Kaotic Beginnings

Kaotic Beginnings Part 5

Their evening meal was not sweet and sour gerbil, much to Anar's relief. The kitchen crew now in their employment were happy to work with Earth ingredients supplied by The Dragon, so the three friends turned comrades-in-arms actually had the opportunity to sit down at their designated, reasonably comfortable table and eat hot, freshly prepared food that was not pulled from The Bag nor was it Pot Noodles. It had been quite the experience and had left them in good spirits before Anar showed off the newly discovered Mess and fridge full of Budweiser to his friends. The clink of empty glass beer bottles was sure sign that they were now in even higher spirits and Rave promised to mention the need of pool tables and Mariokart arcade games to their new boss when they saw him tomorrow. A karaoke machine wouldn't be amiss, neither. If they had portals linking them to other worlds then there was no excuse for boredom, and what did Medieval societies do for fun, anyway? Exactly. It hadn't even been invented yet.

Rap had given the aardvark a softly concerned hug when they had parted ways for the night, but he had been assured that everything was going to be fine; heading into a camp full of war-hungry aliens would be a breeze after some of the stunts he'd pulled off in his time, and he still had that bit of luck that had saved his hide before and would do again. He hoped. After all, he wasn't simply a senior administrator now was he? He was a General, and he'd kick some orc butt if he had to.

In the cold light of day however, he wasn't feeling quite so cocky. His brand spanking new uniform had magically appeared overnight, he'd found it laid in a neat pile outside the door to his private quarters. On top was a metal dogtag with his name and bunch of numbers on it. He was a little disappointed that he wasn't number 1. He wasn't disappointed with his jacket though. He slid it on over his short-sleeved tan shirt and felt the weight pull down; it was thick and soft, and had all the details that he'd wished for. The only thing it was missing was medals. He'd try and work on that. He had to start somewhere. It was a sumptuous black linen. On the shoulder epaulettes were gold stars, and around the hems ran a thick red satin stripe. The lining was a deep shade of blue, just how he saw the physical manifestation of magical powers. On a top pocket was the Kaos Army logo. He fussed over it in front of the mirror with a beaming smile. He was glad Rave couldn't see him, he'd no doubt have some insults to throw about his vanity or his stomach. Maybe both.

This was it now, there was no going back, no wimping out. He'd made his decision to follow in his distant ancestor's footsteps (barring the getting stabbed with a magical weapon bit) and he was about to go striding into an orc settlement on a mission to recruit them and turn them into army soldiers, as opposed to whatever they were now. He would need every ounce of his charisma, bravery and quick-thinking. And he didn't have a lot of any of that to be starting with!

In the corner of his nice new quarters was a khaki rucksack. Studded with pockets and covered with straps it was perfect for his needs. It had also been a New Rock record bag right up until he had accepted The Dragon's current job offer. He shrugged it onto his back, the jangling of the Ferrari's keys sounding out. Where had that car got to, anyway? Trust Hell to not even get that right. It could be absolutely anywhere, and after all that crazy portal stuff that had been going on, he had a sinking feeling that was now including other dimensions and realities. Well, no time to worry about a lost Italian sports car today, he had some travelling to do.

Outside in the blistering heat of the Lowlands desert he weighed up his transport choices; the old Willys jeep or the Titan? Destroyer would have been an option too if he hadn't sent him off back to his uncle's place. There weren't any real roads out here, just dirt lanes and gravel tracks. The magical, flying, horse-like creature would have probably been the quicker option. The Dragon had warned that the pocket portals were still largely untested, being Beta models, and until the whole system had undergone rigorous safety checks he was restricted to the main access points. It was a comforting thought that he was important enough to not risk losing him through a rogue portal that led to the empty vacuum of space, or embedded in an ice planet, or deep in the heart of Milton Keynes.