K-day + 806 days | Vicinity of the Antares sector

Green plains as far as the eye can see, blue skies, gentle sunshine. In a solitary dirt road a camouflaged jeep makes its way.
Playing from inside it’s windowless austere metallic interior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_3w-SYA4Dk

Inside this anachronistic visage of a vehicle is me, an average man in strange circumstances to make it succinct: I'm an adventurer, which depending on place can mean homeless vagrant, freelancer contractor or opportunistic mercenary. I’m not sure which of those i am but i like to think i’m just a tourist, yes a tourist, inside a repurposed military jeep that runs on magic and with a diminutive shotgun in the backseat, suffice to say i’m a bit lost and need money.
Cratenia shouldn’t be too far, I heard their women are nice and the food is cheap even during this war, that’s all I need to know. An old Brazilian field map filled with the previous owner’s annotations will be my guide.

Some more minutes of travel through this idyllic scenery before I could see the brown mountains of Cratenia and the river that delimited its territory. Luckily they already made bridges on the river making it easy for vehicles to come and go. Unfortunately those bridges also serve as checkpoints manned by Brazilian soldiers and if they saw me I would get conscripted on the spot. Maybe even beaten, “milicos” don’t like draft dodgers like me, For obvious reasons, so i would have to go through the harder path, the wet path. 
Luckily I'm far away from the river so no way the milicos will see me.
I turn-on the differential blocker and the integral traction just in-case and then go off-road, turning the bumpy ride into an even bumpier, uncomfortable and exciting ride.
The jeep accelerated and jumped about in its merry way, marking its way in the green grassy fields. The sound of the powerful diesel engine reverberated along with the music.
After some time the sound of the wind and the engine gave way to the sound of the river. Its clear blue waters called me forth and I responded with my snorkel equipped jeep. The engine roared, the wheels moved, the water splashed and now with my wet and drippy jeep I accelerated forth, to Cratenia’s capital where the food is cheap and the women are good (both very important for a man like me).
The scenery went from expansive green plains to a brownish semi-arid savannah with some hills and mountains, at the center of the islet is an enormous mountain, that’s where the Capital is, standing taller than anything else I've ever seen.The brown mountain is a sight to behold.

I speed forth, filling the air with the engine sound and lifting a small dusty cloud.
In no time I reached the city at the base of the mountain. It's big but most of it isn’t accessible to foreigners, those inaccessible parts are either higher up in the mountain or inside the mountain, with most of the accessible parts being trading districts and diplomatic legations, Cratenians are very insular and not even a war of extermination changed that.
I can already see the entrance to the city, beautiful brown stone arches that invite your gaze and your heart. The architecture is a menagerie of mediterranean hill town and Egyptian antiquity.
Some signs of fighting can still be seen if you have a trained eye, bullet holes mended with fresh cement, stones in the road uplifted by track movement and explosions and recently changed glass windows.
I enter the city through the arches, the eyes of the locals turn to the out of place motor-vehicle that just cried it’s way in through the busy streets. Not the first time they see a jeep of course, but seeing newcomers with new and interesting vehicles always bring curious eyes, the kids will be disappointed when they see it’s nothing but a jeep and an average guy.
The sun was out high, cold wind blew through the busy street and cosy looking homes, now that I arrived at my destination it’s time to find a place to park my car a common alley would do. Thankfully there were a lot of them in this city, just waiting for a jeep to hide.

Conspicuous alley located, jeep hidden and the risks of theft eliminated it was time to find some food and maybe company for the night. checking my shit before moving out of the dark alley; coat, sawed off 28 gauge obrez, what remains of my finances and a canteen that’s what i got on me it is enough to keep me alive and unburdened. 
I stride out of the conveniently sized foul smelling alley into the sunny busy street. 
Elves, beastmen, tieflings, humans, all commuting and minding their own business. Now it’s time to follow the flow and find a tavern, get some chow and then find the red light district, no better way to live.
Making my way through the cosy looking streets adorned with coloured houses, sale stands and interesting characters, i keep going until i reach a plaza in the middle of it is a water fountain adorned with a horned bird sculpture on one side of the  the plaza by one of the streets is a Brazilian wheeled tank destroyer, standing proudly with a red and white guidon fluttering and some soldiers striking conversation around it, a small sandbag wall in front of it with another group of soldiers and a machine gun, a very anachronistic sight but a marvelous one indeed.
Luckily for me they are too far away to notice me because otherwise I would be apprehended. And also luckily for me i see a tavern on the opposite side of the plaza away from the milicos and with its doors wide open. 
As I approach the tavern, the smell of fresh well spiced food fills my nostrils along with the sound of hearty conversation.
The interior of the bar is warm and dark, the bar has two levels, with the first level being centered around a bar counter and filled with tables and windows. The second level is the restaurant, a big skylight window in the ceiling gave it a completely different feel compared to the floor level.
I made my way to the restaurant and found a seat. The skylight window had an odd pattern to it, creating a beautiful shadow on the wooden floor. Around me lots of couples and groups of friends conversed while eating.
I ordered meat, mashed potato and some local fruit juice. It didn’t take long for my food to arrive, one of the benefits of having elf cooks. After finally finishing my meal I paid them with some of my remaining money and made my way out.
As i was walking to the door i saw some Brazilian soldiers entering the tavern, i avoided their gaze and covered some of my face with my coat lapel they passed through conversing with each other and paying no mind to me, i thought i managed to bypass them and was already stepping out of the tavern when one of them stopped and pointed to me.
“Hey isn’t that the guy?!”
“It’s the fucking corno, get him!”
I leaped into a run and started sprinting my way to the jeep, they followed almost falling into themselves as they did
 “Fucking faggot, get him!”
I dodged the commuters while the brutes on my tail made as much noise as they could in an effort to convince the onlookers to help them, the onlookers couldn’t care less. The pursuit continued through the familiar streets. A lot of other milicos joined the brutes in my tail, but they couldn’t run as fast as me and I never ran as fast.
I see the alley my jeep is in, but i won’t have enough time to turn it on and bolt it, i need a distraction or something to stop them. Time for drastic measures. I open my coat and take my Obrez out in the middle of my run.

Safety off
Stop
Aim for the air 
shoot

The olive green brutes instinctively braced the floor, the civilians around us began screaming and running, I took my opportunity and began to run while the sea of people created a wall of flesh between me and them.
I sprinted to the jeep and turned it on, the ringing in my ears was silenced by the long drawn out roar of the 150HP diesel.
The radio turns on with https://youtu.be/kQJM397kOXc playing
I put the gears into reverse and throttled it, almost hitting one of the milicos who ran towards the alley. I maneuvered the car in a single fluid move and then put the gears into forward and bolted it off.
“Fuck, caralho, get the captain!” One of the angry milicos proclaimed.
The roar of the powerful engine filled the once idyllic city. The people moved out of the way while I speeded forth, in no time I was out of the city and on the dirt road that leads away from Cratenia.
I was already laughing out loud almost maniacally, “all according to plan”.
Of course I didn't have a plan for escaping the army in case they saw me in the city, and of course I didn't have a plan in case they went after me out of the city.
The sound of my Engine was joined by other two engines, two jeeps trying to catch me, leaving long dust clouds as they speeded in pursuit.
Fucking Milicos are stubborn as fuck.
“Stop the car, citizen, you’re under arrest” One of the guys in a marrua said over a megaphone.
“It won’t be that easy you fucking slavecuck” I said to myself
I pressed my foot harder on the pedal and moved out of the road in the direction of the river, dodging small trees and bushes as I moved, trying to make it hard for the two in pursuit.
Was then that I saw a small elevation in the sand, kinda like a short dune, perfect opportunity. Moving full throttle into the diminutive dune I managed to get into the air. The wheels made contact with the ground again thankfully my ass and my car were ok. One of the pursuing vehicles got into the air almost at the same time, but when it landed the wheels skidded and it was forced to stop. I managed to simply bolt away.
And the other pursuer was smarter and avoided the dune all together, still fixated and speeding towards me.
The river was getting closer and closer, I just had to reach it and then another day of freedom.
The jeep wheels made contact with the wet mud around the river banks, it splashed into the clear water and lost most of its speed, it moved at a painfully slow rate compared to the high speed chase.
After some painful seconds I was speeding towards the green plains and my pursuer reached the river bank at the opposite side, frustrated at the unsuccessful hunt one of the men screamed at the megaphone.
“We're gonna get you one day!”
We’ll see, We’ll see. For now the plains await.