of my mind. For right now I had to be there for Benny since she was in the final and longest stretch of the process.16 hours by my guess and the changes within her started to decrease. Fortunately, she fell unconscious but only after 10 hours of suffering. Still, I sat there holding her, refusing to leave for even a single moment. Slowly but surely her body settled down and her breathing became lighter. I looked at her blood and tear-stained face with sadness.I arranged her on the floor and began the process of removing her clothes. I cleaned her body with cloth and water, no point in her waking up to soiled clothes. I took her up to the main floor of the tower where I dressed her in clean clothes. Her skin was a bright pink like that of a newborn baby. Even now there were still changes but they were far deeper than I could understand. Once she was wrapped up in a bed roll by a small campfire, I began cleaning myself then started cooking our dinner. She would have some maddening hunger and thirst when she awoke.It took almost an entire day before she started to stir. I had been checking on her constantly. And from what I could see her transformation was similar to mine. We would have to see how her magic would improve. I still had most of the remaining life ether within myself. Though the pool of power that resided in me was comforting but its use was minimal.Benny jolted awake sitting up straight."Ahhh" she shouted as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of daytime. She blinked rapidly and started rubbing her ears, no doubt being bombarded by the signals from her heightened senses.I brought over some water."You will get used to it." I said.Her eyes widened at the water skin, grabbed it from my hand and started drinking. After she finished, she said,"That was worse than I could have imagined." Her voice sounded hoarse, likely from all the screaming, but that too would pass."I know, how do you feel? "I asked as I sat next to her.She took a moment to think, looking at her hands then her clothes. She looked at me, blushed as she realized I had changed her clothing. With a small shake of her head, she pulled back her sleeve."Different." She took a deep breath smelling the air."It's amazing. I've never felt so powerful before" she said. she kept clenching and unclenching her hands. That's when I noticed how clear her skin was, all the damage over the years from years from sunlight, marks from scars were completely gone."Should I try magic?" She said, I'm surprised that wasn't the first thing she did but it's best if she gets some food in her stomach."Not yet for now eat as much as you can and rest. Your change still isn't finished."I prepared a bowl of stew for her. 3 bowls later she was finally satisfied. She looked barely aware of her surroundings."Go back to sleep." I said."You'll be here when I wake up?" she asked, her eyes already drooping."Always."The next day Benny and I were walking through the woods deeper into the forest until we found a decently clear area. Benny walked with her head constantly twitching random directions as she picked up a sound or a smell."How do you do this every day, with ears like yours I bet it's even worse." she said as the cry of some bird in the distance caught her attention."You learn to tune it out but yes my hearing is incredibly acute." I said."Still, I feel amazing. I can't wait to try some spells."I couldn't wait to see the results. Finally, we reached the edge of the forest. It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. I admired the endless expanse of grassy terrain and the cool weather before the inevitable violence of Benny's spells disrupted it."Start off small, get a feel for it." I said.Benny nodded and started to cast an airstream. As expected, she cast it easily and from her palm a cone of air blasted out whipping up a frenzy. Then she stopped."I'm barely even trying?" she whispered in confusion.She tried an ice spike, the shard of ice coolest from the air and rocketed off into the distance. She went through every spell she knew, constantly remarking on how easy it was. I had no doubt what spell she wanted to save for last."Push it to the very limit of your abilities. No more holding back." I said I really wanted to see what she could do."Yes, master," she said. a massive grin on her face.Then she started to cast an air blast. The spell circuit glowed brightly as she fueled it with ether. Then it started to overcharge, white lightning began to arc off as the ether started to concentrate. Still, she continued the circuit becoming even more violent as she reached then surpassed the extent of my abilities with air magic. 2, then 3 then 4 times my own maximum output. Then she released. The compressed ball of air flew almost 1000 feet, at least 3 times my own max range and detonated.The blast was as terrifying as Lira's Meteor. The massive pressure wave expanded at the speed of sound destroying everything in the surrounding area. Even a thousand feet from the center of the blast we were knocked from our feet as the significantly diminished wall of air reached us.I sat upright looking over to Benny who was shivering. I suppose that used most her stamina. The chill must have been severe. I thought back to that spell and wondered how many times in succession if I could charge that spell to the same level of power. maybe 10 if I put a number on it.But for all my monstrous magic stamina, air was not my main affinity so my spells would never match the extent of her abilities. I helped her to her feet, and we observed the devastation. For hundreds of feet the calm and grassy terrain was reduced to bare earth. The center of the crater I had to assume was at least 50 feet deep.It took a few minutes for debris to stop raining down. I could only imagine the death toll if that was released in a city. I glanced at Benny as she observed the amount of destruction she caused.Benny had a massive smile on her face as she admired the devastation. Then she turned to me, her almost glowing green orbs capturing my attention. I could see it, her desire to test her power, the hunger for more. The anticipation of seeing the heights she could reach. Only now did I finally understand why her eyes seemed so familiar to me on the carriage.