Of Beasts and Knights

Thorgar: *Turns to his men.* "Pitch camp, the usual watch." *there are nods, affirmative murmurs, and they get to it.*

with the exception of campfires and such, thorgar notes the beastmen do not really set up a camp. no tents or anything like that, or even beds. They just settle into the forest with no problems. The woman is shoved hard to the ground beside a tree trunk, her Bestigor handler stood nearby her. The beastlord meanwhile walks off to check on something with his men.

*The chaos warriors erect tents of hideskin, in varying shapes and sizes, marauders have various methods, usually a bedroll and a blanket by a fire. The camp is set up in an ordered circle, with the most respected warriors in the middle. and four paths radiating out, like spokes of a wheel.*

*Thorgar himself takes out an axe, sits on a tree root, and begins to sharpen it with a whetstone. He's ten metres or so from the woman, directly in her line of sight*

she looks at him quietly, looking away if he looks back

*In the breif moments of eye contact, she sees a fierce stubbornness in his eyes. Almost saying 'Make the first move. prove i'm not wrong about you'*

after a few minutes she looks around. she finds a sharper looking rock, and begins to, when the bestigor is looking, try to sever her bindings with it

*thorgar watches, but he does begin laying axes out on the ground next to him, within easy reach*

she doesn't seem to notice the axes. she does however manage to split her bindings. she then picks up the rock and sneaks up behind her handler. She smashes it round the back of his head, hard enough to crack a human skull. Being an armoured bestigor, they survive, but are knocked unconscious. She grabs his weapon, and goes to hack at his body with it

*as she raises the bestigors axe, she feels a hand seize her wrist. Thorgar is standing beside her an amused look on his face*

Thorgar: "Enough of that, unless you want me to hand you over to your lord."

After a little more struggling she sees it's hopeless, and stops

*He takes the axe from her, and lets go of her wrist.* "Do you talk, or have they cut out your tongue?"

"...I talk."

"You still have fire in you. I'm impressed."

"Not giving them the satisfaction."

*He smiles, a scar across his lip twisting* "Still loyal to your empire?"

"...Maybe"

"I'm surprised you're sane, nevermind loyal to anything. Slaves to beastmen don't usually last long. Nine months if they're unlucky."

"....Gives me something to cling to I guess"

*He steps back from her, no longer looming over her.* "Come, sit." *he sits back down against his tree.*

she does so, clearly nervous, but knowing she likely has no choice

"The beast called you an empire soldier. Which counts army did you sneak your way into?"

"...Alberich Haupt-Anderssen"

"Stirland hm?"

"..Was born there"

"So. What made a southern woman join the army?" *he draws a knife, and begins to run it along the whetstone in measured strokes. This close to him, she can see the network of scars crossing his skin, some battle-wounds, others appear to be ritualistic. She can also see finely worked metal pendants and such adorning his armour, chaos symbols. Along with a few of empire knightly orders.*

"Wasn't ever good at anything except fighting. Family was poor, starving. Figured the money from joining up would help them, and I'd actually be able to do something I'm good at."

"And then you came up against the beastmen."

"yeah... ambushed us on the march. We didn't stand a chance."

"Yet you fought anyway. More mettle than most southern men."

"yeah... minotaur came at my unit. Stabbed it through the eye with the end of my halberd. It staggered, blind. Gave me a chance to bring the blade down on it's skull."

"Mindless beasts are more trouble than they're worth." *he points his knife at the bestigor she clobbered*

she doesn't say anything. her gaze just shifts to the floor

"But they have their uses sometimes."

"Maybe"

*he continues to run the blade slowly across the stone, checking it occasionally by running his thumb along it* "Useless things don't last long."

she doesn't say anything

"You're useful to noone here. Being dragged behind a beast like a slave."

"Don't exactly have choice in the matter"

"You're not bound now. If it were that easy, why only do it now?"

"If you weren't here I'd probably be dead by now."

"None of them have noticed you. They're not so scared of me that they wouldn't question that." *Points at the unconscious bestigor*

"..." several bestigors are giving the pair looks but do nothing

*looks up from his knife* "Apparently they have." *snorts in contempt* "Apparently i overestimated, and underestimated them at the same time."

"You're morghur's chosen... dont think they'd dare to question that"

"Good. I need them to stay in line."

she says nothing, looking at her feet again

*Thorgar begins to slide the axes he laid out back into the loops on his belt, before standing up*

she doesn't stand up

Thorgar: "Are you going back to chains, or are you fighting?"