Slavers And Brigands
20th Of Summer
20th Of Summer
"Why is it stopping?" Andreas asked Harman and Markus.
The three mercenaries were walking behind the cart of their employer, as they traveled through the woods outside Sunberth. All around them walked collared slaves, who were tied to the wagon in front of them by ropes that ran from their collars.
Harman, and his two compatriots had been walking for a few hours, but it was still early morning. Now however, the cart they'd been following the whole time was slowing to a halt.
"I don't know," Markus replied to Andreas.
Harman looked to his compatriots.
"Stay with the slaves, guys. Wouldn't want them running away," he suggested.
The boxer walked to the back of Byron's - the financier of the trip - covered wagon. He waited for the vehicle's wheels to completely cease their turning, and then looked into it.
Three other mercenaries sat inside. Their seniority granted them the privilege of riding inside the cart, while Harman and the two other new hires - Andreas and Markus- walked behind it.
"What's up, Jacs?" Harman inquired of one of the men inside the cart, a muscled blonde man that he had become familiar with.
Harman had talked to Jacs for some time, while the two stood sentry over the sleeping camp the night before.
"Probably nothing," Jacs answered back.
The blonde looked to the front of the wagon, to where a ginger man sat, where he was driving - or currently, stopping - the horses that were pulling the caravan along.
"Sir, there a problem?" Harman watched Jacs ask Byron.
"Dexter signaled for us to stop. Apparently, there's something up ahead," the ginger answered his hired hand.
Jacs thought for a moment.
"He coming up?" the blonde inquired.
What is going on? Harman wondered.
"Walking back here now," Byron replied.
Harman watched Byron turn away from Jacs for a moment, as if he was looking at something - or rather, someone - that was in front of the cart.
Didn't I see Dexter walking up in front of the caravan? Must be some kind of an early warning system, Harman mused.
The boxer continued to watch Byron's back from the very rear of the cart, but he couldn't get much information from trying to read a torso, and the backside of a man's head.
Through the chirping of birds, and the blowing of the breeze, Harman swore he heard Dexter beginning to speak up at the very front of the cart.
"Dammit," Harman heard Byron swear, after a moment of presumably listening to the man, on who's warning he had apparently stopped the wagon. "And what can we do about that?"
The ginger grunted.
He doesn't seem happy at all, Harman inferred.
"No we can't go around. Do you know how hard it is to not get lost in these woods, Dexter?" Byron snapped. "I mean, petch, there's no damn roads and only so many places where this cart can even just barely pass through the trees."
Harman watched as Byron didn't say anything for a moment.
The boxer saw the ginger run a hand over his face.
"Are you sure?" the man asked Dexter.
Another moment passed.
"Gods," Byron swore and began to climb down from the driver's seat, to the forest floor.
"Harman?" Andreas prodded from behind the boxer.
"Looks like somethings wrong," Harman looked back to, and replied to the blonde giant. "Byron is climbing down, and coming back here."
"Boys, get over here!" Harman heard Byron order, but did not see him do so, from the left side of the covered wagon.
"You must be right," Markus told Harman from beside Andreas.
Harman looked back into the covered wagon, and to Jacs. The two mercenaries beside the man, and Jacs himself, had begun to make their way to the back of the cart.
Harman moved out of the men's way, as they climbed down from the vehicle they were riding in, and to the soil beneath it.
The boxer glanced to his left side, to see Byron coming up around from the front of the cart, to where all the mercenaries were now standing. The ginger was flanked by another red head, Dexter.
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