Vaid Empire: Conquest

Vaid Empire: Conquest

is a massive fantasy series that aims to mix

erotica

with the quality of a published novel. New chapters and artwork are released every month for free, with the completely optional possibility to receive early access on the official Vaid Empire Website. The Series focuses heavily on worldbuilding, story, and characters.

The world of Ayphieal is shattered and chaotic, with kingdoms and tribes of six distinctive races vying for territory amongst themselves. It is only when a young human warrior finally pushes back against the chaos that the world begins to shift towards order.

***

36th of Thriduin, 14 AVE.

Kingdom of Harin, Talin.

The sounds of construction echoed as Cendra approached the ruined city gate. Hammers pounded. Chisels clinked. Men groaned as they hauled heavy chains back into place. The damage from the siege was slowly being undone, ensuring the city remained fortified and in their possession.

She saw Clin standing upon the wall as he overlooked the progress, white cloak fluttering in the wind. Her belly tightened as she squeezed Cliax in her arms.

"Slaves would work quicker, my love," Cendra greeted him when she had climbed the many steps to the wall's top.

"So they would." He granted her a kiss before gazing down at their son with a smile. The little blond prince rested within his mother's arms, and he dared not wake him. "We're nearly done here in any case."

Cendra granted him a faltering smirk. "That had better be true. I'm eager to be rid of this accursed city."

"Accursed?" Clin watched as her pretty silver eyes looked anywhere but upon him. Frowning, he gestured to all nearby guards to leave them, hoping for a moment alone. "I know you've been avoiding me in your duties. Come, Cendra. Tell me what's been on your mind."

Biting her lip, Cendra rocked Cliax gently, nearly presenting him for his father to see. "I have news. Delicate news, my love."

Worry filled his gaze. "Has Emerin fallen?"

"Emerin? No, I don't speak of the conquest." Her tone nearly sounded painful. "I speak of

us

, Clin. Of our family. I..." She looked down at the workers, ensuring they couldn't hear as she fought to free her voice. "I'm with child..."

Surprise erupted within his eyes. It required only a moment to fall to confusion, then to realization. "Yet we haven't...at least I haven't...inside..."

She watched as he moved to the ledge. He peered out at the landscape, evidently lost in thought. Every second felt as though the tip of a dagger pressed into her belly as she hesitated. Perhaps a real one should. "It was an accident. Truly. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

"Cendra, I-"

"It was a mistake! I should have been more cautious!" Her words came in a flurry, nearly waking Cliax as she held him tightly. "I've wronged you, Clin. I've broken our agreement, and if you despise me-"

He pressed his finger to her lips after turning around, quieting her gently. "We knew the risks of our agreement, did we not?"

Worry nearly consumed her as she pressed closer. "Risks?"

"We've both taken lovers. This was always a possibility. Now you're..." His expression filled with pain, yet he endured. "Now you're pregnant...and we must bear the consequences."

Nearly stunned, she prepared herself for a deception of some sort, a trick. "Then you're not...angry?"

"Angry?" He nearly spit the word. "Of course I'm angry, yet at myself for allowing this to continue. I hold a duty to you, Cendra. To our family. Perhaps we were wrong to risk such things only for empty pleasures."

"Empty?" Cendra remembered the moment of conception. It had occurred several hours after her father had departed her quarters, sensing his sperm finding her ovum. Despite her shame, she had writhed in a deep orgasm merely from the sensation. She pushed the thought aside as she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, my love. If you'll forgive me...I promise that you shall never need to lay eyes upon this...

creature

growing within me. I'll hide away until the birth, for The Empire shall never know I was pregnant."

The wind fluttered through his cloak as he shook his head. "Hide away? Cendra, you cannot punish this child for your own deeds. I shall speak to The God Emperor and request permission to adopt it into our household. If he refuses to Vaidimate this child, at the very least we can care for-"

Silver eyes widening, Cendra cut his words off with a scowl. "No.

No.

I won't permit it anywhere near The Grand Pyramid. My love, this child shall be a bastard. It'll

shame

you."

"Shame me?" A lighthearted chuckle escaped him despite his pain. "Who has time to be concerned with such things? Accident or not, we've made our choices, and it has led to a new life that's in our care. That's our duty." Clin tried to smile, pulling her closer. "Besides, I wouldn't mind another little prince or princess running around."

Cendra gritted her teeth as she reluctantly pulled away. She reached down to stroke Cliax's blond hair as he stirred in her arms. "

This

is a prince, my love. Do you know what they call him?

The Golden Vaid

.

That's

our legacy, Clin. Leave the common bastards for my sister's womb."

"Yet you're pregnant." He frowned in disappointment. "I sometimes forget just how young you are. I've made my mistakes long ago, and abandoning an innocent child out of petty embarrassment is one I shall easily avoid."

Eyes narrowing, she pulled back further. "Lecture me if you'd like. I owe you that, yet I shall not move on this point. The child shall be granted to whomever my father deems fit to raise it, and

we

shall have no part in it." Her tone eased as she watched his expression fall further. "I'm sorry Clin. I've betrayed you, and I vow to discover a way to repay you. On that, you have my word."

He didn't care to be repaid, yet he knew better than to argue. Instead, he simply nodded coldly.

Cendra hesitated as she stood still, watching him turn around to assess the workers once more. Would she have preferred it if he had simply screamed at her? Berated her? He was always so damned understanding. It would have been easier to endure his hatred, rather than his back. "I love you, Clin. You have my word on that as well."

38th of Thriduin, 14 AVE.

Kingdom of Harin, Talin.

Dominax studied the writing upon the thin wooden slab as he felt his ire slowly rise. He was within the personal library of the former lord, having spent hours selecting, and more often

judging

, any writings pertaining to northern governance. His selections had been quickly copied into the imperial language by his translators, inscribed upon piles of slabs resting in the corner of his current desk.

A pulling of his awareness prodded his mind a moment before a knock tapped upon the door. He didn't bother to look up as he granted the command to enter.

Clin bowed as he entered. "Your holiness. If I'm not interrupting your reading, I've brought reports regarding the sieges of the surrounding villages."

Dominax waved aside the message cylinders Clin presented. "I'd hear it from your own voice."

"Of course, your holiness. The warriors we've sent to pacify and fortify the neighboring villages have all been successful, albeit with great resistance," Clin dutifully recited in an empty tone, a shift in his typical behavior great enough to draw Dominax's silver eyes. "I must also point out the name of the young commander overseeing the siege of the northernmost village, commander Isza. She reports to have taken the village without civilization casualties, and the loss of only two of her own warriors. If you'll permit it, I'd like to grant her an official honor of some sort."

"Curious." Dominax stroked his pointed silver beard with amusement. "Very well. Summon her to me, and I shall assess her for myself. Worthy beings indeed deserve to be rewarded." Dominax prodded the slab pile with a pointed finger. "Yet it seems apparent that we'll find few such beings amongst our enemies. Have you studied their ways?"

Clin frowned in confusion. "Only to a small extent."

"Are you aware of how many ministers, advisors, and nobles surrounded this lord of Talin before we arrived?" Dominax held up his hand to quiet him in disgust. "More than I care to list, and I speak only of a single city. Dozens of lesser beings clinging to power they did not earn, their hands digging into the city's treasury."

"Beings that now lie dead or enslaved," Clin replied bitterly.

Dominax nodded. "A necessity, nothing more. Harin is old, bloated, rotting with corruption. If there is a purpose to my existence, it's to tear this land from the grasp of incompetent nobles and grant it to beings of worth."

"So you say," Clin replied, clearly in no mood for a discussion. "I only hope The Empire may truly provide an alternative to such things."

"Ah, but it shall. The precise hierarchy I've forged does away with the complexities and bloat that invites corruption. Every ruler is held accountable for the man below him, and obedient to his betters," Dominax explained before once more gesturing to the slabs. "Yet we remain imperfect. The more I read, the closer I step towards an optimized system, for I learn what we must avoid. Who else reads at my side? Did we discover this stronghold's former lord in his library, or attempting to hide his treasury?

That

is our justification, Clin."

Clin merely nodded, his eyes upon the floor. "Of course, your holiness."

Dominax frowned in disappointment, thinking of Lalian. The green man had been a keen mind, able to maintain such discussions. Even Dominax's ability to read the translated words was owed entirely to Lalian. Word of his success with their Lanthian prisoner had arrived, only to learn that Lalian insisted upon questioning this 'Anthara' further. It was a pointless endeavor that forced a hint of irritation to Dominax's lips.

A moment passed as Dominax delayed the inevitable. "You're troubled, Clin. I know of my daughter's pregnancy, and of the offer you granted her."

Clin's gaze appeared as hollow as he felt. "Ah. Then she spoke of our conversation."

"She has my ear on all things." Dominax rose from his chair to assess his advisor, disliking what he saw. Many men now walked Ayphieal while unknowingly caring for children that were secretly their God Emperor's. Such was justified, for he'd grant them an Eternal Peace, yet Clin was an entirely different matter. He had chosen the blond man as his advisor, allowing him to sire his first grandson. He had proclaimed him a worthy being, and Dominax despised watching him be diminished. "I know you offered to care for the child as your own."

"So I have, yet she refused me," Clin replied in an empty tone.

"Such is for the best." Dominax nodded. It was far too large of a risk to reveal his part in the conception, no less due to the taboo nature of the pregnancy. They were premature, for the truth would be his undoing until the population was fully indoctrinated to accept such familial relations. "Still, it's no secret how precious Cendra is to me. You've served my daughter well, and your offer hasn't gone unnoticed. Such actions deserve a reward, Clin."

Somehow Clin's tone remained polite despite his clear disgust. "I need no reward for bearing the consequences of our actions. I held a duty to my family. Nothing more."

"Yet you'll receive one regardless," Dominax commanded, then thought, "

Fool, don't you see that this shall lessen your shame? I attempt only to make you whole again."

For a moment the blond man pondered before speaking. "If I must, I request only that the child growing within my Cendra be granted a stable home. If I cannot grant it a loving family, I'd see that one is provided."

Dominax waved dismissively. "I've already made preparations for such a thing. The girl shall know only luxury."

"Girl?" The word slipped from Clin's lips with visible pain. He would have raised a daughter.

"You must choose an alternative."

Gritting his teeth, Clin finally sighed. "I choose coin, then. Enough to amass a small fortune."

Dominax couldn't help but smirk in amusement. "Quite a surprise coming from you."

"Yet it's not for me. Distribute it all to the families of the men we slaughtered while taking the city," Clin explained without joy. "Ensure their women and children are well cared for."

"You insist on playing hero, then?" Dominax tapped the desk in annoyance. "They shall already thrive under my Eternal Peace, yet so be it. You have my word that it shall be done."

Clin bowed his head. "Thank you, your holiness. If that's all, I shall summon Commander Isza."

Dominax dismissed him with a gesture, waiting as the blond departed without another word. It was such a natural thing for a Vaid to mate with his own offspring, yet they had been clumsy. The effects upon his loyal advisor were unideal, and he stroked his neat beard with a hint of frustration at himself.

His thoughts were placed aside when he responded to another knock. Alone, his new guest bowed to the point of nearly kneeling. She was young for her position, her athletic body clad in the skintight black of a one-suit. Pieces of white armor decorated her form, properly polished and maintained as an ideal warrior of The Empire's legion.

"Commander Isza." The name slipped from his lips with dripping amusement. "Rise, for I've heard word of your deeds."

A pretty face with sharp features greeted him as she straightened up proudly, her lightly tanned cheeks blushing at his words. A long braid of blue hair nearly as dark as a deep sea hung over her chest plate. "I'm honored to stand before you, your holiness."

Dominax left the desk behind as he approached, assessing every inch of her with his piercing silver eyes. "Tell me, does Lord Clin's report hold truth regarding your success?"

She remained frozen as he slowly circled her, heart racing as she dutifully nodded. "Yes, your holiness. I claimed victory in your glorious name."

"Quite impressive," he replied as he sensed her devotion. The fanatic loyalty of his legion was a delicate asset. They'd conquer the world by his command, yet never could they glimpse whatever little remained of the man beneath his godhood. "You've found me in a generous mood. For your victory, you may make a request of me. If within reason, I shall grant it."

The warrior's dark eyes ignited with carefully contained elation. She maintained her formal stance as she considered, unwilling to rush such an opportunity. Finally, she opened her mouth. "Your holiness, there are few things I desire. I've served The Empire without a thought for my own life, and now, I'd request an opportunity to serve you to a deeper extent. If your mercy permits it, I'd see my body used as a vessel for your holy seed."

An insidious grin crept onto his face as he came to a stop before her, thinking to himself, "

If the ranks of my legions held only beings such as this one, all of Magnius would have long fallen beneath their devoted blades."

He nodded in mock consideration before addressing her. "Your loyalty is a weapon I'd see used against our foes. Years caring for a child shall keep you from battle, little Isza."

Her firm posture did little to conceal her nerves from his senses. "Such is a sacrifice that pains me, yet I shall endure. To be a mother to your divine child is a purpose I'd relinquish my very life for."

Dominax nodded in satisfaction. "If that is your desire, so be it. A slave shall retrieve you from your quarters before nightfall, and you shall find your fate wherever she leads you."

Nodding without question, she waited until he dismissed her. He sensed her concealed excitement as she bowed, allowing his eyes to travel over her rump when she departed.

"

Such a devoted creature. Let us show Talin what it means to serve The Empire."

***

The God Emperor's promise proved true when, just before nightfall, a slave arrived to escort Isza through the city. She had prepared thoroughly, relinquishing her armor to carefully select an outfit for the evening. In the end, she wore nothing more than a short robe of blue chimira silk, the thin fabric fluttering lightly as she was led to Talin's stronghold.

Confusion claimed her as she was brought into a large chamber upon the second floor, alone when the slave departed. Pedestals lined the walls, each holding an object. Swords, spears, helmets of all manners and ages, they remained on display as torchlight flickered over their rusted surfaces. The night air crept through the open doorway on the far wall, leading to a large balcony that stood just above The Stronghold's main entrance.

"So, this is my father's whore for the night?" a quiet voice came from behind.

Whirling around, Isza quickly dropped to her knees in a bow as she recognized the speaker. "Princess Nafalya...I did not notice-"

"Few notice me these days unless I desire them to." Stepping from the shadows with silent steps, Nafalya smirked. "Stand. You have a duty to perform tonight."

"How did you...but you're too-"

"Young? Yes, though not blind." Nafalya studied her closely, a young predator moving with calculated steps. "One should always keep her eyes keen. After all, how else shall I prepare for the dangers ahead when I reach maturity?"

"Don't toy with her, child," a deep voice boomed, causing them both to look over. They watched as The God Emperor entered through the open doorway, dressed in his full armor. "Leave us."

Nafalya begrudgingly obeyed, granting her father's cheek a quick customary kiss before closing the door as she left. He turned to Isza with a smirk as she bowed anew. "Stand. Do you know where we are?"

Isza peered around, feeling her mouth turning dry in his presence. "It appears to be a...trophy room of some sort."

"Indeed. Hundreds of years are displayed upon their pedestals, prizes from countless wars," he explained, waiting expectantly.

Hesitating for a moment, she finally allowed herself to scowl at the rusted objects. "Wars to what end?"

Dominax nodded with satisfaction as if she had passed a trial. He gestured towards the balcony. "Come. There is much to do."

She followed like an eager pet, masking her excitement behind the careful strides of a warrior. The night air felt pleasant as they stepped out, overlooking the main entrance. "Your holiness, I cannot express my gratitude for-"

He pressed his finger to her lips. "There will be time for that in a moment." Slowly, his hands found her shoulders and slid under her robe. He pulled the fabric, sliding it down her lightly toned arms until it tumbled to the floor. Bare for him to see, he assessed her closely with satisfaction.

Feminine yet athletic, her body stood proudly despite her nerves. Her skin was tanned from training nude beneath the hot sun, her braid hanging between her modest breasts. Under the judgment of her God Emperor, she clasped her hands behind her back as if a soldier reporting for duty. "Am I...a worthy vessel for your holy child?"

Dominax's insidious chuckle crept into her ear as he pulled her close. "Worthy indeed, little Isza."

An involuntary moan eased from her as his hands explored her slim curves, savoring his touch. She closed her eyes as their lips met, blushing as his hand found her rump. A heavy breath hung between them when she pulled back to speak. "Where...will you have me, your holiness?"

One hand squeezing her rump, he smirked deviously with a gesture from his other. "Here, of course. You wish to serve, and so you shall. Let any who pass gaze upon your pleasure, hear your cries of worship, for the north must come to understand the loyalty of my warriors."