Snippet #2824270

The Argosians continued to hold the front line with Reginarus taking command from behind the phalanx as Livia and some of the others started devising a plan in the ranks behind them. Ingeniously, the Legata had thought to use strychnine to poison the ulfhednar, preparing rations of food in hopes that they might take the bait.

By now, the dozen or so wolfcoats in front of them had stopped moving, most of them passing out or suffocating from a lack of oxygen as the tear gas took effect. Reginarus and his front line decimated the last of the ulfhednar to the right flank, though the ulfhednar to the left flank were still hiding within the rocks. In all, about 20 or more ulfhednar had now been disposed of, and about 35 legionnaires were wounded. There was no telling how many more ulfhednar were lurking in the mountains, but the Argosians had the advantage, knowing that the Vikings were sickly and starving.

As the Legata gave the order, Reginarus and the rest of the testudo would fall back and reform, stepping away from the impending skirmish as some lightly armored servants brought forth a red blanket, laying it down between the Argosian phalanx and the ulfhednar before them, setting baskets and plates of delicious food rations in the middle of the pathway.

"þú vinnur. við förum í friði, þiggjum þessa fórn!" Livia shouted, hoping that the ulfhednar would be able to understand her broken accent as the Argosians continued to walk backwards away from the feast, still maintaining their guard.

Within minutes, some of the ulfhednar from the left flank started to slowly appear from behind the rocks, popping their heads up slowly with their hands in the air, their spears and daggers raised where the Argosians could see them. "Argosia, ekki skjóta. Við heyrum í þér!" One of the wolf-skins shouted as he stepped out from behind the boulder with 9 other ulfhedinn's, revealing themselves to the receding army on the pathway.

"Lækkaðu vopnin þín. Við tökum tilboði þínu." The ulfhednar said nervously, half expecting it to be a trap. After a moment of observation and careful consideration, and despite being warned by their kinsmen, the thin skinny wolf-coated warriors would approach the baskets of food and stare down at the offering with gaping, drooling mouths. It was obvious that this group was on its last leg and desperate for sustenance. After some quarreling and arguing amongst themselves, one of the ulfhedinn's urged another one to take the first bite, testing it for poison.

The ulfhedinn cautiously picked up an apple, looked up to his comrades, and slowly took a bite into it before chewing. After a minute, he swallowed as everyone watched. But nothing happened. "Það er gott. Það er óhætt að borða," he commented before taking another bite. Soon, the other 9 ulfhednar dropped their weapons and fell to their knees on the blanket, digging in as they started to fight over the food in front of them, grabbing handfuls at a time and shoving it into their mouths. Little did they know that the food they were eating was laced with strychnine, and would slowly eat through their stomachs. Now all the Argosians had to do was wait for the poison to take effect. Yet in the back of his mind, Reginarus knew there were still other ulfhednar hiding somewhere in the mountains.