Chapter 4

The first crack of morning sun penetrated Emilia's skull.
- "Nnnngh," she summarized, and rolled around. She hazily recalled downing quite a few ales and shots of Tazok's special moonshine after the treasured wine had been finished. She didn't quite remember retreating to sleep, but it seemed that someone had made a soft bed for her with a pile of pillows. She twitched her nostrils. She thought she could smell dried ink and blood. Incredulous, she took a closer look at her blanket. Someone had drawn black and red flowers onto it with ink and blood. At least Emilia thought they were flowers. Either that or bags of flour. She wasn't sure she wanted to know where the blood was from.
Oh yes, the bandit camp... she hid her head under one of the pillows to escape her headache and mercifully fell asleep again.

Half an hour later Sarevok woke up, rather abruptly as was his wont. Even he had a bit of nagging hangover, even though he usually didn't drink much. He could only guess at the condition of Emilia and their host. He was not sure, but Tazok seemed quite taken with Emilia. Could the bandit leader be a man for his sister? Well, a half-one. He was aware that the standards of beauty were quite different among humans and the green-skinned folk. Emilia was good, he guessed. Otherwise she couldn't have helped him change his outlook. But her goodness was easygoing and goodnatured, jovial benevolence... not preachy and firm. Oh. They had promised to talk to Tazok's troops. Sarevok groaned too. What would they want to hear? Gory details? How much loot did they find and from where?

Tazok, a veteran of many hangovers, downed a gallon of water, cursing the lack of coffee at the camp. Should really rob one of those caravans from Maztica... He grabbed his knife from his belt and sliced some dried and salted meat on a plate, together with bread and cheese. He approached the pile of pillows he had directed the staggering Emilia to.
- "Um, lady. I have some breakfast for you."
- "NNNNNGH!" Emilia burrowed deeper down the pile of pillows.
The helpless Tazok sat down. Usually, when people didn't react the way he had anticipated, he threatened, blackmailed or just backhanded them. But in this case it didn't seem to be a good idea for more than one reason, one of them being that even hungover, Emilia could kick his ass to the deepest pit off Abyss, if the rumors of her power were true. And... as strange as it seemed, he would rather hurt himself than this lady. He had never felt like that. In ogre society, women were wenches. They were there to give birth to more warriors. True, the strongest of them served as warriors too, but usually they just took care of housework and the steady supply of new bandits.

- "... someone mention a breakfast..." Emilia croaked, lifting one of the pillows cowering her head just a little.
- "Yeah. Here. Eat," Tazok said. Emilia's eyes were brimmed with red now, but that didn't diminish her astonishing beauty the least in Tazok's eyes. With amazing grace she wolfed the salted meat down.
- "... water..."
Tazok slapped his forehead for forgetting the obvious and hurried for a fresh pitcher. Emilia downed it with one gulp. Only then she did really notice him.
- "You were waiting for me with breakfast ready," she said, smiling so sweetly.
- "Me rarely get a lady of your repute as guest," Tazok said, trying to be gruff and nonchalant.
- "These bloody... figures. What is their purpose?" Emilia asked.
- "Me hear ladies like adornments. Adorned the blanket," Tazok said, hoping it didn't sound foolish.

Emilia's eyes widened as he noticed the bandage in his arm.
- "And you took the... material from your own arm?" she asked, her expression hard to read.
- "Aye. Not many caravans carrying paints and pretty silks."
Emilia took another look at the flowers he had taken great care to draw onto her blanket.
- "I... I really like the adornments. Well. At least the fact that you thought of them," she managed.
- "This means a lot. Having you as guest. Why you not a bandit? Or warlord?" Tazok was frowning, as he had given it some thought already.

-"Why should I be?" Emilia asked, puzzled. "I have all I need. I like to ride around and help people, if they need helping. Mind you, they often think I am about to rob them just because I'm a half-orc."
Tazok didn't understand the comment. Of course half-orcs were supposed to rob people. What else was there? Except with Emilia. He was more and more intrigued with his guest.