Monster Girl Ranching in Another World

I closed my eyes, and the world outside of them stopped as I snapped into place inside my mind. This has to be one of my handiest tricks, but it wasn’t going to get me out of this mess.

“I really didn’t expect to see Dank here of all places! This is good for you!” Fireden exclaimed, but I shook my head.

“He is chained down, and he doesn't know me, so what good is the Dark elemental going to do? I am sure if it was easy for him to get away, he would have done so already, I explained.

“That is a good point, but if you can create a bond with him, there are no chains that can hold us!” Fireden declared, but Wataluga shook his head.

“Zack is right, and there could be a chance that he is already bonded with Eelyasha. She can use Dark Magic, so she must get it from him. If he is bonded, then you have to get her to give up the bond, or she has to die,” Wataluga explained, and I rolled my eyes.

“It is just one thing after another this time! You would think that something would go right for me!” I complained as I paced around the table; only the four elementals and Harold sat.

He was being too quiet.

“What is it, Harold? What is going on in that skull of yours?” I asked as I could almost see the cogs moving inside of his head.

“Just trying to puzzle everything out with the pieces that we have. So far, you were captured by Eelyasha, and she is connected to an unnamed Old God much stronger than her. She is using blood as a medium to contact this Old God. There is something missing," Harold explained, and I nodded.

“The Dark Elemental, Dank,” I interjected, and Harold nodded.

“Yes, I am sure he is the missing piece,” Harold said, and I was sure he was right.

“That still doesn’t explain why she is in contact with this Old God. I don’t see why she would want to bring an Old God back,” I said, and Harold nodded.

“That is what I have been trying to figure out. The only link is that Eelyasha is calling her mother,” Harold confessed, and I frowned.

“Yes, but that might just be something she is saying like a crazy person. If we can figure out what the blood is for, we might be able to stop her before anything happens,” I said, and Harold nodded.

“Yes, if she is collecting blood for an Old God, she is going to need a lot of it. There is no way that we can let her have it. If we don’t figure this out before she does, then we might not be able to stop her,” Harold said, and I nodded.

I had to figure this out.

I sat at the table and tried to think of what I could do.

There was something that I was missing: how the two Old Gods were connected with the Dark Elemental. I felt like it was more than just her being bonded to it, or it wouldn’t be chained down.

“I am just going to have to let things play out as they are for right now. I can’t act until I know just what we are dealing with regarding the other Old God,” I explained as I stopped to look at everyone at the table.

“That is all you can do at this point, but I am sure Dank will help us when we free him. If it was Lyon, the Light elemental, I would say we might be in for some trouble, but Dank was always very friendly,” Fireden explained, and I narrowed my eyes on him.

“The Dark elemental is friendlier than the Light? That sounds a bit ass-backward to me,” I said.

“Lyon is an arrogant prick and will expect you to grovel at his feet before he joins you! That bright asshole also would kill these things if they tried to take him. Lyon is a loose cannon and the most powerful of the six elements,” Windorf explained, but he didn’t sound happy to admit it.

“Well, I guess that I have to count my blessings there. Okay, I am going back, wish me luck. Fireden, be ready to burn out anything she puts in my system if I can’t, got it?” I asked, and Fireden nodded.

I closed and opened my eyes again, and I was back inside the room with Dank and Eelyasha.

I was being dragged over to the altar in the center of the room, but I was concentrated on Dank.

The chains that were binding him looked like standard cuffs, but that didn’t make sense. I didn’t get how they could hold something like energy that could change its form at will and could be held by something so mundane.

“I see you like my dark pretty, Dank! He is my Elemental! He is not a very good listener, but my mother gave me this throne to keep him from running away! It isn't easy to make him work, but he is a bit of a softy and does what I ask if I make the other pretties scream!” Eelyasha cackled, and I groaned.

“Who is this mother you keep talking about?” I asked. “I don’t see anyone here but you and the shadow.”

“Oh, don’t worry, mother just stepped away to check on her own pretties, but she will be back! In the meantime, I need some of your blood!” Eelyasha explained as she forced me to lie on the altar top.

“I would just like to warn you that I have thick skin and down taste very good,” I said with a grin, and Eelyasha frowned at me.

“Why are you not terrified and screaming like the others? You know that takes some of the fun away from this for me, so I would appreciate it if you could scream a bit more!” Eelyasha snapped, and I had to keep myself from laughing.

“Ahhh, I am terrified for my life!” I called out, but that didn’t seem to impress the Eel Goddess.

“Fine! I will make you scream!” Eelyasha raged at me, and then her eels streaked at me.

I felt the small teeth trying to tear into my skin, but not a single one of them was able to. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not, but I was glad that it was stopping the eels.

“What?! Why can’t I bite through your skin?!” Eelyasha screamed, and I shrugged.

“I told you that I have thick skin. What reason do I have to lie?” I asked, and Eelyasha glared at me.

“You must think you are so smart! You must think that my mother doesn't already know who you are, Zack!” Eelyasha laughed at me, and my blood went cold. “Yes, it seems that you are starting to understand the position that you are in. My mother is very interested in you and the creatures that you are looking after!”

My mind started to race, but there was a dark cloud in the corner of the room that had just appeared, and it was starting to get bigger.

“Zack Foreman, Sage and Rancher, and holder of four elementals. How lucky am I that my daughter would find and capture you so easily! You know, I have been waiting for you to leave that island!”

My eyes snapped shut, but nothing happened; and I tried to pull myself into my mind, but still nothing. This was not good, and this was the last person that I wanted to see.

“You look a bit tongue-tied. Did you not expect to find me here?”

The face that was in front of me was distorted and disfigured, but I knew who it was without even seeing it. I could never forget that bitchy voice that I had dealt with in the cafeteria almost every day for ten years.

“Delores, you look better than usual! You are right; I never expected that you would be here! So, what do you want? Don’t tell me you are still sore over Lidy?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.

“That tramp was nothing compared to me! Yet, I had to listen to her scream your name almost every second day!” Delores screamed at me, and Eelyasha’s Eels let go of me.

“Hey! You could have told me, and I would have asked her to scream someone else's name!” I snapped back, and the ugly witch-like face screamed at me.

“You always think that you are so funny! Yet, here you are! On the altar as an offering for me! Not such a big shot now, are you? Can’t talk to your friends either! Now, you are going to be put to sleep, and Eelyasha is going to go kill everyone on that stupid submarine that you build!” Delores snarled, and I sighed, but my blood was on fire.

“You should know, Delores, I take my family very seriously, and you just threatened them. I was actually just going to let you have some of my blood, but as usual, you said something stupid. The difference this time is that Lidy isn’t going to be the one to kick your ass for talking shit. I am going to kill you,” I growled, and my body Activated all four Pacts at once.