Ignoring the uproar it caused when people realized Kay’rin turned out to be a girl, Jace actually found himself pondering the plight of the crying girls who were still gathered in the back of the hall, stripping. He hated the useless feeling it gave him to know he wasn’t making any marked difference despite being some stupid “chosen one” who was supposed to cure all of humanity's ills with the gods. A singularly absurd proposition in and of itself. Here he was, living in this beautiful place and it still felt like he was back in the dungeon underground. As if all this beauty in the architecture and scenery were just a lie. Half of humanity was being treated worse than dogs, and worse the perpetrators had all sorts of reasonable sounding justifications for why they could treat them like that.

He hated it. He wanted to leave these people to their fate, but what he hated the most is how he hadn’t once actually tried to do anything for all the people he saw suffering. Oh sure he helped Khana, and he didn’t particularly go out of his way to hurt anyone, or take advantage of anyone, and he castrated that bastard Teral for the acts he heard about him perpetrating on some of the slaves. But nothing he had done had made an impact anywhere.

He didn’t even know if he SHOULD do something to assist these people.

'Would it hurt his path home?' Was that question too selfish? He looked at the ceiling above, and seeing nothing in the rafters to answer the question he closed his eyes and thought of Jenn, what would Jenn say if she saw him now? That question turned his stomach over and he almost vomited. She probably wouldn’t even want him to return if she saw him now. What about his father? He was pretty sure his father would hit him.

'How did I talk myself into treating these people like their lives didn’t mean anything? None of these girls summoned him.' He thought angrily to himself. He had simply transferred his anger from one source to another. He treated the slaves like a problem he couldn’t solve because he simply couldn’t solve it. But he treated the free girls the same way because some soldiers stopped him from stopping a rape in the streets of some slum? Where had his head become so twisted?

Now that he knew he had to take action he had to decide how before they left the building. Without an idea of what to do he turned around and looked at the wizard. Would these people understand him trying to keep these girls from being raped until they wished for death? No, even the girls being raped who didn’t like it and felt themselves die a bit at a time probably couldn’t explain why they felt that way. This society had gone so far down the wrong road that the oppressed don’t even have words to explain why they’re being oppressed.

If the oppressed don’t know they’re being oppressed was it his job to save them? No, he couldn’t do that. But he could open a path to salvation. It just mattered how many would take it.

What about the men?

The men’s souls were being devoured by this heartless and cruel treatment of their fellow man just not as obviously harmed as the girls. Shouldn’t he be just as concerned about the men? Yes. If he didn’t give the men another way, then nothing would change when he left.

For the first time in months he actually felt his heart clear of conflict. He walked over to the wizard and spoke confidently. “Sir, may I have your name?”

“Ah, yes, I am wizard Gharen.” The old man looked at him, obviously liking being called sir.

“Wizard Gharen, I’m sure you’d like to know what I told Khana. Correct?”

The old man was already nodding. “Yes I was wondering how you were able to in just a few seconds direct a student to break through to their max potential.”

“Yes, well it’s actually part of what I want to ask you. I suddenly felt a moment of enlightenment toward magic. It is in direct opposition of everything I heard from the Great Sage Eldridge, you know he used to teach me about magic before I came here.” He wove truths and falsehoods together as fast as he could think about it. He knew what he was going to request would cause problems, so he needed to make them think it was important. He hoped he had enough cache with his unusual arrival to this planet to make this happen. He had to try.

“MMM yes, I assumed as much when I saw you immediately leap into the Channeler level. It can take weeks or months of practice for people to make that leap.”

“Well you know of the… unusually circumstances of my arrival correct?” He waited for the old man to nod, “I think I received a little divine inspiration with Khana. However, I can’t be sure. I might have been lucky. So I’d like to test it in a way that would leave no doubt about this theory.”

“Oh, you have me interested what is it you theorize?”

He shook his head, knowing that question would come eventually “Actually it’s almost too preposterous to believe. Listen. If you heard a voice tell you to say, that clothing robs you of the god’s blessings, how could you easily spread this message without testing it? You’d feel like a fool without proof. This is much the same. I’m ashamed to say it’s not some great amazing thing. But something so foolish I have trouble speaking of it. I would rather test my theory. And it occurs to me there are 26 people who are failures in the eyes of this school right behind me. How long do you think it would take for all of them to become witches or warlocks?”

The old man thought a moment then answered “probably 18 or 21 weeks, maybe 35 or 50 for the slowest.”

“If I could borrow them for 3 weeks, I would like to see if I can get them past the test in just 3 weeks. All of them. I also suspect I might be able to get a few to test out as a channeler. Though that’s just a theory. If I’m wrong, no harm…” he paused then added trying to make himself sound a bit lecherous hating himself for the lie “in fact a number of those girls might be carrying my seed after that month, you know the seed of someone immune to the curse? Someone with the potential to be a grand sorcerer. I think if you object to me taking everyone, leaving the girls in my care is in the best interest of humanity don’t you?”

Not many people heard what he had just said, but he knew Kay’lin had. Because she was looking at him with an appalled expression. Right next to her in outrage was Karius, surprisingly. He regretted the misunderstanding but right now there were a number of people who needed someone to step out for them.

The old man got a cunning look in his eyes at that comment and chuckled. “True true. Really I think we should start sending the girls who aren’t pregnant to you. You really are too valuable in so many ways. I’ll give you all the girls and any of the guys who want to go as well. I look forward to the results.”

He sighed when he realized the old man could care less about the “magic inspiration” but was definitely all for the babies he was supposed to be making. Well he had played all his cards. He was ready pay the price and look like a piece of trash if necessary.

Wizard Gharen raised his voice. “Change of plan, no one leave. All of you who failed come down before me. Girls leave your clothing where you took them off. Channeler Jace here has a request for you all.”

Jace waited for them all to line up in front of him, and spoke. “I need assistants for an experiment. The participants have what I believe a significant chance to become a warlock or witch within 30 days. Furthermore, some of you might be able to reach Channeler. Understand nothing is guaranteed, it’s just a theory. But I believe the chances are fairly good.”

He hoped his pitch made an impact but surprisingly no one volunteered. He sighed then spoke again. “Since it’s this way. Girls, the Wizard has ordered you all to serve me for these 30 days. Toss those hooded cloaks on, I’ll not have you carrying a baby yet. You’re moving to the keep, there is a large room bellow mine. Move out of your current housing and be there by nightfall. You know you’re all under slave rules until you become witches. These are my direct orders. My orders are for you to NOT mate with anyone else but me for the duration of the next 30 days.”

He knew he sounded like a piece of trash. However surprisingly most of the girls looked a bit less miserable after his speech. It made sense, he just told them they had to serve one man rather than every man who felt the whim to stick it into them. It just was appalling to him that a threatened rape by a stranger was considering an IMPROVEMENT in their situation to these girls. Several girls did not see it that way of course. He was being glared at as if he was the scum of the earth by both Kay’rin and Khana, plus two of the naked girls in front of him. He glanced at Sam and Verna, Sam looked confused, not hurt, she just looked puzzled. Verna looked. Amused.

For some reason he found that look of amusement even more stabbing then the looks of outrage.