A lone figure trudged through a barren plain, the sun glinting off his black and purple armour. His gaze was fixed on the ground, focusing on the action of walking. A perceptive observer would easily discern his exhaustion, after all, it was evident in this body language, his slumped shoulders, the lack of glow in his eyes, the fact that he was dragging a massive sword across the ground behind him rather than hold it in a guarded position.
Varn was exhausted. The constant wars had finally taken their toll on the Skakdi warrior, his powerful body drained of power. But, the one thing that truly sapped at his will to fight, the one thing that made war draining, was the treachery of the other Skakdi. While Varn was no Toa, far from it, in fact, he never went back on his word. However, as far as he knew, he was the only Skakdi who had such qualms. Saying a Skakdi was treacherous was like saying a Tahtorak was a Rahi; they were both essential traits of their existence. Varn wished he could find a warband with at least a modicum of, what was that Matoran word? Comradeship? Camaraderie. That was the word. Camaraderie. If he had just one ally he could trust, he knew he could fight forever.
While he was pondering, he failed to notice the boundary lines for his warlord's territory, stepping into the no-Skadi's-land that marked the boundaries of the lake, the one place of peace in Zakaz. He didn't notice where he was until he tripped over a stone and nearly fell into the water, eliciting a laugh from a nearby warrior.
"Dude, you're an idiot. A blind idiot, which anywhere else would leave you a smoking corpse, but since you're at the lake, no-one is going to kill you."
Varn picked himself up and glared at the figure.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Varn took in the figure, noting how he carried himself, relaxed but also ready for action.
"Oh, sorry man, I'm Murdens. Independent soldier, some might call me a mercenary." Murdens grinned (well, grinned a bit more than usual for a Skakdi) and made a finger gun with his free hand.
"I'm currently between jobs, but hey, the pay is good and I don't have to bend the knee to some jumped up spine slug who calls himself a warlord."
Varn looked at him, tilting his head slightly.
"You looking for a partner? I want to get out of Nektaan's forces before I get a knife in the back." Internally, Varn was more than slightly worried that Murdens wouldn't accept the offer from a Skakdi he didn't know. Murdens looked shocked at the question, exacerbating Varn's fears until he spoke.
"I was actually looking for a partner, I just never thought I'd be able to work with a Skakdi with any professional ethics, but I have a good sense for people. You seem pretty on the level...wait, I didn't catch your name?"
Varn grinned widely, offering his hand.
"Call me...Varn."