Megafauna Interdiction, Study and Termination Division file #A-11VD, Subject 14.
Subject Classification tags: Organic, Reproductive, Terrestrial (Assumed), Predatory/Parasitic.
Origin: Unknown, assumed Terrestrial. Theoretically a mutation of an extant yet unknown genus, or possibly a relict.
Height: Estimated 120'/36.5 meters.
Wingspan: Estimated 780/240+ meters fully expended.
Mass: Estimated to be greater than 10,000 metric tons.
Threat Level: Red.
Reporting Agent: Beatrice Whitmer.

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First sighted in January of 2027, the Megafauna Aberration designated Orlok is one of the most cunning, vicious, and troubling Kaiju we've discovered thus far. It wouldn't be so bad if the creature was simply a big, dumb animal, but every indicator is that Orlok is not only self-aware, but is also terrifyingly intelligent and exceedingly vicious.

The creature seemed to have been awakened inadvertently from a deep, possibly self-induced slumber on the Moldavian border sometime in the early hours of December 29th, 2026, by a coal mining crew. Tapping into a deep coal vein, the crew evidently breached into something akin to a hibernacle. All reports after the breach have been put together from post-incident investigation, work site security footage, and guess work. From what we've been able to ascertain, the chamber they opened had housed not only the creature itself, but a large number of subordinate creatures we've come to call Renfields.

Security footage indicated the first and most horrifying trait of Orlok and its ilk: The subordinate creatures attacked, but normally did not kill, every human in range, retrieving them and bringing them back to the sluggish Orlok. It was at this point that more than half of the mining site's staff (Roughly 85 total individuals on site that day) were consumed by both Orlok and its subordinates. The rest, however, were wounded by Orlok's prehensile feeding appendages and left in the cavern.

Over the period of several hours, roughly a third of those who were wounded managed to escape the mine once the creatures had burrowed out completely, while the remainder were left behind in a seemingly comatose state. Rather than reporting what had happened, the escapees immediately scattered and went to ground, which we would later come to realize was actually their higher brain functions being commandeered by the true horror of Orlok: The primordial parasite that lives symbiotically within the Aberration's throat and stomach.

Orlok uses its feeding mechanisms, actually a form of symbiotic annelid using the larger creature as a host, to drain bodily fluids from its prey. This means of feeding is also how the parasite reproduces itself, using borrowed genetic markers from Orlok that it transfers as DNA-rich protein packets in its bite. Those who survive will go through one of two sets of symptoms: The luckiest will experience severe hemophilia, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, pain and eventually coma, though the parasitic infection can be treated with standard anti-parasitic treatments.

The unlucky few, those who have an as-yet little understood genetic marker, begin a horrific and agonizing transition from humanity to the form of one of Orlok's servitors. There is no cure for anyone who has the the genetic marker; they go through several days to a week of behavioral changes, including massive spikes in appetite, bouts of fever and chills, an aversion to clothing, severe negative reactions to light, violent outbursts, and eventually cannibalistic mania. The physical changes start as the parasites mature, including consuming the sufferer's tongue entirely, with the largest and most mature parasite replacing it as a feeding mechanism similar to that of the Kaiju.

The survivors of the mine were the first creatures seen in public as they set to their given task of collecting more prey for Orlok, hauling people away in the wee hours of the morning or the dead of the night, witnessed by numerous civilians and law enforcement personnel in the process. Orlok itself is intelligent to a frightening degree, but the Renfields are little more than vicious animals following orders to the best of their ability. This is, perhaps, why Orlok has been seen to indiscriminately feed on them as well.

It's currently postulated that if the Renfields weren't culled regularly, they may continue to grow and develop to the point where they may become competitors for Orlok's position as the dominant member of his species. That is, of course, assuming they are in fact part of the same species and not merely tools to be disposed of rather than a reproductive means. This does raise the question of whether or not Orlok is the only one of its kind...And whether or not it was originally human.

Orlok itself was finally seen during a night raid on a church in rural Slovakia, near the Carpathian Mountains. It had been appearing as a mysterious massive radar signature for several weeks before finally making its first major aggressive action against humanity. The attack on the church, while accompanied by an estimated 120 of his subordinate creatures, resulted in the complete slaughter of the population of the farming town of Tiraga (329 residents), with none turned or "saved for later". It is believed that the creature may have changed feeding habits upon discovering the abundance of food, as it may have been hibernating for more than a thousand years according to carbon dating of the cavern walls.

The Slovakian CoR (Civil Defense) deployed to the region within an hour of the attack beginning, but the force sent was decimated and forced into a fighting retreat. It was at this time that the Renfields were discovered to be fairly vulnerable to focused small arms fire, as well as floodlights. While Orlok doesn't necessarily seem harmed by light, it was also heavily deterred by the use of high-powered vehicle mounted lights.

MIST field agents were immediately called in to advise and take control if need be, including the delivery of two Bifrost-model anti-air light mechanized suits, designed specifically for combat with airborne Megafauna. A combination of ground-to-air missile fire, gauss cannon barrages and dazzler strobes repelled, but did not wound, Orlok. The creature retreated at an air speed comparable to that of a passenger jet, generating significant wind force and sonic booms in the process. It was lost over the Carpathian Mountains at this point, leading our researchers to surmise that the creature may be burrowing and using subterranean tunnels to avoid detection. It was in the wake of the Tiraga Massacre that the creatures were given their names, and the original mine site was identified.

Thus far, Orlok and the Renfields have only appeared four other times, with the latest being a shockingly focused and intelligent attack on a Russian prison, under the cover of a blizzard. Evidently Orlok has enough intellect to understand the concept of using cover against daylight, though it's questionable whether or not the entity knew it was also masking its movements in other ways. Every incident has featured high mortality rates for humans, including several Bifrost units being destroyed as Orlok has apparently gotten more adept at dealing with their weaponry.

The newest plan is to hit Orlok with a high-end passive tracking tag so that it can be found while roosting, at which point authorization for the use of the Mjolnir orbital kinetic weapon has been given. Focused fire from the one-ton kinetic projectiles should be sufficient to maximize lethality with minimized collateral damage.

On a personal note, I understand the research division is fascinated by the symbiotic relationship between Orlok, the parasites and the Renfields, but we are not letting this thing live. Not with how many people this freak has killed in the last few years. We do not feel remorse and we do not humanize these things, regardless of what they may have been.

All we can hope for is that we can stop it before it runs into any other Megafauna. I don't want to know what happens if this abomination's parasites can influence non-anthropoid species, too...

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Art by  Horrified, for one of my side-projects. Just thought i'd get around to sharing it, though I was hoping for some color before I got to it. Hope you enjoy!

Any questions about MIST, Orlok, or anything else? Ask below if you want!