[TheRaisin]

Alrighty, chapter V is dedicated to my first and so far only replier, sligslinger!


Down, Carver, and Wurm set out early the next morning. Wurm, the lightest of the three, rode on the back of the meetle so he could focus his attention on the sky while they rode out across the open plains, while Down and Carver towed his elum in addition to the meetle. It was important to keep close watch over the sky while riding across this vast, open land, as Vykker blimp patrols often swept the area.
Around midday, after hours of uneventful travel, his vigilance paid off, and he spotted a single blimp coming from the direction of the mountains. They quickly ran to the nearest grove of trees and waited for what seemed like hours as the blimp passed by. They were fortunate that it was a simple patrol blimp: the blimps deployed when searching for something in particular had special scanning equipment, and one of those might have spotted the group before Wurm spotted it, even with his powerful telescope.
The rest of the day passed without incident, and by the time the sun went down, they had entered the foothills of the great mountains. They made camp in a dense old growth grove, thankful that there was a dense forest at this altitude. Not being able to risk a fire lest they give themselves away, they ate a few cold biscuits and some jerky and went to sleep, taking sentry duty in rotation.
When day came, they set out again, and by midmorning, they were thankful that they had not betrayed their presence with a campfire, as they soon came across a Vykker installation. After a quick recon from the upper branches of a tree, they were relieved to find that it was only a remote research outpost. They saw three Interns guarding the small building, and guessed that there were at least six more inside, plus a Vykker-- two day shifts, a night shift, and a scientist. Knowing that these were easy odds, they quickly slew the on-duty guards with two skull-cracking slingstones and a perfectly executed arrow. Then Wurm cautiously(SP?) opened the door and his siblings jumped in, shortswords drawn, to find the room deserted. In a room to the left, they found a Vykker staring intently through a microscope, and killed him before he even noticed their presence. Then, venturing further into the building, they found a bunkroom where five Interns were slumbering peacefully. Although they hated to kill even such cruel creatures in their sleep, they could not risk leaving any alive to raise the alarm. After disposing of them, they scanned a small arms locker, took a few shocksticks and Snuzis, and left as silently as they came, like ghosts in the high-altitude forest mist. They had been lucky to catch this group off-guard, but they knew much more taxing obstacles awaited them, and they would need all the luck and skill they possessed to complete their mission.

Thanks again, sligslinger. If only some other people would follow your example and respond.