Vaid Empire: Conquest
Chapter 127
35th of Senin, 21 AVE.
Kingdom of Wonakaros, Holy City of Arkos-Tul.
Their ruler, their Kromak, their divine champion, was dead. A conquered population gathered to await the fate of the desert.
Beneath the cloudy sky, The God Emperor loomed before the crowds. He stood atop a massive platform the legion had constructed in the circular plaza directly in the heart of the vast city. Built over the ancient altar of fertility, his platform was an altar of death above one of life.
“People of Wonakaros, you have been deceived!”
The booming words of The God Emperor echoed through the plaza, repeated in the Arkos tongue by translators placed strategically throughout the crowds. Salduin listened from his position behind and off to the side of his holy ruler, surrounded by other royals. They were joined by Privictis Knights and Truthseekers, while the platform itself was guarded by rows of legionaries in dirty armor.
“You have bowed to a man that claimed to be The Divine Champion of your gods, a deity made flesh, yet he was nothing more than a mortal man with mortal aims!” Dominax continued, flanked by Cendra and Nafalya. Just behind, a large shroud of purple silk concealed the proof of his words.
Salduin held Jinilya in his powerful arms, missing Vixin’s presence. He had worked directly with The God Emperor for hours each day to prepare the speech, every word carefully calculated, yet the princess hadn’t joined them. So too had Lalian locked himself away.
He watched the endless crowds of Arkos bodies carefully, knowing what would come next. It was time to show them the truth.
“Behold The Kromak’s lies!” Dominax announced. He turned slightly, gesturing with an open hand behind him.
Upon his signal, four waiting legionaries pulled away the shroud and exposed rotting flesh to the cloudy sky. Using ropes, they began to raise a thick post carved from a charom stem. Supporting a cross with four branching arms, it held the body of The Holy Kromak.
The crucified corpse of their ruler hung before them, headless and bloodied. Nails had been driven through his four wrists to support his powerful form. Thousands of wails echoed through the plaza in despair at the sight while many fell to their knees.
Salduin watched the grotesque display with a hard gaze. He heard the final death of the crowds’ hope, taking no joy in their sorrow. The act was necessary. They risked creating a martyr, of course, yet The Kromak hadn’t been a victimized priest. He had been perceived as an invincible warrior, the very hands of the gods themselves sent down to guide them to victory. Dominax sought to break the dead ruler’s followers by displaying his defeated corpse, shattering his legend until nothing remained. Only then could something new be built.
The God Emperor faced them, brooding as he watched the crowds. His cloak flowed over his shoulders and down his armored body, fluttering in the breeze.
When he continued, his words were daggers striking through their disbelief. “You were deceived! Your gods abandoned their false champion upon the dunes!”
Salduin subtly nodded along, having long memorized his words. To proclaim the falsehood of their gods outright would be premature. Such would come later under the carefully crafted propaganda of The Sages.
“His army fell to my hand!” The God Emperor’s booming words continued to echo across the Arkos masses. “In his defeat, he challenged my daughter, yet your gods denied him their protection against his slayer! Behold Princess Cendra of House Vaid, my firstborn, my blood, the bringer of The Kromak’s death!”
At a gesture from her father, Cendra stepped forward. She presented herself proudly, her hand upon the hilt of her sheathed blade. She endured their countless gazes in solemn silence.
“Doubt, distrust, uncertainty. I’d see these emotions cut down here and now!” Dominax gave the signal, a simple motion of his hand. Guards ascended to the platform’s top to join him, escorting a dozen Arkos concubines. They were forced to kneel before him, facing the crowd. “Hear those who witnessed The Kromak’s end! Hear the truth of his final moments from those you trusted most to serve him!”
The concubines began to speak in turn, their words echoing in their native tongue. The former slaves of The Kromak performed the task Dominax had carefully selected them to do, having chosen the women among his stolen harem who were the most devoted to him. They secretly carried his hybrid children, and now they spoke the words he had carefully trained them to repeat.
Their new loyalty was but one factor in his selection. Each had come from one of the tribes still present within the city, for several Chiefs had fled into the desert with many of their own people after the battle. Recent gifts, having only been sent to The Kromak within the last few years, it was possible those among the crowd would recognize one of the women. If not, they’d all know that only the worthiest women among them had been sent to their fallen ruler to serve their holy honor. Dominax sought every advantage to make as many among the crowd believe his claims as possible.
The concubines told the tale of how their former master had died. They spoke of his challenge and wager. They spoke of how their gods had left him to fall to Cendra’s hand, his claims of divinity shattered by his defeat. Each had a part to play, carefully rehearsed to support the tales of their companions. One by one, they confirmed The God Emperor spoke the truth.
Never could every being among the crowds be convinced, yet the concubines’ words were yet another dozen daggers against the population’s crumbling faith.
“The Kromak deceived you, yet to what end?” Dominax asked when his show of carefully woven fact and a hint of fiction was concluded, stepping ahead of Cendra once more. “What great deeds did he accomplish upon his throne of lies? For what purpose did he cling to his false divinity? Nothing more than the spilling of your blood!”
Salduin watched as The God Emperor theatrically gestured to the crucified corpse, his royal features hardened into a harsh scowl.
“He unified you against The East, an act that led to little more than bloodshed across the desert! He promised honor, glory, yet all you earned was death!” Dominax swept his hand towards the crowds. “How many brothers have you lost? Fathers? Sons? For what? He vowed to see Narok burn, yet your raids only birthed chaos!”
He made no mention of the influence of the Dril, for it was not the proper time for such revelations. He needed to know more about his hidden enemies.
“I’d see an end to such useless violence!” The God Emperor continued, uttering the riskiest words of his speech. He spoke to a warrior race. The people below would never relinquish their ancient ways easily. “If you must fight, I’d see you give your lives for a purpose beyond the reach of petty raids! I’d see you unified beneath my throne! I’d see you put your blades to my enemies, for they are yours as well! Kneel before me, and I shall see you rise beyond these bloodied dunes into something more!”
The God Emperor drew The Sword of Order, letting the flames mix with crackling electricity that swirled in a hypnotizing dance around the white blade. Salduin felt a calm grin tug at his lips. Never did he tire of the comforting certainty such a sight always coaxed within him, the truth of his beliefs on display.
Crowds of fearful Arkos beheld The God Emperor’s power as his words thundered. “The Kromak asked your gods for victory against my legions, yet the desert itself could not stop me! They abandoned him to die, yet here I stand!”
The clouds continued to gather above, promising a storm. With them came the memory of the storm that had washed the chaos of the slaughter in sand, yet today they offered rain. The sky began to weep. Beneath the light drizzle, The God Emperor gestured for Cendra and Nafalya to step forward.
He spoke to his allies now. The legion below, the royals, the Knights, and the Truthseekers around him became his focus. The purpose of his speech was done, and he began another. The Arkos crowds became little more than onlookers as Dominax addressed those he had fought beside. “Yet I do not stand alone. There are many who survived, and many who did not. The pursuit of my Eternal Peace has claimed many worthy beings, yet the war goes on.”
Salduin watched as the gathered Privictis Knights circled around Cendra and knelt at The God Emperor’s command. So too did the Truthseekers surround Nafalya. A Vaid should never kneel, and thus their companions submitted instead.
“High Peacekeeper Clin. Grand Master Hesin. Such are two names among the fallen. Such were two men who served at my side since my rise. Their efforts have echoed across The Empire, worthy beings who cannot be replaced, yet I must,” Dominax continued.
The controversy of Clin’s departure was granted no word, yet the mere mention of his name made Cendra’s lips tighten.
“My Empire is eternal. It must continue, unending, and thus its vital components must be upheld. The mantles of the fallen must be placed upon the shoulders of worthy successors.” Dominax turned towards his firstborn. The fire and electricity of his blade dissipated. “Princess Cendra of House Vaid, conqueror of Lian, slayer of The Kromak, my Goddess of War, I name you The High Peacekeeper of The Privictis Order!”
Salduin watched as The God Emperor rested his blade on each of Cendra’s shoulders. Never had a new High Peacekeeper officially been named, for Clin had been the first. The ceremony was crude, simple, the first hint of a new tradition.
Surrounded by kneeling Knights, Cendra looked down at her companions. She heard their prayers, words gifted by The Sages. Each of them had vowed to follow her, yet now her position was officially sealed.
The proudest moment of her life had arrived, yet she felt anything but triumphant. A wetness gathered in her silver eyes, yet she refused to let her hidden tears spill. She could deny it no longer. Her smallest, tiniest, most faded delusional hope was at last gone.
Her title was official. Clin truly wasn’t coming back.
The God Emperor turned. “Princess Nafalya of House Vaid, my thirdborn, my shadow, my Goddess of Death, I name you The Grand Mistress of The Hesian Order!”
Nafalya bowed her head as she felt his sword upon her shoulders, yet her gaze burned through the eyeholes of her mask. She was her father’s shadow, his weapon, yet she hardly heard his words. She became all she had craved to be, yet she saw only the Dril in the black helmet standing before her.
“Salik.” She clung to the name of her enemy. Hesin’s blood still stained his hands.
The Hesian Order was hers. She would uphold all her master had created. She would make Hesin proud as his successor, and she would use her assassins to hunt down his killer. Blood would be met with blood, and Hesin would be avenged.
Two princesses stood on display. Two hidden wars burned inside them. As the rain fell harder upon the gathered masses, they accepted their new duties in silence.
***
“Salik.”
Night fell upon the desert. Lightning flashed across the black sky as the storm sought to drown the ancient city. Beneath the pouring rain, Nafalya readied her blade. Her power flowed through her dagger, the blade crackling with every wet drop that struck it.
She stood upon the rooftop of the temporary headquarters of The Hesian Order. It had been a simple thing to select one of the many vacant structures spread across the vast metropolis, for although the population had settled into the typically lifeless city, The Battle of Arkos-Tul had left many buildings without occupants once more.
Circular and flat, the rooftop served as her arena. With glowing silver eyes peering from behind her mask, Nafalya beheld ten Arkos men with ready blades. Prisoners captured after the slaughter, she offered them a simple game. Should they manage to strike her down, they’d all be set free with great riches. She offered no word about the wrath they’d face from her father if they succeeded.
Ten opponents sought to spill her blood. Ten corpses awaited her blade.
“Salik.” She knew the name of her enemy. As it whispered through her head, she hurled herself forward and struck. Beneath the weeping night sky, her duel began.
The first man fell before he could react. A swift shadow opened his throat. Her dagger was a bolt of lightning flashing through the rain.
Warriors, raiders, men that had survived both the legion and the desert came at her with roars. She met them with deadly silence. Crude steel met empty air as they struck. Her white dagger met Arkos flesh.
“Salik.” She saw the dark helmet of Hesin’s killer before her. She saw the red eyes of her enemy peering back at her as she met his blade. When she opened his stomach, she found only an Arkos falling before her.
Hesin’s training drove her steps. She spun, an untouchable phantom maneuvering through their blades before wetting her own with their blood. Their swords carved through the rain as doomed men fell one by one.
The new Grand Mistress of The Hesian Order ducked beneath a slash, spinning to the side of another. Her blade carved through her opponents, yet she took no joy in their deaths. Her slaughter was precise, every movement calculated, her gaze deadly and calm.
“Salik.”
Her eyes narrowed, lips tightening. The memory of Hesin’s blood drove her hand, her dagger forced deep into the stomach of an opponent. Her power erupted inside him, hurling his body from the rooftop.
She remembered the Dril standing over Hesin’s corpse. The hilt of her dagger slammed into the eye of an opponent. She felt it burst.
Her master’s killer had escaped, yet she knew his name.
Arkos blood washed across the rooftop to join the rain, yet she saw only the Dril. Her powerful leg shot out and struck the knee of another enemy, bending it the wrong way before driving her dagger into the back of his neck when he collapsed forward.
She didn’t hear their screams. She didn’t feel the rain.
The Goddess of Death offered no mercy.
She cut them down until one man remained. He fought bravely, yet his courage did not save him. A kick swept his legs out from under him. She seized his throat as he fell, driving him hard into the ground with enough force to shatter the tiles of the rooftop. She felt his neck snap from the impact.
Rising, she beheld her work.
Corpses lay scattered around her, mangled and wet beneath the rain. She was almost satisfied, only for her lips to tighten in disappointment when she looked down and saw a tiny cut upon her stomach. It seemed one of her foes had been lucky.
Nonchalant, she shrugged. It seemed sleep would not find her tonight. Instead, she turned to depart, intending to gather ten new opponents.
The Grand Mistress would not rest. She would continue to fight until her victory was flawless.
Descending into the building, she thought only of her true enemy.
“I’m coming for you, Salik. You had better be prepared.”
37th of Senin, 21 AVE.
Kingdom of Wonakaros, Holy City of Arkos-Tul.
The Great Temple had once been her home. Now it was her prison.
As Naram followed The God Emperor through the ancient corridors, she touched her toned belly. The thin silk of her robe couldn’t protect her from the knowledge of what rested within, for the strange women the humans called Sages had confirmed her pregnancy mere hours ago.
Her final betrayal was solidified, for her womb held the child of the man that had conquered her people.
As they approached the familiar door ahead, she felt her heart flutter. She endured her shame for the sake of another.
The God Emperor stopped outside the door. He turned to regard her with his unnerving gaze. Though he studied the outline of her attractive form through the nearly transparent silk, his interest went deeper than her desirable flesh. His focus threatened to suffocate her, his eyes brimming with possibilities. “You earned my attention with the information you provided. Continue to be of use, and you may earn much more than this small reward.” He nodded to a guard to open the door before his tone lowered. “Yet never forget that everything I grant you can just as easily be taken away.”
She bowed her head at his threat. Pleased, he permitted her to step inside.
“Naram?” A tiny voice echoed through the messy chamber. A young Arkos girl cautiously rose, only to rush towards her sister. “It’s really you!”
She didn’t hesitate to sweep the girl into her arms, squeezing her tightly. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she was reunited with all that remained of her family. “Karak.”
“You promised you’d return!” The girl could not hold back her tears, nor could her elder sister. “You promised!”
“I know,” Naram said through her swelling emotions. Everything had changed since they had last been together. A full year had passed since she had departed, and in that horrid year they had lost everything. “Forgive me, little one…”
Karak clung to her. “The city…father…Saros…the servants say…they say that…”
Naram hushed her. She couldn’t let her lips be tainted by such terrible truths. It was the last thing in her control, to prevent her innocent sister from speaking what they both already knew to be true. “It’s alright, little one. I’m here now, and it’s all going to be alright.”
The girl looked up at The God Emperor looming in the doorway. Her arms tightened in fear around her sister.
Naram pulled herself from her brief joy long enough to glance back. She bowed her head with reluctant gratitude, not caring about the tears streaming down her cheeks. “She appears…healthy,” she muttered in the human tongue. “Thank you.”
Dominax offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “As I assured you.” He turned to depart, speaking over his shoulder. “Use your time together wisely, as any good sister would.”
The human guard remained to keep a distant eye on the pair, though Naram felt a heavy weight leave her shoulders as The God Emperor left them alone. Her burden didn’t vanish entirely, however, for even her reward served his aims. “Karak, there is so much I’ve wanted to tell you, yet so little time. The humans…” She hesitated. Every instinct drove her to shield her sister from their new reality, yet to do so would only endanger her. “The humans rule the desert now. They want me to teach you, to prepare you for everything to come.”
“Teach…me?” Karak whimpered.
“You must learn their language, their traditions, their beliefs. You must learn to…serve.” Naram’s words held the taste of poison, yet she endured. “I’ll be permitted to visit you nearly every day so long as you continue to show progress.”
Her sister could not hide her terror. “I don’t understand.”
“You shall, little one.” Naram pulled her tight against her chest once more. “There is no other way.”
38th of Senin, 21 AVE.
Kingdom of Wonakaros, Holy City of Arkos-Tul.
“Try again,” Yisi said in the darkness.
The light of electricity flashed faintly, illuminating the dark walls around them for an instant. Within her new bedchamber, for the Truthseekers had at last searched The Great Temple sufficiently to satisfy her father’s caution, Vixin sat on the edge of her bed. Naked, she peered down at her hands as she fought to coax her power.
“Again,” Yisi demanded.
Her lover’s forceful insistence alone had made Vixin rise each morning. It had been what drove her from her tent long enough to relocate. Though her body steadily regained its strength, she continued to hide herself away like a lifeless husk.
“I said again.” Yisi remained standing before her. When Vixin merely glared, she reached down and cupped her lover’s hands. “Try. Please.”
Vixin coaxed a flicker of electricity in her grasp. It was a fragile thing, killed swiftly by her uncertainty. How could she be The Goddess of Fertility? A princess? A Vaid? A mother?
Her hands trembled in Yisi’s grasp.
The girl’s expressionless lips held back her thoughts, though her grasp tightened. “Vixin.” Her tone grew softer than the princess had ever heard, falling to a whisper. “I need you to fight.”
Vixin thought of Cendra, her sister’s words repeating in her memory. A spark of electricity flashed in her grasp, painting the walls in short-lived light.
Yisi’s eyes widened. “More.”
“Fight to continue. Goddess of Fertility, Supreme Mother of The Sages, fight because you are needed.” The echo of Cendra’s words continued to ring inside her head. Clinging to them, Vixin let her power flow more than she had dared until now. Electricity danced in her grasp.
Yisi continued to cup her hands, only to put back with a yelp when a web of lightning caressed her fingers.
“Forgive me!” Vixin ceased her powers and jumped to her feet, yet Yisi shook her head.
“No. Keep going. I’m alright,” she promised. “Don’t stop now.”
Looking down at her hands, she remembered Cendra’s words. “I would be very displeased if you allowed this loss to destroy you.”
Seeing Yisi’s hard expression, she gave a careful nod. Once more, she forced herself to concentrate.
Once more, electricity sparked to life in her grasp.
33rd of Fonic, 22 AVE.
Kingdom of Wonakaros, Holy City of Arkos-Tul.
In the rooftop garden where her fate had been sealed, Naram moaned.
Beneath the hot sun of the desert, the daughter of the fallen Kromak served one of the many duties she had been granted. Upon her back, she rested atop a cushion that had been placed at the far edge of the garden. With her legs parted, she looked up at her master, for The God Emperor rocked his hips between her thighs.
Dominax savored every thrust, for her body had become more than familiar. Month after month, he had watched her belly swell.
They weren’t alone, of course. Aside from the guards positioned at the door leading into The Great Temple, two Arkos slave girls stood at either side of the cushion. As naked as their master and his lover, they both served by waving large fans to battle the heat.
The desert was ever changing. Clouds had come and gone, yet today was anything but merciful. Dominax caressed Naram’s body, feeling the perspiration wetting her glistening grey skin beneath the unforgiving sun. Every inch of her smooth body was entirely his.
She had performed her duty, tutoring Karak however The God Emperor wished. Month after month, she had proven her submission.
Her sister had been delighted when Naram’s belly began to swell, oblivious to the circumstances of the conception. She didn’t want to crush the girl’s joy, yet there had never been any real hope that the child would become a member of their shattered family.
“You’ve done well…ahh…little Naram,” Dominax said, savoring her body with slow thrusts. “You’ve become quite useful, yet your past misdeeds remain. Never shall I forget what you did, nor shall I ignore your efforts to serve me.”
Even after months of her submission, a hint of his wrath remained.
“Let this be your final punishment.” He caressed her pregnant belly as he loomed above her, slowing his thrusts further. “I shall take this child, your firstborn, as you sought to take my grandson. You shall give birth. You shall hold her in your arms, your new daughter, and I shall strip her from your grasp. I shall send her far beyond this desert, forever leaving you with thoughts of what could have been. Only then shall the scales between us be balanced.”
Naram’s lips parted as his cock pressed hard inside her. His tone offered no comfort, though he wasn’t without mercy.
“Survive your punishment. Learn to endure it. Continue to serve, and you may earn a life far beyond anything you could have imagined,” he continued. Inch by inch, he sank his cock deep inside her tight sex, relishing every ounce of his pleasure. “Perhaps you’ll even share little Karak’s grand fate.”
She didn’t dare to question his plans for her. He wouldn’t have told her in any case, for never did The God Emperor offer her a hint of his aims until he was certain. “Yes…ahh…your holiness…”
He enjoyed the sound of her submission, for she had learned quickly. Dominax gritted his teeth as he savored the sensation of her familiar Arkos twat, sliding deep.
His thrusts gradually increased in pace, though he refused to rush towards his finish. Already an hour had passed, for he was content to enjoy her pregnant form until the throne required his attention once more.
Resting a commanding hand upon her belly, he concentrated to sense the child inside. An Arkos hybrid, a daughter, he felt his blood within the unborn infant’s veins.
“It’s nearly time,” he announced with a smirk. Had she been human, Naram would have already given birth days ago. Her Arkos womb required another month.
Naram utterly submitted to her master, offering no resistance. She knew her place. She knew her duty. The previous months had been an eternity, yet she had gradually learned to find her pleasure when she could. Surrendering herself as little more than a warm body for him to enjoy, she closed her orange eyes and tried to forget her failures. Uttering a soft breath, she had long given up her struggle to hold back her moans.
He held her belly firmly while the fingers of his other hand traced over her smooth skin. Every inch was beneath his control. Every desirable feature on display was his to utilize. Her round breasts subtly swelled with milk in preparation to feed his child. Her hips, her powerful thighs, her tail, her elegant form, all were gifts his unborn child may inherit. Human and Arkos, their blood had mixed to create something grand, conceiving a new being that was certain to grow into a gorgeous beauty.
Dominax never revealed that he intended to let The Sages raise Naram’s daughter to join their Order after her birth. He never spoke of how she would certainly spend her future pleasuring the population. He never told Naram that their daughter would no doubt grant them countless shared descendants, mixing her unique blood with the seed of strangers while serving his throne.
He savored thoughts of the far future, of his beautiful hybrid daughter breeding. A closer future prodded at him, however, for he looked to the horizon. Somewhere out upon the dunes, King Torakeom and further reinforcements were marching to join him.
The desert was conquered. The jungle would fall next. He would not stop.
In many ways, Naram herself was the desert, her Arkos womb now resting beneath his control. Left beneath the commands of lesser men like her father, her blade had caused little more than chaos. Now her blade was sheathed. Dominax would see her life utilized to achieve something more.
His thrusts quickened further, rocking his hips. She moaned beneath his powerful movements, grasping her breasts as she was lost to pleasure. The slaves could do little but watch as they continued to fan The God Emperor, voyeurs forced to stand and witness his cock sliding in and out of Naram’s tight twat.
Rubbing her pregnant swell, knowing he had utterly claimed her body in every way, Dominax sought his finish at last. His primal instincts to breed tingled with absolute satisfaction at the knowledge that the exotic beauty beneath him already carried his child. It was his nature to reproduce, to spread his seed, and he had sired yet another fascinating hybrid.
Groaning, his eyes glowing as he was gripped by maddening pleasure, he reached his limit. His seed began to erupt inside her, filling her quickly before he pulled his manhood free.
His legion had flowed across the dunes. Now his seed flowed across her smooth grey belly, painting her pregnant swell. His sperm drenched her, claiming what was his.
Naram could do nothing but submit. Her thighs quivered at the feeling of his warmth.
Basking in his control, his triumph was cut short. Peering out at the horizon, he thought he saw Irith standing upon a nearby balcony.
When he blinked, she was gone. His features hardened.
His purpose was far from done.
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