"Ah, the mercenary team i presume?" A man stepped out the front door to the building.
"Come inside, it's warmer than this unforgiving outside.
We all step inside, wearing our armor. Our weapons still inside our bags.
Papers all around, people on desks working on schematics or blueprints along with people holding tablets while walking around. This place is busy.
"R&D, but that's not why you're here." We continued our walk to a hallway, leaving the busy main area. He opens a steel metal door to a smaller room. Inside, a table stood in the middle with a map.
"The forest is not far from here, about half an hour," The man points at a section in the map, a circle of red marking it, the forest. "We don't have vehicles so you'll have to travel on foot. We observed the lost weapons to be taken in patterns, a day apart or 2 days apart. Same amount stolen each time. Odd the police didn't find anything. Anyways, the last time they stole the cargo was 2 days ago. Today may be the best day to observe, if you find em. Find their location then report back to me. After that, kill them all." The man placed both his hands on the table staring at the map while explaining the mission.
"And that's the mission, careful though. If it is true that thieves are really taking our weapons and not because of terrible reports from staff at the storage area, they could be packing alot of firepower so be very careful. Good luck." The man advised.
"Put your bags here for now, you can get em back after reporting to me, maybe the raid will yield some vital information or anything else." The man continued, pointing at a spot on the ground. The bag, now empty with my weapons already holstered onto me, the only thing left are the extra magazines.
We headed out, with the mission and orders in mind. The only thing to do now is getting back outside to the cold.
The snow poured down more than earlier, the horizon in the distance now becoming faint to impossible to make out.
The guard opens the gate, letting us leave the comforts of the building.
"Alright, Marcel got the location?" Sebastian asked.
"Yeah, though it doesn't track our live location. Just gotta rely on directions and our eyes, even in this weather."
"It's west of here, best to start moving now." Marcel added.
With Marcel still giving us the directions along with Sebastian leading the way, our trek through snow begins.
With the armor i still feel cold, but it must be reducing most of the frost before reaching me. Rifle in my two hands, i prepare myself for an ambush. That vision is making me paranoid an ambush might happen to me as well.
"This is a fun mission." Nora remarked.
"What makes you say that?" Stephen asked.
"Challenging winter, and fighting in new environments especially challenging ones like this is fun." Nora replied. Being born in Aregalia, a place that's just rain and sun. I rarely seen snow, this low temp though is something i'm not used to, Nora is right however, challenging winter and fighting in new environments does seem fun.
"Stephen can you see the forest or anything in the distance with your scope?" Sebastian asked.
"Snow is blinding, can't see much so i guess were not near yet."
"Jeez, even with the armor i can still some of the cold." Lennox commented.
"Just bear with it Lennox, careful with your guns. Maybe they can get frozen in this place." Thalia teased.
"If that's the case im using a dead insurgent's corpse to warm it up with whatever heat is left."
"Sounds rather brutal but ok." Thalia awkwardly ended the conversation.
The snow only got deeper and deeper the farther we trekked, now it's reaching up my hips. Well if an ambush did happen, the snow can provide cover, however weak or useless snow is as a barricade.
"I see something, a black mass in the distance, must be the forest. Snowfall is getting less blinding." Stephen announced.
"Checking the directions, yeah were near. And on the right path." Marcel added.
"Were close then, the man told us to observe, so it's best to reside somewhere high or secluded, while having full view on the forest. Either that or finding some cave and hole in this snow." Sebastian continued thinking for a plan before we arrive.
"Since were scouring the area. Best to find higher ground right? Maybe a rock or cliff. If i learned anything from history, burying yourself in snow makes you more camouflaged." Thalia suggested.
"Well, best to get a better lay of the forest beforehand. If we can't find a nearby high ground, guess we bury ourselves in the snow and just watch the forest. Going in without info guarantees a risky to lethal loss."
In the distance, the darkened figures of trees became visible without a scope.
"Alright, Stephen. Scout ahead for any high ground, snow fall is getting less blinding." Stephen picks up his pace, moving faster through this thick, high snow.
Stephen kept moving until we could no longer see him, disappearing through the white misty wind.
Looking down at my rifle, snow chunks rested on it. Hey this can be some good last minute camouflage for all my weapons in this weather.
"Stephen see anything?"
"Only see an elevated hill of snow that's it." Stephen answered back.
"Alright, guess we follow his tracks before the snow swallows it up." Hastily we ran through the snow. Running in a messy manner, shambling through to Stephen's location. Do we just camp there till we see movement from there?
"This place can give ample observation on the forest itself."
Arriving at Stephen's location, a small hill of snow. Stephen, in the middle of burying himself in the snow with his rifle aimed at the forest turned to us.
"Yeah this is the most elevation i can find near the forest. Snowfall stopped for now," In the sky, he was right, no more snow fell. "Anyways, guess we cover ourselves in the snow to prevent getting spotted.
"Dig in for now." Sebastian ordered.
We had no tools to dig down into the snowy hill, only hands. Using our hands we scooped snow out the way, making a small sized hole down behind Stephen's position. Scooping snow away or using both hands to push them away from the hole.
I sigh after digging this hole with the team, sitting down in it to rest.
We all began sitting down inside the shallow small hole together. No fire, relying only on the heating from the suit as well as the cold reduction it gives.
"Stephen see anything yet?"
"Nothing."
"Alright, notify us when you spot someone, Marcel check for any signal on your tablet. Phones or anything." Sebastian ordered Marcel and Stephen.
Marcel took out his tablet, tapping on it.
"A whole lot of insurgent forces here, they even got to Shoravik." Mary said, starting another convo to alleviate some boredom from trekking or digging. Good thing were talking in our comms, or else anyone here would hear us.
"The revolution back then caused more division, breeding more insurgent groups with their own beliefs, but hey. We may or may not be in this situation or even know each other if it weren't for that revolution" Thalia replied.
"Great cost it was." Alina added.
"People that could have been one of us, people serving the alliance or their nations, instead.....They serve each their own leaders or their own false philosophies." Nora said, her words coming out with a sad tone.
"They could have fought alongside us or with our armies. Against the empire." She continued.
Dusk soon fell in the sky. Giving the area a relaxing vibe. Despite the cold, it's quite warming to see a sunset like this. Snow started to fall down again.
"Found some movement," Stephen announced to us.
"Also found something in the tablet, a ping." Marcel added shortly after Stephen spoke.
"Mary you still have your camera?" Sebastian asked. Mary took out a tube, the camera, camera i used before back at the forest.
"Good, go to Stephen's position. Don't make alot of noise and bury yourself quickly alongside him. Take photos." Sebastian ordered.
Mary cautiously exited the hole, moving low. From here i can faintly here snow getting pushed & moved around.
"Someone is moving, moving away from the forest. Weird. Mary snap photos." Stephen ordered Mary.
"Marcel what do you get on the ping?" Sebastian asked.
"I can only see 1 ping, and it's moving." Marcel replied.
"Well the person were looking at must be carrying the ping." Stephen added.
"What the?" Stephen, shocked asked into the comms.
"What is it?" Sebastian asked him.
"Target's running." Stephen answered.
"Odd"
"Someone that's supposed to be stealing shouldn't make such a messy track like that. Good thing our track is gone, can't see it already. Guess it was consumed by the snowfall before it stopped." Mary added.