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Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6810 on: November 16, 2017, 06:10:28 AM »
New chapter.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Shinobi

Blue was sitting outside the forum, a fair distance away, meditating on the League stronghold massacre. He was trying to calm his mind, still his spirit, and fortify his body, as he tried to conceive of an assailant who could have possibly committed such violence. Seeing the carnage, it was clear that it was from someone who enjoyed every last instance of of it. Someone who actually revelled in the gruesome, grotesque ways they were murdered. Someone who was clearly a sadist.

Could he have gotten there sooner? Could have done something? Something to save them from this heinous fate? Something to . . . save murderers in their own right. He had to remember, not all that were slain were innocent. Not all had clean hands. Assassins may have been people, but so were the people they killed as a vocation. This was clearly one of those morally gray areas that he heard people talk about. Rarely is anything simple as black and white, very rarely.

Blue didn't say anything to the others, but he did look at that place with fear, but he did have an attachment to it. It was the first home he had ever known to be as such. It was a horrible place, true. The Tribunal robbed him of the family and life he would have had before they took him. True, he could always look up his parents to see if they're still around -- but he had absolutely nothing to go on. No idea what they looked like, and no idea what their names could be. Or what his real name was. Perhaps it was Bryce. He liked that name, Bryce.

He supposed it was odd, to feel both an attachment and a hatred for a place. He had never returned there once he left. He had told himself that it was for the best, that there was nothing left for him back there. But he had to grapple with a sense of guilt from time to time. He had been selfish in only thinking of himself as he escaped. He had never thought to save any of the others, the others that were surely indoctrinated and brainwashed. And killed, either at the massacre or in the intermittent years that came before.

"Boy," Blue said, not even opening his eyes nor turning around. So confident he was in his skills. "I know you're there. What is it you want?"

"Forgive my interruption, Blue Prodigy," Initiate #100957 said, respectfully.

"It's Blue," the RAFian said, in rather clipped tones. His instincts were yelling at him to trust the boy -- he did not know why. Perhaps he was an obscure relative? Nah, that's too much "Days of Our Lives". "I dropped the 'Prodigy' part when I left the League. Now, what is it you're after?"

Initiate #100957 put his kusarigama and short sword neatly on the ground, and sank to his knees. He bowed forward, head down, exposing his vulnerable neck.

"I wish to become your apprentice," the fourteen-year-old boy said, head still down, neck still open for attack. "I -- I wish to understand."

Blue opened his eyes, and considered the boy for a long moment. He was unsure if he should trust the boy. "You understand that I must vet what you're saying, right?"

"I understand," the boy said. "I'll do anything to earn your trust."

The response was eager, and yet Blue found it believable. But he was having problems trusting his own judgement at the moment, and trouble dealing with seeing the carnage at the stronghold massacre.

***

"He's telling the truth," Cloak said. "Either that, or he's proficient liar."

Blue wasn't too satisfied with this answer and went to Yarin for absolute confirmation. Yes, the telepathic probes were horribly invasive, when involuntarily. And most people were unaware of the probes, unless Yarin dug too deeply.

"He's being honest," the Nyac said. "Even if he is an accomplished Occlumens, I would be able to tell. I would have to delve deeper, granted, if he was employing Occlumency and the deeper I go the greater the risk of psychic damage to the boy's mind. Possibly leaving him in a catatonic state, or insane. I never dare to go that deep. But, my probes tell me he's basically a flatscan human -- no magical ability whatsoever."

"So, I can trust what he claims?" Blue asked. "We don't need another incident like Itellsya."

Itellsya was to this date the first and only RAFian traitor. Rotiart didn't really count, as he wasn't a RAFian when turned against them. He went to work for Malice, but nobody ever found out why. And now never will, now that he, as Rumor, was dead.

"His mind isn't anything like Itellsya," Yarin said. "The thing about Itellsya was I should have reported that he had a bit of a powerlust, but I assumed that it was due to his age. I was wrong to assume that. However, this boy -- Initiate Number-one-zero-zero-nine-five-seven -- all he wants is to be the best that he can be. And I'm not sure he even realizes this himself -- he just wants to be respected. He never wanted to kill you, Blue. Not really. It was just an obligation that he thought he had to do -- by telling him about the Tribunal's intended betrayal -- he lost all loyalty towards them. He believed you wholeheartedly, Blue. And he still does."

Blue nodded. He turned to call the boy over. Initiate #100957 hastened to respond, taking a knee and bowing his head. Blue still saw a lot of himself at that age in the boy, without really meaning to. He lifted the boy to his feet.

"What's you name?"

"Initiate Number --"

"No, your real name."

"Real name?" the boy asked. He was genuine flummoxed.

Blue sighed, seeing another similarly. "Then how about I give you one that's less of a . . . mouthful."

"Really?"

"How about 'Shinobi'?" Blue asked. "'Shin', for short?"
« Last Edit: December 01, 2017, 03:25:54 AM by Cloak »


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6811 on: November 17, 2017, 05:12:04 AM »
Probably the last chapter before the USUM hiatus.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Throwing Shade

Parker headed to a large castle, purported to be haunted. It was much too early for Halloween, so Parker felt a tad disgruntled at being dispatched for this mission. He entered the castle, and immediately felt a distinct "Ghosts 'n Goblins" motif with this castle. And, strangely enough, the castle's interior seemed paradoxically larger than the castle's exterior.

"Great. Now I'm in a Halloween-themed video game." Parker grumbled, a little irritated his alone time with Helen was interrupted. "Wonderful."

The SPARTAN really didn't care for the "ooga booga" atmosphere. It just reeked of an amateurish haunted house whose makers had a bottomless wallet. All these things were either gaudy and hackneyed or kitsch and overdone. Just plain not scary. Not in the least.

Then again, he was a RAFian. He's seen far more frightening things before dinnertime than most people see in their lifetimes. But, then again, this was less scary than a fanged apple or an annoying orange -- so, there was that.

He just hoped to find the fiend and get this over with. Then Tyr told him something that Parker had to as him to repeat. That would be so cliche -- but it was true. The fiend was hanging from the ceiling, like a vampire. The creature had the svelte body plan akin to that of a Vladat. It had black, bat-like ears, a long, pointed nose, a pointed chin, vampire fangs, and large, human-like eyes with pale yellow sclera and pale orange irises. Its domed head was pale yellow with purple markings. Its neck was dark brown with a black high collar. It was hard to tell if it was wearing clothing, or if it was actually part of his body. It had pale yellow chiropteran wings with black membranes. It had an orange chest with pointed shoulders, a black back, a purple abdomen, and a green waist. Its upper arms, pelvis, and thighs were paper white. Its lower arms were yellow with purple blades shaped like the dorsal fin of a shark, while its wrists, hands, and clawed fingers were onyx black. Its tail was yellow with a black tip. Its lower legs were yellow with black and orange markings. Its feet were like that of an eagle, but purple with black talons. Its claws could extend into a spare pair of wings.

When it awoke and saw Parker, it gave an earsplitting shriek, and righted itself, staying in that corner of the dark ceiling. Parker was less than enthused. "Gee, Tyr, this looks fun. Wouldn't you agree?"

He paused.

"It was a joke, Tyr," Parker said, now even more irritated.

It flew across the top of this grand dining hall from side to side, and tried to dive at Parker to drain his blood, but his armor would not allow that. hen it tried to swoop down again after crossing the room once more, hidden in the darkness around the ceiling, Parker avoided this by standing under him and rolling to the side that he had more space when it dived down.

After finally landing, it attacks with two petrifying stare beams, and then attacks with audiokinetic shrieks twice, one upward and one downward. When the concentric circles hit a wall, it returned to it and charge its next soundwave attack.

"This is so ludicrous," Parker muttered, pausing for only a moment to listen to Tyr's brief commentary. Then he replied, "Shut up, Tyr."

The petrifying beams were able to be avoided by jumping over them -- somehow. The first soundwave, downward one, could be avoided by jumping over it, and the second soundwave, the upward one, by rolling under it. It'll then fly upwards and repeat this attack sequence. That's one thing you can trust about these fiends -- their limited tactical ability to change up their attack patterns.

Parker tried a little something . . . new that he had been working on with his armor. He worked on his armor whenever he had a spare moment and wasn't with Helen. It was akin to Kevin Levin's car to the former.

Parker held out his arm at the creature, and took aim. He only hesitated for a moment as he tried to silence Tyr, claiming he knew what he was doing. His gauntlet fired of his hand (revealing a fireproof glove beneath -- Parker wasn't Kryptonian, after all) which rocketed toward the fiend, and he did so with his other arm. Both shots hit and the fiend fell to the ground.

Once it regained its senses, as Parker's gauntlets returned to him, sliding back onto his arms, it flew up again. Clearly preparing to dive again. Only this time, Parker was really ready for it, and dodged it easily. He fired each gauntlet thrice more, and each strike hit. The fiend was slain.

Parker turned to leave, actually finding the performance of these rocket gauntlet a bit more lacking than he cared for.

***

Demos called it a "shedosapien". He intended it as a mascot attraction for a haunted house amusement park. It ran into a snag when it displayed vampiric tendencies.

***

Malice found the battle about as entertaining as a "Twilight" reading. She was snoring in a threadbare armchair.
« Last Edit: November 17, 2017, 05:14:54 AM by Cloak »


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6812 on: November 20, 2017, 06:16:14 AM »
Still on USUM hiatus. It'll probably end this Monday, the 27th, but, until then here's a chapter to tide you over.

New chapter.

BOOK CLVII:
DARK RAFIANS

CHAPTER ONE:
Shift into Turbo

GH was dispatched to a race track. It was evacuated due to fiend action. Apparently, it felt a "need for speed". GH found that rather lame, and groan-worthy. But he had his trusty guitar, and he knew Dino was watching Leatherhead -- she had become his primary babysitter, which she fully embraced.

Fortunately, it wasn't that difficult to find the fiend. The creature formed from a nearby red race car, like a Cybertronian, only its colar shifted. Its head was dark orange with a green band around its cerebellum and a vertical, monochromatic checkered flag band from is brow up. It had its mouth hidden behind a black mouthguard, and it had human-like eyes with green sclera and brown irises, which could be hidden by a retractable visor, not unlike that of Kineceleran. It had deep orange antennae-like ears. It had deep orange exhaust ports on its back. It had huge rubber tires its shoulders with green hubcap-like shoulders. Its upper arms and thighs were bone white. Its lower arms were deep red with a single purple growth on each one, and its human-like hands were black with a green triangle on the back that connects to the wrists. Its chest had a deep orange covering, but some of the engine block within showed through. Its hips were deep orange with a black, vertical stripe. Its knees contained headlights, surrounded in deep purple, with its shins being deep orange with a black vertical stripe. Its pontoon-like feet were black with a red interior and deep orange soles.

When the fiend first saw GH, it revved the wheels on its shoulders until they ignited. Then it jumped moderately high, and fired two spinning wheels of flame at GH from midair. He had to sidestep first to the right, then to the left, and then used his guitar in its axe mode to block a third flame wheel. Then he slashed at a fourth causing it to split into four fireballs which made fire pillars when they made contact with the ground. They, fortunately, fizzled out quickly enough.

Then it revved up its internal engine, and GH was surprised that this somehow generated some sort of powerful suction. He dug his feet into the asphalt as much as he could to resist this suction. Fortunately, it only lasted for but a brief moment.

Then it transformed back into a car -- GH easily saw were this was going. He threw his guitar, rather like Terra, Ventus, or Aqua throwing their Keyblades to form their vehicles, and it transformed into a hoverbike. He immediately jumped onto it, as the fiend finished it's transformation. It made a screeching noise as GH darted around the track with the fiend chasing him.

After what seemed to be an eternity, it transformed back, and GH reverted his guitar back to its normal musical instrument mode. GH narrowed his eyes. It was time to go on the offensive. He pulled out his favorite guitar pick, and played. He played so concentric circles of musical energy was emitted from his guitar, lashing the fiend. He played a heavy metal song that he knew Cloak was not fond of, and played with all the passion of a musician in the throes and thrall of their own music.

It actually took GH a moment to notice that the fiend was already destroyed. He was too into his must before then, though he still managed to control his symphokinetic attack to limit any collateral damage. When he did notice, despite himself, he felt disappointed.

He really liked that song.

***

Demos called it a "turbosapien". Demos gave no reason for the purpose of this fiend.

***

Malice was starting to find this as entertaining as track racing. But she was too busy snoring to really watch this, or even scheme. She was in her eighties, remember.


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6813 on: November 22, 2017, 08:37:46 AM »
Still on the hiatus, but stuck in the laundromat without my handheld, and I had this queued up, so . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWO:
The Gathering

A old woman, who could have possibly been Malice -- though there was something wrong with her if she was -- shuffling about a dimly lit hovel situated within some sort of nondescript cavern.

She sang:

"They were such legends
Though they're long gone, their story lives on.
If I bring back that legend,
Their big Walker smarts gives me a new start
Yeah, the Twelve will help us win with all their great advice.
No more playing nice!
No more playing nice!!
Let's bring back a legend!
A legend to help my fight!
Let's bring back a legend!
A legend of darkness tonight!
No one in the RAF could possibly dream
Of our big scheme.
They'll all be astounded,
When the RAFians are done and my victory is won!
We just need the right alignment for my little surprise.
And I'll make the Twelve rise.
I'll make Twelve rise!!
Let's bring back a legend!
A legend to help my fight!
Let's bring back a legend!
A legend of darkness tonight!
Oh, let's bring back a legend!
A legend to help my fight!
Let's bring back a legend!
A legend of darkness tonight!
Let's bring back a legend!
A legend of darkness tonight!
"

With a gasp, Cloak awoke. He was left puzzled as to whether this was just a figment of his imagination, and not real, but a fabrication of his mind. Or if it was a Truth Dream -- and if it was happening now or if it was a prophetic dream. . . .

***

In a boardroom-like setting, with a crackling fire lit behind him, sat Odie, in a highbacked, winged chair. Totally a Montgomery Burns motif. He sat the head of the table with his fellows cloaked in darkness or dimness of light.

He smiled -- despite getting kicked out the Knights for his uselessness. He sang:

"They thought I was defeated.
But very soon we'll see
The shock as I rise from the flames,
So triumphantly.
I never thought I'd have this chance.
Oh, how long it's been.
A new opportunity,
And this time I'll win.
For I have a plan.
"

One of the gathered sang:

"Enlighten us now."

But Odie just sang, smug and egotistical:

"Yes, I have a plan!"

Another of the gathered sang:

"We wanna know how."

But Odie, still smug and arrogant, sang:

"Follow my lead,
That's all you need.
Yes, I have a plan!
We will be victorious!
It will be glorious!
All the forum's lush terrain
Will again be my domain!
For I have a plan!
Follow my lead,
That's all you need!
I have a plan!
Yes, I have a plan!
I have a plan!
Follow my lead,
That's all you need.
Yes, I have a plan!
"

The fire actually bloomed upward illuminating some of the gathered -- an Uxorite, an Aerophibian, a Prypiatosian-B in a containment suit that does not hinder his abilities and was shaped like a fit human male, an Appoplexian, and a yellow Cerebrocrustacean. There were more, of course, but these were just the ones that could be seen.



SOURCE SONGS: https://youtube.com/watch?v=CIAi5yYecHI and https://youtube.com/watch?v=-BRfeCx8TGU
« Last Edit: November 22, 2017, 09:47:35 AM by Cloak »


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6814 on: November 26, 2017, 10:37:32 PM »
New chapter.

CHAPTER THREE:
This is Defamation of Character!

A lot had happened in the span of three days. Unfortunately, for the RAFians, it was not anything good. They were being framed hard.

Parker was accused of setting a house on fire, despite the discrepancy that he was clearly on the other side of town, trying to find Helen a birthday gift --and being rather studious at it, as well.

Cloak was accused of pummeling so high profile guy in the federal communications commission, who were about to do unthinkable things that no one liked. While this frustratingly smug man probably much deserved this kind of treatment, it was not Cloak who acted upon this impulse. The Realm Walker relegated himself to trying to discern what that dream meant.

Saffa was accused of going bonkers with her diamond manipulation abilities (which she was still learning to harness it (it took Cloak a relatively long time to truly master the elements, so this wasn't surprising), and she tended to rely on her catalog of different morphs for any job at hand. When in reality, she was sitting around talking with Abby.

Yarin was accused of thievery and robbery, using both his telepathy and telekinesis. While this was just patently impossible as he was fixing his ship, as well as adding a new software update -- something that tended to take hours rather than minutes.

Dino was accused of rampaging, of causing incalculable amounts of property damage -- despite the culprit conspicuously lacking a ankylosaur shell and clubbed tail. The fact of the matter was that Dino was with Leatherhead and GH watching them jam out together (Leatherhead was back wearing his human suit -- it was just dress-up for him, after all). She would even absentmindedly tap her clubbed tail in rhythm to the music, which GH took as needed percussion.

Az was accused of robbing a bank, Mr. Freeze-style, with the victims conveniently neglecting to mention that the culprit had to use a gun as he was not a natural cryokinetic. In truth, Az was at the forum, having a quiet meal as he departed the mess hall, never having a chance to thank the hardworking dietary department house-elves.

Both Shenmue and Cerulean were accused of super-speeding shoplifting. But this was impossible as the two were racing amongst the fastest species in the galaxy -- to try and earn money for charitable causes. And it was a breakneck race.

Phoenix was accused of the immolation of a bus full of passengers, despite the very fact that he was very conspicuously at the forum. Studying. Or, at least, trying to anyway.

Of course, these unfounded accusations were only the ones levelled at specific RAFians. These complaints became a chant, and the chant became a song:

"Who controls downtown?
Who keeps the metric system down?
They do, they do!
Who keeps Atlantis off the maps?
Who keeps the aliens under wraps?
They do, they do!
Who holds back the electric car?
Who makes Justin Bieber a star?
They do, they do!
Who robs cavefish of their sight?
Who rigs every Oscar night?
They do!
They do!!!
"

And the RAFians, at first, were oblivious to all this hoopla.



SOURCE SONG: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dSpOjj4YD8c


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6815 on: November 27, 2017, 05:28:06 AM »
New chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR:
Realizations

"Wait -- they're blaming us for these crimes?!" GH declared heatedly when the RAFians were made known of these allegations.

"They claim to have irrefutable evidence," Shenmue said, the notice still in hand. "I have yet to review this supposed evidence myself, however. They seem quite reluctant to let me peruse it -- claiming that I . . ."

Shenmue mastered her anger as the unjust insinuation. ". . . that I would deliberately and wantonly destroy any incriminating evidence because of personal bias. However," she said, voice severe, "I have far more integrity to be reduced to such a petty act. I think it is more likely that they haven't any real evidence to corroborate their claims, which is why they seem so adamant to prevent me and the rest of our legal council from seeing it."

"So," Phoenix said, in summary, "it's bad."

"A faction is trying to defame our good names again," Cloak said. "Trying to spin the narrative. Spin it to say that 'we're not the goody-two-shoes you thought we were" sort of rhetoric."

"Our favoribility ranking has plummeted another six points. For crimes some imposters committed, impersonating us. Our PR standing has always been shaky, at best." Faerie said. "Maybe it's time we got a publicist or something."

"I think the bigger question is what do we do now," Saffa said, cutting to the heart of the matter. "Will we still be able to protect the planet and its people with this legal mumbo-jumbo ensnaring us in this . . . bureaucracy?"

"And, not to mention, how can we do that efficiently when we lose the support of the people?" Abby added.

"With all the litigation that seems to be coming out of the woodwork," Shenmue said, "and I don't mean to alarm you, but they may very well demand that we . . ."

She hesitated as if she didn't want to consider the next possibility.

"What?" GH prompted.

"They may very well demand that we disband," Shenmue said. "They may decide to kill RAF."

***

"Excellent," Odie said, leaning back on his black swivel chair, with steepled hands on his chest. "Phase one of the plan is going swimmingly."

He smirked as he watched news report after news report. He was happy and content after seeing all the havoc his . . . his "friends" were causing. He had already accomplished more in these few days than the Knights ever had since their founding. And they had the nerve to reject him. To throw him out of their organization, just like the RAFians did.* And, yet, he had already accomplished more than any of them.

Soon . . . very soon, it would be time to enact phrase two.

As he thought this, he got up and got out what appeared to be, at first glance, an ordinary morphsuit. But, upon closer examination, it was a bodysuit -- he was going to disguise himself. As much as it caused him to swallow his enormous hubris, he would have to disguise himself, just in the small event that his grand plan should fail. And he didn't want the RAFians to know who was behind this. Not yet.

He wanted the reveal to be grand and epic, when the forum's destruction was assured.



* Odie conveniently forgot that he left of his own accord, and wasn't even Banned.


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6816 on: November 27, 2017, 09:32:10 AM »
New chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
The Taskforce

"What are your comments on these crimes allegedly perpetrated by the vile RAFians?" a reporter (showcasting the inherent anti-RAFian mindset the mainstream media had with her framing of the question) asked Mayor Miles Milton. Although, in more progressive circles, he was pejoratively known as Mayor Milquetoast.

Mayor Milton was short, heavyset, and balding. Brown hair stayed resolutely around his temples, and remained thick. He had a large, bulbous nose, prominent and large mouth, and beady brown eyes. He wore a blue suit, and honestly looked more like a caricature of a politician than a real person.

He was not terribly liked, as he was a man of very little backbone, when it came down to it. He would stand up to the electorate and back wildly unpopular policies, but when a person with equal or more power pushed back -- he immediately buckled and caved, especially if they represented a corporate interest. And considering that this city, his city, was the epicenter of some rather crazy stuff (understatement, true) going on. He only won his election by running unopposed. The mayor of this city was not a popular career choice.

"These RAFians have terrorized our city long enough," said the squat man. "I'm ordering a special taskforce to deal with this."

A man -- but just barely having made into manhood by the looks of him -- stood on the mayor's right. He wore a black domino mask had his light brown hair in a hairstyle that screamed '90s. He wore a formfitting suit (which left nothing to the imagination, which was likely intentional given how buff he looked) which was predominantly black with neon blue highlights.

"Captain Michaels here will be in charge," the mayor said, his eyes unfocused for the briefest of moments. Captain Michaels did not look old enough to be a captain in any militaristic capacity. He couldn't have been any older than twenty-six, if that. He had to more like twenty-two. Yet, he wore a familiar smug smile on his face. "He and his chosen team shall be able to take down these RAFian criminals."

Four decidedly nonhumans flanked either side of him.

One was a light bluish, purplish humanoid with the ability to stretch her limbs, extreme heat resistance, incredible strength, and enhanced agility. She wore a parka and other cold weather gear, as even in this balmy weather, she found Earth frigid. She was a female Kraaho, a hotblooded tungsten-based species.

To Captain Michaels' left stood a humanoid, magma-based individual that was composed of a bright inner magma body covered by dark red rocks. His body radiated high amount of heat. His feet had a slight oval like design with only two toes and one back toe. He was a Pyronite, from Pyros.

At the Kraaho's shoulder was an individual that resembled a mottled purple salamander, but was larger and sometimes walked on two legs. He had three triangular eyes, one red, one blue, and one green. He had slender limbs with three toes on his back feet and four fingers, as well as a wide mouth. A retractable stinger was concealed within his tail. He was a Merlinisapien, from an unknown planet.

At the Pyronite's shoulder, stood a large individual made of a yellow and brown crystalline substance. He was a Basalt. Basalts were incredibly strong and seismokinetic, although vulnerable to water.

"Don't worry, Mr. Mayor," this Captain Michaels said. His voice was gruff and haggered, almost as if he was either trying to be Batman, or sloppily disguising his voice. "We'll capture these criminals. You have my word on it!"

There was something off about this entire thing. . . .


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6817 on: November 28, 2017, 11:14:20 PM »
New chapter.

CHAPTER SIX:
Number One With a Bullet

With this new addition of this Anti-RAFian Taskforce, the mods saw fit to lockdown the forum. This was done in part due to the governmental and societal pressure. No RAFian was particularly pleased with this edict, not even the mods or Richard himself.

But it was done in order to placate the angry populace. And this was done in the hopes that the forum's favorability ratings remain steady. It was at roughly 72% when this had all started. It had steady dropped to 24% or so after the past few days.

The mainstream media wasn't helping matters, portraying the RAFians as a cabal of psychopaths or a fraternity of tyrannical fascists. The mainstream media in this country were little more than tabloid rags and shock television at this point. And it disgusted Cloak, perhaps most of all.

It severely disappointed the Realm Walker, as it was familiar. It was similar, if not identical tactics that Nexus news outlets used. Everything was pro-Council, with dissenting voices silenced or demeaned and shamed. Their system of government was so festering with corruption it was like an overt and obvious wound that no one cared to addressed.

It saddened Cloak to see the same happening here.

***

The Kraaho's name was Freon. Esther Freon.

She was a natural leader, with some limited expertise in a variety of scientific and mathematical fields, but not really a master in any of them, although that cold be largely attributed to her youth. Her cold, methodical nature could lead her to come off as cold and distant from those around her. Whenever a challenge confronts her, her mindset always considers this paramount to solve, even at the exclusion of friends and loved ones, despite being a loving person to those around her when she isn't as hyper-focused on anything.

She had left her super warm homeworld for Earth, as she had a secret thirst for adventure. She was not one to be content sitting around. She always had to be doing something, or else she'd get bored. And she hated being bored. It's one of the reasons that she jumped at the opportunity of being part of this Taskforce. It sounded like a challenge -- and, to her, challenges exist only to be taken down, taken down and defeated utterly.

She held a bit of a closeted crush on the Merlinisapien, but did not say anything nor did she act upon these instincts, aside from hoping to be teamed up with him on a mission.

She had a rather tenuous relationship with the Basalt, though. She had made an undisclosed transgression towards him, and he secretly kept aware of said transgression.

Her relationship with the Pyronite was actually quite neutral, her reticent nature having no real conflict with the latter's brashness.

She was willing to defer to Captain Michaels, and was apparently unaware of the "captain's" true identity, motives, and dealings.

***

The Pyronite's name was Scorch Hothead, and he didn't see the pun in his name. He was young, impetuous, and brash. His youth also made reckless and a tad bit conceited. He had come to Earth, not only looking for adventure, but fame and glory as well. He was dismayed to find that there was a persistent, pervasive, xenophobic attitude to some of the humans, especially the ones that adorn themselves in that plate armor.

As mentioned before, Scorch had a fairly neutral relationship with Esther. His boisterous excess of personality not really clashing with her calm, reticent nature. He didn't mind her preference for higher temperatures, either.

The Merlinisapien, despite being so mysterious, treated Scorch like a little brother, with all the push and shove that came with that. He treated Scorch with the loving disdain an older brother would give his younger one. He would even lie to Scorch in such a way that he would tacitly believe him, only to declare "you're stupid!" moments later when Scorch realizes that he had been had.

Scorch had a somewhat antagonistic relationship towards the Basalt, though without any actual enmity. The two would often engage in a prank war, of sorts, which irritated their other teammates on the taskforce. Captain Michaels had to step in several times and tell them that it was enough.

Speaking of Captain Michaels, while Scorch would listen to him, he would nearly always find some wiggle room, someway to do as Captain Michaels wanted and get want he wanted out of it. He was also unaware of the "captain's" true identity and role in this.

***

The Merlinisapien's real name was undisclosed, as he refused to reveal it. When he had to be addressed, he chose the moniker of Mosaic. He refused to reveal much, if anything, about himself or where he came from. He refused to acknowledge the reason he came to Earth, though it was suspected that his homeworld's government sickened him enough to the point of leaving, though he would claim that he stranded on Earth.

The only other member of the team he even bothered to interact with outside a mission was Scorch. He enjoyed leading the impetuous Pyronite youth to a wrong conclusion, then laugh at the man's stupidity. Though he'd never admit it aloud and would attack you for suggesting it, he rather liked his teammates -- though oblivious to Esther's crush on him -- even Scorch, despite antagonizing him from time to time.

Unlike the other three, however, Mosaic did not trust the captain was who he claimed he was. While he never managed to sneak into the so-called captain's quarters, he suspected strongly that he was not being straight with the rest of the taskforce. He kept these opinions to himself, however, in lieu of potentially being wrong.

He needed more evidence than this circumstantial stuff to solidly substantiate his theory.

***

The Basalt's name was Ignatius Igneous, and he could be rather slow-witted at the best of times. He spoke in a very heavy voice, and tended to use words with very few syllables, and a very low quantity of words to get his message across. He considered the rest of the taskforce his friends, despite the antagonism he has with Scorch.

He also doesn't suspect Captain Michaels of anything, and just follows his orders with blind loyalty and unwarranted devotion.

***

Captain Michaels was alone in his room, in the innermost sanctum of it, which was hidden from the others. Which was good, because he did indeed have a secret. He was, in actuality, not the captain of anything. His entire history was a fabrication, and the mayor didn't bother even reading his credentials before appointing him. The man really was unfit for his position, but his incompetence allowed "Captain Michaels'" plan to come into fruition.

He fussed with his face, rubbing it as if he was bothered by it. He knew he was safe here. This secret would not be revealed. He pulled at his mouth, until his upper lip slid upwards and his lower lip slid downward, revealing the head of Odium John Michaels -- better known, as much as he hated it, as Odie, former RAFian.

With "Captain Michael's" head laying limply around his neck, Odie reflected on the slow progression of his plan. The initial stages have now been set. The players in question given their roles. His plan really was ingenius he thought to himself. He would not only be able to get rid of the RAFians by discrediting them and smearing them, but he would be able to actually supplant them.

Of course, there were a couple of key points that Odie had overlooked and was seemingly ignorant of it. He seemed fully assured that his plan was foolproof and could not be stopped or interfered with now.

But the thing was -- no plan was foolproof.


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6818 on: November 30, 2017, 12:06:52 AM »
Why does spell check always say "Gorky" is a word? Hmmm . . . according to Wiktionary, it means "awkward or strange". Funny, I've never used it.

Anyway, sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Yes, I suppose you could say that I was distracted by shiny things (a Hippowdon, Barbaracle, and Altaria, to be specific), and still trying (and failing) to get a shiny Poipole.

Anyway. New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Hero Worship

But the attacks continued beyond this mod-imposed quarantine. So much so that they thought it more prudent to lift it and dispatch RAFians to stop these attacks, no matter what their PR rating would come to be. This could not stand.

Of course, fat radio hosts like Bern Bridges, who obviously had no idea what they were talking about, latched onto this to completely misrepresent it and blow it out of proportion. This is why you should always consider the source when taking in information.

***

His name was Shurnoble. He was a Prypiatosian-B, from an undisclosed planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. It was likely that this planet was called Prypiatos, but there was no confirmation substantiating that.

Like all Prypiatosian-Bs, Shurnoble fire radiokinetic blasts (through the visual grillplate in his containment suit a la Cyclops), generate incredible heat and radiation, absorb energy, possesses an intangible physiology outside his suit, flight outside his suit, and is immune to radiation, fire, heat, cold, and ice-based attacks. Prypiatosian-Bs, like Shurnoble, can have a hazardous physiology if they consume enough energy and radiation, which can also cause them to expand and grow to monstrous proportions.

Shurnoble looked upon the gluttonous Prypiatosian-Bs who indulge in such acts with disdain. He didn't understand the need to guzzle down energy as if it would vanish from the universe within minutes -- background radiation was perfectly sufficient enough for him to subsist on, unlike that criminal Pandor.

Shurnoble came to Earth (after procuring the suit that he could comfortable inhabit, with its lean frame and nimble, dexterous fingers), not to gobble up radiation or any energy like that. He heard tell of RAFians -- just bits and pieces, mind you, rumors and conjecture -- and he became intrigued. His mind and heart yearned to go, to see, to maybe even talk to them.

He even heard that one of them was an energy being like himself, one who had to envelope himself in a cloak like he did with his containment suit. Now, don't get him wrong -- he had no intention on eating this RAFian, he just wanted to talk to him. Just wanted to shake his hand . . . the RAFians had become his heroes. Meeting them would be like a Dragonball Z fanboy meeting a real-life Goku.

This is when Odie stepped in, noticing that the Prypiatosian-B was obviously not human and evidently had never been to Earth before. The former RAFian hid his face before engaging with the alien, under the cover of darkness. Odie actually found him astonishingly easy to manipulate.

Odie didn't have to conjole him much to set that house on fire. Shurnoble didn't know about the innocent mother of four was still inside with her four children. He didn't fathom that humans did not have same thermal resistances that he himself had. He was so incredibly naive about this planet, about humans and their culture. It was like plucking a human child and throwing him or her into a different time period, with a different culture.

Unfortunately, his containment suit bore a rather superficial similarity to Parker's SPARTAN armor. In a room with sufficient light and closer inspection would have revealed that they were radically different. But those were not the conditions on that moonless night.

And now Odie was at it again. Trying to convince Shurnoble to incinerate the home of a person that he, Odie Michaels, had a quarrel with. This was a rather extreme way to settle a feud, but this was beyond being reasonable. This time Shurnoble resisted, remembering the terrified screams of the humans inside the house. It did confused him a bit -- as he still was having trouble conceptualizing that what was harmless to him wasn't to other species.

"What do you think that you're doing?" said a voice behind him moments after Odie terminated the call.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2017, 12:10:28 AM by Cloak »


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6819 on: November 30, 2017, 06:33:51 AM »
New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Butting Heads

Shurnoble turned to see Parker standing behind him, arms crossed. He was in his armor, so his facial expression was unseen. But, if his body language was any indication, it was a quite severe and disapproving one. After all, he got blamed for Shurnoble's actions.

"Mr. Carson said that I should liven up this construct," Shurnoble said, with childlike naivety, "like with the last one. He said the people who owned it were screaming with delight."

Obviously, Odie used a pseudonym. He didn't want his real name attached to these crimes, like he wanted his name attached to "Captain Michaels".

"'Screaming with de--'," Parker repeated, almost awestruck with the stupidity of the statement. He unfolded his arms, and could help but gape at the individual in front of him. "That was a housefire, Prypiatosian-B."

Parker would never admit that Tyr had to tell him this alien's species via the uplink to the species database.

"Yes, it was. It was rather nice, wasn't it?"

"NICE?!" Parker roared. Their conversation was garnering some bystanders now, who were realizing Parker's innocence. Odie's plan was starting to unravel already. "That family lost everything when you burned their house down! You're damn lucky you didn't kill anyone! Not to mention that I was accused and blamed for it."

"Kill?" Shurnoble said, perplexed. "Killed by fire?"

Parker sighed, as he held his head, wishing he could rub his temples through his helmet. It was like talking to a toddler.

"You may be immune to such things, Prypiatosian-B," Parker said, with as much patience as he could muster, "but not every species is."

Shurnoble widen his eyes in surprised, realizing the ramifications of what he did, and, seeing Parker's Mark, immediately felt ashamed and contrite.

"Mr. Carson said . . . he said that they would appreciate . . . but that was a lie, wasn't it?" Shurnoble said.

"Who is this Mr. Carson?" Parker pressed.

"I dunno," Shurnoble said, realizing that now he was a criminal like Pandor. He became resolute in making it right. "I just thought that he was a nice old man."

Odie had used special effects make-up to appear much older than he was as "Mr. Carson. Granted, he didn't really have to, since Shurnoble was so naive about humans and Earth.

"But I . . . I have to turn myself in, Mr. RAFian. I did this wrong, I admit it, and I want to make it right."

"Well," Parker said, his name now cleared, "that's the first step, anyway, towards redemption."

***

His name was Aggrox. He resembled an orange and white bipedal tiger with one black claw coming out of each wrist. He had no tail. He is also muscular and has slitted yellow eyes. He had stripes on his shoulders, head, legs and upper body. He had a white jaw, neck, chest, stomach, hands and feet. He was an Appoplexian, from savage Appoplexia, who wore a cloak that was similar to Cloak's eponymous one, only of a vastly inferior quality.

Like all Appoplexians, Aggrox took immense pride his fighting ability and prowess and valued emotional openness, as he would say whatever he felt, which, like most Appoplexians, was often blind rage. Aggrox subscribed to the ideology that any problem could be solved with violence and hitting it a lot. He, like others of his species, also referred to himself in the third person.

Aggrox possesses enhanced strength and agility, enabling him to jump great distances and lift objects heavier than himself. His fighting style was a mixture of wrestling, grappling holds, and sheer brute force, allowing him to power his way through dozens of opponents and smash through tough defenses. As mentioned before, he possessed a large, retractable, black claw on each wrist. This claw can be used to stab opponents, or create a shock wave when stabbed into the ground or when objects are cut apart. He is extremely durable, able to tank a pointblank laser blast with no apparent effect and survive a free fall from several hundred feet in the air, with only a bit of dizziness as a result. His unbridled aggression gives him a psychological edge in combat. There are very few things that he fears and many opponents find it extremely difficult to stop him when he is fully enraged.

Of course, he has all the weaknesses of an Appoplexian as well. His brain is hardwired for aggression and as such, he has low intelligence and a highly aggressive temperament. This causes him to be easily distracted and difficult to stop once he starts fighting. Due to his innate aggression and simplistic method of 'solving every problem by hitting it,' he is not suitable for situations that require finesse, restraint, or subtlety. At times, he can more of a danger to himself and comrades alike, and can make a bad situation even worse. His lack of intelligence also may convince him to needlessly argue with inanimate objects. There is a certain high pitched noise is fatal to Appoplexians, like Aggrox. Being feline, Appoplexians like Aggrox can be controlled by people that have ailuropathy, or the ability to control cats, like Bast.

He had come to Earth to look for people to fight, having found the ones on Appoplexia unfulfilling, and had bested each one. So many times that it lost all enjoyment for him. He was a consummate Appoplexian pugilist -- a very dangerous being.

When he came to Earth, he met a Mr. Norris -- Morris Norris. In exchange for wearing a cloak that caused him to look superficially like Cloak, despite Cloak being significantly and noticeably thinner in his upper body with a more medium build rather than the Bane-like physique of Aggrox. Anyway, Mr. Norris promised to get Aggrox some worthy fighters -- which were actually people that Odie, Mr. Norris's real identity, didn't like or had wronged him in some small, minute way. Aggrox wouldn't have cared one way or the other -- he just wanted to fight, wanted to pummel, wanted brawl.

Mr. Norris had led him to another group of prime fighters, despite their smaller stature. Aggrox didn't question it and hurried to comply, to fight. Only to find that his body had seized up -- he couldn't move. Almost as if someone was prohibiting his very blood from moving from that spot.

"I cannot allow you to do this, Appoplexian," said an angry, disapproving voice behind him.


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6820 on: December 03, 2017, 08:58:19 PM »
Sorry for the delay, work's been kicking my butt this weekend.

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINE:
Playing Hero

"I cannot allow you to defame my good name anymore," Cloak growled with a quiet fury. He was better at controlling his emotions, but he wasn't perfect at it, as there was a slight shutter in the ground when he spoke. But Appoplexians are without fear, and Aggrox was no different. "You even made me have to bloodbend you to prevent you from escaping. I hate doing this, but I cannot allow you to leave."

Cloak released his hold over Aggrox, unable to stomach bloodbending anymore. He should have realized that Appoplexians would never back down from a fight. It's in there nature, and Aggrox epitomized this trait. But Cloak's utter offense at being confused for an Appoplexian, especially when there were noticeable and significant differences such as his upper body being slimmer and the fact that tends to fight using the elements rather than direct, close combat (though he could, don't make that mistake), had blinded him from thinking clearly.

Cloak realized this fairly quickly, realized that he was thinking like an Appoplexian. He shut his eyes and calmed himself, calmed his mind, with several deep breaths. Letting the anger go.

"Lemme tell ya sumthin', cloaked guy!" Aggrox said, with a John DiMaggio sort of voice, jabbing a sausage-like finger at Cloak. Cloak wasn't intimidated. He had fought massive foes like Mongul, Galactron, and Garrotik. An Appoplexian was nothing in comparison. "Imma pummel you into gooey bits!"

He charged towards Cloak, as they were garnering attention from bystanders. Cloak waited . . . waited . . . waited . . . until they were within feet from each other. Then Cloak calmly sidestepped, and Aggrox collided headlong into a green dumpster, leaving a considerable dent in it.

"The sanitation companies won't like that," Cloak observed, as Aggrox complained that that wasn't fair. Then he charged again, and Cloak waited again. When he was within range, Cloak grabbed him, fell to his back, and gave him a swift kick to his abdomen, sending him flying over and across the street. Mangling a street light -- which Cloak fixed with a flick of his wrist.

But he knew that the Appoplexian wouldn't give up so easily. Cloak briefly considered breathbending to knock him out, but then angrily barraded himself for even considering that when he already used bloodbending, which he personally considered taboo.

"You're cheating!" he raged. "Lemme tell you sumthin'--"

"No," Cloak said. There was a ringing not of finality to his voice. "You aren't going to tell me anything, Appoplexian, because I'm going to end this ridiculous farce right now. You are not a Realm Walker. You are not Cloak. I am."

Aggrox tore away the cloak he wore -- he didn't care if that Norris guy wanted this or not. All that mattered was next punch thrown to the Appoplexian. But Cloak delivered, a swift, strong punch to his gut. He had used his Mastery over Air to increase the power of the punch's slipstream. It was enough to OHKO the Appoplexian, but not kill him.

Cloak snorted derisively, "I wasn't even in the first tier of my power."

Then he turned his attention to what had distracted him earlier. That scent. He was so sure it was a familiar one. . . .

***

Odie and his taskforce were in the process of "stopping" another jewelry robbery by "Saffa". In truth, unknown to the rest of the taskforce aside Odie himself and the populace at large, it was a setup. A fake. A ruse. A farce.

Saffa had never acquired nor morphed a Petrosapien, a silicon-based species. It was not in her repertoire, like Odie, as Captain Michaels, claimed. He never bothered to consider anything other than the RAFians sitting back and taking this outright slander to their good names by these poor imposters. And his knowledge of them wasn't as complete and comprehensive as he thought.

This illusion wasn't helped by the fact that the Petrosapien that Odie was "paying" was male (which didn't make any difference when morphing was concerned, but still). Odie was actually promising to pay, without any intention on actually doing it, as he didn't have the funds. This was how he conned so many naive-slash-greedy people of various species to do as he wished. He was truly naive one to thing that he would be able to get away with this just by hoping that they'd forget that they're doing this for a paycheck.

When pressed on the issue, he would just dance around it with just enough skill to be believable to the avaricious likes of these people and creatures. But it was a fiscal model doomed to unravel.


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6821 on: December 04, 2017, 03:43:52 PM »
New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
A Loose Thread, Unforeseen and Overlooked

"Don't worry, good people of --" Odie said, once more disguised as Captain Michaels, stating the name of the city. "The Anti-RAFian Taskforce is here! We shall stop this insidious RAFian!"

"That is quite a bit of misinformation, there, bucko," said a voice behind him. He whirled around as Esther looked on curiously, Ignatius looked on dimly, Mosaic looked on almost disinterested, and Scorch looked on eagerly. "That creature has no Mark -- she's not a RAFian."

"Are you blind, civilian?" Esther said, "There's her Mark, right there."

The Petrosapien displayed what appeared to be a crude, crayon-drawn "R". It looked more like the Gizmo Duck sigil than the stylized "R" that constituted the Mark of the RAFian. It was a forgery so inaccurate, so obviously fake, that it was insulting and offensive that anyone would be so stupid to fall for it. Unfortunately, there were a lot of stupid beings. Not just of this world, but of others as well.

"Don't listen to more RAFian lies!" Odie said. He was apparently appealing to the bystanders whose attention this incident had acquired. Compared to Saffa's cool, calm logic, Odie came off a bit hysterical. "Don't buy into the propaganda!"

"Propaganda?" Saffa said, in that imperturbable, equanimous manner that contrasted heavily with Odie's nervously anxious and almost unsettled manner. Odie knew, deep down, that Saffa isn't one of those RAFians that you jerk around. She may not have been powerful in raw power like Cloak or Esty, but that didn't mean that she couldn't hold sway over people. Odie also feared her because she was decidedly smarter than him. "I'm not the one here peddling propaganda."

This sudden hysterical side of their leader elected some quite diverse reactions from his team. Mosaic didn't look surprised and did the Merlinisapien equivalent of rolling his eyes. Esther raised an eyebrow, as this was not the person that they were led to know. Ignatius just gaped at the two, rather stupidly. Scorch, however, quickly lost interest, and began tapping his foot, bored.

"All these imposters," Saffa said, in a collected, put-together sort of way, "it must have taken a large amount of wealth to be able to pay them."

"How would I know that?" Odie snapped.

"How?" Saffa said, delicately. "How, indeed."

"Stop talking in circles, Saffa," Odie snorted with a wave of his hand.

Saffa had to stop herself from smiling, turning it inward. She had successfully deduced who she was talking to (after all, his chosen pseudonym hadn't been all that creative as he kept his own true last name and the suit actually bore some superficial resemblances to him, just a different height and build, really) and she had managed to trick him into revealing who he was without him even realizing it.

"Me? Talking in circles?" Saffa said, innocently, hiding her smile. It was becoming difficult. Then again, Odie wasn't really the sharpest tool in the shed.

But, clearly, he had more resources than she knew about. How else would he be able to get a Kraaho, a Pyronite, a Merlinispaien, a Basalt, a Prypiatosian-B, a Petrosapien, and assuredly more alien species and human mutates to work for him. From what Saffa knew, Odie wasn't wealthy enough for such a thing (although, if he was, it would go a long way to explain his sheer arrogance and belief that he was always undoubtedly right). His mother, if she wasn't mistaken, was living off a pension and welfare.

So, another possibility was that he simply lied. He claimed to have more than he really did, and he had no intention on paying them after he got what he wanted from them. This was far more likely. And it would be incredibly stupid for him to do this. People of all species have a tendency to get angry, possibly violent, when they get gypped.

But the longer Saffa keeps his attention the more time the others could clear their names and apprehend those smearing them. . . .


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6822 on: December 05, 2017, 07:11:59 PM »
New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
A Pulled Thread

While Saffa was diligently distracting Odie and his roughly gathered team, the other RAFians were clearing up their names left, right, and center.

Yarin unveiled the person framing him -- an Uxorite female. Like all female Uxorites, she was a green, reptilian, bipedal creature with a long tail, and two prehensile tentacles on her head. She had three purple eyes with stripes running from them. She had long arms, slim, four-fingered hands, ostrich-like legs, talons, and digigrade feet. Presumably she possessed telekinesis, telekinetic flight, a prehensile tongue, enhanced intelligence, enhanced strength, enhanced durability, enhanced agility, enhanced dexterity, and enhanced reflexes, like other female Uxorites from Ringa Morr. When asked, she refused to tell Yarin why she was willing to impersonate him, sensing the Nyac's indignation at being confused for a being not even superficially similar to him. He arrested her, only managing to get her name -- Toluene.

Meanwhile, Dino battled with her impostor, which turned out to be an Allosaurus and not an ankylotyrannus. But she eventually shrunk down, revealing herself to be a Dinovolved Reptilon native. One who actually seemed to . . . recognize Dino, somehow. . . . Unnerved by this, Dino still brought him in, learning that his name was . . . Al.

All the while, Az apprehended the human impersonating him (and very well at that, as he looked remarkably similar . . .) and confiscated his weapon for the local authorities. The only name this doppelganger gave was Az's own -- and he had the nerve, the unmitigated gall to call himself the real Az, right to the RAFian's face. Naturally, this didn't sit well with Az.

While this was happening, both Cerulean and Shenmue unmasked the Kineceleran and Citrakayah that were impersonating them. Cerulean apprehended the Kineceleran. (Blue face and skin. Long, prehensile tail that had black stripes on it. Three clawed hands. Wheeled feet. White eyes. Characteristic Kineceleran mask which can obscure their face. Black helmet -- long, elliptical, and pointed at the top. Black lips. Black facial markings. Black rings around eyes. Lack of pupils. Superhuman speed. Enhanced agility. Enhanced jumping capability. Enhanced reflexes. Enhanced recovery. Tornado generation via speed. Wall running. Water running. Enhanced strength. Enhanced dexterity.) The only thing Cerulean managed to get out of him was that his name was E-N, which was pronounced as "Ian". And, as such, it was Shenmue who brought the Citrakayah, named simply Allen. (Slim and human-sized. Blue and black fur. Black fur around eyes giving a mask-like appearance. Spiked legs and elbows.

Phoenix proved the bus immolation was by the hands of a full-grown Methanosian . He was a humanoid plantlike species with a green and black-colored body with root-like feet, seemingly holding rocks. His shoulders and head have red and yellow petals, and he had five fingers. He was taller than Phoenix and had a distinct rotten stench that worsens with heat. His voice was very stuffy and nasally because he, as he explained it, did not have a nose. He would not explain why he attacked, but only said that his name was Bud. Phoenix did not miss that there was a note of desperation to him. . . .

More and more of the RAFians were having their names cleared. The mods nodded as they received reports, which they also forwarded to the local courts and law enforcement agencies. Odie's plan was swiftly unravelling,  and yet he was perfectly oblivious to it, Saffa's skillful debate taking his attention.


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.

Offline Underseen

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6823 on: December 05, 2017, 07:41:25 PM »
As of late I've mostly been lurking, but just want to say I'm caught up and liking the direction these past books are going. The lore has been growing in the best of ways. Interested in seeing how this will play out.
RAF awards 2012: Best Newcomer... It feels good too

Well, Blue is my RAFcousin.
 Blaze is my RAFbrother and formidable rival.

Offline Cloak

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Re: Memoirs of a RAFian
« Reply #6824 on: December 06, 2017, 06:59:22 AM »
Just wait until we get to the books centered around you. Assuming Ajit Pai doesn't kill RAF along with net neutrality.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
Unraveling Fast Now

"Yes, you!" Odie said, apparently forgetting he wasn't supposed to be Odie Michaels, but Captain Michaels. But it was far too lat now. Too much of his real and true personality was oozing out, and the farce was all but shattered to smithereens. "You always do this. You think that you're so smart, don't you? But I have you out--"

"Boss, you know this creature?" Ignatius asked, rather thickly and rather stupidly.

"Of course, he does, Rockhead," Scorch said, impatiently. He was rather like bored three-year-old at the moment. "Why else would he be talking to her like that?"

"Yes," Esther said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, looking at Captain Michaels. "why indeed. This is a RAFian, is she not? So why would the boss be on a first name basis with one."

"Especially with that hateful drivel he constantly spews forth," Mosaic dispassionately. Then, after a moment's pause, he muttered, "We don't get paid enough for this."

"So, the mayor does pay you?" Saffa asked. She was still playing for time, and acting coolly.

Mosaic snorted, "That milquetoast idiot? No. This brainless oaf pays us."

Mosaic indicated Odie, with a jabbing finger. It was clear that Mosaic wasn't particularly respectful of Odie's perceived authority. He even seemed rather antagonistic towards it.

"Not that our first paycheck has even come yet," Mosaic sneered bitterly. From his tone, Saffa could tell that he had several doubts that the check would even clear. Esther's face betrayed similar feelings, while Scorch's face was that of an impatient child, and Ignatius's was unreadable. There was disharmony and dissatisfaction amongst the troops, Saffa quickly surmised. And Odie seemed perfectly oblivious to all this. Then again, Odie did always concern himself with himself first and foremost, and everyone else was to be considered later.

"It'll come on the fourteenth, you impatient dog!" Odie snapped. Yet, Odie still had no intention on paying anyone. He didn't have the money. He didn't have any money, really. He only managed to get this far by lying to everyone. And, yet, he never expected that to no come out poorly for him in the end. He never did think about the bigger picture.

"You keep moving the date," Esther said, shrewdly.

"That's not the point," Odie said, not addressing this point at all. "We're under mayoral orders to arrest the RAFians. There's one right there."

He indicated Saffa, who didn't flinch at all. She saw the discord amongst the ranks, and could see the writing on the wall. Such a pity that Odie couldn't.

"Let's get her before she escapes," he said.

He was trying to tell Saffa to run, to help him get out of this awkward situation. Saffa did not oblige. She would not oblige.

"C'mon, guys!" he said, bracingly.

The four did not move. They all eyed "Captain Michaels" suspiciously.

"C'mon . . . before she gets away . . . !" he insisted, almost desperately.

"You never had any intention on paying us, did you?" Esther asked, her voice tinged with anger.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2017, 07:01:03 AM by Cloak »


Book 189: "Shenecron's Pets"
Chapter 4: "First Attempt"
(January 7, 2020)

RAFians Referenced Specifically: Demos.