In the darkest of the night Alice crept forward, her feet careful and feeling the ground beneath her like the many times before with the Rakyat warriors, her footing was accurate as she crouched low to the ground like a tiger and watched her prey, it was too dark still to see who her target was but Alice could tell that by the look of their body they were young, probably a year or two younger then herself. In the distance Alice knew Abel would be watching her and with that on her conscious mind she knew that failure wasn't going to be acceptable, if she didn't kill this young warrior then he would, either way death was coming for this young man whom ever he was.

For a moment or two Alice got as close as she could with the forest acting as her cover, the man seemed to be setting up some sort of camp from the looks of it, he had even set up a pile of sticks and funny enough was struggling to get it too light up, however the young warrior cursed aloud to himself or so he thought and that's when Alice realized who exactly this was.

"Joe?"

Softly Alice whispered not realizing she had said it out loud, straight away he turned his head in her direction stunned as if he had seen a ghost but her whisper was all he needed to hear as he stood up straight and on full alert, Alice's eyes had started to adjust to the darkness and she watched the young man pull a weapon from behind him, it was a small knife but if Joe knew how to use it he could prove to be lethal. Yet Alice's eyes gazed from the knife to the dark markings on his bare scrawny chest, he had the tatau on one arm but his chest was now engraved with deeper and darker lines.

"Traitor!"

That voice of his hissed out in the cool of the darken night and with it came his rage, the boy didn't know where she was as he lunged towards a bush just on the far side of her, it amused her for a while as she watched him think he was wrestling her down but instead it was a bush, yet this was not the same Joe she had seen before being captured. Taking him by surprise Alice drew the machete and drove it into his torso hearing him gurgling and yelp in pain. Twisting around to see her in surprise and pure anger Joe fell to the ground clutching the blade as if he could rip it through his body and fight, but he was done for.

Stepping back with tears in her eyes Alice sat down on a nearby rock and just waited, watching him trash around, mumbling one thing after another in another language that Alice had never heard before, but even facing death he still tried to fight while Alice felt herself die on the inside more and more questioning what had she done but then turning that against herself and onto the boy, what had Citra done? After several minutes his body started to quiver and then spasm and Alice couldn't take her eyes away from him, it was sad and painful but what other choice did she have? Run and hide to die herself? Indeed her choice was utterly selfish but the jungle had no true rules and death was inevitable.

From the darkness Abel approached, his gaze fell to Alice and then to the boy who was now lifeless with nothing but a pool blood seeping from the wound that Alice herself had caused, her hands trembled but her body was stiff and motionless knowing that she had possibly killed her only friend that would have helped her but even then Alice felt numb, Joe had called her a traitor so what exactly had been said or done? Was this Citra's doing or Vaas'?

"Impressive, the Jungle must favour you. This boy had proved deadly to others but you-"

"He was young and naïve."

Cutting Abel short Alice stood up and began to walk away hearing Abel move the boy's body just enough to withdraw the blade lodged inside of him. Whether she was told to or not Alice approached the boat exiting the thicket of the forest and leaving behind that horrible scene, Abel had removed the chain and cuff earlier before letting her take out her target but even so Alice didn't feel free as she rubbed her neck, it was bruised both from bite marks and from Vaas' little tantrum.

"Vaas will be pleased."

Calling out from behind her was Abel as he too approached the boat yet he didn't seem concerned anymore as to Alice's freedom in fact he didn't even put the chains back on as she got back inside the boat and he pushed it out into the sea. A faint glimmer of the red in the night could be seen, daylight would be coming in the next few hours and so would Vaas but Alice didn't care anymore as she slumped down and waited for Abel to start up the motor.

"You know you would have made a fine asset if you were a man."

"Yeah well if I was a man I wouldn't be a slave bitch right?"

"Trophy! Vaas likes to use you as a boost to the other men, you don't get many of your kind this way nor anyone that is strong enough to survive this jungle like you have, so be thankful."

Rolling her eyes as the engine started up and Abel stirred them off into the darkness of the night, Alice wondered what was she doing and who she truly was, maybe it was time for her to let go of everything and dive into that madness that she had avoided for so long. Killing Joe was like killing her old self and it made Alice wonder if it was planned or just by coincidence. In the end by the time the two had reached back to the compound, Alice had put aside all she had done and blamed it on the poor boy she had just killed. If it wasn't for the belief's drilled into his head then he would have survived and it made Alice remind herself of why humans do the things they do, they fight for selfish things, they kill for those things and they die for those things so it was only nature taking its course.

Nobody looked at Alice as she strolled freely back to the shanty where Abel left her, he didn't even bother to lock the door but mentioned something about coming for her in the morning, Alice wasn't tired but she felt that her body could only do with the comfort of the bed as she stripped her clothing into a pile on the floor and slumped onto the bed, she was naked and the cool air comforted her in this utter and bitter silence. What she had become was a monster but she was forced to and she felt that the whole world hated her, she was alone and she knew that now. If Joe had called her a traitor then all the Rakyat would want to hunt her down and skin her, the pirates didn't care, nobody cared, Vaas was too insane to even have a heart and Alice was lost in this world. Closing her eyes she knew she would make up her mind come morning, and slowly she fell asleep.

Yawning at the faint glimpse of sunlight, Alice opened her eyes fully and looked up to the window seeing that it was still dark outside while stretching her arms in the air, it was probably a good time as she got up and dressed herself, she pulled on the tights and found herself a top that was a little more covered then others, it was a simple blue one which suited Alice as she got dressed. Like it or not the woman found herself a set of boots, ones probably too small for Vaas, they had been tucked under a pile of other clothing's and they seemed still good enough to use and so Alice did up the laces and took in a deep breath before getting up and walking out of the shanty.

It must have still been too early for most of the other pirates but Alice plucked herself an orange from a nearby crate further in the compound just outside the canteen area, Abel was nowhere in sight, without her chains and without anyone to stop her Alice walked back to the shanty kicking open the door and started to rummage through things, papers with bloody details, cigar butts, beer bottles, Alice started to clean unintentionally while she searched exploring the things in the shanty. Eventually she found small nail filler amongst bullets but it was the closest thing to a knife as Alice tucked it into one of the boots and started to stretch her body.

This time when Vaas would return she would no longer be the crying woman he left behind, she would up right challenge him, prove to him she is stronger than he is, like it or not she had changed overnight accepting the killer she was and that she was alone in this cold forsaken world with only the jungle to support her, that's all she needed and she didn't need to lean on someone to help her, even the emotions she had towards Vaas had started to be pushed aside, it would be a different story when he came back but Alice was forcing herself to let go.

After a few exercises Alice heard a knock on the door, she wasted no time opening it up to see Abel; he took note to her slightly new appearance and attitude and gave a respectful nod. Gesturing to follow him he started to walk towards the compound, Alice bravely stepped outside and took in a long deep breath, the air was cold this morning but the heat would soon rise.

"Word has reached the Rakyat from what the men can tell, looks like you've put fear into the bees nest."

"They will get what's coming to them."

"Is that so? Since when did you have a change of heart? Is it because of Vaas or have you finally realized something?"

Despite his questions and curious look, Alice ignored him and walked right past him expecting him to follow her this time, though she didn't know where they were going she just kept walking until she was near the canteen where she took another orange. Around her she could hear a brief cheer and a clank of beer bottles, there were some bodies piled up nearby as well, freshly too, but Alice didn't mind as she started to peel the orange in her hand.

"We will go into the mainland today and I will show you why the Rakyat need to be killed."

Though his words where brutal, cold and probably honest in his mind, Alice continued to peel and eat her orange as if those words did not phase her a bit but still she wondered as the curiosity got the better of her as to what this could all be. Once again the two travelled by boat to the main island, Abel had said nothing and Alice enjoyed the silence with nothing but the hum of the engine and the ocean waves crashing against the boat. Something inside Alice had indeed changed, her emotions where conflicted though she knew that the only place in this jungle now was by Vaas' side.

Just like before Abel took the boat to another part of the shoreline that Alice hadn't been too before, the tropical look was very bare here but Abel had turned the engine off and gotten out, Alice followed in suit as the two entered the jungle area, it was darker and eerie here and the song of birds where quiet, but as long as Abel was ahead of her then Alice wasn't complaining much. Over the course of several minutes Alice could hear the beating of drums, the sounding of voices up a head that cause the young woman to peek through the foliage, unknowingly she picked up her pace and surpassed Abel before crouching down to see what was going on.

In the dense of the jungle just up a head of their current position stood five men, they looked like teenagers or around her own age, some of them had freshly done tattoos on their chest or face, they were not buff looking but they had potential as Alice watched, there was a familiar man, his name was Denis, though Alice never spoke with this man very much she did know he was very high up in the ranks of Warriors, it seemed they were doing some sort of trial with the men lined up alongside each other and Denis standing before them, he was pacing back and forth with a strained and worried look.

"Where is Joe?"

"Killed sir. His body was found this morning."

"Killed by whom?"

"Pirates we believe."

"That is impossible, Pirates? Joe was smart and strong, no one could have easily snuck up behind him"

As the argument played out and Denis kept denying and trying to prove that it was impossible that Joe was gone, Alice could see the look on his face, this man despite what he was saying knew deep down that Joe was gone and it was all thanks to Alice herself. A Tap on her shoulder made Alice look to her side, it was Abel he was crouched down watching them as she was but he was focused on the small line of boys. Then he passed something to Alice, it was hard and egg shaped, a grenade, something Alice had never used before. Abel nodded in the direction of the boys signalling for her to pull the pin and through it at them, it felt wrong but the more Alice watched the more she knew that what these young men were growing up into would only ruin their lives and those around them. Citra had convinced everyone that this path was the true path and yet no one questioned her perhaps it was because of her alluring and seductive ways or the fact that she was a born leader?

Rubbing her thumb across the rough surface of the grenade, Alice pulled the pin and tossed it, her aim wasn't accurate but it was enough to kill at least three of the men, everyone started to panic and move out as fast they could and it was at this time that Alice wished she had a bow and arrow, however instead of taking up a defensive position, the Rakyat including Denis took off fleeing in the distance leaving behind the injured and the dead. Taking in a long deep breath Alice wondered why she was being asked to kill this many, wasn't one life enough? Yet the answer was clear to her now more than ever that she was being asked to kill those that might have helped her, sealing her fate even more.

Abel was the first to speak up giving Alice a pat on the back as if he was proud, there was a slight smile too on his face as he stood up and gestured back to the boat saying that Alice had done more than enough for the day, and considering that Vaas would return soon enough Alice knew that it was probably best to indeed go back.

"When Vaas hears of this there is no doubt about it!"

Rejoicing with his arms out stretched and seemingly happy the two returned back to the boat, Alice not daring to question the man's reasons or choice of words instead she did her best to hurry along and get back to the island, however Abel did not head back towards the compound but rather in the opposite direction towards an outpost, death was even more stronger here, bodies lay all over the place, the stench filled the air like a slaughter house, it didn't help with the fact that there where savage dogs lingering around. Abel lined the boat up against the wooden dock and shut off the engine, two men standing guard greeted him with a nod before Abel waved Alice over to follow.

Hesitant at first the woman knew that it was now or never as she got out of the boat and walked along the wooden dock, averting her gaze from the other pirates and walking as if she didn't have a care in the world Alice could overhear things, people talking in hushed voices, somewhere Alice could hear faint cries, screams and whimpers, they must have at least had a few cages set up for prisoners or slaves from the sounds of it, Abel continued to walk leading Alice to a small open hut area much similar to the canteen, men sat around tables talking strategy or just a general conversation, somewhere drinking, others gambling, sometimes they would look at Alice but other times they would avert their gaze as if afraid.

Inside the hut Alice's gaze fell on a familiar figure in the darkest part of the hut, it was Vaas, he was hunched over a table looking down at some dirty paper, more than likely a map but Alice couldn't tell for sure as Vaas folded it up quickly hearing them approach as if he had some sort of sixth sense.

"Good morning Hermana"

That voice cooed out to her as he turned and smiled, there it was that charm, that look that swept everything away and made her feel…Pushing aside those feeling Alice gave a slight nod just like any of the other men would before Abel gave her a push towards Vaas.

"She did well, killed one of the boys last night, and then took a few of the others that had gathered earlier."

"Good then I have a present for you Hermana."

Standing up Vaas gave a clap of his hands and wiggled his eyebrows before looking to Abel to send him away, Alice tried to reign in her emotions and appear serious but thankful, it was hard trying to juggle the emotions inside of her especially around Vaas but she tried her best to imitate the other pirates. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder and leading her out of the hut and into another darkly lighted shack, Vaas brought before Alice a perfectly fine hunters bow, its wooden frame looked sturdy but aged, the string was perfectly tight, at the sight of the bow Alice's hands couldn't help but trail up and down the wooden frame, her eyes examine the weapon as if it was a beautiful piece of artwork. Everything about the bow was perfect but Alice was snapped back to reality by the kiss on her neck.

"I though you would like it."

Whispering into the lobe of her ear, she could feel the heat coming off Vaas, his hot breath against her bare neck, his hands trailing around her waist and further down her hips before resting at the start of her pants, even though it was but a faint touch and a whisper of his words Alice found herself almost short of breath it took her a few seconds to pull herself out of that mood and give a respectful nod trying hard not to look Vaas in the eye.

"It will serve well; the Rakyat will have no chance of escape."

Pleased to hear her words Vaas softly kissed her neck again but this time as he drew back made sure to let his stubble rub against that sensitive part of her neck. This was almost like dealing with the devil and Alice had made her bargain and given her soul over by now as she gave a flick of the string and listened faintly to the sound it made trying to take her mind away from the burning feel inside of her.

"Don't think I'm letting you go easy Hermana! Your worth a lot of fucking money to me, so don't get any ideas with that bow ok?"

"Of course not, I know my place and only the Natives shall be the ones to die by my arrows"

Her words seeped out like a robot trying to send out a message, with that said and done Alice was given a holster filled with fancy arrows, ones made of fine material not sticks and feathers, the arrow heads where designed to inflict as much pain as possible with their curled razor edges and sharp tip as Alice examined them before attaching the holster to her side and the bow over her back feeling prepared to face whatever nightmare next that Vaas would force upon her.

"Now come Hermana there is someone I'd like you too met."

Briskly following along by his side, the two left the shack and got aboard another boat, Abel was nowhere to be in sight but Alice felt changed on the inside, she felt confident and much more than just a warrior, she felt comfortable but strong as she took in a deep breath and felt the emotions wash over her, perhaps because she had weapons or maybe a false emotion to pass over her. As for the trip it was long but Vaas was busy drinking a bottle of rum, just mumbling to himself rather than talking to Alice, Alice on the other hand eyed off the water watching a fin's appear and disappear, probably sharks from the looks of it, until her eyes fell upon another island, it was dull and gloomy looking, not as exotic, the docking area had two men standing guard at, their uniform wasn't that of a pirate's now it was much more military looking and professional, they didn't nod to Vaas but eyed him off as if suspicious, their hands gripped tightly on their guns and they stiffened as Vaas and Alice both got out of the boat.

Yet neither one of these two guards spoke up or said a thing they only looked back and forth between each other and Vaas before stepping aside, one of them was chewing gum as Alice passed them, this part of the Isles seemed strange and bare of the jungle like feel but Vaas didn't seem to mind as he walked onwards towards a bar area in a nearby little town, on the inside Alice was curious but afraid though she kept that to herself and followed Vaas as the two entered a bar yet they didn't take a seat in fact Vaas gestured for Alice to walk through another door, as she did she noted a round table, there was a man in a suit his eyes flicked on the poker chips in hand, next to him was another man wearing that uniform however it was the sudden squeal that made Alice's head snap to the couch on the far side near a mini bar. Mizra jumped up almost spilling her cocktail in the process before giving an overly friendly hug, Alice tried to pat the woman on the back but she couldn't help feel the tension in the air.

As for Vaas, he only took up a seat at the round table while Mizra was asking Alice every single question under the sun, from the 'how are you' to the 'did you like the clothes I gave you' though Alice didn't want to be rude and gave short and simple answers to her before she was given a cocktail herself. The alcoholic liquid had a blue hue to it and a sickly sweet scent.

"Mizra please! My darling go and sit down I have business here!"

Automatically at the sound of his voice Mizra walked fast on her heels back to the couch like a dog with its tail between its legs, she acted casual with her eyes flicking down to her drink then to the man in the suit and then back to Alice. Taking in a breath of the stale air around her Alice noted that Vaas was gesturing for her to take a seat in the spare chair that was left, nervously and hesitantly Alice did so as she sat between Vaas and this other man in the suit, the man across from her was glaring at her and it only made her feel more uncomfortable.

"A fine specimen, reminds me a bit of Buck. I'd give you a lot of money for her but seems you've already made your claim."

"Yes Hoyt, this is the one I was telling you about yesterday."

"She could come in handy you know Vaas."

Alice looked between Vaas to the man named Hoyt, she recalled the name being said a few times and Alice quickly put two and two together, this was Hoyt the proclaimed Monster Citra had spoken of, Mizra's Boyfriend, and Vaas' Boss not to mention the ruler of this island and the man with the iron grip over everyone. Those dark eyes of his made him seem menacing but he was scrawny in appearance, like a rich man in a penthouse although his penthouse just so happened to be something totally different. Putting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together he eyed Alice off as if she was but a product, tension grew in the air as Vaas remained silent and Alice got the feeling he was acting like an obedient little dog.

"Well Miss you've met my lovely pet, Mizra, I am Hoyt you probably already know that by now. Vaas here had told me your quiet good at killing, we could use more people like you."

"Thank you"

Those where the only words Alice could really say as she looked up briefly at the man and his toothy grin, his wrinkled face looked worn but he didn't look that old, Alice's gaze feel to the poker table not knowing exactly where to look, Mizra seemed awfully quiet slurping on her drink and Vaas as well which made Alice feel awkward and uncomfortable.

"Well then shall we get to business, Vaas?"

Clapping his hands again causing Vaas to look up at Hoyt briefly before fiddling with a poker chip that he was twirling around on the table mindlessly, Hoyt seemed to lean in a bit and Vaas reclined on the wooden chair before smiling and putting down the chip.

"New batch of Prisoners brought in early this week, fresh to your liking, some of them might even go for a fair price. Crops are growing well in the north camps and the Natives are being forced back, took out a few of their little towns, Alice here took out a few of their new recruits."

"Good good! Excellent news then, but some of my Privateers are…how do I put it? Concerned. See Vaas you are an asset and I treat you like you where my son, you owe me so I expect you to do your best, the thing is some of your men are lacking, you should have dealt with the natives by now"

While Hoyt spoke up, Alice got the good feeling there was a growing anger, the look in this man's face, Hoyt, made it clear he was very pissed with Vaas. Like it or not, a sudden tension grew in the room and Alice could see Vaas go from relaxed to worried as he picked up the chip and fiddled with it, his face was emotionless but his dark ringed eyes spoke otherwise as he dared not to look Hoyt in the eye.

"Sorry boss-"

"NO! Get out there and do your damn job or else I will let someone else do you work?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"

Nodding his head submissively as if he was a boy being scolded by his parents, Vaas dared not to look up or do anything but take in what was being said, as for Hoyt, clearly he was pissed off as he stood up and nodded to the Privateer who looked up at him and then back to Alice.

"John please take Mizra and our guest here out while I talk with Vaas."

On ball the man, this privateer as Hoyt had called it, stood up and nodded for the women to follow him, his gun in hand seemed more like a threatening display then anything but Alice did as she was being told knowing that she wasn't being given much of an option, quickly Alice stuck to Mizra's side as they both walked out of the bar followed by John as if he was some security. Something inside Alice started to sink as she looked around her, people where pleading with these Privateers, some of them crying, a couple where fighting on the streets and no one did a thing about it, Mizra only let out a sigh and scolded the scenery before her saying that it wasn't good enough but Alice got the picture that this woman was very silent around her 'boyfriend' and Hoyt had called her a pet, maybe she was a show case just like Alice but who was to truly say.

Walking down the stairs and towards a set of recliner chairs, the two women sat with John standing behind them like a guard and alert as if they were slaves, it made Alice sick in the stomach recalling what Hoyt had said, about buying her but noting that Vaas had made his claim, thats when Alice realized she probably still had bruise marks on her neck from Vaas, inwardly she cursed herself and those damn hickeys but time went by and Mizra only complained more and more. First she complained about the heat, then she complained about her tan and then her nails, over time it became endless the amount of things she came up with but even so in all this madness Alice felt that she could related to Mizra in a sense, the way Hoyt spoke to her was different to how Vaas did but they were in a similar situation, or at least it seemed like it.

Sighing and leaning her head back against the chair with her arms crossed over the back of her head just listening to the soft cries and yells in the distance. Blue eyes looked up towards the hue of the sky feeling somewhat at peace until a loud bang came, Vaas and Hoyt strolled out of the bar, Alice could hear that familiar foot step of his when the Pirate came round her side cooing her in that usual tone calling her Hermana and gesturing for her to leave, if Alice didn't know better she would have thought Vaas seemed happy and relaxed but something was awfully odd about him again and Alice felt her stomach lurch in fear.

A/N: Another chapter done and dusted. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far still and let me know on what your opinions are thus far, like or dislike :) Thanks