You briefly think about emptying out the store's till and taking all that coin along with the Blue Dream to Flame, but is that really going to work? If Flame has already suddenly taken Zal hostage, chances are she'll just keep everything you bring and kill the pair of you.

It's an impossible situation and the more you dwell on it, the angrier you get. You're going there all right, but you're not going there to negotiate. You going there armed for combat.

You've never been one to seek out a fight; indeed you've usually always tried to avoid such things, be it from the law or other criminals.

But you have killed before, and you know you can do it again. And right now there has never been a better reason.

You don't know if you're going to survive this, as you're not some hardened bandit like they are. Indeed, you've probably gotten a little out of shape due to your less strenuous life. However, some skills you never unlearn. You're a rogue and you'll take them one by one silently if need be or die trying.

While your intention is going to try to be silent as possible, one can never be too sure, so you grab various small firearms you have in the shop and check and recheck them. You then grab a small hand crossbow and several bolts.

As prepared as you're going to be, you head out.

From past conversations with Zalmora, you remember the general location of Flame's hideout. Takes about a day, but eventually you find it thanks to Flame's people being fairly loud while wandering around the area.

You see two of them and mentally prepare yourself for the first casualties you're about to inflict in this task.

You sneak up and slit one of the bandit's throats. He makes just enough noise for him to alert his fellow, which you shoot in the chest with your crossbow. Fortunately you're close enough you can't really miss.

Two down, and who knows how many more to go. As Zal said, Flame's been getting organized so she's probably got more people than when you first met her. You picked a hell of a time to attack a bandit camp.

You kill three more, one nearly escaping to warn his fellows. He still made enough noise for someone to possibly hear so who knows how much time you actually have.

The funny thing is how easy this actually is, you thought you'd have a harder time of it, but so far these bandits have been putting up a pitiful showing. Maybe these bandits are so used to attacking defenseless travellers that most of them don't really have much skill in actual combat.

By the time you get to the camp however, they know something is going on as you see a few running back and forth and shouting. You manage to kill one more in secret before several of them finally spot you.

With no more element of surprise, you shoot two more and severely wound another before Flameflower comes out from her tent and demands that her people capture you alive.

You try to backtrack so you aren't encircled, but it's too late, you've been successfully outflanked.

You feel a bolt go into your leg and then another into your arm. You drop to the ground in pain.

You see one of Flame's people coming and you weakly throw a dagger at him before you feel a blow to the back of your head.

As you lose consciousness, you hear Flameflower's voice.

"Fucking hell, pretty boy got some fight in him! You know how I like me a badass, this is gonna be fun!"

Everything goes black.

When you wake up, you find yourself stripped naked, standing stretched out with your arms and legs tied to two poles. Flameflower sits nearby throwing pebbles at your face. Two bigger bandits stand near the tent entrance.

"Finally up. Shit, been waiting for what feels like forever." Flame says.
"Where the hell is Zal?" you utter.
"I'd be more concerned about yourself right now. Especially after what you pulled. Shit, you really made a mess of things pretty boy. What did you think you were going to do? Come in and kill all of us and save the girl like in one of those badly written fairy tales?"
"Something like that."
"Well that took a lot of balls I'll give you that. Shit, wish someone felt that way about me. I know none of these assholes would try to save me if I was being held hostage. Fucking romantic and shit y'know? Zal always did know how to pick 'em I guess."

Flameflower stands up and walks over to you. She begins caressing your upper body a bit and then moves her hand lower to just grope you.

"Mmm yeah. Now, I know you are probably feeling a wide range of emotions right now. The chief one probably being hate and anger, which I understand, but that shit isn't gonna do you any good except get you killed slowly and painfully."
"Where the fuck is Zal?!"
"THAT BITCH IS FUCKING DEAD! She was fucking dead before I even sent the note! I had my boys beat and rape her before they dumped her in the woods to let the fucking animals eat her dead violated ass. Thought about keeping her body around to taunt you with, but honestly, even I couldn't stand the sight of her. She was all nasty and gross looking. Cum and blood all over her fucking face, flies started crawling on her. I mean I nearly threw up myself y'know?"

You feel a southern "squeeze" on your tender bits, but that pain doesn't even match the pain you feel from hearing this news.

"You gonna cry over that dead cunt? Let me tell you something about Zalmora. That fucking bitch was a damn rat traitor. I have no doubt in my mind that she's the reason that the Klyton militia found our old hideout. You know how I know? Because in her last moments she even offered to trade YOU to me in exchange for her miserable life. So much for true love."
"That didn't happen."
"Oh? And you know this because you were here? You a fucking wizard or something? You don't know shit pretty boy. Nobody EVER really knows anybody. Especially when shit goes down. I mean you think Zal thought I was going to kill her? Of course she didn't. She thought in her arrogance that our profitable business arrangement was enough. That I was just some dumb ass that was easily appeased and granted, I was for a while. Shit, despite thinking she was a stuck up cunt, I didn't even really hate her, just was business."
"Business?"
"Yes. I decided on a better arrangement that didn't involve you two. But none of this shit matters now. What matters now is pleasure AND how much you want to live. Normally I'd just kill you and this would be over with, but I want that dick. Tired of fucking these smelly ugly fuckers. Want some of what Zal had for a change. A nice face to look at as I'm riding that cock. Now I'm going to get that, whether YOU want to or not, but the more willing you are, the greater you improve your chances."
"Better just kill me then because I doubt if I'm going to be up for that."
"Hah, you think I can't get you hard? Shit, I got several ways I could get you hard. I slide that dick down my velvet throat a few times and you'd be harder than a rock golem. I could have one of my boys here fuck you in the ass a bit. Saw that happen to a couple guys a few times, doesn't always seem to work, but still fun to watch though. However, I got a better idea because I want you to last and I want to enjoy this for as long as possible. Lou, get that shit you use on your dick."
"Um, the wart ointment?" Lou asks.
"No, goblin shit for brains, I'm talking about the stuff that gives you more stamina than the usual two pumps you do."
"Oh! Okay boss."
"In the meantime, I think I'll get a taste of things to come…"

As you stand tied helpless while Flameflower has a sword fight with you in her mouth, all you can think about is how the hell you're going to get out of this, along with how many diseases you dick is probably getting right now.

When Lou returns with a small bottle Flame tell him and the other goon to force your mouth open and turn your head up as she pours the contents down your throat. Tastes horrible, whatever it is, but you soon feel the effects.

"Well now. Looks like you really like me after all! Lou, Haylon, untie pretty boy here and get some help holding him down outside, I want an audience for this!"

After punching you in the gut to take the wind out of you, Lou and Haylon cut your ropes and drag you outside where some of the bandits start whooping it up. After a couple more punches to you face several of the bandits hold your arms and legs.

"Hey! Not the face boys! Like I said, I want him to have a clear look at these magnificent tits bouncing in front of him!" Flameflower says as she exits her tent completely naked.

Flameflower poses a bit to the cheers of her bandit buddies and then looks down at you as you remain helpless

"Yeah, I know I'm beautiful. Now brace yourself pretty boy, because you may feel a burning sensation…"

Flameflower lowers herself on you and you're convinced you just shoved your dick in a vat of lava. Flameflower's name has taken on a whole new meaning. You might indeed be as hard as a rock golem, but you sure aren't enjoying this experience.

You still don't know if you're surviving this, but even if you do, your dick might not.
This whole situation is just horrible as Flameflower laughs and people cheer her on and you're utterly powerless to stop any of it.

While it feels like forever, it's only been an hour and you finally release into her, though it feels more like a stream of fire.

"Aww! I was just enjoying that and I'm not done yet!"

Flameflower gets in close and whispers in your ear.

"I know what you can do." Flameflower says and licks your face before getting off of you.

"Get him on his knees lads, pretty boy here is gonna finish me off like a real gentleman. I want all of you uncouth louts to take notes!"

You are forced up and then slammed down to your knees by Flame's biggest goons. At this point you feel like you want to die, but somewhere within you, you still feel that spark of survival.

Flameflower stands in front of you and you're literally eye level to her nasty infested diseased hole. You nearly want to retch from the smell. Flameflower grabs a knife from one of her people, which she runs gently across the side of your cheek.

"Now, I want you to do mommy right. I want you to make me come hard and multiple times. You understand? Because if you don't, what you're experiencing now, can be ten times worse and much longer."

Flameflower begins pushing your head closer to her snatch and you're still trying to figure out a way to survive this.

"Wait, so if I do this…will you let me live?" you ask.

Flameflower starts laughing and then looks at you while roughly grabbing the back of your head to look at her.

"I'm probably still going to kill you. However, IF you show some enthusiasm, then MAYBE I'll keep you around as my lick bitch."

Flameflower holds the knife close to your head as she uses her other hand to push your head into her. As your face gets so close that you can now see the crabs, you close your eyes, mentally praying to ALL the gods that you'll be able to do this without puking or passing out from the smell (and/or taste).

Your tongue nervously starts to exit your mouth…

And suddenly an explosion deafens you and causes you to tip over and you aren't the only one. You look up in time to see the crowd around you disperse.

Another explosion occurs and this one is close enough that a few bandits get caught in it. Someone invested in some firebombs.

Meanwhile Flameflower is standing around barking orders at everyone and then her attention turns back to you.

"I don't know what asshole is attacking us, but YOU are not getting away. Lou, Haylon, get him!"

You quickly start scrambling away only to have Lou grab your arm. Just as Haylon is about to back him up, a shot is heard and Haylon's head partially explodes like a ripe melon.

More shots are fired causing Flameflower to run for cover as bodies start dropping. You punch Lou in the face causing him to let go of you and then grab a dagger from one of his sheaths and stab him in the neck with it.

You look around and that's when you see who it is that's been attacking.

Annah limps slowly around the camp, welding some sort of fancy repeating pistol. You didn't even know she had one of those. She's not missing a shot either, even with only one good eye.

Once again this woman is just full of surprises.

"I got this, go get that naked bitch!" Annah shouts.

Last time you saw Flameflower, she ran back into her tent, probably to get a better weapon, however there are still some bandits that haven't given up the fight and while Annah's a good shot, she's still going to have to reload.

You run after Flameflower

If Annah says she's got it, then you have no reason to doubt her since she seems fully capable.

You grab one of the crossbows off the dead body nearby and head to the tent that Flameflower ducked into.

As soon as you enter, you get there just in time to see Flameflower grabbing a pistol off her table. You fire just as she spins around to fire.

You hit her in the stomach causing her to crumple to her knees, however she manages to hit you in the face. You fall back as your nose explodes and your vision turns completely red.

Somehow you're still alive, though you're an incredible amount of pain and can hardly breathe as blood is filling up the hole where your nose once was. You choke up more blood trying to breathe through your mouth in between crying out in agony.

Meanwhile, Flameflower isn't dead yet and manages to crawl over to you to finish you off by stabbing you repeatedly with her dagger. It's a mercy at that point.