The torches burned lower. Shadows stretched long across the cell block. Kael hadn't moved much since dinner. She sat on her cot, back against the wall, knees up, sharpening that spoon again. Slow scrapes. Rhythmic. Like she was thinking hard.
I broke the quiet.
"Kael. You've been here a while, right? What's your story? How does a fighter like you end up locked up?"
Kael stopped sharpening. Looked at me through the bars. Eyes narrow.
"You really want to know?"
"Yeah. We're roommates now. Might as well."
She snorted. Set the spoon down.
"Fine. Short version. I was a scout captain. Third Raid Division. Good at sneaking, better at killing. Slimes, goblins, even took down a mid-tier wyrm once. Got a medal from the queen herself. Then I fucked up."
She leaned forward. Voice lower.
"Last raid. Northern rift. We found a cache of old artifacts. Forbidden shit. Elf relics. Weapons that could turn the war. I wanted to bring them back. Captain said no. Too dangerous. Risk of corruption. I argued. She ordered me to leave them. I didn't listen. Took one. A dagger. Sharp as sin. Thought I could handle it."
She held up her hand. Scar across the palm.
"Corrupted me. Slow. Made me angry. Violent. Started fights with my own squad. Almost killed a lieutenant. They dragged me back in chains. Queen stripped my rank. Threw me in here. Corruption's gone now. Took months. But trust is gone too. So I sit. Sharpen spoons. Wait for a chance to prove I'm not broken."
I nodded slow.
"That's rough."
"Yeah. Life's rough. Your turn to talk. You keep asking questions like you're writing a book."
I looked at Lira first. She was listening. Quiet. Silver hair catching the torch glow.
"Lira. How does anyone here even know about Earth? You talk like it's normal. Language. Summoning. My world. Where does that come from?"
Lira shifted. Sat up straighter.
"Kael can answer that better. She was around when the stories started."
Kael grunted.
"Old news. Fifty years ago. Queen's mother summoned a hero. Not a man. A woman. From your world. Earth. Called her the First Pioneer."
I blinked.
"A woman? From Earth?"
"Yeah. Name was Mara. Or Maria. Something like that. Old now. Lives in the Elder Spire. Retired. She came through the same ritual. No powers at first. Just knowledge. Told us about cars, planes, electricity, guns, internet. Books. Movies. Pizza. All of it. She helped build things. Water systems. Better weapons. Tactics against monsters. Taught us how to organize armies. Shaped half our civilization. Without her we'd still be hiding in caves."
Lira added soft.
"She's old. Frail. Doesn't leave her tower much. But the knowledge stayed. Books she wrote. Maps. Words. That's why we understood you when you spoke. The language spell pulls from her records. Why the queen knew to summon again."
I rubbed my chin. Stubble rough.
"So there was a female hero from Earth. And she stuck around. Became a legend."
Kael nodded.
"Legend. Pioneer. Whatever. She warned us about men. Said your world has them everywhere. Violent. Greedy. But also clever. She said if we ever summoned one, be careful. Don't trust easy."
She looked at me.
"Guess she was right."
I laughed. Short.
"I'm not violent. Or greedy. Just horny and confused."
Lira smiled.
"We'll see."
I leaned against the bars. Looked between them.
"So why are you two really here? Lira, you're an elf. Long life. Why prison?"
Lira's smile faded.
"I'm here because I refused an order. The elf council wanted me to mate with a high noble. Shape-shift into the perfect form. Produce a strong child for alliance. I said no. I choose who I fuck. Not them. They called it treason. Locked me up. Said I'd stay until I change my mind."
She shrugged.
"I haven't changed it."
Kael snorted.
"Stubborn elf."
Lira glanced at her.
"And you? We know the dagger story. But why not execute you? Or exile?"
Kael looked away. Voice quieter.
"Because the queen likes me. Or liked me. We were… close. Once. Before the corruption. She thinks prison will fix me. Make me loyal again. Or maybe she's just too soft to kill an old friend."
She picked up the spoon again. Scraped once.
"Doesn't matter. I'm here. You're here. We clean floors. We wait."
I looked at the bucket in the corner. Still smelled like old water.
"Guess we're all fucked up in our own way."
Lira laughed soft.
"Welcome to Femland, Hunter. Even the prisoners have stories."
Kael smirked.
"And you're the weirdest one yet."
I lay back on the cot. Cock twitching again at the thought of Lira's shape-shifting demo earlier.
Stories. Secrets. Old heroes from Earth.
And me. The hairy guy with the monster dick.
Tomorrow would bring more cleaning. More questions. Maybe more hands through the bars.
I closed my eyes.
Sleep came slow.