The streets of Oldforge were still filled with people even this late at night. The humans and elves had gone to sleep it seemed leaving only dwarves and beast men. The denizens that chose to remain out that late didn’t want anything to do with the paladins she was with. She figured that they all must be paladins, just for different gods.

Anna couldn’t understand why people were so nervous around these three. They were nice after all.

With the path clear, they made it to the temple quickly. The god of lights temple had worshippers and clergy even at this hour.

They walked out of the main room into a long hallway that led to the Order of the Armored Fist’s chambers. Once they reached the order’s area, several young men in robes approached them.

“How may we help you, my lord?” one of the young men asked.

“Prepare the bath for me and my companions,” Leon replied.

“At once, sir,” the young man said.

They followed the young man down another hall.

This place is really plain.

Everything was bare stone with simple braziers lighting the halls. She was beginning to think the gods didn’t like paladins very much.

They entered a room that was across from the baths. It had benches in it and a few tables with pitchers of water on them.

She poured herself a cup of it and took a drink.

“It’s cold!” she said.

“Indeed. While we don’t have many luxuries here, we do have a few,” Leon replied.

She looked at the cup. Cold water is a luxury?

A young man walked into the room. “We are ready for you, my lord,” he said.

They followed him across the hall into the baths. The bath was in the ground and large, four or five times the size of the one at the carriage stop. It was plain like the rest of the order’s area but well made.

Steam rose from the crystal-clear water. They would be the only ones in the bath, although that didn’t surprise her. It was the middle of the night.

A few young men were waiting in the bath. The paladins walked over to them, and they started to take off their armor.

Anna put her yellow dress on a shelf next to where the young men were putting the armor. She undressed and tossed her dress on the shelf as well.

“You could have waited for the squires to leave, you know,” Matilda said.

Anna just shrugged. The gesture caused her breasts to bounce, as did most things.

Matilda bonked one of the young men who became distracted.

“I thought the members of your order preferred men?” Anna asked.

Leon looked over at the sheepish young man. “Not necessarily, but we aren’t allowed to have relations with women,” he replied.

“It’s the same for my order. We can’t have relations with men,” Matilda said.

“What about your order?” Anna asked.

“We can have relations with whomever we like. The only way to join our order is to be touched by death,” Godfrey replied.

“What does that mean?” Anna asked.

“In my case, the weeping death swept through my village when I was a boy. By the black god’s mercy, I was the only survivor. He guided me to one of his temples when my fever broke,” Godfrey replied.

“Barika told me about the weeping death. She said there was no way to save its victims,” Anna said.

“There isn’t,” Godfrey replied.

“Did you have to join after the black god saved you?” Anna asked.

“No,” Godfrey replied.

The young men finished removing the paladins’ armor and left the room, leaving the four of them alone in the bath. Her companions undressed. Anna took a good long look at each of them.

Leon was a big man, even out of his armor, with a build like the dockworkers, though a bit leaner. He also had hair covering most of his body, less than dwarves did of course. She looked between his legs, because that’s what she asked to bathe with them for. His manhood was about the same as Thokri and Voekeer’s had been, being somewhere in between their sizes.

I wonder what it looks like hard? She doubted he’d demonstrate and really didn’t want to ask anyway.

Godfrey was leaner than Leon but still muscular. His shoulders were broad, and his arms were thick, but he was narrow at the waist. His legs were well muscled, having the appearance of a person that carried heavy weights long distances. His manhood was, well, it was big. His penis was longer than Thokri’s, though his balls were about the same size. She watched it for a moment before looking over at Matilda.

She’d seen dozens of naked women at the bath, but being ever curious, she looked the woman over. Matilda was a thin woman covered in taut muscles. She was also completely flat. She didn’t even have bumps like Lyreen, only two tiny nipples. Anna glanced between Matilda’s legs. She had a thin patch of hair like most human women, only hers didn’t completely obscure what was underneath.

Same as the rest of us.

After getting an eyeful, Anna headed to the wash area and dumped a bucket of clean water over her head. There was soap and a cloth to wash with, so she started to soap up. The others joined her.

“So, are you satisfied?” Matilda asked.

“Almost. I still need to see your butts,” Anna replied.

Matilda turned red. “You’re as bad as a man!” she said.

“How? I’m just curious is all. It’s not like I want to do anything with anyone,” Anna replied. She dumped the bucket over her head a few times to rinse off then got into the bath.

The water was hot. How much so, she couldn’t tell. She moved to the far side so she could watch the door and the others as they finished washing.

I wonder what it’s like to not have boobs.

She watched Matilda for a moment before turning her eyes to Godfrey. The man had finished before the others. She watched as he walked over and slid into the bath next to her.

“Tell me, would you join us if you’re friends had said it was alright?” Godfrey asked.

“Yes,” Anna replied without hesitation.

“Tell me, what are they so worried about? From what I’ve been told, you’re completely impervious to harm,” Matilda asked.

“I’m not sure,” Anna replied.

She and Leon got into the bath and sat close to her like Godfrey had done.

“Anna, I would never ask you to go against what your friends want you to do, but would you aid us if we find ourselves in a dire situation?” Leon asked.

“Of course,” Anna replied.

“Thank you,” Leon said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Matilda stood up and got out of the bath.

She’s got a round butt.

The paladin turned around. “We have much to do today. We should try and get some rest, brothers,” Matilda said.

The other two stood up and left the bath as well. Leon has a normal enough rear, and Godfrey’s looked as if it was made entirely of muscle. Anna got out as well not wanting to be in the baths alone.

She started to steam as she pushed dreamer power into her mana channels. The three paladins watched in amazement. She was dried by the time they reached the shelves with their clothing.

Anna put on her yellow dress and adjusted the bows on the side. She looked up to see Godfrey grinning at her.

“It’s my favorite dress,” Anna said, spinning around to show the whole thing off.

“I can see why,” Godfrey replied.

The paladins put on their clothing. They left the baths and a few young men rushed in after them. Moments later they carried the armor out.

They walked to the temple entrance.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, but we needed to make sure,” Matilda said.

“It’s fine,” Anna replied. She said goodbye to her new friends and started to walk back to her house. She was carrying her dress under her arm and wanted to drop it off before she went back out. She only had the two dresses left.

I hope that seamstress gets done when she said she would.

It was still dark out, and without the paladins, the crowds of people were more interested in her. She wasn’t really worried about them though. She could always toss someone if they really bothered her.

The crowd was thick, so she decided to dart down a side street. She ended up going down a few more and found herself in a mostly empty part of the city. The few people that were out didn’t look like people, so she avoided looking at them. She didn’t want them to think she wanted to talk to them after all.

After a few blocks, something unexpected happened. A man grabbed her and slammed her against a wall. He held a knife to her throat and glared at her with an expression she’d never seen before on his face.

“Scream and I’ll kill you bitch!” the man said.

Now, several things went through her mind at once. First, she really didn’t like being called a bitch. Second, he touched her without asking which she hated even more, and lastly, he pushed her against a probably filthy wall in her favorite dress.

Oh no he didn’t!

She slapped the knife out of the man’s hand, breaking his wrist in the process. Then, before he realized something was wrong, she punched him in the guts. He doubled over, retching from the blow.

She snatched him by the hair and dragged him into a nearby alley where she let go. He tried to punch her, but she batted his hand away.

“You’re a fucking idiot, aren’t you?” Anna asked. She slammed him against the wall and then punched a chunk out of the plaster near his head. He stopped squirming. The air suddenly filled with the smell of piss.

“Looks like you figured it out,” Anna said. He just nodded. “Alright, then I’m only going to ask you one thing. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Anna asked.

“The boss told us to go out and get him some pretty girls,” the man replied.

“Where is this boss of yours?” Anna asked.

“He’s at the hideout,” the man replied.

“Tell me how to get there,” Anna said.

“Oh, I can’t do that. The boss would be mad,” the man replied.

“Is that right? Well, let me ask you something,” Anna said.

“What’s that?” the man asked.

“Would he eat you?” Anna asked.

Suddenly eyes opened near her head and a tentacle slithered up the man’s leg. Instead of answering her, he screamed and shat himself.

Man, that stinks.

He did end up telling her exactly where the hide out was, along with his birthday, his favorite food, and the name of the dog he had kept as a pet growing up.

She didn’t kill him. No need to. Instead, she stripped him naked and tossed him into the street. She used her tentacles of course.

No way I’m touching that.

She looked at her old dress. She’d dropped it to slap the man and discovered it had fallen into a pile of shit.

I really don’t need it that much.

She picked her key up and tucked it next to her breasts. They could hold anything in place. After that, she made her way to the address the man had given her.

A large, tattooed man leaned against the wall next to the door. He was smoking herbs rolled in paper. By the smell, it was sparkle weed. He leered at her when she walked up. She smiled sweetly at him, and he blew a cloud of smoke in her face.

Before he could say whatever dirty stupid thing he had on his mind, she kicked him in the knee. It snapped backwards, leaving his leg bent the wrong way. He howled in pain. She grabbed his head and slammed it into the door hard enough to knock him out. She dumped his unconscious body on the ground, and then, with far more force than needed, she kicked the door open.

The thick wooden door didn’t stand a chance and splintered inward. She strode through the ruins of the door into a filthy room that stank of piss, shit, and vomit. There was a cloud of smoke lingering in the air. Men were sitting around tables playing card and dice games. They all stared at her in shock and disbelief.

“Where are the girls?” Anna asked. She slammed her fist into the wall beside her, knocking a chunk out of it.

That’ll keep the stupid down.

“You fucked up, you stupid cunt! You fucked with the wrong crew!” a thin man said. He was tall with dark hair and green eyes. She started to walk towards him.

A man rushed her and ended up flying across the room after she punched him in the chest. He hit the wall with a sickening crunch and fell limply to the floor. This shocking display caused the other men in the room to pause. She walked right up to the tall thin man and looked up at him.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“The fu…,” he said.

She shoved her fingers into his mouth and yanked him down to her level and then pried it open. With her other hand, she reached in and grabbed his tongue.

“If you say one more bad thing to me, I’ll rip it out!” Anna said. She let go of his tongue and shoved him onto his ass. She slammed her fist into the table he’d been sitting at, and it exploded into splinters.

“What were you going to do with the women in the back room?” Anna asked.

“They, they, they’re in the back room!” he said.

“I know. I can hear them,” she replied. She leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. “What were you going to do with them?” she asked.

“We were going to sell them to the slaver. He told us if we brought him pretty girls, he’d give us a gold for each one. That’s it!” the man replied.

Anna punched him in the face. She felt his skull crunch from the force of it. His head slammed back into the ground, and he was still. He was breathing, so she hadn’t killed him, not that she cared. She was shaking with anger at the moment.

She decided to take her rage out on the men in the room. They were the ones responsible for it after all. She slammed her fist into the jaw of the nearest man, sending him spinning away, teeth flying through the air.

The stunned men started to move, but it was too late. She started punching, kicking, and throwing anyone she could reach. She even used one man to beat several others with before whacking the screaming man into the wall until he stopped. A few of them rushed outside. One huge bald man rushed her with a thick iron club.

Ooooh, I need a new club.

She snatched it out of his hand and bashed his head in with it. Now that she was armed, she started breaking limbs, to test her new club of course.

Unfortunately, she ran out of test subjects. She looked around and found the room filled with groaning men.

I feel better now.

She saw movement in the corner of the room and walked over to investigate. A small form darted away. She grabbed him by the arm and slammed him against the wall.

“Now, where do you think you’re going?” Anna asked.

“Don’t kill me!” he replied in a high-pitched voice.

Anna reached out and grabbed his crotch. There was nothing there.

Thokri did say it was the only way to be sure sometimes.

The woman squealed.

“Why would a woman help sell other women into slavery?” Anna asked, holding the iron club in a menacing way.

“THEY MADE ME!” the woman wailed.

Sure they did.

“Well, now you get to help me,” Anna said.

“I do?” the woman asked. She had the look of a terrified rabbit. Anna didn’t feel bad for her in the slightest. Anna dragged her into the back next to the door she heard the sobs coming from.

“Arnold has the key, or I can pick the lock,” the women said.

Anna slammed the club into the door lock, and the door swung open. The woman swallowed hard.

“I don’t need keys,” Anna said. She pulled the woman into the room. Dozens of young women were tied up and huddled together in the corner.

Maybe I should go and club the lot of them. She was tempted, but she knew she’d end up sorry for doing it.

She just dragged the woman into the room.

“Don’t run,” Anna said.

“I won’t!” the woman replied.

Anna untied the women in the room. They were all crying and hugging each other and her as she did so. Once finished, she led them out of the back room. A red-haired woman kicked a few of the men as they left the building.

“We need to call the guards,” the red-haired woman said when they were all outside.

“GUARDS!” Anna yelled. Dogs barked in response, and she could see that a few people scurred around in their homes.

“By the gods, what are you?” the red-haired woman asked.

“I’m an adventurer,” Anna replied. The woman looked at her for a moment and then shrugged.

A dozen guards rushed down the street. The women couldn’t contain themselves and ran to greet them except for the red-haired woman. She stayed with Anna and the criminal.

The guards looked confused but reacted quickly, each trying to calm the hysterical women down. A few of the women pointed at Anna and one of the guards came over.

“They are saying you rescued them. Is that true?” the guard asked.

“Yes,” Anna replied.

“What happened?” the guard asked.

“A man tried to kidnap me, but I beat him up, and he told me where his hideout was. So, I came to see what was going on. I beat up the men in there after they said they were going to sell the women to the slavers. Then I untied the women and called for you all,” Anna replied.

The guard looked at her suspiciously.

“I don’t know how, but she’s telling the truth. All of the black snakes were beaten on the floor when we came out,” the red-haired woman said.

“WILLIAM, PETER, GO CHECK IT OUT!” the guard shouted. Two of the guards drew clubs and rushed into the building. “What’s with you?” the guard asked, looking at the criminal woman.

“She’s with me now,” Anna replied.

“Is that so?” the guard said. The woman just nodded. The two guards walked back out of the building. “So?” the guard asked.

“Looks like an orc on dust went wild in there,” one of the guards replied.

The lead guard looked at her again. “Would you mind coming back to the guard house with us? The captain is going to have some questions,” he said.

“Sure,” Anna replied.

“Miss, you can wait over there with the others?” the lead guard said to the red-haired woman.

“I’ll stay with her,” the woman replied.

The lead guard looked at the woman for a moment and then sighed. “Suit yourself,” the guard said.

It was a flurry of activity after that. About half of the guards went into the building and started to drag the gang members out and dump them in the street. More guards showed up as well. The women were wrapped in blankets. They even offered her one. She didn’t need it, so she turned it down.

The red-haired woman took one but remained next to her for some reason.

A cart showed up and the women were loaded into it. According to the guards, they would be taken to the station to tell their stories, and then their families would be contacted to come and pick them up.

The men were shackled and were sitting on the street. Another cart would come and get them, though they would be going to the dungeon.

“Why don’t you want to go with the others?” Anna asked.

“Don’t have a family,” the red-haired woman said.

The sun was starting to come up, and Anna noticed that the woman was thin and dirty with ragged clothing on. The woman from the gang was ignoring the other gang members as if everyone didn’t know she was one of them.

“Would you three ride to the guard house with the women? We are almost finished here. No reason for you to walk back,” the lead guard asked.

“Sure,” Anna replied. She got onto the cart and helped the other two up. The women glared at the gang woman sitting next to her but didn’t say a word.

“Did she hurt any of you?” Anna asked. The women all shook their heads no.

“She fed us,” one of the women said.

“Why did you help them?” one of the women asked.

“My father was a black snake. I’ve always been a black snake. They let me stay even after he died,” the woman said.

“What’s your name?” Anna asked.

“Lucy,” the gang woman replied.

“I’m Anna,” Anna said.

“I’m Gwen,” the red-haired woman said. Anna smiled at the woman who smiled back.

The rest of the ride to the guard house was in awkward silence. She wasn’t sure what had happened to the women and didn’t want to find out. She hopped out of the wagon when they stopped in front of the guard house and helped the rest of the women out.

Once finished, they went inside the squat stone building. The inside was rather severe looking, and of course, filled with guards.

She was led to a room near the back of the building. The lead guard pounded on the door.

“Come in,” a man said. He pushed the door open, and they walked into a plain room with a desk next to a window.

A well-dressed man sat behind the desk writing something on a large piece of paper. “Have a seat miss,” the captain said.

“Come with me you two. You can meet back up with her after she talks to the captain,” the lead guard said. He took Gwen and Lucy away, closing the door behind him.

Anna sat on a large chair in front of the desk. The man looked up at her.

“Would you care to explain how you managed to defeat one of the most infamous gangs in the city and break up a kidnapping ring all alone?” the captain asked.

“I just kept punching them until they stopped moving,” Anna replied.

The guard captain gave her a flat look. “Please try to be more specific,” he said.

“Fine,” Anna replied. “I was on my way home from the temple district,” Anna said.

“What time was it and who were you meeting?” the captain asked.

“I don’t know what time it was, but it was dark, and I was with three paladins at the temple of light,” Anna replied.

The captain sat up. “What were you with them for?” he asked.

“We were taking a bath,” Anna replied. The captain looked confused by this. “They thought I might be the chosen one, I’m not by the way, and because they barged in my house in the middle of the night to ask, they let me take a bath with them,” Anna added.

“I see. Tell me, what were their names?” he asked.

“Godfrey, Leon, and Matilda,” Anna replied.

The captain’s eyes went wide. “Gods, you’re telling the truth!” he said.

“Why would I lie?” Anna asked.

“Oh, forgive me. I didn’t intend to say that out loud,” he said.

I do that all the time.

“It’s okay,” Anna replied.

“Please, continue your story,” the captain said.

She did and told him of her night. It wasn’t a very long story.

Those men were nothing compared to the things I’ve fought before.

The captain wrote everything she told him down, and when she finished, he signed the bottom of the paper.

“We’ll have to corroborate your story with the temple, just a formality of course. Once that’s done, you’ll be free to go,” the captain said.

“Did I do something wrong?” Anna asked.

“Several of the men died,” the captain replied.

“Oh,” Anna said. She frowned. She hadn’t intended to kill anyone.

Is that what my friends are worried about?

The captain stood up. “Come with me. There’s a nice room you can wait in,” he said.

She followed him out of the office and down the hall. He opened the door to a small room with a window and a desk. There was a bookshelf as well.

“Feel free to read if you’d like. I’ll return when we receive word from the temple,” the captain said.

Anna just nodded and went to sit in the chair. She didn’t feel like reading.

They were bad people, just like those bandits, right?

She sighed. This had been different. Those men had attacked her and her friends. She had gone looking for these men and ended up killing a few of them taking out her frustration. She replayed the fight over and over in her head trying to figure out who had died before there was a knock on the door. She looked up and the door opened the captain stuck his head into the room.

“You’re free to go,” he said.

She left the room. The captain walked with her to the front of the building.

“Your companions are waiting for you,” he said.

She nodded. Lucy and Gwen were sitting in chairs. Lucy was looking at her feet, and Gwen was chatting with a guard who was politely talking to her. They both got up when they noticed Anna walk in. She left the guard house with the other two women in tow.

“So, where are we going?” Gwen asked.

“Back to my house,” Anna replied.

“You have a house?” Gwen asked.

“Yeah,” Anna replied.

“So, are you going to bring him along?” Gwen asked.

“Yes, and Lucy is a woman,” Anna replied. Poor Lucy was red-faced at the moment.

“How can you be sure? He looks like a boy to me,” Gwen said.

“I’m not a boy!” Lucy replied.

“I checked,” Anna replied.

“What do you mean, you checked?” Gwen asked.

“I felt between her legs. There’s nothing there,” Anna replied.

“It could have been tiny. If it gets cold and it's small it shrivels up to a nub,” Gwen said.

Anna looked over at Lucy. She’s not pretty, but I’m sure she’s not a man.

Lucy had a face that could belong to either sex and her thin body didn’t give any clues either as to her gender. Her clothing was loose fitting as well. All and all, it was impossible to tell one way or the other.

“Why does it matter?” Anna asked.

Gwen looked at Lucy and then at Anna. “I guess you’re right,” she said.

Lucy glared at Gwen. “I’M NOT A BOY, DAMMIT!” Lucy said.

“It really doesn’t matter, and we’re all going to find out soon,” Anna replied.

“What do you mean?” Lucy asked.

“I need a bath, and so do both of you, so I’m getting some coin, and we are going to get one,” Anna replied. She’d already had a bath that day, but now she was splattered in dried blood, so she needed another one.

I hope they can get this dress clean. It’s my only one now.

Her poor yellow dress was splattered with blood as well. She’d just have to stay home for a week if it couldn’t be cleaned.

People are weird about blood.

Her house wasn’t terribly far from the guard house, and they made it there just after dawn. Anna unlocked the door and went inside followed by her two new friends.

“Do you want to eat first?” Anna asked.

“Could we?” Gwen asked.

Anna didn’t feel like stirring the soup, so she just went to the pantry and got some eggs and bacon. She took the long-handled skillet from the rack and got a fire going. Once it was good and hot, she put the bacon on the skillet and started to cook it. The two women were hovering over her while she cooked.

“Go get a big plate,” Anna said, pointing to where the plates were. Gwen zipped over and got one. Anna flipped the bacon by hand a few times, one of the benefits of being what she was is that she didn’t need to use cooking utensils. Once finished, she piled the crispy bacon on the plate.

“Go put it on the table and get another plate. Don’t eat any,” Anna said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Gwen replied and rushed off.

Anna cracked the eggs into the skillet and took a long-handled spatula hanging from the mantle.

Can’t flip these bare handed.

She loaded up the plate Gwen was holding. They sat at the table when she was finished. Lucy got a few of the small plates, and they divided up the food.

Gwen dug in like a starved wolf causing both Anna and Lucy to stare.

Gwen looked up with a mouth full of eggs. “What?” she asked.

“And you think I’m a man?” Lucy said.

“Yep,” Gwen replied between bites.

There was a knock on the door. Anna got up and went to answer it. She opened the door to see a few dwarves standing out front, including the blonde one she’d hired to build her garden boxes.

“Morn’n, lass. Just letting you know we’re here ‘cause we are going to be making some noise,” the dwarf said.

“Thank you,” Anna replied.

The dwarf nodded, and then they started to measure her window, and she closed the door again.

Anna went back to the table where she finished eating. She got her belt and put it on hoping it wouldn’t tear the yellow dress. She went downstairs and remembered she’d left her new iron club with the guards.

Oh well.

They washed the dishes and then set out to the baths.

“Could you tell my friends I’m at the baths if they come over?” she asked the dwarves as she left.

The blonde dwarf just grunted in response. That was good enough for her, and they started to walk.

“I’ve never been to the baths before,” Gwen said.

“I can tell,” Lucy replied. Gwen stuck her tongue out.

The woman was filthy. Anna didn’t understand why she didn’t go get a bath. They were cheap enough.

Anna paid for her companions at the baths and went to the women’s section. Lucy stripped without hesitation, revealing a thin body with small breasts and a slit between her legs proving she was a she just like she had said earlier.

Gwen looked her over and then shrugged. “You have a boy’s face. You can’t blame me,” she said.

Lucy just made a rude gesture and put her clothes in the basket to be washed. Anna undressed as well, causing her companions to stare.

“Gods above and below!” Gwen said. She walked over and squeezed Anna’s breasts.

“Quit that!” Anna said.

“Sorry, I just had to make sure they were real,” Gwen replied.

“Of course they’re real!” Anna said. Lucy was still just staring. “What?” Anna asked.

Lucy shook her head. “Nothing, sorry,” she replied.

Gwen took off her ragged dress next.

What happened to her?

Gwen was far beyond skinny. Her ribs were showing, as were the edges of her hip bones. Her limbs were thin with joints looking like knobs. She turned away slightly. She had a pretty face, but now that Anna really looked, she noticed that the woman’s cheeks were sunk in, and she looked sort of ill.

Anna walked over to the attendant that sat in a chair next to the towels. She handed the woman her dress and a silver coin.

The woman looked shocked. “It’s my favorite dress, and I got some blood on it. Please try to get the stain out?” Anna asked. The woman nodded. “Oh, and could you get the red head a new dress? Hers is too far gone,” Anna said.

The attendant looked at Gwen and frowned for a moment. “I can miss,” she replied.

“Thank you,” Anna said.

Gwen had dropped her arms, and Anna looked at her chest. Her breasts looked deflated and just hung down like an old woman’s.

She looks like the people at the crossroads.

They washed each other off, not that Anna needed help. She was just being nice. Gwen was the worst of them, and both Anna and Lucy scrubbed her to get the caked-on grime off. Once they finished, they got into the bath and sat next to each other.

There were a few others in the bath, but being so early, it was mostly empty.

“So, what do you want with me?” Lucy asked.

“We need someone that can pick locks and spot traps in my party,” Anna replied. Lucy nodded.

“So just business then?” Lucy asked.

“Yep, nothing weird,” Anna replied.

“Well, I don’t have anywhere else to go now, so I guess I’ll say yes,” Lucy said.

“That’s good, but we have to talk to the others before you are in for real,” Anna replied. Lucy nodded.

“Makes sense. I take it you’re not the leader then?” Lucy asked.

“No, Voekeer is,” Anna replied.

“An elf?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, is that a problem?” Anna replied.

“No, it’s just I’ve never really known any elves. They don’t come to the slums that often,” Lucy replied.

“No one goes to the slums unless they have to,” Gwen said.

“Why were you in the slums?” Anna asked.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Gwen replied.

Anna looked at Gwen for a moment. The woman looked haunted for just an instant.

What does she want with me?