[22nd August 2008]

[Rural road-works project, Galway]

Honestly if you'd asked me what my 'first case' would entail I wouldn't have envisioned walking around in the cold, miserable, muck near to a fairy fort was not one of them. Of course I hated being here too as my relationship with the Fey...wasn't exactly ideal, especially if they figured out my spiritual presence. Violence seemed the most likely outcome if that happened, as always, even without the fact of three people having gone missing in the past few weeks around the site of said fairy fort.

Stupid developers in my view; as even back in my past earth people were incredibly superstitious about working near such things, let alone knocking the bloody things down as these idiots were considering. Thankful that was off the table now evidently as the Garda investigation due to the disappearances had brought to light the bribes given to get said planning permission through channels. Turns out when you prove magic is real to people then pissing off the fey suddenly gets road-works rerouted.

"Strange thing I don't feel anything much do you?" I asked the unhappy looking Brendan Finn as he trudged along just behind me in the darkness of the abandoned construction site. We had support of course in the shape of Sgt. Macklin and two others of the ARW, but they were back at the entrance ensuring no one followed us in from the village. In the end this mine, and Mr. Finn's, gig as it came down to searching out magical means as to what was happening here. So far we'd gotten a grand total of...nothing.

"Nope, don't see or feel anything. Bloody rain and draggin' me all the way out here into the middle nowhere at this hour of night" came back sullenly from our 'consultant' on this matter. I could agree it was all quite miserable but he had a bloody raincoat on just like I did. Well...though in fairness I was in full combat gear and the raincoat like my outer form was illusory but it's not like we both weren't out in this weather in the wee hours of the night. Or the fact he, like myself, was getting paid for this. He less in monetary terms of course, but that was due to the whole healing him from deaths door thing a few months ago.

I knelt down and looked at ground and then at the machinery. Yes it'd have been easier to come here during the day light but that'd undo the whole point of keeping the thing out of the public eye. If the fairies were going around with a Wild Hunt it would be best to put a stop to it very quietly without causing a panic...or having some idiots try revenge attacks, or something equally as dense. So we'd spent the past few days survey the countryside, reading the garda reports, and interviewing the locals to get some idea of what was going on in the area. In the end the only thing of note was that all three had gone missing on the 22nd of June and the 22nd of July. What mystic significance any of that I don't know, but it still meant three people missing on the same night and so here we waited on the third month to find out what the mystic horror was behind all this.

'Or more so set a trap for whatever it is' I mused as I reviewed the Protective Circles against Evil, Chaos alongside a generalised Magic Circle against Fey, Fiends, Elementals and other such creatures. Being prepared by choosing and trapping your battlefield were important skills for any mage regardless of dimension I found so done my best to do since we'd arrived just after sundown. If it was a Wild Hunt then they would be in for quite the surprise hopefully when they blundered into these here wards, but if not that's what the guns and prepared spells were for. Still it'd have been much better if this had all been picked up on the first disappearance rather than on the second when both the security guard and accountant working on the stock-take had gone missing. And even then the company hadn't seen fit to complain about the damned thing rather than having the whole thing shut down. As if there hadn't been enough bloody protests about the damned thing going through the area of the fairy fort!

'Like go a few miles south or north for my sake!' I mused to myself taking a scan of the area then going into the portacabin with the light on. Wouldn't be a trap unless we baited it of course, and Brendan wasn't complaining as dashed inside and went immediately to the coffee machine to 'getta cuppa' as said. I brought my hand up to my ear and spoke.

"Alpha-04 here, nothing to report, no trace magic as yet. Have entered Location-2 and will wait here as planned"

A low voice came back "Copy Alpha-04, all clear. Remain in position"

"Copy Lead, remaining in position" was the only reply I could give as I sat in cabin and made look like there was some sort of activity going on here. The Fey were...odd...I'd found in my past life, and probably wouldn't have even noticed the place was shut down during the day-time. But if they were lashing out in the area it was best they strike here rather than at some random house out in the country or at those bloody gobshites up in the commune up the road. Bunch of nutters the lot of them; people go missing and all they cared about seemingly was their protest to 'save the fairies' and all that nonsense.

Well I'm sure they'd be happy and cheerful when the fact this whole project was going to be cancelled, or stalled for years, thanks to all this bullshit became known in the papers. So far it'd all been kept quiet of course and everyone told the project was being delayed due to 'financial irregularities' and the three gone missing might be in hiding due to such. It was stupid cover story and I was surprised anyone believed it. After what seemed like an entirety of sitting listening to our 'consultant' talk, or complain often enough, about various things that were mostly about the horrible weather, stupid locals and wanting a nice drink. Check-ins with Macklin and the over-watch team were regular and reported nothing; nor were any of my wards being triggered as I sat glancing around the little office here. Just boring regular paperwork, invoices from suppliers and what looked like a folder on payroll. Suddenly a voice in my ear came through in a cold whisper.

"Movement on the far side location-1, three unknowns so far inside perimiter, do you copy Alpha-04?"

"Alpha-4 copies, moving to investigate?" I replied holding down on the nervousness now that show time had arrived as an affirmative came back over the line. I took a deep breath and turned to Brendan as the rain pattered down outside "Hit the lights, guests are here it seems"

Moments later as I strode back out into the rain the construction lights all around the site sprung into life while our consultant hung back near the doorway behind me. I wasn't overly surprised as he'd been unhappy about the whole concept of facing down a potential Fairy Murderer or similar, but he had his magic alongside body armour and gun with enchanted bullets. And if things went south that's what the escape plans and teleportation was for. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case as they implied a level of threat well beyond what anyone would want to see in the middle of bloody nowhere. Either way hopefully the currently recording security feed would catch something useful as I felt unease at the potential danger I was being directed towards. And there, before me stood...

"Three hippies with shotguns?" I asked stupidly as the three figures came into view and looked like some rejects from Woodstock...except with guns. I blinked and half pointed at them as the construction lights illuminated the surreal situation "Hey...aren't you those guys from the commune up the way?"

"WE'RE HERE TO SAVE THE FAIRIES FROM YOUR RUTHLESS EXPLOITATION AND EVIL WAYS CAPITALIST PIGS! NO MORE SHALL YOU DESPOIL MOTHER EARTH WITH YOUR WAYS! MOTHER UNA COMMANDS!"

I was being held at gunpoint by some retarded versions of Shaggy from Scooby-do. This...this...wasn't happening...this wasn't the big bad guy I was getting all stressed about...no way, just no way "You...wha? The...wha?"

"NO MORE TALK! TALK GETS US NOWHERE! KNEEL AND WE'LL MAKE THIS PAINLESS I SWEAR! JUST LIKE THE LAST GUYS! MOTHER UNA SAYS WE MUST SHOW COMPASSION TO EVEN EVIL CAPITALIST PIGS LIKE YOU!"

Gods above they actually sounded like retarded comic book versions of actual people as they stood there spouting gibberish at me while going on about capitalism and that crazy hobo lady from their camp. How had nobody noticed these imbeciles doing this. I just had to ask as I brought my hand up in a questioning way as I was in school just to get these idiots attention "Eh, sorry, eh...you've killed the people here before? Ehh...why the 22nd of every month? Just asking before you kill me?"

Or not since my defences against such things as fucking sawn-off shotguns were already in place. And right now I was far more angry than concerned as the lead imbecile looked at me with wild eyes and a rain soaked clothes. Gods above she was actually a hairy ugly woman!

"YOU MOCK THIS HOLY DAY OF THE MOON! DIE NOW PIG!"

CRACK!WHOOM!

While I might have protections in place the whole thing was absolutely terrifying as I staggered back, more from the shock than any actual damage, and just stood there confused a moment as eerie silence followed the discharge of the weapon. We both stared at each other as the three's faces went paler and paler with each passing moment. Oh...my disguise just went down...

A scream, then another, ripped through the air as two of the murderous lunatics decided my appearance indicted now was the best time for a hasty retreat. The third imbecile's weapon was shaking so heavily as he stared at me in horror that his two panicked shoots actually missed me, and Brendan, by such a wide margin that it would was sort of impressive...

Not that I cared as the anger replaced confusion and chanting emerged from lips. I'd been dragged all they way out here for these fucking idiots...

OH NO THEY WERE NOT FUCKING GETTING WAY!

'BLACK TENTACLES!' was snarled out as black inky coils of darkness emerged from nowhere and everywhere in the night to entrap the retreating forms of the two as the other stood pulling the trigger of his empty shotgun as I strode towards him. Save the fucking fairies, SAVE THE FUCKIN FAIRIES, I'LL SHOW YOU SAVE THE MOTHERFUCKIN FAIRIES...

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