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

treasures are guarded by monsters as large as houses, beasts who will slay you should you answer a riddle incorrectly, and creatures with eyes that are doors into other dimensions. Defeat, bargain, or ally yourself with such monsters, and you could gain for yourself great wealth. There are palaces made entirely of precious stones, garments woven with threads made from the coats of Silk Dragons, and so much more. All these could be yours for the taking.”

Ben had heard of method acting before, but this was impressive. He was really starting to believe this place was real and not a figment of her imagination.

“Terrifying monsters and items worth shitloads of money,” Ben said. “Sounds like—”

“A land of extremes?” Melody finished for me, her eyebrows arched. “You would be correct. This is the land you once ruled, Benjamin, before you were cast out, before the journey of eons your soul was forced to undertake.”

Say what? Had Melody just become a dungeon master? She seemed to be inducting him into some sort of role-playing game, giving him the backstory of the world she’d invented. He'd played some D&D back in high school, but those days were long over. College hadn’t left any time for it. He didn’t expect his casual lover from the club to spontaneously start a game in the middle of his hotel room, while still not wearing any clothes.

Maybe this was the point of her whole shtick. Someone had obviously paid a lady of the night who provided not only a five-star adult service, but also DM’d a game while in the nude. Ben was just waiting for some of his gaming buddies to step through the door, ogle the beautiful purple-haired woman, then take their seats around the bed so Melody could continue the game.

It was an insane explanation. But it was still more reasonable than thinking she was telling the truth.

“After you were defeated, your soul settled on this unassuming world, almost devoid of magic.” Melody gestured forlornly at the TV sitting against the wall. There was disappointment in her voice, as if the normal world were too depressing and boring to even talk about.

“Let’s assume I believe what you’re saying right now,” he interrupted.

Melody’s piercing purple eyes widened as he snapped her out of storytelling mode, and she focused shrewdly on his face. She seemed to think she was making progress.

“What do you expect of me?” Ben asked. “You want me to go back to this world of yours and…what—rule it?”

Melody nodded enthusiastically. “That’s why Archmage Kamila sent me. She is in the Xurian Realm’s Court, but she toils against the Realm, under the nose of the Grand Vizier himself. But you, Benjamin, are the rightful ruler of all the land.”

“The Xurian Realm?” Ben asked as he heaved himself off the foot of the bed and made his way toward the bathroom, a small room that opened directly into the ensuite.

“It is the name for the civilization which rose up in your wake. The so-called Grand Vizier has usurped power in my world in your absence, Benjamin,” Melody explained. She said the words “Grand Vizier” with disdain, as if there weren’t anything more vile she could imagine.

“Uh huh,” Ben replied as he got out his electric toothbrush. Brushing his teeth wasn’t really his highest priority at the moment, but he needed an excuse to get a moment to think. Not to mention that taking his eyes off Melody’s body freed up his brain for more useful things.

Melody followed him as he squeezed out some toothpaste onto the device, switched it on, and put the buzzing end into his mouth.

Her eyes grew wide as he pressed the power button, and she stared intently at his mouth. “Is there some sort of spirit inside this cleaning wand of yours?” She asked, wonder in her voice. “I had not thought your world contained so much magic.”

Ben waved his hand dismissively at her and pulled the toothbrush out of his mouth for a moment, spraying toothpaste on the mirror above the sink. “Just wait for me in the other room, I need a minute.”

Still staring intently at the rotating toothbrush head, Melody nodded and shuffled back into the bedroom. A moment later, Ben heard her switch on the TV, chattering voices filling the air.

She’d been fascinated with the TV last night when he’d turned it on for a few minutes during a pause in the, ah, activities of the evening. After he’d done that, she’d switched it on and off for the next ten minutes, exclaiming over the colors and sounds, attempting to carry on a dialogue with the characters on the screen.

Ben had been a little tipsy at the time and thought she was just being quirky. But in the clear light of day, her actions hadn’t done much to convince him that she wasn’t crazy.

Ben rinsed his mouth out and put the toothbrush back in his rucksack by the bathroom door. He thought about what he was going to do next. He couldn’t just do nothing. He had to either get Melody to admit she was making it all up, or find a way to get her to a psych ward without her causing a scene.

What option did he have but keeping the conversation going until he could walk her out to the hotel foyer with him? Maybe if he could get her talking like that around other people, they would quickly see how dire the situation was and call the professionals.

With a sigh, Ben walked back into the bedroom and saw Melody seated on the end of the bed, a deep frown on her face as she stared intently at the TV screen. One of the Lord of the Rings movies—The Two Towers, as far as he could guess—was on the screen. That had been one of his favorite movies as a teenager and he'd watched it dozens of times.

Melody looked up as he entered the room, shaking her head in frustration and disbelief. “This is all