h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*Thoran starts walking along the road, then moves to the edge of it and slips into the brush at the side*
*he moves along silently, keeping his eye out for Dark Alliance patrols*

~Thoran

*from his previous reconaissance, Thoran is able to avoid DA patrols*

*the brush is quiet, mostly, besides the natural wildlife*

*until, after an hour or so, sounds of cruel laughter are coming from a clump of trees a little further off the road; beyond there is a ransacked farmhouse*

*Thoran pauses, listening to the laughter. Putting down his pack he gets out his crossbow and attaches the quiver to his belt*
*Slinging his pack up onto his shoulder he quietly moves towards teh laughter*

~Thoran

*the clump of trees is more like a circle*

*in the circle, there are a half-dozen men wearing black leather armour and black headbands with the symbol of the DA on them*

*they are pushing an old man around, laughing at a young woman's entreaties to get them to stop*

*Thoran's eyes narrow slightly*
*he aims at the first man's throat and fires a bolt, he then changes aim to another and fires again. He repeats this, till he has emptied the five bolts from his crossbow. Then he runs into the clearing with his quaterstaff ready*

~Thoran

*four of the five men were killed with lethal shots, the fifth careens into a tree in shock and is knocked out*

*the sixth, uninjured man draws his sword and looks at Thoran with a mixture of anger and fear*

[Man] F-for the v-victory of the Alliance!
*he attacks Thoran*

*Thoran sidesteps the man's verticle blow and hooks his quaterstaff behind the sword and hits the blade so the man keeps going forward, stumbling past Thoran. Thoran continues the swing (basically this swing turns Thoran 180 degrees) and hits the man in the back of the head as he goes past, sending the man sprawling to the ground*

~Thoran

*the man stumbles to his feet, looking more like he wants to run rather than stand and face Thoran*

*he prods his unconscious friend with his foot, then when the other doesn't stir, he turns tail and starts to run*

*Thoran throws his quaterstaff as he would a spear, so that it tangles the man's legs up causing him to fall over*
*Thoran walks up to him and kicks him in the head, knocking him out*

~Thoran

*the small clearing is still for a moment, save for the young girl's sobbing*

[Young girl] S-sir? Could you help my father? Please?

*Thoran picks up his quaterstaff then drags the unconcious man back into the clearing*
*he gets some rope out of his bag and quickly binds the two unconcious attackers*
*then he turns to the man*
Where are you hurt?

~Thoran

*the man, leaning on his daughter now, looks at Thoran*

They pushed me around a bit, sir...I'm bruised, and have a mighty big headache, but you saved me from the worst of it. As you did my daughter, and for that I thank you.

It's fine. I'd advise heading for one of the cities though; it is safer there than it is out here.

~Thoran

[man] From the Dark Alliance and its allies *spits on one of the bodies* maybe, but not from common thieves and petty criminals. The reason my daughter and I came out here was because my wife, her mother, was robbed and killed six years ago down a back alley in Imardin.

*sighs*
I know such things happen... who knows if this world will ever become peaceful?
I'd advise moving on from here anyway; The alliance will not be happy to find its men dead.
*Thoran turns and starts to leave the clearing*

~Thoran

*the girl - who's about ten - runs and hugs Thoran from behind, then runs back to her father quickly*

*the father laughs slightly* [man] Thank you again, kind sir. But I'll hide these bodies, and they won't be none the wiser.

*he sends the girl off to the house to get some body-hiding supplies*

*Thoran nods towards the man then leaves the clearing, continuing along the road*

~Thoran

*the next few hours of the trip are uneventful*

<*Thoran spends a few uneventful hours*
*he whistles to himself for a bit, scratches his nose once...* so tempting to detail the next few uneventful hours!!>

~Thoran

<>

*night falls*