Empire Builder 1: Breed, Populate, Conquer

by Dante King

  “These mages deserve to die, I am sure of it now,” Ben said. “I will not let anything happen to you three. I promise, I will kill these mages or die in the attempt.”

  Ben felt conviction behind every word. He hadn’t been in this world for long, but already he’d come to love these women. And the way these mages behaved repulsed him utterly. As the returned ruler of this world, it was up to him to deal justice.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It took around a half hour for Sir Gallant the Elder and Ben to return to the dungeons. Ben had his rucksack on his back to transport the glyphs back to the tower.

  This time there was no voice to welcome them when they entered the dungeons. While surprising at first, it made sense to Ben after a moment’s thought. The voice that had spoken before had belonged to Sir Gallant the Younger, and he was back in the tower.

  Together with Sir Gallant the Elder, Ben made his way back through the halls. This time, no monsters appeared to fight them. It was eerily calm in the dungeon, and a little surreal. Ben recalled that only a short time ago he’d been fighting for his life in these halls.

  “The control room is connected to the chamber you found us in, sire,” Sir Gallant the Elder said. “It is hidden by a secret panel. Once we get there, I’m sure you will have an idea of what devices to take with you. One of those should be useful in summoning monsters in your tower.”

  “Great. Let's not waste any more time.”

  It took them ten minutes to reach the control room. Some of the corridors were familiar, others utilized shortcuts that only Sir Gallant knew how to activate. The control room reminded Ben of a pilot’s cockpit, with all kinds of lights and switches and buttons. Rather than an electronic switchboard, the ones featured in this control room were arrays of runes and glyphs.

  “Which ones control the monsters?” he asked Sir Gallant the Elder.

  The knight motioned toward a series of runes on the right. “They are here.”

  Ben put his hand over the runes. His vision was transformed, and he could see various monsters in front of his eyes. They floated in front of him and rotated, almost like a selection screen from a video game.

  He saw gravel ghouls, large earth elemental rodents, vine monsters, and others he didn’t recognize. He wasn’t sure how exactly these runes worked, or how he could remove them. However, he was the one who had created this dungeon—even though it might have been a previous incarnation of himself—and he would have wanted the ability to move these summoning runes around.

  He pressed his hand to the rune and felt a buzz of energy. The rune rose out of the control panel. It was a cylinder made of a hard ceramic substance.

  Ben hurried to remove the rest of the monster glyphs, until he had six in all. They were all the ones in the control room. And while there were many other glyph totems here, he wasn’t sure what they would do. These six would have to suffice. He put the glyphs in his rucksack, and they left the room.

  Ben and Sir Gallant the Elder navigated back through the dungeons and the forest, and hurried back to the tower. Ben hoped that Melody had managed to keep the mages and their soldiers entertained. The trio were a bloodthirsty bunch—or at least Adremor the Force Wizard and Uzax the Pyromancer were; he hadn’t confirmed whether or not Lexi the Sunstone Cleric was equally barbaric. The shorter the amount of time Ben could leave his people with those three, the better.

  Melody awaited them in the atrium of the tower. The catgirl appeared calm and in control—but not relaxed. No doubt this situation was as new and frightening for her as it was for Ben. Her tail swished rhythmically behind her.

  “The mages are waiting in the dining hall now, Ben,” she informed him. “I brought them in there to wait for their next course. The nymphs will bring that to them shortly.”

  “Has there been any trouble?” Ben asked.

  “So far, no. They’ve asked after you, but generally seemed to be content drinking your wine.”

  Ben laughed drily. Typical. Still, that’s what he would have done if he’d visited a rich tower like this. He could hardly blame them.

  Ben turned to Sir Gallant the Elder. “Would you be so good as to inform the mages that I’m having a little indigestion? I’ll be with them as soon as I’m able to.”

  “Very good, sire, consider it done.” The large knight strode to the elevator.

  “Now,” Ben addressed Melody. “Let’s get to the control room and see if I can get this to work.”

  They both went down the hall to one of the side passages. The way was signposted with runic readouts on the glass walls. Ben found he could activate these readouts and get a guide to the tower layout.

  The tower appeared to use facial recognition. After squinting and hopping about a few times, he got the hang of activating the readouts. At least this meant intruders would be hopelessly lost without him.

  Unlike the elevator controls, these readouts didn’t recognize Melody. Obviously this was considered higher security than the elevator. Ben’s friends could ride the elevator, but once out, they would need him around to open doors and assist with navigation. Without him around to activate the facial recognition, anyone other than Ben would have a very hard time getting around. He was pleased to learn this—it was even more proof the tower was his, and his alone.

  Ben made a mental note to review these protocols later, and add the women and Sir Gallant the Elder and Younger to appropriate security lists. Facial recognition for Sir Gallant the Elder ought to be very simple.

  They found the control room easily, once Ben learned to read and understand the layout of the tower. However, Ben recognized right away that something wasn’t right about the door.

  It didn’t automatically slide open, and nothing lit up. In comparison with other rooms, it was as if the room was dead. This was similar to some of the other areas that had been locked off and unavailable.

  “How do I activate these unavailable regions?” Ben wondered aloud. “Do I have to complete a quest, or maybe find some kind of item?”

  “Why would these rooms have been locked in the first place?” Melody added.

  “Good question.” Ben thought about why it might all be locked. He didn’t think he was the kind of lord who would barricade half his tower off from himself in some petulant attempt to make himself complete pointless side missions.

  So far the rooms they had needed had all been unlocked and well prepared. The rooms that were locked were places like extra accommodations, armories, crafting stations. He didn’t have any of the personnel to man these stations yet. But he did need this room.

  At last, an idea came to him. “Perhaps the tower doesn’t realize I need this room yet.”

  He took the rucksack containing the glyph totems off his back and unzipped it, holding out the cylindrical objects.

  “Hello,” he yelled. “I need this room open now.”

  He picked up one of the totem cylinders and held it out. As soon as his fingers closed over the cylinder, a humming noise reverberated through the hall, and lights flashed on. The door slid open, revealing a flashing cockpit, much like the control room in the dungeon.

  The flashing controls on the glass dashboard amplified the deep, red glow of the ruby walls. Various glowing crystals, buttons, and giant levers protruded from the console. Hoses and wires sprawled like tentacles behind the glass surface. It wasn’t quite modern technology; it was almost an arcane, magical approximation of what you might find in a pilot’s cockpit.

  A giant glass display covered the wall above the control panel. All around the room, crystals glowed and pulsed. Ben smiled to himself. He loved gaudy stuff like this back on earth, the scene reminding him of the elaborate lighting system he’d installed when putting together his PC. This room would have put the most expensive RGB lighting display to shame.

  Several empty slots with runes above them showed Ben where to slot in the glyph totem cylinders. He recognized the runes from the dungeon’s control panel where he’d taken the monster-summoning
objects. The slots accepted the totem cylinders with a sucking noise and a clunk. Each one lit up golden as it was inserted.

  “So far so good. Now I need to work out how to summon the monsters and where. Melody, could you—no, damnit, I’ll have to go myself, you won’t be able to activate the readouts. Unless…”

  Ben navigated through some of the runic menus on the giant touch display above the dashboard. As soon as he grew accustomed to the script, he was able to control the panel as if it were an extension of himself. All the coding experience was really paying off.

  He found the security controls, and simply added Melody to every group. She didn’t have control over administration like he did, but she would be able to go wherever she wanted and use any devices she needed in the tower.

  He would add the nymphs to a number of groups later, but for now, he felt he could trust Melody totally, so it was important to have another person who could access the whole tower.

  After entering Melody’s facial details into the system and testing it, he sent her to the kitchen.

  “Bring Sir Gallant the Younger back, I need his help with understanding the dungeon controls.”

  “I won’t be long.” Melody darted off.

  After a little more exploration, Ben found he was able to monitor Melody’s progress. The panel gave access to the equivalent of CCTV, covering every room in the tower. It provided sound as well.

  Perfect.

  Ben didn’t waste a moment putting that to use. He navigated to the dining hall in the upper levels. The three mages popped into view on the large display panel, surrounded by their foot soldiers. The whole party was seated around an enormous table, waiting for dinner. A large chandelier lit the room from above. Several sideboards furnished the walls of the room, containing silverware and other dishes.

  Judging by Adremor’s expansive gestures, he had certainly imbibed a good deal of Ben’s wine. But his voice wasn’t slurred—he either had a high tolerance, or was very good at keeping himself in check.

  Would magic allow them to recover from any adverse effects from alcohol more quickly? If so, Ben couldn’t assume that booze would cause them to make mistakes or operate their spells with less effectiveness. He had to assume that they were fully capable adversaries, and not to be underestimated in any way.

  Ben flicked through a few more rooms. Some of them were still blacked out. He found the bedrooms the nymphs had chosen for themselves on the upper levels. He was also able to view the cellars and other storerooms.

  As he was sorting through the rooms, he stumbled on what appeared to be a tiny bathroom. Sir Gallant the Younger was sitting on a small stone toilet.

  It appeared to have been designed for someone his size. Ben supposed he had had to take account of diversity in the building design. He wondered what sort of facilities would be prepared for other races of creatures. But that was something to be sorted out later.

  For now, an idea came to mind for how he could simultaneously torment the little statue and get used to the building controls.

  He checked the menus for controls available. Next to the feed of Sir Gallant’s small bathroom was a description, and a list of options. Ben put his finger and deactivated lights.

  “Hey!” a little stony voice squeaked out of the speakers. “What are you doing? Turn that back on!”

  Ben considered replying. A rune representing sound showed up beside the display, suggesting Ben could activate it and speak back. He decided against it however, as it might be a bit strange talking to the knight while he was in the middle of whatever bathroom business a tiny knight might get up to.

  And that brought to mind the question of how a small statue could even have a bowel movement, but that was a question Ben decided was better left for later—or never. Ben flicked the light back on with a grin.

  He switched the display to the nearby hallways. It wasn’t long before he saw Melody finding the statue and escorting him toward the control room.

  “You called for me?” Sir Gallant the Younger appeared a few minutes later, perched on Melody’s shoulder.

  “I did,” Ben said. “I need your help with summoning the monsters.”

  “Very well, I shall need a vantage point to study the controls. Melody, perhaps you could stand in front of the panel? I can sit between your very large breasts, they would make an ideal seat.”

  Ben swatted a hand at the statue but missed as he ducked the blow.

  “I can hold you over the panel by your toes, and you can study it upside down,” Ben threatened.

  “A shoulder will do just fine, thank you.” The diminutive statue put up his hands, as if to ward off any more blows. “That was payback.”

  Ben grunted. “I know it was. But I wouldn’t start any payback if I were you—I control this entire tower.” He flashed a grin at the little statue. He still needed to keep him on side. “All in good fun, little man. Now, how do I summon monsters?”

  Sir Gallant sat up straight on Melody’s shoulder, self-importantly as if he were seated on a throne. “If you place your hand on the totem cylinder of the monster you want to summon, you should see it appear as an option on the screen above. You can then summon that monster in the room selected on the screen.”

  Ben peered at Sir Gallant, skeptically. “How did you manage all that? Surely you’re too short to operate the controls.”

  “I had help from Sir Gallant the Elder.” The statue crossed his arms defensively, as if explaining himself were beneath him.

  “I see.” Ben moved on. “So, what happens when I summon a monster in a room? Will it go on a rampage?”

  “The monsters are totally dependent on your commands. You have full control over them.”

  “Wouldn’t that get exhausting?” Melody asked.

  “And hard to manage?” Ben added.

  Sir Gallant held up a hand, forestalling questions, and smiled. “Patience.”

  Ben almost expected to be called a padawan. Part of him bristled at being given instructions by the tiny, arrogant little knight. But he needed to learn.

  “You can give all the monsters generalized commands as well, such as ordering them to attack any enemy on sight. Not as effective of course, but much less demanding.”

  “And I take it these commands will also be displayed on the screen?” Ben asked.

  “Correct.” Sir Gallant almost looked impressed.

  “And what about resources? Will I consume any to summon a monster?”

  “You have a control limit. Once you summon your first monster, you will see the limit appearing on the screen.”

  “And that will show me how many monsters of each type I can summon?” Ben wanted as much information as he could get now. It wouldn’t do to be asking all these questions in the middle of battle.

  “When you prepare to summon a new monster, you will see how much of your control limit it will consume,” Sir Gallant explained.

  “How about unsummoning monsters?” Ben asked. “Can I do that?”

  “You should be able to, but that will take some practice. Not an easy task to make creatures such as these dormant again. For now I would suggest waiting until the monsters are killed, activate the cleanup mechanism which will absorb the monster corpses, then simply summon them again.”

  “It’s good that the mages and their men are all in one room, then,” Ben remarked. “The best strategy will be to summon as many monsters as possible in that room, and just keep summoning them as they are killed.” A thought occurred to him as he discussed the plan. “What about controls for the doors? Can I prevent them from leaving?”

  Sir Gallant swept his hands to a series of runes near the camera controls. “You’ll find all you need right here. Simply ask me, and I’ll let you know how to operate the doors.

  Ben nodded, satisfied so far with what he was hearing.

  “One other thing,” Sir Gallant added. “I believe summoning the monsters will consume your mana.”

  Ben’s eyes flashed at this important
bit of information that he was just now learning. “You didn’t mention that before.” Ben looked at him, with a raised eyebrow, wondering if he had failed to mention anything else.

  “We rarely had visitors in the dungeon. I never exhausted my mana,” Sir Gallant explained with a shrug. “Although I was very close when you all came to visit.”

  “Fair enough. I’m thinking I’ll have to test this summoning a couple of times.”

  Ben navigated on his screen to the kitchen. He pressed the button allowing him to communicate with the nymphs, who were still preparing a meal.

  “Imogen, I need you to go to the south atrium, if you could,” he announced through the intercom.

  Imogen looked up at the ceiling, startled.

  Lulu nearly dropped a pan on the floor. “That sounded like Ben.”

  “It is me,” Ben said. “I’m talking through a … a magical voice box.” Ben himself had no better way of explaining whatever this technology was. “I’m going to summon some monsters in the atrium and I need Imogen to kill them. It’s just part of a test. One at a time I think you’ll have no problems.”

  “I’m on my way, Ben.” Imogen washed the flour off her hands and took off her apron.

  Ben watched as she traveled the hallway to the south atrium. When she got there, she stood in a defensive stance, looking around her.

  The screen was focused on the south atrium. Ben put his left hand on the glyph totem representing the gravel ghouls. An icon lit up on the screen below the feed. It showed a tall humanoid monster, with a three next to it.

  Another number appeared to the right. Control limit: 100/100

  And lastly, on the other side of the gravel ghoul was a “1”, with two arrow buttons beside it. Ben flicked the up arrow button, and saw the ghoul count increase. He dropped it back to one. He only needed to summon one monster to test it with Imogen.

  With his right hand, he selected a spot on the atrium floor and confirmed. The control limit dropped to 97/100. It seemed that the gravel ghouls cost three points of his control limit.