Monstrous Horizon Chapter 11

Sylvia groaned as I rolled out of bed and surveyed the office. We’d done a number on it and the stack of papers she upset the first time she jetted out of the office were still on the floor.

“Time to get up, sleepy head. You were the one to insist on going so long.”

“Full.” She whined and peeked out between her hands at me. “How are you awake and chipper?”

“Because apparently I can out sex a half air elemental half succubus.” I chuckled as I threw her thin white dress at her.

Sylvia struggled into the loose dress and fluffed out her hair before twirling and air magic flowed around her settling it all perfectly. “Much better. After last night I’ll never doubt my decision to become yours, Master.”

“Good. Now remember that as you clean up my office. Can’t have it looking like this.” I turned away from her as her jaw dropped and stepped out of my office.

As usual, there were people working below my office. Plenty of support staff moved through the building, managing everything from logistics to personnel issues.

I stood at the bottom till a man looked up and came to offer me help.

“Colonel, is there something I can help with?”

“Did a runner return last night, there was an urgent letter that should have come from Khopesh.”

He looked to one of his comrades who jumped to their feet and grabbed a letter that had been set aside. “Sir, this arrived late last night from Khopesh.”

I took a look at it and the fancy seal made me think it might just be what I was looking for. It wasn’t like I knew what Finster’s seal looked like.

Peeling it open, I read.

Dear Colonel,

I and the rest of Khopesh shall rest easier in our beds tonight knowing there is such a hero defending our border. Please, with all due haste, recover our men from the clutches of those vile monstrosities.

A replacement will be sent out tomorrow morning to cover your duties for however long you may be gone. I’ll prepare him to take them for a substantial period of time.

I snorted. He wasn’t even hiding that he hoped I’d die and his new little puppet would take command.

This replacement would make things harder, of that I had no doubt. But I needed to make this trip.

“Good, thank you.” I relieved the two men who had been waiting for me to read the letter.

The meeting with Frank and Tar should be simple enough. I clicked my heels and turned, leaving the building for the meeting with my majors.

A breeze swept up behind me as I walked across the fort. “Master. I’ve sorted your office.”

“Fantastic.” I didn’t miss a beat as I kept walking to the meeting.

Tar and Frank were already there discussing something that ground to a halt as I stepped in.

“Letter from Khopesh. I’m all clear to do a pass at Verdant and see about getting our men back. Oh, and he’s sending someone to take my spot.”

“Fuck.” Tar slammed the table. “It’s going to be his stupid nephew, kid’s too fat to even ride a horse without breaking its back. How is he supposed to lead a fort?”

I shrugged. Really, it wasn’t my problem. However, these were my men. “Well, here’s the trick. He isn’t in charge. Stuff him in a room, not my office, and have him get fluffy reports all day. He’s too fat to put up any resistance. Meanwhile, you two lead the fort. Easy peasy.”

“That would be lying to a ranking officer.” Frank hesitated.

“Think of it as standing orders from me. If they have a problem, hang it around my neck. I’ll deal with it when I get back.”

They both exchanged a glance. “Will you be back? Sam, we are worried.”

“Look, this isn’t going to be a cakewalk, but Sylvia here is a freaking missile in the air. If I need to bail, she’s got my back and I’ll be back here in no time.” I tried to reassure them, but I knew nothing short of me showing back up on the desert sands outside the gate would do that.

“I’ll protect him.” Sylvia gave a stern nod that only came off as cute.

I smacked her ass in front of the two men and grinned over my shoulder. “See, I’ll be fine.”

They both gave me strange looks, and I shrugged, walking out. There were probably some things I could have done today, but to stick around would have gotten myself mired in that work and I wouldn’t get the start on this journey.

Time was of the essence, after all.

“Sylvia, let’s go.”

“Yes, Master.” She wrapped herself around me and we shot up into the air before she angled down and blasted us across the desert.

“How long will it take us?” I asked.

“It would be several days with a horse, but lucky for you, master, I’m several times faster than a horse. But I’ll need to stop once or twice. You are far heavier than I am, master. I think we should be able to get there by nightfall.”

I settled in for a long ride as the dunes flew by underneath us. Every now and then there would be a small outcropping of plants where a minor spring might bubble up from the dry packed ground.

Endless dunes flew by underneath us and I eventually closed my eyes, just relaxing and feeling the wind whip around me.

“Master.” Sylvia broke me from my resting some time later.

“Yes?”

“Why are you doing this? I’ve seen into your mind and you have no stake in this world.” Sylvia angled to the right, changing their direction for the first time on this trip.

“Let me ask you a question. If you were taken from your world and plopped into a new one, what would you do? Just live the life you were handed or would you do what you wanted and live a life of adventure.”

Sylvia paused, and on the horizon I could see a green dot. It was far too early to be at Verdant, but this might be one of the oasis that she’d mentioned before.

“I’m not sure, Master. This is the only life I’ve ever known.”

“Well, I died once. This is a second chance and I’ll die again before I go sit in that fort in a stuffy office. I have a chance to go see this amazing city of monster girls, maybe even enjoy a few.”

“Master!” Sylvia gasped.

“We aren’t in the fort anymore, Sylvia, in case last night wasn’t apparent. I enjoyed your body, I enjoyed Charlotte and I have no doubt I’ll enjoy more. Safely of course.” I added the last bit. I wasn’t about to become someone’s slave or pet.

“Master, just don’t let my people push you around. If you show too much willingness, they will take advantage of you. Like humans we have good and bad monster girls in our city.”

“What’s Verdant like?” I asked, wanting some context.

“I’ve flown near Khopesh. It isn’t that different. Lots of buildings, lots of people doing daily mundane tasks. We have our own rules and rulers just like humans…” she trailed off.

I felt there was something she wasn’t telling me, but I’d figure it out soon for myself.

“Master, I’m going to stop at this oasis. Please drink some water and be careful. I’m going to go up into the clouds and absorb air magic to restore myself.”

“Do you need water?” I hadn’t really ever seen her eat or drink.

“No, the air currents of the upper atmosphere are the best sustenance for me, well, besides Master’s seed.”

She set me down by the oasis edge. There were a number of critters using it for its nourishment and I was wary of a predator lurking nearby. However, I saw no monster girls at present.

“Stay safe master.” Sylvia did a circle around the oasis and, once satisfied, shot up into the clouds.

I hadn’t really asked much about her diet or that of other monster girls. I wondered how they fed a city of them?

Again, guess I’d find that out shortly.

I walked over to the water’s edge and looked in deeper, making sure there wasn’t danger lurking in the water nor around the corner of a large rock. Satisfied, I crouched down and cupped a handful of sparkling, clear water.

It tasted sweet compared to the dusty desert air. I stayed cautious, checking my surroundings, but when the shadow fell over me, my head snapped up.

Only to stare right into the sun blinding me as something latched its claws into my shoulder and with the heavy beat of wings, I was ripped from the edge of the oasis.

“Get off me.” I growled, my eyes still momentarily blinded, but I didn’t need them to hit it.

I blasted a hammer of air magic above me with one hand and a sharp blade of air at one of the claws in my shoulder.

The monster girl let out a shriek and dropped me.

We’d risen surprisingly fast, and I had to throw all the air sorcery I could at the rapidly approaching ground to slow my fall.

Sand kicked up as I blew air at the ground and screened me from my adversary as I landed.

Hearing the beat of those powerful wings, I rolled to the side as a large shape passed through the sand cloud.

But the sand only lasted a few moments before it sank back to the ground.

I stayed crouched and ready as I finally saw my attacker.

She had a pair of large rust-colored wings on her back that matched her amber hair. Sandy brown clothing hung from her shoulders, covering her chest and a single piece wrapped around her hips and draped just low enough that it wasn’t indecent.

But that wasn’t the most surprising part. She had eagle talons instead of feet and a tawny lion’s tail flicking behind her as she glared at me. Each time she flapped her wings, her massive chest jiggled.

She was a gryphon.

“You are a mage.” She looked at me hungrily now.

“Congrats on your comprehension skills. You are a gryphon. Now run along, you can’t catch me.”

She flapped her wings and lazily circled me in the sky, forcing me to turn to keep eyes on her. “You will fetch quite a bit of gold. I won’t give up that easily.”

“Fine. Have it your way.” I wasn’t going to just stand here. Forming blades of air in my hands, I started throwing fragments of slicing wind at her wings. If I could take her out of the air, this would be far easier.

But she was agile in the air, dodging and swooping out of the way.

I paused. This wasn’t going to work.

That was all she needed. “Tired already, come here, little mage!” She tucked her wings and dove at me.

A smirk crossed my face as I used my earth sorcery and shot up a geyser of sand, catching her and knocking her out of her dive. It sent her skidding into the sand.

With a clenched fist, sand rose up around her and held her wings down for me.

“What am I going to do with you?” I asked myself, mostly.

However, as I got close, her wings beat free of the sand. It wasn’t the strongest material of earth to bind someone with, but still that showed she was far stronger than your average human.

No way was I going to let her get her hands on me again.

I jumped back and threw more sand at her to give me precious seconds to move out of reach.

“I can do this all day.” She flapped her wings and rose back into the air, wiping at her face.

“I don’t have to. My backup is here.” From out of the clouds a jet of white streaked down like some sort of godly smite.

The gryphon only had a second to look up before Sylvia hammered into her, crashing them both into the sand and blowing loose sand out for hundreds of yards.

That had to hurt.

“You okay Sylvia?” I stepped up to the crater she’d made in the dune.

“Perfect, Master. What shall I do to this ruffian? Want me to bend her over for you to enjoy?” My air elemental beamed, clearly proud of herself.

“No thank you. She’s hot, but not nearly as good looking as you. I have to have standards after all.”

She blushed all the way down to her neck and her smile only grew wider.

“Wait, Sylvia. Shit, I didn’t know you’d already caught him.” She did a double take, catching up with the conversation. I had to wonder how badly Sylvia rattled her. “Master?!”

“Do you know her?” I asked, ignoring the gyphon’s question.

Sylvia shook her head. “Not really. We bumped into each other a few times flying around the desert.”

“This is some sort of trick. You are bringing him to one of the slave traders? The serpents are giving really good prices right now, you could be set for a few years with an unmarked mage like him.”

Sylvia shot her a ‘shut up’ look that had the gryphon snapping her mouth shut.

“I’m sorry master, this is one of those things that I haven’t told you about Verdant.” She looked away.

“Good thing we have some time to catch up. Did you restore enough to make the rest of the trip?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Leave her, we need to keep going.” I saw no reason to outright kill her. The way the gryphon winced when she tried to get up told me Sylvia had done a good job of punishing her.