Empire Builder 2
Page 27
This set off a commotion around the table. Ben raised his palm for silence when he was ready to go on.
“What can they do with it?” Lulu asked. “Use them as weapons? Are they hard enough to throw and cause damage?”
Ben suppressed a smile at her innocent question.
“No, you don’t use it like that. But you can use coal to move large, metal objects—like… huge carriages that you can take into war.” Ben was realizing how hard it was to describe tanks and cars to those who had no frame of reference for them. “But that’s advanced technology. I don’t know if whoever is in charge of the tower has access to that.”
Imogen spoke up, ready to impart her knowledge of rocks and minerals. “You can also use it to smith large amounts of weapons and armor.”
“Then whoever is at that tower,” Melody said, her face serious, “is planning on raising an army.”
“Right,” Ben said. “Which means we don’t have any time to waste in getting our own armies ready. We’ll need to create more monsterkin as quickly as we can. But we’ll also need soldiers. And then there’s the matter of the ruins.”
He then went into what he’d seen on the way back, the massive circle of hills with an even larger hill crowned with ruins. Ben told them how the ruins seemed to call out to him, and how when he’d landed to fight D’reth, he’d been able to take shelter in a small space underground that allowed him access.
“And you killed the mage?” Melody asked, her hands clasped together as she rose slightly from her seat.
“I did,” Ben said. “But I was only able to drain two of his spells—one called Energy Dart and another called Force Blast.”
“I know both of those!” Melody said. “Energy Dart allows you to summon small orbs of pure magical energy that you can shoot like bullets. Or, well, darts. The more powerful the spell becomes, the larger and more damaging the orbs can become.”
Sir Gallant the Younger nodded gravely. “I’ve seen the spell in battle—it can be most damaging. Imagine the strongest rock being thrown by the strongest giant. Such a spell can blast holes in even the most well-armored knight.”
“And Force Blast,” Melody said, again eager and excited. “That allows you to send waves of wind-like energy from your fingers. At lower levels it’s like a push. But at greater levels, it’s like being hit by a runaway horse carriage.”
Ben allowed himself a small smile, pleased with the newest spells in his collection. He still wished that he’d been able to take more spells from D’reth, but two would have to suffice.
“That small space you referred to,” added Melody. “I remember reading that your closest followers would take pilgrimages to shrines dedicated to you, back when you were at the height of your power. The pilgrimages were massive undertakings, often on foot. Those places could’ve been locations of rest for those on such a journey.”
Ben nodded. “Then it would stand to reason that only I and my followers would have access.”
“Correct,” Melody said. “And it would also suggest that those ruins were a shrine that you had built. They would be worth exploring sometime soon. Perhaps another relic could be found within them.”
Her words reminded Ben of something else—the dungeon.
“Speaking of exploring,” he said. “Something happened while I was gone that caused one of the dungeons below to open. I want to check them out next. I’m very curious why it suddenly chose to open, along with the crafting labs.”
“You said that you had gained power, correct?” asked Melody. “During your battle with D’reth, you mentioned that your hawk form had grown in size. It’s entirely possible that your increased power sent a signal to the tower that opened the dungeon for you to explore.”
“It makes sense,” added Sybil. “You wouldn’t design a tower that would kill you—in your previous form you likely set it up so it only allowed access to certain parts when you were ready.”
The explanation made sense to Ben.
“Then that means I’m powerful enough to conquer whatever’s below.”
“It means you’re ready to take it on,” Melody said. “You’ll still need to exercise caution.”
“Then let’s not waste any more time. I want all the council and all the monster children ready to venture down on the hour. I’m not going to take any chances—we’re going with as large a party as possible.” Ben stood. “Dismissed.”
The rest of the council rose and went to prepare for the trek into the dungeon.
End of Book 2
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About the Author
Dante King is an author of Men’s Adventure fiction in various flavors. His books involve strong male protagonists who know what they want and do what’s required to get it.
You can connect with him at DanteKingAuthor.com