7: Debt
'Damn it, I'm an idiot.' Jonathan thought as he steadied himself against the dangerously unstable wall of his hideout. The panelling shifted against his weight. 'I need to keep low, not play the damn hero.' Despite his circumstances trying to convince him otherwise, this wasn't a game. People here died and he was wholly unprepared to face that reality. Jonathan took several deep calming breaths. He needed to focus.
After a few minutes, Jonathan was able to bring his breathing and his heart rate back down to a somewhat regular level. He didn't know what his next move would be. A dead body was going to garner a lot of unwanted attention from the Cliffside guard. It could lead his pursuers straight to him. He was an out-of-shape mouse in a den of cats. Jonathan retrieved his guidebook which he had stashed away in his cloak's inner pocket. 'Maybe Lily can help. Here goes nothing.' He opened the leathery tome.
"Greetings Mr. Nightmare!" Lily said playfully as her spritely blue form materialized. "No, too formal... Hello Jonn! No, not that either..." She ummed and ahhed to herself. "Hey pervert! What questions do you have for me today?" This had clearly been a mistake. Jonathan brushed off the insult and proceeded with his questions.
"Lily, what is my goal in this new world?" Jonathan had carefully chosen his words to be as straightforward as possible.
"Your goal is the same as in your old world. Try not to die. Beyond that, it is up to you. Bonus points for doing something interesting with your life." Lily smirked. "However, surviving in the short term may be a bit difficult considering that you're a sorcerer and all."
"A sorcerer? What does that even mean?" Jonathan kept hearing that word, but it held no meaning for him outside of his time spent playing Dungeons and Dragons.
"It means that you can use magic." Lily put on a low gruff voice. "Yerr a wizard Jonny."
"You've seen Harry Potter?" Jonathan was perplexed, how could Lily, a being from this world, have seen movies or books from his world? That said, she was an oddity, and she did have information on the contract he signed with Isekguy Studios. It might not be that farfetched.
"Yes, I am quite well versed in much of your former world's pop culture. It helps me in my duties as an integration assistant. Anyway, to add a bit of context to my previous answer, the Emperor of Adearath, Tarthis the Third, really, really, really doesn't like sorcerers. He even has the Empire's whole Inquisition going around conducting a good old-fashioned purge." Lily was a little too upbeat with her news.
"Is there any way to stop being a sorcerer?" Jonathan looked down at his chest. "Or at least get rid of this mark?"
"Well there are two ways. The quickest way is to die but I am pretty sure you wouldn't be keen on that." She was correct. "The only other way is to get debranded, but that process often leaves it's victims in a brain-dead, zombie-like state."
"So I'm pretty much screwed." Jonathan stated bluntly.
"Well, I wouldn't say that. You could run far away and live as a hermit or try to reason with the Empire. Actually, scratch that second one, you would probably end up dead if you tried it. They are not the reasonable sort." Lily paused. "You could try to kill the Emperor." She slightly elongated each of the words as she raised an eyebrow.
"Hermit lifestyle. Got it." Jonathan ignored Lily's bloodthirsty suggestion.
Lily began to fade away "It looks like we are out of time again. Oh! Before I forget, I was trying to say last time that you should-" Lily disappeared.
'You have got to be kidding me.' That seemed shorter than last time. Jonathan was unsure if Lily actually had something important to say or if she was just trying to mess with him. There was no use dwelling on that now. Jonathan was going to turn-in for the night. In the morning he would begin the arduous task of escaping Cliffside and the Inquisition. Jonathan rolled out his newly purchased bedroll, tonight's sleep was going to be way better without his skin pressed up against the cold hard floor.
The sound of footsteps came from the rear entrance of the hideout. Jonathan slid behind a heap of broken furniture that was piled up in the centre of the room. 'Damn it, they've found me.' The deadly magical spear was just out of reach and out in the open, still wrapped in its burlap sack and against the wall. Fortunately, Jonathan had kept his newly purchased dagger close.
"Hello, is anyone home?" a familiar soft, reserved voice called out from the darkness. It was the red-skinned woman that Jonathan had saved just a few minutes earlier. She carefully trod further into the dilapidated house. Jonathan could see that she was still partially clothed as well as completely unarmed. "I thought I saw you come this way. I just wanted to-" The red-skinned woman stopped as Jonathan stood up from behind the wreckage. She seemed harmless enough, but Jonathan kept his dagger close, just in case.
"Oh, you are here. I'm glad." The woman approached slowly. "I am known as Saikhi."
"I'm Jonn." Jonathan bit his tongue slightly as he spoke. He tried to say that his name was Jonathan but some sort of mental block had stopped him from completing his full name.
"It is nice to meet you, Jonn." Saikhi moved closer. Her glowing eyes cut through the darkness of the room. Her blue hair was still wild from her previous encounter. She reached out to grab Jonathan's hand.
"Wait! I wouldn't touch me if I were you. It might end badly." Jonathan recoiled and quickly pulled his hand away. The guidebook didn't list an easy way to deactivate his ability, only a way to temporarily reverse its effect. However, he didn't recall the magic word that was required to avoid turning Saikhi into a sex-crazed maniac.
"As you wish." Saikhi halted. She looked down and timidly cupped her hands in front of herself. It wasn't until then that Jonathan had taken the time to properly look at her. She was a delicate beauty. Gentle facial features atop a short, soft, busty frame.
"Why are you here? How did you find me?" Jonathan tried his best to avoid sounding like an interrogator. He failed.
"After you saved me, I followed you. You were not very hard to find." Those words did nothing to help to alleviate Jonathan's building anxiety, if she could follow him home this easily, who else might be able to. "As for why I am here... I am ashborn and you saved my life." Saikhi said matter-of-factly.
Jonathan found himself factually deficient. "Uh, I'm not really from around here, you may need to explain what that means."
"Oh." Saikhi said with stifled surprise. "You saved my life. As an ashborn, my soul demands that I serve you until I am able to return the favour. I am in your debt."
"I see." Jonathan didn't like the idea of having a servant following him around right now. It was just another thing that would complicate the current mess he was in. If the need to run or hide arose, as it almost certainly would, the task would be significantly more difficult. Although maybe she could help Jonathan make sense of the world without suddenly disappearing, like a certain annoying blue fairy. Probably best to accept her offer of service for now, he could always reassess the situation later.
A shrill breeze drafted through the room and numbed Jonathan's face. He strolled over to his bed roll and took a seat on its firm padding. He motioned for Saikhi to join him. "Come sit, the bedroll has a blanket we can use to keep warm."
Saikhi's eyes grew large. "I am to share a bed with you immediately? So bold. I understand." Saikhi began to remove her tattered clothes.
"No, not like that." Jonathan interrupted. Although he would be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind and he did get a bit excited over how compliant Saikhi was. "I just want us to keep out of the cold." Saikhi nodded and joined Jonathan in his bed.
"Tell me a little about yourself, Saikhi." Jonathan requested as he covered the two with his blanket.
"Well." Saikhi pulled the blanket close to her chest as she wiggled into place. "I am a librarian... Was a librarian."
Jonathan couldn't believe his luck. Librarians were often an endless source of knowledge, the good ones were almost as knowledgeable as the books they kept.
"What happened?" Jonathan asked.
"A new manager took over the library where I worked. He did not like the look of the ashborns working there so he got rid of us." Saikhi sighed, "That was only a few days ago. I used to stay in one of the rooms attached to the library, but only current employees are allowed to live on the premises. Now, I am homeless and without a job." Saikhi continued softly. "The man that you saved me from, he promised me work that would help get me back on my feet. I believed him. It was an odd offer, I knew that. But I was desperate." Saikhi sighed as she recounted her story. Jonathan would have liked to comfort Saikhi by placing a hand on her shoulder but that would have been quite counterproductive.
"Ah hell." Jonathan was about to spend more money where he probably shouldn't. "As long as you follow me, I'll pay you and keep you fed." Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck. "How does 100 bits a day sound?" It wasn't much but at least it was something.
"Thank you Master, you are very kind to offer that." Saikhi words didn't help the steadily rising situation in Jonathan's pants. Being called 'Master' was definitely one of his turn-ons. "However, you must not pay me, my soul demands I serve you selflessly until I am able to save your life." Her reserved voice grew more determined as she recited those words.
"Alright. Well, the offer is there if you ever change your mind." Jonathan had a lot more questions to ask his new ashborn servant, but it was growing late, and Jonathan needed to get some rest if he was going to escape Cliffside in the morning. He covered his mouth as he let out a yawn.
"We best get some sleep. Make sure not to touch me, alright?" Jonathan rolled over into a comfortable spot on the bedroll. It was going to be cramped but there was no way he was going to sleep on the floor again tonight. Saikhi slid in next to him, careful not to get too close.
Jonathan was roused from his sleep a few hours later by a sudden feeling of warmth around his crotch. He groggily surveyed the dark room for the source of disturbance. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling; it was quite the opposite. A soft groan escaped Jonathan's mouth. The source of the disturbance was obscured by his blanket. It didn't take long for the adrenaline to kick in, it rushed through Jonathan's body as he realized what was happening.
He quickly removed the blanket from the bobbing figure that had worked its way beneath the sheets. It was Saikhi, her deep, rose-red lips had found their way around Jonathan's exposed cock. They effortlessly slid along the length of Jonathan's member as she accommodated Jonathan's length.
"Oh shit- Ennovo? Corribo?" Jonathan panicked trying to remember the words to reverse his power, but they eluded him. It didn't help that Saikhi was masterfully weaving her tongue around the edges of Jonathan's shaft. She must have accidentally touched him in the middle of the night and been overwhelmed with desire. Saikhi's lips made a satisfying smack as she released Jonathan from her mouth. Her eyes shone up towards Jonathan's face as she crawled up against him.
"It is ok Master, let me serve you." Her voice said with a soft eroticism only heard before by Jonathan in his dreams. She wrapped her breasts around Jonathan's cock, the softness of her tits engulfing him. Saikhi worked Jonathan's lubricated member between her mounds as she seductively bit her lower lip. Jonathan began to thrust his hips, aiding Saikhi's efforts.
'Well, it's happening now.' Jonathan thought, putting up a strictly minimum amount of token resistance before giving in to his desires. Jonathan's cock peaked from between Saikhi embrace. She lovingly kissed the tip as she continued to bounce her breasts along Jonathan's length. After a few more thrusts Saikhi continued her hike up Jonathan's body. She slid Jonathan's length between her legs and inside of her. Jonathan caressed her hips as she began to use his cock for her enjoyment.
"Yes Master, let me serve you, let me serve you." Saikhi repeated as she increased her speed. Jonathan found himself enjoying her tantric words. He also found himself enjoying the fact that he wasn't the first one to be inside of Saikhi today. His cock had entered her effortlessly and it was probably thanks to her previous loosening up. He moved his hands up against Saikhi's sides and grasped her delightfully bouncing breasts. This was the best sex of Jonathan's life.
"Yes, my body is yours, you are so deep inside of me Master." Saikhi moaned as she tightened her thighs around Jonathan and picked up speed. That was all that he could handle. Jonathan groaned as he came inside of Saikhi, filling up her soft exotic body. Saikhi didn't stop, she kept fucking Jonathan while his cum spilled into her. A moment later, her body shook with pleasure. "Yes! Master! Oh!" She arched her back as she let out a scream of passion. Saikhi fell off of Jonathan and back onto the bedroll. This was going to be hard to explain in the morning.