[The Wain] Red Letter Morning

[Success at a Cost]

The berries weren't much. They were almost less than something, for their taste and the void of sustenance that they were supposed to provide. Food on the road had been difficult thus far. The good rations had run out, leaving only the lingering morsels that one usually ignored until there was no other option.

Similarly, the march itself was not much, but it was progress. Every Galt knew the way home, so to speak, even someone in Seth's current state. In fact, it was going quite well. He spotted a peculiar tree with mis-shapen branches, one of which was of a white ash that set it apart from the others, dull brown as they were. Reldar had pointed it out to him when they had been traveling in the other direction, towards... ...

In nearly the same breath, Seth got the inexplicable feeling that he was being watched. No, that wasn't right. He was not being watched yet. But this sense was becoming gradually justified by the hints of movement, coming towards him on the road from the direction he was heading towards. They would round the corner soon, where both parties would be witness to each other.

He did not have long to decide how he was going to face whoever was coming.

Seth maintained his course. That creeping sensation intensified as he drew closer to the turn, in tandem with whoever else was about to do the same. As he drew closer, it was more than a single pair of footsteps, but not many. Their sounds were not heavy enough to sound like metal, but not so light as to be mistaken for someone who wasn't dressed for the road. There were three of them. Then, he saw them.

There were three of them, each sporting leathers and hides typical for many travelers. Protective, but only just. They each wore domino masks that were painted a dull red colour. When they saw Seth, all of them stopped, looking pointedly at him.

One of them was short, with scraggly green skin and bright red eyes that looked ready to bulge out of their sockets. His face was set in a dour expression, impatient. The clothing was not intended for someone his size, and so a fair amount of clothing draping off of his body had been secured by aggressive tucking and binding with scraps. Amid these scraps was something that glinted on the morning light.

The second was a lanky man of average height and average build. Several knives rested in slim scabbards tucked along his belt. Among the three, he spotted Seth first, and grinned. He was the only one discernibly emoting to Seth. His arms were spread in a wide gesture.

The third, lagging behind the other two, was a tall, heavyset man, with a balding scalp and jagged facial features. Miniature tusks jutted out from his cheeks. Along with the rest of the bottom half of his face, they were splashed with a dark liquid substance. Though he stared at Seth, the gaze appeared to be focused on other things. His clothing stretched tightly against his skin, in contrast to the small member of the group. He had a terrible odor about him.

"'Ho there! Don't s'ppose you've got anythin' t'spare a troupe in need of grub?" He stepped back and clapped his friend's stomach twice. It was enough to get him to belch. Even from where Seth was standing, the stench was palpable. "Ol' Bear gobbled up our share a' the rations! We jus' need a li'l somethin' to get by." He stepped forward again, appraising Seth with a quick smile. "Whaddya say, stranger? Help a brother out?"

The grinning man took it in stride. If anything, he seemed to be amused, pleased even, by Seth's compliance. He started closing the distance between them. While he did not reach out to Seth, the man was holding out his hand in front of him expectantly.

"You don't know the half of it!"

The little one eyed Seth curtly. He did not approach him, keeping his relative distance with his hands firmly on his waist. "Bear" continued to stare blankly, none the wiser... though he was staring at Seth now.

Success with Advantage

The man realized what was happening, but too late. Even if he had, it is unclear if he would have been spry enough to get out of this situation. He was less spry than he appeared to be, given how quickly his body yielded to Seth's maneuvers. He yelped in pain, stumbling backwards, though not so quickly that he would have time to get away from Seth.

With quick reflexes, Seth was able to get a hold of the man, and tightly. Though he flailed about, Seth's grip was tighter than this man could muster. He was now looking back at his comrades, between them and this stranger that had once been thought easy prey. The little one growled, quickly flipping out a dirk from his waistband. He pointed it at Seth's head with a stabbing motion, but didn't get any closer. The large one, "Bear", grunted. He stared at Seth with slightly more intent than none at all.

Though the man with knives couldn't escape Seth's arms for the moment, he was doing no shortage of squirming. Despite the circumstances, he still had his smile. "A'right, a'right, let's just, settle down, yeah? No need fer anythin' we're gonna regret!"