Monstrous Horizons Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Someone banged on the door to the prison.

“What’s going on in there.” Frank’s muffled voice came through the door.

I let out a heavy sigh for what I knew was going to be a difficult conversation. “I’m in here Frank, everything is okay. Can you get someone to watch the front and turn away anyone else that comes looking?”

“Yeah, I can. Can I see that you’re okay first?”

I looked down at my pants around my ankles and pulled them up, holding them as I undid the block of earth holding the door. “It’s open.”

Frank poked his head in. His eyes went to me and Sylvia, going wide as he took in the situation. His face went through a myriad of emotions before he ducked back, slamming the door.

Yeah, he wasn’t happy with me, was he?

I took the chance to buckle my pants, looking down at Sylvia.

I’d gotten damn lucky. Maybe there was something to what Tar had said about being this close to monster girls made men pent up.

“Sylvia, is there something about the monster girls that would make men here unusually pent up?”

“Lust Pollen. There’s actually quite a bit of it in the air here.”

That made a certain sort of sense. I remember reading things like pollen count reports back in my old world. Pollen traveled surprisingly far and was almost like a weather pattern.

I grunted as an answer.

“We need to have a talk later. What you did…”

Sylvia gave me a toothy smile. “I know what I did.”

Any further conversation was ended as Frank barged back into the prison block, pointed an accusing finger at me. “You, what the hell have you done. Sam, what were you thinking?”

I held up my hand to forestall what I felt like was a torrent of accusations. “I bound this air elemental to me. She’s not a risk to anyone.”

“Sylvia, stand and present your neck to Frank.”

She moved with a fluid grace, yet held her body away from Frank, pulling her hair back and giving him a full view of the band on her neck.

He stepped back, caution written on his face at the prospect of the air elemental being free, finally registered to him.

“Go ahead,” I urged Frank.

He grumbled under his breath but put a tentative finger on the band, probing the magical binding. Frank wasn’t versed in life magic at all, but he was versed enough in magic to understand what had happened.

Though I really couldn’t take all the credit for it.

Frank sucked in a sharp breath. “This… is impressive. I don’t have the time to examine it fully, but she’s very, very bound. How did you do it?”

“A little experimenting and a lot of luck.” I admitted. I’d actually done it with some imagination and skill, but the binding he saw was in large part luck.

“Damn it, Sam. I know you are constantly tinkering, but this is a touch too far.” Frank pinched the top of his nose hard enough I thought he was going to hurt himself.

I let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the bars. “Sylvia, that’s enough. Go relax.”

“Yes, Master.” Sylvia had been frozen like a statue after Frank examined her binding.

I was fairly certain she didn’t need to do that. She was putting on a show to make it seem like I was in complete control. For that, I’d have to thank her later.

Frank shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve never seen anything like it. But you know the nobles aren’t going to accept this, they are going to claim you are compromised—”

“I’m not. Compromised that is.” I interrupted.

“Doesn’t damn well matter now, does it? They’ll say you are and then take forever to send a minder and by the time they come no one will trust your command. Fuck, then we’ll get some noble’s son out here and start losing men by the droves again.” Frank’s mouth clicked closed as he realized who he was talking to again. “Sorry, Sir. That was uncalled for.”

“It’s fine Frank. I’d rather you tell me how it is than stuff my ears full of useless pleasantries. The question now is how do we move forward, I’m not going to be able to hide this.”

“No, you won’t be. I’m sure we have half the waste removal team hovering outside wanting to know what the heck happened. Those guys are always so nosy.”

“Even those low ranked fire mages felt that?” I asked.

“I’d be surprised if some of the mages in Khopesh didn’t feel that. I didn’t know you dabbled in rituals that much.”

I realized then that Frank didn’t realize all that magic had come from Sylvia’s growth into a greater elemental. He thought it had been the magic I used to bind her, which made sense given the binding itself was a massive piece of work. I’d never be able to create something like that again, not without a large amount of help.

“I had to make sure I bound her tight, no room for errors.”

“I’d say.”

There were shouts up towards the front of the brig.

“We need to show our heads here or someone is going to start a fight.” I could hear the shouts of concerned mages.

Frank’s eyes wandered over to Sylvia. “Are you going to let her leave with you?”

“Yep, there’s no reason she should stay down here. We’ll remand her to my care to make it official. Maybe we can file some paperwork and register her as a converted operative.”

“That paperwork hasn’t been done in forever. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Frank looked between me and Sylvia before continuing. “I saw your pants weren’t buckled when I came in.”

To that, I only grinned. “She’s a lot better looking than those girls at the water carts.”

Frank reeled back like I’d just slapped him. “She’s a monster girl.”

I only grunted at that because I didn’t have time to try and convince him we were stepping out of the brig and about to be confronted by a crowd of confused mages. Yet I wasn’t going to deny it.

Things needed to change and if I had to be the one to stand out, then so be it. I’d deal with what came my way.

“It’s the Colonel!”

“And the Major, what happened!”

There were too many of them asking the questions for me to figure out who was speaking, but it all got quiet and spells popped into their hands as Sylvia stepped out into the light of day, the sun striking her and making her look even more of an ethereal beauty.

“Put those spells out now.” I barked.

They all closed their hands and snuffed their spells, but that only left them standing there in confusion.

“This is Sylvia. The magic you felt was me binding her to my service. If any of you would like to check please do so.” It had convinced Frank easily enough. I thought to offer them the same thing. “Sylvia step forward and let them inspect the binding.”

“Yes, Master.” She gave me a short bow and stepped towards the mages.

I needed to spin this in a positive direction. “With her cooperation it will significantly help the fort’s defenses. She’s a powerful Air Elemental thus, without any form of seduction, shouldn’t be a distraction to the fort, while also being a powerful resource.”

Frank lent me a hand. “Her scouting abilities alone will be a huge benefit to the fort, we’ll be able to see attacks coming far sooner.”

What he said just reminded me. Once I cleared up this situation, her first task should be to scout Cleopatra’s promised attack.

Several of the mages walked up and touched the band on Sylvia’s neck. Each one of them walked away looking at me with awe and fear in equal measure. Through the entire process, Sylvia didn’t move an inch as the men prodded at her fair skin.

I was impressed. Not even a flinch from the air elemental. Her eyes tracked me as I moved to the side to watch.

“How did you do it, Colonel?”

“Way out of your league. Telling you would only cause an accident.”

The mage who asked wilted, and I thought maybe there were some allies in the men that would understand my relationship with Sylvia. I didn’t miss his look of desire at Sylvia.

“Alright, the show’s over. All of you are dismissed.” I didn’t let all of them look, but enough that they would be able to spread the news. With any luck, I wouldn’t have some random soldier try to stab her.

Frank stayed by my side. “I still think it might be better to keep her on a tight leash, wouldn’t want her to get into trouble.”

“We’re on the same page. I was actually thinking about having a talk with her before sending her on a scouting mission.” I needed to ask her about why she chose to bind herself to me.

“Sylvia, stay with me. We are heading to my quarters.”

Frank snapped me a salute and headed back to whatever he had been doing before the mess.

Sylvia walked very close to my side, more like a lover than a servant.

I gave her a look out of the side of my eye, but she only flashed me a dazzling smile and pressed herself close enough that my arm was rubbing her breast as we walked.

It was only a short walk to my quarters, and I wasn’t about to start this conversation off on the wrong foot. Let her get a win for now.

“Inside.” I opened the door for her.

Sylvia blew past me like a breeze and settled herself on the bed, leaning back and pushing out her chest.

“I don’t know what you think is about to happen, but it doesn’t involve the bed.” I said, taking the chair from my desk and setting it down backwards so I could lean on the back and face her.

She seemed almost too comfortable, like I wasn’t the one in control. That was sending off alarm bells in my mind.

“Why did you bind yourself to me? I still don’t understand. You could have easily switched the roles.” I rested my head on interlaced fingers while I studied her.

She was returning my studious gaze with her own. “You know, I’m surprised that you handled the situation so well. Given that you’ve only been on this world for a day.”

I tried to school my expression, but I knew I failed. She knew, there wasn’t a hint of hesitation in what she’d said. I thought about bluffing my way out of this, but then I realized even if she wanted to change it now, she was bound to me and that wasn’t going to change.

So I decided to ask, “how much do you know?”

“All of it I think. Your life, that boring, dreary life you used to lead. There really was no adventure in your world was there, well besides those moving pictures.”

I pushed off the back of the chair just to stretch out the muscles that had just balled themselves up, I’d gone straight to fight or flight when she revealed she knew. “So, that’s why you decided to bind yourself to me? It seems… overly easy.”

“I saw that you fantasized about monster girls and you were a good man. I have no doubt that you’ll be good to me, even if things get a little tough because of it.” A smirk quirked at the edge of her lips. “But that goddess.” Her quirk broke into a peel of laughter.

“Yeah, she didn’t quite understand, did she?” I shook my head, a little chuckle of my own slipping out.

“No.” Sylvia wiped at a tear that had squeezed its way out. “No, she didn’t. That’s why I bound myself to you, because if she thinks you can solve this world’s problems then there’s something to that, a chance that you really could. But I have no doubt you are going to need help, because you really haven’t beaten a dragon and if you tried to fight one in this world as you are, I am sure you’d find yourself tied up in a dragon’s horde helping her pump out a brood.”

She really did know everything. That moment where she broke the binding and traced it back to me, I must have been completely and utterly exposed to her.

I really had gotten lucky.

“Then I guess, I owe you a thanks. I am in over my head, aren’t I?” I was faking it till I made it, but she was right. Going from my current role to solving this world’s problem was probably a leap too far on my own.

“Yes you do, but I’ll forgive you for not lavishing me with your cock right now. If what you’ve seen is right, Cleopatra is coming and you need to be ready.”

“How bad is it?” I asked, eager to know more about this Desert Queen.

“Bad, I didn’t know she’d left the deep desert, but what she wrote in those letters makes me think she has.” Sylvia lost all her flirtatious mannerisms as she leaned forward.

“Tell me what I’m up against.”