Sandbox for special event
Exist if an event was held and I have some stuff to write about it. May require theme, thus a new sandbox creation
Currently worked on:
tagnone
#1 Article | #1 Joke Article | Top Ten Article | Active Contributor | Contest Winner | Contest Runner-Up | Challenge Winner | Art Contest Winner |
0 |
0 stars |
0 |
{$translationblock} |
NOTICE FROM THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION RECORDS AND SECURITY
The following file is subject to further alteration, as the data collected are not fully understood and complete so far. For more information on the current version, please contact an OIRS liaison.
Registered Phenomena Code: XXXX
Object Class:Gamma - Yellow |
Responsible Departments:
Department of Cryptozoology
Hazard Types:Aggression Hazard Sapient Hazard Contact Hazard Bio-Hazard |
General Properties:Organic Property |
Containment Protocols: Due to the nigh-impossibility of successful capture of RPC-XXXX, Project Ceram has been halted indefinitely. RPC-XXXX is to be allowed in the wild, as it has shown minimal to no risk to its own secrecy and the lives of civilians.
Annually, on the 23rd of April1, 5 adult goats are to be cruised down several rivers, marked for RPC-XXXX sighting, in an unmanned vessel; said vessel is to be viewed from afar. No electronic device or human being is to be near the boat during the protocol for the ease of observation.
100 61 Personnel are currently stationed across Seram Island for observational purposes with OL-Site-XXXX serving as their main headquarters. Assigned personnel are all already residences of Seram Island. Should RPC-XXXX derail from its usual behavior(Hunting more than once annually, attacking civilians, etc), personnel aware of this must report to the Authority through OL-Site-XXXX. Project Ceram may be reactivated.
Containment Protocol Update 01/02/2018: Personnel must be cautious not to make contact with RPC-XXXX's skin, as it is possible that it is a host of the Nipah virus. If contact was made, especially when attacked and caused an external bleeding wound, medical treatment is to be done to the victim immediately.
Containment Protocol Update 06/03/2020:
Personnel must not attempt to search RPC-XXXX without proper backup
Description: RPC-XXXX is a humanoid entity that closely resembles a common primate2, with the exception of its forelimbs, which have elongated fingers(save from the thumbs), with each joined with a thin, hairless layer of skin, extending from each finger to the side of its body. This grants RPC-XXXX the capability of flight.
RPC-XXXX is a carnivore, with mammals such as goats being its primary target. It is presumed that it used to target humans, especially children below the age of ten, but not anymore3. RPC-XXXX usually begins hunting from around 19:00 PM until around 06:00 AM by flying above several rivers on Seram Island, With some identified rivers being its favorite spots. Once found, it will dive towards the target while sometimes letting out a loud shriek and attempting to physically harm/damage its target. The usual tactic from RPC-XXX is from attacking the back, usually be done by grabbing the target using its hind legs or bitting the target's neck and proceed to carry them upward. It is uncertain whether RPC-XXXX will consume the target while on the flight or after landed. RPC-XXXX may return to the same river for hunting again after finished consuming the previous target.
RPC-XXXX used to hunt more than a day, but since the initial containment attempt conducted by the Authority, RPC-XXXX will not hunt more than a single day every year. It should be noted that RPC-XXXX tends to avoid direct interaction with humans and electronic devices and won't approach if it detecting such hindrance nearby. How it capable of detecting these are unknown. It has been changing its hunt schedule due to the Authority's interference since initial containment, with the 23rd of April being its current hunt schedule now.
During research conducted, it is possible that RPC-XXXX is a host for the Nipah virus, as the trace of it can be seen in person attacked by RPC-XXXX. The virus is not anomalous in nature, as a normal treatment for such cases presumed to be capable of curing the victim if done properly and immediately.
Discovery: The Authority first aware of RPC-XXXX existence on 24/10/2017 when news media on the nation highlighted multiple cases of missing livestock on Seram Island, Indonesia. Local news media connected these cases with the local myth “Orang Bati”45, causing this to be trending news on the nation. The Authority decided to fully investigate this in search of the potential anomalous creatures.
The investigation of RPC-XXXX existence began on 26/10/2017, marked by the start of Project Ceram, which is RPC-XXXX investigation and hunt project, with search range started from the last place RPC-XXXX spotted until the entire Seram Island. The project lasted for 3 years. The following are the update listed by date:
Incident XXXX-1: On 13/01/2018, Personnel attempted to navigate the [REDACTED] river using two large vessels with a herd of livestock at 21:00 p.m. This is the 16th attempt to lure RPC-XXXX since the start of the project. At 22:57, personnel reported being attacked by RPC-XXXX and requested backup. When backup arrived, two personnel MIA(one presumed to be drowned and dragged by the stream), while 6 others were injured.
Media ID#: M-XXXX-130118
Foreword: Footage recorded by one of the personnel shoulder-cam
<Begin Video>
00:00 - Seven Personnel visible on the boat. Casual conversation can be heard. The camera also turned to the back frequently, revealing two more personnel with a herd of livestock on the second boat. No unusual occurrence at this point.
1:17:45 - Faint shriek can be heard, personnel seemed to be slightly alarmed and began to look around6.
1:23:17 - Shrieking sounds can be heard again, louder than before. Personnel began to standby.
1:25:01 - Loud splashing and shouting sounds can be heard from the back. The camera turned to the back, only to see two personnel and several goats fell to the river. The starboard of the boat seems to be badly damaged, as the boat leaned more to the right side as it began sinking.
1:26:12 - Multiple personnel fired above.
1:27:30 - A large entity briefly visible, covered the screen for a few seconds. It crashed the first boat and knocked multiple personnel before going upward. One personnel seemed to be taken with its hind legs as well.
1:27:57 - Remaining personnel, including the camera owner, lost balance and fell to the river.
1:29:26 - Camera owner managed to hold the side of the boat, which already upside down. Multiple personnel attempted to reach the boat as well.
2:14:00 - Backup arrived
<End Video>
Addendum: Interview with survivors conducted promptly
Interviewed: Agent Thomas Hughes
Interviewer: Dr. Oesman Pramono
Foreword: Interview conducted with one of the survivors for further clarity of information. Translated from Indonesian to English.
<Begin Log>
Dr. O. Pramono: Alright, interview with agent Thomas Hughes, begin now.
Agent T. Hughes: Do I- Uhm, do I start speaking or-
Dr. O. Pramono: No, I ask first, for the record.
Agent T. Hughes: Okay, sir.
Dr. O. Pramono: Alright, now. My first question is, can you explain what exactly happened to your team during the mission?
Agent T. Hughes: From the beginning of the mission or-
Dr. O. Pramono: Few moments before your encounter.
Agent T. Hughes: So, we heard these loud sounds, like you know, eagle sounds but more- actually no. It’s not really like-
Dr. O. Pramono: We may have captured the sounds of the mission’s footage, so you may want to move on.
Agent T. Hughes: Right. Sorry, I- I just… still proceeding what just happened before…
Dr. O. Pramono: Agent Thomas, I understand you might be shocked due to what’s happened to your teammates, but we need some information about what actually happened. You simply the only one that capable to talk, since the rest of the team still on the medical ward. We need context.
Agent T. Hughes: Okay, I’ll continue. The first that got attacked back then is the boat on my back, the one that carried the goats. It's happened too fast. When we turned around, it already happened. So we look around and saw that thing, flying right on top of us.
Agent T. Hughes: We then began to shot that thing. That's when we even more screwed up. That thing dived right into us and crash the boat, made me fell from the boat. I must say to you, sir, I feel really lucky to be alive.
Dr. O. Pramono: I'm glad you survived the mission as well. Now if you don't mind, my second question is, what exactly the entity that attacked you looks like?
Agent T. Hughes: Didn't- Didn't the camera captured that creature's looks?
Dr. O. Pramono: Sir, it was at night, the body cam’s feed is rather unclear due to the night vision’s green color, and it showed up only for a few seconds as well. We don't get a clear picture from it.
Agent T. Hughes: Damn it. That thing, it's- It's like a half-human, half-bat I guess. Sharp teeth, c- creepy eyes, and yes, black fur as well. Wait, no, red! I saw a bit of bright re- No, hold on, it’s more like dark orange-colored skin on it. Damn it, it happened too fast.
Dr. O. Pramono: Anything more detailed? Body shape? Facial structure?
Agent T. Hughes: That's all I could remember. Things are too blurry.
Dr. O. Pramono: Alright, next-
[At this point, two personnel wearing medical protective suit entered the interview room]
Dr. O. Pramono: Excuse me, sir. Is there any problem?
Medical Personnel: We are sorry to interrupt the interview, but we have to take agent Thomas for a medical checkup, two personnel involved in the mission complained to have a fever after the mission. We suspect this due to them fell into the river, but due to their fever getting worse, we gathered everyone involved for a check. Just in case.
<End Log>
Closing Statement: [8 out of 10 personnel involved in the mission infected with Nipah virus. Further research conducted.]
During Operation Ceram, it has been found that it is possible that RPC-XXXX is a host for the Nipah virus, as the trace of it can be seen in person attacked by RPC-XXXX. The virus is not anomalous in nature, as a normal treatment for such cases is capable of curing the victim. Project Ceram halted until all personnel nursed back to health. Containment Protocol updated.
Update 14/01/2018: 5 personnel died due to late-treated wounds, blood loss, and Nipah virus. 2 personnel critical.
Update 15/01/2018: 2 personnel died due to late-treated wounds, blood loss, and Nipah virus. Project Ceram halted indefinitely.
Update 16/02/2018: On 04/02/2018, Project Ceram re-activated. The project now aided by MST Echo-25 due to consideration that RPC-XXXX similarly related to a local mythical entity, which may have certain anomalous capability causing it to be elusive in capture attempt.
On 16/02/2018, a joint search team consisted of OL-Site-XXXX and Echo-25 personnel managed to capture a potential instance of RPC-XXXX.
- Mission Email 1
- Mission Email Reply 1
- Mission Email 2
- Mission Email Reply 2
- Mission Email 3
- Mission Email Reply 3
- Mission Email 4
Potential Culprit Caught
Amir M
<amirm55@authority.rpc> February 4th, 2018, 02:18 AM
For Site Director Hamid,
This is our fourth attempt at catching this RPC-XXXX and tonight we think we caught it. It’s around 9 p.m we saw this thing flying around the river. It flew few meters right next to us while we rowed our boat, so we shoot the net gun and it managed to catch it.
It’s a big bat. Literally just a really big bat. Definitely doesn’t match up with the description of it being a primate, so I had some of my men staying on the river and continue the search while I and some others went to the facility to bring this bat. We let the researcher do their job while we wait outside.
At 1 a.m, the result came, and it doesn’t sound good. They confirmed that this is a normal flying fox bat.
I will give further reports on the mission, but that’s all I can give for now. Below this message attached some photos of it. Before and after brought into the facility.
Amir M, MST Echo-25 Commander
Re:Potential Culprit Caught
Hamid A
<strip3z@authority.rpc> February 4th, 2018, 09:34 AM
For Major Amir,
Good work so far. Continue the mission and report further update.
Hamid A
Enough Catch?
Amir M
<amirm55@authority.rpc> April 29th, 2018, 07:30 AM
For Site Director Hamid,
I’m contacting you to give a report regarding this operation. We still unable to caught RPC-XXXX until now, but instead, we encountered more problems. We have been caught at least 3 of these flying foxes until now. The worse is that two of them carried the Nipah virus, which matches some of its descriptions.
Sir, are you sure we’re catching a legendary local myth? I feel something is rather off.
Attached below are some more photos of our bats. As you can see there, the staff on the facility placed them in one chamber, which intended for RPC-XXXX at first. Just so that we don’t catch the same bat on the field. Notice the two of them are really big.
Amir M, MST Echo-25 Commander
Re:Enough Catch?
Hamid A
<strip3z@authority.rpc> April 29th, 2018, 10:21 AM
For Major Amir,
Reminder that we have an incident from our own side, an eyewitness to describe what this entity’s capable of. Plus the whole fuss about it from last year. It is our job to contain whatever threat that still out there, understand?
I though you’re more interested in this than I am, am I wrong?
Hamid A
Understood
Amir M
<amirm55@authority.rpc> April 29th, 2018, 13:47 PM
For Site Director Hamid,
When you mentioned the news part, I had the Project Ceram team to do some internal investigations, especially on the first case of the missing livestock, which attracted the media in the first place.
The result is rather absurd.
I have a map of the case here, in fact. As you can see in the attached file below, the areas of all recorded missing livestock cases are concentrated on two parts, two red circles near [REDACTED] river, and nine others a few hundred kilometers away. Doesn’t really make sense, right?
Last January, local police on the [REDACTED] district caught a man which was a goat thief, he claimed has been operated on for at least three years due to his economic pressure. Where does he operate? On the yellow circle there on the map, near those nine red circles. If we didn’t do the latest re-check on the local news, this would have been slipped away.
We have done a further check on two other families with the missing livestock case(two red dots near the river) and it may be RPC-XXXX’s doing. Problem is, one family didn’t see how the culprit looks like, only the shrieking and few flapping sounds, and the other ones claim to see a large bat flying away. Not primate, let alone half-human, half-bat; it’s just a large-sized bat.
Sir, if I may speak honestly to you, I do believe in some of our nation’s mythology. Some of those are actually real. But some others, like this Orang Bati, it’s rather an uncertainty itself. It was based on multiple unclear sightings of a half-man, half-bat. No clear background of it; it just exists one day long ago. Those who believe it did say they saw it firsthand. Seeing is believing, as the old saying goes. But if it’s hard enough to see it for myself, is it possible to even find it out there?
Amir M, MST Echo-25 Commander
Re:Enough Catch?
Hamid A
<strip3z@authority.rpc> April 29th, 2018, 10:21 AM
For Major Amir,
For further complaints, you can refer those to Project Ceram’s team. I rather advise you to set aside such doubt as they seem to hinder the mission.
I must re-state it again, we are not facing a normal bat. I’ve looked about the Flying Fox bat species and they eat fruits, not civilian’s livestock, let alone civilian. It is an uncontained threat, and it’s on our jurisdiction, so it’s our job to secure this nation from such threat.
Do you understand?
Hamid A
Understood
Amir M
<amirm55@authority.rpc> April 29th, 2018, 13:47 PM
For Site Director Hamid,
Understandable, sir. Will continue assisting the mission.
Amir M, MST Echo-25 Commander
Update 23/11/2019: After nearly three years of Project Ceram with no clear result, MST Echo-25, which has been tasked to aid the Project over nearly a year, has submitted multiple requests of their sign out from the project.
Sign Out Request
Amir M
<amirm55@authority.rpc> December 23rd, 2019, 12:30 AM
For Site Director Hamid,
Echo-25 along with the personnel of OL-Site-XXXX has conducted the investigation on this presumed RPC for nearly one year now. And we still can't find this RPC. One month from now, the annual RPC-308 protocol must be done, so we have to sign out from the project for a while. Last January incident must not be repeated, we intended to secure the perimeter three weeks prior to the event.
If things still are like this for the next two months, I’m requesting to end the mission. Request made by considering the personnel's valuable time.
Amir M, MST Echo-25 Commander
Re:Sign Out Request
Hamid A
<strip3z@authority.rpc> December 24th, 2019, 04:26 AM
For Major Amir,
You may place 30 personnel for RPC-308 Containment Protocol. All OL-Site-308 ASF personnel are also allowed to aid the protocol. The rest of the MST is to remain in Seram Island.
I understand your concern, but your mission remains the same. Finish it until the end.
Hamid A
Proposal
Amir M
<amirm55@authority.rpc> February 28th, 2020, 11:30 AM
For Site Director Hamid,
I am, as the leader of Echo-25, on behalf of the Echo-25 personnel, requesting to terminate this mission.
We have conducted a full search on the entire island last year. Seram Island is vast, but years sweeping it yields no significant result until now. The incident that leads to the death of almost all of the first team may still be fresh in some of our personnel’s minds, but the lack of evidence significantly hindered our investigation. I reminded you that we have collected enough evidence to backed up our statement.
We held voting whether the personnel of Echo-25 wish to continue aiding this mission or not, with the voting result is 80% chose to no longer aid this mission.
Below is the documentation of the meeting along with the complete voting result.
In short, sir, I do not believe this entity exists. This was all a misunderstanding.
Amir M, MST Echo-25 Commander
Re:Proposal
Hamid A
<strip3z@authority.rpc> March 1st, 2020, 07:21 AM
For Major Amir,
You will need to consult with the RPC-XXXX research team. Especially with their Head Researcher, Dr. Pramono.
If the majority of the team agrees to end the project with the majority of 9:10, I will put your proposal into consideration and will forward it to my higher up.
Until then, I wish that your team remains operational for the next search.
Hamid A
Understood
Amir M
<amirm55@authority.rpc> March 1st, 2020, 09:01 AM
For Site Director Hamid,
We’ll conduct the meeting soon. Will notify you of the result as soon as possible.
Amir M, MST Echo-25 Commander
Update 02/03/2020: On 02/03/2020, a meeting conducted between MST Echo-25 Representative, Captain H. Setya, and Project Ceram Head, Dr. O. Pratama. Several Personnel from both sides also attended the meeting. Meeting conducted on OL-Site-XXXX at 20:00 PM local time with the focus of considering whether Project Seram remain conducted or not.
In Attendance:
Offline7:
Head Researcher(Project Ceram Head): Dr. O. Pramono
MST Echo-25 Field Division Commander(MST Echo-25 Representative): Capt. H. Setya
MST Echo-25 Personnel: 5 personnel
OL-Site-XXXX Personnel: 5 personnelOnline:
MST Echo-25 Commander: Maj. Amir M.
MST Echo-25 Personnel: 29 personnel
OL-Site-XXXX Personnel: 32 personnel
<Begin Log>
Capt. H. Setya: I guess we should start the discussion now. I am here, representing Major Amir and Echo-25, would like to discuss the current status of this project and our proposal.
Capt. H. Setya: As you know, Project Ceram has been conducted for at least three years since 2017. And since that three years, no clear result regarding whether RPC-XXXX really exist until now.
Capt. H. Setya: The most obvious result of the project from the beginning until now would be the one and only incident that occurred three years ago. Of course, we all dedicated ourselves since then to catch this entity so no civilian would be harmed by it. Problem is, no further incident occurred after this. Not even a single clear sighting of it. Case of mysterious missing livestock no longer heard, and if there were, only one or two in a year. Even personnel back on the main site forget this used to be a thing, let alone the nation. Our Orang Bati here simply returns to be a myth. An existence that can’t be proven its existence.
Capt. H. Setya: In short, I, on behalf of Echo-25, requesting to end Project Ceram.
Dr. O. Pramono: I heavily disagree, sir. The collected evidence may be too limited, but it is a piece of factual information. After the incident, we become more cautious, right? My theory is that RPC-XXXX began limiting its appearance since then, down to it only hunt at least once a year. So the most effective method in studying and eventually catching this RPC is to observe it steadily. This will be a long project, sir, I won’t lie. But there will be a result.
Maj. Amir: If I may, doctor. If it took three years just to gain a mere photograph of its existence, and no, I’m not counting the first incident for this, then I’m afraid that the project could be inactive slowly and eventually abandoned as time goes. Such wasted time could be used for more beneficial research.
Agent T. Hughes: Excuse me, but isn’t it too early to make such prediction? This only comes from Echo-25, not a whole opinion from the entire team.
Maj. Amir: Ech- Wait, who’s the person speaking there?
Dr. O. Pramono: Agent Thomas, sir. He’s the sole survivor of the first incident. I allowed him to join to give his thought about this since he has a huge contribution to this project.
Maj. Amir: Now isn’t this convenient. Agent Thomas, right? Now, I want you to tell me about this entity we hunting. Are you sure what you saw is correct?
Agent T. Hughes: What kind of question is that? That thing slaughtered my colleagues! Which part of it that you don’t believe?
Maj. Amir: The cause of it. Your colleagues died due to blood loss and the Nipah virus if I’m correct. And we caught at least five giant bats now, with two of them are host to the said virus. I want you to reassure me that what you saw is an entirely different entity and not one of those bats.
Agent T. Hughes: It attacked us! Dive down and attacked us like a predator! Do normal bat did that?
Maj. Amir: It could be just a huge coincidence, really. You accidentally met an aggressive one, or maybe you got attacked by other animals like a crocodile as well, or-
Agent T. Hughes: What?! No, it attacked us! I can’t-
Maj. Amir: I will ask you again, did you see exactly how the entity looks like?
Agent T. Hughes: It’s… I’m not sure…
Maj. Amir: Face fact, kid. The whole thing is a coincidence since it only happened once.
Agent T. Hughes: [Standing up] I’ll bring it! [Walking to the exit] I’ll bring it to you all!
Capt. H. Setya: Damn it, the meeting is-
Maj. Amir: Continue, Hendra. We’re close to the end.
Capt. H. Setya: Alright, uhh… So do you have any preferable alternative in your mind, Dr. Oesman?
Dr. O. Pramono: Well, I do hear that your team currently also troubled as well right now on Java, so I understand the reason why you wish to end this project. I just propose that the project should not end, we on this site will continue the project on our own.
Maj. Amir: Negative, doctor. We have been ordered by the higher-up to keep assist this project until it’s over. We are tangled with this tighter than you think.
Dr. O. Pramono: So we end this project and just let this thing on the wild?
Capt. H. Setya: No, we just propose to end Project Ceram, which as you know, an active search mission all across Seram Island. We still consider this RPC is real and continue carrying on the Containment Protocol.
Dr. O. Pramono: I see your point, but still, that means we let this entity free, right?
Capt. H. Setya: Yes, we have considered this and agreed that RPC-XXXX is already self-containing since it keeps avoiding humans. Carry on the Containment Protocol should keep it that way.
Dr. O. Pramono: But what if it’s not one day?
Capt. H. Setya: Then we will re-activate the project.
Dr. O. Pramono: I see… We will discuss this further by considering the fact that you gave.
Capt. H. Setya: Well then, this meeting is concluded.
<End Log>
Incident XXXX-2: Shortly after the meeting concluded, Agent T. Hughes reported to be missing. Multiple cameras' footage showed that he exited the site right after he left the meeting. One of the standard operation boats for the search mission was also missing. His current whereabouts were unknown at that time.
On 03/03/2020 at 09:43 AM, the joint-search team found the missing boat drifted on [REDACTED]’s riverside. Its bow heavily damaged along with some minor damage on both gunwales. Multiple bullet casings and a note were found on the boat’s bottom, belonged to Agent T. Hughes.
Bring goat. No access, can’t do it alone.
Sacrifice. No. Moral.
Shout its name. Scream it.
A myth is something that’s talked about, that’s believed by a lot of people, but can’t be proven. It made its appearance to be known to exist, but not enough to be proven to exist. It’s a state of uncertainty.
Said state in some of the most famous cases lasts long. Told from generation to generation. From centuries to centuries. It escalated to an urban legend at that point. Myth only exists for several decades, or a century or two. It either escalated to the next state or go down into being unknown.
A myth requires only a few things,
- Some questionable witnesses
- Some uncertain records of it.
Below that, it’s bullshit.
Above that, it’ll a fine addition to our collection of dozens of paranormal entities.
Such a magnificent bastard, right? It managed to stay in that state for a long time. We probably caught Bigfoot or Loch Ness at one point, but this jackass still chilling here for god-knows how long.
It knows the rule of a myth, and it following it obediently. I’m here to prove that. I’m all alone. Only me, a flashlight, and a gun. No camera, because it hates those. It somehow knows enough to save itself.
See, it shrieking, flying, and mocking me around. I’m alone. Come at me. It's either it or me. I don’t care if it’ll be dead, consider that’s for killing my friends. To be honest, I don’t really know them, but I know how desperate they are when they shot, only to be written die due to some common virus.
Seeing is believing,
I saw it, it’s real.
And I’ll bring it to
Fired my gun at it, it too fast.
It right in fron
The current whereabouts of Agent T. Hughes remain unknown.
Update 06/03/2020: Decision regarding Project Ceram’s continuity has been made. Project Ceram has been halted indefinitely, with Containment Protocol remain to be carried annually. For more information, refer to the current Containment Protocol. If the circumstance changed, the project is to be re-activated immediately.
« RPC-XXXX-1 | RPC-XXXX | RPC-XXXX+1 »
Already finished event:
Cair Aisling Event
Cair Aisling stuffs, feeling too sentimental to delete em'
The ocean water created several small waves around us as we row our boat toward the coast of the Pabbay island, Scotland. No fish can be seen around, probably scared due to our arrival in their calm and quiet habitat.
We were all headed to the same direction, the only direction we can only head to, actually, since everyone coming to this island will be redirected here somehow. It is what the local folks, the Authority, and perhaps the entire Randolph Gowering’s fans all over the world known as “The Beach of Beginnings”.
Yes, we were all assigned to explore this anomalous fantasy land from the famous novel series created by a well-known author, Randolph Gowering, known as “Cair Aisling.”
Our group consisted of six personnel who were currently occupying three boats to reach the island, each of two people rowing a boat. Four personnel are my men, while the one who has currently shared a boat with me was a personnel assigned to pick us up from the aircraft carrier to our base of operation on the island, Camp Crannóc, which located on the Beach of Beginnings. What can be seen as a makeshift site, if you ask my opinion since they can only make it using woods and stones instead of steels and concretes. Still a decent site indeed.
That’s the most annoying anomalous attribute of this make-believe land, no technology exists in this place other than what already written in the Cair Aisling novel. We’ve been forced to adapt, to return to the medieval era. Replacing our guns and ammo with sword and arrow. I’ve heard that they’re even trying to make one of those medieval catapults for additional defense. Luckily that the Authority has its roots in that era. We have dozen of metal armor from this organization’s predecessor.
I looked at the person next to me, he already wore his plate armor on when picked us up. We were also already switched our uniforms with the same armor back in the aircraft carrier. They said that this kevlar vest won’t last on the field, so we need to change them. I’m fine with that.
The personnel, he noticed that I was looking at him, so he started to talk, “So, before we landin’, mind tellin’ me why you Asian folk got send here?” He asked. Most of the personnel here, including him, are Scottish. Kinda make sense since the Pabbay island is on their territory.
“MST Echo twenty-five. We are experts on dealing with anomalous entities using… uhh… unnatural method. The traditional one, like using sacred object and ritual, if you’re wondering.” I answered. “We’re still only a regional MST, thought. Only capable of dealing with our own nation’s anomalies so far, in case you start thinking if we’re also capable of performing some sort of nordic ritual.” I added.
He nodded, but it seems that he still has a question for me, “So, that’s why ye folks comin’ all the way ‘cross the ocean? To exorcist the hell out of these elves?” He asked. I gave a small chuckle and said, “Nah, not even close. I’d like to tell you, but I’m afraid that’s classified and you don’t have the clearance for that.” I looked down for a moment, thinking if I should give this personnel a bit of information to satisfy his curiosity, then I said, “We’re expert in using melee weapons, like machete and baton, though. Not to mention we got used to the forest terrain. We’re competent personnel for this mission.”
“Yeah, ye folks ‘re a bit too late fer that, The Hotels already leadin’ the exploration. But what do I know, yer mission here is classified, right?” He said. Hotel-1, of course, already involved since the Pabbay island is within its territory. I even heard that there’s an MST codenamed Hotel-5 which has just been formed just for this case. How about us? What’s our role in a land far away from our own country? “Just… consider us as additional personnel for the exploration.” I replied.
He nodded again, and then we went silent while rowing our boat.
We’re getting closer to the island. Looking from the helicopter, all we could see were just a medium-sized island, but on the ground, I felt like Columbus when he discovered the American Continent. This Cair Aisling world is vast, contains a variety of different terrain. A dreamworld that used to and supposed to only exist in the imagination of mankind.
“So, Mike, right?” Luckily I remembered asking his name back on the ship. “You’re a Scottish, I guess?” I asked. I can’t really recognize a country’s accent, but I watch enough tv show to be sure that that’s a Scottish accent. “Nah, not really. My mother is. I’m born in Manchester. Why ye askin’, anyway?” He replied.
“As a European, what’s your thought on this anomaly? A world where your typical knight and dragon tale becomes real.” I asked. “Nothing special, just one of those usual large-scale anomalies which need to be neutralized.” He answered.
I turned my head toward him in surprise, didn’t expect that answer. “How so? For me, this world is… kind of fascinate me.” I said. He looked at me with a little annoyed look, “Ah, don’t tell me ye are one of those folks who a fan of that fantasy series. I could’ve sworn those folks came ‘ere just fer sightseeing like a fuckin’ tourist.” I shook my head, denying his assumption. “Nah, I’m not really reading books often unless if that’s important for my job. Those two, however, are big fans of Gowering’s works.” I said as I pointed at two of my men on the back, Private. Romy and Private Adam. The boat of those two positioned on the very back of our group. He turned his head to the back, I didn’t know he still seems annoyed or not.
Both Romy and Adam were young enough to like these fantasy series. Romy was just recruited by the Authority three years ago. He joined Echo-25 a few months ago. The same thing goes with Adam, although he got recruited one year before Romy.
On a mission like this, I usually send the best of my personnel. However, on this mission, these two aren’t. The reason why I brought these two along was because of their vast and in-depth knowledge regarding the Cair Aisling world as a big fan. I can say that these two were, technically, the best of the best for this mission. This is not an original idea of mine, though, as the Authority already did the same during their first exploration.
“But I must say, Mike, that I’m indeed interested in the western folklore and mythology. Not that my own country’s folklore isn’t that Interesting, though. But we both know the western’s fantasy is famous around the world. How can you not like it a single bit?”
“I dunno, I might liking it when I was small, but now that I’ve grown up and has been through many shits in my life, liking fantasy is just simply childish.” He answered. “We all knew the good guy will kill the dragon n’ save the princess. There's variation, yeah. But still, the good guy will win.”
“What important is not only the ending, Mike. But the story's progress toward the ending. What the hero lose and sacrifice during his journey is what makes fantasy are interesting, as it’s a vast world where everything could happen.” I said. Then I looked at the front. The shore was close.
Then I looked at him and continued talking, “The same thing goes for this anomaly. We don’t know what we will face inside until the end of our mission until this anomaly neutralized. We don’t know if we’re the hero of this story or not, as everyone is the hero in their own story and the villain in others.”
We arrived at Cair Aisling.
A personnel already standing on a wooden dock, awaiting us. He seemed rather impatient, rushing to get closer to my boat. He did lend his hand to help me rise up from the boat. “Captain Hendra, I glad that your team made it here. I’m Lieutenant Ronald, let me show you the way. The leader already awaits you to discuss the expedition. Michael, there will guide the rest of your team.” He helped me got up to the dock while pointing at Mike who still on the boat.
As the hero of the Cair Aisling, Hasan Maza, started his journey here in The Beach of Beginnings, so did I started my little expedition for the Authority here.
I'm still walking on a damn wetland
Excerpt from the Authority's information of known location:
The Great Marshes: A sprawling wetland on the eastern border of the Corrupted Lands, inhabited mainly by bands of Empirical Clan refugees and the occasional Underguild trader.
The Great Marshes of Cair Aisling did not receive its name from just a small flooded area covered in grasses within its territory. The marshes spread as far as the eye can see; Shrubs and trees are rare in this area, signs of civilization are even rarer. Plants, insects, small animals, and whatever else that might live below the shallow water of this vast wetland dominate the most.
Many plants thrive on the wetland's soil. One of them is a papyrus plant, the material used to make paper in the middle ages. What can be said as the life support of the Authority's means of communication in a world where all modern knowledge we know is useless. It is really lucky for the Authority that a large source of paper material grows near the site.
The Authority's On-Location Site for Cair Aisling, Camp Crannóc, was located near The Beach of Beginning, which is on The Great Marshes' territory. This is one of the three territories that the Authority can explore, along with the Underheim Mountains next to it and Wethir on the other side. Unfortunately, exploring further beyond this wetland will only lead to a dead end.
Right in front of the vast wetland of The Great Marshes is nothing but the path toward the Castle of Dream itself.
Ahead of this territory, lies The Corrupted Forest. The higher-ups have already forbidden any personnel from entering this area. The so-called monsters, the corrupted creatures of Cair Aisling, fill this place. Several personnel that managed to survive their exploration during the first attempt to enter the forest stated that these monsters are not only hard to kill, but with the amount of them scattered across the area, their number simply cannot be counted. The Authority does not want to take this risk. Yet.
At the edge of this territory, however, there's a landmark. A collapsed Spire, known as The Mouldering Spire.
Its ruins stand tall at the edge of The Great Marshes. The top, including the roof, and one side of the spire are already gone, making the spire shaped like a giant spike embedded into the ground. All floors located on the top and the middle of the spire are also broken. Each floor has a wide hole that allows sunlight to bathe most of the space in the spire, all the way down to the ground floor, during high noon.
Nobody occupies this place, making it abandoned and free to be taken. The Authority does have a plan to use this place as a base, to observe the situation of The Corrupted Forest and The Castle of Dreams and also the situation of the ongoing war between the Ashenfolk and Spirer that still awaiting the hero of the story to end it all.
However, there’s one simple problem that made this place abandoned from the start:
Excerpt from the Authority's information of known location:
The Mouldering Spire: A collapsed Spire on the edge of the Great Marshes, rumored to be inhabited by evil spirits.
This all changed when a week ago, the Authority found the solution to this problem.
“I assumed that it’s currently eleven a.m right now.” My eyes looked up to the sky, dazzled by the bright sunlight, before looking back at the ground. The sun positioned almost right above me. “We’ve gathered enough sunlight to enter the area, right?”
“Well, prepare your team, then. I’ll prepare mine,” said the person next to me, Lieutenant Edward Johnson, as he stood up. “Gather them all at the entrance. We’ll enter at once,” I replied. He then headed to his team, a group of ASF and MST Hotel-5, while I headed to my own team, four personnel from MST Echo-25.
This is the Authority’s plan to take over The Mouldering Spire, the Authority has assigned Echo-25 to try exorcising the hell out of these spirits.
Of course, I, the rest of Echo-25 personnel, and even Major Amir as the commander of Echo-25 himself, doubted that we could terminate them. Yes, there are times when Echo-25 is successful with their mission outside of our own field, but to terminate entities originating from other country’s mythology using our own method was completely new. The Authority did consider that this might fail, so we’re technically here only to experiment with it. If it succeeds, more Echo-25 personnel will be sent here. If it fails or a more effective method was found, we will return back home. But still, nobody knows if this will work or not without trying first. So here we are on the other side of the world, assigned to the Cair Ailsing’s mission.
“Prepare the equipment, everyone! It’s time to do our part.” I approached my team, four MST Echo-25 personnel, who were gathered near the tent. My ears overheard their conversation a bit; they were discussing a room inside the spire. They then ended their conversation and stood up, preparing themselves.
Regarding the room they discussed, I knew exactly which one they were referring to. Everyone here knew. Apparently, below this spire was some sort of dungeon. Based on the Cair Aisling novel series, this is where the “Evil spirits” dwell. Typical dungeon.
“Romy, can you come here for a minute?” I called Private Romy to my side. He immediately moved away from the crowd and approached me. Out of all the Echo-25 personnel, he’s the person with the most knowledge about the Cair Aisling novel series, followed by Adam, who currently busy wearing his helmet at that time. He’s a big fan alright, despite his age. That's why he's here.
“Yes, sir?” he stood in front of me. “Tell me again regarding the threat we’ll be facing. You can tell me the background story of these demons too, this time. In case I might be needing such information.”
“Alright. So, in volume three, this place got mentioned for the first time. Long ago before the chaos in Cair Aisling occurred, this place was planned to be the treasure storage of the Spire Elves. Yes, the construction was still ongoing at that time, but a large amount of wealth was already kept in the dungeon.”
“Then one day, came an ambush from the orcs of the Wethir, led by Soth'er Redmace. The Spire Elves on the spire were all slaughtered. However, they had already placed a spell on the spire: A magical barrier that prevents anyone from getting in or out the spire. Some sort of lockdown procedure, I think. The orcs trapped inside along with the treasure of the Spire Elves, unable to get out.”
“The spell remained intact for fifty years. After the spell had finally worn off, the Spire Elves then tried to get their treasure back. Unfortunately, they encountered several huge dark spirits guarding the dungeon. Turns out that they were all the spirits of the troops of Soth'er Redmace. Many elves died without knowing how to kill these evil spirits, so the Spire Elves abandoned this place forever. Many have tried to take the treasure kept inside, only to be killed by these evil spirits.”
Took me a quick moment to think about it, then a sigh came out. “Of course… We’ll be facing the generic monster-that-guarding-treasure type, eh. And how does our hero, Hasan Maza, dealt with these demons?”
“Well, in volume four is when-“
Our conversation was halted when Edward approached us. “Captain Hendra, the troops are ready!” he stated. “We'll talk about it later, Romy. Return to the rest of the group.” Romy nodded as he walked away. Then I looked at Edward, “So, is everyone ready?”
“Yes, sir. We are ready to enter the building.”
There’s a reason why we waited until high noon to enter the spire. The same reason why we chose to sleep outside the spire instead of inside. The report did state that these evil spirits dwelled in the dungeon. However, they are capable of leaving the dungeon to chase their target. We didn’t want to take that risk, so we waited until the whole room inside is bright enough to enter. At least their dark and shadowy appearance would stand out under the daylight.
We then gathered in front of the entrance. There were 15 personnel for this expedition mission. Despite our joint operation, neither Edward nor I will lead the whole team. We led our own teams separately. I took a glance at Edward and he nodded, then we enter the spire.
The ground floor is indeed spacious. We entered a large room with two stairs on both sides which lead to the higher floor. A question bothers my mind about why Spire Elves built such a high building, but I kept that thought to myself and tried to focus on the mission.
“Based on the novel, the spirits were supposed to dwell in the dungeon. However, we got ambushed right there.” Edward pointed at a wooden door positioned between the two stairs. “One of those monsters immediately shown up behind the door and stabbed one of my men who opened the door using its spear. He… he died instantly when the spear impaled him. We ran immediately to the entrance, followed by that thing. It was really dark at that time, we even accidentally dropped our torches when we ran. We were just lucky to be able to escape alive, although with one casualty.”
I looked around the room, eventually finding several half-burned braches. Perhaps the remains of torches that Edward abandoned in his story. Then my eyes turned to the door in front of me. “Well then, we better prepare ourselves next to that door before opening it,” I said while pointing at the door. We then split in front of the door: Eight personnel on the left side and seven personnel on the right. Under Edward’s command, the personnel in the front row of the group on the left carefully pushed the door. The daylight had ambushed the room first, as the door swang to the left, immediately lighting up the dark space inside.
We waited for a few moments until the personnel in the front row of the group on the right carefully took a peek inside. I saw him saying something while moving closer with a scared look, probably some sort of prayer. He looked around for a few moments until he raised his hand and signed us that it’s clear to enter. We then look inside the room.
At first glance on the wall in front of us, which is too close to the door, I thought that this seemed to be the smallest room in this place, similar to a janitor closet. When looking down, however, there’s a spiral stairway that leads down. I sighed as I walked down the stairway a little, tried to take a better look at the room below.
There's a wide circular room with three paths that I didn’t know where they led. Bones, lots of bones, were scattered along the sides of the room. In the middle of the room, however, there’s a pile of treasure. A goddamn pile of treasure consisted of golds and diamonds and whatever shinies down there acted as a bait on a fishhook. I sighed again as I gave a signal to my men, hoping that they won’t rush their way down there because of those traps. It’s time for Echo-25 to lead the group.
Before we walked down, Sergeant Deni brought in our equipment to be distributed to each Echo-25 member. The equipment we brought for this mission was none other than several old coconut broomsticks. Local myths from my hometown did say that these ordinary objects had some sort of mystical properties that could repel spirits, but the main reason why we brought it here was because these objects were capable of terminating several RPC instances back in our country. Although now a more scientific method was found by flashing them using a camera flash. Strange, but both ways work.
Anyways, since no technology is capable of entering this world, we decided to bring in our good ol’ coconut broomstick instead. We just prayed that this would work. If it doesn’t, we’ll retreat immediately. We then proceed to walk down the stairway and managed to get down to the room safely.
It’s dark down here, even with the light from the door we left open up there. Several personnel then proceed to make a torch using the equipped flint and steel. Unfortunately, our activity was halted when a clanking noise came from one of the paths. A black shadow shaped like a human with a trail of smoke as its legs emerged from that path and flew towards us at a dangerous speed. Its right hand, which held a falchion8, was raised high, ready to slay us. I and the rest of the Echo-25 held our brooms, ready to wave it at that thing. Under my command, we waved it at once.
It didn’t work.
It didn’t fucking work. The evil spirit was already close enough and ready to swing its falchion, so I dropped the broom on my right hand and switched my weapon with the standard Auctoritas' long sword that I previously held on my left hand immediately. Our weapons clashed in mid-air, creating small sparks from the tiny pieces of the metal that were being broken off and heated in the contact. I’m not a good swordsman, so it knocked away my sword. At least that sword saved my life. Hotel-5, being more trained in sword combat, took over the area, protecting us.
“It did not work, Ed! Fall back immediately!” I frustratedly yelled at Edward, who raised his sword as well. More of these evil spirits came, wielding different weapons in their hands with the same murderous intent. “Are you sure, captain?” He asked. I nodded while trying to reach for my sword on the floor and managed to grab it. “With the number of our troops swinging our brooms at such close range, any demon on our country would at least react even if only a little! Retreat now!”
We then tried to reach the stairway, only to be stopped by two dark shadows which blocked our path, effectively surrounding us. We were surrounded by around ten or more of these evil spirits. This reminded me of my experience during the annual RPC-308 containment protocol, but the only difference is that those black shadows that watched us during the protocol were harmless. These, however, will slaughter the entire team unless we think of a way out.
These entities' body were intangible, but their weapons weren't. The only way we could survive was to hold their attack for as long as possible. Our weapons bashed against each other's as we defend ourselves against the evil spirits of The Mouldering Spire while we thought of a way to escape this ambush. “Romy, tell me how Hasan Maza escaped from this situation!” I yelled at Romy, who was jumping to avoid being hit by the mace of one of the evil spirits.
“Well, when Hasan enter-“
“Cut to- Spear!” A quick warning replaced my question as one of the spirits tried to stab him, he managed to dodge the attack. “Cut to the escaping part! ” I continued my sentence as I managed to grab my sword back.
“He- He managed to run to the exit! One of the spirits that chased him got burned and disappeared once Hasan opened the door and let the sunlight in.” Romy said. Sunlight? A thought popped into my mind. “Hey, Edward! When did your team enter this place?” I asked again. This time to Edward, who managed to cut one of the spirits’ spear into two using his sword. “At night, sir!” he answered.
I thought again. So these entities' weakness is indeed sunlight. But how can I use that? We definitely couldn’t make a hole on the roof, which is the ground floor. Not only is that that almost impossible due to lack of our equipment, but also that it may risk collapsing the entire spire. Is there any alternative other than depending on sunlight?
“Edward! How was their reaction toward your team’s torches?” I asked one more time. Edward looked at me for a second, seemed that he thought of something. “Hold it. Timmy! You’re the last person that got out when we ran away from here, right? Did you see how they react with our abandoned torches?” He asked one of the person near him. He, Timmy, looked at Edward and said, “They’re about to chase me. But when I kicked one of the torches toward it, it seemed to be startled and retreated back to the dungeon. I don't know why though.”
Both I and Edward looked at each other for a second. Then, he seemed to search for something in his possession. “I need something flammable! Hey, Mark! Bring me those papyrus paper now!” Mark, the personnel he yelled at, seemed to be a bit busy with one of the spirits. My eyes then quickly fixed to the ground, trying to find my coconut broomstick that I dropped before, which was near my position. When I found it, I grabbed the broom while avoiding one of the spirits’ falchion and ran toward Edward. “Use this instead, man!”
He used his flint and steel and tried to make a spark. He managed to make a small fire on my coconut broomstick, which started to get bigger. Suddenly, a spirit charged toward us and prepared to hit us with its mace. my right hand quickly waved my burning broom toward its body.
A loud roar could be heard, coming from that spirit. Its body immediately consumed by the flame, starting from the slashed body part, all the way throughout the entire body until there’s nothing left from it. The broom didn’t even reach its body, yet it burned. The slash’s wave was enough.
“Now that is what supposed to happen when you mess with this!” I yelled at the thin air where the spirit was before. The fire on my broom extinguished immediately after the first swing, so we tried to light it back up. “Harun! Deni! Romy! Adam! Come here with your broom, now!” I yelled at my men. They were busy at the time, but they ran as soon as they could upon being called. Edward set their broom on fire as well.
“This won’t be enough. Where’s Mark? I heard that he had several papers, right” I asked Edward. “He fucking left it all outside!” He replied frustratedly. The stairway to the outside was still blocked by those evil spirits. But I already had a solution.
“Bring some of your men up! We’ll cover you up!” I said. Echo-25 with their flaming brooms charged toward the stairway and slashed the spirits that previously blocked the path. Five personnel followed behind and managed to reach the stairway and were on their way to the door above.
Several spirits that noticed our attempt then flew higher, trying to reach them. I noticed this and tried to think of a way to stop them. I looked at my burning broom. “Throw it to there!” An abstract instruction came out as I reflexively threw my own broom toward those spirits. It only managed to hit one. Two of Echo-25 personnel then did the same, hitting some more of those spirits. Those evil spirits retreated and those five personnel managed to get out safely. Now it just us that left.
“Our only hope left is just your men.” I held my sword and got closer to Edward and his team. We were surrounded again, this time was even worse. We all moved closer to each other, finally forming a small circle in the middle of the room with a pile of treasures behind us while we faced in the opposite direction. We lost all of our brooms and returned using the sword. Three because they were thrown before and two because they were burned down. We can only defend our position until those five personnel return. “Doesn't it suck,” I said to Edward, “that even after we found their weakness, we're still about to die?”
Judging from the situation, those personnel might not arrive on time. “The best thing is… is that there will be survivors…” Edward replied while enduring the pain. Apparently, His right shoulder got hit by their falchion. “They will tell what happened down here… Tell about their weakness… Tell our story… The Authority will come and burn this room and the entire spire!”
“Heh… I just hope that they don’t alter it. I’m okay that they exaggerate their part in the story, but if they said that they’re the ones who found these spirits’ weakness, I’ll be the fucking ghost and hunt them to death.” I said as I chuckled a bit. We're already defeated and desperately holding back their attack by clashing our weapon. If no helps arrives within these last seconds, we will surely die.
“Arrghhh!!!” Corporal Harun who was on my right side screamed loudly as one of the spirits stabbed his left arm using its spear. “Shit! Harun!” I turned my head toward him quickly, but the corner of my eye caught a sudden movement. My eyes glanced to the left, only to catch a glimpse of one of the spirits which ready to slash his falchion toward my head. My eyes closed at that moment, unable to think anything else.
A roar followed by several unrecognizable noises from the personnel made me opened my eyes again. The spirits in front of me burned.
I looked up. Several objects like tree branch and paper, which were burned, were thrown from above like stones from hell which the Martin birds dropped on the Abrahah's army. Some of those objects managed to hit several spirits, making them burn and demanifest. I looked towards the door, one personnel seemed to have received those burned objects from the other side of the room, and throwing them into the dungeon.
“Backup! God bless your men, Edward!” I yelled in relief while grabbing one of the tree branches that still burned and held it like my own sword. “Let’s get out of here!” Edward replied while holding his right shoulder. I nodded while helping Harun to walk toward the stairway.
When we were halfway up the stairway, our path was blocked by one more spirit who wielding a crimson mace. A roar came from the spirit, "Ours!". My response to its abstract final statement was a slash using the burned tree branch I held.
“So, what’s your plan now, captain?” Edward asked me.
We were outside now. We’ve finished burning the last of these evil spirits a few minutes ago. This place is now clear to be occupied. Our job was done.
“Of course, I have to report to the commander. Maybe asking the same question you asked.”
“Hey, do you know that the Authority was planning to find and help Hasan Maza to bring peace with the hope that this anomaly will be neutralized? What if your team helped along? If allowed, of course. They might need more personnel for that.”
My eyes looked up to the sky, the sun about to set. We’ll spend our night here again. This time we’ll rest inside the spire since we’ve taken over it now. Then I looked around, eventually seeing my men gathered on the spire's wall. I'm kind of curious about what they’re doing.
“I’d like to join your force. But I'll have to ask the commander first, as I said before.” I walked away, approaching the rest of Echo-25. “Hey! What you’re doing there?” I asked Deni. “Ah, Mas Hendra. we are carving our names on this wall. You know, as a sign that we were once here. You want your name carved too?” he said. I saw the small carving on the wall they made. A drawing of a Java Eagle flying above as a simplified version of our patches, along with several writings below it,
Echo-25 The Dreaded Out
Deni, Harun, Romy, Adam
A smile played on my lips as I held my sword and started carving the wall as well.
Hendra, Deni, Harun, Romy, Adam
[[include component:rate]]
[[/div]]