On The Road Alone. (Open)

[Alex Grey]

(Sorry about the wait!)

The first man turned his head to see the man behind him, but the weapon before him didn’t move. Neither did Alex. If he tried to shuffle away, it was probably in this man’s instincts to pop him one right in the face before he got far.
You aren't from around here are you? the first man asked.
Alex glanced at the second man; he’d heard it too. There was something... almost rounded about the man’s accent. He wasn’t from these parts, maybe not even this country. If he was, then he definitely wasn’t a northerner. Alex supposed he was probably from the south. Come to think of it, he never had heard a Birmingham, or Cornish accent.

Alex looked at the hunter as the man spoke to him, You want to try and get out of the line of fire here?
"Hey, gladly," Alex said, and hastened out of the way. He took refuge behind the petrol pump beside the first, so that he still had something to duck behind if people started firing. He took the knife from the back of the waistband of his pants, not because he actually intended to hurt someone with it, but because he was the only one not holding a weapon and he was the only one who had a problem with that. Nobody else seemed to give a damn about the fact that if things started firing, his head was probably going to be the first to go.

As if Alex wasn’t feeling vulnerable enough, a third man emerged from behind the pillars that held up the roof above the petrol pumps. Alex though of brandishing his knife, but that wouldn’t do much good.
The third man spoke to the second, trying to get him to lower the bow and arrow. Now, Alex didn't know about the hunter, but he really didn't want that bow and arrow to be lowered, becaise the hunter was trying to defend him, the first man had been willing to attack him.

Then the third man turned to first, and almost as an afterthought, it seemed to Alex, added, Alright boss?
Alex’s dark eyes flashed between the two men. They knew each other? Were they working together? Was the first man trying to ambush what he thought was an ambush? Oh, this was getting tricky, and what made it even better was the fact that the first man was an Enforcer. They both were.

Alex glanced at the second man, the hunter, the one guy who hadn't aimed a weapon at him and wasn't allied with the man who had aimed a weapon at him. Alex tried to catch the hunter’s eyes, trying to convey with only a look his desperation for the man not to put his weapon down. The Enforcers weren’t authority anywhere except York. Outside of York, they just meddled and told you how to live your life. Out here, they could be as much of a threat as Raiders.

[Mark Sanders]

Mark looked dumb founded when the new guy arrived. *who the hell is this guy?* he thought, *first they send the bait then they send in the man to keep me in place and finaly they send in the guy to finish me off*

It was only when the new guy spoke to him that his paniced state wore off slightly. He was an Enforcer! not a very bright one mind, bringing a baton to a firefight. He paused for a second and then realised, only they knew they didn't know each other. They tables shave evened out somewhat now. Even with that piece of information he still felt at threat.

Another thought struck him, the other two hadn't said much to each other at all. All the guy behind him had said was for him to get out of Mark's way. That was it, which made him think that maybe these guys weren't together either. An idea popped into Mark's head, it was ahuge gamble but it couldmake this situation a lot more bearable.

He turned his head slightly, so that he could see the others. "Just a theory I have here" he asked "but am I right in assuming that we're all strangers coming to each others aid?"

[Anthony M. Steiner]

Just a theory I have here, but am I right in assuming that we're all strangers coming to each others aid?

Anthony didn't feel that lowering his weapon was a very bright idea. Especially with the walking tree now in the picture. But the badges mean they were with the Enforcers, and that means that he'd struck paydirt. He might not have to walk the rest of the way to York to get the info he needed.

"I... uh... well shit." Anthony didn't know what to say, much less do. A crossroad between getting his head crushed by a team of muggers or killing an undeserving man. Sure the badge could be stolen, but it would explain why the man brandishing the gun wasn't ringing like a raider when struck. *He never threatened me, but he never lowered his weapon. He shifted uncomfortably, but his weapon never wavered. He could simply be a well trained officer, or he could simply be a cunning killer. Why can't plans ever go smooth?* And that was that it was now or never, he wasn't going to be able to keep his arrow from flying but maybe a few seconds longer; so Anthony remembered his prayer and eased the bow line forward, waiting for the big guy to rush him but thankful none the less for the relief his draw arm felt.

Lowering his aim to the patch of ground between them, but keeping the arrow notched none the less, he offered an olive branch. "Name's Marcus, and no I'm not from around here. If we're going to sort thru this with any semblance of civility, would you mind lowering your weapon as well? In fact, if the two of you are indeed from the York forces, then you may be able to help me. I'm on my way to York to speak with the Enforcer's Outreach Embassy. I need info on a raider group operating just over a week's walk North of here, near the coast." His eyes switching between the gunman to the talking Oak, as he spoke. Hopefully this day wouldn't end in blood.

[Svothe Jackson]

The a flood of relief running over me as I finally saw the bow man lowering his weapon. Gently relaxing I bring my baton down from attack height and tucking it in my waist line. I push my arms out in front of me stretching them from the rigid position they'd just been held in


Name's Marcus, and no I'm not from around here. If we're going to sort thru this with any semblance of civility, would you mind lowering your weapon as well? In fact, if the two of you are indeed from the York forces, then you may be able to help me. I'm on my way to York to speak with the Enforcer's Outreach Embassy. I need info on a raider group operating just over a week's walk North of here, near the coast.

"Well, alright 'Marcus' the names Svothe (Ss-V-Off), Im a bounty hunter of sorts but yeah I'm from york. Not sure about the fella there but I think he's the same. I've been wandering these parts for a few days now, some bloody bandit had the wise idea to assault a settler convoy moving to 'new pastures', ever since then I've been stuck out here looking for tracks from the buggers. " Fidgeting my baton a little bit, trying to make it more comfortable before looking up at you once more with a half interested half happy look spread across my face.

"How's 'bout I give you a bit of a 'and finding these raiders and in return if its the right blokes I get to remove some 'evidential' items to prove my client happy eh? I thinks we could get over there pretty quick if we cut across the moorlands up that way. Bet's you we can get there in under 5 days if were lucky; and the weathers on our side." realizing how needy I must sound I quickly stiffen up and change my tone to more of a 'Im doing you a favour' kind of voice. "I've been looking for some evidence of these idiots for days now, but what if these blokes ain't the ones I'm looking for. What'd I get if I accompany you and give you a bit of muscle ay?" Letting my gaze move off of the bowman now and letting myself look the other enforcer up and down. "You know what lad?, I think your right. Too many bloody heroes in this world it seems, so many we can't even save a man from a mugger without someone trying to save the mugger from a mugger. Maybe if we were all a little bit more unfriendly that would help." a laddish grin spreading across his face at the mere idea of making this cruel, threatening world any more 'unfriendly'. If that was even possible that is.

[Alex Grey]

Just a theory I have here but am I right in assuming that we're all strangers coming to each other’s aid?
“I think that’s exactly right,” Alex said. He didn’t know any of these guys, and it was evident that the hunter and the first Enforcer didn’t know each other. The second Enforcer, however, seemed to know the first, but judging by the astonished look on the first man’s face at the sudden appearance of the second, the two weren’t acquainted.

Alex watched the hunter lower the bow with a certain note of unease on his face. He still didn’t trust the two enforcers, especially since the first had wanted to order him inside when Alex had been willing to be peaceful about the whole matter. But, if the enforcer no longer saw Alex or the hunter as a threat, then he was far less likely to shoot Alex in the face with that weapon of his. Still, he’d felt better knowing that the hunter would have shot the first guy if he tried anything.

The hunter introduced himself as Marcus and said he was heading to York for information on a certain group of Raiders. Those Raiders could be anyone, even Alex’s own brothers.
“There are loads of Raider groups all over the place,” Alex said. “What makes you think you can track down this specific group you’re after?”

The second Enforcer said his name was Svothe (Alex was somewhat less inclined to believe that this was the man’s real name than when Marcus had introduced himself), and offered his company on the journey.
“Okay, since we’re all exchanging names here, I’m Alex,” he said, following the pattern of only giving a first name. Surnames were dangerous to distribute to strangers. “I know where York is, but only roughly; I don’t live there. But I reckon just about everyone knows where the major cities are around here. Or at least, everyone knows how to follow signs and get lost a couple of times on their way.”

[Anthony M. Steiner]

As the first man finally lowered his firearm, the man tree offered his company to travel a little up North.

"Sorry, but I can't waste time on a slim possibility. They took my sister."

Damn it all, might as well start from the beginning.

"We were Island hopping from America to Ireland. Nearly made it too, but we got caught in a storm near the coast." He un-notched the arrow and returned it to the quiver on his back, as he spoke, "Blew off course and had to abandon ship after taking on too much water. I got bucked outta the life boat after the wind tore the roof off. Woke up 'bout half a day's walk South of some place called Workington. Found the boat further South, but she was gone. So were two of the three other men with her. The third was laying in the sand, stripped of his clothes, with a bolt in his spine and a slit throat. The other two fought with someone but they were eventually dropped, looks like they gave it up as a bad job and high tailed it out in opposite directions. My sister though was escorted by a man at both sides..."

Anthony thought it over for a second, debating on whether to add the last part and decided to follow up with, " There were only three assailants, all men. My sister was escorted by a set of size 12 work boots with heavy feet and a strong stride. The other was about average height with a slight limp in his left leg, wearing sandals."

He didn't mention the third man. To be honest, the third set of tracks were puzzling. They were... off somehow. Stiff and rigid, like his legs didn't bend at the knee. The size was about 10 and a half, maybe 11; but the weight didn't match up. He would have had to have been only 50-60 pounds to make tracks that shallow. He didn't know what to make of it, and decided he should keep it to himself.

“There are loads of Raider groups all over the place. What makes you think you can track down this specific group you’re after?” said the man he thought to have been in the middle of being mugged.

"Because it's all I have to work with, and it's what I do," He didn't like it either. He knew it was a stretch to find 3 men in an entire countryside, but he wasn't abandoning her. She was all that was left of his world. "I'm looking for a rhino of a man in size 12's, and a gimp in 9's, who get off on shooting shipwrecked men in the back and a penchant for stealing young girls. Yeah, it's not a lot; but I know that they work the West coast and travel with a third man wearing 11's with a stiff walk and an impossibly light stride. I would have found them already, but I lost their trail as soon as they hit the asphalt. I think they were heading South, but I can't be sure. A trading caravan pointed me towards York and said to check with the Enforcers outreach embassy. Said they might have info on Raiders in that area. None of the locals I met on the way here had anything useful."

2 weeks and 2 days. Missing, kidnapped by raiders for over 2 weeks. If she wasn't dead, she likely wished she was. No! He was not leaving it at that! He was not leaving her to THAT. And when he found these men, they would know how it is to be hunted.