Using the eyes of those within his range and listening to the calls of the one directing his friend on where to go, Ben began actualizing amidst everything else for what help he could give, wrapping a layer around Greed that perfectly matched his appearance so none could detect the protective shell, the calming Ben had placed on him preventing Greed from reacting too much from its sudden appearance, leaving the crab with far greater things to worry about.
“With challenges to be faced, your first one is simple,” the announcer called out, directing Greed, as was his role. “Surpass the wall before you to get to the real struggle beyond.”
At just short of Ben’s height, for a dark elf, the challenge would have been nothing, but for a crab that could be carried in one hand, it was basically the same as saying that Greed should already give up on his marriage, the task looking basically insurmountable when Greed was being told to get over a smooth, flat surface like that, which at the same time gave Ben the opportunity to stall while he finished the dishes. If Greed couldn’t do it then the wedding would be called to an end but there was no rule against finishing it slowly, allowing him to begin moving Greed’s body up to it, standing to face it for just a moment before rearing his friend up on his back legs, using his front ones and pushing them into the stone wall in front of him.
With how small he was, not many in the crowd were able to realize what Greed seemed to be doing at first until he pulled those legs out and put the ones behind them into those newly created divots, forcing his front legs in again to slowly crawl up its surface. Once no part of him was touching the ground, those who hadn’t come to explicitly watch him fail or die went wild at the display of strength that seemed like such a thing should have involved, not knowing that it was being done purely through the projection of Ben’s mind.
But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that it looked believable. Greed held two awakened skills and, like so many other people on the planet, had had his soul modified to make him even stronger. Add in just how tough his shell was and being able to pull off something like that was plenty believable, while making it look like it was still a struggle on top of that gave Ben the time he needed.
Manipulating the dishes he was attempting to create with his power, after only another minute they were done and plated, leaving the tables covered with new food for all of the guests to eat at the same time he poured out the stew meant for Greed and Gennet, cleaning the dish quickly to make sure no residue was left behind when he didn’t know the potency of the poison it held before replacing it with what he’d managed to whip up.
None of them had gotten his best work, but that didn’t matter. He was a contender for his crafting, a man just short of godhood for that skill. Not his best work would still be miles above what any typical cook could pull off, even above most exceptional ones too. He’d successfully saved that part of the wedding, leaving only three more parts that needed to be dealt with. The assassin in the woods, the poisoned pressure plate hidden in the wedding challenge, and the wedding as a whole, made dangerous enough that the pressure plate in the mix was going to fit in uncomfortably well.
But with that first part complete, he could rush his way to the front, grabbing Thera again when he passed her and whispering that she could dispel the magic she had on him while he subtly went into the minds of everyone in his range, getting the crowd to shuffle just enough that he could make it back to the front without any of them realizing they’d been controlled, just in time for him to get Greed back in his range as he got the crab to the top, letting them both survey what there was still to come.
Yep, Ben heard Greed think. I’m going to die.
You’re not going to die. Ben thought back, making the other aware of his return. You’re just going to do what I tell you and we’ll make it through this, understand?
Oh, thank the gods you’re back. I missed that sweet voice.
And it looks like I’m going to up the calming effect on you a bit. Now, let’s just see what this guy says we have to do next.
It was arguably pretty straightforward, and at the very least, it seemed the challenge had been scaled down somewhat to match Greed’s size. If a dark elf had to go through that same one then it would have been easy, but when it came to Greed, it was plainly meant to be difficult.
Maybe too difficult, Ben thought to himself, keeping that bit private. If this were to be scaled up to suit a dark elf then it would actually be a lot more than what any of the memories I’ve seen went through. Did they have trouble adjusting it to his size, or was it made to be a bigger challenge than usual since he has two awakened skills? Even if neither one is relevant to getting through that, he’ll have the growth bonuses for it so maybe it’s harder to account for those?
He didn’t know, and the master of ceremonies was still too far outside of Ben’s range to give him any answers, leaving him to only focus on what would come next. A stretch of burning oil beneath the wall, a spike trap that was thankfully poorly thought out, given that it wouldn’t be able to pierce Greed’s shell, the poisoned pressure plate beyond that seemed like it was originally meant to be a stretch leading up to a far deeper pool of boiling oil farther in before another wall that would need to be overcome, with more challenges beyond. They just had to take things one at a time, conquering each one to get to the next.
And from where we currently are, I should be able to have Greed jump over the oil to land on the edge of the spike pit, have him move through that without any real harm, hold his breath when he gets to the poison his son put in place and-
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Having conquered the starting wall, it’s time to go on! Lower yourself into the flames and walk through, show us the heat is no enemy to you!”
Oh, fucking come on!
It was something he knew he could help Greed deal with but he also needed to make it look good, with the fact that the oil was sure to cling to the actualized layer meaning it would appear Greed would seem to be burning for a bit after but that was nothing in the end. With the next instruction given, Ben saw no point in making the way Greed was lowered a slow thing and instead he let his friend fall off the edge, landing within the flames with the oil just deep enough to create a small splash before taking the first quick yet controlled steps, Ben having every part of Greed covered to protect him, even as the crab felt the tiniest edge of worry within.
You know, I gotta say, Legs, whatever you’re doing to my head to make this only kind of worrying instead of horrifying is great. Absolutely love it, so keep it up.
That’s the plan. Just be prepared for when it wears off when this is done and you’re left remembering all of this.
Mmh, nope, don’t like thinking about that. I am safe, right?
Yeah, nothing’s going to hurt you while I’m here to help, so just let me cover this.
A few long moments were all it took to get out of the flames, oil still burning on Greed’s body in a way that caught everyone’s attention with even the one leading the ceremony seeming momentarily at a loss, taking a second before saying whatever he would next that gave Ben a chance to shift down the crowd, wanting to keep Greed in range and get closer to the announcer to eventually see what other ridiculous things he was going to force his friend to do.
“With the fire passed, the spikes are next! Bring yourself from point to point without falling until you make it to the other side.”
Ugh, come on, that’s just stupid.
Ben had no doubt that particular order came from the realization that that specific trap was more likely than not going to be harmless, but even then, that in particular wasn’t going to be hard while he was at the wheel. The instruction given, Ben threw Greed’s body at it, catching the point with one claw before carrying on to the next, again and again and again until it was done, getting a roar of excitement from the crowd, with even a few that had originally wanted the worst joining in, impressed enough by what they saw to treat it like entertainment which Ben supposed was exactly what it was. A spectacle for the audience as much as a challenge for the participant, with one unexpected part added to the landing beyond.
Ben made sure Greed was entirely sealed away the same time he finished that section, his landing activating the pressure plate and spraying up a fine mist of a different poison, to both be breathed in and to land on Greed’s body, with neither part of it being successful. Ben had him protected from the effects it held and other than a few confused looks from a couple that had been close enough to see a bit of the spray, nothing else came from it. One more assassination attempt had been successfully averted, leaving only one more to reveal themself.
One that still hadn’t happened, making Ben hopeful that, just maybe, the hired hitman really had just taken the money and run. A small mercy Ben wasn’t ready to let himself believe he would get while the next section loomed, a pool of boiling oil needing to be crossed.
So we’ve obviously been given this stretch to create a running start for jumping over it, the question is just how convincing to make it look. Do I have Greed clear it easily or do I get him right on the edge, maybe making it look like he might fall in for a second to raise some suspense? Or-
“The spikes passed, the groom must now dive to the depths of the oil, retrieving what sits beneath!
… Okay, there’s literally no fucking way that dark elves are being asked to dive into a pool of boiling oil when they get married so what’s going on here? Was it designed specifically to be a trial for Greed’s race? Can ruby crabs survive that sort of thing?
He asked Greed as much, and the answer was immediate.
No we fucking can’t!
So maybe your race was mistaken for one that could? Okay, that would be a pretty shit mistake to make but fine, don’t stress because if I could protect you from the fire before, I can protect you from this.
Legs, I don’t say this often enough, but I love you.
Yeah, yeah, save it for your wife when we get you through this because there’s still plenty more to go.
Having Greed step into the pool and sink to the bottom, Ben only had the crab’s eyes to work off of as the sun’s rays struggled to get through that thick liquid, even if it was enough. He could see a shape in the end, frankly far too big to expect Greed to be able to comfortably swim back up with, being a metal weight the crab’s size that Ben actualized a platform underneath, raising it to the surface again with Greed before making it appear the crab dragged it out of the oil, once more getting a cheer, with one face in particular taking a subtle frown instead, leaving something to click for Ben.
Oh, oh god no. You’re kidding me.
Legs?
Don’t mind me, Greed, just something I’m going to be able to confirm in a minute. If I’m right then I’ll be able to make this a lot easier for you.
Really? Because that doesn’t seem like an ‘oh god no’ sorta reaction.
I was thinking about something else and it slipped through, Ben lied. It’s fine, so let’s just see what you’re going to be expected to do next.
It was another wall, same as the first, but by that point, Ben wasn’t expecting a simple repeat. Every hope he had for how to finish that was dashed and, even if he was able to help his friend get through it all, that didn’t change the fact that the challenge seemed designed to be a pain in the ass, proven once again with the next order.
“With climbing already complete, prove your strength once more by tunneling through to the next section waiting for you beyond!”
Okay, between this and the last, this is one hundred percent designed to tire Greed out, Ben thought, sparing Greed any form of exhaustion by using his actualization to smash big chunks out of the wall, making it look like Greed was punching his way through. Leave him exhausted enough and he’ll do worse and worse in the next sections after too, which is suspicious enough as it is, but from here, it looks like I’ll at least be able to get any answers.
With Greed progressing through the course and Ben following along through the crowd, they were finally close enough that Ben could look directly in the master of ceremonies mind, allowing him to see if the only person he hadn’t been able to check also had designs on his friend’s life.
