by Dante King
Sir Gallant was right. The map petered out into nothing after that point, followed by an expanse of gray, dull crystal.
“Well, that makes things easier,” Ben said. “It will be very useful being able to refer to this while we discuss our next plans.”
The tower never ceased to surprise him with the useful inventions it stored. His previous self had evidently been quite ingenious. The tower all but rolled out the red carpet for him as he returned to retake his position as the Forgotten Ruler. And Ben had a feeling he was only seeing the beginning of the tower’s surprises.
“What will we be discussing today, then?” Melody asked.
“We need to determine what to do next,” Ben said. “I have just made the first expansion of my young Empire, and already I have a number of potential allies—and more than my share of potential enemies. We have to act before they have a chance to move against us.”
Chapter 13
“Let’s start with what we know, shall we?” Melody tucked her purple hair behind her ears and poised the quill over the sheets of paper in front of her. “What dangers does the Empire face right now?”
“The Xurian Realm is surely our greatest enemy,” Sir Gallant the Younger said. “In fact, we should consider a clash with them to be an inevitability.”
Melody nodded then scratched that down, the feather bobbing swiftly in her hand as she wrote.
“The slavers certainly won’t be friends of ours once they learn what we’ve done,” Sybil added.
Vinata and Lulu murmured assent. All three women had suffered at the hands of slavers in this very forest.
“The towers,” Ben said in a serious tone. “Someone has gained access to my towers. That is a great threat.”
“And an insult, my lord,” Sir Gallant the Younger added.
“Indeed, Sir Gallant. I’m not likely to forget that,” Ben replied.
Melody silently wrote, her eyes fixed on the paper before her. Ben craned his neck to watch her write, noting how florid and ornate her handwriting was. It was a script befitting the Mistress of Letters.
“I’m interested to know what lies in the dungeons, myself,” Sir Gallant said.
“You don’t know?” Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The five levels you have seen are the only ones you gave me dominion over, my lord,” the knight replied. “That door has always remained closed to me.”
“I see,” Ben said.
“And would you consider the depths of the dungeon a threat?” Melody asked, her eyes flicking up from her paper, her quill motionless as she awaited a reply.
“Until this morning, maybe not,” Ben said. “But we all felt something at the dungeon entrance today.”
“That was not a feeling I would want to experience again.” Sybil shivered.
“You said that the dungeon door will keep that presence trapped inside, though,” Vinata said. She glanced at Sir Gallant. “Is that true?”
“It is,” Sir Gallant said. “But I would still not want that presence to spread unrestrained. The dungeons could very well become unusable. If you ask me, we’ll need to scour the dungeons below at some point. The sooner, the better.
“Kindly note that down, Melody,” Ben said. “Sir Gallant makes a good point. We will consider what needs to be done to cleanse the dungeon presently.”
Melody noted the dungeon as a potential threat. Then she glanced up. “If it pleases you, Ben, I would like to note down what strengths we have as well, then we can decide what your goals are and how we can achieve them.”
“An excellent plan,” Ben said. “To start with the obvious, I have several powerful spells, and the ability to acquire others.”
Melody wrote that down, nodding.
“That only increases my power as an individual mage, however,” Ben continued. “If I am to be a capable ruler, I need to put aside aspirations of personal power, and consider how best to ensure the ability of my people to defend themselves.”
Sybil looked at Ben approvingly. “You think like a ruler, Benzhameen, and not with the ego of a warrior.”
“You have your children,” Vinata said. “They can fight for you.”
“And eggs,” Lulu interrupted excitedly. “You can make more eggs.”
Sybil tilted her head to one side in puzzlement. “You can make... eggs?”
Ben chuckled awkwardly. “There is something I haven’t told you about my abilities as the Forgotten Ruler.”
“Ben is a truly accomplished lover,” Lulu declared proudly.
Sybil didn’t react to this revelation. “What does that have to do with eggs?”
“The thing is,” Ben began. He paused to gather his thoughts. “When I spend time with one of my wives,” he gestured at the three women surrounding him at the table. “Intimate time, you understand…”
“When you make love to them,” Sybil finished for him, her expression flat as she spoke bluntly.
“Yes, that.” Ben allowed himself a small grin, amused at her bluntness. “When that happens, we bear a child together.”
“I am familiar with how procreation works,” Sybil said flatly, again not betraying any emotion.
“Of course. This is not quite the same as ordinary procreation, however,” Ben said. “The children are born in the form of eggs, on the very same day.”
Now Sybil smiled with amusement. “You’re right, that doesn’t sound like the kind of procreation I’m familiar with.”
“This system has advantages,” Melody stated. “The children hatch from their eggs only a short time after they have been born, and they are quickly able to evolve into fierce warriors. You have seen some of Ben’s children fighting already.”
“That’s true,” Sybil said. “They were formidable.” She paused to think. “So, you’re telling me, you can… breed your own army.”
“That’s right,” Ben said. “Note that down, Melody, as one of the strategies available to me as ruler.”
Melody added that to her list.
“And these children, they are all different as far as I could see,” Sybil continued.
“The children take on characteristics from their mothers as well,” Ben explained.
“The giant blue lizard was mine,” Lulu proudly announced.
“Yes, I gathered as much,” Sybil said. “This could be a very powerful ability in the hands of a ruler like you.”
“I suggest we focus on making as many eggs as possible, as soon as possible.” Lulu fixed Ben with a smoldering look and bit her lower lip, very suggestively, a look that suggested she was very much looking forward to the opportunity.
“I’m sure Melody will add that suggestion to our list,” Ben said, trying to hold back a laugh at the water nymph’s persistence. The council table didn’t look like the most comfortable place to get down and dirty with his wives, and they really needed to reach some decisions before leaving.
“The dungeons may be a threat, my lord,” Sir Gallant broke in, bringing the conversation back to graver matters. “But they could also be a strength.”
“That’s very true,” Ben agreed.
“As you know,” the knight continued, “the dungeons contain relics of your power, old masters waiting to be awakened, and other resources to be harvested.”
“The dungeons are important for the growth of our children too,” Lulu said. “They will grow much more powerful if they can consume the corpses of new monsters.”
“Ew,” Vinata exclaimed. “I won’t have Lily and Sap eating monster corpses.”
“We need to consider all possibilities for growing in strength, Vinny,” Lulu insisted.
“That’s true,” Ben said. “Have you noted all that down, Melody?”
“I have,” Melody said, furiously scribbling away.
“If I may, my lord,” Sybil spoke up. “Another of your strengths could be the people that you free.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ben asked, gesturing for her to continue.
“My own people o
we you a deep debt of gratitude for rescuing us. I know of many other tribes that would feel the same way.”
“And you think they would join my Empire if I freed them?”
“I know they would, my lord,” Sybil said. “They have suffered so long, if you made them the same promise of freedom and revenge, they would follow you to the Xurian capital and back.”
“And what races of monsterkin inhabit these regions?” Ben asked.
“I know of centaurs,” Sybil began, ticking off names on her fingers. “Centaurs are like our people, but related to horses, not aurochs. There are races of monstrous women, harpies, sirens, gorgons, and banshees, that will devour the unfortunates that they can lure into their clutches.”
“Sounds a bit like undines,” Ben commented.
Lulu laughed in a sinister tone.
“There are also races of fearsome monstrous men, yetis, cyclops and giants, though the giants are the rarest of all.”
“Intriguing,” Ben said.
“Last of all, I know of satyrs, pixies, and nagas, the most mysterious of the monsterkin.”
“Don’t forget the beastkin,” Melody said, looking up from her writing. “They would also be willing to join you.”
Ben gestured for her to continue.
“I have read about bearkin, lionkin, ratkin, owlkin, wolfkin, tigerkin, frogkin, serpentkin.” Melody breathlessly rattled off the names.
“That should be a good start,” Ben said. “So, one of my tasks will be finding these races of creatures and encouraging them to join us.”
“Don’t forget the nymphs, Ben,” Vinata said. “Our people would rejoice to join forces with the Forgotten Ruler.”
“How could I forget them?” Ben asked. “I’m looking forward to meeting your families.”
Vinata looked at Ben, troubled. “They still haven’t arrived to find out what has happened to us. What could be delaying them?”
“They must still be searching for us,” Lulu said. “They wouldn’t have returned home without us.”
“But they should have found us by now,” Vinata insisted. “You know how good they are at tracking.”
“I know…” Lulu reluctantly admitted.
“What if they’ve all been captured as slaves?” Vinata went on. “Sybil said the slavers are out in greater force than ever.”
“We’ll find out where they are, Vinata, don’t worry,” Ben said. “I won’t let harm come to them if I can help it.”
“When can you do that?” the dryad asked, her voice catching in her throat.
“As soon as I’m able,” Ben promised.
“Can you use your hawk spell and fly out to find them?” Vinata asked.
“I’m not yet sure how far I can fly,” Ben said. “And I need to focus on the other towers first. If I set out to rescue your families and my Empire gets attacked while I’m away, I won’t be of any use to anyone. You understand that, don’t you?”
Vinata nodded, her face sinking. It was clear that while she understood, she’d wished for a different answer. “I do.”
“I’ll get stronger and use my hawk form to scout the forest as soon as I can,” Ben reassured her. “Speaking of which, I think I should be strengthening that spell and scouting the forest straight away. I need more information than what this map is currently able to offer.”
“So, scouting is your first priority, my lord?” Sir Gallant the Younger asked.
Ben put his hand to his chin, deep in thought. It was one thing to write a list of priorities—it was a whole other matter to decide which priority was the most important. He’d have to decide on something, and that would mean whatever else would be pushed down the list.
“Do you have a better suggestion?” Ben asked.
“You could get stronger by exploring the depths of your dungeons,” the knight suggested.
“Or you could rescue more of the monsterkin,” Sybil added.
“Or make more children,” Lulu said with a lustful smirk.
Ben glanced at the water nymph. Behind her sensual expression was a serious edge to her eyes. “I know I do need more children,” he said to her. “But it may not be the most urgent priority.”
“What is the most urgent?” Vinata asked.
Ben looked at Melody to his right. “You are my chief advisor, Melody. Do you have any thoughts?”
Melody laid down her quill. “Archmage Kamila sent me to find you because she was concerned about the growing power of the Xurian Realm. Now it appears that the Realm has acquired control over relics of your former power. This is a far more serious development than either of us ever expected.”
“That’s what I thought,” Ben said. “It seems very serious.”
“It is,” Melody agreed. “I think you need to stop them before they can acquire any more of your power.”
“How do I stop them?” Ben wondered. “They are far away, they have four towers the size of this one, and who knows how large their armies are, or what other powers they have access to?”
“You need these questions answered,” Melody said. “You need more information.”
“But how can you acquire such information?” Sybil asked. “These towers are far away.”
“Can we use the portal stone we recovered?” Ben asked.
Melody shook her head. “The stone will only allow you to travel to the pillar we discovered in Brekmarth. You must discover the other pillars in person before you can travel to them.”
“Then I will have to fly,” Ben said. “There is no other way I can travel to those towers and back in time.”
“Flying would be a tremendous undertaking, my lord,” Sir Gallant said. “Your mana was drained after only flying out of Brekmarth and back last time. Not only that, but your Transform spell’s level being as low as it is leaves you very vulnerable in your hawk form. Perhaps you should build up your strength first.”
Ben smiled, understanding what he was getting at. “You don’t give up easily, do you? I’ll explore that dungeon when I get back.”
“You do need to increase your strength though,” Melody said.
“If I practice the skill more, I will be able to sustain it for longer,” Ben said. “And I will need a lot of mana crystals from you.”
“Can you carry them when you are flying?” Melody asked.
“I can carry them in my human form,” Ben said. “I will need to land and transform back each time in order to consume the crystals.”
“That will be a very dangerous flight,” Vinata said.
“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Ben said. “For all we know, they could be assembling their armies at this very moment.”
“Then we should all be doing all we can to prepare,” Sybil said.
“Absolutely,” Ben said. “It’s good how quickly you appreciate the situation we are in.”
“As a leader of my people, I had no other choice,” Sybil replied.
“What can we do then?” Vinata asked.
“You can train your magic, can’t you?” Ben said.
“We can,” Vinata said. “I will learn everything I can about the magic of the dryads.”
“We can train the children too,” Lulu added.
“But they need to be trained against monsters, don’t they?” Ben asked.
“If I may, my lord,” Sir Gallant spoke up. “I can control the summoning of monsters while you are gone, and help the children to evolve further.”
“That would be a great help, Sir Gallant,” Ben said. “But you can’t do it in the dungeon, not while that evil presence lurks within.”
“I should be able to do it in the tower without any difficulties,” Sir Gallant said.
Ben nodded. “And I intend to work on my own spells every chance I get. I will take a null lock with me when I fly too, in case I encounter any other mages.”
“You don’t intend to engage in combat while you are away, do you?” Vinata asked, her eyes wide.
“I don’t intend to, no,” Ben said.
“But I have to be ready. If I happen to encounter any mages who are isolated while I am there, I won’t hesitate to steal their spells.”
“That reminds me, Ben,” Melody said. “You were able to drain spells from Lexi. What if you could drain our spells too?”
Ben considered it. Draining spells would be the fastest way to increase his power. But it would come at a cost. He would have to decide if taking his companions’ spells would be worth it.
“But you need your spells, don’t you?” he asked.
“We can learn more,” Melody said. “With all of us working together to learn new spells, we can acquire them faster than you ever could.”
Now this was an idea that appealed to Ben. His companions could learn spells, and he could take them. With all of them working together, they’d be able to provide him more spells than he could ever need.
“That’s an interesting idea,” Ben said. “What do you need in order to learn new spells?”
“Books, and time,” Melody said. “The library contains plenty of books.”
“Good to hear,” Ben said. “Spend as much time as you can gathering new spells for me then.”
Melody noted that down as well, excited by the prospect of scouring through the library for hours on end. Mistress of Letters indeed, Ben thought.
“There is one last matter I want to address,” Ben said. “Lexi.”
Melody glanced up, hope flashing through her bright purple eyes.
Ben took a deep breath. “She served us well on our expedition. Can we trust her? Should I free her?”
Melody shifted impatiently in her seat but remained silent.
Ben wondered what the others would say. He was ready to pardon the woman himself, but he didn’t know if the nymphs would be prepared to trust her.
“Does this mean I won’t get to torture her?” Sir Gallant asked.
“Certainly not!” Melody exclaimed, her purple eyes flashing with anger as she rose from her seat slightly.
“Alright, then.” Sir Gallant put his hands up defensively. “I was just hoping for a little extra experience, that’s all.”
“You were hoping for a little extra fun, oh great Master of Tortures,” retorted Melody.