Danger Ashore

A blaring alarm.

Calean was woken up from his dreams by a blaring military alarm. One could imagine his expression. It was solemn.

He hastily stood up from the bed and rapidly changed his clothing to a red military uniform. It took him less than 30 seconds as he made use of his exalted powers to swiftly maneuver around the room and his clothing.

His ears were still being harassed by the obnoxious alarm even as Calean left his gaudy room. He exited into the hallway and was about to knock on a door to a separate room when the door opened by itself.

"Oh. Good Morning" Judith had come out wearing a business-like short red dress. She seemed rather freshened up and had likely been up for a good bit but her facial expression was still that of a sourpuss.

"Hurry" Lot who was already outside and waiting by the door told both of them. The incessant alarm was apparently not enough for them to feel rushed and thus Lot felt the need to remind them.

Calean didn't say anything and walked towards the door outside. Once out, he couldn't help but assess things.

The soldiers were running back and forth with evident alarm and no one had paid them any mind, The emergency had to be a rather large one making his eyes narrow.

Suddenly, Wright appeared to be running over.

"Ah! Thank God! Sir Stryker, It is great to see you up and running already hahaha…" The colonel laughed awkwardly and held a fake smile as he approached the three individuals. The loud emergency alarm was of utmost importance but he didn't dare seem demanding, he had to be amiable.

"Colonel Wright, Good morning." Calean replied in kind but his expression was solemn.

A weird stillness occurred as the Colonel waited for the others to continue.

"Ahem, sorry about the alarm. There was a vile surfer frightening close to the lakeshore. As long as we disturb it things should work out haha- Oh, there it is!" The colonel's awkward laugh was caught off by the alarm's blaring sound being shut off. The soldiers still continued their anxious movements, however.

"Then why did it sound in the first place?" Calean was irritated all the more by its activation over a false alarm than over a real emergency. If a vile surfer did indeed come to shore they would at least profit from its materials.

Calean actually knew a couple of exalted officials in need of vile surfer blood who would be willing to pay a premium. The main reason why he didn't actively hunt one though was since he was not an errand boy.

"Erm, well, we thought it would come ashore hah-" The colonel's awkward laugh was cut off by Calean's hand which signaled him to stop. Once more, there was stillness.

"Take us there" Lot decided that the colonel was a little slow on the uptake and asked him directly to take them to the site. If they didn't check it out then what did they come for?

The trio was led out of the camp inside of a comfortable vehicle until they finally came across the toxic lake. It was a swampy and toxic green but that was perhaps not the most eye-catching thing about it at the moment.

Not too far from the shore, there was a mutant.

"It's a big one…" Calean muttered while looking at the large purplish-blue head of the vile surfer.

Its eyes were closed as it seemed to be resting and basking on the radiant sun.

"Why is it so close?" Calean prompted as he held his chin and thought pensively.

"We have been monitoring the situation in the lake and…" The colonel was the one that answered. He looked away for a second having caught sight of something not too far off in another shore.

"There they are! The swamp creatures!" The colonel's voice seemed to carry a hint of wariness. Those things might have been responsible for the snake's movement!

The trio as well as the nearby soldiers who had not dared utter a word all looked over where the colonel pointed.

There, a humanoid figure covered in all sorts of weeds, algae, and moss could be seen entering the lake.

"The swamp creatures which are not native to this environment have been sighted by nearly every inch of this place!" The colonel declared. He had withheld the suspicious movements until now as he planned to tell them the day after. Unfortunately, the emergency alarm had most likely made it seem like he was trying to cover up certain details.

Calean felt like a piece of the puzzle had been unlocked and even held a small smile.

"Looks like we are on the right track" He said amused.

The swamp creatures were likely controlled to leave their usual environment and even made to search for something on Gloom Lake. This also meant that the disquisitive party would be able to more closely examine the phenomenon.

If they were to find out the mastermind than it wouldn't be a dream to acquire another seat on the prosperity council for their party.

The acting leader of the council, Aldan, was long overdue to retire. It was only a matter of finding a suitable replacement.

"I wonder what they are searching for though... " Lot muttered with some reservation from beside Calean.

If they were to stop or even capture the masterminds than they would get some merit. Knowing the goal of the enemy would make either of those things that much easier.

"Sir Stryker…?" Colonel Wright asked with uncertainty seeing that he was being left out of something.

"Colonel Wright, I will ignore your withholding of information and give you a second chance. Find some skilled irradiate captains or soldiers to search the bottom of the lake. I will send you additional funds for the necessary equipment." Calean told the Colonel with a casual expression.

"...Th-Thank you Sir Stryker!" The colonel was dazed for a second before properly recognizing what it was he heard.

He was thankful but most of all he felt nervous. It felt like he was rather close to losing his hard-earned position for such a thing!

The mentioning of the 'second chance' was to inspire the Colonel, give him some motivation. Realistically, he would at most face admonishment. He could de-rank him for such a petty action but it wouldn't reflect positively on him.