The Empire of Reimia (3)

"What infernal cold, what bitter frost," – this is what those who went on reconnaissance might have been thinking. Yes, the weather in the north of the empire was not very friendly: if in the capital, even during the coldest periods, it was relatively warm, then the local climate was not conducive to comfortable living conditions for humans. And in Darkiria, where they might have to go, it was even worse. And how do the northerners manage to live there? Berwang couldn't resist and sneezed loudly, spitting out chunks of wet mucus along with the air, which a moment later turned into an echo and spread throughout the gorge. All that remained was to hope that their small detachment wouldn't be betrayed by this. "Ahem, ahem," Berwang wiped his nose, "excuse me..." The visit to the inn didn't end for Lattro with anything remarkable, but at least he knew where he could go if he suddenly wanted to chat with someone from the Brightwind comrades. The scouts found no traces of anyone's presence here, and this mission promised to be as useless and boring as the major had described it. Or so it seemed at first glance... People dressed entirely in white began to emerge from the snow; they had visors on their eyes, and in their hands were unfamiliar rifles. They didn't wait for their reaction and opened fire on the unfortunate scouts. Lattro, Marey, and Berwang had no choice but to rush in the opposite direction – back to where they had come from. The shots from the foreign weapons pursued them and passed through the trees in their path as if through butter. With each moment, the scouts became increasingly aware that they would not be able to escape from here. The only way out that came to mind was to leave someone behind to cover their retreat.