Empire Builder 1: Breed, Populate, Conquer by Dante King (free e books to read online txt) 📕

of flames, before the fireball finally dissipated. Ben looked around him as his vision returned.

A huge black stain was left on the wall in front of him where the fireball had smashed against the obsidian surface. There was nothing left of Adremor but a stain where his flesh had been seared into the floor. Ben shuddered to think what it would take to restore this room to its original state.

Then weariness took Ben. The adrenaline wore off, and he collapsed to his knees. His mana was exhausted, and he was scorched and bruised. He would need to ask Melody to refine some more mana crystal so he could heal himself and the others.

Sir Gallant’s helmet lay in front of him. Ben’s stomach sank, feeling like lead. He didn’t think he’d be able to heal the valiant knight, as he had no body. The knight had sacrificed himself for the rest of them.

It was the most unpleasant part of being a ruler. Watching others sacrifice their lives for you, and not being able to do a thing to bring them back.

But then, Ben heard the old familiar voice, coming from the helmet in front of him.

“Well, now that we’ve ascertained that our master is largely unharmed, can someone see about putting me back together again?”

Chapter Nineteen

The doors to the dining hall opened, and the women filtered inside. They took one look at the charred remnants of Adremor and sprinted over to Ben. He hugged and kissed each in turn before Nipper leaped onto him, throwing him backward. The big cat nuzzled into Ben’s neck, and despite his soreness, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Love you, too, kiddo,” he said. Before he could push his son off him, there came Pearl. She offered him what looked like a smile. “Come here, Pearl.”

The werecat approached Ben, almost bashfully, and he gave her a big hug. It felt strange to be embracing a large, cat-like creature like this, especially given that this same creature was also Ben’s daughter.

It was a crazy thing, but he figured it wouldn’t be the craziest to happen to him for as long as he remained in this world. And, now that they had dealt with the mages, he hoped it would be a very long time.

Recalling the mages, Ben addressed the women.

“You watch those two.” Ben gestured at Uzax and Lexi as he spoke to the nymphs. “Melody, I want you to help me put the Elder back together again.”

Together, they waded through the destruction of the dining hall and located the various components of Sir Gallant the Elder’s suit of armor. It was no small task putting him back together, effectively a kind of jigsaw puzzle, but when Sir Gallant the Younger came racing into the Hall to help, it wasn’t long before the Elder was back in workable condition.

Certain pieces of his armor had been damaged by the sheer heat of the Fireball spell. Unlike the living members of Benjamin’s party, the ensouled suit of armor could not be healed with the use of the stolen spell, Healing Touch. Ben was surprised to learn that he still had access to the spell, and not only this one, but also Fireball. He would keep an eye on them both, though, and see whether he eventually lost the ability to cast them.

When Ben had regenerated a little mana, he used Healing Touch to mend any wounds his party had acquired during the fight. After this was completed, Ben addressed those gathered before him.

“What we did here, this day, was pretty damn remarkable. You all fought bravely. I’m proud to have you part of my budding empire.”

Everyone smiled at Ben.

“And what of the prisoners, sire?” asked Sir Gallant the Elder.

“Cut their heads off,” Vinata said, her eyes blazing.

“Burn them!” Sir Gallant the Younger hopped about in excitement at the prospect. “I’ll help.”

“For now, they are worth more alive to me than dead,” Ben announced.

He saw the looks of fear and disappointment in the eyes of the nymphs.

“I need to take what power and knowledge I can get from those mages before I execute them,” he explained, hoping to placate the worried monsterkin. “They will remain imprisoned and shackled in null locks. Don’t worry; I will see that they can’t harm you anymore.”

“I trust you to take care of us,” Lulu said, putting a hand on his arm.

Ben looked at her with a smile.

Vinata squared her shoulders and appeared to push down her fears as well. Imogen likewise put on a brave face.

With Ben’s intentions made clear, he escorted the two mages down to the dungeons. One of the dungeons had unlocked as they approached. The tower evidently sensed that Ben now had need of those rooms.

He locked both mages in separate cells and chained their hands and feet. The null locks required keys to open, and those he kept on his person and would do so at all times. Neither wanted to look at the other, and their animosity was unlikely to require much to be rekindled. Keeping them in separate cells would prevent them from killing each other before Ben had his chance to learn from them.

By the time Ben returned to the upper levels, the tower was already in the process of repairing the damage done to the dining hall and replacing the burnt and smashed furniture. The black marks disappeared from the wall, as though an unseen hand was scrubbing them away. The broken furniture pieced together, and that which could not be repaired was simply replaced by an identical object. The corpses of the soldiers, including the mauled remnants that Pearl had feasted upon, were absorbed through the floor; bodies, armor, weapons, and everything else.

Seeing this all take place before his eyes, Ben couldn’t help but wonder if his tower and the dungeons had an identical form of magic. Surely this magic would take a lot of power to function? It was a thought he put aside for the moment. He wasn’t about to look