The Doctor gathered all of the necessary materials following the liberating the Amanaki outpost from the pirates. The boxes left behind only had random stuff and a few bullets but the metal locker inside the outpost main building was an intriguing concept. It was a way for arms traffickers and other sellers to buy and sell without the need of returning to the Amanaki vendor. It was done by filling out a log, request whatever items he wants, prepare the cash for the dealers and they come to deliver it whenever he's in the outpost at the time of their planned arrival. It was an extensive line of using a weapons market on the island. Nevertheless, he made use of it. Requesting extra ammunition, explosives, body armor and medical syringes prior to preparing to sell the stuff inside boxes. Once that was done he went outside where a Rakyat warrior was hanging signs on a board.
"Ah, Doctor. Good timing. Just wanted to let you know that if you wish to follow the Path of the Warrior, you should check the bulletin boards. They're all over the island." He explained as the Doctor walked closer to read the signs planted on the board. One of them says, "A pirate leader is poaching animals near some hot springs. Follow Rakyat tradition and kill him with a knife." The second mentions hunting a pack of rabid dogs and that a shotgun is provided for anyone willing to take the task.
"Am I limited to just one?" Doctor questioned which the warrior shook his head.
"No, the more you take the tasks the better. It will strengthen your Tatau and reward you while weakening the pirate's grip." He said as he bid his farewell while going back to his truck filled with more wanted signs and hunting offers. The Doctor waved goodbye as he saw him drive off before going back to the items on the bulletin board.
"Strengthen the Tatau and reward me." Ripping off the two missions, Doctor ventured off into the wilderness. His rifle at the ready, primed to gun down any wild animal or pirate wanting to rip his throat open.
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His first firefight near the Amanaki outpost was a mess. The sun was setting, his view became tinted in orange slowly turning to the dark blue of the night. Doctor paced through the dim bamboo forest with caution. It didn't take long for him to encounter some pirates, walking with two prisoners in a steady manner. Carefully he sneaked behind, slinging his rifle behind and unsheathed his knife. When he got close, he stabbed one pirate in the back, the other hearing the death of his friend wasn't quick enough to react as Doctor then jabbed his knife into his throat.
It was meant to be a simple rescue but it turned into a tragedy as more pirates in a truck came by and saw the scene before getting off and open fire at the Doctor and freed prisoners. Doctor dashed to the bamboo and the prisoners ran off like headless chickens. A pirate in duct tapped armor threw a grenade near the escapee and blew him off his feet. Doctor aimed his rifle at the less protected pirate and accurately landed several shots into him before going to the other pirate who was busy with gunning down the second prisoner. With knife in hand again, Doctor quickly dashed toward the pirate, grabbing his head and laid his knife on the exposed neck, slicing deep enough for a quick kill. Another firefight over, but what cost?
He looked over at the fragged remains of the poor captured man. Free for only a few minutes. Doctor looked around for the other captured prisoner but he couldn't find anyone in this dark forest. He was gone, possibly lost in the unforgiving wilderness of Rook Islands.
He survived. Again. Alone.
Doctor knelt down in the dark, blood-stained sand. His rifle pointed up to the night and his red coated knife stabbed to the ground.
He hated this.
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Nearby, after Doctor collected some extra ammunition from the dead pirates, he saw through his binoculars a small encampment of pirates where they were either lazing around, gutting a pig or simply staring at the waterhole beside them. One of them had a beret and a bandolier of bullets, he was the wanted man from the bulletin board.
Utilizing stealth again, Doctor slowly walked behind a sitting pirate, grabbing him in a chokehold before stabbing him through the chest. He then dragged the body away from the camp before doing the same to another pirate who was busy staring into the distance. Setting him behind the bamboo, he saw the wanted man walking further away from the butcher, still hacking at the carcass.
Doctor decided to give him the same treatment before moving onto his main target. Sneaking behind, he lodged his knife into the chest of the butcher, stabbing him several times after which he threw him into the water. The splash alerted the last pirate and as soon as he turned around he saw the hooded face of the Doctor, just a few inches away from his face as he felt an excruciating pain enter his heart. Looking down, he saw the butcher's machete bite deep into his chest as his killer let him fall to the ground but not before rummaging through his belongings and weapons for ammo. Once he was done the Doctor left, his first quest completed.
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As the sun began to rise, the Doctor went further into the wild and encountered the various wildlife roaming around. Going back to Dennis' lessons he took his time to hunt each different animal near Amanaki. He started with the rabid dogs from the bulletin board. It was an annoying task since the dogs were running around the tall grass and thick woods but he managed to put them all down and skinned them for their pelts.
His hunts didn't stop there as he tracked a group of deer, then some goats and some pigs and boar. However, as he was done putting away the remaining pelts into his rucksack he heard screams of pain from a distance. It was close, very close. The Doctor shot up, readying his rifle and saw past the trees several monstrous lizards feasting on a pair of pirates. Their tongues flicked the air as they soon saw the Doctor and his blood gushing rucksack.
"Oh no..."
He pulled the trigger of his rifle at the bumrushing reptiles taking down two of them in exchange for his rifle to be fully empty. Hurry to reload one of them got the chance to bite his leg, causing him to fall but not before he stabbed the beast in the head repeatedly, killing it. The other clamped down on his arm where his knife was stuck in the skull of the creature. Doctor's spare arm then went to his pistol, shooting it to death as the pistol slide locks back. Tossing the empty gun aside, he inserted his his fingers inside the lizard's teeth and forced the dead creatures mouth to open and remove his arm out of the maw. Crawling to the nearest tree, Doctor leaned back as he pulled out a needle and a bandage roll. Jamming the syringe into his open wound he then wrapped the bleeding arm in clean cloth as he stared at the carnage before him.
'More skins to craft.' He summarized in dry humor. 10 minutes passed of him catching his breath underneath the dense trees and another 10 minutes to skin the slain komodo dragons.
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An additional 20 minutes passed by, and the Doctor made a whole new assortment of holsters, pouches and other carrying essentials he crafted prior to returning to Amanaki. First heading to the shopkeepers to rearm and resupply then he grabbed another two posters for wanted dead, to a pirate leader on route to the colonists' house and a hunt for some bears that mauled a farmer near the Amanaki coast before returning back to the jungle. The shopkeeper, after Doctor was done buying and selling, gave him a new map. She mentioned that maps like these were created to pinpoint Rook Islands' hidden relics of the Rakyat. The Rakyat people have placed, lost, or left behind many relics across the island over the years. Finding them all will be a test of skill and commitment. "There's one more thing about the maps, Doctor. Remnants of some Higashi explorers to Rook Island from a hundred years ago left several letters that were never delivered to their families and clans. They can be found anywhere. Normally, we don't bother with them but they are people here on the island who can help track the family of the explorers and send the letters to them. If you find the letters, they'll compensate heavily."
"I see. Thank you." Doctor nodded in gratitude as he took a photo of his new map to update his current one. Another quest to take for the Rakyat. When he left the shop, he heard someone calling for him near the knife throwing range. A man and a woman were standing there with the latter visibly distraught and the former doing his best to comfort her.
"Sir, come here." The man said while waving towards the Doctor.
"What's wrong?"
"My darling, my jewel. How could she do this, over a boy...?" The woman said in shock before her husband continued.
"Aina, let me talk. He has the Tatau of the Rakyat warriors, he will help us." He then explained their troubles. "Sir, my daughter Nadia ran away with a boy. They want to... kill themselves." As soon as he said the woman, Aina cried in horror at her daughter's possible demise. "They are young, foolish. They think life can never get better, so they leave the village."
"Please... Find Nadia. Bring her back sir. She is young."
"Well, where can I find them?" Doctor inquired.
"We looked everywhere... places where the pirates never set their foot on but we couldn't find them."
"No! Not everywhere. We didn't go to Bihar Rock!" The husband exclaimed when he remembered the last place they searched.
"Where's Bihar Rock?"
"It's a large rock overlooking the waterfall across the bridge. Please sir, can you go there? You'll be faster!"
"Okay, I'll be back with Nadia." He nodded before dashing off to Bihar Rock in search of the parent's lost girl.
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*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
"HEY!" Doctor shouted at the tiger who had its sights on Nadia. The girl was on top of Bihar Rock, trying to escape from the hunger of a man-eating tiger. Soon, the Doctor let loose a stream of bullets at the tiger who turned around and ran towards him. The cat didn't go down easily as it lunged on top of the Doctor after he immediately emptied his magazine on it and raised his rifle to block the creature's claws.
Struggling against the beast above him with his rifle, he grabbed his knife and slashed the tiger's face causing it to move off of him. He pulled out his pistol and even that, emptying its magazine, wasn't enough to kill it. The tiger lunged one more time, fixing its fangs deep into the Doctor's shoulder. Yelling in pain, his breaths turned rapid, and he started to stab at the biting cat's head with all of his might. Hitting eye, ear, nose, forehead, again and again and again. He closed his eyes, focused solely on stabbing the beast. Even if it died, he didn't stop until his knife arm burned in exhaustion as it fell to the side.
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With deep breaths he pulled the knife out and spent his last remaining energy he had left to push the dead tiger off for him to crawl away, its fangs leaving a trail of spit and blood. Sitting up and then getting up to his two feet he walked up to Nadia, who was trembling at the scene before her. He then asked.
"Are you... Are you hurt?" Doctor panted out. Nadia shaking out of her stupor simply reaponded.
"He tried to kill me..." She pointed to the torn remains of the man who had a busted gun on his severed hand. "He said he wanted to run away, but when we got here... he started talking about dying together. Said we'd be together forever. He... he tried to shoot me before the tiger came. It attacked him and I climbed."
She was obviously shaken and worn out by the trauma of almost being a part of a murder-suicide or the next meal to a big cat. Regardless, he gave her a reassuring pat on her shoulders.
"The tiger's dead. Go home, your mom and dad are waiting for you."
"Thank you." She climbed down the rock and quickly went back to the village while the Doctor sat down in her place and readied another syringe alongside a roll of bandages. Jamming the syringe on his shoulder before wrapping the bandage around, it was the same place Vaas shot him he remembered fondly. Soon he looked back at the tiger and he heard some grunts near the river. Crawling to the edge of the rock, he saw some tapirs drinking water and farther away, a bear wandering around on a small remote island unaware that they were being watched by a tired but not worn out hunter.
"More skins to craft."
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"Oh you've got to be kidding me..."
At first, finding those relics was simple enough. Using the updated map he located and found the relics with ease. One near the outpost on a shrine, another underneath a small pier and there was one sitting in a cave. The relics themselves were distinct mementos of the various creatures that inhabit Rook Islands. The Spider, Shark, Boar and Heron. Each of them have their set animal design, about the size of a small watermelon but unique in their making.
Now he has tracked two of them at the same location. Passing by the bamboo forest the Doctor found himself at a cliff with a point towards a deep sinkhole. The two relics were down there. He couldn't tell how deep it was from both the elevation of the hole and the water below. He stood at the edge wondering how to get down there.
No vines for him to rappel down. No ancient ruin stairs. No descending edges from the earth. He has to fall into the water. And pray that he doesn't hit shallow water.
"Hahaha... Fuck..." Doctor said as he dropped down to his knees, drawing closer to the edge. It all comes down to luck here. He was Iucky. Lucky enough to survive a pirate camp, getting shot by a lunatic, mangled by deadly animals. Before all of that he was lucky to survive a city, two cities, falling into disarray and total annihilation. He was lucky not to be infected with the most lethal disease in all of God, Gods, Whatever deity damned Terra, bonuses for being a neurologist in looking for a single cure. Even before all of that he was lucky enough to survive a civil war ridden country and survive the fall of an organization he was once a part of.
He is truly, one lucky son of a bitch.
"Hahahahaha..."
The Doctor leaned his body forward and the cliff is now empty.
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The Doctor, after returning from his sanity free drop, the hard splash into the water resuscitated the sanity he had before falling, left the relics back at the Amanaki den where Dennis first inked him, bought a new weapon: Bow and Arrow and went off to search for more relics among the radio tower's reach. There were two off coast, north of Welshore Wrecker's Outpost, another pirate outpost. One underwater, the other on a separate island: Heron's Perch. Nearby where he and Dennis went to the broken fence of the radio tower was a quad bike with a large, yellow medkit and a deceased Rakyat warrior laying there with a note.
"Get the medical supplies on this vehicle to the designated drop point. Flares will activate once you start the vehicle's engine."
Getting on the quad bike he started the thing and with all speed went to the first flare. Driving on the road then changed to the bumpy stairs, up to a rocky bluff and landed on the final flare. He felt that landing as he limped to the Rakyat warrior waiting for him with the medical supplies.
"Thank you for the delivery." Doctor just gave a thumbs up after he gave the yellow medkit to him. Walking past him the Doctor noticed that he was on the side of a half grass, half stone cliff that he can climb down to the main road. Coming down from each small edge and finally sliding down to the road he reached an arch he double-checked his map to see where he's currently located.
Welshore Wrecker's outpost is just beyond this arch and the one beyond this one.
Putting his phone away Doctor saw another set of ascending edges on the right side of the arch. Its back and forth pattern meant that he was going to the far end but he took his time to scale it. The final climb left him on open grass hills, a random shed to the right and a stone bunker further away, its two resident pirates lazing around as usual. For the Doctor, this is a perfect opportunity to experience using the bow. Taking two arrows out of his heavy duty, bear skin quiver he lined one arrow to its rest and pulled back the string with the arrows neck. It was there that he had a new appreciation for Operators using traditional archery as the amount of strength and stamina to hold the string while keeping on target is phenomenal.
Letting go of the string the arrow flew, hitting its mark on the pirate's neck. The death of the pirate spooked the other inside as he went out to his friend lying there with an arrow to the neck. He looked around, pointing his rifle all over not knowing that another arrow was set loose. Flying through the air, directed towards him and shortly after pierced his cranium. As soon as the last pirate fell the Doctor passed by them, heading towards the top of the second arch. From there he was gifted with a commanding view over the outpost. A sniper on top of the main building and 4 guards with one of them focused on cutting down a rusted shipwreck.
The sniper became his first target. He set his bow on target with another arrow nocked. The string thwacked and the arrow soared, landing on the pirate's chest as he looked on in shock before collapsing. The other pirates were oblivious at their overwatch disrupted as Doctor climbed down and unsheathed his knife.
Another outpost to fall undetected.
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"Dennis. The outpost at Welshore Wrecker's is free of pirates."
"Thank you, I'll let our warriors know. They'll be there as soon as they can."
"Got it. I'll see you later Dennis."
The Doctor hung up. His gaze went to the waters ahead where the relics lied. It'll take a while before the Rakyat garrison comes. Fortunately for him he had time to look around and sure enough he found an easy way to venture through the water, a jet ski. Pushing it to the water Doctor got on the jet ski and rode to the first relic at Heron's Perch.
The ride was simple enough as he saw an incline of grass leading to the top of the island. Stopping near the coast Doctor shut the engine and hiked it to the summit of Heron's Perch. There lied the relic on a stone table along with some fruits, spices and a red metal box. Grabbing the relic and storing it in his rucksack he checked inside the box. He found full magazines fitted for his rifle, molotov cocktails and other assorted goods that he can sell to the vendors.
Satisfied, Doctor descended from the island and headed to the other relic far away from the islands and deep underwater. Cutting the engine off he sat sideways on the jet ski, concentrating on where the relic lied according to both the map and his reawakened instincts.
Taking in a generous inhale of air he plunged head first into the sea. Doctor hurriedly swam down, the coming schools of fish and sea turtles moving past him. When he sunk down deep enough he found a clue to the relic, a sunken ship. Going inside through a window Doctor floated to every available corner of the ship that hadn't submerged into the crust. Underneath the split open bridge he rummaged through abandoned boxes until he finally found his relic laying on the sand.
With little breath left he made his way above water. Swimming up with one hand as the other was holding to the relic. As soon as he saw the surface a heavy force pushed him and jagged teeth bit into his arm. The bull shark was eager to tear his new meal to shreds but the Doctor wasn't about to go down so easily as he proceeded to stab the shark repeatedly. Spiking and tearing the shark apart until he pried himself away from the butchered fish and got himself an armful of shark skin on top of his relic.
When he finally reached outside the water his first action was a huge gulp of air. Not long after strong waves pushed him underwater but he swam back up only to be pushed by the waves again. This went on several times until he crashed into shore, near the shipwrecks of Welshore Wrecker's. Throwing the relic and skin into the sand he went up with his knees on the ground and his facing the sun. He took deep breaths and more breaths prior to jabbing his bloody arm with another health syringe and wrapping it in bandages. Small mercies with somewhat humid bandages.
Doctor looked down at the sharks in front of him. One made of stone and one made of flesh. Grabbing the latter and getting his knife out, he went to work.
"More skins to craft."
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"Yeah I'll handle it. Don't worry..."
"Thank you, Doctor." The Rakyat warrior handed him a new Wanted: Dead mission for a pirate who has taken over a local farm to grow drugs. The Doctor reassured him with honor to Rakyat tradition and dispose of him with his knife after he leaves the relics behind at Welshore main building. The warrior soon departed with a few others on a technical as the hooded outsider went inside. Dropping the rucksack and weapons aside he threw himself on the bed and let loose, at long last.
His new living quarters were a far cry to the cold steel quarters of Rhodes Island. Wood all over, comprising the walls, ceiling, tables, bookshelf and boxes scattered around of wood. His bed was a simple white mattress with a white thin blanket and a white pillow. The table had Bolivarian Tequilas yet to be open and the bookshelf had murky books just stacked there as if they hadn't been read in a while. The only thing that spruced up the inside were the blue tarps covering some of the walls.
It was spartan overall with the only exceptions made out of metal was the weapons locker, a vintage radio transmitter on the other table right beside a laptop- wait, laptop? The Doctor got up from his bed and went to the table where the table had a memory chip resting on the keyboard. He recollected the first outpost he liberated and to the building inside where he found a similar looking laptop and memory card sitting there. He grabbed the card, making a mental note to check on it later in hopes of finding his friends.
The time to check the memory card was now as he grabbed the laptop, the second card and prepared his phone for data transfer. Clicking the keyboard hastily as he tried to send all the data from the cards to his phone. Minutes passed and one card was transferred. A few more minutes passed and the last card's information has now installed into the phone's databank. Doctor closed the laptop and set it aside along with the memory card as he sat down on the bed to open his new files.
The first card read: "Cocaine Formula"
"The kidnapped Columbian manufacturer is now sharing his cartel's manufacturing techniques. It includes an exceptionally efficient method of growing coca leaves, turning them into paste, and from paste into the base where it is refined into 99% pure cocaine hydrochloride. We recommend immediate production for markets in south Bolivar and Sargon, western Columbia and Rim Biliton."
The second card read: "Benzodiazepine Formula"
"This data was hacked from a Leithanien pharmaceutical company. It details the chemicals and equipment necessary to create this sedative. Early tests are highly promising and the addiction rate is through the roof. Potential markets include north Columbia and western Victoria."
"Holy shit, these pirates are running an international drug ring..." The Doctor turned his off before lying on the mattress, his mind going a million miles per hour. These pirates aren't just a ragtag group of people smugglers and marauders. They have connections and those connections brought them to a position where they can buy or sell illegal goods well above their starting prices. And they're doing it globally it seems with Columbia, Victoria, Sargon and Rim Biliton as the few countries within their drug running operations. Given the scale of such an underground market he could see how these pirates managed to occupy Rook Islands but where does Vaas fit into this? He presents himself as the leader of these pirates but that leaves more questions than answers. Where did he come from? How did he amassed a huge fortune in the black market and gather these pirates and military hardware to seize the islands all the while keeping them in line?
Doctor turned to the side. Shaking the uneasiness off, his opportunity to sleep was near. He chalked up to finding the clues later in action, out in the islands then conjuring thoughts about it. And once it's all said and done, going home with his rescued operators after liberating Rook Islands, he'll notify Kal'tsit about the pirate's international smuggling. His eyes begin to close as the Tatau glowed. Two markings were etched on the Heron and Shark, and one on the Spider.
Tomorrow will be Day 4.