Miriam's Dance With Rogues

So originally, I intended for Miriam to enter Betancuria as a mercenary and help fight against the invading army… but after writing a couple chapters, I got bored. So after finding myself completely unmotivated in writing about the siege, I decided to go back, and write another scenario where things end up differently.

Chapter 7

The warm camp fire cast flickering shadows over Robin Hood’s face as he sat next to me in front of the blaze. He used a thin branch to prod the embers, raising the heat temporarily as he explained. “I was wondering what we were going to do dear. Eighteen bandits, poorly armed, almost no money, half of us slightly wounded, and our base of operations occupied by that cursed Dhorn army. You have to admit, the situation seemed dire no? I was just considering disbanding our merry band, and then you stumbled right into my arms dear.”

He reached out and slapped my bare ass cheeks happily. I was naked, gagged, my hands tied behind me at both wrists and elbows. Kneeling with the side of my face pressed into the ground so I could still see Robin, I had my buttocks raised vulnerably in the cold evening air. Robin’s foot resting lightly on my head threatened to grind my face into the ground if I attempt to raise my head. I found myself screaming into the disgusting sock they had used for a gag and bucking my hips wildly at the pain as he continued to spank my ass to the amusement of the watching bandits.

Stopping to rub my reddened ass cheeks that he had punished, he continued his explanation in spite of my muffled moans of relief and satisfaction. “Are you wondering how you’re going to help us out dear? Well, I’m going to sell you in Betancuria. I imagine after we clean you up, you’ll sell for a lot. Probably enough for us to buy new weapons, clothing, and perhaps even fund our relocation! Unfortunately for us, but lucky for you dear, since we’re going to sell you, we’re not going to take turns using you. The potential buyers might consider you damaged goods if your cunt or butt hole gets too loose. I suppose we could all take turns using your mouth, but frankly dear, I don’t trust you not to bite if you know we won’t really damage you…”

I groaned helplessly as his fingers began a slow dance from the globes of my ass down the short distance to my pussy. Anticipation flared through me, as he rubbed his fingers over my slit, his thumb finding and pressing gently on the sensitive little nub that quickly became engorged. I felt my nipples harden and press into the ground uncomfortably as my vagina began to throb. His insistent fingers continued to steadily drive me toward an orgasm, until I was humping my ass into his fingers and moaning into the gag uncontrollably. Then, when he sensed I was on the verge of orgasm, he backed off, leaving me unfulfilled. Whimpering, I felt my back arch as my hips tried to follow his fingers shamelessly. Taking his foot off my head, he bent down and pulled the dirty sock out of my mouth before tossing it back to one of his bandits.

“Suck Jared’s cock and I’ll let you finish.” He commanded and gestured to one of the eager bandits who quickly stepped in front of me, pulling a large penis out of his dark leather breeches. Apparently, Robin wanted to make sure I wouldn’t bite before he risked his own prick. Jared was already aroused, with precum leaking out. He eagerly grabbed my hair, pulling my head forward, and shoving his rod into my mouth despite my whimper of protest. I gagged painfully as he rammed it against the back of my throat and quickly tried to swallow to hold his large, thick penis down my throat.

“Good girl.” I heard Robin comment as his fingers resumed their work on my vulnerable gasping vagina.

I moaned in response to the rhythmic plunging of his fingers into my well lubricated pussy and began to suck on the thick dick enthusiastically despite my gagging as Jared fucked my face. It wasn’t long before I felt a huge wave of pleasure wash through my body. With my vagina contracting wildly around Robin’s fingers, I screamed into Jared’s large penis trapped in my throat. That apparently set him off and I tasted his sperm spraying into my mouth as he pulled out. I gasped in exhaustion from the orgasm and nearly collapsed, but another bandit stepped forward and grabbed my hair, pulling me back up.

I spent the rest of the night and most of the morning pleasuring all eighteen of the bandits with my mouth multiple times while they rewarded me by plunging their fingers into my sopping vagina, bringing me to orgasm again and again. I did not bite or resist. Though Robin Hood didn’t mention it, I knew there were many ways to punish me that would leave me mostly undamaged. Plus, the constant blow jobs worked the magic that the Priest King of Floren had placed upon me and I felt the cuts on my feet from the panicked run in the forest healing. There was still a slight soreness in my mouth from pleasuring so many people so many times, but any damage I might have incurred during oral sex seemed to have been healed along with my feet. This healing only reinforced my decision to obey them and avoid punishment if possible. If they did punish me and found out that I would heal the wounds during sex, I somehow doubted my treatment would take a turn for the better.

Chapter 8

We arrived at Betancuria in the afternoon four days later. Four days of constantly using my mouth to pleasure eighteen different men during the night and in the mornings. I had indeed become an excellent “cock sucker” as Jared took pleasure in informing me. While the rest of the bandits had seemed satisfied in using my mouth, especially when I became well practiced in the art of fellatio, Jared constantly pressured Robin Hood to allow them access to my pussy or asshole. Robin’s adamant refusal seemed to have sparked a rivalry between the two, one that I had hoped to exploit despite my bound and nude state. Unfortunately, I never got the chance as we came within sight of the city.

Betancuria reminded me of a crushed melon. The huge iron gates that spanned the entrance hung askew, the iron bent and twisted inward, testament to the mighty battering ram that lay abandoned by the entrance. Smoke still rose from within the city, barely visible over the high walls that were devoid of troops. Corpses no longer littered the ground outside the city, but the remnants of broken weapons and arrows scattered in the clearing around the city told enough. The yelling and screaming of men along with the clash of metal striking metal, and the unmistakable rumble of rocks striking fortified walls could still be heard coming from within the city walls. A large group of about forty well armed Dhorn soldiers in their trademark red and white colored armor stood outside the gate and watched us approach. About half were on horseback with crossbows, the rest held pikes and long swords. With a slap to my ass, Robin walked toward them, apparently unconcerned. A leash attached to my neck pulled me forward as Jared gave it a tug. My arms were still bound behind me at wrist and elbows, I was still nude, and worse of all, I was gagged with the dirty sock again. I hated it. Whenever I wasn’t eating, drinking, or giving blow jobs, I was gagged with that dirty sock. It was humiliating. Constant blow jobs in the mornings and nights had at least ensured that my bare feet weren’t too badly cut from each day’s marching. Even though the bandits seemed to enjoy me and didn’t hold back, I had no illusions about how I must have looked. I smelled like semen, my black hair was coated with flaking crusts of semen, and I was no doubt covered with dry semen. In short, I’m sure I looked like a well used slave.

The horsemen immediately rode forward and cut off any chance of retreat or evasion as they surrounded the back half of the group. Meanwhile, the foot soldiers moved forward and stopped Robin’s direct approach. A man who looked to be in charge due to his beautiful red cape that swept across his broad armored shoulders, and his very ornate sword, drawn and pointed toward Robin, stepped out from among the foot soldiers, quite a surprise since I would have expected an officer to be mounted among the horsemen.

“Identify yourselves.” he commanded. He was tall and from what I could tell from the armor covering his torso, very well muscled. The rich armor covering him included a helm that was complete with a face guard that muffled his voice and hid his features. Even so, his voice was low and sharp, filled with an air of command that expected instant obedience.

“We are merchants good Sir. We merely seek to enter the city to sell our goods.” Robin replied, a slight tremor in his voice betrayed his nervousness.

The well armored man stepped closer to Robin in a calculated move meant to intimidate him. From Robin’s nervous step back, it was obviously working. “Where are your goods Merchant?” he asked, putting extra sarcasm in the word merchant.

Robin looked around frantically at his men. They were all ill equipped, only carrying what they had managed to carry out when retreating from their campsite. They also had some of the meat and fruits they had managed to scavenge on the journey, but overall, they looked nothing like merchants. Spotting me, he then grabbed my leash from Jared and tugged my forward. “This slave is. We’re going to sell her in the city.”

The armored man gave a nod to his soldiers who moved forward, taking my leash from Robin and leading me away. “The Dhorn empire has taken over the city, and we don’t allow slavery.”

Relief flooded through me as I looked back and grinned despite my gag at Robin. He was gaping in surprise and looked helplessly between me and the armored officer confronting him as I was led farther away. Jared on the other hand, was leveling a look of pure fury at me. Giving him a wink, I swayed my hips seductively to taunt him as I walked away.

I was led to a large white tent where the officers that guarded the entrance probably spent their time. The inside of the tent was filled with luxuries. A mahogany desk with papers and quills spread over it stood in the center. A couch covered with the exotic pelt of some animal occupied a good portion of the tent. At the very back, an ivory bathtub stood by itself. I was deposited, still bound and gagged in front of the desk.

“Don’t move.” The soldier who had led me in told me with a distasteful sniff.

I couldn’t very well argue thanks to the gag and there wasn’t much I could touch with my arms bound behind me. I was mildly humiliated by the way he treated me like a dirty animal, but then, I was covered with caking semen, so I must have smelled quite horrendous.

When the officer who had hopefully saved me from a life of slavery walked in, he found me kneeling in front of his desk.

“Damn it. My men didn’t even untie you?” He asked as he began to pull off his armor. As he removed his helmet, I saw his grey hair and the slight wrinkles on his face which brought an estimate of his age to around fifty. Despite his age, he was very well muscled and I watched in fascination at the sheen of sweat that highlighted his muscular arms as they flexed while he pulled off his gloves.

He signed in relief, “I’m never going to get used to the hot weather here.”

Bending forward he began to pull the ropes off. “I can never untie knots while I’m wearing gauntlets.” He explained.

His head bent close to my hair as he worked on the ropes binding my elbows. I saw his nose wrinkle at the sight of the white mess in my hair. “Bring hot water for a bath!” He yelled to the men outside as he finished untying my elbows and wrists. By the time the gag was off, hot water was already being poured into the ivory tub at the back of the tent.

Minutes later, I sighed in relief as I soaked in the hot water. It had been a long time since I had last taken a bath in hot water. I had learned that the name of the Dhorn officer was Drake before he had stepped out to give me privacy. I scrubbed my skin and hair thoroughly with the bar of soap and afterward, lay in the tub inhaling the calming scent of lilac that perfumed the water. Eventually, as the water began to cool, I emerged and found that a towel and clothing had been left for me. Clothing made for men, but still better than going nude. After drying myself with the towel, I quickly donned the pair of baggy breeches, and too large shirt. Both were of good quality and highly suspected that they belonged to Drake. The boots were too large but after walking on my feet for four days, it was a relief to finally have something between my sore feet and the ground, even if I did heal all the cuts on my feet at the end of the day. Fully dressed, I stepped out of the tent and met Drake waiting for me.

“My clothing fits you as badly as I suspected they would. But you look much prettier now then you did when you were naked.” He commented, grinning down at me. He had put his armor back on but left his helmet off.

“Thank you for lending me your clothes Sir Drake.”

“You’re welcome girl. You smell much better too.” He added quite impolitely.

He put a hand on my elbow and began leading me through the broken gates of the city. “By the way, I’m not a Sir. Only nobles need to be called Sir. Call me Lieutenant Drake or just Drake.” Turning to the men guarding the gate he gave quick commands for them to detain anyone else who approached until he returned.

“Why did you help me?” I asked, genuinely curious about what he expected in return.

“I got a daughter about your age back home. Haven’t seen her for two years now. But when I saw how those men had been treating you, I couldn’t help thinking what my daughter would say if I didn’t stop them. And after I stopped them, well I couldn’t let you go into the city looking like a whore. We rounded up all the whores yesterday and threw them in prison.”

“So slavery and prostitution are banned in the Dhorn empire?”

“Mostly. Unless you’re a noble. They call their slaves by another name. Servants. But it’s really the same thing. Unpaid servants who have no choice.”

I nodded. “If slavery is illegal, how did those nobles obtain their unpaid servants?” I asked.

“They’re nobles. They can choose whoever they want that isn’t nobility to serve them.”

“Oh.” I looked around. Betancuria was a large city but seemed mostly empty of citizens. Some shops were still open but most of the shops as well as the houses had their doors and windows closed. I assumed that most of the people were hiding in their houses or shops since large numbers of Dhorn soldiers patrolled the streets. Many of the buildings were in ruins, burning with trails of smoke drifting up into the air and the sounds of men killing and dying was now louder then outside the city walls.

“The fighting looks to be over, but it doesn’t sound that way.” I commented to Drake.

He steered me toward one of the open shops with his hand on my elbow. “The Betancurian soldiers retreated to the Castle when the city gates fell. So now we’re laying siege to the castle itself. Shouldn’t last much longer then a day or two.”

I looked at the shop Drake led me to. The name of the shop was in a language I couldn’t read, but the needle and thread symbol that decorated the name plate along with the picture of a woman in a dress made it quite obvious. “You’re buying me clothes?” I asked in surprise.

“Well, I can’t just leave you in the city dressed in my clothing. Anyways, my wife gave me that shirt. I want it back.” He teased.

Despite Drake’s urging to get one of the dresses, I figured that searching for the stolen artifact in a dress would prove difficult. Especially since it was likely that I’d have to do some breaking and entering in my quest for the artifact. I looked in the mirror at my current choice. Black boots that rose up to mid calf, brown leather pants that hugged my legs and buttocks, a dark blue blouse made of cotton with a black bodice that accentuated the hourglass curve of my waist and lifted my ample breasts so that I wouldn’t need a bra. Much to Drake’s very vocal protests, I had unbuttoned the top four buttons of my blouse, showing a generous expanse of cleavage. But I could tell by the way he kept eyeing the opening in my blouse that he enjoyed the view.

“Thank you so much Drake. Is there anything I can do…?” I let my question trail off as we left the shop.

He gave me a quick grin that lit up his whole face and made him look twenty years younger. “I’m flattered but I have a wife. I’m helping you because I can easily afford it and I’m not sure I could live with myself if I had left you with those ruffians.”

I gave him a teasing grin back. “I never said I was going to repay you by sleeping with you. What happened to those ruffians anyways?”

“What else could you offer me besides sex?” he asked. I decided not to answer that.

Drake continued, “As for the ruffians, there really isn’t much we can do about them. Our orders are to let everyone into the city, but to let no one leave. Anyways, stop by the barracks and apply for a cleaning job if you can’t find another in the city. Just tell them I sent you. I have to return to my post.” He finished in a rush. Apparently, my proposition had disturbed him.

As Drake hurried away, I considered my situation. My jaws were still a little sore, but other than that, my ordeal had little effect on me. I needed money, which meant I needed a job, or I needed to steal. But since Robin Hood was now in the city, I would need to avoid him, and wandering the streets looking for someone to rob was not exactly the best way to avoid him. So job it was.

Chapter 9

I deftly swayed my hips and avoided the hand reaching out to grope my butt. Swinging by a table filled with patrons I quickly deposited the tray filled with sweet meats and laughed in response to an offer to sit on a lap while shaking my head.

“More ale missy!” A man seated to my right yelled out. He was clearly inebriated and waved his flagon wildly in the air.

I gave him a grin and a nod before quickly swaying back towards the kitchen carrying used plates and utensils that I had cleared from another table. Quickly depositing the dirty dishes into a tub of soapy water, I grinned apologetically at the beautiful girl who was washing those dishes. The girl was new; we had both started our jobs at The Bear Pit tavern yesterday. For some reason or other, she was confined to the kitchens while I was sent to serve the patrons. She had been crying all day yesterday and looked quite depressed today. I didn’t ask why, but it wasn’t hard to guess. The Dhorn invasion meant lots of dead people. The girl had probably lost family members and thus had to pick up a job. She was also my roommate. While I was thankful that Nathan, the owner of the tavern, had provided us with rooms to sleep, I had found it difficult to sleep with the constant weeping from the girl last night. Despite my attempts to comfort and befriend her, she had ignored me and continued to sob all night. The girl was undeniably beautiful though. She looked to be about eighteen, with blonde hair that just touched her shoulders, large blue grey eyes that were currently red from crying, a straight patrician nose, small pouting mouth that looked very kissable, she was taller than me by a few inches, but had smaller curves to her figure.

She looked over at me and gave me eye contact for the first time. With those tear stained blue grey eyes watching me and that shy nod. I couldn’t help it. Something in me felt an overwhelming compassion for her and I reached out, giving her a hug. I felt her body stiffen then relax as she hugged me back, her soap and water drenched hands soaked the back of my dress as she hugged me. It was probably the first time she had been hugged since her family members died.

“I’ll listen if you need someone to talk to.” I whispered into her ear.

“Thanks.” She murmured.

“ALE!!!!” I heard the drunken patron outside the kitchen yell.

I sighed in exasperation and rolled my eyes as the beautiful girl in front of me giggled.

“I’m Miriam.”

“I’m Pr… I’m Aaricia.”

I nodded and gave her a second hug before I moved off to pick up the ale. I was slightly curious as to what name she was going to give me at first, but if she wanted to hide her name, that wasn’t my business. I stepped back out into the common room with a filled pitcher of ale and immediately felt the disconcerting sensation of many lustful eyes on to me. Even though I had been doing this for a day now, I still hadn’t gotten used to the attention that the skimpy dress uniform I had been provided garnered. It was a brown one piece dress that hugged my figure. Small straps hung over my shoulder to hold the dress up. It showed large amounts of cleavage and lots of skin in the back. The bottom of the dress barely went to mid thigh. This resulted in lots of groping and propositions as I moved through the customers. But after hours of serving, I had gotten adept at dodging questing hands. Of course, my short height was an advantage for me. The other woman serving the customers found that her dress barely covered her crotch and garnered a lot more attention than me. However, in her case, from the way she was humping the fingers buried in her pussy, the attention probably wasn’t unwanted. It did leave me with a lot more of the work though. I sighed and began pouring more ale for Mr. Drunk patron who began eyeing my ample breasts and leering at me. I turned, failed to avoid the slap that jiggled my ass and almost caused me to trip as I headed back to the kitchen. I had been working at my new job for a day and I already hated it. Maybe I should reconsider the whole thief thing.

Chellah, a plump friendly woman in charge of the kitchens, walked up to me and took flagon while handing me a plate of meat that smelled like roast. “If you plan to be a thief, don’t do it in the tavern, sweet. Master Nathan would whip your hide off if he caught you stealing from the patrons. And make sure you join the thieves guild. They don’t like rogue thieves.”

I looked at her blankly. Oh shit. Did I say “reconsider the whole thief thing” part out loud?

She saw the expression on my face and burst out laughing. “Oh dear. You didn’t mean for anyone to hear you eh? Don’t worry I won’t tell. But you be careful about how loud you talk next time.” She chuckled and reached over to tuck a stray strand of black hair back behind my ears.

I tried for an innocent look. “What’s the thieves guild Chellah?”

“Why sweetie, they control what’s stolen and make sure thieves don’t steal too much to keep crime from going crazy and drawing the attention of the law.”

Wow. Thievery refined into an exclusive club with rules and everything. “Oh. How can I join the thieves guild?” I asked, no longer adopting the innocent look.

Chella frowned. “I don’t think joining the thieves guild would be a good decision sweetie.”

Innocent seemed to work much better with her. “Please tell me Chellah? Shouldn’t it be my decision?”

“Fine. I suppose there’s no stopping you if you’re determined. You’d just ask someone else, and they might turn you in to the Dhorn. I’ll tell Vico to meet up with you.”

I gave her a big smile and a hug which she happily returned. “Where do I go to meet Vico?”

Rubbing my back, she replied, “Vico will find you child. Now go give that plate of beef to the man sitting in front of the fire.”

Chapter 10

I stepped out of The Bear Pit tavern and squinted at the glow from the setting sun. I had changed back into the clothes Drake had bought for me, much more suitable for wandering the streets. Following the tugging sensation that led me down the cobblestone streets towards the richer sections of the city, I found myself in front of a huge stone building with a group of Dhorn soldiers guarding the entrance. I immediately began to wander in another direction so that they wouldn’t notice my interest in the building. Looking across the plaza, I saw that the gates to the castle had been breached. The sounds of warfare had come to a halt during the late afternoon yesterday, telling us that the siege of the castle was ended. In fact, if I squinted, I could see the head of the king and queen impaled on the spikes of the broken gate. Soldiers still guarded the entrance, perhaps to prevent people from removing the heads of their king and queen from their indignity, but most likely to prevent thieves from robbing the castle.

I had felt the tugging sensation three days ago when I had been marching under Robin Hood’s leash. It was the sensation that told me the artifact was near. Now I knew that it was located in a building well guarded by the Dhorn. I needed more information before I could attempt to retrieve it though. As to how to retrieve that information… I supposed my best bet was to ask Drake. He seemed to like me well enough.

I wandered back toward the poorer sections, looking for a building large enough to serve as barracks for the Dhorn troops. This late, very few people wandered the streets, especially because of all the recent violence. Beggars still huddled in their odd corners, and a few men were closing down their shops, but the streets were otherwise quiet. The marching of Dhorn patrols provided a rhythmic cadence that was somehow soothing as I wandered along. Stepping in front of a passing Dhorn patrol, I opened my mouth to ask them where their barracks were.

Instead of pausing though, one of them pushed me out of the way with a snarl. “Out of the way whore. We’re on duty.”

Obviously he didn’t really think I was a whore, otherwise I’d be in jail rather than on my ass in the street. Still, it was with a disgruntled air that I got back on my feet and dusted off the seat of my pants. A boy that looked no older than ten ran up to me as I finished dusting off my pants.

“Message for you lady!” he announced, puffing out his chest importantly.

“Oh? From who?” I asked, kneeling down to look the boy in the eyes.

“Big man! Black hair! Big swords! Looked scary!”

I took the message and looked at it. Weird scribbles met my eye. Damn I couldn’t read it. I really had to start learning to read Betancurian. Or whatever they called it. I looked at the boy. It couldn’t hurt to ask him. “Did you read this message?”

“Of course not!” he denied loudly. His eyes shifting to the bottom left and his fidgeting told me he was lying.

“You’re lying. What do you remember of it?” I asked.

“Something about meeting at the west pier lady.” He mumbled, embarrassed to be caught reading the message.

I nodded confidently. “Lead me there and I won’t tell the man who gave you the message that you read it.”

Chapter 11

The west pier was deserted. Visibility was dim as the last rays from the setting sun had long since disappeared. The moonlight showed scraps of broken boats and discarded material lay scattered around on the dirty wooden docks. The sound of waves beating a steady cadence against the pier was the only interruption in the chilling silence. The stink of rotting wood and unknown refuse filled my nose as I walked to the center of the pier alone; the child had deserted me after finding out I was penniless. I was pretty sure the man who sent the note was Vico, my contact for entrance to the thieves guild. But still, walking down a deserted pier that even the Dhorn patrols didn’t approach sent shivers of fear down my spine.

Just as I was about to give up and leave, a man stepped out of the ruins of an abandoned boat. He wasn’t tall, but his muscular physique made him intimidating nonetheless. The dark clothing and twin swords strapped to his waist helped. He approached me silently with a gliding swagger, reminding me of the giant cats from my homeland when they were stalking prey. When he got close enough for me to distinguish his features, I saw that his face was heavily scarred. His hair was as black as mine, but his skin was quite tanned whereas mine was very pale. A crooked nose, and cruel eyes that were narrowed into slits as he studied me made him very memorable. Almost every instinct in my body screamed for me to run. Big man? Check. At least from a child’s point of view. Black hair? Check. Big swords? Check. Scary? Double check. Odds that this was the man who sent the message? Laughably high.

“Who are you?” I asked. I was proud that my voice came out clear without showing any of the fear I felt.

He didn’t answer for a long moment. “Vico. Chellah described you. Said you wanted to join the thieves guild.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyways. “That’s correct.”

“You know the rules?”

“Rules?” I asked.

He grimaced. “There are lots. But basically, you don’t steal from the businesses that pay us protection fees. You obey orders from guild leaders. And you keep our secrets secret.”

“I can live with those.” I readily agreed.

“Alright. I’ll tell you the specifics if you actually join us. If you want in, you gotta prove yourself to us. There’s a man by the name of Rick Cars. I want you to kill him. Do that and you’re in.” He said with a sneer that told me he didn’t think I was up to it.

“Uh… that’s it? Just a man named Rick Cars? You’re not going to tell me anything else?” I asked in disbelief.

He laughed. It was a wicked sound that raised goose bumps on my arms. “He just started his little gang in our city yesterday. He has about eight men in his group. They’re established in the area in front of the former whore houses. The Dhorn closed down the brothels and Rick moved his gang into that section. They’re robbing people who pass through and Rick never bothered to ask the thieves guild for permission. I don’t care how you kill him. You can spread your legs and try to get him to fuck you until his heart gives out. Whatever works. But you got three days. I’ll meet you here again, same time in three days.”

He looked me over contemptuously, his eyes lingering on my breasts. “Here.” He untied a sheathed stiletto from his belt and tossed it at my feet. Then turned and began to walk away. Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Oh yeah. They’ve been paying off the Dhorn patrols to leave them alone. So don’t expect the Dhorn to help you.”

Damn. I had assumed I would need to steal something to prove myself. Getting past eight men to assassinate their leader? That was completely different. Still, it couldn’t hurt to see how difficult it would be. With a sigh, I picked up the stiletto at my feet and hid it inside my bodice before moving toward the district where the brothels were located.

Chapter 12

I peeked around the corner and watched as what I presumed to be Rick Cars and his gang raped a woman. Apparently, they weren’t satisfied from just robbing her of all her money and jewelry, they had to rape her as well. The screams of pain that had drawn me to them had been studiously ignored by the Dhorn patrols who didn’t enter this area of the city. The dead man bleeding on the streets was all that was left of the man I guessed to be either her husband or her bodyguard. Three men stood on lookout while the rest of the them took turns and watched the woman beg for mercy. The faces were awfully familiar…

Shock ripped through me as I recognized them. They were better dressed, and cleaner, but without doubt, they were the bandits from outside Betancuria! Robin Hood and his band! But weren’t there eighteen of them before? Now there were only nine. I scanned the faces looking for Robin Hood. Knowing what to look for, I quickly found Robin Hood among the gang. His impressive cock was ramming the woman’s ass like a battering ram while she screamed in pain. I supposed if I was a better woman, I would try to stop them. But… I didn’t want to get raped or killed and I had to find out which one of them was Rick Cars. I watched as Robin Hood ejaculated in her and pulled out. Another man immediately took his place. The woman was obviously too exhausted to scream and merely whimpered at the new penetration. She no longer had the strength to beg. Even from my distance, the torches held by the bandits showed me blood dripping from her ravaged bottom. The men showed her no consideration and laughed as they took turns with her. When they tired of her, they tied her arms together behind her back, and pulled the rope upward, tying it off to the balcony above her. I watched as they pulled the rope tight, forcing her to bend her waist to keep her shoulders from getting dislocated. She was panting, her skin shone in the torchlight from the sweat that dripped from her body as she tried to balance bent over. Her ass was presented to the men while her heavy breasts swung freely below her. The bandits laughed and began to alternate between spanking her buttocks or her tits. I could hear her begging again as one of the bandits went into the building. Moments later he returned with a long metal rod with a large metal part at the end. I was too far away to see what it was, but I watched as he put the end of the metal rod in the fire. The woman began to scream and wail again when she saw the rod getting heated up. A branding iron! They were going to brand her!

Anger flashed through me as her treatment reminded me of the way they had used my mouth. They hadn’t used my pussy or my ass since they had planned to sell me, but my jaw would have probably been dislocated if I hadn’t been constantly healing during sex. Of course, she didn’t have the option of healing anything. Branding her would be permanent. Despite my anger though, I didn’t do anything stupid and continued to watch as they branded her.

They eventually tired of her, and dragged her into one of the buildings that used to serve as a brothel. I watched them till dawn. They changed lookouts a couple of times, robbed a couple more people, killing those that were too poor. No other women stumbled into the alley for them to torture. As the sun began to peek over the walls of the city, the men withdrew into the building where they had dragged the woman they raped. Screw finding out who was Rick Cars. I was going to kill them all.

I began to walk back to the The Bear Pit tavern. I still had my waitressing gig later on today. I had watched the bandits all night, my anger, and if I was honest with myself, fear, keeping me awake. I still had to wait tables in the evening if I wanted to keep my room in The Bear Pit. In fact, I had to work till the end of the week if I wanted to get paid. I also had to find Drake and ask about the building where the artifact was held. And I had to find a way to kill nine men. I can’t remember how I made it back to The Bear Pit much less the room I shared with Aaricia, but somehow I stumbled into my bed and instantly fell asleep.

Chapter 13

I woke to the sensation of someone watching me. The last time I woke up like that, I had let Ojak tie me up and subsequently try to brand and sell me. This led to a whole set of complications which eventually resulted in a little boy named Rolin getting killed. Alarm bells ran through my head and I jumped out of bed ready to fight for my freedom. My head crashed into something hard and I heard myself scream and groan as I fell back, holding my head in pain. Wait. I couldn’t be screaming and groaning at the same time. Groaning was me. So who screamed? I looked over the edge of my bed and saw Aaricia rolling on the floor and holding her head. Shit. I could literally see my efforts to befriend my new roommate pouring down the drain as she squirmed on the floor.

“Sorry.” I murmured as I got off the bed and bent down to help her. “I’m not a morning person and you kind of startled me.”

She looked up at me angrily, tears pouring out of her eyes. Were her eyes always teary? Let’s see… I saw her two nights ago. Yep crying. I saw her washing dishes yesterday. Crying. I see her this morn- My thoughts were interrupted by her arrogant reproach. “How dare you! No one has ever hit me before.”

No one had ever hit her before? Wow. “Your parents never disciplined you?” That explained a lot. Like all the crying.

Her eyes widened as caution immediately replaced anger on her face. “N-no. My parents disciplined me. I meant that- Ne-never mind.” She stuttered out.

“Alright. Why were you watching me anyways?” I asked as I helped her to her feet.

“Yesterday, you said you wanted to talk. And I was lonely and…” her voice trailed off.

I looked out the window, it seemed to be mid afternoon. Maybe five or six hours of sleep. Oh well. I suppressed a sigh. “I’d love to talk. Maybe we could bathe together?”

She nodded, less shy now. “I would like that. I’m not used to having to wash myself- I mean, I’m not used to washing myself in these ugly tubs.” She said pointing to the giant metal tub that served as a bath tub.

She had tried to change what she was saying, but evidently she came from a family that had servants to bathe her. Not that it was any of my business. I settled in for some bonding time with my new roommate. At least her eyes weren’t teary anymore.