Chapter 31: The Conquerors

Grand Inquisitor Lord Valerius stood on the high deck of his flagship, the Sun of Viona.

The smell of smoke, cheap black powder, and blood drifted across the bay. He held a golden spyglass to his eye, looking down at the burning Beastkin town with a relaxed, arrogant smirk.

The harbor was completely in ruins.

The wooden walls of the town were smashed to pieces by his cannons. The thatched roofs were burning brightly, filling the afternoon sky with thick black smoke. His imperial vanguard was moving through the streets in tight shield formations, pushing the surviving Beastkin toward the beach.

"What a pathetic display," Valerius chuckled, lowering the spyglass. "To think these filthy animals believed their little wooden logs and primitive axes could stop the holy crusade of the empire."

Standing beside him was Father Corvin, a high-ranking battle-priest dressed in white and crimson robes. The priest touched the golden sun amulet hanging from his neck and bowed his head respectfully.

"The holy scripture is clear, My Lord," Corvin said with deep fanaticism in his voice. "The great Goddess Viona created this world for mankind alone. Humans are the chosen rulers of this realm. Elves, beastmen, and all other non-human creatures are mere animals born to serve us. Purging these wild lands and building our empire’s domain here is our sacred duty."

"Well said, Father," Valerius replied with a wide grin. "And a very profitable duty it is."

Valerius looked across the sprawling natural bay and the vast green plains stretching into the horizon. This wasn’t just a simple slave raid. The Holy Solarian Empire had far bigger ambitions.

For centuries, the vast Western Continent had been an untamed land of beast tribes, wild clans, and scattered non-human settlements. The High Pontiff and the Imperial Senate had decreed that it was time to bring the entire continent under the banner of the golden sun.

This deep-water harbor was the perfect geographic beachhead.

Once this settlement was completely erased, imperial engineers would build stone fortresses, grand docks, and supply roads right over the ashes. It would become the empire’s permanent forward military staging base. From this port, tens of thousands of imperial legions would march inward, subjugating every beastkin clan and establishing total human supremacy across the entire Western Continent.

Down on the main deck of the warship, the crew broke out in loud laughter.

A large wooden crane was hoisting an iron-barred cage from a landing boat. Inside the cramped cage, a dozen young wolf and cat demi-human girls were huddled together. They were crying and shaking with terror, clutching their bruised arms as the heavy iron slave collars around their necks dug into their skin.

A human guard walked up and slammed the wooden shaft of his halberd against the iron bars.

CLANG!

The demi-human girls screamed and backed into the corner of the cage.

"Look at this fine fur!" the guard laughed loudly to his comrades. "The ones we send back to the capital will fetch five hundred gold crowns each! And the strong males will stay right here, hauling heavy stone to build our new garrison walls until their bones break. Either way, Goddess Viona provides!"

Along the wide sandy beach, mounted imperial knights were riding on armored horses. They used their lances and broadswords to herd fleeing families back toward the water, treating them like cattle in an open field.

For the Holy Solarian Empire, conquering this frontier was effortless.

The Beastkin had no unified kingdom, no advanced magic academies, and no high-tier siege weapons. In the eyes of the empire, any race that could not channel the holy light of Goddess Viona was sub-human. They had no rights to land, freedom, or life. Their lands were free for the taking, and their bodies were meant to be used as slave labor to build the empire’s new frontier base.

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from the edge of the burning market square.

"For the Moon-Mother! Protect the cubs!"

A massive grey wolf warrior charged out of the smoke. He was bleeding heavily from several crossbow wounds, but his eyes burned with pure rage. He raised a heavy, chipped iron axe with both hands and swung it with all his might.

CRACK!

The axe smashed through an imperial soldier’s wooden shield, snapping the wood like dry twigs and cutting deep into the soldier’s armored shoulder. The human guard screamed in pain and collapsed into the dirt.

The wolf warrior stood firmly in front of a small group of crying children, snarling fiercely as a squad of imperial musketeers aimed their weapons at him.

Up on the quarterdeck of the flagship, Valerius watched the scene with casual boredom. He rested his gloved hand on the pommel of his sword and tilted his head.

"Look at that mangy dog," Valerius mocked. "Still barking even when full of arrows. Archers, don’t kill him yet. Shoot his legs. Let him watch his pups get locked in chains before you put him to work clearing timber."

"Yes, Grand Inquisitor!"

A volley of heavy iron crossbow bolts whistled through the air.

THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!

The bolts sank straight into the wolf warrior’s knees and thighs. The massive beastkin let out a choked groan of pain and collapsed onto his knees, dropping his heavy battleaxe into the sand.

Two human spearmen rushed forward, pinning his arms to the ground with their spear shafts. Another soldier walked up and kicked the wolf warrior hard in the face with a heavy steel boot.

A young wolf boy screamed in horror as a human soldier grabbed him roughly by the back of his shirt. The soldier slapped a cold iron slave collar around the boy’s neck, locking it with a sharp click before dragging him toward the holding pens.

"No... please... spare the children..." the bleeding wolf warrior gasped, coughing up dark blood onto the sand. "Take me instead... have mercy..."

The imperial captain sneered down at him with pure disgust. He placed the sharp tip of his steel sword against the wolf warrior’s throat.

"Mercy?" the captain laughed coldly. "A beast begging for mercy from the chosen children of Goddess Viona? Know your place, dog. This entire land belongs to the Holy Solarian Empire now. You and your runts are going to build our new garrison fort, brick by bloody brick."

Up on the flagship, Valerius was thoroughly pleased with the progress.

In less than two hours, the entire town was brought to its knees. The palisades were completely destroyed, all armed resistance was wiped out, and thousands of beastkin were already rounded up on the beach.

"Adjutant," Valerius called out, turning to his officer.

"My Lord?"

"Signal the engineering transports to begin unloading timber, stone, and heavy construction tools onto the docks," Valerius ordered smoothly. "Set up the perimeter palisades, establish the forward command tent, and chain the captured beasts into work gangs. By next month, the first imperial fortress will rise on this bay, and our conquest of the Western Continent will officially begin."

"Praise be to Goddess Viona!" the officers and sailors shouted in unison, raising their fists toward the sky.

Valerius took a deep breath of the sea air. He leaned casually against the wooden railing, confident in his absolute victory and the supremacy of the Holy Solarian Empire.