'Drop your weapons, you're staying here with us, unarmed and bound. I'm not risking you going back to whoever sent you after us,' Aulus said, approaching the spy to disarm him.
"Oh, for the-" The man turned to him annoyed. "We don't have time for this! General will not make his move if he is not sure that his slaves are not in the way!" The man now all but exclaimed, annoyed.
'Then show me his symbol and you are free to tell him that they are safe,' Aulus said, 'Otherwise, you are staying.'
"Symbol?" The man frowned. "I have nothing like that!" He growled annoyed. "Listen, I am not some special agent or spy. The general just got me job to do, and that's what I am doing!"
She gulps, nervous. "Er, um... Yes, Ma'am." Tentatively, she undoes her robe, letting it fall to the floor and exposing her curvy body.
"The punishment for turning against your leader is decimation." He lets the word sink in. "If any among you wish to try and strike down your general, you're free to try." He flips the sword, so that the blade faces him, and the hilt faces his men. "Anyone who wishes to kill me, take the sword, and make your attempt." He smiles. "Aim well, though. The last assassin couldn't kill me, and believe me when I say that you don't want to be around if you fail again." He holds the sword out. "Anyone?"
The man raises his blade, but Barbarous and another man grab his arms and hold him tight. "Damn it, man, I'm on your side!" He cries out. "Aulus, right? My name's Marcellus, I grew up not far from your estate! You believe me, right?" Looking at the man, Aulus thinks he might recognise him from his youth, but in the light it's hard to tell, if it even matters to Aulus.
'Oh, a fellow Palatinate?' Aulus chuckled, 'We might be on the same side, that's why I'm not killing you, same as the sentry. If you don't have Pesca's symbol, you've not been sent by him. I don't know who sent you, but I won't risk you telling anybody about our whereabouts.'
The man sighs. "Fine. But you'll feel ridiculous about this later, when the general chews you out." Barbarous forces Marcellus to sit down, where it's harder for him to bolt. The spy looks around nervously, before looking back to Aulus, as things settle down. "So," he asks, "how's that slave girl of yours? You finally make a move on her before you left for Sicilia?"
'You want to talk about women now?' Aulus chuckled, 'I'm sure she's fine, and no I have not. She liked one of the other slaves at our vineyard. Forcing myself on her because I am her master would've just made her hate me.'
"Why not?" He chuckles. "Not like I have much else to do." He gestures to the men looking down at him and making sure he doesn't run. "You should have. She liked you too, and besides, a Roman is better than a slave." One of the men on sentry duty approaches. "Sir." He salutes. "I went out near the camp. It's in chaos. I didn't hear fighting, but there's shouting, and plenty of people moving around."
'Did the General make his appearance already? Let's hope the Egyptians stay docile while it all happens,' Aulus said. He looked around for Agorix, 'Agorix, the General knows you, think you can get into camp and tell him his family is safe with us?'
The Gaul nods. "I think so. Hopefully the sentries'll be distracted. If they're not, though, I make no promises about them. Either way, the general will get his message."
"Hmm" Anai hums as she looked the woman over. "Good. I like what I see." She paused. "Well, go on, what are you waiting for?" She asked, smirking.
As Qintus gives the offer, no one seems eager to take it. Some men are looking at him with fear, some with admiration, some with relief, some with... devotion. Was that how the Nane governor felt? A silent murmur went around the crowd. "General... general..."
There's a nervous quiet for a good while, before the scout returns. "She's back, sir." The men begin looking towards the returning Agorix. As they do, Barbarous gives a shout before falling to the mud, as Marcellus stands up, sprinting for the treeline.
The pretty dark skinned girl gulps again in nervousness, before she strides forwards, leaning up and kissing Anai.
"That's what I thought." Pesca nods, and sheathes his blade. "I thought, and I was correct, that you are loyal, honourable men of Rome. The traitors, who even now call themselves general, thought otherwise." He walks among them, his speech growing in volume. "They thought you nothing more than treacherous dogs, willing to sell out your own mothers for a handful of coins. They thought that you were little better than slaves, to be used and discarded for their whims! They despise you, but I know better!" He continues to pace, whipping his men up into a fury. "I know that there are no men I'd rather fight besides, no men that our enemies fear more, than you!" He draws his sword once more, pointing it in the direction of Andros and the other traitors. "Even now, they laugh and celebrate how they own you. I'm about to head down there and tell them the errors of their ways. Who's with me?"
