by Dante King
It worked. The kin tapped into their powers, the road leading into the woods a frenzy of animal attacks and magical firepower. When Ben was confident the second formation was done for, he turned his attention to the third, which was in the process of rushing their line. He hurried over to the troops, doing a quick count of the Black Army soldiers rushing them—he guessed a little under a hundred.
“Kin! All who have ranged attacks… use them!”
The kin complied. Firekin and windkin pummeled the troops as they attempted to storm the line. Ben added to the attacks, using Force Wave and Flame Cannon to blast back and roast what soldiers he could.
“Ben!” He heard his name and turned to see Zito, Melody, Lexi, and all the rest, at the entrance to the tower with another few dozen kin. He grinned as they hurried to his side and joined in the battle. To his surprise, other members of The One’s inner circle, the aristocrats who’d stayed in the arena, rushed out to side with him.
Once they were with him, the fight was truly on.
Zito wasted no time leaping into the fray, using a flurry of blade attacks to slice through the oncoming soldiers. Melody stood at Ben’s side, shooting off Chain Lightning and dropping one soldier after another. Imogen and Brock lifted whatever stones were near, launching them into masses of troops. Shrike blasted the soldiers with jets of flame.
It didn’t take long before the assault fell to pieces. Ben rushed them with some of the kin from the line, chasing them back into the woods.
“I need those brought under control!” Ben shouted as he pointed at the still-rampaging beasts of burden.
A few of the kin heard the order and hurried to the site of the slaughter. They began issuing commands to the beasts, who were quickly calmed and under control.
Ben laid his eyes on the aristocrats who still supported The One. They stood in the woods, expressions of fear on their faces as they realized the battle was lost. The remains of the Black Army fled, most dropping their weapons as they did.
Part of Ben wanted to chase them down, to exterminate every last one of them, but he knew the time would come to finish them off. For now, he needed to secure the area around the tower and break the back of the assault.
“Ben!” a voice called out to him from above. He turned and craned his neck to see Graven seated on the back of one of the elephant beasts. “Take one of them! They’re easy to control once you get the hang of it!”
He pointed toward one of the beasts who, since the kin had calmed them, stood still and placid. It dropped back into an all-fours position. Ben, while still apprehensive, shifted into his bird form and flew over it, shifting back when he was over the creature’s neck.
“Now, grab its flesh with your right and left hands!” Graven shouted. “The right steers the right, and the left does the same!”
A strange, earthy scent washed over Ben as he sat on the back of the beast. He pushed that out of his head as he gripped the animal’s thick, rough skin as Graven had told him. The beast let out a groan as Ben did, as if it were giving control over to him.
He squeezed the beast’s flesh with his right hand, and the animal began to move forward with only its right foot. Then he tried it with his left. Soon, he had it down well enough to move the animal forward. Next, he pulled the left hunk of flesh back, and the right forward—this allowed him to steer the animal to the left. The opposite went to the right. He pulled both back at once, and this caused the beast to stand back on his hind legs.
He grinned, pleased at how easy it was to move the animal. He pushed both handfuls of flesh forward, the beast moving faster and slower depending on how far forward he pushed.
Words appeared in front of Ben as he rode through the forest.
NEW BEAST MASTERY SKILL ACQUIRED
STOMPER SPECIALIZATION
“Stomper?” Ben asked Graven, who was riding the beast to his left.
“That’s what we call them,” he said. “I’m sure you can guess why.”
It didn’t take much puzzling out—with each step Ben took through the woods, a huge stomp sounded out, the leaves of the trees around him shaking.
Soon, he was barging through the forest, the huge bulk of the animal plowing through the trees. He stopped when he saw the colorful clothing of the inner circle. Ben and the rest of the kin on beast-back were behind them, more kin coming in from the other side to surround them.
Ben spotted a familiar face among them—Victor, the wizard who’d been in charge of his camp, the one who’d made him battle an orc to the death. The inner circle tried to run, but they realized right away that they weren’t going anywhere.
“It was Victor!” one of the inner circle shouted, his face panicked, his eyes wide as he pointed at him. “He was the one who organized this! He encouraged us to sneak out, he linked up with the Black Army, and he led the attack! You have to under —”
He didn’t get a chance to finish. Victor gathered magical energy between his hands and launched it at the man who’d been speaking. The energy slammed into the man and flashed in an explosion of light. When it faded, there was nothing left of the man but scorched earth on the ground along with a splatter of fresh blood.
The kin surrounded Victor and grabbed his arms so he didn’t have the chance to cast another spell. Victor struggled, but had no chance of getting away. When he finally accepted that he wasn’t going anywhere, he turned to Ben with a friendly expression.
“Ben,” he said. “Remember what I said, that you’re here because of me? I knew the power you possessed, and knew that one day you would rise to do great things. I think you’ve done them.”
“Hell of a way to repay me, huh?” Ben asked. “Leading a counter-attack with the Black Army?”
“I had to do what I could—surely you understand. I have my obligations to those who want things restored to how they were before. I had to do something with the Black Army in the area. They’re taken care of now! And with my help, you’ll be able to remove them from the river region entirely!”
Ben had heard about all he cared to hear. He pulled the flesh of the stomper back, reaching forward and snatching Victor off the ground. Then, Victor screaming and shouting all the while, he pulled the stomper’s arm back and whipped it forward, Victor flying from his hand and sailing off into the distance, his yell fading until it was gone.
Ben let the stomper fall forward as he prepared to address the crowd. Part of him hated the position they’d put him in. They’d betrayed him after he’d offered mercy. What else could he do but remove them once and for all?
“Take care of them,” he said to the kin. “Make it fast.”
“You heard the man!” Graven shouted. “Take out the trash once and for all!”
The elementalkin went to work, firing blasts of magical energy at the aristocrats, the colorfully dressed figures dropping left and right. Ben watched, making sure that not one was left standing. It was brutal work, but as Ben watched the elementalkin attack, eager expressions on their faces, he knew it was what needed to be done. Being the Forgotten Ruler wasn’t all about lounging in a tower surrounded by beautiful women, after all.
When it was done, Ben led the kin back to the tower. Cheers sounded out from them as they made the short trip back.
Not even up for an hour, and I’m already leading an army. Hell of a way to start the day.
Ben hopped off the stomper and reentered the tower.
“Council meeting!” he called out. “I want all of my inner circle to meet me in the hall in front of my chambers.”
With that, he made his way into the elevator and rode up. The rest of his group had been with him, but Ben wanted a moment to himself in order to collect his thoughts for the meeting ahead. When the doors opened, he was pleased to see that the aristocrats who hadn’t betrayed him had already done great work cleaning up the area. He entered the hall, and the evidence of battle and feasting was gone, nothing remaining but a clean, rectangular table with a couple dozen seats arranged around it in an orderl
y way.
Ben took in a deep breath, letting the adrenaline wash through him. He realized that, aside from what he’d gotten up to with Lexi the night before, he hadn’t done any proper celebrating. But there was no time for that, he realized—at least for him. There were two more towers to conquer, and until he claimed them all, he wouldn’t have a chance of taking on the Xurian Realm.
“And there’s the general himself!”
Ben turned to see Zito and the rest making their way into the hall. On both sides of them was a staff of kin, all carrying enough food and drink to fill the hall with wonderful scents and smells. Ben opened his mouth, ready to tell them that they didn’t need such things—too much important work to be done. He reconsidered when he thought about the rest of his party, how they’d more than earned some good food.
“I hope you’re not planning on skipping breakfast,” Shrike said as she entered. “Because the kin were excited for you to try their food.”
“Not to mention, you can’t run an empire on an empty stomach,” Melody said as she sat down and reached for a basket of what looked to be breakfast biscuits.
Zito was already piling a plate of sausages. “And that’s what this is, don’t forget. It’s one thing to run one tower, but you’ve got two! And two makes an empire!”
“Sure doesn’t feel like one,” Ben said. “Tower, bring up the map.”
The map of the continent appeared over the table. Ben couldn’t help but smile when he saw that the territory around his tower had grown.
“See!” Zito said, pointing. “That means we’ve gained even more territory! The Black Army must’ve been lurking in the area around the tower, so you weren’t able to claim it. And look at your tower, too!”
Ben turned his attention to the original tower, seeing that the colored territory had spread more around there, too.
“I have a theory,” Melody said. “The Black Army is broken and scattered, and likely isn’t half of what they once were, but that doesn’t mean they’re gone. Us winning the battle just now means that we’ve loosened their power. And that means less territory for them to control.”
“Right,” Lexi said. “What the map is showing is the reduced control of the Black Army. But they’re still out there, and you’re going to have to crush them if you’re going to wrest control of the river region from them.”
Ben narrowed his eyes and focused on the map. He knew he didn’t have the manpower at the tower to perform such a task, but the towns in the river region, they had thousands more kin who would likely be able to put up a fight against the Black Army.
He just had to liberate them.
Before he could say anything, a bang-bang-bang rumbled through the tower.
“What the hell was that?” Shrike asked, sitting up.
Ben’s blood began to pump hard. If there was going to be another fight, then he was ready. The group rose, and a pair of kin ran into the room with worried expressions.
“What’s the status?” Ben asked.
“There’s someone outside the tower,” one of the kin said.
“A… man… made of metal.”
It took Ben a moment to realize what was going on.
“Morgon,” he said. “Come on!” He hurried toward the elevator, the rest of the group joining him inside. The elevator took them down to the main floor, the staff of kin hard at work here and there putting the rest of the place back together.
Ben hurried past them and toward the main doors of the tower. He pulled them open and, sure enough, on the other side was the siege soldier that Morgon had piloted. The rest of the group formed up to Ben’s side, ready for whatever might happen.
The cockpit of the siege soldier opened, Morgon there with a deep frown.
“Ben!” he said. “We need to talk—now!”
Right as he finished the words, the storage compartment of the siege soldier opened and Gaton, Shrike’s cousin, dropped down.
“Gaton!” Shrike shouted.
“Shrike!”
They rushed over to greet one another, throwing their arms around each other in a tight hug.
“We need to talk,” Gaton said, echoing Morgon’s words. “It’s about Moonbright.”
Chapter 24
Minutes later, they were all gathered in the meeting room once more. All eyes were on Morgon and Gaton.
“We went to Moonbright,” Morgon said. “I figured I’d do a little scouting, check out the region and see what I could find.”
One of the kin brought a pitcher of water and set it near Morgon. It wasn’t even on the table for a second before he grabbed it and brought it to his lips. He drank it down, letting out a burp when it was empty.
“I could tell when you’d won the battle at the tower,” he said. “All the Black Army troops started fleeing the towns, most of them tossing off their armor so no one would recognize them.”
“So much for them being the most fearsome army on the continent,” Ben said. “We just repelled an attack by them not two hours ago here.”
“From what I could tell, the Black Army is done, but most of them are keeping their equipment, forming bands of raiders to scour the land between here and the other tower. You’re going to have to deal with them sooner or later.”
Ben rubbed his jaw. Controlling an empire wouldn’t be just about defeating the other Bens who lived in the other towers—he was going to have to maintain his grip over the continent.
“What about Moonbright?” Shrike asked, eagerness in her voice.
“Well,” Morgon said, “when you took control of the tower, the Black Army quickly realized they were going to have to figure something out. Most fled, but some stuck around in the towns, turning them into private little fiefdoms.”
“So,” Ben said. “The Black Army has Moonbright?”
“Not quite,” Morgon said.
“It’s Hullbeck,” Gaton said. “Once he realized The One Who Rules All had been defeated, he wasn’t about to let go of the power he’d been given. He told the Black Army that was stationed in town that he was taking over, and if they wanted to join him, they could. He and his men kill whoever objected. The One’s gone, but Hullbeck still has Moonbright.”
Shrike nodded. “Then we need to get there and take him out for good.”
Ben agreed. When he turned his attention to the map, he realized something else. Northeast—a far distance northeast, but northeast nonetheless—of Moonbright was the outpost that he’d liberated, Brekmarth, the one where Sir Gallant the Elder was still posted. Further northeast of that was the next tower, the one that Ben had his sights on next.
“We need Moonbright,” he said. “Not only is it the right thing to do to liberate the town and the people there, a stronghold in that spot would be the ideal place to liberate the rest of the villages along the river.”
“Right,” Shrike said. “Moonbright has been known for its strategic importance. It’s the last kin town to the east—further along is the Stormdeep Ocean. If you’re going to control the continent, Ben, you’re going to need to start with Moonbright.”
“That’s a great idea!” Zito said. “And more than that, if you control Moonbright, you control the river! That means you can prevent the Black Army or whatever else stands against you from resupplying, and you can attack whatever towns you want from the water! You ask me, you’re going to need to start developing a navy.”
Ben had to take a second to wrap his head around everything. He’d only barely secured his second tower—now he was going to have to establish naval supremacy.
“We rest tonight, make sure no other rebellions break out. Then, in the morning, we set out for Moonbright.”
* * *
Ben stayed in the meeting hall after the council had ended. The map of the continent was in front of him. He couldn’t help but stare at it, zooming in and out on the region of the territory he controlled.
What he was especially curious about was a small set of bars at the bottom of the map.
He zoo
med in close enough that he could see that there were three, each with numbers next to them.
“You’re curious about those, right?”
Ben tore his eyes away from the map to see Melody standing in the doorway. The rest of the group had gone, but she was still there, her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.
“You have any idea?” Ben asked, swiping his hand and letting the map pull back out.
“You could always ask,” Melody said. She bounded over to Ben and dropped into the seat next to him. “The tower, that is. I wish I could answer all of your questions, but the fact of the matter is that things are going to be different now that you have two towers under your control.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, because managing two towers is a whole lot different than managing one. You have to coordinate between the two, along with all of the territory. You have armies to command. The towers aren’t just fortresses—they’re places that were designed by you to make the job of running an empire easier. Anyway, ask the tower what those numbers mean.”
Ben cleared his throat. “Tower, what do the numbers on the map mean?”
Words began to appear in front of his face, but before they could finish, he spoke again.
“Say it out loud, so Melody can hear.”
“Of course.” The voice was that of a calm, professional woman. He wasn’t sure if it was what he’d want permanently for the speaking voice of his tower, but for the time being it’d do.
“The numbers on the map are your current resources. There’s food, wood, and ore. These are only broad categories at first—you can make them more specific if you wish.”
Ben was curious. “Make the ‘food’ category more specific.”
“As you wish.”
The map of the territory disappeared, replaced by line after line, all of different sizes with different numbers in front of them. There were dozens and dozens, all of them for a different sort of food resource. There was wheat, rice, beans, meat—and even a few others Ben didn’t recognize that were likely unique to this new planet.