Disclaimer / Content Warning: The Conquests of the Barbarian King is a smut story about an amoral conqueror and his misadventures in a superhero setting. Do not attempt to emulate him. This work is an erotic fiction meant to entertain certain fantasies. Content warnings include, but are not limited to: descriptive violence; harsh language; explicit sex both consensual and non-consensual; traumatizing content. Please do not read if these will cause you discomfort.

Chapter 3

The shuttle soon arrived in station. Herald boarded, taking care to keep most of his attention on his two women; while he’d soon add more to his harem, he did not want to start an incident in the Palace, and simply not paying attention to those around him seemed a simple enough way to avoid triggering his compulsion. Alice seemed excited to travel, and she wore a smile as they entered the train. Natalie unsurprisingly remained distant, and he couldn’t resist grabbing her chin to tilt her head up for a kiss, eliciting a barely audible whimper from the woman.

Departure was rapid, a warning siren giving plenty of time to grab the overhead handles for stability. Natalie held hers in a slack grip, so Herald held her against him with one arm to support her against the acceleration, blatantly groping the warmth between her legs. Alas, they were in far too public a circumstance for him to simply do as he wished, at least not until he had a proper power base, so he forced himself to calm and focused on keeping his eyes averted from the other passengers.

It was aggravating, but the trip was short; a journey of hundreds of miles made in minutes thanks to the speed of the shuttle. They arrived at a similar platform to the one they embarked on, though this time several people greeted him as he debarked. The Palace Guard wore white plates of some high-tech plastic alloy which served as armor, with a bright gray tear-resistant fabric underneath. Much like Sector 16’s Enforcers, their helmets usually left a gap for their faces to show through, though it looked like the Chancellor had come to the same conclusion as Herald and ordered the welcoming party to close visors; if he couldn’t see them, they couldn’t trigger his compulsions.

His suspicions were confirmed when the guard, very politely, asked that he wear a blindfold while they escorted him to his chambers in the Palace. Even had he not understood the logic, he wouldn’t have dared reject the request; the Chancellor not only had greater raw power than he did, but it was reinforced by hundreds of years of experience and politics. If he wasn’t forced to earn the Chancellor’s animosity by his compulsions, he’d certainly do his best to avoid earning it by himself. So he accepted the blindfold.

The trip to his chambers took about ten minutes, but as far as he could tell they followed a straightforward path; his guides weren’t attempting to confuse him. Upon arrival, he was informed that he would receive a summons via phone call when the Chancellor was ready to see him; it was possible the man would be available before the scheduled time, since Herald had arrived early. Then his escorts departed, and he was left with Alice and Natalie in the opulent chamber.

It was grander than anything he’d lived in before; granted, his experience amounted to “cramped dorm rooms” and not suites of any form, but that just made the upgrade even more impressive in his mind. Everything was decorated in a white base with gold and black trimmings, and as far as he could tell the gold was real, while the black was some valuable metal. They stood in a small entry chamber, where they could take off their shoes and coats, which led directly into a larger living room. It was dominated by a soft-looking couch in front of a television, but about a third of the room was dedicated to a kitchen, separated from the living room by a stone countertop.

Herald took off his shoes and told the girls to do the same, before he entered to explore further. The living room only had one connecting room: a bedroom dominated by a greater-than-king-sized bed. To the right side of the bed from the entrance, hidden by the door, was a porcelain bath sized for several people. Steam rose from the surface of its already-drawn water, and in moments he was stripped down and soaking in the pleasant waters.

Seeing that Alice’s clothes had hit the ground almost before his own was satisfying; she knew exactly her role here. Natalie, of course, remained reticent, but that was easily fixed – and it could be handled later. For now he appreciated the view of Alice’s naked form tiptoeing toward the bath, her flexed calves doing wonderful things to her legs, while her breasts swayed gently to her gait. She entered the warm waters, her gorgeous smile striking against her dark skin, and with graceful confidence crossed the short distance from the steps to straddle his lap.

Herald was ecstatic to discover that even after three rounds in the last few hours, his body had no issues readying for a fourth. His position on one of the higher shelves of the bath made his excitement visible above the water’s surface, and Alice reached down with her right hand to grip him. Her hand was comfortably warm; he enjoyed her grip as she began to rub his member through her slit, releasing a breath each time his glans passed her clit.

Alice could feel Herald’s pulse raging through his rod. The pulsing member slid across her most sensitive spaces, each pass with less resistance, and as her excitement grew, she leaned forward to place her breasts in easy reach of his face. He leaned forward and ran a tongue over her right nipple, then gently bit; the slight pleasure only added to her mounting arousal, and she finally guided his throbbing penis inside. She gasped and started to ride the amazing warmth, her left hand holding Herald’s face to her chest as she used her right to pleasure herself.

The simple pleasure was perfect for a hot bath in Herald’s mind, and he simply enjoyed Alice’s ministrations. Of course he still enjoyed the taste of her skin and the feel of her soft flesh under his grip, but overall this was a perfect way to relax. After several minutes, she brought herself to a small climax; her tunnel tightened around him, and he pulled her head down for a kiss as he seeded her in turn.

Finished, they enjoyed the bath side-by-side for a long while; Natalie had apparently gone to bed, though he questioned if she was truly resting. He occasionally leaned over to kiss Alice or otherwise feel whatever part of her he felt like touching at the time, but it never escalated, and soon enough their relaxation was interrupted by the irritating sound of his ringtone. It was a secretary of the Chancellor, who said the Chancellor was available to meet much sooner than anticipated, but he’d have to leave his harem behind.

Herald wasn’t too worried; while they were defenseless, at least by Powered standards, this was the Palace. Very little could harm them here, and even he couldn’t stop what few things existed that could; walking natural disasters was the most common way to refer to wild creatures of Class 6 and above, which were few but not unknown. On that morbid thought, he stepped into the hallway, where the same squadron of Guard soldiers were waiting, along with the damned blindfold. He sighed, but acquiesced; the logic for wearing the cover hadn’t changed, even if it was getting more aggravating.

Minutes later the shutters were removed, and he found himself in a cozy little office space. The marble flooring was covered in thick rugs, and a well-built desk separated him from the figure of the Chancellor himself. Chancellor Elderwyrm appeared an average-height middle-aged man with a toned, if overall skinny, figure, and he wore only slacks, shoes, and a T-shirt of purest white fabric. Though his more lavishly decorated ceremonial robe hung on a coat rack in the corner of the office, the Chancellor was well known for making public appearances even in the exact outfit he currently wore. One with such power didn’t need to dress to impress when almost everyone in the entire city of New America had seen them in action.

They were soon alone, the Guard having departed with great alacrity, and the Chancellor gestured for Herald to sit in a nice leather chair as he began the conversation. “Good evening, Mr. Blackwell. You’ve had quite the eventful day, haven’t you?” The question was asked with a small snort.

Herald pretended not to notice the pale fire that fled Elderwyrm’s nostrils with the snort, and instead answered the question normally. “Yeah, I was already ecstatic to awaken, but to be a Class 4? That wasn’t expected.”

“No, I’m sure it wasn’t; the awakening of a new Powered to such heights is quite rare. I’ll admit I was expecting a bit of a show when Keeper discovered your compulsions, but I’m glad to see you left the sector of your own volition, and even with a new prize in tow. It bodes quite well that you had enough brain to escape when you could, and possibly better that you were able to confront Keeper’s forces and accomplish your goals first.” Elderwyrm gave a thin smile, before he resumed his serious expression and continued. “Now, Keeper will of course be penalized, but that will take some time. In the meantime, let’s discuss your future; what do you know of the role of a Class 4 in our city?”

“Well, I know we get our own sectors to rule over, and that we’re the city’s primary defense against greater tiers of threat; you can’t be everywhere at once, after all. The basic stuff taught in school, but if there’s more to it than that I don’t really know.”

“That is a pretty good summary. I would say that it’s not just that I cannot be multi-present, but that I alone am not powerful enough to handle the greatest threats our city has known. Other than that, you have the gist of it; there are plenty of small details, but you will have an advisor assigned to handle them.

“Ah, speaking of your advisor, I suppose you wouldn’t know the kinds of resources the city will funnel to you. For the first decade of your reign, you will have additional advisors, soldiers, workers, and resources at your command, provided by the Palace. After ten years, your additional support will be withdrawn, but by then you should no longer need it. Any questions so far?”

Herald almost shook his head, but paused instead, before he asked, “You haven’t yet mentioned what sector I’ll be in charge of. I’m assuming a new one will need to be declared, but where?”

“An excellent question, and the next point I was going to address. To put it bluntly, our city’s default state is one of underpopulation, but we haven’t had a bad Incursion in generations; we are literally overflowing the outer wall. The current sector leaders don’t want to spend the resources to govern, police, and defend these expansions, but I cannot allow such battle-hardened populations to die useless deaths against the next Incursion, whenever it may be.

“Given their circumstances, the people out there have done an amazing job; they live in what amounts to a series of easily-placable and expendable defensive fortifications, and have met with enough success that what were once scattered population centers outside the wall have merged into a single ring. But without a true powerhouse to run defense, they cannot finish building more permanent fortifications, and without fortifications they cannot build real infrastructure.

“You will be claiming the entire outer ring as Sector 17. Yes, that will give you far more territory than any other sector, but given the difficulty of the task, and the fact that they all gave up their claims on the territory, their complaints will carry no weight.”

The expression on the Chancellor’s face never changed, but Herald felt he was being weighed on invisible scales. Every moment since he awakened, he had felt some core part of him changing; the last vestiges of the old him felt a terrifying anxiety at the monumentality of the task presented to him, but his new self not only felt excitement, but sensed the potential. His would be a warrior people, strong and unbending, and they would have easy access to all eleven of the sectors that bordered the outer wall. Raids, done in sufficient moderation to avoid crippling the victim sectors, would fill their coppers, stockpiles, and harems.

Yes, if he were the Barbarian King, then his people would follow in his footsteps, and claim their own hoards, crowned by their own harems. They would rise to become the strength of the city; he could hardly wait. “I will gladly accept this charge; my people will become the city’s best, if they aren’t already.”

A smile split the Chancellor’s face, and for a moment his mask slipped; Herald witnessed a vision of reptilian eyes and sharp teeth surrounded by blinding white scales, before Elderwyrm barked a laugh, small trails of smoke rising into the air. “Oh, that is exactly what I hoped for when I read your compulsions. I can’t say I expect you to succeed, but I sincerely hope you prove me wrong.

“It will take a few days to gather all the personnel that will accompany you. In the meantime, feel free to raid the prisons; it’s possible to circumvent the compulsions with blindfolds and technicalities, but that won’t last forever.”

With the dismissal, and unexpected gift, Herald departed. The Guard were waiting in the hall for him with his blindfold. He ordered them to guide him to the prisons, before he put the shutters back on; apparently they were already informed of the possibility, or just very adaptable, because they complied without issue.

The prisons were a massive complex forming the dungeon of the Palace. They were extremely well-lit, and several common areas had roof grates leading to private gardens on the surface. Prisoners wandered freely, at least in their designated areas; metal anklets shocked unconscious those that would stray from their zones. This was where criminal Powereds were sent when local sectors couldn’t imprison them, but didn’t want to execute them; those same anklets acted as Power repressors, and the high concentration of powerful Powereds in the Palace was enough to discourage the inmates from utilizing what power was left to them in violent attempts at escape. Submission to the implantation of a power-tech explosive device was the most common method of emancipation, whereupon the newly free served lifetime in the Incursion fleet; others included special circumstances, like Herald fulfilling his compulsions while at the Palace.

When the Guard finished their short lecture on the prison, Herald was allowed inside. A series of gatehouses littered with Palace Guards, all wielding power-tech weapons, slowed his entry, but each one waved him through without issue. Finally he was in the prison proper, and his search began. Several prisoners looked at him oddly, but none in particular caught his eye, though there were certainly some pretty women amongst them. Finally, he spotted someone.

A girl, around his age, sat at a table near the edge of one of the common clearings. Electric blue hair swirled in twin braids down her pale neck, past her small shoulders, and nearly to her hips. Irises of that same striking blue watched her hands on the table in front of her, where small arcs of electricity hopped between her fingers, and her lips of that same shade were pursed in concentration. She wore the prison’s standard white top and pants, and he couldn’t tear his gaze away. He approached, and as her somewhat vacant eyes looked up to meet his, he asked, “Do you want to leave the prison?”

Her gaze immediately sharpened, and she took him in with a sharp intelligence in her eyes. She noted his lack of uniform, then stalled when she saw no anklet. A spark of hope entered her eyes, and they returned to his own. “Of course I want out. What do I need to do?”

Herald smiled, and already his pants were too tight. He eyed her small form, hidden by the unimpressive uniform, and decided to keep such a sight in anticipation for later. His right hand reached out to cup her face; she hesitated for only a moment before letting him, and as he spoke his thumb parted her lips. “If you give me a blowjob, I will take you out of this prison.”

Resignation, not surprise, entered her gaze, but she kept her eyes on his as she stepped away from her table, and slowly sank to her knees. She undid his zipper, then drew his pants and underwear down to the floor, leaving his erect rod exposed. The cool air was soon replaced by her warm hands, one of which slid down his shaft to cup his tightened sack, and the other which held at the base of his shaft, keeping it steady. Her electric blue lips parted, then gently closed around his tip, accompanied by a gentle suction.

He signed in pleasure, and enjoyed her work. The hand around his jewels ever-so-gently massaged, while the one at his base stroked the lower part of his length. With every bob of her head, she took more of his member into her mouth; it wasn’t long until he couldn’t resist putting one hand behind her head, grabbing one braid and pulling her down even deeper with each thrust. After a moment, she gagged and tried to pull away, but her gagging throat massaged his glans, and he held her head down as she coughed.

A surge of electricity ran through her body, tiny arcs starting from near her core and dancing down her extremities, including her hands and head. Weakened as it was by her anklet, and possibly even without it, the attempted attack did little more than stimulate Herald. He growled, and forced his cock deeper down her throat. Her choking gasps continued to build his pleasure, until he finally released, spraying once down her throat before pulling out and decorating her tear-stained face and the edges of her hair.

Her stare, filled with hatred, nearly had him ready for a second round, but instead he passed a napkin from the nearby table to her and pulled up his own pants. She accepted it without a word and began cleaning up her face, though she’d need more than a napkin to fully remove the evidence of what happened.

She spoke, her words barely more than angry spittle in the air, “Now will you take me out of this fucking hellhole?”

“Yes, follow me,” he responded, before heading back the way he came. Many of the other prisoners stared at him with trepidation, especially the women, but he kept his gaze forward; two unwilling harem members were more than enough to manage for now, thank you very much.

Several guards at the gatehouse barely held back from voicing their disgust, but others quieted them or simply didn’t care. One he assumed to be the warden came forward and undid the girl’s anklet, and the pair departed through the layers of gates. His escort of the Palace Guard were waiting outside the entrance, but before he could address them, the blue-haired girl turned to run. He seized her braids without issue, and she cried out as her momentum yanked her off her feet, and left her dangling by her braids in his hand. He smiled cruelly down at her, and again her anger stirred him, but he focused back on the Guard and ordered them to take him back to his rooms.

As usual, the trip didn’t take long, though this time they allowed him to walk without blinders in the correct assumption his attention would be taken by his newest conquest. Honestly, he was impressed by her spunk; she never once stopped fighting the whole walk back, though her struggles did weaken overtime due to exhaustion. With his prize struggling weakly in his grasp, he strode inside his suite, and was greeted by a wondrous sight.

Alice’s dark form had Natalie pinned underneath her on the bed, both completely naked. He grinned and started to close the door behind him, when alarms started sounding throughout the Palace; it was the unmistakable klaxon of the Incursion alarm. Cursing, he turned back to his escort. “Fucking hell, that’s the worst timing I’ve ever fucking heard of. Guard, do you have handcuffs? I can’t leave until my hoard is secure.” He punctuated his sentence by shaking the captive woman’s ponytails in his hand, causing her to stumble painfully, and release curses of her own.

The Guard squad’s leader dutifully produced a set of handcuffs, and the barbarian quickly bound his captive to the sturdiest object he could find in the suite, in this case one of the bed’s support beams, before returning to his escort. Even as he questioned them, the group was running. “How much information do we have?”

The squad leader responded, her – he guessed, at least – voice brisk, “Not much, m’lord. A large-scale Incursion has breached the northern wall. Sector 6’s leader, named Blitz, is confirmed dead, and the Incursion is uncontained; Sectors 7 and 16 are in full-response. Elderwyrm’s mobilizing, but he’s waiting for you, says he wants all hands present ASAP, and carrying you is the fastest way.”

Herald nodded, and focused on running; the Palace Guard could move faster than Keeper’s Enforcers, though they kept to a pace he could at least try to keep up with. It was not long before the Chancellor's figure turned a corner ahead, also running toward them.

“Oh good, you’re here. Guards, stand back; we don’t have time to find a proper exit.” With that little bit of warning, Elderwyrm unleashed his true form. A dragon of purest ice-white, horns of shattered ice framing its elongated snout, clawed at the ceiling, its powerful limbs making short work of the stone. One such limb reached back and grasped the startled Herald in its claws, and they were in the air.

“Mr. Blackwell, I do apologize for the sudden transportation, but every second counts in these things, as I’m sure you know.” The dragon’s voice rumbled, on the lower edge of human hearing. Fortunately, that let it pierce the gale-force winds swirling around their flight. Herald tried to reply, but his own voice couldn’t traverse the environment.

So Herald waited, and not for long. Whatever ridiculous speed they were traveling made even the capital shuttles look slow; in moments they were in the skies above Sector 6. The scene was a nightmare; the breach in the outer wall was visible from their height, and spread out from the breach in a pulsing swarm covering nearly half the sector was a horde of creatures he couldn’t make out clearly. If he were to guess, they resembled the leader, which was plenty sizable enough to make out from such a great distance.

The creature might once have been an ant, but whatever it was now was barely recognizable. Twelve massive red-and-brown exoskeletal legs spread in two arcs around the creature, supporting its central body, which itself was hundreds of feet long. Its carapace shone the same red-and-brown as its legs, but all along its dorsal surface, the carapace had cracked in two, rising into giant plates on each side of a nearly black fungal growth which towered into the heavens. Every few seconds, the growth pulsed and grew further into the sky above the mutant creature.

Elderwyrm began his dive, and Herald only hoped he would survive.