He took his time. Beginning his expedition by driving on the main road to the temple. He stopped and parked the car when he was deep in the jungle. Going on foot, he trekked through the wild. Keeping himself hidden to reach the first outpost. Cliffside Overlook.
Arriving to a bridge he went when red truck was passing by. Its occupants didn't catch sight of the Doctor hiding in the grass. As soon as the truck was out of sight, he ran to the other side of the road. Going through the jungle Doctor closed in to the outpost. Finding a good surveillance point for his plan of attack.
Slinging his new rifle out. This customized high-powered rifle described by the arms dealer as the perfect weapon to kill someone. Chambered in a certain caliber large enough to put down a large beast from just a single bullet. With an extended magazine, high power scope, and custom paint, another key component of the rifle is that the bullet is an explosive, penetrating round. Enhanced for damage at long range. Sure enough he bought it with all the money in his wallet; equipping it with a silencer that fits the barrel.
At a high ground on the other side, he went prone underneath a group of trees. Taking aim, his saw a bear in a cage and a gun turret. His first choice of targets were two pirates on top of the main building. The first pirate, who was drunk with his flammable cocktail, was sniped. Falling off the building, his head popped wide open and his thump alerted the other pirate but shrugged it off as another part of his drunken shenanigans until he too was shot in the cranium.
Doctor placed another bullet to set the bear free however a bored pirate made an alarmed shout when he saw the semi-headless torso. The outpost erupted in panic. Everyone took a minute for their fight or flight response to kick in, shooting at the beast who proceeded to mangle them one after the other. The beast was taken down by a lone survivor who went to the turret and gunned it down to shreds. His adrenaline was cut short by an accurate sniper's shot to his head.
Said sniper entered the outpost to get the remains of what was left from the pirates and bear. Grabbing ammo, the drunk's firebombs and inside he saw another computer with a memory card. He'll have to check that out later. Right now he took what he got from the pirates. His second stop is the radio tower.
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In these mountains the radio tower revealed much more than the beautiful skies and vast ridges. Encountering a number of relics. At a crashed plane, near a shrine. The negative side was that he had to come down to retrieve one from a house near the shore. It didn't stop him from going back to the heights however he took a detour and it was one that he would've never expected.
The mansion. The same one that he, Blaze and Warfarin were brought to by Vaas. He didn't believe that his walking back up the mountain lead to this. A retrace of his steps to the last place he wanted to be at. "Island Port Hotel" was written on a torn down sign in fron of its stairs. Looked like it was once a clean, regular hotel for tourists before the pirates took it over.
"Fuck..." He can only curse at his predicament before heading back to the jungle.
There was no need to reminisce.
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Hubris Farm.
He descended from the peak of the mountain to a trail that leads to this outpost. Walking past wild pigs, dingos to a spot where the pirates aren't obscured by the trees. He went prone, setting his new rifle new down on its bipod. Two snipers, given that they are stationary in their high-rise position above the outpost it didn't take long for Doctor to place a bullet in each of them. What he also noticed is that there are two sets of pirates in that outpost.
The usual two guards with their rifles. The other duo however simply wielded machetes, with a sheath wrapped around their chest holding a second machete. Their bodies bare showing distinct red tribal tattoos sketched all over their skin. He noticed their pattern of pacing around the camp. The former simply stayed in their places, sometimes moving around and the latter two will split up, going anywhere they want before coming back together.
Stalking to get close to the buildings the Doctor had his bow out. He nocked an arrow and shot one of them standing in front of the door through a window. Climbing in through the window, he immediately dragged the body inside. He substituted the bow for the grenade launcher, the same from the hotel, and fired a shot to the pirate beheaders once they got together.
"What?!" The last pirate heard the explosion. He ran to the sound only to run into a sudden knife, extended from the Doctor's arm hidden inside the shack. Hubris Farm is clear. Soon as he exited the building he saw a truck filled with Rakyat warriors coming to the outpost. One of the warriors approached him.
"Doctor, it's a good thing we've found you." They shook hands in greeting.
"Hey. Is something wrong?"
"Dennis let us know beforehand about you liberating the outposts near the Temple. Some of our warriors immediately went to garrison them. But when we got here we saw some pirates at a nearby beach." The warrior explained.
"I'll handle it, I wanted to make an impression anyway."
"Good luck."
With a lot of reassurance, Doctor went a hundred meters to a beach where he saw a fortified position on a hill. Scattered around with snipers, two at the edge of the beach, two on top of the hill. At the campfire was a heavily armored pirate and finally the leader. He rushed forward into the water, swimming to the other side of the shore. Another rush was made to the grass where crouched down, the grass was tall enough for him to sneak close and knife the snipers.
It was the first step to clear the beach, plain sailing, he brought out his rifle and took the first shot at the outer guard. The pirates saw it in full view, another shot went into the last pirate sniper. Both of the remaining pirates raced to the top, trying to get a bird's eye view on who is shooting them. The leader was the first reach the top, looking on in shock at the bodies prior to the Doctor sneaking up behind him and slitting his throat. The larger pirate finally arrived, simply stared at the hill filled with corpses.
*Boom*
Doctor came down from the hill. He left a block of explosive up top where he saw the heavy-duty pirate climb up from below and pressed the button.
The beach is now clear.
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"Doctor. I'm Simham, Dennis' friend. I also know that you're Dennis' friend, which means you and me should be friends, right?" A Rakyat all by himself said.
"If you believe so, sure." The Doctor's search for relics lead him to these ruins, interspersed around the jungle. He let the man continue.
"You've been around our knce beautiful island." He sighed in nostalgic tragedy. "I bet you the ancestors are bawling their eyes out over what's happened to their magnificent temples. That's why I need your help. A group of us want to restore the temples, but we're missing the carved tablets that used to be mounted on our walls. The Higashi explorers stole them over a hundred years ago, but I think they never left the island." Simham described in detail about the tablets he and his group were searching for.
"I heard about the Higashi explorers. Do they occasionally come here?" Doctor questioned.
"Rarely. Every few centuries or so. The latest group came a hundred years ago."
"Hmmm..." It was eerie to say the least. Explorers coming to this island only to end up dead, abandoned and never to return. Barring the letters that he made a deal with Tang to return to the grieving at home. Wait, Tang? He waved his hand to. "Err... Back on topic. You want me to help you find them."
"Yes, this temple is known for its considerable length. Over there..." He showed a hand over the horizon. Doctor turned around to see a separate ruin just pass the road down another. "Connects to the main temple here. If you start there then come back to the temple you'll find the tablets easier."
"I'll go look for them." He agreed to the proposal.
"Thank you so much!"
Suffice to say the search went along as follows. The separate ruin, he had to bypass a wall that was in the way, climbing on the sides of the temple and get not just the missing tablet but also a Spider relic that also happened to be there. That relic in particular was at the top near a dead body...
Moving on, he grabbed another tablet inside a small chamber before entering the temple itself. Climbing the stairs, then going down to the remains of a shrine, its support spires still holding the temple after all these years. He went left to the hallway, the floor ankle deep in water and reached another descending set of stairs. However it leads to a room completely submerged in water. With a deep breath he dived right in, the tablet was right at its doorstep along with a Shark relic on top of three of the temple's plinths. Grabbing the artifacts he left the temple to Simham.
"Doctor! Thank you man... thank you, thank you, thank you! These tablets are our heritage! Our ancestors talk through them and we honor them by listening. You've done us, the tribes and the islands a huge favor!" He said with excitement in his voice.
"My pleasure. And before I go I have a few questions to ask."
"Anything! Go ahead!" The Doctor pulled out the Shark and Spider relics.
"What can you tell me about these relics?"
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"Well, not much to be honest about it. Our ancestors originally handcrafted the relics before they were scattered in different areas of the islands, all 120 of them."
'That many?!' Doctor exclaimed in his thoughts. He was barely a third of the way complete.
"I don't know if you encounter this but whenever you are close to the relics, the chants of our ancestors can be heard and only the Rakyat are able to listen."
"I see. I did put two and two together on where that chanting came from when I started to collect them." His first encounter with the things originally startled him. He thought that someone was watching him from the trees at a shrine near Amanaki. However, as time went on, he became accustomed to the cryptic vocals coming from the relics.
"Yes, another thing about the relics is that they bring good fortune to those that find them while also strengthening the Rakyat's Tatau."
"Interesting. Just one last question." Simham nodded. "Do you know where I can enter Citra's Temple? Dennis is waiting for me there." The Rakyat excavator pointed to the east behind some trees.
"It's not far. Go along the path and you'll reach the entrance." Doctor looked on as he nodded.
"I see, thank you." He shook his hand before leaving.
"No no, thank you!"
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He managed to reach Dennis at the Temple. Going down an incline to where he saw the ancient entrance obscured in the jungle's vegetation with lion monuments and fire pits on the stairs leading to the door. Dennis, quickly told the new Rakyat warrior.
"Doctor! Stand still; In plain view..." He warned with a raised hand. "No sudden moves okay?"
"Yeah..." Doctor could feel crosshair pointing directly at his hooded temple.
"DENNIS!" A voice yelled over the walls. "WHO STANDS BESIDE YOU?!"
"A YOUNG WARRIOR! HERE TO BE PRESENTED TO CITRA!"
"PROCEED!" The stone doors opened. Dennis told Doctor to follow him close. Walking past more fire pits, pillars with statues of women in prayer. The two made their way up the stairs to a courtyard. The center of it all was a tree with carved symbols on its trunk. Several Rakyat appeared pointing their rifles at him. They were apprehensive at the sudden newcomer and they were unlike the warriors he encountered in the field. Mostly bare chested with traditional trousers, bone necklaces and white cloth wrappings.
"Dennis! You brought an outsider in here?!" One of them said, clearly agitated but Dennis quickly tried to defuse the situation.
"I have found the one who will not fail."
Doctor said nothing. He simply kept his distance and allowed Dennis to speak for him.
"Berhenti!" A woman's voice spoke out. Arriving from behind the tree is...
'She's the one from the photo...' Doctor recollected the same image he saw when he was first captured. A picture of a woman inside one of Vaas' prisons that took him hostage. 'So this is Citra...'
"Let me see your arm." She ordered to which he raised his left, showing his growing Tatau to her.
"This is Doctor, the Nameless Warrior, the one I have been telling you about." Dennis explained the person behind him and the qualities he has for the Rakyat. He, again, said nothing, waiting in the same spot for her response.
"Senapanka bawa..." Citra said while coming down from the steps. "You are quiet..." Grabbing his tattooed arm and examined the work. "Fine work, Dennis. Now, will you have the same face," And held it close to a knife she instantly pulled out. "In the face of death...?"
"..." He can only clench his teeth at what she's doing.
"Hmm... I suppose you can." She then circled around him. "Very few outsiders have seen this temple. The inner courtyards, fewer still..." Stepping back, she asked. "What brings you here... Doctor?"
"...I wish to defeat Vaas."
"As do many others. Is that all you come here for? I will not command my army for you."
"I'm not asking for an army. I can fight on my own." He assured her, knowing that he can overcome whatever obstacles this island has to offer.
"You, are a lamb. Not one of us!" However, she wasn't convinced.
"I am a warrior Citra... to all the people on this island."
"Is that so?"
"Yes." She can only laugh in indignation.
"Very funny. Please leave." But as soon she begins to leave.
"VAAS TOOK MY FRIENDS! MY FAMILY!" Turning around she saw Doctor pushing back the Temple guards. Their rifles struggling to peel away his grip as he tried to convince her to give him the strength needed to defeat the pirate overlord.
"He did?"
"And I will do anything and more to bring them back!" He pushed himself off the guards and waited for her approval. In Citra's eyes he forsook his neutral expression and saw a nascent determination, ready to be expanded upon.
"Berikansa herba." Once she said that, a guard gave her an antique brown bottle and handed it to Doctor. "Bring me what has been lost... And we'll talk." She then walked off. Leaving him alone before he went to Dennis.
"...I have no words." Doctor said to which his companion chuckled.
"She is stunning to the newer warriors Doctor. And she saw the fire in you, waiting to become a great flame."
"But... What did she mean about 'Bringing her what has been lost?'" He asked while looking at the bottle.
"Drink." Dennis answered without hesitation. "And you will find the answers."
"..." Drink what exactly he's worried to find out. Considering all the unknown effects from the natural products of the island he can only watch the bottle in doubt. From hallucinogenic mushrooms, fireproof ginger and animal repelling sages. He was shaken out of deep thought by Dennis who asked.
"Doctor. You are delaying the answers out of fear. Do you desire the power to save your friends?
"Yes!"
"Then drink..." At this point did he have a choice? He put the bottle to his lips and ingested a cool, bitter liquid. Doctor felt the effects immediately as everything turned bright. Dennis was in front of him, speaking while demonstrating with a wave of his hands. He says...
"We spent our whole lives holding back. Imagine how quickly can succeed if you just..."
Doctor went down on his knees and collapsed as he became blinded by this intense brightness.
"...Take what you want?"
The last thing he saw was him falling. From several hundred feet in the air.
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"Hey, Doctor..." He shot up from the cold feeling of the metal table. With his eyes adjusting to his regular vision he saw sitting in chairs inside a dimly lit room. On the table was his mask, cards, casino chips and glasses filled with a clear liquid.
"Ace...? Scout..?"
"Kal'tsit has been running you ragged lately Doctor?" The Sarkaz questioned his superior's state of exhaustion. "Wouldn't want to be in your shoes. Since you have that little one to care of on top of that." He then grabbed his glass on the table as Ace poured him another shot of Kazdelian Geist before pouring a shot of his own then to Doctor's glass.
"It's getting bad for all us since we're resorting to handmade Himbeergeist." Ace retorted after he finished giving everyone their drink.
"Well we could've used Absinthe."
"No way in hell. We're here to enjoy a few drinks and play some Volsinii Hold'em. Not get wasted on the first drop."
"Just a suggestion..." They all clanked their glasses before returning to their game. The Doctor was still dazed, even more so with the rush of alcohol into his system. He couldn't remember how and when he got here. "Hey Doctor? You sure you want to keep playing?" Scout asked.
"Yeah." He responded, drunking the last of the Kazdel spirit in his glass. "I needed that..."
"We all do Doctor." Ace raised his in agreement before sipping. He then grabbed a deck of cards, shuffling them and placed three facing down in the middle of the table. The Elite Operators and their Doctor put a single black chip near the cards as the Pythian handed the players their set of cards. Putting the deck aside...
"Raising..."
"Already? How much are you willing to bet Doctor?"
"Everything." He said his words unconsciously. Pushing his chips forward, he gave the rifleman his answer.
Scout drank the rest of his spirit. The Doctor is hedging his bets ruthlessly here. He's starting to like where this is going. "All in then..."
Ace pondered about this bet much longer than his compatriot. Checking his cards while taking a last sip of his Geist. He eventually came to the conclusion of pushing all his chips to the center as he brought out two more cards. The rest revealed their hand.
The Doctor won with the best hand possible.
*sigh* "Royal Flush... Seriously?"
"There goes my bonus..."
He brought all the chips to his side. Not wanting to lie to himself, he felt pretty proud of the results.
"Well now. You three seem to be enjoying yourselves." A woman's voice spoke out. He felt her smooth hands pull his head back, her long pink hair tickling his nose and mouth. Doctor saw her rose colored pupils staring into his darkened eyes longingly while the other operators responded.
"Sorry for the setup, your Majesty. Still getting used to our extended respite."
"Hmm... No, it's fine." She reassued Scout with a hum as she closed her eyes. Rubbing her face against Doctor's. "You deserve this, as of recently your operations have been running smoothly."
"All thanks to Doctor here, your Majesty." Both Ace and Scout made a toast with the former adding more Geist to their glasses.
"Indeed." Her Majesty pulled back before she made a reminder. "Don't keep a girl waiting Doctor..."
'Waiting...' "Hey, wait. Who-" When turned around he only saw the beach of Rook Islands. The room surrounding him is gone, the table disappeared and he was standing in his new Rakyat garbs and armor, a far cry from his original attire back in Babel. 'Babel...?'
"Good hand." Somebody said out loud. He looked up to see a man wearing a white suit and aviators walking away to a rocky path. Doctor tried to approach him, the island starting to grow trees, the rocks shifting in great sizes. When he got close to the man in white, a flash of light teleported him further away from him.
"What the hell...?" Doctor ran up to him but again the flash of light appeared and send him off to a cabin where he entered to a door with blue lightened mists coming out of it. When he entered he became submerged in sea water. The door led him to the same bridge from his previous escape with various floating platforms on each side.
He saw Mudrock meditating. Her neck tied by a collar to a wall, a ward protecting heras he, in an instant, like a glitch, suddenly hugged her when he came through a door.
He saw Projekt Red and Provence running. Running from pirates, exploding caches of bullets and a growing blanket of fire. He was in a boat trying to reach for them.
He saw Vaas. His hand holding the Dead Man's Gun in front of the pirate leader but he brought it point blank to his forehead. "You are so close to the end... COME ON! END IT!"
He saw Gavial in a chair. She was bleeding, beaten, fatigued, tied. He knelt in front of her as she layed his head on her thighs. He was apologizing.
The Doctor finally crossed over. Entering the ruin doors, going up the stairs, going pass the flanking lion heads he reaches to an ancient casket. He saw a knife floating on top of it. Grabbing it he saw that the knife-the boat crashed in front of him sink further down the ocean. Hydrothermal vents hissing out of the coral and a towering underwater stone collapsed. It leaned to where he stands till it eventually crushed him.
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"What happened...? Dennis...?" Doctor stirred awake, seeing the said man tattooing him. What's different from his first is that Dennis was inking him on his second arm. Beginning from his wrist all the way up near his cubital fossa. It appeared more... esoteric in contrast to the natural images on his left. Circular images and lines that somehow connects to one another.
"You were describing your journey." Dennis explained as he waved his hand in a mystical manner. "Your friends, your loved ones. A shanty town with a bar. A man in white clothes. And..." Finishing it off with a final prick to his skin. "An ancient knife."
"Yeah... a knife with a decorative blade." Dennis nodded.
"Then that is what has been lost." A knife? Sure it was ancient but what did it mean to Citra?
"Wait... what is this about a shanty town?" Doctor asked, he'll get those answers once he finds the blade and bring it to the Rakyat leader.
"Badtown. It is on the eastern end of the island, deep within pirate territory." The tattoo artist clarified as he pointed to the east. East in pirate territory.
"Okay. Then that's where I'm headed." With the numbness dissipating from his arm he got up from his chair and started to leave.
"Oh but the town is big Doctor." Dennis said as he how vast Badtown is with his hands. "How are you going to find a knife?" Doctor reaches up to his chin, feeling his stubble growing, he pondered on a lead to find a knife.
"The man in white..." Doctor pointed out with an extended finger. "I'll start with him."
With a goal set in mind, he left the temple and headed eastward.
13 days have passed since Doctor first set foot on this island.