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.