Where Monsters lie sleeping (Open)

[Steinerman]

There was a place, far out in the Valtheran Outlands, far from most any sort of civilization at all. In this place sat a large concrete and steel military base surrounded by chain-link fence on the outskirts, and high concrete walls closer in; a seeming alien intrusion upon the landscape of the land. Most people, upon hearing about it, would assume a military complex so far off the beaten path would house some form of evil and sickening experiment, of the sort that conspiracy theorists are sure their governments partake in.

Unfortunately, if said conspiracy theorists were to come out and see the base, they'd be disheartened by its appearance. It wasn't dark, nor foreboding. There were no faint screams of tortured souls upon the air to give hint that this was a place of evil. No bitter smells of a medical nature to point out that "Here" was where the Valtheran government did bad things they didn't want anyone to know about. No, this base . . . was just there.

What few locals that were in the area had nothing to say about it. That isn't to say they feared it or even disliked it, they just had no emotions about the place, it had become a part of the background. Occasionally military vehicles would make their way to and from it, but otherwise the inhabitants of the fortress kept to themselves.

Anonymity and non-threatening behavior are wonderful masks for what lies beneath. This complex, one of the only facilities in the Valtheran military without an official name, was unofficially called "Monsterville" by said military (and now the Aube military as well). It was the home to the Valtheran DarkOps command, a relatively small group of specialized operatives working for the Valtheran government.

General Donovan Winter didn't come here often, he rarely had need. His task-force didn't have much contact with the DarkOps community besides the Tydorian Cadre. But currently he was looking for somewhere a little off the beaten path, and "Monsterville" was it.

He and Lieutenant Anders entered the base with little trouble, he with his usual icy demeanor, and his Lieutenant with a look of apprehension upon her face. She was one of the few who knew that the Valtheran military had two types of special forces designations at the moment. Black Ops (sometimes called Covert Ops) covered the majority of the military's special forces teams, which the Task Force took most of its members from.

But there was a second term, DarkOps, for describing a more magically inclined, and possibly insane, subset of the special forces community. Here in the DarkOps command, the most vicious and vile magical characters were housed, kept away from the civilian populace unless on a mission. This base didn't perform experiments or other dastardly and vile deeds, it merely housed the products of such experiments.

Donovan found it amusing that once the Tydorian Cadre had arrived in the base, they'd taken defacto leadership of the place. After all, even insane necromancers realized that to cross the small furry golem-like creatures would lead to a quick and violent death.

He entered the main complex and walked past the empty guardposts. Currently the base didn't house any regular troops, leaving the large base feeling empty as the DarkOps group only had roughly a hundred individuals in it, with a full thirty members coming from the Tydorian Cadre.

He ignored most of the inhabitants, making a beeline for a cheerfully decorated office in the center of the complex. He knocked twice, and then entered, leaving Lieutenant Anders to stay outside and "Mingle", though she shuddered at the thought of trying to talk to any of the inhabitants.

Inside the room, Donovan locked eyes with the three-and-a-half foot commander of the Tydorian cadre, and self-proclaimed queen of "Monsterville". He was hard-pressed to tell the difference in gender of the small creatures. They didn't seem to have many apparent ones. Her voice was readily female, but otherwise, her clothing was merely a functional pair of pants and a vest with a large bright yellow button pinned to it, the word "Boss" emblazoned upon it. The only distinguishing mark she had was a shock of bright blue fur upon her head.

The small creature was currently sitting in a chair (which looked absurdly large when housing such a small creature) at a large desk, her utterly black eyes locked on him with interest. "General Winter," she said cordially, her voice soft and pleasant. "What a surprise to find you here, how may I help you?"

Donovan sat in a chair across from her and smiled icily, "I'm hiding out." He said plainly, his eyes amused.

"Oh?" The small creature asked, toying with the button upon her vest. "From whom?" She questioned, but then continued before he could answer. "Ah, the Royal Adviser to the Aube Royal Family. You'd rather not talk to her."

He shrugged, in truth, Kayt Sharidan hadn't even tried to contact him yet, and there was a possibility she wouldn't. But he disliked being pestered, and had needed a meeting with the small cadre leader anyways. Donovan was a firm believer in killing two birds with one stone.

"It was a horrible piece of luck that it had to be her sister who ran into your Tydorian pair." He said calmly.

The small creature opposite him nodded, "Indeed it was." She agreed. "Agent Sharidan went and told her sister all about it, I imagine. And Kayt has clearance to actually know what we are, how annoying."

Donovan kept the icy smile, "I decided that coming here and not being available would dissuade the Royal Adviser from trying to talk to me, though her sister may be less inclined to care. She's clever enough to try and come here on her own."

The small creature's eyes narrowed, "Agent Sharidan would die, if that happened. My siblings and their keepers dislike unwelcome guests."

Donovan inclined his head, "It would be better if you simply captured her and expelled her from the base, without killing her." He said pleasantly.

The Tydorian glared at him, "You don't want us to rock the boat, very well." She shrugged once, "if Agent Sharidan comes poking around to yell at us for being horrible murdering monsters, I won't tear her head off."

Donovan inclined his head gratefully, "Many thanks, Ms. B. I appreciate your discretion in the matter. If you don't mind, I'll inspect the cadre while I'm here, will keep me occupied for a few days."

Ms. B nodded her small fur-covered head once, "Of course, General, the cadre is always ready for inspection."

[The Rising Dragon]

"Are you sure about this, ma'am?"

Kayt nodded slowly, keeping her gaze out on the facility that lay just before her. The Valtheran soldier beside her looked at the place apprehensively--he knew what this place was, to an extent. He'd heard the rumors. Why this civilian from Aube wanted to be here was something he couldn't fathom, but he had his orders. He was glad he had his gear on him, including his rifle.

"Why did you want to come here, anyway?" he asked.

"General Winter and I are long overdue for a discussion about his practices," she said shortly, to the point. She reached up around her neck, brushing her long hair out of the way, and unhooked her necklace. A quick sealing spell hid its properties, and she handed it to her companion. "Keep this out of sight," she ordered. "I may need it should Winter decide once again that he is above the law."

"If you say so, ma'am," he said, looking at the pendant dubiously. Nevertheless, he pocketed in his vest pocket, and quickly trotted to catch up to the woman, who was now approaching Monsterville's entrance. It wouldn't be long before the first man on patrol demanded to see her identification... or try to shoot her, at which point he'd be in for a nasty surprise.

[Steinerman]

Donovan and the small Tydorian had just begun to inspect the nearby training ground when Ms. B raised a furry hand to her ear, listening to an almost-invisible earpiece nestled within her fur.

"Looks like your game of hide-and-seek didn't work, General, someone's approaching the main gate, one guess as to who."

Donovan grimaced, but shrugged, this wasn't entirely unexpected. Ms. B seemed to agree with that sentiment, as she simply chuckled and spoke a few soft words into a mic attached to her paw, she then slapped a military cap over her triangular head to hide the blue hair, and stood patiently. "Seeing as we have a second guest," she continued amiably, "we should probably wait to show you around until she joins us, I'm sending someone to meet her."

______


As Kayt approached the gate, there was a mechanical buzz and the doors slowly retracted, revealing a lone figure in the shadowed doorway. The figure walked to greet them with measured, graceful steps. The light from the sun quickly revealed it to be a tall, graceful female Elf, wearing a simple-yet-elegant outfit of grey slacks and shirt. Her hair was a dark purple, almost black in some places, and came to rest in a pony-tail just a little past her neck-line.

The woman smiled, "Advisor, welcome to DarkOps command, we've been expecting you."

The Elf bore no weapons, but her slightly-luminescent blue eyes gave hint that she was a mage, and a powerful one at that. She extended a hand in way of greeting when she got close enough, "I'm Keeper Audrey, of the Tydorian cadre, always a pleasure to meet a distinguished woman such as yourself." She said politely.

[The Rising Dragon]

The woman nodded, grasping the Keeper's hand with her own. "Likewise, Keeper," she replied with an amiable smile. Nevertheless, Kayt could tell from the magical strength of this woman that, should things go awry during her visit here and she had to fight her way out, this woman would be a high-priority target. And she knew that the other knew it.

That is, of course, if Kayt herself wasn't slain by whatever Tydorians are in the area as well. She had no doubt that most of them would be on the premises.

"Private Cole here and I need to speak to General Winter as soon as possible," Kayt said as they released hands, falling quickly into business mode. "I'm certain that he's busy now, but this is not something that can wait."

She held out the sealed orders to the Keeper, knowing that by protocol this woman wouldn't be able to dodge it. By no means had Kayt come to this place unprepared.

[Steinerman]

Audrey smiled, her every motion graceful and dignified. "But of course, Advisor, we've been expecting you." She replied pleasantly.

She turned and waved a hand towards the base, "General Winter is inside, waiting to begin an inspection of the cadre. Our commander thought it would be beneficial if you joined the General in the inspection." She took a few short steps away, the sealed orders clutched in one of her hands, then turned and smiled again, "please, Advisor, follow me."

[The Rising Dragon]

Kayt nodded and followed after the elven mage. "Very well," she said. "This inspection shouldn't take too long."

[Steinerman]

Donovan stared on with interest as his small companion clapped her furry paws together excitedly at the approach of a tall Elf woman, followed by Kayt Sharidan and a Valtheran soldier. He'd never seen the cadre commander act like an excitedly child before, but here the small creature was, grinning like a gleeful fool and clapping her hands together all the same.


Ms. B hopped a few short steps up ahead, playfully hugging the tall Elf's leg, "Aw, Audrey dear, you've brought us some guests." She said with amusement.

Winter decided it would be best to simply ignore the Tydorian and her antics for the moment, choosing to incline his head politely, "Royal Advisor, "he greeted stiffly, eyes locked on the woman. "To what do I owe the pleasure of such a visit?"

A moment later, lacking any apparent social skills in allowing Kayt time to respond to Winter, Ms. B waddled up to Kayt and extended a furry hand upwards in mimicry of a handshake, "Hello, Human." She greeted pleasantly.

[The Rising Dragon]

Kayt had to bend her knees to reach a comfortable level to accept the Tydorian's offered hand, and shook it firmly. "Greetings, Ms. Button," she replied before straightening to look at Winter directly and nod back. "General."

Beside her, the soldier that had accompanied Kayt to Monsterville saluted to the two higher-ranked officers.

"I have need to discuss with you the... mission that you had carried out in Allondell recently," Kayt explained to the Valtheran general. "I'm sure you're aware of the one I'm speaking of. But I understand that you are currently engaged at the moment. Surely you wouldn't object to me accompanying you on your inspection?"

[Steinerman]

Donovan shrugged once, glancing pointedly at Ms. Button, though he already knew the answer she would give.

The small Tydorian continued grinning, obviously impressed that Kayt knew her name, and had taken the time to bend lower and shake her hand. "Oh but of course, Ms. Sharidan. I was just about to take the General to witness a practice bout between two of my Tydorian pairs and another DarkOps unit. He's so keen on seeing us fight, and we honestly don't get to do it often."

The small creature waddled her way down a long concrete hall, not even bothering to notice if the others followed her or not. She waved a paw once, motioning for the Elf mage to jog up to her and lean over, whispering a few instructions to the Keeper.

Meanwhile, Donovan and his aide matched step with Kayt, Donovan's eyes locked straight ahead at their presumed destination, from the looks of it the hall emptied out into some sort of sandy practice ring.

"So, Ms. Sharidan, you followed me all the way out here to talk about a sanctioned mission in Stamarian territory? That seems a little odd." He stated conversationally.

[The Rising Dragon]

"And which one was the sanctioned one, I wonder?" Kayt replied, keeping her eyes watchful on the coming sparring match between the genetically-engineered creatures and the other DarkOps operatives. "The ill-conceived scouting mission into Allondell, or your last-second rescue mission on top of the one we had already been ordered to perform?"

Her voice was neutral, but her escort could sense the dropping temperature between the high-ranking officials. "I have access to all of the DarkOp files, and of those two, there was only one that was given any sanction by the Council of Kings," she said.

[Steinerman]

Donovan barely suppressed a derisive snort when he heard Kayt's reply. "rescue attempt?" He scoffed. "Advisor, it was your sister who staged a rescue attempt, the Tydorian pair was in the area for a completely different operation, and when they sent a signal indicating they could be used as support in your sister's rescue attempt, I of course jumped at the chance to reinforce a lone Aube agent in hostile territory."

He paused for a brief second, and nodded his head sharply in acknowledgement of a fact. "Admittedly, using them as back-up for your sister may have had some violent side-effects, but they were in the area and were ordered to meet up with agent's Nim and Wish anyways."

Ms. Button's cheerful voice interjected, "What the General says is true, Advisor. My Tydorian pair was sent to Allondell almost two weeks ago, well before his agent's capture. When the situation came up, he requested they be used as heavy magical support, which is our stated use for the Task Force."

The small Tydorian spun round and began waddling backwards, a gigantic grin upon her face as she turned her pitch-black eyes on Kayt. "And while his mission may be ill-conceived in your view, as far as I know the Task Force has full authorization for its mission. So why the fuss?"

By now the Tydorian had almost reached the door and the open-air sandy arena. Shouts and echoes of a melee were slowly seeping into the hall they occupied.

[The Rising Dragon]

"Yet no reason is given as to why, with every objective listed is redacted, even to my own King?" Kayt remarked, first to Button before turning her gaze back to the General. "Even your own countrymen--even General Mythas himself!--have no idea what the DarkOps is trying to accomplish!"

Kayt's escort squirmed uncomfortably. He was unsure he was even cleared to hear any of this... and he was in the heart of the most infamous part of his military.

He was hoping he wasn't going to mysteriously disappear within the week.

[Steinerman]

Button smiled mischievously, "oh my, General, this woman is annoyed by all the secrets we keep." She laughed out loud, a high-pitched, child-like laugh. "I like this woman." She said, staring up at the purple-haired Elf, "You brought us such a great guest, Audrey dear."

The Elf smiled down at her companion, "Glad you like her, Button, I'm quite sure General Winter doesn't share your sentiments."

Donovan, meanwhile, bristled at the Advisor's words. "General Mythas may not know all the details of DarkOps or Shadow Wolf operations, but Lieutenant-General Harven has been fully briefed on the DarkOps missions." He said, referencing General Mythas' top adjutant, the man also being personal friend to Donovan.

"Really, Advisor, do you think I'd be foolish enough to try something like sending in Tydorians without at least some approval?"

What he said was mostly true. Though he hoped Kayt wouldn't press him on it. Donovan did indeed have the support of several Valtheran generals, and even a trio of high-ranking Aube military officials, but he and general Mythas rarely saw eye-to-eye, which was one of the reasons Donovan and his compatriots had worked hard to keep the man out of the loop.

they had been equally careful to make sure everything they did was legal and within the confines of their power, but still . . . General Mythas would take offense to being kept out, especially in regards to some of their newer actions. And the Ornery old man could make things extremely uncomfortable for Donovan if he so wished. Donovan had every intention of winning him over to his point of view, and was working towards that goal, but was no where near ready to have a long talk with Mythas, not by a long shot.

By then, they had reached the edge of the hallway, the bright sun shining down on the sand of what was a large out-door training ground, almost entirely empty barring a few figures spread across it. The field was eerily silent for a training ground, the only sound made by Donovan as he finished his short, terse reply. He took a moment to glance around, having clearly been expecting something different from the now-silent field.

Nearest Kayt and her companions, a lone Orc, devoid of clothing except for the remains of a hospital gown, loped quickly across the field, kicking up sand with it's every movement. A careful observer would notice the Orc moved oddly, almost as though a puppet of someone else. The movements had a vaguely "jerky" quality to them.

There was a hiss of magic and a bolt of ice smashed into the Orc, nearly ripping the creature's shoulder away and knocking it down into the sand. Without a sound, the Orc (one limb hanging at a sickening angle) leapt back onto its feet and continued it's silent charge towards a pair of figures, a Tydorian and its keeper.

There was another hiss of magic, this time the bolt of ice molded with the Orc, freezing it in its tracks. The thunderous roar of a gun echoed across the training ground, and the frozen Orc shattered into several large chunks. A scream of pain echoed from the opposite side of the field, where a young human male stood, surrounded by more silent and eerie Orcs.

Ms. B clapped her paws together and gave a second excited burble. "One zombie down, six to go." She crowed happily, watching the battle with interest.

[The Rising Dragon]

If Kayt was at all disturbed or bothered by Ms. Button's approval of her standing character, the Aube advisor showed no sign of it to the audience around her as they entered the vicinity of the sparring match, and the foul creatures the DarkOps team was battling against. All decent mages had a tendency to feel their skin crawl against undead abominations such as the ones before Kayt and Audrey, and the human mage felt no different. Nevertheless, she schooled her emotions and betrayed no sign of her discomfort.

"You'd hardly let another person get in the way of accomplishing a goal you felt important," she said in a clipped tone to the general, keeping her voice level so as not to disturb the match--she would not be responsible for an undead infection occurring. "It's not like it ever stopped you before."

"Ma'am?" her escort interrupted in a whisper, looking bothered. This wasn't what he signed up for. "Is this really such a good idea?"

She ignored the soldier's concerns. There were more pressing matters at hand now.

"Have you given any thought as to your actions?" Kayt demanded evenly, looking straight at General Winter. "The very fact that you are ordering your men into the most dangerous kingdom on the entire planet jeopardizes the safety of Valtheran and Aube as a whole!"

[Steinerman]

Donovan stared coldly at Kayt, "Valtheran and Aube are already in mortal Jeopardy, Royal Advisor." He stated icily, his tone clipped. "My operatives are well-trained soldiers, and I sent in a Tydorian pair to ensure the carrying out of a vital mission."

He waved a hand stiffly at the Tydorian pair on the field, who had been joined by a second small creature and accompanying Elf. "And if you have any doubt as to their ability to survive in dangerous situations, this training scenario will hopefully put your mind at ease."

Next to him, Lieutenant Anders took a step closer to him, sensing things could quickly become messy. She kept a wary eye on the battle that was slowly taking place on the field nearby. She didn't like undead, and didn't trust the DarkOps to not let the undead near them.

Ms. B and her Elvish keeper, meanwhile, were watching the battle with interest as two more undead Orcs pounced forward, hurtling towards the pair of Tydorian Badgers who had slowly broken off from their own Elf Keepers to meet the undead. To the rest of the world, Button and Audrey seemed intent on the battle, though in truth Button was keeping a bemused ear on the conversation.