The World as it Should Be

Chpater 5



It had started with the boxes. They were just sitting on the docks, completely innocent seeming, just like any other box. Except Ripper and other animals didn't like them, and the dock workers and bruisers began to get sick. Others who came into contact with them began to feel ill too, and soon it was clear what the strange boxes contained and what their purpose was. The people who died, came back.



It spread with alarming speed, since the new ghouls were contagious, attacked the nearest person and even upon death could spread their disease. It also took just long enough for the symptoms to show that adventurers moving through Booty Bay could be almost anywhere, even across the sea. The Argent Dawn set up clerics around the major cities to keep the spread from entering them, and the Apothecaries in Undercity rushed to find a cure.



While others in Booty Bay had decided to either rush to other settlements or board themselves in their homes and wait it out, Treris had decided to seek her refuge in the wild. She camped out near the beach, between territory claimed by the Naga and where the pirates took camp. It wasn't safe, but she felt safer than she would near the road or the town.



The pirates were too concerned about keeping the plague out, and the Naga left her alone when she made it clear she would not be an easy target, and wasn't interested in bothering them anyways. So now she sat in watchful readiness, and in deep thought. Her readiness was for anyone who came near her, even if they looked normal, she had to be cautious. The deep thinking was over something Deydis had said a couple of weeks before, right before the plague hit.



It had been one hot afternoon in the jungle, where they had met. This had been happening with some regularity since his “shooting” lesson some months before. At first he had tried to play it off as a coincidence. She would be heading back to the Bay and run into him on the road, where he had clearly been waiting for her. Sometimes it was even as she was leaving the port to hunt, he'd happen to be going in the same direction. It always ended the same way, so she didn't mind all that much. Eventually she told him to drop all the pretense, and he did, happily.



After that it was a simple thing. They would leave town separately, meet out in the jungle once she had secured the area, and then fool around. His stamina was a match for hers and better yet, she had not gotten tired of him, as she had previous lovers. Deydis was always different, full of energy and always had a surprise up his sleeve.



Up until two weeks ago anyways.



“I'm going to be leaving soon,” he had said.



She stared up at him, not only because of this news, but because he had chosen to share this with her while thrusting into her. He had her on her side and one leg over his shoulder. It had taken some maneuvering on his part, but he had managed to find a good position to enter her from and had been steadily pumping for about a minute when he said this. Just as she was starting to really get into it.



Typical.



“Well I hope you at least finish before you do,” she said icily.



He laughed and then resumed, thrusting with the speed and concentration she had come to expect from him. Soon she was gripping the blanket beneath her while her mouth hung open in one soundless cry. He carried her through her orgasm, and showed no signs of slowing down. He rolled onto his back, pulling her on top. She immediately started to ride him, fast and hard, wanting to feel him come inside of her.



“Treris,” he gasped, “Oh that's amazing...”



He made a few more frantic thrusts into her before expelling himself inside of her. She leaned back and immersed herself in the moment, squeezing his cock with her muscles to keep him going a bit longer. After a few moments she rolled off of him and lay next to him, breathing heavily.



“Now...what were you saying?



“I'm leaving Booty bay for a bit,” he said between breaths. He looked at her, “have work to do.”



“Oh...”



He looked at her curiously, “You're not going to ask what or for how long?”



She shrugged, “I just assumed you couldn't tell me. Secret stuff. My sister did that all the time.”



She had forgotten about her sister it seems, being so caught up in her own adventures. Where was Sejova? The Darnassus priestesses had seemed interested in knowing that. So far she hadn't heard so much as a rumor about her rogue sister.



He looked at her for a moment before getting up and pulling his clothes back on, leaving her to her thoughts.



“Well that's life for people like me and Sejova, one day we're here, the next we're gone.”



“As long as you come back,” she said watching him carefully.



He turned and smiled at her, “Well I can't say no to a lady.”



That was the moment, she now thought, when she began to wonder about her lover. She had believed that he just enjoyed the thrill of fucking a member of the opposition, or even, she had dared to think, he might actually have cared for her in some obscure way.



But then he had said her name. Sejova. Treris was absolutely certain she had never mentioned it in front of him. Sejova, who was in the same business as he was. It couldn't be a coincidence. Not that big.



The next day she saw Janarra drinking in the tavern, and watched her keenly. She was the only person Treris could think of who might be able to answer her questions, or maybe allay her concerns. Deydis would have an answer, she knew, and more he would know she was suspicious. Of course, the orc could be hostile, she must have known about Treris and Deydis' excursions, they were too freqent not to be noticed by his other bedmate. But she had to chance it and talk to her.



The orc drank and then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She picked up her sword and shield and strode out, ready to face another day in the Vale. Treris followed her out of the port and down the road, keeping a good distance, and using her skills as a hunter to keep the orc tailed.



She turned a corner, and noticed that the tracks had left the road, they were right-



A sword appeared under her chin, accompanied by a soft chuckle.



“Well, this is a surprise isn't it?”



Treris sighed with disappointment.



“I hope none of teachers happen to see this, I must be out of practice.”



Janarra laughed and lowered her sword and sitting on a rock. She drew out a flask which she guzzled and then tossed to Treris. The elf sniffed it first, having had drunk with the orc before, but found it was only water. She cupped some in her hand and gave it to Ripper before drinking some herself.



“You were staring at me in the bar, you really don't have the subtlety for this.”



“I didn't get those skills I guess,” she answered, tossing the skin back.



The orc looked at her thoughtfully before asking, “You want to know about Deydis correct?”



“Yes,” she answered, blushing. Damned she was supposed to be in charge here, but Janarra knew everything before she did it seemed.



“Well I made it a point to not pry into his business too much, ruins a good partnership. But I know one thing, he is interested in you, and not in the way he's interested in anything female with a pulse.”



Treris looked down uncomfortably.



“But I think you've already worked that out. I don't know what its about, but I know he's been focused on you since we ran into you again here. And even that I'm not sure was an accident. We were in that village because he had wanted to go, he never told me why.”



“You're saying he planned us running into each other?” Treris asked incredulously. It was against all odds that they had run into each other.



Janarra shrugged, “How hard would it have been to figure out when you'd be on the road and where, I mean he was able to find you later right?”



Treris shook her head, “No, its too unlikely,” but even then her mind was working out the possibility that the orc was right. She had been in Stranglethorn, she had been told by other hunters to go to Hemet's, how hard would it have been to figure out where she was. Like Janarra said he had done it again when he started “accidentally” running into her.



She was starting to feel a cold grip on her stomach and was becoming upset. Janarra seemed to be able to tell and looked at her with something approaching sympathy. Treris began to feel anger towards her and lashed out.



“Why should I believe you?” she blurted, “you're just-”



“Jealous?” Janarra calmly finished for her.



Treris stared at her, unable to think of a response.



“Deydis said I was jealous hunh? Believe me, I'm not, its not like I believe for a second that what we have is love. We have convenience. We work well together and can fuck when we've got no one else.”



“Why did you yank me off of him that night?” the elf asked, losing her thunder quickly.



“Because I'm impatient like that,” she answered with a shrug.



Treris felt deflated. She was surprised at how upset she was feeling and angry. It was because she was angry at being used for something she didn't understand she told herself. It certainly was not that she might have actually been falling in love with him.



Now in solitude, she couldn't escape that. She rolled over in her mind what had really been going on behind those burning green eyes. It could not be a coincidence that Deydis and Sejova were both rogues, both did intelligence work and that he had known she was Treris' sister without her mentioning it. If that was the case, what was he after? He had never asked her about her personal life when they had been together, but if he was really that good, he wouldn't. He would wait for her to say something because she trusted him, because...



She stamped her foot in the sand in frustration. She did not love him. It had been a fling, a wild affair that was risky and fun. He was a good fuck was all. But then she remembered the way he had stroked her hair, held her close, said her name, and she felt like she was melting.



She needed a good distraction.



So it was good then that the brush behind her started rustling and Ripper growled.



Someone was coming.