Memoirs of a RAFian

[redtailedsaffa]

Wait, so Richard is Gandalf now?

[Cloak]

Probably not, as I've never read "Lord of the Rings" -- although parodies of them have been literally everywhere.

Nah, I just wanted Richard to be as mysterious as he can be. Ever notice how I never go into specifics on what he looks like? (Or this could be a CFRSU.)

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Land of Desolation

From that point, the battle of these titans began their battle anew. Cloak could have watched -- although barely, it would have been like watching a video on fast forward -- his attention was instead drawn to the environment. The trees were becoming more and more barren, their bark was being bleached white. All this was happening at a disconcertingly rapid rate.
 
"I can't tell what's going on," Sakki asked, nervously. There had to be a lot at stake for her to be so nervous. "Who's winning? Richard or Mr. Psychopath?"
 
They did not notice the environment. How could they not notice the environment? The trees were withering and dying. The dinosaurs were aging rapidly into skeletally thin creatures, weak and feeble. Their cries eeriely muted and easily forgotten. This caused Cloak much disquiet . . . and yet . . .

And yet he noticed that the screaming of the elements that motivated him into the furious blitz upon Garrotik was gone, silenced. This perplexed the Realm Walker, as it did not appear to make sense. Before there was nothing visably wrong with the elements, if he recalled correctly, but now . . . now when the environment seems to becoming a wasteland. . . .

"I think Richard's winning," Underseen said.

"You can't see what's going on," Faerie accused.

"That's why I said 'I think'." Underseen replied.

Then Cloak's eyes widened.

"Uncle -- what is it?" Shadow said.

"This uncharted land . . . this 'Savage Land' . . ." Cloak muttered, still in shock at his realization.

"What about it?" Mithril said.

"It was manufactured," Cloak said, his voice still aghast.

That got their attention.

"What?" Goom said, surprise very evident. "What do you mean manufactured?"

"Garrotik's prison must have been an imperfect one, as he allowed some of his power to seep out of it to create this land." Cloak speculated quickly.

"Or that could have been Richard's original intent," Phoenix pointed out. "To siphon out his power."

"That would be very sloppy, though," Shadow countered.

"Anyway," Cloak said, desperate to get back on track, "regardless of the intent, it seeped out. Created this hot muggy land."

"It's not that hot," Sakki said.

"Not anymore," Faerie said, shivering a bit.

"Precisely, Garrotik is reappropriating the power he lost when it seeped out," Cloak said.

"But Richard can take him. I know he can!" Saffa said, completely sincere and earnest.

"Your faith in me is touching, Saffa," came a voice, "but, my strength wanes."

[redtailedsaffa]

Omg cliffhanger!

[Cloak]

It's not gonna really stop with the cliffhangers . . .

New chapter!
 

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
The Power of Unity

"What?!" Saffa said, rather unexpectedly loud.
 
"There is a reason why I don't usually expend this amount of energy," Richard explained. "It's great for a few moments, but mostly it's a late-battle technique. I forgot myself and jumped the gun."
 
"Like the Fighting-type move, Close Combat," Cloak mused.
 
"Uncle, this is serious!" Shadow said.
 
Richard stood in a fighting stance, but it was clear that his strength was ebbing. Even Richard had limits -- even in this brief "burst mode", if you will.
 
"Well," Faerie said, in an irresistible imitation of Bender Bending Rodriguez, "we're boned."
 
"You give up too easily," Cloak said.
 
"And you don't give up easily enough!" Faerie said, unable to resist the joke.
 
"Guys! This is serious!" Shadow said. "Garrotik is still alive, you know!"
 
Garrotik, as if he was waiting for reintroduction, laughed boisteriously.

"I'm beginning to hate that laugh," Abby said, irritably.

"What kept you?" Mithril said, brusquely.

"My dear Whelp," Garrotik intoned. "The centuries free as led you constrict your abilities! You allowed them to degenerate and atrophy! I consider myself . . . disappointed. You have crippled yourself, and gathered yourself up a pitiful fleet of weak nothings to protect yourself from me."

"I . . ." Richard said, unable to hide his exhaustion any longer. "I . . ."

"You are wrong," Underseen said. "Richard saw the true power of unity rather than the empty power of fear and tyranny."

"Oh," Garrotik said, affecting a surprised look, "it can speak."

"That's always been your problem, Garrotik," Richard said. "You love to make grandiose monologues with very little substance -- if at all -- in them. Yet, you always failed to listen to others. You always failed to be compassionate. It is little surprise that you haven't any friends."

"That's weakness," Garrotik spat, only to find himself with confronted with a series of glowing Marks.

"It's unity," the RAFians said, in unison.

[redtailedsaffa]

And it happens.

[Cloak]

The cliffhanger?

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Garrotik's Parting Words

"Unity?" Garrotik sneered. "Unity is nothing! Pointless! Meaningless!"
 
He could not continue on his tirade, as a bevy of Unity Pulses merged into a powerful Unity Blast. Garrotik took it all as a punch to his gut. And, at first, it seemed as if he simply tanked the blow. But then he felt to a knee, and his body seemed to pixelate in a rather implausible fashion.
 
"It's over, Garrotik." Richard said. "I'm sorry that I could not have made it less painful for you. I regret that you continue upon your path of destruction, of fear, of power lust."
 
"And you are still a fool, Whelp," Garrotik said as his body began to disintergrate, feet first. It was slow enough for him to get out what he wanted to say. "You underestimate me time and time again. This is naught but a minor setback! I will be back."

"That's what they all say," Saffa pointed out.

"Who's 'they'?" Underseen asked.

"The supervillian types," Saffa answered swiftly.

"You are all fools then!" Garrotik said, with a gasp of pain. "My progeny and my generals will bring me back!!"

"Your Herald is gone," Phoenix said. "If you would remember, you absorbed him without a second thought."

"The anthropterosaur was of no consequence! He was a gnat to me. You kill gnats with nary a thought," Garrotik said, the disintegration wave across his body was at his waist now. "My generals are loyal to none but me!! And my progeny already know that you've killed one of their number."

He spoke about the death of one of his children in such a cavalier manner, it was as if someone reciting a recent weather report they've seen. Completely without emotion, just sheer arrogance and snottiness.

"What are you talking about?" Abby asked, knowing full well that Garrotik's answer would not be satisfying.

Garrotik laughed that laugh they all hated, before continuing, the disintegration wave just below his chest and elbows. "Like I'd ruin the surprise . . . like I'd ruin it just like that! You have no idea the powers that await you. You have no idea . . . you think you've won. But you've done nothing but delay the inevitable."

"Do the bad guys ever just die?" Faerie asked. She was still miffed about the Gale Blade. She was fond of that sword. "Must they go at the mouth like this, for pratically freakin' forever?"

"You have no idea. . . ." Garrotik said as the disintergration wave completely engulfed him and he burst into shiny gold fireworks. Yet his voice lingered on just for a moment or two, a hissing reminder, "No idea . . ."

[redtailedsaffa]

So the whole BOOK was basically a cliffhanger.

[Cloak]

Oh, there'll be more books like that down the line.

New chapter.
 

BOOK LXXXI:
SLAVE ISLANDS AND JUGGERNAUTS
CHAPTER ONE:
What A Seal Does When She's Bored

Despite Garrotik's enigmatic words, nothing happened over the next few days. Other than the fact that the six RAFians who had lost their cherished Blades had to cope with no longer having them. This left them all rather cranky, but perhaps none more than Horse.

But Horse was smarter than Cloak in this aspect. She didn't brood and dwell upon her loss. She decided to do something a tad more constructive. She sang to the children at an elementary school presentation that she, Parker (disarmed, except for his armor), and Aquilai attended.

Parker really didn't like having to check his weapons before entering the auditorium. He felt anxiety without them, as if he were naked without them. But the kids were honoring, not only them, but all of RAF for what they do for them. So, the least Parker could do was go a few minutes unarmed for the sake of the hard work these tykes were doing for them.

Aquilai was feeling a bit ambivalent and slightly suspicious though.

Meanwhile, Horse sang:

"Well, I saw this thing come outta the sky,
It had one long horn, and one big eye.
I commenced to shaking,
And said, 'Oowhee,
'It looks like a purple RAFian Eater to me.'
It was a one-eyed, one-horned
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
A one-eyed, one-horned
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
It was a one-eyed, one-horned
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
Sure looks strange to me!
One eye!
Well, he came down to earth,
And lived in a tree.
I said, 'Mr. Purple RAFian Eater,
Don't eat me!'
I heard him say, in a voice so gruff,
'I wouldn't eat you, 'cause you're so tough.'
It was a one-eyed, one-horned
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
One-eyed, one-horned,
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
It was a one-eyed, one-horned
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
Sure looks strange to me!
One horn.
I said 'Mr. Purple RAFian Eater, what's your line?'
'He said eating purple RAFians, and it sure is fine
'But that's not the reason that I came to land
'I wanna get a job in a rock 'n roll band.'
Well, bless my soul,
Rock n' roll!
Flying purple RAFian Eater.
Injured toe,
Undergrowed,
Flying purple RAFian Eater.
Flying purple RAFian Eater,
Sure looks strange to me!
He swung from the tree,
And flit to the ground.
He started to rock,
Really rockin' around.
He wrote a crazy little ditty,
With a swinging tune!
Singing, 'Whoop-boob-a-do-boop,
'Ba-lop-bam-BOOM!'
Well, bless my soul,
Rock n' roll!
Flying purple RAFian Eater.
Injured toe,
Undergrowed,
Flying purple RAFian Eater.
Flying purple RAFian Eater,
Sure looks strange to me!
Then he went on his way,
And then what do you know?
I saw him last night
On a TV show!
He was blowing it out,
Really knocking 'em dead!
Playing rock n' roll music
Throught horn on his head!
It was a one-eyed, one-horned,
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
A one-eyed, one-horned,
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
A one-eyed, one-horned,
Flying, purple RAFian Eater.
Sure looks strange to me!
Well, bless my soul,
Rock n' roll,
Flying, purple RAFian Eater!
Injured toe,
Undergrowed.
Flying, purple RAFian Eater!
One-eyed, one-horned,
Flying, purple RAFian Eater!
Sure looks strange to me!
Yeah!
Sure looks strange to me!"

"That's not an original song," one of the snottier kids complained. "All you did was change 'people' with 'RAFian'."

Horse was quick in her rebuttal. "Kid, no one likes a smarty-pants. Besides, what kid doesn't get a kick out of a talkin' seal?"

[redtailedsaffa]

Kids are such smartasses these days.

PDF of the last book!

[Cloak]

You know it.

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER TWO:
Single-Purpose Facility

Whilst this was happening, elsewhere a top secret, maximum security prison was being breached with pitiful ease, without its guardians being any the wiser for it. These so-called professionals and "restraint experts" (seriously -- that's what they called themselves . . . pretentious, isn't it?) were dangerously overconfident in the security of this facility, the purpose of which was a closely-guarded secret.

Confidence can be a good thing sometimes. Overconfidence, however, is never a good thing. If they hadn't gotten so confident in their rather lax personnel and sophisticated tech, it might have never happened.

Through a metal dome of three-foot thick metal with a security door that's usually quite camoflaged to the door. This door was unclocked with a simple numerical password of 4-8-4-6-2-5, which allowed access into the next level.

The next level was a path covered with scraggly, curly ringlets of barbed wire. They were scattered everywhere, attached to the wall opposit the entrance. It was rather claustrophobic, as there was only about three, four, maybe five feet of clearance. There appeared to be no way pass the wire, but there was. It was a complicated little path of zigzaging, backtracking, climbing, descending . . . only someone who has either traveled the path before -- or someone really good at memorization -- could possibly make it without being horribly injured.

Then the trick was to enter when the entrance wasn't spewing some sort of effluence. It took a fair bit of timing, though most of the time the security detail cheated this by briefly altering the times this effluence goes off.

And still more obstacles lay ahead. Foam-like substances that increased the pressure felt by the intruder who did not possess the right badge or insigna for this level of clearance (and it was mostly technicians and the highest muckety-mucks who possessed this level of clearance -- for good reason).

For there is only one reason this facility was built, only the one. To house a single prisoner. One of so incredible might and fearsome ferocity that he can only be contained. Once he gains momentum, he cannot be stopped. He was the champion of Cyttorak, and held the demon's ruby in the form of crimson bands.

It housed the unstoppable Juggernaut.

And he had a visitor.

[Cloak]

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER THREE:
Crass and Crimson

The heart of the facility was a large cylindrical room, which graduated downward, almost like a lecturer's hall. At the center of the room was just a round, featureless metal circle with a control panel rather like an overlarge tablet attached via cylindrical pole to the ground. It only came chest-high and was colored black with gray buttons.

Only the Juggernaut's visitor was in the darkened room, and she had made sure that she was alone. Something somniferous in the staff's communal coffee, and boom. Instant privacy.

The mysterious visitor typed in some code into the the tablet console thing, and the floor before it rotated with a hydraulic hiss. Then a few more keystrokes and then a cylinder rose from the floor. It was slow, but it illuminated Malice, revealing her presence . . . though it may be rather obvious at this point.

It also illuminated the occupant in the tube, who was clearly in some type of suspended animation. He was built like an adult male Tetramand, though he was clearly human. His fists were the size of a car door, bound in crimson bands of some unknown substance. His clothing was crimson as well. He wore rather thick boots, which was, of course, crimson. His head was rather blocky with a thick, rather bovine nose and a heavy brow. He had his blonde hair in a crew cut.

"Mark Kane," Malice said, having knowledge of his birth name. "You shall make a wonderful minion."

She gave him another appraising look, smirking malevolently. Then she typed in a few more keystrokes, and the liquid keeping Mark in suspended animation began to drain out of the tube, and the Juggernaut woke, revealing his emerald green eyes. He looked around in a daze.

He realized that he restrained, and he strained, pushing his strength to its apex. The stone-metal matrix restraints struggled to keep their cohesiveness and strength. But they were soon overwhelmed by Mark's sheer determination to break free.

"I freed you," Malice said, calmly unimpressed. "You serve me now."

"Serve you?" Mark said, scornfully. "I'm the Juggernaut, bi--"

But an energy collar appeared around his throat, yanking him to eye level with Malice. Malice spoke with venomously honeyed tones, "Yes, yes, we've all heard that meme before, I think. It need not be referenced again."

"I . . . I serve no one!!" Mark choked out.

"Oh? What about . . . Cyttorak?" Malice said with feigned innocence.

"Who?"

"Oh, never mind, dearie," Malice said, conversationally impassive. She examined her claws in a bored manner, as she continued. "It's not really all that important."

Mark said nothing to this, as Malice didn't give him a chance.

"Now," Malice said, with the air of a woman getting down to business, "I have a job for you, Mark Kane. Yes, I know who you are really."

[redtailedsaffa]

Oh look who's back.

[Cloak]

Hey, she is kinda the primary antagonist. Like Voldemort, like Visser Three, like . . . nope, not going to get politcal here. There'll be plenty of time for that much later.

New book ideas!

• Book DCXXXVI: "Black Market Brains" -- The RAFians must stop the Xenoninos from selling stolen brains on the black market . . . and discover why there is even a black market for brains.
• Book DCXXXVII: "In the Beginning . . ." -- Cloak explains Realm Walker history and theology.
• Book DCXXXVIII: "This Really Bites" -- The RAFians must deal with an odd sort of vampire.
• Book DCXXXIX: "Unzipped" -- A boy discovers a strange artifact, and, naturally, he abuses the power it grants him.
• Book DCXL: "Rise of the Revenants" -- The RAFians must defeat the Revenants.
• Book DCXLI: "CoR" -- Abby must deal with the Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Cowardice.
• Book DCXLII: "LoR" -- Mithril must deal with the Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Loneliness.
• Book DCXLIII: "NoR" -- Yarin must deal with the Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Knowledge.
• Book DCXLIV: "HaR" -- Helen must deal with the Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Hatred.
• Book DCXLV: "UnR" -- Saffa must deal with the Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Unreliability.
• Book DCXLVI: "InR" -- Wild must deal with the Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Insincerity.
• Book DCXLVII: "HoR" -- Blaze must deal with the Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Hopelessness.
• Book DCXLVIII: "DaR" -- Shadow must deal with the Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Darkness.
• Book DCXLIX: "Wait -- You're New!" -- Cloak must deal with Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Unkindness.
• Book DCL: "Emissary of Chaos" -- Richard must deal with Revenant, Vermin, and Homunculus of Chaos.
• Book DCLI: "The Attribute-Eaters" -- The RAFians must battle creatures that can consume an individual's courage, friendships, knowledge, reliability, love, sincerity, hope, inner light, or kindness.
• Book DCLII: "In the Dark of the Night" -- The RAFians must save Richard from an old foe.
• Book DCLIII: "Phantom Consolidation" -- A man seeks to control and weaponize Everlost afterlights.

Titles are subjected to change. Let me know what you think.

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER FOUR:
It's a Trap!

The assembly was flattering, in a way. Finally, all the struggle, all the turmoil, all the fluctuating PR standing was paying off. And yet . . . something struck Aquilai as odd. He didn't know what it could be, but did not voice it aloud. After all, it could just be nothing -- Parker and Horse weren't reacting to any of this with suspicion, why was he?

There seemed to be so much genuine appreciation from the kids, from the faculty, from the staff. So much gratuitous gratitude that it almost seemed . . . contrived, artificial. Fake. Aquilai just couldn't get past that, though he tried to tell himself it was just because the kids really didn't care that much, but had been indoctrinated by the adults, as children usually are.

As the current speaker (he couldn't tell if it was the principal, a teacher, an aide or some other staff person) droned on and on, he shifted his weight in his hardbacked chair. He thought he heard something clink ominously, like chains. He should have found that suspicious . . . and he did. He examined all the people glaround him, and was very disconcerted to discover every single one of them -- except Parker and Horse, of course -- possessed light green eyes.

This wasn't a real school, Aquilai realized. It was a set! They should have known better than this!!

"It's a trap!" Aquilai cried out.

Before Parker could scoff and Horse could spout a one-liner, golden chains appeared from nowhere and wrapped tightly alround all three. Parker revealed that he kept some weapons with him (when later questioned by Horse as to where he kept it, he replied, "I'd rather not say.") but the tech bomb came out of nowhere and shorted out his armor. He was bound like his fellows.

The students, the faculty, the staff -- all a lie. They were really disguised Limax, with rather strange, black collars on. They looked sad. Miserable. The collars, which must have some metamorphic properties themselves, must the source of the woe.

A voice, whose owner was shadowed and unseen by the RAFians, spoke, "Well done, Limax. Your usefulness has since ended. Goodbye."

Suddenly, the room flooded briefly (and Horse found that she couldn't access her hydrokinesis -- the chains were made of the tylee material) and the Limax were killed. The three RAFians looked horrorstruck.

[redtailedsaffa]

Wow. Talk about collateral damage.

[Cloak]

Oh, you best get used to that . . . for some of the darker books. Which, btw, I'm currently planning through Book #398.

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER FIVE:
Unstoppable Rampage

The Juggernaut listened to what Malice wanted, fully intending to ignore what she wanted. But, as it happens, what she wanted exactly paralleled what he wanted to do -- which let's just say was exactly what Rocksteady and Bebop wanted, what Tokka and Rahzar wanted.

He charged forward, a dome-like crimson helmet appearing on his shoulders, in the direction Malice indicated. He busted through the interior walls, leaving rather obvious holes. Within minutes, the Juggernaut penetrated the exterior wall with a cacophonious noise, the metal twisted outward.  It was rather amazing that the entire facility did not crumble to the ground. It still stood, although now without purpose, now that their one and only prisoner was no longer incarcerated and contained.

The Juggernaut ran and ran, gaining momentum. He was unstoppable when moving like this, friction and fatigue seemingly ineffective by some magical means. He would only stop when he chose to. Nothing stood in his way. Though admantium and N^th would just be thrown aside or trampled into the earth, not destroyed.

He would reach the city at any moment, and when he reached the city, he began to slow, plowing through several parked cars. Several expensive-looking cars. He didn't care, of course. He only stopped when he reached the heart of the city. He looked around here for a bit, and took in the sights.

But this did not seem to occupy his mind long enough. Simpy because he decided to tossing around cars, breaking storefronts, shattering windows. He loved hearing the people scream and flee from him. He enjoyed the power trip he felt. He never got such a rush before becoming the Juggernaut. He believed it was the best thing to ever happen to him, refusing to acknowledge the monster that he become.

He was always a little punk, and a bully. He wreaked property damage before he found the Ruby. He loved taking out his inner rage on people -- he didn't believe in innocence of any sort, that no one was truly innocent. He believed that they just haven't had the chance to make fun of him yet, or hurt him yet. So he decided to make them hurt first. It was a twisted sort of logic, if you could even call it logic.

He continued his rampage, allowing his rage to be vented on the city and private property. His destructive campaign aligned with Malice's desires and aims, but that was just mere coincidence that they coincided. Had they not, Mark Kane would have simply flippantly ignore Malice, ignorant of the fact that no one ignores Malice so flippantly.

This rampage would not go unchallenged. The police, the S.W.A.T., the military . . . he tossed them around like toys. This was no a job for them. It was a job for --

Guess.