The Second Circle was in anarchy. Bottles of ale had been smashed, contraceptive Illithil plants upturned in their pots, curtains ripped from their hanging rails and strewn around the floor. Food had been bought, half-eaten, and the remains thrown at the walls. The air rung with the sound of breaking glass, whoops and hyperactive cackles. It drifted through the floorboards like a bad smell, conspiring to fill the upstairs room that I lived and whored out of. I sighed, combing my hair back from my horns, and checked myself over in the mirror for what might have been the hundredth time that evening.
 
Kobolds. I didn't know how many, but it sounded like a lot. Now, I don't mind Kobolds. Most of the ones I'd met had been entirely pleasant people, in their own way. But the thing about Kobolds is that, given they only live for a scant few decades, they're determined to eke every drop out of life that they can. Which means they're loud, they're excitable, and they only ever stop moving to sleep. And they don't sleep for very long. One Kobold is fine, three is manageable; anything more than that is utter chaos.
 
Normally, being visited by a loud, large band of vigorous thrill seekers is the sort of thing that would get the Circle's hodgepodge crew of working girls (and its few men) moving with almost military precision. We would get them sat down and pass out a round of free drinks to start them off, then circle the group, fetching refreshments and pulling them away in ones and twos whenever one made to catch our eye. Carlotta, the owner of the bar-slash-brothel, would take away a hefty pile of money in drinks and food, while we would all get a night's payment for our services, without any one person needing to take on more than they could handle.
 
I'd seen and participated often enough. On a couple of occasions I'd even stood in for Carlotta if she was ill, using a three-way combination of obnoxiously short skirt, raised tail, and missing underwear to keep the mob excited until they'd all been shared out amongst the others. A small smile crept over my narrow, fine-boned face. Once, I'd even been cajoled into slipping under their table and playing the fluffer, which had amused the other whores to no end. Of course, by the end of the night I'd earned more on my knees than any of them had on their backs, which shut them up right quick once we'd tallied our respective takings.
 
Another riot of noise echoed up from below, and my smile faded a little. Things could be different tonight. A sudden rash of fever had swept through the district. It was nothing lethal, thank the gods, but there aren't many people willing to pay for *** with someone who might be contagious. And most of us end up with enough stringy white stuff on our faces as it is without having to worry about hawking up snot and plegmn as well. I had been lucky enough to avoid it - those extra days I'd spent with Hurthul, the minotaur, up in the forests paying off - but now those of us who were left were going to have to shoulder the burdens of our sickly comrades. Still, there were three other girls besides myself ready to go, two roped in at short notice. Things should be fine, I told myself
 
There was a knock at the door. "Ireela?" Sabine, another one to escape the disease, called. "Are you ready?"
 
I stood up, smoothing down my dress and examining myself in the mirror one last time. A tall, slender woman stared back, her curves small but well-formed, her honed physique wrapped in deep red skin. All things considered my dress was reasonably plain - I doubted I'd be wearing it that much - but the slits down the side did a sterling job of showing my long legs, and the back-and-forth sweeps of my muscular tail had a habit of parting the hind slit just enough to expose the tops of my thighs. Glossy black hair bounced around my shoulders, parted by a sizable pair of backwards-swept horns, each wrapped in fine gold chain. A few sharp fangs gnawed anxiously at my bottom lip.
 
"Yea, I'm ready."  I called back. "If they don't like us, tough."
 
"Beggars can't be choosers, right?" Sabine said as I joined her on the landing. She was human, shorter and curvier than me, her ******* barely held in by a dress that would have been considered obscene in three countries. She gave me a look of mock indignation at my expression.
 
"Oh, shush. You got the sexy infernal temptress thing, I got-"
 
"Udders?"
 
"Yea. They'll have to pay extra if they want me to moo, though. Even in this job a girl has to have some dignity, right?" 
 
We both laughed as we walked down the stairs, though our good humour died off a bit as we entered the large downstairs room. It was, as the name of the establishment suggested, a large circle of smooth, marble-like stone, seemingly grown rather than built by the elves who had first established the city. Tall, arching windows dominated the front of the room, while glowing crystals, hammered awkwardly into wall-brackets by the humans who had moved in once the elves departed, cast a gentle red light over the scene. Small booths had been cut into the walls. Each could be hidden from view by a drawn curtain, so a client might discuss prices with his chosen partner in privacy before heading upstairs. 
 
It had also been trashed. Broken bottles lay everywhere. Discarded food soaked into the carpets. A few of the crystals in their brackets had come away from the walls. Their lights danced and flickered unevenly, casting strange shadows over the assortment of tables scattered throughout the main drinking area. A few other patrons lurked near the bar or around the edges of the room, casting dirty looks at the source of the disturbance. 
 
The Kobolds, perhaps half a dozen or so, had packed themselves in around one of the largest, central tables. They whooped out boasts and wild stories to one another as they ate and drank, occasionally leaping on or across the table, brandishing their weapons at invisible, long-slain foes. It was difficult to tell them apart from one another - they were only around four feet in height, their thin, scaly bodies painted with complex blue and purple woad. Narrow, fanged muzzles grinned and snapped. Bright, lively eyes flashed too and fro, as if they were desperate to watch every corner of the room at once.
 
I winced at the sight, casting a pained look at Sabine. The Second Circle was my home, after all. She shrugged in return. The other girl just worked here. This wasn't personal for her.
 
Carlotta was stood in her usual spot behind the bar. Like the building it was circular, a large ring of polished wood normally staffed by at least two more people. She gave us an apologetic smile and waved us over.
 
"I'm afraid it's just you two tonight." She said, raising her hands to silence the groans of disappointment on our lips. "Frelda has to look after her mother, and Sammi's feigning the pox. You know how the girl hates working groups."
 
"You're joking." Sabine groaned. "She can't serve drinks? Or clean?"
 
"At least Frelda's got an excuse." I said, glowering off into the middle distance. "Where does Sammi live about? I've got half a mind to head over there and drag her here by the hair."
 
"Aye, well, to be fair," Carlotta said, "Not all the girls have your enthusiasm. I can't say I wouldn't be tempted to take the night off in her position."
 
Sabine shot me a look. "So, how are we doing this? Half and half?"
 
"No chance. I need one of you two down here cleaning and fixing. The other's gonna, well..." Carlotta trailed off. "Have her hands full. So to speak."
 
I became suddenly aware that both she and Sabine were looking at me very intently. There was a wariness in Sabine's eyes that had previously been absent. Carlotta did have a point. I was lucky enough to be in this job because I enjoyed it, not because I strictly needed it, and I was certainly one of the most open-minded girls when it came to strange requests or clients. Part of me resented their assumption, though. I wasn't some bottom-of-the-barrel trollop who had to scrape a living from clients too strange or rowdy for the other girls. Even if I was going to end up spreading my legs for the whole party, I damn well wasn't going to do it out of some misplaced sense of obligation.
 
"Oh, come on. We're not going to draw straws? Toss a coin?" I said, crossing my arms and lashing my tail in irritation. "Friendly reminder, Sab. You need the money more than I do."
 
"You know what Kobolds are like, Ireela. They're warriors." Sabine said. "They're attracted to people who can fight. And you're the one who goes around raiding tombs and...and stabbing goblins, or whatever it is you do. Not me."
 
"And you're the one with boobs the size of her head and an arse like a cart-horse." I shot back, jabbing the other woman in the chest with one pointed fingernail. Which was a bit of an exaggeration, but I wasn't feeling particularly charitable at that moment. "You know the lizards go mad for that sort of thing."
 
Carlotta rolled her eyes. "If the pair of you are going to start fighting, do me a favour and strip down first. I might be able to eke some coin out of our guests for the show."
 
Sabine and I huffed almost simultaneously. "Why don't you both just go over there and let them pick?" Carlotta continued. "Before they level the place."
 
"Oh, fine." Sabine turned and flounced dramatically towards the Kobolds, who barely seemed to have acknowledged our presence, much less our little spat. Carlotta and I shared a look, and I quickly moved to catch up with the other woman, strutting angrily after her and tucking a stray lock of hair back into place.
 
There were eight of them in total, their scales ranging from greys and blacks through to tawny browns and dull reds. Each of the Kobolds carried a weapon that seemed almost comedically oversized for their wiry little frames. They were dressed in a motley assorted of furs, leather, and armour fragments, most of the latter scavenged from larger suits and re-purposed to fit their smaller bodies. Even as they turned towards us, their large, expressive eyes lighting up in excitement, I was already picking through the pack in search of some kind of leader. He wasn't hard to spot. An older Kobold watched us with a measure more restraint than his kin, his one eye gleaming in the flickering red light. The other was hidden behind a leather patch, and his grey scales were covered in so many whorls of woad that from a distance he looked almost completely blue. Something about his gaze made me shiver. There was a hardness to it that I'd rarely seen in his kind. 
 
"Gentlemen. I'm afraid we're a bit short-staffed today. I'm Sabine, and this is Ireela." The other woman had already launched into her usual opening spiel. I rolled my eyes and squeezed past her. Catching the grey-scale's eye, I snatched a half-emptied glass from the table. Several of the other Kobolds snickered and whispered to one another in their native tongue, but their leader remained unmoved.
 
"It will be our pleasure to - " Sabine was still rattling on. I cut her off.
 
"Tonight, one of us will be honoured to serve you great warriors!" I shouted, raising the flagon and toasting the table. "In whichever way they so desire!" There was a manic surge of movement as the Kobolds scrabbled for their own drinks, or cutlery, or bits of food that could easily be waved around. The ale was swill, the sort of cheap, flavourless muck that would get a four-foot tall lizard roaring drunk after one glass, but I hammered what was there down in one swallow and slammed the glass back on the table to a deafening chorus of whoops and cheers. 
 
"If you were going to throw yourself at them from the start, why the hell did you start up at me earlier?" Sabine hissed in my ear. 
 
"Like you said, darling, we all have to keep hold of our dignity. And the only person who pimps me is me." I whispered back. 
 
It wasn't that I necessarily minded dealing with the whole group of Kobolds on my own. I'd done larger parties, and parties of larger men, happily enough in the past. But they needed to choose me. They needed to want me and me alone, to be so desperate for my touch that they would turn over money to secure it. 
 
By the looks some of the Kobolds were giving me, I didn't think that would be terribly hard. 
 
"Only one?" Grey-scale spoke up. He clicked his tongue. "Kraktik's warriors best nomad-clan around. All powerful males. Young, energetic." The elder Kobold laughed, the sound dry and crackling. "Very virile. Only one girl, eh? Have to keep up with whole clan."
 
"Yes, well, Ireela here specialises in groups." Sabine said. There was just enough poison in her voice to tell me that I hadn't been forgiven for my jabs about her figure. "So, if you like, I'll fetch another round of drinks, and - "
 
I grabbed the other woman by the arm before she could walk away, grinning ferociously at her bleat of outrage. "Sabine's selling herself short. What greater reward could you give your clan than the attentions of such a fine-figured young woman?"
 
Kraktik let out another laugh and snapped his long jaws in amusement. "Red girl Ireela raises good point. Many clan-kin obsessed with soft human flesh." He waved his hands in exasperation. "Will confer."
 
Sabine forced a grin as the pack of Kobolds dived together - literally, in the case of those at the end of the table - and started chattering in the rapid-fire language. "Ireela, if they pick me, I'm putting your name down on the sign-up list for Tessica's animal show next week" she muttered, her eyes narrowed menacingly. I shot her an easy smile.
 
"Sorry, Sabby, I don't **** dogs." I said. "I turned down that table show with you last week, remember?"
 
One of the Kobolds, a sandy coloured creature with a vivid red frill running down his head, broke away from the group and scuttled up to us. Sabine yelped as he grasped her buttocks, rolling them back and forth in his small, clawed hands. After a moment she grimaced and relaxed, letting the creature finish examining her. It poked and prodded, sliding its fingers under her dress, before pulling away and scuttling over to me. Knowing what to expect, I raised my arms and spread my legs a little as the Kobold went to work, testing, exploring, comparing me to the other woman. The others watched carefully, and I shot the group a little smile as their representative groped me in front of them. I felt his hands on my buttocks and my thighs, his claws prodding at the tight muscles of my belly. 
 
One of his kin chirped something, and he suddenly ducked low and shoved his head under my dress. Normally that would be a liberty too far for someone I hadn't taken money from, but I could feel Sabine's eyes boring into me, and I damn well wasn't going to back down in front of her. The Kobold's breath hissed, and a moment later I let out a sharp squeak of surprise as his tongue lapped against the inside of my thigh. It worked up and down, sliding steadily closer to the hem of my underwear, and I let out a trembling breath with every slick motion. The other Kobolds stared eagerly, judging my reaction. My skin prickled under the collective weight of their gazes. I stood a little taller, thrusting my pert chest out a little further, waiting for the first lap against the thin material shielding my lips from the little lizard's attentions.
 
It never came. Kraktik clapped his hands. "Likkli, come. It is decided. We take red girl. She shows more spirit."
 
The Kobolds let out another round of whoops and cheers, banging their fists against the table in celebration. Likkli pulled out from under my dress, giving me a dirty grin as he scuttled back to the mob. I returned it, daintily fanning myself with one hand. Sabine shook her head.
 
"Gods, Ireela, you are such a slut." She said.
 
"Yes, but I'm a very, very well-paid slut." I shot back, laughing and slapping her backside as she retreated to the bar. "Go and fetch us some drinks. Gentlemen!" I called out, swishing past the Kobold and clapping my hands, beckoning them to follow.  "You got that little show for free. Let's talk prices." 
 
We retired to one of the booths around the edge of the room. They were designed to be what one might politely call 'intimate'; three or maybe for people at a push could squeeze around the little table behind the curtain. Being packed in there with twice that number of scaly little bodies was an interesting experience. Likkli and another either side of me, while Kraktik and the other five piled up opposite, stacking themselves like dominoes to fit in the limited space. Even so, the tips of their crocodilian snouts were barely more than a few inches away.
 
Well, they were going to be even closer before long, I thought. One of them, a dull greenish creature, craned forwards and licked my face. Kraktik snapped at him, but I waved the elder Kobold quiet and planted a dainty kiss on the end of the other's nose. He let out an excited squeal and fell back, pawing at his snout. Kraktik rolled his eye.
 
"You see why we pick you, red girl? Whole clan, whole night. Need spirit and energy more than..." he cupped his hands over his chest, as if holding Sabine's larger bust. "We pay. Fifty gold."
 
I leaned backwards as best I could and draped my arms around Likkli and his companion, letting them nuzzle in against my sides. "For a whole night? Ten a head."
 
Fingers poked and prodded as we discussed prices. Likkli was at it again. I felt one of his hands working under my dress, the sharp little points of his claws on my ******, and wondered if this was going to be the first time with someone outside his species. Several of the others tittered to themselves, and a small smile tugged at my lips. I didn't mind. If it excited them, if it made them want me more, they could do anything they damn well liked. 
 
And frankly, it was exciting me as well. I could already feel a giddiness building inside, the rush of blood that came from standing upon a precipice, ready to jump. It was the same feeling I always had when negotiating prices. It was control, control over whether to say yes or no, to have the power of setting terms and limits - but once they were set, to pass into the service of my client. To make myself worth something, then dare them to meet it.
 
Their eyes bored into me, undressing me in their minds. I wondered how much they valued what they imagined. Likkli's claws brushed my nipple, and I let out a sudden, high-pitched gasp of surprise. There was a dampness on my thighs, and it wasn't just the Kobold's saliva.  
 
"Ten each? Hah! Kraktik not foolish. He can hire three girls down at docks for that price. Sixty."
 
 "Yes, and you'll come away with all the cross-species diseases you can carry." I leaned forwards, hoping my face wasn't too flushed, that I didn't look too eager. "Look, you're not just buying my body. You're buying willingness. I want this to be good, for all of us."
 
Kraktik sniffed. "Sixty-five."
 
I squirmed and reached down, slipping a hand between my legs. A twinge of pleasure shot through my as I peeled my underwear off and tossed it to the green-scaled Kobold who had lapped at my face. The pack had suddenly gone very quiet. Even Likkli had ceased his groping. 
 
"Ask your friend there how much he thinks I'm worth. You want me? I've got three rules. No animals, no hard bondage, and nothing that hurts badly enough to leave a mark. I'll take you all, and you can take me however you like, as often as you can manage."
 
I gave them a sultry grin. My heart raced madly, hammering against my chest. There was a wildness in my eyes, and I could feel the first, gnawing pangs of need creeping up through my body. This was the moment of truth, where I danced on the edge of the precipice, waiting to see how much I was worth. "But I won't do it for less than eighty. Take it or leave it, boys."
 
A few of the other Kobolds whispered to their leader. Kraktik glared at me with his one eye, his expression hard. Then he nodded. "Red girl drives hard bargain. We agree."
 
I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. Two purses of gold were produced and slid across the table. My arms were shaking with excitement, and it was impossible to stop a grin spreading across my face as I snatched them up. "Well then," I said, disentangling myself from Likkli and his companion, "follow me."
 
---
 
My room at the Second Circle was hardly the boudoir of a princess. The sheets were cotton and not silk, the furniture was solid but hardly antique, and the assortment of little paintings that hung on the walls were mostly my own less-than-stellar works. But it was warm and dry, it had a bathroom with hot water piped up to it, and it was free of lice or vermin. Considering I'd grown up in an impoverished farming village and spent my first few weeks of city life living out of decrepit bedsits, I felt I'd done none too badly for myself.
 
The Kobolds chattered excitedly as I ushered them up the stairs and into the chamber. I only knew a little of their language, and picking one set of words out of the babbling cacophony was almost impossible. Some took the opportunity to introduce themselves to me. There was Tasikak, a red-scaled brute who stood several inches taller and broader than his brethren and claimed to have the strength of a dozen men, a darker creature named Sliklik, Takkadi...
 
It probably sounds callous, or dismissive, but in many ways it didn't matter. I listened and smiled out of politeness as I closed the door and lit some incense. The scent of rose petals began fill the room, and from behind me, I heard the clattering of armour being removed. When dealing with groups of clients, I'd found there was a point where individuals rather cease to matter. Any more than three men at once all but forces you to abandon the idea of treating them as separate people, and concentrate on handling the group as a whole. In some ways that's a shame. I enjoy meeting people, and I like knowing that they enjoy my company as well as my body. But on a more carnal level, there was something exciting about simply abandoning one's restraint and becoming subsumed by the mob.
 
By the time I turned around, most of the Kobolds had stripped down and clambered up onto my bed. It was hardly a small thing - this was a whorehouse, after all, and the room had been decorated with that in mind - but between them, they almost entirely filled it. Kraktik alone remained distant. His weapon, a long pole-arm, had been propped up against my writing desk, and he had turned the chair around to collapse down in it. He looked like a savage king squatting in a newly-seized throne, and I wondered if he might ask me to play the part of the conquered queen. An eager shudder passed through me at the thought. I could feel my own urges building, the need to be touched and filled. Looking at the eight bodies awaiting my attentions, it was faintly reassuring to know I wouldn't have to wait long.
 
A lot of people think Kobolds look faintly absurd, and while I couldn't honestly say they were my idea of male perfection, they weren't ugly either. They were short and wiry, yes, but their bodies were tightly athletic, with strong bands of muscle tensing beneath their glossy scales. Old, knotted scars hinted at the mad riot of their mayfly lives. Large eyes, eager and brimming with excitement, followed me as I approached. They were sort of cute, for four-foot high barbarian lizards, and it was impossible to see their sudden focus upon me as anything but a soaring compliment.
 
Well, I thought. I would be a poor host if I kept them waiting longer.
 
I flicked the straps of my dress away from my shoulders and raised my arms high over my head. Several of the Kobolds let out appreciative oohs and aahs, pushing past their kinsmen in front to get a better look. Batting my eyelashes coyly at the gang of Kobolds, I swung my hips left, then right. With each movement my tail lashed sinuously out in the opposite direction and my dress slipped a little lower. Likkli and a few of the others produced long pipes, dashing to where they had left their belongings and scuttling back again. It wasn't long before curls of heavily spiced smoke began to rise towards the ceiling, mixing with the more delicate scent of my incense.
 
Some of them shouted encouragement, others cackling and demanding that I hurry and strip for them. I grinned and shook me head, then spun around and pushed my backside out towards them, bending and lifting my tail so they could see the glimmering wetness of my own arousal. Now, that got a cheer, and when I twisted back around, my heart jumped in excitement at the sight of their erections beginning to slip out of their internal sheaths. They weren't much to shout about - I mean, your average Kobold is only four feet high, it wasn't like I was expecting much - but that hardly mattered. I hadn't lain a hand on them, and the knowledge that they were already hard, that they wanted me so badly, kindled the growing fire in my belly even higher. 
 
Perhaps I rushed the end of the dance. I twisted and writhed, eager to move on, to feel that mass of bodies working over mine. The dress fell away, first over the pert mounds of my dress, whispering past the tightness of my belly, and with one last artful flick of the hips, slithered down into a shadowy pool around my ankles. I stood before them, ***** aside from the wide, proud grin on my face, letting their eyes roll over me and bathing in their applause. 
 
Tasikak beckoned me forwards, his other hand wrapped around the base of his prick. "Come-come, girl. Show us was pretty mammal lips can do."
 
The air was thick with smoke, and I felt myself growing a little dizzy as I swaggered over to them. My skin flushed a deeper red and tingled with something unfamiliar. It wasn't just arousal, though that certainly played its part, but something else. Something stronger - not just a longing, but a physical urge to be touched that crawled through my ***** body. I paused, suddenly uncertain, glancing at their pipes. Several of the other Kobolds were squirming eagerly, long tongues lapping at their sharp little teeth. Whatever they were smoking was clearly having an effect on them as well.
 
"Are you...you drugging me?" I said. A thin needle of panic wormed its way through my consciousness, almost strong enough to dissipate the tingling feeling. It was growing stronger, worming its way deeper, leaving me hot and short of breath. The Kobolds grinned in amusement, their slitted eyes glittering with humour. Or malice, perhaps. The worst of their kind were known for playing cruel, often lethal, tricks on the taller species. "You know I, I'm already bought and willing, right?"
 
Likkli grinned around the narrow end of his pipe and blew a long plume out from between his fangs at me. I coughed and tried to wave it away.
 
"Red girl is willing, but there is willing and there is willing." He said, a tiny stress on the last word. "Is nothing dangerous. Kalish leaf. Lowers inhibitions, makes one more sensitive." He shrugged his bony shoulders. "Can be mild narcotic, if you take too much."
 
I glanced at Kraktik, as if seeking some kind of reassurance. He rolled his eye. 
 
"Likkli speaks truth, you have Kraktik's promise on that. Upon the honour of my kin and clan, you will not be harmed. Go. Have fun." He waved dismissively at us.
 
Even with the older Kobold's reassurance, I still found myself hesitating. There was a fine line between placing myself in the hands of a group of men so they might have their way with me, and allowing myself to be plied with a foreign drug that might not have the same effect on one species as it did on another. I might have lingered longer, or even returned their money and ordered them out, if it wasn't for the increasingly delirious effects the narcotic smoke were having upon me. There was a sweet, aching fire in my blood. My legs barely felt capable of holding me up. I shuddered with desire, every inch of my skin demanding the release of another person's body grinding against it. 
 
I took a little consolation from the fact that the Kobolds looked barely able to contain themselves either. Sliklik was salivating openly and most of the others had a hand on their erect cocks, precome already glistening at the pointed tips. My only response when two of the Kobolds leapt up and took hold of my arms was a sudden, sharp intake of breath. Mind spinning, body thrumming with tension and need, I allowed myself to be led onto the bed and lain down at the center of the mass.
 
They were on me in moments. I was surrounded, a lone island of red skin downing in a sea of lithe, scaly bodies, but my misgivings only lasted a few seconds longer. Their hands were everywhere at once, touching, groping, exploring me with a ***** excitement that I rarely found in a man. I was something new to them, something tall and soft and glistening with sweat, something utterly different from their own women. Those first few caresses struck me like lighting. The Kalish smoke in my lungs them into something divine, sending shocks of pleasure cascading through my aching body. 
 
My hands flailed, grasping at their tight chests, long fingers blindly stroking the long scars that marred their painted scales. The first and boldest of them thrust their organs within reach, letting out trilling cries as I began to stroke them. Another straddled me, his **** dangling in front of my face while his companions mauled my ******* and pulled my legs apart. I felt hot breath on my slit, what felt like a dozen sharp claws on my bust, and finally let out a long, throaty cry of release as one of the little creatures -  Takkadi, I think - took a long, succulent lap along my folds. 
 
My mind blanked for half a second, overwhelmed by a gut-punch of ecstasy that almost forced a climax from me then and there. The Kobold straddling my chest took it as an invitation to slide his prick between my lips. He pushed my head back, hands firmly locked around my horns, eagerly thrusting into my mouth. Normally I hate that - I hate people not letting me move my head around during oral - but at that moment I didn't care. The one between my legs worked with clumsy enthusiasm, eagerly licking along my folds in time with my muffled cries. Two of his companions chirped encouragement to us both. I could feel their eyes on me, greedily relishing the way I bucked and heaved as his tongue slipped into my heat. It writhed inside me, lapping against my tight, silken walls and drinking deep from the source of my arousal. 
 
My eyes rolled backwards and I clamped my thighs shut around Takkadi's head, holding him there, pulling him in closer until his scaly nose ground against my clit. Lightning snapped through me like a whip, a sharp, clear note amidst a riotous barrage of stimulation. I sucked his companion harder, the forked tip of my tongue playing along the fleshy nodules that studded the base of his prick, as if bringing him to his peak would release the climax that clawed at the edges of my consciousness. His taste filled my mouth, rich and bitter, and I moaned around it as that delightful tongue probed over my most sensitive depths.
 
One of them came, at least; there was a thin hiss and a sudden warmth over my fingers. I beckoned blindly as the Kobold slipped away, and soon another organ had been pressed into my slippery palm. Another nibbled my ear, gazing longingly at me. I shook my head, knocking away the hands around my horns, and turned to plant a quick kiss on his nose.
 
"You'll get your turn." I whispered, grinning. I held the expression as his spurned kinsman decided to finish with his hand what I started with my mouth, painting long strings of pearly seed along my cheek. 
 
Perhaps, if it hadn't been for the narcotic, I would have acted with more restraint. I might have taken then in ones and twos, or at the very least, tried to enforce a little more control over the mob. Then again, perhaps not. Tiefling blood burns hot by nature; our passions, for good or ill, are easy to inflame. No matter how important it was to remain in control of a client, it was so easy to get caught in the moment, to be swept away in the sheer, mind-addling pleasure of the now. So perhaps it wasn't all that surprising as, after the world turned white and I came around Takkadi's wonderful tongue, things only became more manic.
 
It was like trying to make love to a hydra. The first was on me before I had come down from my climax. My legs were pulled apart, Takkadi beating his chest and whooping exuberantly as another - Tchik, I think - took up position and plunged into me. His first thrusts caught the dying aftershocks of my first orgasm and dragged them out until they were almost painful, rocking my body with stabbing pangs that left me whining and shaking like a leaf. Pillows were brought and slid under my back, presumably to prop me up against the headboard so I could better service the lizards who crowded around my head. For my part it gave me a wonderful view of the Kobold as he ****** me, his claws digging into my thighs and his tight, wiry little body straining fit to burst.
 
He was not large - none of them were - but the odd nodules along his shaft plucked at my lips every time he slipped clean of my heat. The memory of Hurthul's massive organ was fresh in my mind, but this was a different kind of pleasure. He had been huge, and slow, the density of him filling and stretching me until I could barely think. Kraktik's clan was an overwhelming assault on the senses, a barrage of probing hands and tongues and pricks that never slowed, never stopped, easily satisfied but never satiated. There was little I could do but lie there, languidly pleasing whichever two Kobolds were loitering closest with my mouth, while the others passed Kalish pipes around and took turns between my legs. 
 
The delightful haze of narcotic smoke worked its way deeper and deeper into my body. It filled me like the heat from a fire, leaving me saturated in a warm fuzz of pleasure, punctuated by the sharp pinpricks of claws and the sudden, ecstatic peaks of my own occasional climaxes. Neither was I the only one getting off. Something about the drug seemed to be prolonging our stamina. While it allowed me to drift through the heady fuzz of bliss without needing a break, the Kobolds were truly indefatigable. They came, shooting warm streaks across my prone body, filling my mouth with their bitter taste and pouring their seed into me, but barely needed more than a few minutes before they were once more pawing at me for another turn. They painted me white just as they painted themselves blue or purple, marking me as if I was one of them, until it trickled down my curves and soaked into the sheets around me.
 
I felt, in a way, like a queen surrounded by servants. Though bought for their pleasure I wallowed in my own, hands my sliding over their althetic, scaly bodies whenever they found themselves empty. In truth that was little more than a convenient fantasy. The Kalish left me addled and stripped of my normal self-restraint (and yes, I do have some self-restraint, before you say), allowing the passions of my bloodline to run rampant.
 
Eventually, thought, it was too much. I was exhausted, my sticky, glistening body wracked with deep aches, enough to cut through the haze of pleasure that still danced insistantly through me. My movements were slowing, the way I bucked my hips up with each of their thrusts and cried out for more giving way to an irresistible lethargy that made it difficult to do anything more involving than lift my head. As if sensing that something had changed, most of the Kobolds broke off. They scurried to the edges of the bed or retreated to perch on my chairs or tables, their big, golden eyes watching me carefully.  
 
They probably thought they'd done some lasting harm. Concern, be it for my well-being or their own freedom, began to spread across the crocodilian faces that peered at me from all corners of the room. Even Kraktik, still slouched in his chosen seat, frowned. 
 
Likkli crawled forwards, his tail twitching anxiously. He took one of my limp hands and gently tugged it.
 
"Eh, is red girl Ireela well? Not hurt, is she?"
 
Several of the other Kobolds muttered under their breath. My head rolled back, hitting the headboard with a dull clonk, and I slowly let out a monumental breath.
 
"By all the gods in all the lands, that was something." I gasped. Everything hurt. Everything from my head to my toes and tail was filled with a dull, muscle-deep pain. It felt like I'd run a dozen marathons. And yet, below that pain, there was a certain euphoria - a sense of bliss, contentment, even triumph. I took another breath and gazed down the length of my body, shaking my head in disbelief. "You guys really wrecked me, didn't you?"
 
Kraktik snorted with laughter. "You see how, why we choose you? Needed energy, enthusiasm. Your friend not keep up."
 
"Shame this one not have big human ******* though." Another interrupted, plucking a pair of ripe jolla fruit from my bowl and holding them up to his chest, provoking a flurry of sniggers from the others. I rolled my eyes, scooped a dollop of come off my ******, and flicked it at him. 
 
"Bah. See, we pay for whole night, we expect whole night. Or until whole clan satisfied." Kraktik continued. I turned to stare at him in shock.
 
"You mean you're not done?" I asked. I still felt barely able to move, let alone go for another round. Being set upon by the horde a second time so soon probably would have broken me. "Can - can I have a break? I didn't think it would be so, so..."
 
"Good?" Takkakdi cackled, thumping his chest a second time. I groaned. "Just...someone go downstairs and order some food. You can all take another turn with me once I can handle you like a professional again."
 
Kraktik glared balefully at his kin, snapping off a few questions in his native tongue. There was a brief argument amongst the other Kobolds, rapid-fire salvos of clicks and chirps shooting back and forth, before the clan elder silenced them with a wave and nodded to me. I let out an exhausted sigh of relief and slumped backwards as Tchik and one of his fellows hastily dressed and scurried downstairs, leaving me to drift off into a sticky doze.
 
The sound of the door closing brought me back to my senses. Sabine was there, passing out platefuls of cold meat, cheese, bread and fruit. Perhaps half an hour had slipped by. I felt more awake and the aches were already starting to fade, and gave her a cheery smile as our eyes met. Neither of us were squeamish. We'd seen one another in similar messes before.
 
"Really glad that's you down there and not me." She said, laying my plate down on the end-table. "You sure you're okay with this?"
 
I laughed a little. "You're missing out, it's really - it's something. It's really something. We're going for round two in a little bit, if you want to join." 
 
She blanched. "Yea, I'm gonna pass on that, Ireela. I'll do your laundry afterwards if that counts." The other woman shook her head and gestured at my prone body. "Don't expect me to hand-feed you though."
 
"I think I can get someone to help me with that" I said, reaching up and stretching. Likkli scooped my plate up and hopped onto the table, laying it across his lap and passing me a piece of cheese. There was a series of clicks and pops from my shoulders and I groaned in relief, then suddenly had an idea. "Actually, there might be something you can do. Sammi still has that hookah, right? She keeps it in the loft. If that bitch isn't going to lend me a hand in person, at least she can do it in spirit."
 
Sabine cast a suspicious look at some of the cold, burned out pipes left lying around, then shrugged. "Sure. Have fun, everyone."
 
Likkli passed me a few more morsels of food. I folded my arms behind my head and relaxed, sighing contentedly as I ate. I was a mess, lying amidst a tangle of soiled sheets, covered in dried sweat and come, and surrounded by a gang of hyper-sexed, four-foot tall lizards aching to **** me like the whore I was. But I felt content. Still a little sore, still a little tired, and honestly, kind of still wanting to be ****** like the whore I was. It was probably just a combination of the food, the nap, and the comedown from the Kalish, but it was contentment. At the very least I certainly wasn't going to waste the chance to catch my breath before we kicked off the festivities again.
 
We talked for a while as we ate. I asked Kraktik why he hadn't joined in, curious as to if he found me displeasing in some way. The elder Kobold brushed my concerns off. He was old, he explained. Kobolds were lucky to live past forty years, as we counted time, and he was thirty-seven. I felt a little sorry for him, but crotchety bastard suddenly gave me a wide, fanged grin and a look that was every bit as lascivious as those his kin gave me.
 
"Besides," he said. "Ireela wants to save the best for last, eh?"
 
We all laughed at that. Eventually Sabine brought the hookah in, setting the bulbous glass and metal contraption up on a small stool in the center of the room. Its six long hoses drooped like the tendrils of a dead octopus. I felt a little twinge at the sight of it, anxiety and arousal in equal measure tinting my thoughts of what was to come. Many of the Kobolds were growing restless by then, idly stroking themselves and climbing back up onto the bed with me. Likkli, the sneaky little git, even took my last piece of bread and with a whisper in the ear of his nearest friend, sent it around the pack while I was distracted chatting with Kraktik. By the time it got back to me, it was sodden with come. They'd all masturbated onto it, and now they sat, watching intently to see what I'd do. 
 
I didn't know if it was a test, a joke, or something else entirely, but the taste and texture of a man's load has never bothered me much, and it wasn't the first time someone had offered me soiled food. "You lot are going to have to do much better if you're trying to shock me" I said, and swallowed the thing in three bites to a chorus of applause.
 
That, I think, was the signal for us to restart. I still felt the odd pang of discomfort when I moved, and I certainly didn't have the energy to kick things off with another dance, but I told the clan to move the hookah within reach and load it up with Kalish. Kraktik looked at me with a questioning expression in his one eye as it began to bubble, thin drizzles of smoke drifting from its hoses.
 
"Look, your kin got two hours out of me when I was breathing in their smoke, right?" I said, a hint of challenge in my voice. "If you seriously want the rest of the night, I'll be damned if I'm not taking it right from the source this time."
 
I felt a sympathetic twinge of discomfort from between my legs, a sign that the aches hadn't fully dissipated. Kraktik chuckled. "Bold," he said. "As Likkli said, can be hallucinogenic. But, you much bigger than us - maybe it not affect you that way. Or maybe it take much more before it does."
 
"I suppose we'll see." I murmured, bringing one of the hoses to my lips and inhaling. I drew the smoke in, held it in my lungs for a few seconds, then blew it out again in a long plume. At first nothing seemed to happen. It tasted sweet and spicy, and I felt myself growing a little lightheaded, but that was all. Sliklik motioned eagerly for me to take another breath. I did so, followed by a third and a fourth, while my companions shared the other hoses amongst themselves. It took a few more draws from the hookah before the Kalish finally took hold, but when it did, it took my breath away. 
 
Now, blessed with a sensitive body and an active libido, it usually doesn't take much to get me going. I'm used to a few covert touches and some dirty thoughts being enough to spark my arousal, but even then, it takes time to build to its peak. The Kalish was something else entirely, and the second-hand smoke I'd enjoyed earlier was nothing compared to the real thing. The world seemed to dim into a pleasant haze, while a wild, burning passion exploded into life within me. It was mad and furious in its intensity, burning in my chest and spreading through my tired limbs like wildfire. 
 
My senses had become much sharper as well. The other Kobolds clustered around me, passing the hoses around between them. Every scar and scale on their lovely little bodies was picked out in maddening detail. I could even smell them - Kobolds don't sweat, being lizards, and I took that to mean they had no natural scent. But it was there, dry and spicy, like the little bowls of dried flowers Carlotta used to perfume the Circle's main room.
 
Some of the other Kobolds noticed my reaction. They chuckled at my wide eyes, the sudden gasp and shock on my face. "Is good, ya?" One of them said.
 
I couldn't answer them, not right away. But it was easy to see why they had pounced on me with such energy. The aches I had been left with were gone, replaced by something else - a insatiable longing to be touched, a gut-deep ache that cried out to be filled. People often accuse Kobolds of being hedonists, using their short lives as an excuse to indulge beyond the realms of common decency. At that moment I came to understand two things. That those people were right, and that the idea of common decency was a crock of shit anyway.
 
They fell upon me a second time, then. The first thrust was a both revelation and a crushing disappointment. I felt everything, every ridge of the reptilian prick that slid inside me, exploding like a torrent of fireworks. But it wasn't enough. Every fiber of my being cried out more, harder, deeper, and those initial moments of ecstasy quickly gave way to an aching frustration. I shoved whichever unlucky Kobold had been the first to dive on me away and rose from the bed, imperiously striding around to the footboard and bending over it. There was a brief flurry of angry conversation, followed by a slapping noise. Amidst the gabble of foreign words, I picked out the word 'ass' and jabbed a finger in the direction of whoever said it.
 
"He's got the right idea. Bring a chair around. There's lube in the end drawer."
 
Another flurry of conversation, the sound of wood scraping on wood. I was shaking with anticipation, gnawing at my bottom lip. I felt as though the heat raging in my chest would consume me if it wasn't satisfied. Something cold and greasy probed at my rear entrance, testing the tight ring of muscle there. The sudden shock drew a thin cry from between my lips. It pushed harder, easing me apart, then was replaced by the feeling of a pair of hands on my buttocks. Claws nipped at my skin, and something wonderfully warm and hard began to work its way into me. And that - that gave me what I wanted.
 
There was none of the initial discomfort I sometimes feel when a man takes my ass. How much of that was due to the drug and how much to the slightly smaller prick inside it, I don't know. But I clung to him like a vice, craning up on my tiptoes and lifting my tail as he slid home, grinning in drunken pleasure as he filled me. I was beautifully exposed, my legs braced tightly and my top half jutting back over the bed, and the lusty expressions of the other Kobolds felt every bit as good as the organ tickling my insides.
 
I couldn't use my hands, of course, but they didn't seem to mind. Some hopped up onto the bed, one grabbing my horns and guiding his **** into my mouth. He held me steady, letting the thrusts of his partner set the place, while I hummed in pleasure and lathered him with quick flicks of my tongue. Others swarmed around my legs, lapping the arousal from my thighs, laughing at my sudden squeaks whenever their long tongues brushed over my lips. A few - and in a way, this was the greatest compliment of all - seemed happy to watch, tugging at themselves and as they bathed in the sight of me bent over and ****** by their fellows. 
 
The hookah was brought around, clattering awkwardly as a Takkadi and Slikwik struggled with the height of it, and the hoses shared out. Sometimes I would turn my head and be presented, not with another drooling prick, but a smoking mouthpiece offered by one of the little lizards. I lavished my attentions on both equally, blowing smoke in their faces and laughing as they came. Some shot over my back, their seed running to pool at the base of my spine, while others plunged as deep as they could and flooded my bowels with warmth.
 
We changed positions now and then. I remember finding myself on the floor, lying on my side being ****** from the front and from behind. Carpet-rash burned on my elbow and one long leg was waved in the air like a flagpole, but I cried out in ecstasy, grinding back against the  pair of invading organs as they drove me into another climax. I lost count of how many times I peaked, and past a certain point it felt like I was surfing from one to the next, helpless and adrift on a drug-fueled sensory tide. There was a ***** pleasure in it, a raw honesty that reduced us to our basest instincts, seeking the overwhelming high of pleasure for its own sake.
 
I don't know how long we lasted. Sometimes I would only have a single partner, and I would take him like a lover, winding my body around his and gazing at him through the haze of Kalish smoke as he ****** me. Other times I had as many as a dozen at once. They would crowd around me like snakes in a mating ball, taking me however they could while I pleasured the others with my mouth. I felt the tip of my tail wrapped around one over-eager prick, another thrust into the cleft of my armpit. Come dripped and trickled from me in warm, sticky streams, mixing with my sweat until every inch of me glistened in a pearlescent sheen. Everything seemed surreal and dreamlike, and I found it increasingly difficult to tell what was real, and what was simply brought on by the Kalish. At one point I awoke from the mad haze at the base of Kraktik's seat, a look of utter bliss on the Elder Kobold's face as smoke drifted from between his fangs. His **** was between my lips, my head resting on his knee, every bit the beautiful slave-princess at the throne of her barbaric master. He came down my throat, and we laughed, and he lifted his eyepatch to show another, perfectly healthy eye hidden behind.
 
Slowly, though, exhaustion began to creep up on us. I found myself entertaining fewer and fewer of Kraktik's kin at a time. They broke off one at a time, retreating to the edges of the room to watch. Some ate and drank, but if another round of refreshments had been ordered, I wouldn't have known. That was the first sign that I was starting to come down from my own high - I felt, for a moment, a sudden spike of guilt at the idea of Sabine seeing me so enslaved to my passions. It faded quickly, but nevertheless, reality slowly began to reassert itself. I realised my throat was dry and burning and my legs ached horribly, and that someone had moved me back to the bed. Kraktik perched on the footboard, a gleam in his eye. His tail swished back and forth.
 
"Saving the best 'till last?" I murmured, barely aware that I was speaking. "So this is the last?"
 
He grinned, wide in the way only a lizard can, his fangs gleaming despite his age. "Probably only got a year or two left in me" he said. "Might be the best for last for us both, eh?"
 
I blinked. Something about that tugged at my brain, but in my current state, I couldn't think clearly. Instead I frowned a little.
 
"How many eyes do you have?" I asked. Kraktik grinned and raised his patch, showing me the gnarled mess of scales and tissue where his eye should have been. 
 
"Huh. Hallucinogenic." The word came out as a slurred mess and I laughed, once, the sound barely more than a tired puff of breath. Kraktik hopped down and slid my legs open, just as the first of his kin to take me had, sliding easily into me. Without the Kalish to fire my senses and block out the discomfort, I was half-numb and barely felt him at first. Kraktik leaned over me, rolling my hips up until he pushed into me from above, and the scaled end of his snout loomed over my face. I slowly closed my legs around him, holding the old warrior in place as he began to move. 
 
I'd been ****** gods only knew how many times that night, but he was the only one who made love to me. He stroked my ******* with the back of his hands and lapped gently at my nipples, working through the dead feeling that had settled upon me until I gasped and sighed beneath him. His thrusts were slow and measured, slowly working my battered insides as if he were a masseur rubbing the tension out of my back. I half-closed my eyes and slumped back, a lazy smile creeping over my face. Warmth built inside me, coaxed into life by Kraktik's rhythmic motions. I moved my hips in time with him, whispering encouragement to us both as it spread through my body, reawakening my spent passions for one last high. Kraktik began to move faster and I draped my arms around his shoulders, murmuring a little louder as I felt myself beginning to come. There was no sudden tension, no scream of passion, no mad high of pleasure. He nursed me over the edge with shocking gentleness, and my final climax of the night came as a long, soul-deep sigh of relief. 
 
Kraktik tensed above me. He shuddered and hissed, then withdrew, rolling off and flopping down next to me on the bed. Likkli grinned at us from the other side of the room and gave me a thumbs-up. I stared blearily at him, so tired I could barely keep my eyes open, and returned the gesture. Then my arm dropped, and I collapsed into slumber.
 
---
 
It turned out that I wasn't the only one. The Kobolds ended up paying for another six hours of the room and just went to sleep then and there, leaving the money for me as a tip. They were long-gone by the time I awoke. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that. They'd left me an utter wreck, covered head to toe (and inside and out) in their dried seed and on bedsheets so badly soiled I had to throw them out and buy new ones. I was so sore, it felt like I'd been beaten and sodomised by a gang of orcs, and the aftereffects of the Kalish left my head ringing abominably for days afterwards. Worse, it also left me feeling awkward and introverted for the best part of a week. 
 
There is a line, somewhere on my rather patchy moral compass, that separates responsible sluttery from dangerous sluttery. Sometimes that line moves, and sometimes it's hard to tell where it is, but it was impossible to deny that I'd taken a running jump straight over it that night. It's difficult enough to reign in the most excessive of my natural passions without addling myself with drugs at the same time, especially drugs cultivated for an entirely different species. I got off with nothing worse than a headache and and an awkward look the next time Sabine caught my eye, but for all I knew it could have been poisonous.
 
But they hadn't been bad people. There was something sweet about them, as if they were walking caricatures, though I doubt you'd find one who'll thank me for calling them that. Kraktik's ominous words to me gnawed at my mind, and for a few months after our encounter, I kept an ear to the ground in the hopes of hearing some news about him. One trader who visited the Circle mentioned he'd passed on the road a group of seven Kobolds heading to the city of Vrondun, but hadn't gotten a good enough look to tell if one was wearing an eyepatch or not. Maybe it had been them, and one had died along the way - their exuberance means many Kobolds lose the chance to die naturally. Maybe Kraktik had perished of old age somewhere along the road. Maybe it had been an entirely different group.
 
Maybe, maybe, maybe. I was used to dealing with people on such a short-term basis, coming together for an hour or a night then never seeing them again. Normally it doesn't bother me, but the idea - imagined or otherwise - that I'd been part of some kind of last hurrah for Kraktik before he died gnawed at me. It felt like I should have done something special for him, or at least been awake to say goodbye when he left.
 
In the end, I never did get an answer.