Re: M4 WG: Harsh Climates
Before the light of dawn reaches through the trees and stones, the Aki-Varshi wake you up. "Time to move," one says in Geik.
You eat a few bites of the offered fruit and some of your rations. The Aki-Varshi give you back your weapons, and you spend a few minutes checking them. Then it's time to go.
You note that the hunters sent out before have not yet returned. Lum leads the way.
A short time later, you leave the forest and enter the open fields. In the distance, the mountain range is visible. At the peak of the nearest, largest one is the gleaming pyramid you saw from space.
Lum points at it. "We go to that mountain. Stay close."
The Aki-Varshi set the pace, and you struggle to keep up. They seem to take one step for every two of yours. They speak very little, offering the occasional bit of guidance or offering you some water.
You reach the border of a marshy area. The reeds and grass grow tall here, in water coming up to your knees. The Aki-Varshi seem to know paths through the water. They lead you a half-klick into the fens, and Lum calls a break.
The Aki-Varshi create a perimeter, allowing you to catch your breath and get a bite to eat. Then there is a loud rustling and the sounds of incautious footsteps through the marsh.
Two of the Aki-Varshi, the ones dispatched last night, enter the clearing. They are forced-marching a human male. He has white skin, close-cut brown hair, and has some bruising on his face. He is wearing a black bodyglove and some pieces of white Stormtrooper armour. His hands are bound behind his back. His expression is mixed fatigue and fury. The hunters bring him into the centre of the clearing, the driest part, and force him to his knees.
Lum gestures towards the man. "This is one of your enemies, correct? He will be your test. You will give him aid when he is in need." Lum says something in his language. One of the hunters draws an arrow to her bow and lets to fly. The arrow sticks into the Stormtroopers' abdomen with a thump. His expression changes from anger to shock.