Chapter 89: The Scorpion's Den

A/N: So, before we get into some heavy and twisted subject matter, I want to stress the importance of leaving feedback to me. I know I've been on about it in many previous chapters, but I particularly want to emphasize how important it is especially now. I'm not sure many of you who don't actually have stories on the site are aware of this, but this website used to have stat tracking so I could see how many views and where those views came from for my stories, so for all my complaining about how most of you never seem to have anything to say, I was content with knowing people were actually reading my story. Well, as of about two months ago, a server glitch has rendered the past two, going on three, months of stats null and void. I have received zero views for any of my stories, particularly the one I'm working on now. Aside from regulars Eruch and Interfectorem, I have no clue if anyone is actually reading this thing and am going off faith that my audience is loyal enough to stick around. However, because there is literally no other metric to measure engagement, I am going to stress particularly firmly that I would really REALLY like some feedback going forward. I would rather not leave such obnoxious author's notes, but I also wish the site admins would publicly acknowledge certain problems as opposed to giving site members the silent treatment going on three months. Trust me, it's really frustrating when people refuse to communicate. Anyway, expect to have more author notes like this for the rest of the story until the admins fix the issue or you guys actually start speaking up. I know who I have more faith in.

Rosa fell face-first into the ground after the entryway of the tent was parted and she was dragged inside. As she felt her captor stand beside her, she looked up to see who she was now the indefinite guest of. Sitting before her on a throne of hide, wood, and bone was a young man wearing gold and brass-hewed armor, flanked by a number of centurions with three notable exceptions. To his right was a tall giant with a number of mechanical arms while a man whose familiarity she could not explain stood beside him, and to his left was an all-too-familiar priest covered in black. As her eyes returned to the man in the center, only then did she realize the two women kneeling before him, the man propping his foot on one of their shoulders while rubbing his other foot on the other's head.

"…Who the hell are you, geezer?" said the man upon the throne.

"…Name's Dalton. I got something I think you'll like," Dalton explained as he hiked Rosa up to her knees. Several legionaries began encircling the old man and his offering. Dalton looked around him and pulled out a plasma pistol. The legionaries and centurions present all let out screams of indignation as they reached for their own weapons. The women quailed away as the man on the throne permitted a smile. Shooting one last glance around the room, Dalton immediately placed the pistol under Rosa's chin.

"This isn't a gift. It's a deal," the old man hissed.

The mood in the tent turned. As the legionaries glared at Dalton, Scorpio leaned forward, kicking away the Asian woman his foot was resting upon as the blonde scooted away before he had an opportunity. "…You don't lack for courage, geezer. What would you demand of me?" he asked, coyly.

"…I only ask for you to provide some in the "army" standing across from you an opportunity to assess what they wish to prioritize," Dalton stated.

"I beg your pardon?" Scorpio asked.

"One of the leaders is having second thoughts and I believe they will jump at the chance to do the sensible thing and save themselves, along with a good portion of those who currently oppose you. Divide et impera," Dalton explained.

Scorpio perked up at the phrase. "…You know our tongue?"

Dalton smirked. "I know an awful lot about the Legion. The REAL Legion, not that which was represented by that giant idiot wearing the bull armor, or the slattern who spawned him."

Scorpio's eyes narrowed over the old man. He began to appraise him, judging him from how he dressed to what weapons he carried. While he was wearing a military-style coat and cap from the Old World, Scorpio's eye couldn't help but be drawn to one of the blades that hung from his waist. The unmistakable outline of a legionary's gladius.

"…Welcome home, old-timer," Scorpio smiled.

"I don't need a home. And if I did, this…" he motioned to the room around him. "Wouldn't cut it. I knew the real Caesar, boy, not that sad imitation oaf Lanius or his doofus son. And, judging from what little I've seen of you, boy, you aren't much of an improvement."

"Why, you…" Scorpio growled as he reached for his halberd. Dalton drew back his coat and revealed his dead switch plan, a clutch of plasma grenades strung together by a single thread that was wrapped around Dalton's free thumb. "If you don't want your prize here and a good portion of your faithful followers molecularly deconstructed, we'll keep this civilized," Dalton smiled. "…You ever hear the story of the Interfector of Phoenix?"

"…I am a student of history, old man," Scorpio replied as he slowly released his grip on his weapon.

"Dalton," Dalton corrected. "It's a story I'm personally connected to, the day I learned of how Caesar was a master of fighting without fighting. He could have thrown his men against the walls of Phoenix, had them fight through every street, and conquered every stronghold. His men would have listened, never questioned him for a moment, and doing so would have seen about a decade's worth of effort decimated overnight. Instead, he took an opportunity as it was presented to have some folk on the inside destroy his adversaries before he even needed to fire a shot. Do you see what I mean?"

"…I think I may," Scorpio began to nod. "Although, if I wanted a bloodless victory, why not have my good friend and ally the Tek-Baron here bombard them at his leisure," Scorpio motioned to the cyborg mutant standing beside him.

"…You could do that," Dalton conceded, nodding. "And if you did, I suppose that would make this… Tek-Baron the real hero of the hour," he gambled.

Vulpes leaned into Scorpio's ear. "He's baiting you, sir. You can't be seriously considering…"

Scorpio steepled his fingers to cover his mouth before finally whispering to Vulpes, "Shut the hell up before I have you drawn and quartered. The man speaks sense and I'm glad even a fogey from the previous era can still carry some value. You could learn a thing or two from that man, Vulpes," he shot back at the end.

"Dalton, I thank you for your gift and will implement your assessment post haste. Tyrus, have the cohorts drawn back so Dalton's ally can make good on his promise. If you speak truly, Dalton, I shall bestow upon you many, many rewards. For the moment, you can have the sluts before you, I've no longer any need of them.

The blonde turned to look at Scorpio. "Show him pleasure or I'll have you beaten," Scorpio snapped at her. Hesitantly, the blonde helped up her friend and cautiously approached Dalton. "…My lord, I really don't have any need for…"

"Then kill them or whatever," Scorpio interrupted as he waved him off. "My men will set up some accommodations for you. I imagine we'll have a lot to discuss later. For now, I want to get a good look at my new prize."

Dalton looked down at Rosa, grateful that she couldn't look him in the eye. Suddenly, he felt her grip on his wrist giving him a gentle squeeze. Swallowing, Dalton pulled away from the girl he'd brought here to leave with this new interesting snag. Cautiously, the two girls approached him, the Asian looking away while the blonde held her by the shoulders. "…We aim to please you however you wish, master," she said as Dalton bristled at the title. "…Come with me," Dalton said as he led the two women out of the tent.

Dalton stormed away from Rosa after hearing her proposition. "Dalton!" Rosa called out as she ran after him. "You're the only one who…"

"This is idiotic, even for you!" Dalton turned as he snapped at her. "What the hell are you thinking if that's your version of a good idea?!"

"We're stuck and in a stalemate! Scorpio, he… he wants a lot of folk and is willing to kill everyone to get his hands on them. If… If I give him some kind of… concession, then maybe…"

"You'll get killed or wish you did!" Dalton all but yelled. "And why me? Am I that much of a fucking scumbag that you think no one will doubt me selling you out?"

"You know the Legion better than anyone except the riders and asking the Amazons is a flat-out no-go," Rosa explained. "I've thought this through, Dalton, with as much time as we have!"

"This is stupid, and you are not dragging me into it!" Dalton spat as he turned around to leave.

"…Do it for Abel."

"…Someone remove that gag off of her. Might as well put that mouth to some use," Scorpio said. A legionary approached behind Rosa with a knife and roughly began to cut the gag from her face. Spitting out the taste of old cloth, Rosa looked up at Scorpio he briefly opened and crossed his legs, giving her more of an eyeful than she would have normally wanted. Rosa bit her tongue and fought to keep her snide commentary to herself. This was going to be difficult.

"I'm not going to lie, I was kind of surprised your guys didn't tear me to shreds on the way up," Rosa stated.

"They're under orders and well-trained, girl. So, I've heard that you are the daughter of the infamous Hostis Publicus?" Scorpio began.

"…My name is Rosa Perez, daughter of Lars Perez and Ariel Ximenez," she began, noticing Vulpes fighting back a snicker at the latter name. "…I come before you to ask for mercy that I know I will not receive," she said. "…and should that not be granted, offer myself to you, Lord Scorpio."

The centurions around began to speak out in confusion. Nemesio began to laugh in surprise while Jefferson stood impassively. Vulpes just stared at her, knowing something was up. Scorpio just smiled. "…Tell me, Rosa, you've traveled long with Barabbas? What as he told you of me, I wonder?"

"…He said you were more of a common raider than you were a Legion warrior. That you are more an animal than a soldier, a beast than a politician. He said that you cared more about the weapon between your legs than that of warfare in general, but I think he's just salty you beat him in that arena a few years back."

Scorpio's eyes lit up as he stopped undressing Rosa visually. "You were told that?"

"One of the riders mentioned it. Drago, I believe. He said Barabbas constantly complains about your "fluke" victory and says you don't deserve a rematch, which I just think means he's scared of you and doesn't want to admit it," Rosa shrugged.

"THANK YOU!" Scorpio threw up his hands, much to the surprise of the other occupants within the tent. "I keep telling these people the same thing but none of the plebs back home believe it!"

"I wouldn't either, but Barabbas, well, isn't exactly a reliable witness," Rosa replied, scoffing.

"What do you mean by that?" Scorpio asked as Rosa held back any sign of triumph on her face.

"Well, Barabbas would rather fuck off into the middle of nowhere so he can have his girlfriend "play his pipe" forever," Rosa rolled her eyes. "Poor girl is going to get lockjaw if he doesn't find out about the… other thing…"

"Other thing?" Scorpio asked. Got him, Rosa thought to herself.

"…So, you guys ever heard of this guy called Donald Rathmore?"

"…So, what I was pretty much trying to say is that I guess I was trying to hurt you and I dragged Tobey into it, and it wasn't fair to either of you guys," Rosa admitted.

Carla felt her blood rush to her face. "Rosa, it's all water under the bridge, you don't need to bring that up!"

"I mean, I figured if Tobey didn't feel like he was owed one, you should have been," Rosa said. "All I did was bust his cherry so I could win an argument with you."

"He still loves you, you know?"

That brought Rosa to a halt. She had to take a moment to swallow before brushing it off with a laugh. "Yeah, I guess I did really catch him off guard those past few times, heh?"

"Rosa, I'm serious. He's worried about you, but he doesn't say anything because it'll just make you act like… you," Carla said. "And… I guess I'm trying to say the same thing. We all want you out of here and safe."

Rosa looked around as they stood at the outskirts of the camp, the lights of the Legion camp glowing ominously a few miles away. Having volunteered to work patrol duty with Carla gave her the opportunity she had been looking for. Now she just had to work on the hard part.

"…So, you've been getting closer and closer to Larain since…" Rosa started.

"Don't change the subject!" Carla snapped. "You, me, Tobey, and Jimmy are supposed to head out first thing in the morning!"

"…What about everyone else?" Rosa asked.

"It's not our- it's not your problem," Carla shook her head.

"That's your mom back there! My dad!" Rosa shot back. "You're asking me to walk away and have them risk their necks for me, after all this way and all they've been through?!"

"I don't want you to die!" Carla shot back. "Everyone here, they… we… we all chose to be here, all of us. Except you. You were the one who wasn't given a choice. I guess that's why…" she shrugged as she shook her head. "I didn't volunteer because of my mom or your dad or the Mojave or California or any political bullshit reason. I volunteered because you're my friend, and if protecting you is what I signed on for, that's what I'm here to do."

Rosa saw the tear in Carla's eye. The knot in her stomach felt like it would rip her in half. Carla had already gotten hurt on her behalf before. If she died, Rosa couldn't bear to even consider forgiving herself. Come the morning, Commissioner Boone would send her children away, regardless of Rosa's condition. They'd be safe, no matter what. And as for Carla herself…

"So, have you settled on guys or are you still curious about…" Rosa asked.

"What now?" Carla asked.

"I mean, I've noticed you getting real comfortable around Larain, but I've seen you shooting some glances at Kyra. The same glances you kept shooting at me when we were growing up," Rosa stated.

"…You're full of it," Carla tried to laugh. Rosa got in her face. "…Last chance, Carlie. You can either go for it or live out the rest of your life wondering abou-"

Carla took her chance. She wrapped her arms around Rosa's neck and pulled her close, kissing her deeply. As she did, Carla felt Rosa tense up in her nervousness. She couldn't blame her, now was hardly the time or the place, but she had been dreaming about a moment like this since they were teenagers. Rosa was her best friend, regardless of all the bullshit that came between them, and Carla wanted to share herself with Rosa however she could.

"…What in the goddamn…?"

Carla broke her kiss to spin around and look at an extremely confused Dalton. "Dalton?! I-I swear I can explAUGH!" she cried out as an arm snaked under her chin. Dalton watched as Rosa choked the consciousness out of the other woman, releasing her once she had finally fallen limp. Tears streaked down Rosa's eyes as she laid down her friend.

"…You, ah, you want to talk about it?" Dalton offered, surprising himself.

"…No," Rosa answered. "It wouldn't have worked anyway," she said as she touched her lips. As much as she had teased Carla in the years before, Rosa just couldn't reciprocate whatever feelings Carla had for her. So, she gave her one last opportunity to… Rosa took a deep breath as she turned away from her friend. Before she left, she took a glance at the Pip-boy mounted on her shoulder. "…Audio Passcode: Cash-Out"

Dalton strolled down the encampment, deep in thought. Looking around, he saw familiar sights. Legionaries training and drilling and working on their equipment, just like they had so many years ago, but something about it was off. Something had changed, but whatever it was he couldn't quite put his fingers on.

Some leering laughter managed to catch his attention. Looking back, he saw a number of particularly hungry-looking legionaries eyeing up the two women who had been escorting him. The smaller dark-haired one clutched to herself while the blonde threw her arm over her shoulders to try and shield her. Dalton had to note that he hadn't seen any women in the camp. Practically speaking, women were usually relegated to support duties in the Legion of old, as well as breeding stock. By hoarding the only pussy for himself, Scorpio was starving his men. If he had to guess, he was likely expecting to take some choice female prisoners, both from the Amazons and within the ranks of the AEG and Liberty Clans. A part of Dalton respected the prudence of the maneuver, but some new part of him felt like retching like he almost did when he brought Rosa to the camp.

"…Leave them be!" he finally snapped behind him. "They're mine!"

"What good are the bitches for you, geezer?" one of the legionaries spat as he grabbed at the arm of the blonde.

Dalton drew his gladius. The legionaries surrounding him began to snicker, a few even casually drawing out their machetes. "…Shameful," Dalton snarled. "In the old days, we'd settle this dispute like MEN! Which of you wants to test your mettle against me? I'll fight you all one at a time or all-together if you're even bigger cowards than I imagined! Well? SPEAK!"

One of the senior legionaries burst out laughing. "Such antiquated thinking," he said as he motioned the lesser legionaries to surround Dalton. "A duel? Such a trite line of thought. All such drivel accomplished was gutting the Old Legion of otherwise competent officers in exchange for idiots who could barely distinguish themselves from the rabble they imposed upon. What was that old saying? "A legionary who lived to see thirty is a scoundrel?" Looks like you missed your retirement, old man," he snickered.

Dalton looked around them. It looked so similar. The same uniforms, the same weapons, the same piss and vinegar in each of the soldiers. It looked almost the same, and yet there was something so off about what he was looking at that he could not let it go. As he looked down the mob that surrounded him, he looked down his sleeve to the hand that clutched his gladius. He then realized what happened. This New Legion didn't change. Just him.

Slowly, he sheathed his blade as the surrounding legionaries laughed and taunted the old man. The black-haired girl shut her eyes tightly while the blonde, clearly terrified as well, tried to comfort her. The senior legionary chuckled as he waved off his rabble. "…A scoundrel," Dalton let out a sad laugh. "…Yeah, sounds about right."

The next thing anybody knew, Dalton lunged at the senior prime legionary. A sickening green glow began to emit from the end of the plasma pistol that was now being stuck in the prime's face.

"I'VE DE-ATOMIZED BETTER MEN THAN THE LOT OF YOU!" Dalton roared. "SO GIVE ME AN EXCUSE OR MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

The legionaries, at first enraged, suddenly began to back away in fear. Dalton held back his disgust at their spinelessness until he saw the women slowly backing away as well. But what really sold the severity of the situation was seeing the prime's eyes, widening in terror, looking just above Dalton's head. The drool slowly dripping onto his cap and shoulders, at that point, was just excessive.

Dalton released the prime and dove away right at the reptile made his move. The legionaries around scattered while the women fell to the ground and braced themselves. Looking up, Dalton saw the prime's head vanish into the maw of the beast. Scrambling away, the lizard jerked his head back as the body fell limp, minus a head. The half-faced deathclaw then turned its attention to Dalton, his orange eye glowing in its hateful recognition. Dalton was almost impressed he found a way to make a deathclaw even uglier before the beast reared its head back and hissed at him. Dalton reached for his plasma pistol while the beast extended his machete-like talons.

"SAWNEY!"

Walking past the women, Cade approached the lizard with an alert yet leisurely stride, rifle slung across his shoulders. The lizard, Sawney apparently, turned to the newcomer with a look that seemed to resemble disdain.

"NAW-YA BIPTH-NETH!" it seemed to call out through its ruined tongue and mouth.

"It is my business," Cade replied, nonplussed.

"DAT PHUCKA BLOOED HAFF MA FASS OOPH!" Sawney whined.

"My sincerest sympathies," Cade lied. "You aren't supposed to wander too far away from the Minesterio's side of the camp. I doubt your host will be too pleased you ate one of his men after trying to kill his guest of honor."

Sawney glared down at the gunner.

"…You want to do this, we can," Cade offered as he slung his rifle forward. "I'll happily plant one in that empty eye socket you got if you really insist, you degenerate lizard."

Sawney got into Cade's face, growling as drool continued to pour from his jaw. Cade did not relent, daring the lizard to try. In the end, Sawney bypassed Cade, and by extension Dalton, as he strolled past and picked up the remains of his earlier meal, throwing the headless corpse over his shoulder as he lumbered back to the priests who actually appreciated what he was.

Dalton felt two pairs of hands help him to his feet. "…That was… something," the blonde said.

"Shame that punk stole my thunder," Dalton groused. The black-haired woman let out a small giggle that seemed to surprise everyone who heard, including her. The blonde smiled at her before turning back to Dalton. "…Thank you for standing up for us. It's… been a while. I'm Cheslie, this is May Lin."

"…There a place you two can hole up in the meantime?" Dalton asked.

"No one bothers us when we're in the kennel. Scorpio has us tend to his dogs when we aren't… servicing him," Cheslie said as May Lin trembled.

"Head there awhile, I'll catch up with you two later," Dalton stated.

"What about you?" Cheslie asked.

"I think our new friend wants to talk to me," Dalton explained. Cade stood in place, foot tapping impatiently. As the women took their leave, Dalton approached the gunner. "Fancy seeing you here aga-"

"Was it your idea or hers?" Cade immediately interrupted.

As Rosa and Dalton made their way through the dark, Rosa kept sporadically talking every few hundred yards or so. "…We just need to let them get a few miles away from each other. Dad said there's a defendable position a few miles away and if they can get there in one piece…"

"Uh-huh."

"…This Scorpio guy, from what the riders talked about, apparently really loves to toot his own horn. If I can figure out just how to tell him what he wants to hear, I can probably buy even more time, right?"

"Could work."

"…The last thing they're expecting is someone on the inside fucking them up internally. If we can find, like, some kind of hole in their defenses, well, anything can happen, don't you think."

"…"

"…Look Dalton, I know we're playing this whole thing by ear, but a little constructiveness while we have the… if you have anything to say, man, well, don't hold back!"

"I hope this works out."

Rosa stumbled, falling to her knees. Dalton looked back to her, then to the torches of the camp that was growing ever larger with every step. "Now is not the time," he hissed. "Get up!" he stated bluntly as he grabbed her arm. He felt her shiver in his grip. Slowly, Rosa's façade began to crack.

Rosa thought about what would await her the moment she got behind those gates. Then she thought about what would happen to her friends once Scorpio made good on his promise to attack tomorrow morning. Once again, she forced herself to fight her instincts as she weighed the consequences. It did nothing to alleviate the dread and terror she felt. She wanted to find a hole to crawl into and hide. She wanted someone to come along and save her. She wanted someone to scream at her to stop being selfish and do the first meaningful thing she had ever done in her life.

"…We don't have to do this," Dalton muttered. Rosa looked up to him with tears in her eyes. "…Just say the word and we'll go back and think of something different," he offered.

Rosa shook her head. "…No. If it's not me, it'll be someone else," she said as she wiped her eyes. "And no one deserves to go through this."

"…I understand," Dalton nodded as he helped Rosa back to her feet. "It's been a while since I've seen this much bravery in someone. Real bravery," he gently encouraged her.

"…Thanks, Dalton," Rosa smiled.

"Just keep your head down and your tongue on a leash. Oh, and maybe say you slept with Barabbas."

"What?!" Rosa almost yelled.

"Scorpio cares about building a dynasty. If there's a chance you're carrying the child of his archrival, then there's no way he can use you to legitimize his claim to any throne, at least for a little while. That'll also keep you from being thrown to the men, I imagine. He'd only be delegitimizing his bloodline."

"That is…" Rosa stopped. "…probably a really good idea."

"Thank you," Dalton nodded.

"…You know, if you were, like, thirty or forty years younger, I don't think I'd mind regretting sleeping with you after the fact," Rosa said.

"Are you trying to flatter me?" Dalton asked.

"Nah, just coming to terms with my old lifestyle," Rosa replied. "So, we're playing this by ear, right?"

"Too bad we don't even have a harmonica," Dalton countered.

"You have two swords and enough plasma weapons to melt a Brotherhood bunker. Just show your old school Legion cred and they ought to give you free rein over the place. I don't know what our exit strategy is going to be, but try not to rule anything out," Rosa said. "I don't think they'll let you stick around once you drop me off, but, if it's all the same to you, I'll squeeze your wrist when I'm ready for you to leave."

"I'll keep that in mind, boss," Dalton nodded. "…Good luck in there."

"Thank you. I trust you," Rosa replied.

"…The absolute best possible luck," Dalton gulped as he took out the strand of cloth and began to bind Rosa.

Scorpio let another laughing fit take him as the soldiers around the tent joined in. Vulpes looked upon the Consul in disgust while neither Nemesio or Jefferson saw anything particularly amusing about the information. Rosa was still on her knees, but the sight of all the laughing legionaries did so something to soothe her nerves. Perhaps it had something to do with their shared humanity. Or, more likely, that no one had attempted to assault her while she relayed the story.

"Barabbas… he… hehehe…" Scorpio giggled. "He fell in love with his broodmare?" Rosa nodded. "And…she… HA… she left him… FOR A GHOUL?!"

The laughter redoubled. Scorpio wiped some tears from his eyes as Rosa looked at Vulpes. The Fox didn't seem particularly impressed with how what he believed was supposed to be Rosa's interrogation was turning out. Glowering at her, Vulpes unconsciously motioned his hand toward the knife on his belt. Nemesio caught the action but decided not to say anything.

"W-Wha-What happened next?" Scorpio chuckled.

"He got depressed and looked for a rebound girl. Turns out he had to settle for me," Rosa announced.

The laughter died out. The legionaries all now looked at her with expressions Rosa couldn't quite figure out how to explain. Scorpio leaned forward towards her. "…You shared a bed with Barabbas?"

"More like a mat in a tent but same thing," Rosa explained.

"And he put his seed within you?" Scorpio asked, intensely.

"He got around to it, eventually. I mean, we were supposed to be married and neither of us felt like being romantic about it, so we figured why not consummate before the ceremony?" Rosa replied.

"…You carry his child?" Scorpio demanded.

"…I don't know. I'll let you know when it's my time of the month, but it should still be about… two… three weeks, yeah, three weeks out!" Rosa nodded.

Scorpio slowly grabbed his halberd and rose off his throne. "…Everyone, I would like to have a private moment with our guest. You are all dismissed."

Slowly, the legionaries and centurions filed out, followed by Jefferson and Nemesio, the latter of which was greeted by one of his priests to discuss an incident involving something about a "Revelacion." Finally, Vulpes stared at Scorpio as he was halfway out the door. "…Anything drastic, Scorpio, and this could-"

"You'll advise me when I tell you to, Inculta!" Scorpio snapped. "Leave or I'll have you gelded, for all the good it would do!"

Vulpes snorted but acquiesced to the demand, leaving Scorpio and Rosa alone in the tent. "…Just you and me, then? I was wondering when this was going to be fair," Rosa joked.

"…I know you're lying," Scorpio said.

"…Ok, maybe she didn't exactly "leave" him for Donald, but when it comes to rumors, I always say where there's smoke-"

"Barabbas is damn near impotent. Those two bitches you saw earlier? Both of them have been prime breeding stock for that man for the last three years, and yet neither they nor the rest of the whores in his harem have reared as much as a single brat. You aren't carrying anything. And you haven't even lain with him," Scorpio said as he approached Rosa.

"…Well, I… I'm still not a virgin!" Rosa immediately countered as the severity of the situation before her dawned on her, unable to hide her desperation.

Scorpio crowed. "You think that matters to me? A sow is a sow, your only privilege is choosing between your back and your knees."

"…Fine, then," Rosa replied. "If that's how it has to be. Still, I have to ask, is that all you're bringing?" she asked as she motioned to his waist.

"What do you mean?" Scorpio asked.

"I caught a glimpse of your equipment earlier, and it's… well, size isn't everything. I'm sure you have a wonderful personality!"

Rosa knew she was going to be punished for that, and she wasn't disappointed when the flat of the halberd's blade struck her across the cheek, sending her onto the ground. Scorpio got on top of her, mounting her as in a rage he tore off her t-shirt and ripped her bra like an animal.

"You must be an even bigger idiot than I thought," Scorpio snarled as he clutched her jaw with his hand, "if you think I need a reason to be cruel!" He grabbed her shoulder and flipped her until she was forced onto her stomach. "I want you to scream as loud as possible! I want your father to hear everything!" he sneered as he grabbed at the hem of her jeans.

"Do your fucking worst!" Rosa gritted through her tears. "Like I can be degraded by a man WEARING A SKIRT!"

A pair of boots traipsed into Rosa's line of sight.

"WHAT PART OF PRIVACY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!" Scorpio howled.

"My apologies," Cade's voice reached Rosa's ears. "I was wondering if your previous offer was still available."

"What offer?" Scorpio asked, his rage surpassed by his confusion.

"Having any woman I wanted in the camp?" Cade replied. Rosa looked up just in time to see Cade pointing down at her. "…I want that one."