TCM - Madeline
You move around to the side of the truck and find the handholds lining the tank. Unfortunately, the vehicle was the only thing between you and the guard and he spots you instantly. He stops in his tracks and hesitates, a hand moving to the shotgun he has slung around his shoulder.
Caellath - Theodore
The distance is covered much more quickly than you expected. You drop to your knees at the foot of the oasis and pull your turban off before dunking your head in the clear water and taking several huge gulps. You pull your head from the pool and let the water dry on your face and neck. You replace your turban and start filling your Siphon. Only once you've topped it off do you notice the dark skinned man with a pair of bolos at his hip and a rifle across his back staring at you intently.
OREOSOME - Anna
You watch them from where you lie in the sand. Despite the thick darkness you manage to make out that the four men are clearly Hinkisian mechanical merchants on some sort of journey. Their excited voices drift across the night and you think you hear something about a war machine of some kind. Apparently they're delivering parts to a renowned engineer who is working on the aforementioned device. Expensive parts. They pass over a low dune before you can catch any more details, though at the rate they're moving it would be a trivial matter to catch up to them.
mesor - Jamos
The man looses a bolt from his crossbow before you can finish your sentence and you're forced to dive out of the way to avoid it. You fire your own bow as you hit the ground and the bolt sails through the air, knocking the pistol from his hand as he pulls it from the holster at his hip. He yanks a knife from his cloak instead and emits a low growl before barreling towards you.
Firelordsky - Hirt
You whip your rifle up and unload a short burst before sprinting at the car and screaming at the top of your lungs. Most of the rounds harmlessly impact on the side of the Rider but one shot buries itself into the bandit's right hip. He yells in surprise and pain before falling against the cab of the vehicle and opening fire, interrupting your charge with a thick string of rounds slamming into your chest armour that sends you spinning to the ground. He jumps from the truck and lands clumsily before limping over to you while clutching the oozing hole in his leg. You lie in the dirt wheezing, helplessly trying to catch your breath as he presses the muzzle of his rifle to your head and pulls the trigger. The gun emits audible 'click'.
CrimsonEon - Yureig
A minute passes. Then two. The audience watches with bated breath as neither man gives an inch. Your elbow suddenly slips on the soaked surface of the table and the crowd lets out a gasp. You recover quickly but the Swastian is pressing his advantage and forcing you down. The moment passes however and your locked hands slowly return to a neutral position. A few more seconds of straining and the Swastian begins to give himself, fatigued from his failed offensive. The moment his hand is halfway to the table, its obvious the match is over. The room stirs as his knuckles edge towards the wood, and then roars mightily as you slam his hand downwards, rising triumphantly and sending your chair skittering across the floor. The Swastian stands as well and steps around the table to stand in front of you. He glares at you furiously, then breaks into a wide grin and takes your hand in his own.
The name's Johann. Well done friend! I haven't had a match that good in ages! Here's your winnings.
He drops a small bag into your palm with his opposite hand and the crowd disperses, the excitement having passed. He lets go and motions towards a dimly lit booth in the corner of the bar.
Come. I want you to sit with me. I'd like to talk to you privately about something. Perhaps over a drink or two? You're buying of course.
Jatha - Makos
You crawl out from the cradle you had erected in the corner of the ceiling and move silently amongst the supports until the two men are situated directly below you. You watch them carefully and strain your ears, catching only small parts of their conversation. You get the impression that the two are old friends, and your suspicion is confirmed when they start to get more comfortable and begin to laugh and talk more casually. It seems they and haven't yet gotten to business. You change your grip and swing yourself upside down, gripping the beam with your legs and stretching your neck out in order to get as close as possible.
Yeah, she's doing good, its nice of you to ask. Don't mention it.. Hey you still have that old lifbike? The Gantig? Of course! The damn thing still breaks down every other day. Reminds me of the one time you….
Yoink - Tapras
You hear cries of alarm around you echoing through the valley as the party forgets their fatigue and scrambles further along the trail to reach open ground. A few men grab onto the cliff face and swing themselves upwards to wider vantage points and fire at the opposite side of the canyon. You move quickly, keeping up with the man in front of you until the ledge widens into a path. You step to one side and wait for the others to finish passing you before pulling your rifle around and into your hands. You sweep your sights slowly across the opposite cliff and spot a clear shape lying prone in a small alcove. His weapon flashes and another man tumbles silently into the chasm. You never hear the report over the clatter of automatic weapons fire from your companions as they spray the rocky outcrop with inaccurate gunfire, and you see the sniper retreat slightly under the pressure of the onslaught. You place the hairs of your sight on the faint outline of what you guess to be his head, let out a small breath, and hold it before calmly squeezing the trigger.
You see the small figure twitch once and go still. One of the older men signals the others to stop shooting. Everyone watches intently, and then lets out a cheer as the gunman's rifle slips from his hands and falls into the valley to join the dead. The men closest to you pull their robes and veils away from their smiling faces and congratulate you and begin to talk excitedly of your glorious marksmanship. The brief celebration ends with a short prayer for the fallen, followed by the shooters climbing back down from their vantage points and the party continuing on with brightened spirits. A few minutes later the travellers reach the end of the canyon, which tapers into low rolling dunes beyond which lies the land of Swastia. A head count reveals that 11 men remain, including yourself. The group settles for a moment to rest and eat. A few of the men talk of going back to take the sniper's head.