Fantasy The Emperor of Destruction

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It Begins​

"He calls himself the Compassionate One," said Lord Morganstern. His clothes were all wet from the rainstorm he had just walked through. The sound of thunder could be heard outside.

Morganstern had pledged his loyalty to the new Emperor, as the other lordlings had. To do otherwise would have invited instant death, at the hands of that freakishly strong white woman with four Wisdoms. Obviously her mutations--in skin color, and number of Wisdoms--was clearly Anber's work. Such things were always Anber's doing. Whenever Anber had access to the Womb of the World, he created monstrosities such as these. Bemos, the candelabra of Greatness, would create strong and healthy men, and kind and compassionate women, all in the Womb of the World, but Anber would create nothing but monsters and freaks.

No doubt Anber had a hand in creating Cunha as well. Rogan and Tara had kept him well hidden from the rest of the family, and for good reason, if half the things Morganstern had heard about the man was true. Morganstern didn't quite know the real reason Cunha was sent over the Unending Sea, but with the sudden and unexplained death of his parents, it wasn't hard to guess why.

Morganstern slapped Atarz on the side of the head. "Haven't you been listening? He's called the Compassionate One."

Humbar Atarz was one of the most renown scholars in all of Aridor. His specialty was history. He studied old dusty books written in now incomprehensible languages. Normally, there wasn't much demand for his skills, except on History Reading Days. But now there was a great demand.

"Yes, yes, I heard you," Atarz said, rubbing his sore head as he turned the pages of an old tome. "Compassionate One. The Compassionate One. I'm sure I've heard that name before...."

The house creaked and groaned under the winds of the fierce rainstorm outside. The sounds of the downpour filled the air.

Atarz turned a page of his tome. "No. Oh no. Not him."

Morganstern looked at the page. It was written in a language he didn't know. But the page had an illustration. A drawing of a giant man with short dark curly hair and blazing eyes. A giant man with candelabras all over his chest. "Can this be...."

"Yes," said Atarz. "The Compassionate One. I remember now." He looked up at Atarz. "The Compassionate One is Sauda Hommed."

A flash of lightning nearby made them all blink, and a second later there was a strong roar of thunder which chilled their bones.

"Sauda Hommed?" said Morganstern, his jaw dropping. "But... Sauda Hommed is just a myth. A fairy tale to frighten small children.

"Sauda Hommed is no myth," said Atarz firmly. "He was responsible for the deaths of thousands. Massive wars were fought to push him out into the void."

"What does he want?" Morganstern asked.

Atarz gave a bitter laugh. "He wants everything. The Compassionate One, as he sometimes calls himself, delights in the pain and suffering of others. He does little on his own. He has others who are his senior Captains. Organizers, they are called," said Morganstern, and he was reading again now. "The most famous of them left their own marks throughout history: Sanjayata, Pedrogomz, Jamolaban, Hanan, Mahmood, Murshad, Hormuza... Alyssa Feinberg."

"I have never heard of any of them," said Morganstern.

"You wouldn't have," said Morganstern. "Great heroes pushed them out of our realm. They retreated to one of the lands which periodically connect to Aridor, though quite infrequently."

"In frequently?"

"Perhaps once in five hundred years. If even that."

"And so if Sauda Hommed is stranded in this other realm...."

"He may be looking for a new way to enter ours," said Morganstern.

"How could he do that if his land does not connect to ours?"

Atarz shrugged. "That is not known. But with the resources of the Empire at his disposal, he could accomplish almost anything he wanted."

Morganstern nodded slowly. "This new Emperor must be stopped."

"By whom?" Atarz asked. "You?"

"If necessary," said Morganstern.

Selvanna was not happy. She was never happy when that whore of a younger sister, Zaragoth, was sitting directly by the Emperor's side while she was forced to sit on the steps leading up to his Throne, almost like a commoner. But that distance neatly symbolized the strength of the two. Zaragoth had her tender hooks into Cunha now. Not her.

Where had she gone wrong?

Selvanna was always strong with the Powers of the Roots of the Earth. Ever since she started Making the Change, she felt a strong level of ahmen within her. It was only natural to learn the skills the Compassionate One offered her, and to become his willing tool to enable his return to the world. Zaragoth also had the Power. But her Power was weaker than Selvanna's, just as her Wisdoms were smaller. Still, in an act of sisterly love, Selvanna taught her some of the secrets which the Compassionate One had imparted on her, so she could assist Selvanna in her sacred duties.

The day she snared Cunha and helped him Make the Change, the other Change, the big one, was the happiest day of Selvanna's life. Sanjay had stressed how important it was to snare Cunha, that this was her reason for being, the reason the Compassionate One had persuaded Anber to squirt the Global Womb with the special hot wax needed to create Selvanna.

At first, everything was grand. Cunha loved her and even married her, in a ceremony which was joyously marked by the beheading of seven peasants. And then a year later she ballooned up and started baking the first of two meat pies for him, one of which would be Karibdis, and two years later, his younger brother Tripoli.

It was then, while she was engorged with the meat pie which would later morph into Tripoli, that Zaragoth struck.

Selvanna cast a blind eye towards her husband's wanderings, especially when she was heavily bloated with meat pie. It was quite understandable. Cunha was a man, men have candelabras, and candelabras have needs. Their hot wax is being continually generated by their wrinkled plums, and it leaks out of them if not properly used. Selvanna understood that and accepted Cunha's nocturnal missions as well as his nocturnal emissions.

But what she couldn't accept was finding out that Cunha wasn't simply being juiced by some whore in the village--Cunha was bangsticking her very own sister!

The first time Selvanna caught them at it, she tried to hide her shock. She was heavily engorged with meat pie, and came into the bedroom to find Cunha working his candelabra in and out of Zaragoth's Sacred Gorge.

"Cunha!" Selvanna cried, grabbing her belly.

"Oh, hi," said Cunha, still shamelessly working his shaft between Zaragoth's legs. Zaragoth looked up at Selvanna and winked.

Selvanna left the room. But afterwards, she calmly conversed with Zaragoth about it.

"How dare you!" she said, slapping Zaragoth in the face.

Zaragoth's eyes grew hard and she rubbed her reddened cheek in surprise. "What's wrong with you? What's the harm in a little fun? He does it with all the village sluts."

"But you aren't a village slut," said Selvanna, grabbing her arm.

"How kind of you to notice, sister," Zaragoth smirked, pulling her arm away.

"Listen to me. Listen very closely," said Selvanna. "You are never to touch Cunha again. Never. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly," said Zaragoth, slinking away like a cat.

But it was too late. By the time Selvanna had caught them at it, Zaragoth had worked her claws too deeply into Cunha. She faced the indignity of giving birth to a child of a father who no longer loved her. Oh, Cunha mouthed the words. He even occasionally performed the ritual of reproduction. But he was all Zaragoth's now. Somehow that trollop had stolen him right out from underneath her!

Selvanna didn't understand it. She was stronger in the Power than Zaragoth, stronger by far. She had bigger Wisdoms than Zaragoth. Zaragoth even tried eating moon melons to make her Wise Ones grow bigger, but all they did was sag. What was it that Cunha saw in her?

Cunha never admitted it, but Selvanna knew. Zaragoth was younger. Younger and tighter. Her Sacred Gorge had never been stretched by meat pies, only by Cunha's slender candelabra, she thought bitterly.

Zaragoth promised Cunha that she would bake meat pies of her own for him. Selvanna resolved to make sure that never happened.

One night after Zaragoth drank a little too much werewine, as well as one or two other things Selvanna had slipped into her drink, Selvanna prided open the door to Zaragoth's bedroom. She was flat on her back and totally out of it. Good.

Selvanna went over to the bed and spread Zaragoth's legs. Then she put a black ball between her legs. She whistled and spoke in a strange language.

The ball opened of its own accord. The inside was hollow, and filled with tiny black ants. Selvanna pointed and spoke in a foreign tongue again, and the ants started marching, into the space between Zaragoth's legs.

Selvanna used the Power to monitor the progress of the insects. She sensed as they marched through Zaragoth's Sacred Gorge. She smiled when they made their way into Zaragoth's Sacred Cave. Selvanna whispered a command, and the ants started to nibble on the walls of Zaragoth's Sacred Cave, making tiny lines as they ate her insides.

Zaragoth moaned in her sleep, but what she felt was probably tiny pinpricks. The ants secreted a gel which operated as an anesthetic. Zaragoth would be plenty sore in the morning, but for now she would feel very little.

After a few moments, Selvanna sensed the ants had completed their first task, but another remained. She sent another signal, using the Power, and the ants broke into two groups, and explored further.

Five minutes later, the first of the ants emerged from between Zaragoth's legs. Each one was clutching a tiny object, much too small to see. One by one they made their way back into the black ball between Zaragoth's legs. And then Selvanna took the ball and was gone.

Zaragoth was incredibly sore the next day. Selvanna asked cheerily if Cunha had worked her especially hard.

"Maybe," said Zaragoth, rubbing her sore Phong and looking at Selvanna suspiciously.

But Zaragoth was ecstatic just a few weeks later. She ran into the kitchen and hugged her older sister.

"What is it?" Selvanna asked.

"My Sacred Gorge has stopped weeping!" Zaragoth cried, jumping up and down. "Cunha has put a meat pie into me!"

"Oh, Zaragoth, how wonderful," Selvanna cried, hugging her sister tightly at the news that she had just been impregnated by her husband.

But it was not to be. Zaragoth's meat pie never grew. After two months she was concerned; after three she was worried; and by four months she was out of her mind. "Selvanna, my Sacred Gorge hasn't wept in four months, and yet my meat pie hasn't grown. What could be wrong with me?"

"Hmmmm...." Selvanna summoned her ahmen and pretended to examine her sister. A warm glow enveloped her. "Have you been practicing using the Power on your own?"

"Yes," said Zaragoth promptly.

"I told you never to do that," said Selvanna, turning away abruptly. "I told you that the Power, in the hands of the inexperienced, can cause harm to one's own body."

"Harm? What kind of harm?"

"Death, in extreme cases," said Selvanna, as she chopped a radish.

"What else?"

"Bodily stress... burns... and sometimes, in females...."

"What?"

"Sterility," said Selvanna, giving Zaragoth a hard look right in the eye without a hint of a smile. The joy she felt when she saw Zaragoth's face fall was unimaginable; it was on par with the great feeling she had when she had felt Cunha Make the Change and join forces with the Compassionate One.

Zaragoth might be her husband's whore, but she would never, ever bake a meat pie for him. The heirs to the throne of the Empire would be her children, and no one else's.

But still, it was Selvanna sitting on the steps below the throne, and Zaragoth standing by Cunha's side. Standing by Selvanna's side, on the other hand, was Dog Man. Dog scanned the crowd slowly. He was her creation, her protector, and one of her better ideas. He had the head of a dog but the body of a man. A furry body of a man... complete with a tail. Dog wielded a wicked axe he called Barkwood, and he often howled at the sight of first blood.

Cunha was making various appointments now. Selvanna watched as he appointed Aman Cloaka as War Haft of his army. Selvanna didn't think much of Cloaka. He was cruel and brutal. But he was also loyal, a trait that Cunha prized above all else.

After Cloaka bowed and accepted his appointment, Cunha turned to Magister. "What is next?"

"The appointment of your Captain of the Guard, sire."

They had talked about this. Selvanna had asked him to appoint Dog. Cunha had laughed. "You want me to make a dog the Captain of my Household Guard?"

"You'll find no one more loyal."

"More loyal to you, you mean," said Cunha, poking her with a finger. "No, I was thinking of going in a different direction. With Zebrah."

"Zebrah? That freak? Cunha, she's White!" Royalty in Aridor was Beige, and while servants and soldiers could be either Beige or Cream, Beige was always preferred. But White? White was out of the question!

"She's White?" Cunha glanced at her. "So she is. Thank you, I hadn't noticed."

"And she has an extra set of Wisdoms."

"Making her the wisest female in all of Aridor," Cunha noted.

"Cunha, the men will never accept a White freak with an extra set of Wisdoms."

"But... they will accept a man with a dog's face and a tail, is that what you are telling me?"

Selvanna nodded. "More than they'll accept that freak."

"Let me think on it," said Cunha, giving a mysterious smile.

And then Cunha made the announcement. "Zebrah, step forward."

Zebrah complied. She wore tall silver boots, nearly the same color as her vorpal blade. Her silver armor shined in the daylight carried through the giant windows of the Throne Room.

"Zebrah, I hereby appoint you my Captain of the Guard. I can think of no one better for the role than you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Zebrah, in a cold voice. Her face was expressionless. After she spoke, she stepped backwards to her former place.

Selvanna was enraged. But the worst was yet to come.

"Who is next?" said Cunha.

"Your High Priestess," said First Steward Magister.

"Ah, yes," said Cunha.

Selvanna gave a small grin. Cunha had agreed to make her High Priestess of the new church he was creating.

"We will be creating branches of the Church of Penance and Humility all over the Realm," said Cunha. "The Compassionate One has provided us with Sacreds to assist us in this task, but we need someone to lead them. Someone with vision, with skill, with the utmost ability and the confidence of the Compassionate One. I can think of no one better to lead the Church than my Royal Consort, Zaragoth."

Zaragoth?

Zaragoth, squealing, ran over to Cunha and gave him a tight hug and a kiss.

Selvanna's jaw dropped open. "Cunha, you promised that I would become your High Priestess!"

"Yes, well, I considered that. But the Compassionate One has much more vital plans for you," said Cunha. "You are to pave the way for bringing the Compassionate One into the world. What could be more important than that?"

"Nothing," Selvanna was forced to admit. "But as the one who will help bring the Compassionate One into the World, shouldn't I also be the head of the Church?"

"No," said Cunha.

"Is this the Compassionate One's decision, or is it yours?" Selvanna demanded.

"It is the Compassionate One's," said a new voice.

Heads turned. They saw a shadow detaching itself from the wall. The shadow rapidly became a person, a dark colored Cream, a balding man who had a big belly. He didn't look sinister at all.

And yet everyone in the Throne Room, including Cunha, immediately got down on their knees and pressed their heads to the ground. "Great One!" Cunha cried.

The man nodded in satisfaction. "Oh, do get up. It is so disconcerting to talk to the top of people's heads."

Everyone slowly got up.

Cunha spoke reverently. "Oh great Sanjayata, the way is being prepared for the Compassionate One's arrival."

"So I have been hearing," said Sanjay, his cool eyes rapidly scanning the room--Selvanna, Dog Man, Ardis, Archan, Cunha, Zaragoth, Peine-

"You," said Sanjay, staring at Peine.

"Hello," said Peine.

"What is he doing here?"

"He is advising us on some of the issues related to the Power," said Cunha. He watched as Sanjay stared at Peine. Peine stared back without flinching. He even smiled. "Is this a problem?" Cunha inquired.

"I do not trust this one," said Sanjay, continuing to glare at Peine.

"If he betrays us, he dies," said Cunha simply. "If he fails to produce, he dies."

Sanjay nodded, turning away abruptly to face Selvanna. He faced Selvanna. "In answer to your question, the answer is yes, the Compassionate One has selected Zaragoth to be our High Priestess."

Selvanna tried to hide her displeasure. "I only wish to serve the Compassionate One-"

"And you will," said Sanjay, looking her up and down. "With every part of you, you will." He turned to face Cunha. "You have made a good beginning here. But you must lay the groundwork for the arrival of the Compassionate One."

"It will be done, Sanjay," said Cunha eagerly.

Sanjay nodded and left.

There was a celebration that night at dinner. Everyone ate and drank and was merry. With a few notable exceptions.

One of them was Selvanna. Seated next to her was Urethera. Urethera's title was Royal Haidresser, but she had been Selvanna's friend for many years. Her strength in the Power was not great, but what she lacked in connection to the Roots of the Earth she made up for in cunning and deviousness.

"Just look at that fool throwing herself at him," Selvanna hissed. Meeda, one of the serving girls, was laughing as she leaned over the Emperor to serve him a tasty dish. She was wearing a low cut dress which showed off her ample Wisdoms, and the Emperor, exercising his divine rights, gave them a squeeze, which caused Meeda to laugh hysterically and nearly drop her tray.

"Your Highness!" she squealed. "You almost made the tarts fall right off!"

"That's not the only thing that almost fell out," said Cunha, watching her heavy Wisdoms bob as she leaned over.

Meeda gave a titter which caused Selvanna to clench her fists.

"You know he is with Zaragoth," said Urethera. "What does one other trollop matter, more or less?"

"It matters," Selvanna hissed. She realized she was grabbing onto her spoon so tightly that it hurt.

"Look at Zaragoth," said Urethera. "She doesn't seem bothered."

It was true. Zaragoth was smiling and laughing even as Cunha took Meeda on his lap and fondled her Wisdoms some more.

"Zaragoth knows that whore is no threat to her. Zaragoth has enjoyed the comforts of the flesh with my husband every night for the past five years," said Selvanna.

"It would be a pity if an accident were to happen to Zaragoth," said Urethera.

Selvanna looked sharply at Urethera. "She is still my sister."

Urethera bowed her head. "Yes. I am sorry, Mistress."

"But that whore, on the other hand...." Selvanna put a finger into her mouth and smiled.

Meeda was all smiles as she sauntered into the kitchen. "More pastries," she announced, wiggling her Pride as she felt a wave of satisfaction.

A hand clamped down on her wrist. "What do you think you're doing?"

It was First Steward Magister.

"What do you mean?" said Meeda.

"Carrying on that way with the Emperor. Don't you know how dangerous that is?" said Magister.
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