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

sustain lasting damage if you are not properly prepared. You must always ensure you do this in a safe place.”

“Nice of you to inform me of that back in the hotel room.” He said, a tinge of irritation to his voice. Images sprang to his mind of turning into a vegetable, his mind scrambled from the memories of some intergalactic warlord, as officers in white coats came to escort him to the nuthouse.

“The Archmage assured me that this would not happen with this crystal ball. It was a weak relic and would not have such a powerful effect on your mind. Besides,” and here Melody’s shoulders drooped, penitently. “I had no other choice but to take the risk. We need the Forgotten Ruler to return.”

“Why’s that?” he asked, intrigued as to the urgency of the matter. Did they have some sort of danger he needed to avert?

“Again, I am afraid you must consult someone wiser than I to answer that question,” Melody replied. “All I know is that I was sent to ensure that you would begin to regain your former power with the utmost speed, and that I should take you to a place where you previously ruled.”

“I see.” Ben glanced down at the glass ball again. “And you said this is one of several old relics that belonged to me?”

“That is correct.” Melody nodded.

“And is this globe good for anything other than restoring my memories?” he asked.

“Nothing right now.” Melody smiled. “But it will be useful to you soon. Some of these items can give you not only your old memories, but also the abilities you once had.”

What would it take to activate the old abilities contained in the crystal ball? Ben stared into its depths, focusing on the swirling mist inside.

The mist had appeared to writhe restlessly ever since he’d seen it, but as he looked, he could discern a pattern to its motion. The silvery wisps snaked about each other in a kind of infinite dance.

Suddenly, he felt a jolt inside him, and words appeared on the surface of the globe. The words were in red letters that appeared to have been written with the slashings of a knife.

Benjamin Davies has learned: Drain

Drain? What did that mean?

Ben felt an increase of power inside him, as if he’d suddenly downed half a case of energy drinks. This power felt cleaner though, as if he’d taken in the life-giving force of the rays of the sun.

He grasped at the energy inside him as it wrapped itself around the organs in his body. It snaked about, evading his control. Though he couldn’t say how he was doing it, he exerted his mind and snatched at the magic, whatever it was. As he gripped the energy by the source, a green wave shot out from his hand and struck Melody, emitting a cloud of green dust as it smote her side.

With a groan, Melody fell to her knees, putting a hand to her ribs.

Ben rushed to her side. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” He reached out a hand, and Melody took it.

What the hell had just happened? Had he learned a spell? And he’d just cast it at Melody, the one person who could show him around this world. What the hell had just happened?

She smiled weakly as she got to her feet.

“I’m sorry,” Ben said. “I didn’t mean for that spell or whatever it was to hit you like that.”

Melody laughed weakly and shook herself. “I am unharmed. You did not intend to hit me, therefore the strength of the blow was greatly reduced.”

“What was that spell?” he asked, still unsure what he had done.

“What you have done is sapped my physical energy,” Melody explained. “That is why I was weakened. It is a very powerful skill. You should use it wisely.”

Ben stepped back, allowing Melody to stand on her own feet, as she seemed much steadier now. He noticed that his limbs felt a little stronger than they had before.

“I feel more powerful,” he observed, extending his right arm and flexing the muscle. “Like I just put in a month in the gym in two seconds.”

Melody gave him a curious look, as if she were considering something she hadn’t before. “The legends say that the Forgotten Ruler could sap the strength of others, using it for himself.”

“Drain,” Ben said. “That’s what the ball said I’d learned.” Ben held the ball up. The mists inside it were definitely swirling in much more controlled patterns now.

Melody furrowed her brow. “Yes, I do recall reading about a spell with such a name. I did not think you would regain your powers so quickly,” she gazed at him in wonder. “Who knows what heights of strength you will attain? This is all very exciting.”

Melody seemed like she was champing at the bit to see what he was capable of. If she was upset about the fact that he’d just blasted her with magic and stolen some of her power, she didn’t look it.

Ben swung the rucksack off his back and stowed the crystal ball inside, next to the still warm monster egg. After placing the rucksack on his back, he took a step toward the cliff edge.

He still didn’t understand everything that was going on. But at least now it seemed that he would be able to recover some of the powers of this great ruler he’d seen in his visions. Whatever all this meant, if he was going to gain more abilities like that one, he needed to find more of those relics.

But first, he was going to have to cross that damn bridge.

“Don’t look down, donkey,” Ben muttered, allowing himself a little grin. Then he placed his right foot on the first plank of the bridge.

Ben clutched the rope in both hands, his elbows shaking. He shuffled one unsteady foot after the other onto the crookedly carved planks. His rucksack slid from one side of his back to the other as his weight shifted.

Despite his own admonition, he couldn’t