"It's snowing out there, lads!" One of the pubs drunken patrons exclaimed. The bar became deathly quiet for a few moments before erupting into raucous laughter. "Jed, you do know that we live in a desert right mate?" Another patron chuckled. The man leaned forward and pointed to his snow covered hair. "Next two rounds on me if I'm lying, Benton!" Most of the people went outside to confirm the man's wild claim, although their intentions were clearly set on the free drinks they were promised. Hiro turned towards the door and watched them leave. As the last person exited he had an unobstructed view of the outside for a few seconds. Snowflakes wafted inside the bar, pushed by the displacement of air. The flakes melted soon after making contact with the warm stale bar air, but it confirmed that it was indeed snowing.

Not bothering to finish his drink, Hiro left his payment with the barkeep and rushed outside. He had to push past the people standing just in front of the establishment, shock written across all of their drunken faces. He took that to mean this was a rare occasion. He stuck his hand out to catch a few of the snowflakes. Hiro focused on a singular flake as it descended to his palm. It was then that he noticed what was in the background. A couple of short humanoids dragging a sack. Hiro squinted his eyes and shuffled forward to get a better look. At this point the novelty of the freak weather phenomenon was not as appealing as a pint of piss-water, leading the throng behind him back into the pub. The ambient nose returned to peak volume as the regulars began to crack jokes. As Hiro neared he was able to make out what he was seeing in greater detail; the pair were wearing green outfits and the sack they carried was moving of its own accord. Hiro tailed them for a few minutes, waiting until he was alert and a bit more sober before confronting the duo. "Stop right there! What's in the bag you two?" He put on a serious tone. As soon as he spoke, the two elves froze in their tracks and slowly turned around. Hiro took a step back upon seeing their faces. The elves eyes were a glowing candy red. Hiro was more taken aback by the devilish grins they were sporting. One of the elves gripped the sack and took off running, while the other stood in Hiro's way. They didn't respond or show their intentions but Hiro knew from looking into its eyes. There would be bloodshed tonight.

Without warning, the elf produced a sharpened candy cane from its sleeve and darted at the marine. Had Hiro not been keeping a close eye on its movements the elf would have gained the advantage. He waited until his assailant was a couple meters away before sprinting forward. Hiro's arms shot forward at great speed, intercepting the knife wielding arm. He twisted his body, using the elf's momentum to throw him into the wall beside them. The impact was enough to knock the elf out. The young marine warily approached the elf, making sure to scan the perimeter as he moved. Hiro grabbed the elf and turned him onto his stomach. Placing his knee on the elf's back, Hiro quickly handcuffed him. There was no time to waste, if he was to catch up to the other elf he would have to leave now. Hiro bolted away, hoping that he could catch up before the tracks in the snow disappeared.

Hiro finally caught up to the elf's trail after a few minutes. One good thing about snow in the desert was that as long as it wasn't too deep, the sand would give you traction. This allowed him to move at near full speeds as he raced down alleyways. Hiro had been here for a while and knew generally where the elf was headed: the east entrance. When he reached the gates to the city he spotted the impish elf way off in the distance. The guards at the gate were sitting inside the building erected right next to the gate, drinking merrily and exclaiming that this would be a night to remember. Hiro eyed their mounts and decided he would have to appropriate them in order to catch up to his tireless prey. He burst into the cozy little room, a gust of wind and snow following him in.

"I need one of your camels, this is marine business." He nearly barked at the men as he jabbed at the insignia on his cloak. It a few seconds for his icy glare to cut through the intoxication. One of the men began to mumble about how the marines had their own stables across town. Before he could finish Hiro slammed his fist on the table, knocking over their drinks. "A life is at stack and all you care about is bureaucracy?!" He roared, nearly shaking with anger. The men were quiet, most likely unable to form a response to his question. Hiro turned around and began to leave before one of them grabbed his shoulder.

"Take mine, her name is Isabella. She'll treat you right so long as you don't pull on her reigns too hard. Her saddle is white and has my daughter's drawings on it, it'll be easy to spot. I'll be waiting here for you to return." He slurred his words but Hiro could sense embarrassment in his voice. Hiro couldn't believe he had to shame them to get their aid, but he wasn't about to look a gift camel in the mouth. Without responding the young ensign sprinted out of the room, leaving the men to wonder what just happened.

Inexperience with camels led to Hiro getting gnawed on a few times before he properly mounted the beast. He'd spent a few summers learning to ride a horse so he felt confident as he directed the beast out into the wilderness. The trail was entirely gone now but he knew the general direction to go. He was certain he could catch up now. He urged the dromedary forth and kept his eye on the horizon. Stranger and stranger things kept happening that night, and so he steeled his mind in an attempt to prepare for the unexpected.

The further he went after the elf, the worse the weather got. Hiro ruffled his hair removing the built up snow. The odd thing was that although he could barely see 20 meters in front of him, there was little to no wind. The snow fell straight down, there was just so much of it. He rubbed the camel's neck vigorously and it groaned back. Hiro knew it couldn't handle much more of this and just as he was contemplating heading back and calling for reinforcements he heard it. It was faint at first and he couldn't identify what the noise was. I've got to get closer. Hiro thought to himself. A soft light appeared among the falling flakes. It grew brighter and brighter until he realized it for what it was; a campfire. He sat there dumbstruck as the camel picked up speed of its own accord. He had no clue how or why there was a towering mountain in the middle of the desert.

The snowfall suddenly stopped as if it was meant to blanket the surrounding area and not the mountain itself. Although the sky was clear Hiro could not see the peak, only clouds halfway up. His confusion was compounded even more as the light he saw earlier turned out to be a slew of hearths inside the mountain. The young marine hopped off of the camel and stared inside the mammoth opening. "What the..." From what he could tell this mountain had been excavated and turned into some kind of fortress. Hiro continued inside, taking a moment to warm himself by the fires. He noted the damp green miniature clothing hanging from hooks above the fire. The fireplaces strewn about the fortress lobby appeared to be used to dry off before heading inside.

Hiro stood up as soon as his hands were sufficiently warm and headed towards the only door leading further in. When he entered the room he heard the faint sound of song and dance. The room was in fact a large corridor, with many doors on either side. Down the length of the corridor was an elevator operating via pulley system. On the ground though was a trail of dripping water that lead to one of the doors to his right. Above the door was a sign that said "Processing." Luckily for Hiro the door was slightly ajar. The young ensign crept up to take a peek inside. As he got nearer and nearer, he began to pick up the muffled sounds of crying. "Shut up, kid. If you don't keep it down, I'll beat the crap out of you!" The elf squeaked, exhaustion showing in his voice. He was taking off his boots and changing into a fancier outfit. "Been waiting for this party for months now, I'm not about to miss it because of some br- br- bratchoo!" The elf stumbled backwards from the force of his sneeze, falling into a pile of children's clothing. Hiro took his chance, pushing the door open and leaping onto the fallen elf before he could shout out.

Hiro's fist came down just as the elf pulled a ragged t-shirt off of his face. The force sent clothing flying all over the room and sent the elf into a deep 'sleep'. Hiro didn't have a second pair of handcuffs on him so he improvised; he tore apart long strips from some of the clothing around him and tied up the elf. If someone from his unit saw the way the elf was tied up they would call it overkill. His hands and legs were bound behind his back and tied together several times. His mouth was covered with several layers of cloth and tied off in the back. Hiro finished it off by stuffing the elf in an empty sack. With his foe taken care of for the time being, he turned his attention to the rustling sack.

To his surprise, the child inside was the little urchin girl Hiro had met several days earlier. Her expression changed several times. The fearful look on her face changed to one of recognition as soon as she laid eyes on the young marine. Once she saw the insignia on his cloak, she looked relieved. "Hey, are you alright?" Hiro said worryingly. Her body temperature was lower than normal, which was to be expected. She'd been dragged almost 3 kilometers in a burlap sack through snow drifts and icy temperatures. Hiro put his hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever.

"We need to bring your core temperature up. I need you to be brave, we're going to get out of this. There are fireplaces near the entrance, my camel is resting near one. I'll take you to the door but you need to stay quiet and wait for me to return."

He kept his voice just above a whisper and leaned in to speak, he didn't want to risk anyone hearing them converse. Hiro did his best to calm the frightened child, aware that what had just happened to her was the strangest and scariest thing he'd ever encountered. He led her out of the processing center and took her to the door leading to the entrance. "I'll be back, don't leave without me. Its too dangerous out there, I won't be long." The girl stuck to his leg and refused to move. Hiro could relate to her fear, he was feeling the same thing. He was an adult now and he had to set an example. More importantly, he was a marine, the last line between citizens and the unknown elements that roamed their world. He put on the biggest grin he could muster and ruffled the girl's hair.

"I won't let even one of those monsters get through this door, now run along. And make sure to hide if they have patrols returning." His words seemed to reach the child as she let go of him and ran into the room. Hiro watched as she curled up by his mount. He was angry. He had no idea what these elves wanted with the young girl but he was going to make them pay.

He closed the door and headed down the corridor with the elevator in mind. He was on what he assumed was the first floor and had still only seen that one elf. He forced his anger to a mere ember, realizing how dire his situation really was. Judging by the size of the fortress there had to be many, many more inside. He was outnumbered immensely and had not notified the marine base of his actions. That girl's life was in his hands, he'd have to be careful and avoid confrontation. Getting information as to the size of this force, what kind of equipment they had, and their chain of command was the top priority. He was on a strict timetable, he couldn't risk letting the enemy stumble upon his ward. The elf he'd hog-tied back in the processing room said something about a party. That was most likely why it seemed like the place was deserted. This was the perfect chance for some reconnaissance and that meant taking the elevator up and looking for a big-wig's office.


OOC: Little girl mentioned in this thread was met in the first post of this thread.

The elevator was situated at the point where the corridor Hiro was in, and one adjacent to it, met. His footfalls were silent as he crept up to the corner. Hiro inched forward and studied both of the hallways. He didn't hear or see anything but there was no way he was going to reach his objective using his usual methods, the risk was far too great. When he felt comfortable that there was no one coming in either direction, he entered the elevator and began to unhook the chain. There was a lever attached both outside of the elevator and inside. Hiro had seen this type of contraption before. It was attached to a counterweight that would send the elevator upwards at a reasonable speed. But having the weight fall down was sure to catch the eye of any passerby on the floors above. The wheel the chain was attached to would create a grinding noise as it was turned but if he handled the chain, and slowed the counterweight's descent, he had a chance of getting by unseen. He had no idea where he was headed or the layout of the fortress, so he began to think. "If I was an evil, child stealing overlord where would I put my office..." He was deep in thought, grappling with the idea of being evil, when he realized that the elevator had a crude map of the structure attached to the inside.

There were hundreds of rooms on the map, their names written in short hand, but the top of the pyramid had the biggest room in the whole fortress. The young marine couldn't help but think that the inhabitants of this fortress were either really stupid for their lax security or strong enough that they didn't have to worry about people sneaking in. There was no time to spare now that he knew  where he was headed. The boss' office was on the fifth floor, directly across from the elevator. Hiro kicked the lever and grabbed the chain before the weight began to descend. The elevator lurched immediately causing him to almost lose his balance. It took almost everything he had to keep the chain from slipping up. Veins began to bulge on his forehead, and the strain began to show in his face. Hiro slackened his grip on the chain, allowing the elevator to begin its ascent to the upper floors.

Dark stone obscured his view of the outside as he ascended to the second floor. An oil lantern was the only source of light inside the elevator, washing everything inside with a dim orange light. The second floor was quiet and seem uninhabited, just like the ground floor. Luckily for Hiro, the elevator was wider than the opening that led to the floors and the chain he held was situated in one of the two blind-spots. The chain was digging into his hands through his gloves. He'd only gone up a floor and a half and already it was starting to feel like an impossible task. So Hiro began to slowly increase the speed at which the elevator moved. The third floor was abuzz with chatter, although there was not a single elf to be seen.

The young marine increased his speed temporarily, in order to get past the floor. Who knew when some drunken elf would stumble out into the open and see him? It wasn't clear earlier but he could say for certain now that the distance between the floors was increasing the higher he went. The 'party' he had heard about appeared to be split across the third and fourth floors. As the elevator was beginning to enter the fourth floor, he began to hear music. "Listen, I don't care that you're 'on break' and I don't give two shits what HR has to say, get down to the first floor and do your damn jobs!! Take the elevator, make a few rounds, and then you can come back." The voice was loud, too loud. Hiro clenched the rope tight and prayed that the counterweight didn't shift too much. The elevator had just barely reached the floor, allowing him to see the feet of two elves. Standing next to them was some type of hoovedt man-beast. It stood on two legs and spoke in a bleating voice. "I know you two are hard workers, that's why i came to you instead of people like Steve in accounting." Hiro could hear gulping and slurping sounds at the same time as droplets of brightly colored pink drink splattered on the ground. "Just get it done." And with that, the beast staggered down the corridor, entering what Hiro thought had to be the main party room.

As soon as the reindeer was out of earshot the elves began to grumble. "Listen, I don't care about the rules. Fuck the fact that this party is for you guys!" The first elf did an almost perfect imitation of their superior and the other elf began to guffaw.

"We worked our asses off to get an invite to the executive party and this is how they treat us?!" The second elf hiccuped several times as he spoke. He glanced left and right before reaching into his coat pocket, pulling out a bottle of peppermint schnapps. "I say we go to the broom closet near 4-F and drink to Santa's good health! Fuck Rudolph! Guy thinks he's hot shit 'cause his nose glows!" The first elf nearly lost his balance when he thrust his finger back in the direction of Rudolph. The second elf began to giggle and shush his friend, aware that the song had ended and another had yet to begin. The duo staggered off towards the broom closet, taking the long way so that they didn't get spotted. All throughout this exchange Hiro was sweating bullets. If it wasn't for the fact that everyone involved except him was inebriated, he would have gotten caught for sure. He didn't want to give them another chance at finding him so he began his ascent once more, happy to put some distance between himself and the minions of Santa.

The wild sounds of merrymaking were barely audible as he reached the fifth and final floor. Hiro checked for any patrols before he set the chain back into its place. He exited and was headed down the corridor when he spotted the tip of a bayonet round the corner on the far side. The young marine quickly ducked to the left, hugging the corner. If the nutcracker was headed towards him, he'd hear the sound of his woody footfalls increase in volume. He'd been blessed with an abundance of luck on his way up so he wasn't too surprised when the sound did increase. Hiro crept backwards and turned around. He wouldn't be able to keep up with the patrol's pace, but if he was right the patrol would go the other way upon reaching the cross-section. This would give him enough time to enter the office before he made his rounds. He had a 50-50 chance and it wasn't like he could go the other way without being seen. It had been about 20 minutes since he'd last seen the little girl and he was starting to worry. 'I've got to hurry up!' He thought.

The stone walls of the fortress caused any sound made inside to echo, this made it difficult to tell which way the nutcracker went. Gradually his footfalls became quieter and quieter. Hiro nearly breathed a sigh of relief before catching himself. Instead of celebrating too early, he pressed onward. He reached the end of the corridor and turned left towards the office. He didn't have the luxury of scoping it out, any time he gained would have been lost. As soon as he reached the door he tried the door handle and was surprised to find it open. Something told him this organization wasn't careless. He opened the door just enough to slip in and closed it behind him in one swift move, making sure to keep the handle turned in order to minimize the noise.

Whether or not he had been heard, he did not know. Hiro ducked down and looked up. The door had an opaque window just above the handle. The office was poorly lit, making it hard to see much inside. The hallway outside however was bright, allowing him to see the nutcracker pass by unaware he'd failed in his duty. Hiro waited a few minutes until he could barely make out any sounds before headed towards the desk. The room was immense, seeming more like it was fit for a king than Santa Claus. Bookcases lined the walls from end to end and various weapons lay strewn about. The wall behind Santa's desk was made of glass, it had a door that lead to a balcony. With most of the obstacles mapped out in his mind, the young marine snuck forward. The walk to the desk was one of the most nerve wracking experiences Hiro had ever had. His eyes hadn't adjusted to the light level so he had to move slowly to avoid stepping on anything. Halfway to his goal he began to hear the sound of wooden shoes clicking and clacking on the ground. With nowhere to hide, he knelt down and did his best not to move. The nutcracker stopped in front of the door and spun his rifle in the air. In one fluid movement, he turned and caught the rifle and began walking off in the opposite direction. The display only served to prove that these grunts were well trained and not the slackers Hiro initially thought they'd be. His eyes had now grown accustomed to the dim setting, Hiro took advantage of that and fast walked over to the desk, making sure to glance at the ground every few seconds.

The desk was littered with candy canes, empty bottles of liquor, several bloodied knives, and a solitary letter. Hiro picked the letter up and held it to the moonlight.

From: Santa To: Rudolph wrote:
Rudolph,

I'm leaving you in charge while I go deal with the trouble-makers in Baltigo. I need you to retrieve a child, any child, from one of the nearby cities. Do it quietly, I don't need anyone snooping before we're ready...it would just complicate things.

Santa Claus, King in the North

PS. Stay out of my office.

The young marine stuffed the letter in his pocket and began to rummage through the drawers for any other incriminating evidence. He'd unfortunately made too much noise searching for more correspondences and battle plans. He knelt down to look through the bottom drawer when the door to the office opened swiftly and a bullet ricocheted inches from his face. Hiro ducked behind the desk, waiting for the nutcracker to run out of bullets. It took him a moment to realize that he had to reload between every shot.

The nutcracker dashed to the right as soon as he loaded the chamber, looking for a new angle to shoot from. Hiro shuffled in the opposite direction, narrowly escaping the speeding bullet. He dashed out from behind the table and rushed the wooden man. He ran at his top speed but time seemed to slow. The nutcracker lowered his rifle, aiming the bayonet at the young marine. There was no time to dodge, duck, or roll his way out of it. Hiro wound up his right arm and used his left to grab the base of the bayonet. He could feel the slick texture of blood gushing from his palm but he felt no pain, there was too much adrenaline pumping in his veins. He took one giant step forward, twisting at the hip simultaneously. His fist collided with the nutcracker's wooden face, sending wood pulp flying and the wooden man careening into the bookcase behind him. Books and manuscripts exploded across the room and the bookcase collapsed in on itself, revealing a hidden room.

Hiro was facing the secret alcove and watched as a single book flew inside and hit an unknown object. Almost immediately after the impact, alarms began to blare across the entire fortress. Red lights illuminated the hidden room, revealing some kind of sled. Hiro could hear the elves struggling to work free the elevator chains. He took one look at the sled and another at the balcony. "This...is going to be fun...assuming I don't get caught." The young marine grabbed the sled from its pedestal and dashed out onto the balcony. He took one look over the edge and was filled with excitement and fear. It was a steep drop down the mountainside. Hiro took one last look back. The elves had circumvented the elevator, there must have been a staircase. He slapped his forehead, lamenting over the fact that he forgot that stairs were a thing. A sea of green was rushing down the corridor, lead by the man-beast known as Rudolph. "KILL HIM!" He roared, pointing at the young marine. Hiro grinned back at the reindeer and his mob of worker elves. He pulled his eye lid down and blew a raspberry at them before leaping over the side of the balcony, taking the sled with him.

Hiro managed to maneuver himself onto the sled midair, moments before he crashed into the side of the mountain. This was no ordinary sled, it seemed to buzz with power...but something was missing. He had no time to recollect his family's Christmas traditions, he was gaining way too much speed and had no way to stop. The sled sped down the mountain and was now reaching the sparse treeline that dotted the middle. Hiro grabbed both sides of the sled and leaned heavily to the right, avoiding a stout pine tree. He did the same once more, only this time to the left.  The sleds metal blades cut into the bark of the tree, leaving a gash in its bark. He broke through the densest part and was now passing through a copse of seedlings. The young marine brought his arms up to protect his head. The saplings weren't going to stop the sled, but at the speed he was travelling at they were whipping around dangerously. It seemed like it took a full minute to get through but in reality it only lasted a few seconds.

He was now past the trees and began to relax. That is, until he realized he was careening towards certain death. He was headed for a cliff, about 40 meters from the ground. Hiro frantically looked around for something to slow him down. As the sled lifted off and flew through the air he began to feel at peace. It only lasted a fraction of a second. He had a responsibility, a duty to carry out. That little girl's life depended on him surviving. He would not break the promise he made to he no matter what. He found nothing in sight and was about to give up hope when he something on the sled caught his eye. There were a series of buttons on the front. 'I wonder...' Hiro mashed all of the buttons in a last ditch effort. The sled seemed to come to life midair. The sled began to slow and lost all forward momentum, the sound of sleigh bells echoed out for all to hear. Somewhere at the top of the mountain, Rudolph bellowed out: "NO!" He remembered now. Rudolph was the one who led Santa's sleigh. An idea was forming, Hiro nearly jumped with excitement. This would be his most daring escape ever!

The sled touched down near the entrance to the mountain fortress. Hiro wasted no time, he rushed over to the fireplace to find the little girl fast asleep. He lifted her up and roused the camel. It was not happy to be woken and only followed him because it was hungry. Hiro gently placed her into the sled and then rushed to attach the sled's harness to the camel. The dromedary protested but in the end complied. With one last look at the fortress, Hiro whipped the reigns and the sled took off. It didn't fly through the sky like it did in the stories, it merely floated a few meters off the ground. Rudolph stood on the balcony, his rage had been replaced with fear. "Santa's gonna kill me."

As Hiroji rode the sled through the storm, he was surprised to see it split and allow him through. The veil of snow didn't come anywhere near them. He didn't know what was happening but he wasn't going to complain. It took them a cool five minutes to reach the city, but by then even the guards had drunken themselves to sleep. Hiro set the sled down at the city's only orphanage. He took the little girl and placed her down against the building. She was still fast asleep so he placed his cloak and jacket over her, to keep her warm. He nearly stumbled when he tried to disconnect the camel. Everything was starting to become disoriented. The adrenaline had run its course and a dull throbbing took its place. Hiro looked down at his hand and saw it was soaked with blood. He passed out and fell into the sand.

Hiro awoke and winced. The light was way too bright and he felt like he'd just gotten done with another of Mr. Miyagi's 'lessons.' He was laying on an old cot in an unfamiliar room. He heard the light snoring before he saw its source. The little girl he'd saved was fast asleep on a chair, her head resting on his legs. He could feel the damp, warm cloth on his forehead. Hiro's head felt fuzzy. The last time he'd felt like this he'd passed out after standing up for himself against his brother. The young marine placed the back of his hand on his forehead, shielding some of the sunlight from his eyes. There was no way any of that happened, its too far-fetched. He'd had vivid fever dreams before, but this one seemed too real.

'If I report this the commodore will think I'm insane...'

And so there he lay, waiting for his strength to return. He'd never know the truth. The young marine yawned before closing his eyes and he was out like a light. Four of his fingers were lightly frostbitten and his left palm had five stitches, lucky for him the orphanage's caretaker used to be a nurse. A few drunkards would tell the story about the time they saw a lone camel leading Santa's sleigh. A guard would talk about how he awoke to find his camel had eaten all the bread and fruit in the outpost pantry. And a little girl would tell her friends in the orphanage about how a marine saved her from evil elves. The sleigh was nowhere to be found, neither was the mountain or the elves. Even the snow melted in the harsh daylight. All that remains of Santa's incursion on the Sandy Island is a bright red nose, rolling across the dunes.

[exit]