Empire Builder 1: Breed, Populate, Conquer

by Dante King

  In the footage, he saw a hole in the floor opening. A deep rumble sounded out, and a gravel ghoul rose from the hole. It seemed that the whole tower must have been built to allow for summoning monsters. Ben hoped that would apply to the dining hall as well.

  As soon as it fully emerged, a series of options showed up on the screen. Ben selected the option to attack on sight and dragged an arrow toward Imogen, signaling that the summoned gravel ghoul should attack her.

  Immediately, the monster woke and began stomping toward Imogen.

  The mountain nymph didn’t hesitate. With a lightning-fast series of kicks and punches, she demolished the stone armor of the monster, letting its gelatinous body collapse to the ground.

  Ben saw an option to reabsorb the monster, and chose it. The gelatinous body disappeared, and the control limit returned to full. Ben noticed that his mana had dropped slightly, but it quickly regenerated. He realized that all that fighting in the dungeon had paid off by strengthening his ability to regenerate his mana.

  Accumulated knowledge: Greater Stoneskin

  Ben touched the notification, and more details appeared on the control panel’s screen.

  Gravel ghouls now have access to Greater Stoneskin, which increases the damage mitigation of their hardened exteriors.

  “Interesting,” Ben said. “It looks like the monsters gain experience and learn new abilities. I wonder if my previous self ever played any video games, because this feels a lot like how things work in those.”

  “The only games Benzhameen played were those of warfare,” Sir Gallant the Elder said. “And he was very, very good.”

  “Let’s hope some of that comes back to me,” Ben said before he turned his attention to Imogen in the atrium. “Now I’ll give you a vine monster to face, Imogen,” he announced through the intercom for that room.

  He wanted to check that placing a static monster was the same process. Vine monsters only consumed one unit of his control limit, so he would be able to summon more of them than of the gravel ghouls. They had more vulnerabilities, however, so a delicate balance would be needed.

  The gravel ghoul could only be stationed on the floor, but vine monsters could be placed anywhere in the room, including the ceiling. He knew that could come in handy later.

  Ben placed the vine monster on the floor, a short distance from Imogen. A circle showed the vine monster’s range, so he could station it away from Imogen, so that she would have a moment to prepare for the monster’s attack.

  Again, the process went without a hitch. Ben placed the monster on the ground, just outside of Imogen’s range. With a squelching noise, the monster’s head burst out of the ground, solidifying out of plant juices. The head began to wave about in the air, as a long stem grew out underneath it, spurting ever upward and outward.

  At last the noise stopped, and the head came to a halt, lazily bobbing about at the end of its long neck. Ben scanned the screen and saw the options listed:

  1) PASSIVE

  2) DEFENSIVE

  3) AGGRESSIVE

  At that moment, he needed the monster to attack with everything it had. He placed his finger on the proper rune, setting the vine monster to aggressive. After seeing how well she handled herself in the dungeons, he knew it wouldn’t be able to harm Imogen, and he wanted to ensure that the monster would respond correctly in battle.

  As soon as Imogen came close enough to detect, the monster began roaring and snapping at the end of its stalk. Imogen walked up very close to the monster, almost taunting it.

  Then she spun on one foot and kicked the monster’s head so hard that it burst, spraying sap across the atrium. The stalk went limp and fell to the ground in a heap.

  Ben absorbed the monster back into the tower. A small notification popped up on the screen.

  Accumulated knowledge: Range Deception

  When Ben pressed the notification, it expanded, showing a description.

  Vine monsters can stop short of their range, luring opponents closer before attacking

  “What does this mean?” Ben asked.

  “The vine monsters have gained intelligence based on Imogen’s attack,” Sir Gallant the Younger explained as he read the text. “Next time you summon one, it will hold back, enticing her closer, so that it can attack her.”

  “Just like they did to us,” Melody commented.

  “These new abilities, do they apply to any monsters I summon in future?” Ben asked.

  “Any that you summon in this tower,” Sir Gallant the Younger said. “The knowledge is stored in this control room.”

  “Good to know,” Ben said.

  He scanned the screen and spotted an option for a third monster. A smile spread across his face as he read the name.

  Blade Fiend.

  “What’s this thing?” he asked, gesturing toward the words.

  “Ah,” said Sir Gallant the Younger. “Blade fiends. Very, very dangerous creatures. But likely very useful for your purposes. A blade fiend is a tentacled beast that has the power to consume edged weapons. It uses its tentacles to snap them out of the hands of its opponents, devouring them and using them to its own advantage.”

  Ben wasn’t quite sure what that meant, and decided he needed to see this in action.

  “You’ve got my curiosity,” said Ben. He pressed the rune to speak to Imogen. “One more and we’re done, alright?”

  She nodded, her fists held up before her.

  Ben then summoned the blade fiend, his counter dropping down by 20 as the monster appeared in the room.

  “Wow,” said Ben as he took in the sight of the monster. “That’s…something else.”

  The blade fiend resembled a pink, fleshy tube, a dozen thin, rubbery tentacles attached and whipping into the air around it.

  “What the hell is this thing?” asked Imogen.

  “A blade fiend,” said Ben. “Doesn’t look like there’s anything around it can use to attack you, so take it out.”

  Imogen nodded, one of the fiend’s tentacles plopping onto her hand before moving onto the other.

  “You see that?” asked Sir Gallant the Younger. “If she’d been wielding a blade, it would’ve plucked it right out of her hand.”

  Ben said nothing, watching the events. Imogen quickly grabbed onto the tentacle, ripping it off with a quick pull. The fiend let out a horrible cry of pain as Imogen tossed down the tentacle and closed the distance between them. Once near, she laid into the beast with a series of punches and kicks, quickly taking it down. Its limp body fell onto the floor with a soft plop, and Ben didn’t waste any time pulling it back into the tower.

  He wanted to summon more monsters and train them, but realized he ought to check on his guests first. No doubt they were beginning to wonder where he was.

  He navigated to the Dining Hall on the screen.

  “I wonder what’s keeping the slaves so long,” Adremor remarked, rubbing his stomach.

  “Probably mucking out the stables,” Uzax spat.

  Lexi dropped her eyes to the table and didn’t comment.

  “Looks like we don’t have any more time,” Ben said. “They’re getting impatient. These three monsters will do. I’ll fill the room up, and keep on filling it up as long as I have the mana.”

  “What do you need me to do?” Melody looked at Ben, her eyes wide. Her shoulders were squared, but she still looked nervous.

  “I need you and the nymphs to be ready to fight. I plan to weaken them as much as I can from here,” Ben explained. “If the monsters can’t deal with them, you’ll have to go in and attack them yourselves. Once I run out of mana, I can have Sir Gallant the Younger operate the control panel. He’s already experienced in summoning monsters, so he should be able to handle things.” Ben realized something and looked at the little animated statue. “Can you regenerate your mana?”

  “My mana regeneration speed leaves a lot to be desired,” he said sharply. The topic was obviously a sore spot for him.

  “Damn,” Ben said. �
�I was going to suggest that we take it in turns, one person using their mana to summon monsters while the other regenerates.”

  “Unless you provide me with a full day’s rest between summoning, that is out of the question,” Sir Gallant the Younger said.

  “In that case, we’ll have three attempts. Me first, then you, Sir Gallant the Younger, then me again. If that fails, then Melody and the nymphs will have to fight. I’ll join you and use my Drain spell in whatever way I can, but I can’t guarantee the mages won’t have defenses against my magic.”

  “I assume they will be able to muster some form of defense against your Drain spell,” Melody confirmed.

  “Do any of you know how strong the mages are?” he asked. “What can we expect?”

  Melody frowned. “As an Elemental Acolyte in the Arcanarium, I saw many mages who are far stronger than I, and these hunters don’t rank very high up. That’s not to say they won’t be strong, but the level of power mages can attain is incredibly high. These mages will be adept in combat magic, for that is what they would have used while hunting monsterkin.”

  “It’s a pity I couldn’t have gotten them to move on from the tower.”

  “It is,” Melody agreed. “But we are in this position now. They would not have left, even if you had begged them. The Realm’s mages might treat monsterkin like worms, but they treat each other with the utmost respect and hospitality. For you to force them to leave would have given away your true nature almost immediately. They would have understood something was amiss, and it would not have been long before even more mages would have arrived at your door. You did a wise thing, Benjamin.”

  Ben was glad that Melody had said all that. It certainly made him feel better about their current situation. His back was against the wall, and the only way out of this mess was to murder three mages and a dozen soldiers.

  Well, maybe it wouldn’t technically be murder. Not if they were all responsible for the capture, torture, and murder of monsterkin children. Which, if the words of Adremor and Uzax were anything to go by, was undoubtedly true.

  “I’m not sure what it’s going to take to defeat these mages,” he said. “I still don’t know how powerful their spells really are.” Ben could feel his heart pounding as he thought about this battle. Since he’d arrived, he’d fought in three different battles, but none of them had been against trained mages.

  As he considered the second battle he’d fought, against the mountain ogres, an idea struck him.

  “Melody, do we still have those null locks?”

  Melody paused, then smiled as she realized what he was thinking. “Three null locks for three mages.”

  “Exactly,” Ben said.

  Sir Gallant the Younger clapped his hands.

  “They are in your bedchamber. I stowed them there after we arrived here,” Melody said.

  “Perfect,” Ben said. “Melody, you retrieve the null locks, then summon the nymphs and Sir Gallant the Elder. I will lock the dining hall and send as many monsters against the mages as I can. Then I will join you.”

  “What about me?” Sir Gallant the Younger asked. “What should I do once I have expended all my mana on summoning monsters?”

  “What can you do apart from hide?” Ben asked.

  “I can sneak in unnoticed during the fighting and stab in places no one would expect,” the small statue belligerently asserted. “A tiny blade can still cause a great amount of pain if plunged into the right orifice.”

  Ben looked at him sceptically. “Perhaps. Or you could get squashed by a stray foot.”

  “If you all get killed, I might as well get squashed.” The homunculus appeared deflated at this possibility.

  Ben was touched by the diminutive knight’s devotion.

  “Without Sir Gallant the Elder here to torment, my life would be meaningless,” Sir Gallant finished.

  Ben stifled a laugh. “I might have expected as much. Very well, you can remain with me here until we’re done summoning the monsters, then you and I will go to the dining hall if the monsters don’t work. Placing the null locks on the mages will be dangerous, so that should be a last resort. We want to overwhelm them and kill them with the monsters if we can. We’ll only enter the Dining Hall ourselves if it’s absolutely necessary. Melody, go and inform the nymphs about our plan. We don’t have much time.”

  Melody left, and Ben turned to his controls. He prepared himself for the most difficult battle of his short career.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sir Gallant the Younger sat on Ben’s shoulder as Ben adjusted settings and monitored the feed to the Dining Hall. The homunculus offered all sorts of unwanted advice, mostly about how to operate controls that had very self-explanatory titles. Ben tried not to let on that the tiny knight was annoying him, however. He suspected that would only delight him all the more.

  In the dining hall, Adremor and Uzax were getting restless.

  “Where is our food?” Adremor asked in a loud voice. “Damnit, those nymphs are slow!”

  “Cooking certainly isn’t their strong point,” Uzax remarked. “No matter. I’m sure we can find other uses for them in the Xurian Realm.” The Pyromancer grinned lasciviously.

  “You’re not thinking of bedding those monsters, are you?” Adremor wrinkled his nose in disgust.

  Uzax spat. “Never. There are unscrupulous men in the Grand Vizier’s court who would give much to brag of deflowering the princesses of the monsterkin, though.”

  Adremor picked up one of the knives from the sideboard, using telekinesis, and made it float toward him. He twirled the knife about and spun it in circles, studiously avoiding looking at Uzax.

  “You always were as devious in the merchant cities as in the forests on the hunt, Uzax. I shall leave such distasteful bargaining to you.”

  Uzax grunted in acknowledgement.

  Ben noticed that Lexi did not take part in the conversation, keeping her eyes on her plate. Whether that was because it was distasteful to her as well, or simply because she feared the wrath of her companions, Ben couldn’t say.

  Ben checked over his controls. He looked at the feed outside the Dining Hall. Melody and the nymphs were waiting out of sight but close by, ready to join in the action. Sir Gallant the Elder was with them, his giant broadsword sheathed on his back, where he could easily reach it.

  He had Ben’s scimitar lying on a table not far away as well. That would allow Ben to grab it before entering the fight. Ben hadn’t suddenly grown in skill with the weapon over the past few days; he would need to eventually find someone to teach him how to wield it, but he would feel a whole lot more comfortable facing these mages armed, if it came to that.

  Now, there was nothing left to prepare. It was time to bring in the personnel to wait on the guests.

  With one hand on the glyph totem for the vine monsters, Ben selected a series of locations with his other hand on the ceiling and floor to plant them. The selections all glowed red, ready to confirm.

  Ben selected the control to lock the dining hall doors. He hit confirm.

  Adremor’s lazy drawl was cut off mid-sentence by the bang of bolts sliding shut.

  “What was that?” the Force Wizard asked. “Did the doors just lock?”

  “How are they going to bring us our dinner if the doors are locked?” Uzax wondered aloud.

  Adremor got to his feet and walked over to the main doors. He rattled the handle, but the doors barely budged.

  “The devil has locked us in here,” Uzax hissed.

  Lexi’s eyes grew wide, and she started getting to her feet, her hands immediately going to the weapon she still wore at her side.

  “Is this some sort of joke, Benjamin of Davies?” Adremor hollered.

  He rattled the doors again. “The nerve of it! He invites us in and then locks us up. What does he think he’s going to do with us? Starve us in here?”

  “Good thing we still have supplies,” Uzax rasped.

  Adremor gave a last impotent kick at the doors. �
��He can’t work for the Grand Vizier. He must be one of those rogue mages of the north.”

  Then the mage stepped back, taking in the sight of the doors. Ben could sense he was planning something.

  “What are you doing?” asked Uzax, impatience in his voice.

  “What on earth do you think I’m doing? You can sit there all you like, waiting for him to kindly let you out. But not me.”

  With that, he closed his eyes and held out his hands in front of him. Adremor connected his hands at the bottom of his palms, his hands facing the doors. Next, the air in front of Adremor’s hands began to wobble and warp, reminding Ben of the way the horizon looked on a hot summer’s day.

  Ben realized what was happening—the mage was using his force magic. A surge of panic ran through him as he realized that this could be trouble. If the mage managed to blast the doors down…

  He waved his hands in front of the runes that controlled the speakers for where the rest of the women were.

  “All of you,” he commanded. “Hide now and wait until my next command.”

  He glanced at the screens, watching as the nymphs obeyed his order.

  Back in the dining hall, Adremor continued to summon his spell. The air in front of his hands now shook violently. Ben began coming up with backup plans in the event the mages were able to break through.

  Then, with a yell, the spell was unleashed. A column of energy-charged air blasted toward the door, a boom sounding as if a truck had slammed into it. Air rushed back, Adremor’s hair flying behind him, the wine cups on the table toppling over, the unoccupied chairs falling onto the ground with a clatter. The soldiers braced themselves but two were knocked down shamefully by the great wind.

  But when the air settled, Ben realized that, other than making a mess and causing much shame to a pair of soldiers, the spell had done nothing. The doors still stood.

  “What on earth?” asked Adremor as he approached the doors. “How are these undamaged?” He placed his hands on the doors, as if there might’ve been damage he’d missed. “This spell would’ve been powerful enough to liquify the bones of a charging Boulder Beast!”