NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: I think firearms are banned in Teritoria, yes?

IC: Matilda took out another dart, and shoved it down the barrel. She readied the air pump, aimed it at his neck, an pulled the trigger.

OOC:Yep and only the King's miltary has control over them. The guild's fire arms are stolen and they don't generally like to use them and the Royal guards don't generally use them in law enforcement usually.

IC:Hersi watched steadly for trouble and in case of something going wrong. Being in Teritora, as long as he didn't shoot off anything that would really attract attention like an rifle or nonsilenced pistol nobody would be sending for the guards in an hurry, feuding between clans and noble houses happened not uncommonly in Teritora as did fights of various other kinds like duels, brawls and other events and were somewhat concidered entertainment. The guild didn't generally didn't use firearms because they would attract too much attention and trouble.

I'm back.

Some of Nathan's men went to sleep on some cots, while others moved to TV screens connected to hidden security cameras, and some began packing thier gear.
"Ms. Johnson, you should get some rest." Nathan said.
"No, I'm fine."
"Get some sleep. I don't want you suddenly falling asleep on the trail."
"Fine." Karen lay on one of the open cots and fell asleep. Nathan turned to Geshen.
"So, how many of you are coming along on our little safari?"

OOC: I think firearms are banned in Teritoria, yes?

IC: Matilda took out another dart, and shoved it down the barrel. She readied the air pump, aimed it at his neck, an pulled the trigger.

OOC: Thank you, TGS, for clearing up my confusion.

IC:

Dekker had enough time to pluck the small, tufted dart from his neck & catch a glimpse at it as he slid forward, unconcious...

"He's down."

Matilda broke out running up the stairs onto the top of the building to go get him. She took a look at him, and signalled to Hersi to come up here. "This guy is even f*cking bigger than I thought when I saw him!"

Geshen replied. "Yes we are, our mission hasn't changed. Should be interesting anyway. Dangerous or not. Besides even without our assignment your people aren't exactly familiar with the dangers of the Teritoran landscape."

---------------------

Hersi followed after Matilda and noted looking at the mercenary when he got up there. "Yes and well armed to boot for an merry little war."

"Alright, It's always good to have experts on the wildlife and such in your party." Nathan said. "All we can do now is let some men get some rest, wait for the festival to start, and pray for safe passage."

Geshen. "Indeed. This should be interesting, espeically with that artifact involed. I have an feeling it will not be easy to get even if we reach the city."

"Agreed." Nathan said. "If this Yorin Guild is really after it, they'll put up a fight. If the stuff hits the fan, I mean like we can't hold on, how long will it take for you to get some transport heilos and gunships to get us out? We have a pair of Hueys at the airport which can have a pair of mini-guns and a pair of rocket launchers, each holding 12 rockets, put on in about 15 minutes if it's any help."

Geshen paused. "I am afraid that would depend on the weather and where we are in the mountains, if doesn't help if the closest base with the nearest DragonSlayer transports and Crusader gunships are on the other side of an mountain. Anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes."

OOC: Holler when you've got him cuffed & the dart's effects have worn off.

OOC: Teritoria, this thread has hit a temporary dead end. Just make the festival start now and steam will pick up again.

OOC:Gotta

IC:As first rays of light could be seen gleaming over the mountains the festival began, church bells rang, troupes of acrobats, actors, dancers, musicians, and other entertainers took to the streets, merchants set up stalls, monks, nuns and priests could be seen going through some streets chanting, carrying great crosses and other activies. Soon after citizens took to the street and by the time the sun could be seen above the mountians, the festival was in full swing like something out of the middle ages but with much less dirt and filth.

Karen heard the bells. She got up. Everyone else was asleep but the noise was soon making everyone stir. Nathan stood up. He walked over to Geshen and his sleeping guards. He had decided earlier everyone should sleep so extra cots were thrown out for the Teritorians. He shook Geshen and smiled as the man stirred. Nathan held an extra cup of coffee for the man.
"Breakfast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, and bacon is almost done. Lets eat and get a move on."

Geshen nodded and took the coffee as he sat up. "Thanks. An pity we will miss the festival but it can't be helped." Around Gershan his men rose and went to around an morning routine of besides eating, making sure all their equipment was ready.

After thirty minutes everyone had eaten and thier equipment were onboard the two Fuchs. Nathan thought they should move out a dusk, moving in daylight would be too dangerous. This guild might open fire, he didn't want unnessacry casualities.
"Captain. Is it safe enough to move in daylight, or do we wait for dusk?"

Geshen spoke shaking his head with an chuckle. "They could cause trouble within the city, if they wanted their shooters to die quickly. The streets are filled with armed citizens who while not having guns would still have be enough to kill any shooter that tried anything in the streets. Its general stupid to try something surrounded by armed people who are all well trained in their weaponary."

"Alright, mount up everyone." Nathan ordered. Once everyone was in the Fuchs pulled out of the garage and into the alley. Nathan was driving the first one in line with Geshen next to him. "Alright Captain. Direct me to our exit."

Geshen nodded and gave an long complex series of directions to the city gates that would take out where they wanted to head towards then noted. "Sorry but its the quickist way out of the city, The horses and pack animals will be waiting far enough away from the city on the road closest to where we want to head and far enough away from the city."

Nathan nodded and manuvered the armoured vehicle throught the back streets and alleys. There were sometimes they had to stop and recheck the directions Geshen had given him. At any rate they were nearing the city limits.

Ian sat uncomfortably in the back of the second car, he kept bouncing around and struck his head several times on the roof.. Karen was in the first with Nathan and the Teritorians. One of the Simatarian security detail whispered to a friend, both chuckling.
"I suppose that is at my expense." He said to the man.
"You're right." He said.
God, can't wait till this is over. I wonder what that merc is up to?

Dekker stirred slightly, the dart's chemicals beginning to leave his system...

Matilda noticed Dekker move, and slapped the cuffs on him quickly. Once the tranq dose had been re-administered by the cuffs, she kicked him. "That's for being such a f*cking idiot and coming to a Yorin Guild safehouse, motherf*cker."

(OOC: Sorry for huge delay, but it doesn't seem like much has happended lately. )

Hersi nodded coldly. "Thats one lose end out of the way, we best be careful though this one, he might just be an escape artist for all we know. The Kersci is having his way with the other. That just leaves for us to wait for the scholar to make her move, which likely be in the morning at earlist."

"Well, if vital signs increase over a certain level, it just re-tranqs him."

Hersi nodded coldly. "Good, that takes care of him then." That morning as Karen and her guardians left one of the mercenaries watching reported this while the others followed in the crowds the moving vehicles.

------------------------

Geshen spoke as they moved closer to the edge of the city. "There, the Northern main gates." Indeed as the vehicles approached one of the great gates to the city could be seen, with dozen guards at either entrance and more walking along the wall or on the battlements of the gate, going into it one could see how easy it would be to trap people inside the space between the two gates and open fire on them as well as drop rocks, boiling oil, melten lead and other nicities on unwelcome guests. Beyond it hills and mountains streached covered in farms, orchards, patches of commerical wood whos numbers thined and gave way more and more to forest as one moved farther from the city.

"How will the mercs be contacting us when they leave?

OOC: How big is the reserve tank on the cuffs?

OOC: Fifty doses, six hours each.

Hersi responded simply "It really depends, if they have time, by messenger, if they don't they will call it in."

As they got deeper into the forest Nathan heard Karen's voice over his headset.
"Stop here." Karen and everyone else piled out of the cars. She and Ian confered for several minutes. Ian walked a short ways up the road and brushed away some vine on a tree. A crude albatross was under the vine, carved into the tree. Ian walked back with a smile on his face.
"Lets get out gear and move out." Karen only carried her P99 and the compact .45 while Ian carried the Widley and the Rem 700. Ian had given their M4 to Nathan knowning they would need it more. As everyone put on thier packs and checked thier weapons Karen walked up to Geshen.
"We're here, whoever you picked to dive the Fuchs back better do it now before those mercs notice we've left."

Gersan nodded and spoke sharply, in an most bird like sounding variation on the Teritoran languge spoken in only in the Borl provence, such variations were the reason old Teritoran was the national language. Two Gersens men went to the Fuchs to drive them way. What was out of the normal compared to the others was that besides their sidearms and rifles as well as the normal the daggers and swords that Teritorans carried, two of Geshen's men were carring what as likely the powerful looking crossbows and another was carrying an longbow with an quiver of full of arrows. Geshen spoke to any unanswered questions about them. "To deal with the wildlife, espcally without warning everyone in hearing we are. Besides I think fresh meat might be welcome at least once on the trip."

Karen smiled and chuckled. "Couldn't agree more. Ian, do you want to lead the way?"
"Yeah mom." Ian pulled out his map, compass, and GPS and moved several meters ahead of the single file column. Everyone was ready to get going. Ian took a deep breath before he began to march. The group entered the jungle and into the unknown.

Elsewhere an Mercenary messenger arrived at the safehouse and spoke to Hersi and Matilda informing them of Keran's and her excort's actions and that they were beinf carefully tracked by the company's scouts so they wouldn't lose them and they wouldn't be detected.

Karen walked a little faster to move next to Geshen. She couldn't help but think about where they were going and what Matlida would do with the sword if she got her hands on it, but she would talk of that latter when night fell and they made camp somewhere.
"Captian I never got to ask you, but how would you classify your jungle storms? An easy Saturday rain or monsoon strength?"

Gersen smiled. "It depends, but its often Temperate Rainforest after all. Is worse in the winter though but expect it to be very wet tonight. I personally prefer it to rain, it keeps some of the flying and ground creatures in their lairs."

"I agree but, it makes the day after a living hell being humid and all." Karen said with a smile. "So, do you have a wife or a girl back in the city?"

Dekker slowly noted he had a five-second delay between when he regained conciousness & when the cuffs tranqued him again, with another two before the drugs fully affected his system. He used the first delay to position himself to wiggle a small pick out of his right boot. The next was used to jimmy the lock & allow him to shut the things off... Luckily, the lock wasn't that complex due to the nature of the cuffs themselves.

Groggy & somewhat disoriented, Dekker lay in the back of the truck for a good few minutes. It was best not to let them know he was awake...

OOC: I'm assuming he's in a truck, due to his size & weight dimesions.

Gersen responded smiling. "Yes I am married with 7 childern, three have entered the church, two joined the Knights of Vernsi, one has joined the Royal Guard and the last is still at home finishing manitory college requirements.

Matilda readied her weapons an equipment. "Let's put this fucker in some truck and get going."

Hersi nodded and pointed to some of his trusted men to take of doing just that. "You prepared for when we have to leave the truck and follow on foot or at least riding?"

"I run for an hour a day. What does that tell you?" she said as she slung a pack over her shoulder. "Let's go to work."

"Seven children. My son is more than enough for me. He has never gone to school, well for more than a week or two anyway, but don't let that fool you, he is a geneis. Gave a short lectur at the Carson State University a year back. Coudn't imgaine my life without him." Karen said with a smile.

Ian walked through the thick jungle, stopping every so often to take a reading.
"We're on course. At this rate, and we don't get bothered by the wildlife, I guess we'll reach our desitination ahead of scheuduale."

Above them they could hear the rumble of thunder.

Gersen responded to Keren. "Childern are an joy of life." He looked up and responded to Ian statement. "Prehaps weather and wildlife baring."

-----------------

Hersi nodded as he slung an pack over his shoulders. "Yes lets, before something decides to mess up our plans. We got our forces and what we need to follow. Lets not tempt fate."

"Don't forget about that group of mercs after us." Ian reminded Geshen. They continued through the lush jungle, nothing happened, but Ian couldn't shake the feeling, something was out there, watching the group.

"Looks like rain in the distance." Karen said, pointing to a small break in the canopy to a large black cloud moving towards them.

Gersen resorted to Ian. "Mercenaries and possiblely the most evil ruthless criminal organization in existance if we want to count. Ah rain, if you hear an vast roaring sound climb the nearest tree because it will be an flash flood... or an dragon." He smiled slightly amused as they hiked.

There was a slight murmer in the ranks of the Simatarians. Karen smiled as she spoke to Geshen:
"You must understand Geshen, the Golden Simatar lacks dragons or anything you might consider a "mystical" creature. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who belives in them back where I come from. Lets just hope it is rain."

Gersen smiled. "True but in an dragon's case, climbing an tree wouldn't do much good but they are quite real, we have even sent some young ones to some zoos around the world, along with some wyverns. Dragon meat is also an favorite meal in Teritora. Something that big you can make an lot of food from it if you know how to prepare the meat right. I don't think we'll run into any dragons in the rain but look at the bright side, your'll be much harder to burn alive."

"Oh, thats nice." One of the men said as they kept walking. Ian walked throught the undergrowth, knocking away brush with a machete till he disappered.

"IAN!" Karen rushed forward in the group to find herself staring into a hole. It was about 15 feet deep and looked like it was part of a small cave. "Ian are you alright?"
"Yeah, send down a rope." He shouted back.

The Simatarians took defensive postitions while Geshen's men began to hoist Ian out of the hole.
"Is that normal around these parts?" Karen asked.

Gersen shook his head. "Not common, but it looks like an copper age sacifical pit when they used to feed unwanted citzens to the dragons, either that or an drowning cave. most of them were filled in in later millenia or used as traps for the unwelcome guests."

"Dragon pit?" Karen asked. "Could one still be dow...." She was cut off when she heard Ian yell in surprise. "IAN! What is it!?"

Ian's flashlight had landed on the skull of a dragon, it's massive teeth only a few inches from his face. Ian calmed down when he saw it was dead. He shined the light deeper into the small cave connected to the pit, he guessed the beast was from eight to twelve feet in length.
"Mom, send me down a camera! I got a dragon skelton down here. Bones look in good shape. Might of come down here to rest and died."

He waited as a digital camera and a small movie camera were lowered to him. He a chemical stick and tossed it a little ways down the cave, giving him enough light to snap 14 photos. He was able to squirm next to the beast after he took off his pack and get close up shots of the skull and tail. He also got 10 minutes of footage. Several minutes later, Ian and his gear where hoisted up through the pit.

"That was fun. Lets keep moving to that temple." Ian said with a smile.

Everyone geared up and continued now with Karen in the lead as everyone moved at a slightly faster pace.

"Mr. Geshen, what kind of a head start do you give us verses that merc group?" Ian asked.

Dekker remained in the back of the truck, awaiting their arrival at their destination to make his move...

OOC: Any word from Feline, yet? This nature hike stuff is getting old.

OOC: Where is Feline? Teritoria, what do you say we fast forward to where the archeogical team reach the city?

OOC:I don't know and I see nothing wrong with fast fowarding to the city. It might get things rolling again, unless Feline is out of contact because he was somewhere that got nailed by one of this season's major hurricanes for example or some other reason to be out of contact.

OOC: K, fast forward it is. Yeah Feline could be down in Florida or somewhere down in that area.

IC:

Two Days Later

The group moved through the jungle. It had been uneventful. Outside of Ian's fall into an old dragon pit, nothing happened. Ian hacked his way through tough vines, sweat dripping from his forehead. At that time he moved apart several large branches, Ian stared out across a small plain down a slope he had nearly fallen down. His mouth dropped open.

"Everyone. Castle Wern."

Before them sat the crumbled remains of the main forifications of the castle, many of the surrounding building had long since rotted away, but there were still foundations and small wall remains of some homes. Vines covermost of the walls, but the streets were thankfully not covered with much vegitation.

"Lets get going."

The group climbed down the slope, and walked towards the city.

Gersen wrly remarked as they walked though the city. "Not bad for an city that's been dead for more than 2,000 years huh. We best be careful though and not just about who could be following..." He suddenly moved quickly an pulled back on of his men from an doorway of an more intact house, seconds later, an ancient bronze spike shot upwards where he was as an anceint trap was set off. He looked repoachfully at the nearly impaled guardsman and spoke half jokingly. "Yep, at least some of the traps are still working. As I warned before hand, be careful."

In the distance, mostly hidden an black hooded figure watched and spoke. "The player's arrive, the first act is about to begin." the figure turned around and walked away to report the arrival.

Nathan nodded. The Simatarians cocked thier M4s and then thier MP5s, slinging the machine pistols behind thier backs.

"Tell me Ms. Johnson, who has been keeping these traps ready?"

"Noone." Karen said. "There have been some temples and burial sites I have explored with bronze crossbows stil cocked and ready to fire."

The group carefully made its way through the city. Ian moved off from the group to hopefully find a place where they could set up camp.

Sir Gersen nodded. "Just be glad the poisons have worn off by now and expect anything when it comes to traps even if it seems like something right out of an movie."

"All right, we'll keep an eye out for a cloaked Predator with lasers and sh*t." One of the Simatarians mumbled.

Karen carefully walked on the old road, watching for any sign of danger or trap.

"Place is deserted, I don't understand what could have driven someone mad here."

*************************************

Ian walked across an old common. He sat in the grass to rest his legs.

Gersen responded as he and his men glanced around wrly. "They were ranting about cultists, so picture what demonworshiping cultists could do coupled with wandering in an deadly wilderness with dragons, Wyverns, Hell Bears and other dangerious creatures. Or the locals could have breed something even nastier from one of the local creatures. Yes the place seems empty but that doesn't mean much, it an rather large city and castle ruins, then theres the catacombs and caverns. Better to be on our guard than to be sorry."

Karen lead the group to where Ian was on the old common. While everyone got the tents, radio and such set up. Ian moved off with a pencil and a sheet of paper to make a rough map of the streets.

Karen was helping Geshen put up a tent when she stopped. Geshen came around and stood next to her and stared at the footprints. The creatures appeared to have three toes on each foot, and looked to be bipedal by the spacing of the prints.

"Geshen, are these Wyvern tracks?"

Dekker made his move as they entered the city... The merc slipped out of the truck, hiding behind some fallen stonework as the expedition team passed. One of the last guards was oblivious to the danger near him, and Dekker took advantage of this opportunity...

A large hand wrapped itself around the man's chin, followed by one on the back of his head. A sickeningly wet crack followed as he snapped the man's neck like a dry chicken bone. Dekker relieved the man of his weapon (type?) & followed the convoy at a safe distance, constantly looking over his shoulder... He had a bad feeling about this city... He didn't like it a bit...

OOC: MS, do you mean Karen's team or the Gang's group?

Ian was on the far side of the city when he heard the quiet engines of the convoy. He took cover in an old bakery, behind some of massive ovens where bread had been cooked.

The trucks stopped it was then he spotted Matilda climb out. Her? Ian had to get back to the other side of the city where his mom was. But the convoy and guards where between him and that. What to do?

"Hey!" one of the guards called.

Ian crouched lower and pulled out the Widley automatic and aimed at Matilda.

"The prisoner is gone!" the guard yelled at his compaions as he looked in the back of a truck. Ian smiled, he lowered the barrel and began to try and moved around the convoy and warn his mom and the others.

OOC: I'm assuming it's the group Matilda's with, as Dekker has spent the duration of the trip in the back of one of her trucks.

OOC:Sorry I got ran out by an hurricane Ivan.

IC: Gersen nodded studing it. "By the looks of it, but something is an little odd about it."

OOC: Thats cool

IC:

Karen looked at Geshen, she didn't like what he meant by 'odd'.

"What do you mean by odd?"

Geshen frowned as he replied. "The claws dig in to the stonework it self and its like theres more weight than normal bearing down. Rather strange."

Karen got down on her hands and knees. She placed fingers in the claw marks. Karen pulled her arm slowly back. Standing back up she looked at Geshen then the mark.

"To me, it looks as though it tried to hold on to this. The main question is why."

Gershen nodded and frowned before rising to his feet. "But by what, theres nothing really that will eat an wyvern, at least an live one. I do not like it."

One of the Simatarians had wandered over and listened to them.

"We have a defensive perimeter set up. How about a large dragon eating a wyvern?"

Karen looked at Geshen.

"Well? Could a dragon kill one of these?"

Gershan nodded slightly puzzled."But its unlikely. An single wyvern sting can kill an full grown warhorse three times over in an minute picture what the whole poison pouch would do. Even if the dragon didn't get the poison into its system multible times, wyvern meat is rather horrid tasting, there very few things that will eat an dead one and dragons aren't among them."

Before Karen could speak Ian came running, breathless.

"Mom! Those...those...those guys. That gang or whoever they are. They're here!"

Karen looked at Ian for several seconds.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Ian responded.

Gershen let lose an impressive string of curses in Latin, greek, hebrew, trade Teritoran and ancient Teritoran. Before speaking to Ian. "This is most irritating, were did you see them, how many of them were there and what were they doing?"

Ian pointed towards the other side of the city.

"They came in trucks, must of had some kind of silencer on the engines. They're at the far end, as far as I know they don't know we're here. I saw at least a dozen before I came back...including that one woman you guys arrested back in the city. One shouted about a prisoner escaping... most looked as though they were trying to set up a camp."

Dekker slipped through the city with the stealth of a hunting cat, avoiding merc patrols where he could, and breaking the necks of those he couldn't...

After a few tense hours, he was within sight of the other caravan... He held the MP5 close, winding the sling around his arm. He'd need to stick close to either convoy if he was going to survive... Dekker had no idea what he could eat around here, besides the food in the convoy trucks...

'Best to link up with this other one, maybe they need an extra gun...'

Dekker approached the defensive perimeter of Karen's camp, keeping his weapon low...

"Yo... I'm lost... Where's the nearest 7-11?"

Dekker was greeted by all of the M4s the Simatarian's carried, along with Geshen's men. One of the Simatarian's spoke.

"Hands up! Keep them where we can see them, or die."

The Teritorans were similiarly pointing TAR-6s and Tar-9s at the arrival while edging towards or behind cover while Gershen merely muttered in an typical Teritoran noble sentement about such things. "This is beginning to become irratating. How the in did he get so close without getting spotted. I see I am going to have an talk with some of my men."

Karen looked at Dekker before moving forward. She didn't trust the man and would like her father's mercenaries kill him, but the gunfire would attract the Guild.

"What the hell do you want?"

OOC: Could someone recap me on what has occurred since my last post?

ooc: Well, everyone is at the city right now. Karen and her group knows that your character is there. Dekker has escaped and made his way to Karen's group. I guess that covers it. BTW, where were you?

Karen looked at Dekker before moving forward. She didn't trust the man and would like her father's mercenaries kill him, but the gunfire would attract the Guild.

"What the hell do you want?"

"A shot at that bitch a few klicks up the path... Some coffee might not hurt either..."

Dekker released his grip on the MP5, the sling catching it before it hit the ground...

Karen nodded and Dekker was lead through the camp. He sat on a stone while Karen got him some coffee. Most Simatarian mercenaries took up defensive positions, while two remained to guard Dekker.

Karen turned and walked up to Dekker handed him his coffee. She leaned close and whispered into his ear.

"These men are crack Black and Special Ops. If you make one move to harm me or my son. They will shoot you without a seconds hesitation."

She backed off and locked eyes with Dekker.

"What is that bitch up to?"

Dekker's icy blue eyes narrowed...

"Forgive me if I ain't impressed... Thanks for the coffee, anyway..."

The mercenary takes a sip of the steaming liquid...

"Shoulda known... Tha' shit tastes like Army coffee..."

His voice trails off, and after another hit of the coffee, he speaks again...

"At the moment she ain't doin' much... Just some basic sneak & peek around their base camp. I slipped out before I could observe much else. Her boys came pretty heavy, though... We're talking some badass merc unit with enough heat to level Tora Bora, along with some mafioso-lookin' types armed with fuckin' crossbows & other outdated shit..."

Dekker pauses, as if condsidering something...

"For an' MRE & a sleeping bag, I'll go take another look. Whaddaya say?"

Karen looked at Dekker then at Geshen who also seemed to be thinking the same thing she was. Could they trust him? The men guarding Dekker kept their guns trained on him.

"After your pepper spraying my son and firing at him with a handgun, how can we trust you. I would like to have you shot."

*********************************

No one saw Ian pick up the Remington and sneak off into the city, avoiding the perimeter, he headed off towards Matlida's camp.

Dekker gestured behind her... A weapon had been sitting on a crate with her son, but both had now disappeared...

"Cuz I think you've just lost him... An' besides, he fired on me. He's lucky, I don't miss often."

[i]He was already formulating an escape plan if things went bad, adjusting as guards shifted positions or came into view. He hoped he didn't have to use it.

Karen spun around, her heart rate shot up.

"IAN!"

Karen spun back on Dekker, he heart still racing, she didn't know what to do. She picked up a spare Heckler and Koch MP5 and tossed into Dekker's lap.

"Bring back my son, unharmed. And we'll give you a sleeping bag and some food, if you are on good behavior and help us, I'll call my dad to get him to wire two million US dollars into any account you want. Deal?"

Karen would have prefered to do it herself, but she had no training in how to. The Simatarian Meceranries lowered thier weapons and went on the picket line.

**************************************************

Ian lay in a pile of bricks and rocks, perfectly hidden. The scope on the rifle let him see Matilda's force perfectly, all were there. He brought Matilda's head into his sights, but she disappered behind one of the trucks. Ian decided to wait for her to come back around, then blow a hole in her head.

Dekker grunted slightly as the weapon landed on something it shouldn't have...

"Aight... Gimme a bit find him..."

The merc headed off into the city, taking the same path he'd taken on the way out, looking for signs of recent activity... A bootprint in the dust caught his eye, there was another a few feet away from it. It wasn't much, but it'd have to do...

Sir Gershen began rubbing his forehead like trying to ward off an headache. "This must be one of those weeks. Well provided the mercenary doesn't get eaten we will at least be able to keep an eye on him." He called ot to one of his men in an odd dialect of Old Trade Teritoran. "Yarin, your my best tracker, scout about so we don't get any more surpises." The man nodded and walked off seeming to dispear once he rounded an ruined corner.

Karen looked worried. Son of a bitch. She grabbed a M4s off the ground. She put a magizine into it and pulled the slide back, cocking the weapon. It looked clumsy in her hands, but she could wield it when needed.

"What do you think the Guild will be doing now?"

****************************************

Ian brought Hersi into his sights. The man looked important, so Ian decided to bump him off. He gently clicked the safety on the rifle to off. The man's head stopped and began to talk to another. Ian gently squeezed the trigger, the gun cracked, sending the deadly projectile towards Hersi's head.

The sights were off, the bullet inside hit Hersi's man in the shoulder. Ian could see Hersi looking around wildy, the teen slowly slunk away. He heard angry vocies that seemed to grow louder. Shit, this is bad.

Ian took off, running back to his mom's camp.

Dekker, directed by the crack of the gunshot, simply waited for Ian's pounding footsteps to near his hiding spot. Upon his arrival, the mercenary simply stuck his foot out, sending Ian into a clumsy forward roll...

'Some scratches, no permanent damage...'

The MP5's muzzle was directed elsewhere as Dekker revealed himself...

"Your momma's lookin' for ya... Best get a move-on. Your little 'Deer Hunter' imitation isn't gonna go over well with those mercs..."

Dekker held the submachine-gun out to the teen...

"Ya might wanna take this. The selector's set on three-round burst, so just point it in the general direction & squeeze the trigger. I'll be along in a bit..."

The burly mercenary waited for a response, flipping the SMG around & holding it grip out to Ian's rising form...

Sir Gershen spoke wryly. "I think they are going to either try to kill us or wait until we find what your looking for then try to take it from us and kill us then. These are the sort of people who can wait 50 years just to avenge an slight commited against their orginzation."

-----------------------

Hersi let lose an foul curse and signaled to fiveof the mercenaries to give chase to whoever was behind that. He was not about to waste his own men who had modern weaponary unlike the mercenarys chasing somebody in the dense temperate jungle and vegation over run ruins. He spoke calmly. "I am begining to be annoyed. I am going kill someone for this."

Karen nodded, it was then they heard the gunshot. Checking the M4 she held she looked at Geshen.

"Lets get a move on, I'll take half of my guys, you take yours and we follow the sounds of the fight?"

*****************************************

Ian took the MP5 and looked at it, he had never held a machine-pistol, but knew all had to do was squeeze the trigger. He didn't know how is mom got Dekker to work for them, but it didn't matter, he turned and headed down a crumbling alley. Moving through the buildings, Ian paused.

They're distracted, maybe I can make a grab at the sword.

Dekker melted back into the shadows of the evening... He'd knock a few pursuers off of Ian's trail...

He took of in a slightly different direction, leaving a trail of half-footprints by running on the balls of his feet... Hopefully they'd take the bait & Dekker could do what he did best...