"I thought I recognized you. Shady, but handsome guy looking for some high-class fun. Definitely not a noble or one of my usual clients. I don't find them in a camp of dead orcs. That, and they don't try to rob helpless women." Alexis lay on her side next to the rogue lying on his back with his arms behind his head.

Ranoss scoffed. "I'd recognize you if you went by the same name, 'Sixela'. Were you always a warlock or did you stop, you know…" he waved his hand around leaving the question open.

"Whoring myself out? No, I still do that occasionally," she replied feeling oddly embarrassed, "but yes, I was a warlock before we met. It'd be bad for business if everybody knew about it."

"That's a pretty interesting situation. You could be the first whorelock," he quipped and yelped when Alexis punched his arm. She glared down at him with half lidded eyes. "Smart ass," she muttered under her breath and rolled away from him. Ranoss laughed aloud, somewhat uncharacteristically, and pulled her closer from behind. "Hey, come on. I'm sorry," he apologized still chuckling. "Are you?" she whispered back. Ranoss straightened his face and gently stroked her thigh.

"Of course. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Was it something I did?"

"No."

"What, are you angry at me?"

"I'm not angry." she replied a bit colder than she meant to. He rolled his eyes and sighed, slightly annoyed by her predictable responses. "You can't act all bothered then tell me nothing is bothering you. That's what typical woman do."

"I guess I'm just a typical woman."

"No, you're not," he refuted sternly.

"You sound mad."

"I'm not."

"Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad!" he growled and rolled over away from her. This time, it was Alexis' turn to laugh. "Careful, you're dangerously close to sounding like a typical woman," she teased as she tugged him over to face her, "I have to go soon, handsome."

"Don't suppose you want to have a little fun before you go?" he subtly begged her.

"Out here? Don't be insane," she giggled, playfully rubbing her nose against his.

"Oh, but I feel so sane when I'm with you," he pressed a little more and she playfully snorted in response. "You might have an easier time convincing me if you'd tell me your name," she sighed on a serious note, "or not sneak out of my house in the middle of the night when we do have our fun."

"It's better you don't know. I don't run with the friendliest crowds."

"I'm not a little girl. I think I can handle a name." Ranoss was lost in her jewel like eyes, almost giving in. His lips parted slightly and he wanted to speak, but painful memories broke his reverie and his jaw clamped shut. "Not yet," he stood up and helped Alexis do the same. With her hands held in his he told her, "Five days from now, meet me at the inn in Astranaar. We can see about having some time to ourselves." And with that, Ranoss gave her a lustful kiss and pawed at her though her robes. Alexis eagerly returned the kiss and looped her arms around his neck. Moaning, she reached down and began to massage his more sensitive areas.

"You better go now before I get too excited," he whispered in her ear and gently pushed her off. She started walking away, teasing him with swaying hips and her best look of longing. "You're killing me, woman!" he groaned as he watched her leave. Taking one last look at her shapely hips, he started back towards his mount. He shook his head and swore. He felt a little better fantasizing a bed with Alexis and a succubus she might not have told him about.

-

The sun was rising and forest radiated it's light. Tatanga flew down from her perch and softly landed on Drenju's chest, not even waking him. She had stool vigil the entire night and was ready for some rest herself. Penji slept leaning against a tree trunk still cradling Kalira in his arms. The white owl gave a short shriek to wake them.

Drenju jumped from his sleep as his hand automatically reached for his rifle. He quickly surveyed the area and shook the haze from his mind. Remembering the events that took place last night, he tiptoed to his brother and gently shook him. "Penji." No response. He tried once more, hissing his name, "Penji!"

The groggy troll had a hard time lifting his eyelids. His head still throbbed, his wrists stung, and overall his body ached from overexertion. Penji squinted as a ray of light breaking through the canopy greeted his sore eyes and was momentarily confused about the girl sleeping in his arms. He pulled her closer and sighed, stroking her tangled and matted hair. Drenju's face swung into his sight as he hovered over him. "Penji, time to go," he whispered sternly.

"What 'bout her? Ya gonna leave her here like dis?" He asked, wondering what turned his caring brother suddenly heartless.

"Ya wanna take her wit' us?" Drenju shot back, already expecting his brother's response.

"She probably can't even walk."

"Well den da next thief ta jump outta da woods can have his fun. We goin'."

Veins bulged from Penji's neck and he grit his teeth when a labored groan broke the tiff and the two shifted their gaze to the subject of their argument. Neither made a sound as Kalira slowly pushed herself up off of Penji's chest and rubbed her eyes.

-

Her eyes strained to make out this blurry, blue blotch she was looking at. Blinking several times, the blotch focused into sharpness to reveal a vaguely familiar troll's face. Her hands felt something warm under them and she found they were resting on his chest. She jerked them away with start. If waking up face to face with a troll hadn't been enough make her panic, the second troll she found right next to the first was. Kalira shrieked and scrambled backwards, causing the blanket she was wrapped in to come undone and reveal the top half of her body.

Both trolls simultaneously squawked and averted their eyes. The elf girl looked down to find her breasts showing and blushed profusely as she turned her back to them. Franticly she tried to figure out where she was and what these two trolls were doing with her while she was hardly clothed. She struggled to stand, finding herself incredibly sore between the legs. Turning her head slightly, Kalira discovered a man's corpse within arm's reach and she paled. The top half of the man's face was practically gone, the remains caked in dried blood. The sight was so grisly Kalira gagged and shut her eyes, her fingers digging into the soil. She remembered now. Clutching the earth, the elf came short of breath and felt bile rising in her throat.

She could hear them argue freely, unable to understand a word they were flinging back and forth between each other but the frustration was apparent. She tried to calm herself and slow her breaths, but Kalira just couldn't accept it. She had been raped. She knew it was wrong but she couldn't deny that somehow in the most horrific event of her life, there had been unexplainable pleasure, a feeling she'd never experienced before. She groaned with self-loathing and her mind swam in a million directions as she tried to cling to the one constant thing in her life, her faith, only to find it provided her with no comfort. With nothing to console her, the elf threw up whatever was left in her stomach and fell forward with her face in the dirt. Tears trailed down her cheeks into the dirt below as she let the wave of despair pull her from consciousness

Kalira woke to the unsettling sight of dark clouds racing across a chaotic sky, etched with bolts of lightning and the sound of crackling thunder. She sat up to find herself in a burning wasteland, still covered in tattered garments, dried vomit on the corners of her mouth, and a horrible taste lingering there. This had to be some nightmare, or a hallucination. Had rape deprived her of her sanity? Struggling to her feet, the elf winced as her bare soles tread scorched earth. She could only constantly ask herself what or where this was. She continued to wander aimlessly through the desolate land when suddenly the clouds rapidly rolled away to the horizons and revealed the most mesmerizing night sky; a full moon accompanied by thousands of tiny heavenly bodies. The scene was so enchanting her troubles were forgotten. Suddenly, it didn't even matter where she was or why she was here.