Together they head into the woods, finding some slight tracks here and there, but the Gaul has left few traces, meaning that it's taking a while. Agorix looks at Aulus, after she examines a a broken branch. "So..." She looks at him. "Tell me, do you like Maat, or is she just a conquest?" She begins walking slowly as she tries to find the next of the tracks.
'You really want to talk about this now? We might give away our position,' Aulus said, before he continued anyway, 'Well, if you're curious. I don't really know. She seems like a nice woman, but it could all be an act.' He shrugged, 'I'm not really important and she took an interest in me, at least that's genuine I think, seducing me wouldn't get her any advantages with the general or anyone really. Traitor, defector, double agent, triple agent? Who knows what she really is?' He scratched his head, 'It was nice while it lasted, but I don't make myself any illusions about it going anywhere serious.'
"We're nowhere close, I can tell." Agorix shrugs, and listens to him, as they walk through the woods. "Hm, sounds interesting enough. You're a realist, I gu-". She holds a hand out to signal for quiet. "Those tracks, see them?" She points to some footprints. "They're recent. Derva's close by. How do you want to handle it?'
'I doubt she'll give us any other options than to kill her,' Aulus said, 'Priestesses tend to be fanatics.' Cautiously and silently, Aulus followed Agorix' lead towards their target.
Heading through the brush, they see the redhead, busy obscuring her tracks. She draws a knife and reacts quickly, but the priestess is no match for two soldiers. After a few seconds, Derva lies unconscious on the ground. "Whoo." Agorix wipes sweat from her brow. "So, what do we do with her?" She makes a throat slitting gesture, "or do we bring her as a prisoner?"
'Well... since we got her at our mercy, I think we take her with us. I don't like killing people in their sleep or knocked out. It's not right. I don't know if she'll be executed or brought back as a slave, though,' Aulus said, 'I'll carry her.' Aulus took the priestess in his arms and started to walk back to the Gauls' camp, 'You think we should wake her when we get back to the others and ask what this whole ritual was about?'
Anai frowned as she walked. "Nothing too serious I hope?" She asked. "Do we have to change plans?" She turned to look at Taia.
Maat frowned. Pesca might have read her mind wrong... or was it right? "Same old. Anai is preparing to cleanse the city of traitors. I am almost sure that she found the majority of your agents... and hidden forces." Maat took a sip of wine. "She employed Gauls to spread terror tactics, to spread you tin." She looked at the general. "She will not wait nicely in town, waiting for you to starve her out."
"You are soft for Roman." Agorix chuckled, then shook her head. "No, not here. There might be other's from Nane city around, and there might be other Gallic forces we missed." She looked around. "Better to leave the place then to tempt the gods."
'Let's bring her back to our lines and report that this group of Gauls has been dealt with,' Aulus nodded. When they returned to the clearing, he informed his men that they'd return to the Roman siege line. Gathering some cloth to bind the unconscious Gaul's arms and legs, the party left the clearing back towards more friendly territory.
Heading back to the Roman lines, Derva awakens. "She calls you weak, Roman, and yet you do nothing..." She cackles. "Perhaps she's right." Agorix looks at the bound priestess with a mix of indignation and embarassment for letting her friendly jibe be overheard. "Quiet, or you won't be getting back to camp with all your pieces intact." Derva chuckles again.
"Not at all." Taia smiles reassuringly, squeezing her mother's hand. "Everything will be fine. In fact, if things go right, they could be better than fine."
'You've got some nerve for someone in your predicament, priestess,' Aulus laughed and spanked Derva's bum for emphasis, 'Be thankful that I'm "weak" or you wouldn't have woken up.'
Derva gives a sardonic chuckle as he strikes her ass. "You think this makes you strong?" The Roman lines come into sight in the distance. "I could show you true strength."
'I'm not trying to prove anything to you,' Aulus said, 'And you can keep your rituals to yourself or whatever you are driving at.'
"Very well, Roman." Derva shrugs, as Aulus passes through the Roman lines. "I hope you don't regret it..." The sentries lead Aulus and his squad to the tribune from before, who gives a stiff salute. "Ah, you succeeded, then. We'll take the Gaul from here. I'd like to hear your report."
Aulus put Derva down at the tribunes feet and reported what had happened in the woods. 'This is Derva, the leader of the pack of Gauls,' Aulus said, 'You will to interrogate her?'
Two soldiers arrive and begin to manhandle Derva away. "I'm sure the interrogator will ask a few questions before we end the savage. I wanted to crucify her, but the General countermanded the order, something about not riling up the other barbarians." He speaks with little regard for Agorix, who's still right next to Aulus. "Why? Did you want to do the 'interrogation?'"
'No, I'm no good at that, I'd like to know what she had to say once she speaks, though,' Aulus answered, 'With that dealt with, is there anything else, tribune?'
"Not for right now. Get you and your men some rest. You've earned it." He salutes again, before heading off.
