Dagger of the Assassins

by Cat Wilder

  "Perfect."

  He turned and led my friend away. I watched open-mouthed as they vanished in the crowd. Then Uath pulled me to my feet. I never felt so numb, so helpless and useless. I failed miserably, and now all three of us would suffer the consequences.

  Uath lifted me up to Daccor, who effortlessly pulled me up onto the wagon. He might be missing a thumb on his sword hand, but it didn't seem to hamper his manhandling of me and my friends. His left hand immediately twisted into my hair at the back of my head, snapped me straight up, and held me in place with embarrassing ease.

  Pigmen were renowned for their physical strength.

  "This one is the prettiest in my esteemed opinion," he called out to the crowd. They laughed. What did that mean? Did they disagree? Okay, I thought Meike much more attractive, but I was at least as pretty as Kahlan. "But she's a fighter. An Amazon warrior to be exact, not to mention a renner, so that means she'll never age. Beautiful forever. Hell, she might live longer than the elfmaid."

  "Is she tamed?" a pigman asked.

  "No, far from it," Daccor said. "Quite the opposite, in fact. Whoever buys this girl will have to be strong and determined, but once broken she'll purr like a catgirl."

  What the hell did that mean? And why did the crowd laugh and nod, all smiles and lecherous eyes? I almost threw out another dire threat of death and dismemberment, but stopped myself. Buyer beware. Let some weak, pathetic dickhead buy me. I'd be his death. That's when I realized my tactics had been all wrong. Be docile and submissive, until bought and taken home.

  And then strike at my new master's throat!

  I may have smiled with that last thought. The crowd seemed eager to begin. A tall, slim pigman in bright red robes pushed through the crowd and stood front and center. He looked me over with mercenary eyes, so I concentrated just a little to make the script appear above his head. Pigman pimp.

  "Oh, hell no," I said.

  "One silver crown," the pimp offered.

  And no one else bid against him.

  I stared incredulously at the crowd. Despite not wanting to be auctioned off like a head of livestock, I didn't want to go that cheap. That price was insulting! It said I was worthless. My face heated up, heart racing. Daccor tried to get more bids, to no avail.

  "What the hell?" I cried. "None of you want me?"

  "If I buy you," the pimp said. "Then everyone in this town can have you whenever they want, and that without angering the wife with a pretty human slave girl."

  That stunned me. I couldn't move. My mind shut down, and heat washed through me while they utterly humiliated me. I was about to be hidden away inside a whore house. Worse, every pigman in town would know me.

  Daccor declared me sold for a single silver coin, "Sold, to Orvaas and the Cathouse."

  I never felt so weak and pathetic, in game or IRL. They slapped me down with the ultimate insult to an Amazon warrior.

  The pimp paid Groak, and then swept me off my feet from the wagon. To add insult to injury, he tossed me over his shoulder. I wanted to fight him, to kick, scream, and pummel, but my wrists remained bound and my ankles hobbled.

  Pigmen and some females, pulled off a shoe to strike me on the head as the pimp carried me away through the crowd. I knew that was the ultimate insult in some parts of the real world, but never knew pigmen thought that way. I felt their scorn profoundly.

  Orvaas carried me quickly through the streets, while calling out that he had a new human girl. I noticed lots of pigmen looking me over while nodding their heads. The pigwomen scowled at me.

  The pimp took me inside the Cathouse. It proved quite dark after the early morning light. We found the main parlor empty, the brothel deathly quiet, but the air still reeked of cheap perfume. I looked around at garish purple and gold décor, and fancy furnishing. Everything looked cheap and worn.

  "What's your name?"

  "Elky," I said. "Elky. Amazon warrior, level 42, to be exact."

  His eyes glazed over at the level information. If my feet hadn't been hobbled that would've been when I kicked him in the nuts with all my strength. I'd follow that kick with a rabbit punch for the victory. I could've escaped while he choked to death on his crushed windpipe. Instead, I stood before him helpless.

  "Come, Elky," he said, taking up the business end of my leash. "Time to put you to work."

  "There's no one here," I cried. "It's too early in the morning to even think…"

  A pigman stepped through the door and looked straight at me. "When will the new girl be ready?"

  I couldn't breathe for a moment. Orvaas spoke with him, but I couldn't hear what either of them said over the thundering of my heart. The pimp brought me back to earth with a yank on the leash, as he led me and the customer toward the stairs.

  "She's too new to slavery to be safe," Orvaas said. "I'll have to bind her spread-eagle on the bed for you."

  I followed him up the stairs, acutely aware of the pigman following me up. I only wore my tunic, which rode quite high on my thighs. Was he looking up it? And why did it matter? I had bigger problems to worry about.

  As I ascended, my mind went to dark places. I didn't like feeling helpless. I really hated being tied up. How long would he leave me bound to the bed? An hour? A day? A week? My stomach rolled at the possibilities. And then we reached the second floor, and my room halfway down the hallway.

  The tiny room barely had enough space for a twin sized bed. Nothing else. No window. No lamp to light the room. Nothing but hanging strings of glass beads blocked the doorway. I stopped and gawked at the bed, with its stained sheets.

  Better dead than tied to that bed.

  I remained frozen in place while Orvaas dropped to one knee to release my ankles. Then he pulled his belt knife to cut my wrists free. He lifted my chin with the naked blade and leered at me.

  "Strip and lie down, Elky."

  I dropped my eyes and nodded. When he pulled the knife away, I spun and kicked the customer in the belly. As he flew straight back out of the room, I pounded a roundhouse to Orvaas' head. He fell back with a squeal of alarm. He literally squealed like a pig.

  I never hesitated. Seizing his wrist, I wrenched it violently to send the knife clattering to the floorboards. Then I stomped on his upturned face, before turning on the customer returning to the room. He held his belt knife, with a snarl on his face.

  "Are you seriously threatening a level 42 warrior with a puny knife?" I asked. Then I heard a bell ringing. "Uh oh."

  "That's right," Orvaas gasped out as he struggled to his feet. "That's the escaping slave alarm. Surrender, or die."

  Did the pimp have some kind of magical alert to the city guard? How else would they know a slave was trying to escape? It had to be a coincidence the alarm went off. Maybe Kahlan or, more likely, Meike escaped? Either way, that bell pretty much guaranteed my attempt would fail.

  Unless…

  "Better dead than a whore!" I shouted, and threw myself at the customer.

  To be honest, I could easily disarm him. Not what I wanted. I threw my arms wide as I attacked, giving him an easy shot at my heart. And the frightened pigman took it.

  "Uggh," I grunted when his blade pierced my chest, plunging deep into my heart.

  Exquisite pain rippled through me, making my skin goose-flesh. For a second, I regretted that decision. Then blackness rushed in from all sides as I dropped to my knees. I managed a defiant smile at Orvaas, who looked on in horror.

  "I'm a player, so I just escaped."

  "Dammit, Margus, she wanted you to kill her!" the pimp cried.

  I smiled at his fury while the blackness consumed me.

  Chapter 13

  Cormac

  "We'll camp here," Yank said.

  The sun had set at least an hour earlier. The moon hadn't risen, so I could barely see the forest road. The bounty hunter led us off the road about fifty feet. I'd been walking most of the day, and they demanded a brisk pace. It was almost too much for even my collar's magic to force out of me
. My captors enjoyed rest stops, but forced me to remain standing.

  Collapsing where I stood, I didn't care if they objected or not. My feet ached and I desperately needed a few hours sleep. Furman immediately kicked me in the ribs, but said nothing. A 'just because' kick. Yeah, he didn't like me.

  Smokey liked me. A lot. Thank you, Heart of Aphrodite! But when she came over and started licking my face, her boyfriend yanked her away and started yelling at her. Smokey pushed back, literally. They shouted, punched, scratched, and even tried to bite each other, I wanted to watch and listen, enjoying Furman's frustration and anger, but I kept dozing off. Their shouts woke me, over and over. How long did they argue?

  "Get a room," Jrac grumbled. "Why do catfolk fight so loudly?"

  "They're too passionate about every little thing," Yank said. "Annoying."

  Their fight ended as fast as it began, with Smokey leaping on Furman, arms and legs wrapping around him. The catman ran into the darkness for privacy, but we could hear their love play. It might've been louder than their fight. But it didn't last as long, and I finally could go to sleep.

  I don't know how long I slept, but a hand on my booted foot woke me. My eyes popped open. I saw Yank and Furman rolled up in their blankets on the other side of a fire pit, the fire barely alive. Jrac sat back against a tree to my right, sound asleep. I found Smokey grinning at me as she crawled closer.

  "It's my watch," she purred. "And I'm bored. Play with me."

  I looked at her, then at Furman sleeping only ten feet away.

  "I don't think your boyfriend would like that."

  She never hesitated in her slow, sensuous crawl over me. I watched with huge eyes as she paused to lick my thighs with her sexy rough tongue. My junk began to stir, especially when her nose pushed up under my loincloth. She worked her way all the way to my crotch, and then pulled away with a mischievous giggle and wink.

  "Fuck him."

  "I'd rather not," I said, and she giggled.

  "You're funny. I like that," she said. Her hand snaked under my loincloth, wrapped around my shaft, and squeezed so sweetly. Yeah, I became rock hard in one second flat. "And you are so big and manly." She held my eyes for an intense moment. "And you have magic fingers."

  "Smokey, you are going to be the death of me."

  "I agree," Furman said, his voice low and gravelly from sleep.

  "Shut it, furface," Smokey snapped, pointing a finger at him. "You don't own me. I sleep with anyone I please, or I'll bite your tiny prick off."

  Oh my god, she is going to get me killed!

  The catman glared daggers at me, growling, but remained in his blankets. Unfortunately, he killed my mojo. My junk went cold and limp in her hand. Smokey didn't look pleased, but she pushed the loincloth up to expose my junk and went to work.

  The catgirl had talent. Who knew a rough tongue worked so well down there? It didn't take her long to have me gasping and writhing, bucking beneath her. Then she spun around so fast it took me a few seconds to understand what happened. I felt her mouth around my shaft, bobbing up and down, working both suction and that rough tongue to perfection, but she was too short for 69. I stared longingly at her shiny sex, just out of reach on my upper chest.

  I knew the Heart of Aphrodite had me just as firmly in its grasp as it did Smokey, but I didn't care. I thrust up into her hot, tight mouth when she started purring like a kitten, those sexy vibrations stoking my fire. I wrapped my arms around her waist, wanting nothing more than to hold her tight when I peaked.

  Smokey giggled, before going all the way down on me. I felt my cock push into her throat, and her lips wrap around the base of my shaft. And that's all she wrote for me. That wonderful surge to climax took off like a horse race. I couldn't stop it to save my life, and then supreme glory erupted deep within, as my seed spewed into her throat.

  My back bowed, and I released a long, wanton groan of satisfaction.

  Smokey sat back on my chest with a satisfied look on her face. "Aww, you're too tall."

  "I have a solution," I said, sitting up. That forced her off, falling to all fours before me. I moved too fast for her to react, grabbed a fistful of long soft hair, and yanked her head back. "Let me return the favor, baby."

  Her back bowed, eyes wide as she slanted a hungry look over her shoulder. I guided my erection straight into her eager sex. I penetrated, pulling a gasp from her lips. She felt so warm and velvety tight. Furman growled, but I didn't care. I started thrusting, forcing my way deeper and deeper. Smokey yeowed and hissed, and wiggled her perfect round butt. I saw her claws come out, and then resheath, over and over, as I banged her like a boss.

  The sexy catgirl started bucking, whipping her head up and down like a headbanger. I watched her, mesmerized by how utterly into it she'd become. No one enjoyed sex more than that catgirl, not even me.

  It sounded like a catfight, and I struggled to hold her down, but it only stoked my passion. Pounding into her faster and faster, I never tried so hard in my life. She came pretty fast, and I continued to thrust into her. A few minutes later, as I lost it and felt that rush to ultimate satisfaction again, Smokey cried out with orgasmic pleasure yet again.

  And then I flooded her with my seed. I think my magic hit her pretty hard at that time, because she stiffened with a look of pure bliss on her feline face.

  "Hell yes," I gasped. "Catgirls are the greatest. That felt purrfect."

  Okay, it was a stupid thing to say. Smokey giggled, but Furman exploded out of his blankets. The catman pounced at me with claws extended. I thought it was over for me.

  They're going to be so pissed when I die and respawn far away.

  Smokey let out a fierce "Yeow!"

  The catgirl slammed into the catman, knocking him to the side. She clung to him, hissing and scratching like a demon. Furman turned on her, giving better than he got. The fur literally flew, along with blood. Yank and Jrac grabbed the battling cats and flung them apart.

  That reprieve lasted all of five seconds.

  The catman came at me again, and Smokey blocked him. The fight proved even fiercer and louder, and both Yank and Jrac staggered back with vicious scratches when they tried to break it up again.

  I stood up to fight, but Yank shouted at me. "No, Cormac! Do not fight."

  The collar's magic hit me. I felt the will to fight fade, and a feeling of contentment wash through me. That's when Smokey rolled to her back, feet on Furman's chest, and kicked him a good twenty feet away.

  How strong are catpeople?

  Yank and Jrac jumped atop the catman. I watched emotionlessly, until Smokey rushed to my side. She paused to glance back at the other fight now raging. My breath caught when I noticed how bloody and cut up the fight left her.

  "Do you have any healing potions?" I asked.

  She smiled at me. "Yes."

  The catgirl quickly took one out of inventory, drank it, and cast the little ceramic jugette away. As her wounds began to slowly heal, she took me by the hand and headed into the dark forest.

  "What the fuck are you doing?" Yank shouted.

  I looked his way to see Yank, Jrac, and Furman frozen in mid-struggle, staring at us in shock. Smokey ignored them. She reached up and unfastened my collar, pulling it off. I immediately came to my senses, snatched the collar out of her hand, and twisted it so it could never be used again.

  "Run!" Smokey shouted.

  My momma didn't raise no fool. I turned and ran like a motherfucker. Heading for the road, I burst out of the trees and turned left, back toward Zoss Ford and my ladies. It took a few minutes before I realized Smokey ran behind me.

  "Are you crazy?" I asked.

  "Maybe," she said. "Everyone I meet eventually says I am. But no one hurts my man."

  Oops. Elky is going to be so pissed.

  Smokey kicked in the speed, and raced past me. "Follow me. I have an idea."

  What did I have to lose? Besides my life and liberty. I followed her back into the woods. That's when I heard the others
giving chase.

  The forest suddenly opened up into tilled fields. I spotted a small unwalled village in the center of the fields. She led me straight to the dark, sleeping village's stable full of draft horses and oxen.

  "Up into the loft, lover," Smokey said.

  "We can't hide from them. Yank and Furman are players," I said. "I can see them on my map, and they can see us."

  "No they can't," Smokey said, and touched the leather choker around her neck. A silver cat's head hung from it. "This talisman hides me, and anyone near me, from magic. Your head maps are magical. They have to track us the old fashioned way."

  I checked my map. Yank, Jrac, and Furman stood together in the road. I zoomed out, noticing the village wasn't on the main road. Then I felt a familiar tug. I knew which way I had to go to find my lost women.

  Chapter 14

  Elky

  I stayed low as I approached the town walls. It might be late night, but the moon loomed high and bright in a cloudless sky. I felt exposed and vulnerable as I crept toward the northern section of walls. The town walls weren't all that tall, but with the town sitting atop a hill, the way proved quite steep and treacherous in the dark.

  I spotted soldiers atop the walls, moonlight gleaming off their iron helmets and spearheads. I didn't see that many, but it really didn't take a lot of soldiers to defend a wall against a lone assailant.

  "Well, that was fun. Not," I whispered when I paused at the base of Zoss Ford's encircling wall. "Getting over it should be twice as exciting."

  Massive logs stood upright, anchored deep in the ground. The builders planed and fitted the logs together for a smooth, flat surface. Holding my breath, I listened for anyone up behind the crenellations.

  Nothing.

  I had to go right away. Kahlan and Meike had suffered ignoble slavery all day, and then late into the night already. I hated myself for waiting for night, but the town sent out soldiers to look for me. Even some of the locals helped. I suspect the pimp offered a reward. Why else look for an escaped slave?

  My only saving grace, by dying and respawning, I was returned to default. I had all my clothes, armor, and weapons that came with my Amazon warrior avatar. Everything else in my inventory remained with the pig brothers. Including my Shield of Isis. But I knew where they lived.