The Mercenary Compound

The Mercenary Compound serves as a main base for the Mercenary Siders of the war.

## Appearance

The base is located in a dusty and barren terrain, the border of the coniferous forest at least several yards away. The dusty, mucky beige sand is blown around by the wind, giving the base an "apocalyptic" feel.

The main color scheme of the base is maroon and gray. The entire compound is surrounded by huge, thick maroon walls. This maroon-colored iron is used all over the base. The walls are completely sleek, except for a few small areas where bolted bands of metal stabilize the towering wall. Even if someone were to climb the walls, they would soon meet another obstacle.

The only notable feature on the circular wall is the Gate; the only entrance in. The gate is gigantic, taking up at least six yards across, and reaches up halfway to the top of the wall. The gate is the same color, since it was made of the same metal. The gate is rectangle, and it almost never opens completely; after all, most of the members are fairly human sized (with the exception of Aisu). The gate opens from (if you were facing the gate, going by your perspective) the left side, inching slowly open from left to right. Normally, Hollow/Vega only opens the gate so that the newest member/client can only barely slip through. About halfway up the gate, on the interior, there is a platform. The platform is suspended, with a gray, stone floor and maroon handrails. There is a flight of stairs stemming off the right side, connecting to the floor of the hall below. On this platform, the intercom is located. Pressing on the button, the speaker's voice is transmitted to a speaker on the left side of the gate, so that the new recruit can hear the leader/deputy. Also, on the right side of the gate, there is a strange panel. Inside is a mechanism that can open the door from the outside. So far, only Hollow, Vega, and Goldie know how to operate the mechanism to get inside on their own.

The first thing one sees when entering through the door, is the Shopping Hall. The ceiling is impossibly high. In the living quarters and public areas of the base, the high ceiling is because there's another floor. In the Shopping Hall, the second floor has been removed to allow much more space. Corinthian-style pillars hold up the ceiling on each side, separating the stalls. The length of the hall is impressive, and many of the spots haven't been filled yet. Each stall is rather small; for a workspace or storage room, there is a cavity in the wall behind the stall, available for the owner's use. The stall is about 5 feet wide and high enough that humanoids can stand up straight and not touch the fabric covering. There is an fabric overhang for every stall that functions as a type of roof. There is a wooden counter spanning most of the front section, leaving a small space at the end for the shopkeeper to move in and out of their stall.

The feel of the Shopping Hall is very Roman-esque. The floor is white and black marble, arranged in a checker pattern, The pillars, as stated before, are Corinthian-themed. They are about 2 feet in diameter, separating the shops. The shops are like alcoves in the wall; the stall inside the actual hall isn't that big, but the cavity in the wall is plenty large, though not any taller. The walls are slightly curved at the sides, giving the appearance of a giant cylinder on its side. The ceiling is also white marble, as are the walls. The lights are installed in the "spine", or the along very middle of the ceiling. The lights are yellow, giving the place a more warm feel.

At the very end of the Shopping Hall, there are two door. The doors are also made of the maroon metal, and lie about 2 feet away from each other. Both doors go into the same hallway. The code for the door is 11037.

The floor of the hallway is a natural stone gray. The width of the hallway, from left to right, is about 2 yards. On either side, there are white doors with small windows in the top quadrant. These rooms are storagerooms. They are smaller than the ones in the heart of the base, mostly to put frequently used or about to be used products. At the end of this hallway, a twin set of maroon doors leads into the Main Hall. The combination for this door is 3173.

The Main Hall also has a large ceiling; at least, half of it does. If you were to look from the bottom of the room, here are the aspects. In the front of the room, the second floor has been carved away. The shape looks like a U, where the two tips end near the clock. The "Clock" is a huge analog clock that Vega installed into the front. It's located in the top quadrant of the front wall, and is quite huge; maybe about the size of the circular glass in the Notre Dame structure. The clock has a golden rim, with a slightly browned clock face. The numerals are ink black and written in Roman numerals. The clock hands share the same gold color as the rim. Down, an ovular window has been carved into the covering of the clock, and covered with glass. This results in a cool effect where the members can see the inner gears of the clock turning, clicking, and grinding away. The clock is accurate. The wall is covered in a polished wood, making the clock appear slightly old-fashioned and steampunk-esque.

To represent the distance from the clock to the two "tips" of the second floor that extend toward the clock. The second floor has a railing on the rim of the U-shape, and there are two walkways on either side of the curve that almost reach the clock. It stops at about 6 feet away; a determined member might be able to lean on the rails and touch the clock face. On the second floor, there is a more familiar-looking kitchen. There is a stove, fridge, freezer, microwave, counter, oven, and a myriad of different cooking tools. This particular metal is normal colored; silver. There are two round, wooden tables with matching chairs; four per table. Members can sit in these tables and stare at the clock while eating food. There are two doors on either side of the 2nd floor wall, where members can go into the rest of the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor is designated for private rooms; personal rooms for each member, with a bed, bathroom, desk, etc. Also, personal storages -- meant to be filled with personal items -- are kept on this floor. Each member gets a key to this personal storage. Other than that, the 2nd floor ends at the tips of the "U". It doesn't extend any farther in that direction.

On the first floor of the Main Hall, the floor is still a stone gray. The front of the room holds a wooden stage with a microphone set up and ready. The stage is a half-circle, jutting out from the wooden wall. The stage is located beneath the giant clock face. In front of the stage, several picnic tables are set up. The style is wooden and circular, like the ones upstairs, with matching chairs; still four per table. Under the "U" shape of the second floor, all the way to the bottom of the room, there is a cafeteria. There's a silver door leading in to the rectangular room. Inside, there are microwaves, ovens, stoves, fridges, freezers, various cooking tools, etc. On the wall nearer to the stage, there is a window to the left side. (still going by your perspective, if you were staring at it) A metal counter is erected over the elongated window, where food can be lined up and ready for taking. Anyone who wants to cook in the cafeteria can cook, provided that they actually know what they're doing. The picnic tables extend all the way to right in front of the cafeteria counter. There is a couple feet of space for a line to form.

The stage is where Hollow, Vega, Goldie, or anyone with something important to share can announce. The members sit at the picnic tables, listening in on the announcement that spreads all over the base. There is a system of tunnels and speakers that transmit sound into every room in the base; the same system that transfers water, waste, etc.

The walls of the base are metal, with various gears placed sporadically. The gears are constantly turning, and Vega spends a considerable amount of time inspecting each gear. The floor is almost always stone gray, with the exception of bedrooms and living rooms where a gray carpet is placed on the ground.

On either side of the clock, on the first floor, there is a maroon door leading to the rest of the first floor for the base. The first floor is filled with public spaces; for example, living rooms filled with couches where everyone can take a cup of coffee and chat. There are bean bag couches too, as well as a TV that transmits local news. There are small coffee tables in the living rooms.

The Shopping Hall doors lead to a tunnel, which leads to the double doors leading to the Main Hall. Now, when one enters through these doors, they end up in the middle of the right side of the Main Hall. To the left of the entrance, there is a metal staircase leading directly to the 2nd floor. Keep going and you'll still be on the first floor. Upon first entering the room, the clock is to your right and the cafeteria is to your left, not directly though; just general direction.

## Defenses

Hollow uses a permanent coating of her magic, which reverses any and every spell, to surround the entire base in a gleaming dome. It looks like the iridescent surface of a bubble, but is neither thin nor fragile. In order to pass by the walls, one must be a magically-enhanced being of sorts, or must have used some sort of magic. Any trace of magic that tries to pass through the barrier is flung into the forest nearby. The effect may be delayed, but it will always eventually happen. This barrier is different from the ones surrounding other bases.