Vaid Empire: Mother of Tentacles

Vaid Empire: Mother of Tentaclesis a prequel toVaid Empire: Conquest, though acts as a complete stand-alone. No prior knowledge regarding the previous series is required.

Long before the rise of The Vaid Empire, far on the other side of Ayphieal, a young woman finds a deeper purpose beyond her own survival when she is captured and offered to an ancient monstrosity.

Ancient entities conspire to achieve hidden schemes while tentacles spread across the land in this strange and mysterious prequel.

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.

***

21st of Fonic, 766 BVE.

The Ruins of Aslyd.

For the last time, the great brazier of Aslyd burned atop the black ziggurat. High above the ruined city, Aifa heard the flames crackling as the rain sought to snuff out the fire, yet still it raged.

She looked down at the dead creature cradled in her arms. Malformed tentacles hung limply as she met the sight of her stillborn child with a stony gaze. Bathed in the light of the flames, she felt the remnants of tears where they had long dried upon her crimson cheeks, slowly washed away by the rain.

A step brought her closer to the brazier. Gima knelt at her side, offering a quiet prayer she hardly heard. The head priestess of the fallen city had cast many of the great one's unborn children into the flames. Aifa's firstborn had escaped such a fate, yet now she stood before it. As the fire raged, she cast the stillborn into its grasp, watching as malformed tentacles withered quickly to ash.

The flames claimed the last of Onaalag's kin it would ever taste. Her child joined the ashes and bones of Mauron.

Closing her eyes in the rain, Aifa endured the intense heat from standing too close. She had given everything to protect her children. As her eyes opened, nothing but cruel determination remained. Her children had risen. Aslyd had fallen by her hand, and with it, the rest of her species would follow. Her suffering wasdone.

As tiny tentacles were consumed by the flames, she thought of the human from her visions, a beacon in the darkness. Aifa would find her.

With stern lips she reached down to grasp Gima's neck. Vicious fingers coiled around the throat of her enemy. As the head priestess choked, knowing the cost of resistance, Aifa forced her to rise as she tried to drag her.

Black tentacles loomed beyond the edge of the flat top of the ziggurat, for her children had been summoned to bear witness to the last of their suffering. With countless seedlings slithering up the sloped sides of the black structure, they waited to obey her will with tentacles writhing in the rain.

Forcing Gima to the edge, Aifa gritted her teeth. The stillbirth hadn't been the woman's fault, yet she had been unable to save the child as well. However irrational, her rage had to fall upon someone to be sated. As she remembered the etched artwork decorating the lower halls with depictions of pregnant women being cut open, her wrath fell upon the head priestess. Gima had stood upon the top of the world and burned the children of the women that had come before Aifa. With a kick, she sent Gima toppling down.

The head priestess fell into the squirming grasp of endless tentacles. Aifa listened to her screams. She would see the rest of her species fall all the same.

Rising to gaze down upon her city with a cold heart, the reign of The Mother of Tentacles had only just begun.

16th of Thriduin, 764 BVE.

Near The Sanctuary of The Mother .

Time was short, yet still Darmi lingered in place. The foliage concealed her as she waited. Her caution was rewarded a moment later, for she watched as a monstrosity with many legs and scales of gold, blue, and crimson slithered across her path, oblivious to her presence. With a nervous exhale, she continued on.

Every creeping step was calculated. Her missing antenna only made her focus harder, the other always searching for danger while her tail swayed cautiously. No longer was she the whimpering girl Aifa had saved. After two years surviving alone in the jungle, she moved steadily.

Of course, she hadn't beenentirelyalone. The wet sounds of transparent tentacles accompanied her side as she crept through the jungle. A slow grower, it seemed, the bulk of Invaelag's mass stood as tall as her hip. He was no Vaecath. His tentacles could not pulverize all that threatened to consume her. Once more, she was at the mercy of the jungle, though Aifa's teachings kept her alive.

It was a thought that always brought sorrow to her lips.

Peeking through the foliage, she saw her target ahead. There, though the trees, stood their old sanctuary. Invaelag's transparent tentacles coiled and squirmed in anticipation. They both knew why they had returned.

She heard something moving through the vegetation. Remaining low, she hardly breathed as a seedling crept towards her. It passed by, oblivious to her presence as it crawled towards the entrance tunnel. Despite the numerous times Invaelag had proved his strange ability, she couldn't help but be relieved.

It had started as a muffling of her mind whenever he was close, leaving her thoughts feeling like tiny echoes in a vast void. The sensation was something she could never grow used to, even after all this time, yet she quickly learned its purpose after encountering her first seedling since leaving Aifa's side. The creatures seemed to feel the landscape around them, always sensing when a sentient being was nearby. When a fertile female was close, they always knew exactly how to reach her womb. When Darmi had nearly crossed paths with one while hunting, she had been certain it would find her and drag her back to Aifa, only to realize that it was entirely oblivious to her. With Invaelag's transparent tentacles coiled around her slender waist, the seedling had seemed utterly blind to her presence.

Even now, as Darmi studied her surroundings, she was a ghost beyond the notice of seedlings.

She crept closer towards the entrance tunnel. Caution was necessary, though she couldn't wait for long. The absence of Vaecath's whispers would always feel bizarre, though Invaelag's own served as a much smaller replacement. Rather than weaving through her mind to fill the emptiness, his unseen tendrils felt as if they were wrappedaroundher mind, a subtle difference, though one that felt too unnatural to ignore. Though he had no voice of his own, his faint whispers warned of an approaching horde of seedlings. She had to be quick.

The tunnel descended into the dark ground before her. She waited for Invaelag to assure her that the path was clear before creeping down into the darkness.

Glowing eyes of solid blue faintly lit her way as she crept along. A hand brushed familiar walls, enduring her memories. Never had she forgotten the taste of Aifa's lips. Never could she forget the sight of her mistress when Darmi had left her behind.

"Oh Aifa..." Darmi whispered with sorrow. "What have you become?"

Dark things roamed the jungle, darker than the monstrosities that came before. They hunted Cavaries until it seemed that all had been dragged away. Sometimes she and Invaelag encountered hints of her species, simple ruins of temporary villages fading away from the jungle's memory. On rare occasions when Darmi's solitude grew too great, she dared to seek out other members of her species, despite all Aifa had warned her about. Though Invaelag led her to those he sensed, they always arrived too late, discovering only the bodies of males and hints of slime in place of the women.

Darmi was no fool. Invaelag could sense that Aifa had survived her attack upon Aslyd. She knew her former mistress now ruled the ancient city. A part of her was glad she had succeeded, though she saw the destruction that followed in her wake.

No Cavari was safe from Aifa's wrath, including the girl that had spurned her.

She saw the light of glowing vines at the end of the tunnel. Darmi quickened her pace, feeling the approaching horde at her back even as they were still miles away.

Peeking out into the vast cave that had once been her home, she saw that little had changed. Across the uneven and rocky floor, she saw the reason they had come. Four young women lay huddled against the far wall.

Darmi bit her lip with guilt at the sight of them, the sisters she and Aifa had doomed.

Seedlings roamed the cave, though she stepped out beneath the massive stone dome looming high above. With Invaelag's tentacle wrapped tightly around her waist, they seemed blind to her as she stood in the open.

Memories flowed like the slime dripping from the seedlings that wandered about. She glanced over at where she and Aifa had spent their nights together. A part of her wished she had never left. She had to, of course. As she made her way towards the sisters, she prepared to undo one of her greatest misdeeds.

The sight of Wair's empty cage stopped her for a moment. She needed only to feel Invaelag's whispers to know the man was gone forever. The truth of Kifi's absence too offered little debate about what had happened.

"Aifa..."

The woman she loved had become a monster, yet Darmi couldn't give up hope.

"I'll wait for you. If you ever decide to abandon this madness, I'll be there," she had promised the last time she had come here. It was a promise she intended to keep.

The cage flared her own guilt. She had inflicted many misdeeds of her own upon Wair. She knew the hatred burning in Aifa's heart all too well, one they had shared together. Aifa's fate was a dark path that had loomed before her, a warning, a potential future she had barely managed to escape.

She understood. She clung to her hope. Until Aifa's madness came to an end, Darmi would tend to her own misdeeds.

The remaining daughters of Wair rested upon the ground, slumped against the curved wall of the circular cave. They appeared utterly exhausted, hardly able to move. Slime coated every inch of their crimson skin as they rested limply.

No doubt they'd still be in the grasp of seedlings seeking to satisfy their instincts, continuously tormented, if the horde wasn't approaching. Their temporary rest wasn't a mercy, however. Invaelag could sense the intentions of his kin, feeling the horde swiftly growing closer mile by mile. Aifa held a city of fertile wombs in her grasp, though it seemed even her forgotten toys would no longer escape her attention. When Invaelag had informed Darmi that the seedlings intended to drag the sisters to Aslyd, she had decided they must act quickly.

She avoided the seedlings as they blindly crept past. Carefully maneuvering across the uneven ground and around natural rock formations, she reached the sisters.

The sight of them made her wince with guilt. Hardly were they people anymore, reduced to little more than mindless bodies and useful wombs. Irima stared blankly at the distant ceiling. Cirui rested with her hand between her slimy thighs, using what little remained of her strength to slide her fingers in and out of her drenched twat mindlessly. Erimi remained huddled on her side, a once proud huntress reduced to a whimpering ball.

Darmi knelt beside Faima as the young woman rested with her cheek against the ground, her rump in the air. Even her slimy tail hung limply between her asscheeks.

She patted her cheek to wake her. Faima hardly stirred. Darmi looked around, feeling a hint of doubt that threatened to poison her purpose. How could they possibly survive outside? Even with her leading them, hunting for their food, she could hardly imagine such ruined women lasting long. They were infarworse condition than she had hoped, a realization that threatened to doom her plan before it even began.

Darmi shook her head to banish her doubts. All she had to do was get them outside and into a temporary shelter. Safe from the grasp of the coming horde, she would have time to think.

A transparent tentacle slithered to wrap around Faima's waist. In an instant Darmi felt the whispers in her mind strain, as if the beast had to concentrate harder to keep them both concealed. She doubted he could maintain his abilities to protect half of them, no less all five.

Still, she had to hope. She had totry.

Aifa had always said the world was cruel. So it was, yet she could try to do better. Saving the sisters would never undo all the harm she had caused, though once more, she wouldtry.

"Come with me," she whispered into Faima's ear. Another pat upon her cheek opened the young woman's eyes. "I'm getting you out of this place."

The first step was to get her to stand. When she was stable, she could worry about the others in turn. Every minute brought the approaching seedlings closer to the sanctuary, the miles passing swiftly beneath their hungry purpose.

She tried to lift her, aiding Faima as she obeyed. Struggling to help her rise, Darmi supported her slimy body, feeling the tingling liquid drip down her own bare skin. Invaelag's whispers sensed the new womb just beneath his touch, finding it empty and prepared for whatever plans Aifa held for Faima and her sisters. It was no wonder the seedling guards wandered about, almost appearing frantic as if they had been mentally forbidden by their distant mistress from impregnating her fertile toys.

"Almost there. Yes, good. Stand steady, and I'll help your-"Darmi started to whisper. The sound of her voice seemed to spark a memory within the young woman, and she was cut off by the sound of a whimper. Turning, she saw Faima's eyes grow wide as recognition gradually seeped into her gaze. "Calm yourself. Calm...I'm only trying to-"

Recognition turned into absolute rage in an instant. Faima, the gentlest and sweetest of Wair's daughters, slashed her glowing nails towards the girl that had aided in the destruction of all she had ever known. It didn't matter that she had not murdered Wair and Kifi herself. It didn't matter that she was trying to rescue her now. A blood enemy stood at her side, and Faima reacted upon a vengeful instinct.

In Aifa's absence, there had been no one to file down her Cavari nails. Perpetually bound and tormented, her mind broken, there had been no need. Naturally growing as sharp as talons, they met Darmi's flesh.

A scream ripped through the cave as Darmi's hand shot up to hold her bleeding cheek and right eye. Invaelag pushed Faima back against the wall and released her. As seedlings scrambled at the noise, transparent tentacles did their best to drag their mother back.

The whispers tried to soothe her agony as they remained wrapped tightly around her mind, though Darmi gritted her teeth as she tried to stop the bleeding. Scurrying out of the path of a swift seedling, she watched in horror as Faima and her sisters were swiftly tackled and bound. The seedlings sensed the blood upon the ground. They pacified any hint of a threat as the sisters were wrapped in constricting tendrils.

Invisible to their senses, Darmi's heart pounded as she fought to calm herself, not daring to make a noise. Any hope of saving them died in front of her.

She had failed.

Fighting to regain control over her panic, Darmi crept slowly away in pain with Invaelag's aid. They could feel the horde approaching, less than a mile away. There would never be another chance to rescue them alive again.

As she took a final glance back, she felt only sorrow. Even as she bled, she couldn't blame them.

"I'm sorry..."

She uncovered her wounded eye for a moment, seeing nothing. She tried to open her damaged eyelid wide, finding that it already was. With a whimper, she accepted the price of her misdeeds and retreated into the tunnel. Glowing Cavari blood illuminated her way through the darkness.

At the end of the tunnel, she lingered, glancing back. Never against could she return. Never could she save the sisters, though perhaps she could still save Aifa.

Her former mistress had become a monster, a cruel tyrant reigning upon a throne of blood. The world would be better off if a blade found her neck, yet Darmi was foolish enough to cling to hope.

With a faded memory of the softer side of Aifa she had glimpsed, Darmi left their former home behind forever.

She would wait for the woman she loved. When the time came and her hopes were proven true or foolish, Darmi would be there. She'd save Aifa from the world they had created.

20th of Onis, 761 BVE.

The Reborn City of Aslyd.

Each year spent serving The Mother of Tentacles seemed to be an eternity she wouldn't survive, yet still Sarui clung to life. Scurrying through the dark streets of Aslyd like the wretched vermin she knew she was, she twitched at every drop of rain.

Could what remained still be called Aslyd? Their one proud and holy civilization had been twisted beyond recognition. After five years of torment, however, Sarui could mourn no longer. She had a duty to perform.

The rain fell gently upon the black stone landscape as she crept down what used to be a street. She felt it running down her bare skin, the only distraction from the countless tentacled masses writhing all around her. Older seedlings seemed to settle in place, rooting themselves against the walls of buildings. They continued to grow, spreading to cover walls with their mindless tentacles until some of the central structures could hardly be recognized beneath their squirming mass.

Sarui hugged herself as she followed one of the paths that cut through the stationary masses. Only her mistress's orders kept her safe from the grasp of the endless tendrils she passed by. She remembered the carvings of tentacles that had decorated every building before the city's fall. Now,realtentacles slithered up black walls.

The seedlings that were stationary did not sit without a purpose, of course. Though Sarui tried to keep her gaze down, she couldn't help but glance at the women held within their grasp. They lined the streets, squirming as tentacles savored their pregnant bodies. Sarui's head twitched, feeling countless horrid memories tingle between her own thighs.

"Mistress will be displeased," she muttered to herself with another twitch. Her tail curled around her fearfully. "Hurry, worthless Sarui. She won't wait long, stupid Sarui."

Was that still her name? Yes, she supposed that was the one thing she could cling to. Her body, her pleasure, her mind, herwomb, all were the property of her mistress, things that were used against her. The memories of who she was, whoSaruihad been, were still hers alone. No longer did they bring her sorrow.

Life wasn't all horrid, of course. Each bound woman was a reminder of that. A few others scurried about with broken minds set to single purposes, thoughonlySarui was trusted to serve the whims of The Mother of Tentacles each day. She was lucky. She had risen above the common rabble.

A thought of Thuron made her head twitch.

Today was like any other. She ventured through the city to find one of the old storehouses littering the city, remnants of the former Cavari population. She would return with the tea her mistress had long grown fond of. If she caught her in a good mood, she might be spared from a slimy touch for the rest of the day, permitted to satisfy her mistress's needs. If Aifa was feeling overly generous, she might even be allowed to have an orgasm of her own. Rarely was she generous.