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

“Why fortunately? What purpose did that serve?” Ben knew that such dungeons always served a purpose. The lives of slain travelers would not have been taken for nothing.

“The energy they released on their deaths kept the dungeons alive.” Sir Gallant grinned. “I was the one in charge of ‘handling’ the travelers in the Northern Quadrant.”

Ben laughed nervously. It was taking him a while to adjust to the notion that he would have commanded one of his servants to slaughter travelers and extract energy from them. It did sound like a clever plan though, he had to admit that much.

“What would have happened if no more travelers entered the dungeons?” Ben asked.

“The dungeons would eventually wither away. To tell the truth, adventurers have grown rare of late. It’s fortunate that you have returned now. You will have much work to do salvaging everything from the dungeons and bringing it all back to working order.”

“Don’t you worry about that.” The determination was clear in Ben’s voice. “I plan to make a start on that bright and early tomorrow. I won’t be wasting any time on that. I’ll need a full inventory from you on the components of the dungeon, including how it all functions.”

“I’ll be glad to assist,” Sir Gallant promised. “I’ll show you to my control room in the dungeons tomorrow. We can see the movable glyph totems, the energy cores, and all other important components.”

“Glyph totems?” Ben asked.

“Yes, they allow for the summoning of monsters, among other things.”

“The totems are movable?” Ben asked.

Sir Gallant nodded.

“Good to know.” This sounded like a very peculiar bit of magic. Ben obviously had much to learn about the operation of his empire. He would need to retrieve any of his old masters and counsellors that he could as well.

“And what will your first aims be, if I may be so bold as to ask, Ben?” the little statue probed.

Ben took a deep breath and reflected. There was so much to do, he almost didn’t know where to begin. The first steps would have to be practical ones to solidify their position at the tower.

“The dungeons still have much to offer me, and I don’t know if this tower can be moved.” Ben started thinking out loud. “So, we’ll have to stay here for a while.” He paused as he realized he had no idea of their current location. “Where exactly are we?”

The nymphs shrugged when he looked at them.

“I’m not sure where we are in relation to our homeland,” Vinata said. “It was hard to keep track with those ogres driving us through the forest.”

Ben nodded sympathetically.

Melody spoke up. “We are now in the northernmost reaches of the Xurian Realm. Beyond this there is no civilization. Only ogres and other savages live this far north.”

“That’s good,” Ben said. “Hopefully it will be a little while before rumors of my return spread. We may have a little time to ourselves to prepare our defenses.”

“We will stay with you if you decide to build your empire here.” Lulu spoke with determination.

The other two nymphs nodded their assent.

“We’re not sure of the way home anyway,” Vinata added. “I’m certain a rescue party is searching for us already. I hope they find us. We need to send word back to our parents. They must be worried sick about us by now.”

“If they don’t find you, I’ll figure out a way to send word to them,” Ben promised. Relief took hold on the women’s faces.

Ben turned to Melody again. “What else can you tell me about this region?”

“After you vanished, all those eons ago, stories of ghosts and spirits haunting the forest quickly spread, or so I am told,” Melody explained.

Ben nodded. “No doubt that’s based in reality, if travelers were mysteriously disappearing inside my dungeons.”

“Exactly,” Melody agreed.

Sir Gallant the Younger chuckled, evilly.

“It is a week’s journey from here at least before you reach the lands of the monsterkin,” Melody continued. “And then another week’s journey before you hit the Outlands. Wild wastes, used mostly just for mining. Those lands are rich in natural resources, but poor in food. The land is not fertile. Beyond that is where the Xurian Realm properly begins. Their jurisdiction reaches almost to where we are now, but they have no control over these lands. It is beyond the Outlands that the will of the Grand Vizier is enforced.”

The nymphs gasped when they heard that.

“I didn’t realize we’d been taken so far north,” Vinata said.

“There are hunters of monsterkin who live in the north,” Melody said. “They are typically mages with penchants that are too extreme even for the Xurian Realm. It is likely the ogres were going to trade you to one of those groups.”

Imogen shuddered at her words, the color draining out of her face.

Ben was angry once more. The thought of anything happening to the women was enough to make his blood run hot. He would have his revenge.

“How long does it take to travel to the Xurian Realm then?” Ben asked.

“Traveling alone and swiftly, it took me more than a month to get from the capital to this forest,” Melody said.

“Why didn’t you just use the same magic that you used to travel to my world?” Ben queried. “That would have saved you all that travel time.”

“I had magic that could transport me to your world and back again, but it could only be used once. And I had to leave my world in the same location I wished to return. Hence the journey.”

“The Realm will probably not send an army out when they hear rumors of my return,” Ben mused. “They will send scouts to see if it is true, then an army.”

“They will send all their might against you once they learn that the rumors are true, Ben,” Sir Gallant the Younger intoned, his expression grave.

Ben nodded. “If it were me, I wouldn’t hesitate to deal with this threat once I learned it was true. But the logistics of sending an army this far would