Thread: Astride the World ( sunspark + Yenpointfive )

Crail was the other half of the reason people tended to underestimate them. While people didn't see what Mirah was capable of because she was a woman people saw him and assumed that the man in simple leather armor that had been painted with stripes of red was simply a squire. This was partially because he carried no weapon. The closest thing he had to either armor or weaponry was his right arm, which bore a metal gauntlet and a steel pauldron. The whole thing was for defense rather than attack, just giving him something to block with other than his bare hands. Not that he couldn't if he felt like it, it was just safer this way. He didn't need weapons though. If his sister and her men were an immovable object then he and those few that went with him were the unstoppable force. Centaur skirmishers hadn't expected humans who would shrug off arrows and could actually run them down if they cleverly exploited the fact that centaurs didn't turn as well. Sucker punching a centaur at full gallop had been something he never knew how much he was going to enjoy until he actually did it. Crail wasn't as broad as some of his men. He stood just as tall as any of them. It ran in the family. But where they were used to hauling supplies or hefting their bodies in armor his muscles were for two things, sprinting at enemies and beating them with his fists until subdued. Lithe though he was every inch was rock hard muscle. His hair wasn't as long as Mirah's but was similar in color, clashing nicely with his devilish green eyes that he'd gotten from their mother. As they stood in the courtyard he grew a little tired of waiting and reached over to his sister, gently looping his arm around her and cupping one of her breasts. She really couldn't feel anything through the armor but it was fun to tease. He leaned in and kissed her cheek playfully, knowing if he did much more they were going to end up in their tent when they needed to be out here. The fact that the siblings kept each other company for more reasons than just to discuss strategies was the Legion's worst guarded secret. It wasn't as if anyone would actually stand up to them for it. That would have been suicide. I've got one picked out I think you'll like... He said, just in time for the century to sound the horn that let them know their soldiers were returning. Speak of the devil... Crail purred Sure enough, the soldiers soon entered the courtyard with their slaves in tow. They would circle once before having the centaurs line up. These wouldn't be all of the survivors, just the ones who might fight or the ones that were probably going to be most pleasing to the men and women under their command. Crail searched the crowd for the one he wanted and stopped the soldier leading him. Over here! He called. Yes, bring the meta-human, obviously. He said indignantly when the soldier conveyed the question of whether or not to let the centaur line up with the other slaves. The boy that Crail had picked out was sporting a nasty looking bruise on his jawline but was otherwise quite cute. He had expressive amber eyes and jet black hair. Like most centaurs his fur matched. He wasn't as big as some of the massive centaurs whose bodies mimicked draft horses. Instead his sleek black lower half looked like the sort of horse a noble owned to show off. Crail didn't want his sister to think he'd picked her out a softer centaur just to mock her though and motioned for the boy to stop in his tracks. The centaur did so. It was clear who managed to clock him in his cute jawline. Turn to the side a bit... He ordered and the boy begrudgingly did so. Crail motioned to look under him a bit. For a smaller centaur this one was downright hung, sporting a thick sheath and huge balls for his size. Crail leaned over and kissed his sister's cheek softly. Cute, prone to submission, and endowed more like a minotaur than a centaur. Do I know what my sister likes? He asked with a smirk before noticing that there was a female centaur trying to go slowly through the procession as she passed this one. Wait... is that your sister? He asked the boy. Those expressive amber eyes went wide and he grew paler, glancing behind him. He paused for a moment and slowly turned back. That was a cruel trick, sir. My sister died in the attack... He said, prompting a hearty laugh from Crail. If you were quicker on that lie I'd have eaten it right up. You are going to be fun. He said wickedly, motioning to the soldier. Bring his sister over, would you? I'd like to congratulate her on her miraculous recovery from apparent death. He said, watching the horse boy's face sink as he realized that his lie hadn't worke.