Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Sorry, time got away from me yesterday. And I'm now officially "off-script" for this book.

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
SOS Encounters

"This isn't good," Saffa was saying.

She was on communications duty with Abby, who offered to help out to dull the tedium of the duty. This was before Blue, Horse, Blaze, Underseen, Parker, Gaz, and Blocky were dispatched to deal with the anomalous signals and odd reports they had received.

All seemed well for the first few minutes into the simultaneous missions. All seven reported in and stayed in communication constantly and consistently, per usual. Nothing out of the ordinary to report.

But then Saffa steadily lost contact with all seven, all withing seconds of each other. She could not believe her misfortune, though Abby tried to help her calm down which wasn't easy, considering Abby was just as stressed out as Saffa was.

This was bad. Something had to happen to make them unresponsive to the girls' queries. Something very bad. But as to what this bad thing was, they could scarcely answer it, even haphazardly. There was simply a frustrating lack of information as to what happened. Neither girl liked that much.

Blue was at some unnamed, verdant cavern.

Horse was at some out-of-the-way brooklet overlooked by a small hill.

Blaze was at the caldera of a dormant volcano.

Underseen was somewhere in the lush jungles of a rainforest.

Parker was investigating a local blackout, which was found suspect of action within the RAFians' jurisdiction.

Gaz was investigating an abandoned megamart.

And Blocky was investigating a strange underground trail.

And all were not responding to Abby and Saffa's desperate attempts to communicate with them. Something happened, obviously, but they were highly reluctant to dispatch any more RAFians, as they didn't want to endanger more --

"What's happening?" said a voice, with a hint of authority.

"We lost communication with seven RAFians on simultaneous missions, Cloak," Saffa said tersely.

"Please, allow me to look," Cloak said, polite but curt. Cloak took a few minutes to scan through the data received. It was really dry reading, but it was necessary, even if Cloak's mind found it boring to read. It was then his eyes came upon a few discrepancies.

These discrepancies leaped out at him, as he saw a faint familiarity to them. It was at this moment he seemed to suspect what was behind this, not particularly who, though. Cloak's mind raced, as the two girls noticed his strong reaction to this, and promptly asked what was wrong.

"I have to go to these coordinates," came Cloak's only reply. "I will keep in communication."

With that, Cloak immediately exited communications at a run, forming an energy disc  as he ran. The he threw it in front of him, and jumped on it, riding it similarly to Son Goku and Nimbus. He sped off to the first pair of coordinates.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINE:
Verdant Cave

It was embarrassing.

Blue was often lauded for his stealth prowess, and how he can just sneak up on opponents, with them unaware of his presence until it was much too late. He had a lot of pride in doing just that, pride as a RAFian and pride as a ninja.

This was the mission when that pride was put into critical condition, though not quite shattered.

The verdant cavern was covered with mossy green growth. There was a rough chasm smack dab in the middle of it, with one land bridge spanning the gap and one of mouldering, poorly-maintained cedar. There was only one exit on the other side of the cavern, which clearly opened up to daylight. Mice milled around, scurrying here and there, trying to avoid the odd mustelid predator.

It was disturbingly quiet, and usually preferred this kind of scenario, where he could get the drop on his chosen target. Problem was, this time, he had no idea who or what his target was. And, as if that was difficult enough, he failed to see anything wrong here.

But the report was insistent that there was. That there were two mysterious creatures here, who would kill any who got too close to what they were after. No word on just what they were after, either.

Blue had allowed himself to get complacent. He had foolishly allowed his guard to drop, something he knew full well should never be done on a mission. He knew better than to do that. But he did. There was no point in denying it now.

Not with his favorite ninjato buried in the mossy ground seven feet to his left with him sprawled on the ground. His mind and heart heavy with humiliation at what had just happened.

He was ambushed. Someone had actually ambushed him! A ninja! Arguably the greatest ninja of all! No only had they stripped him of his pride, they had also managed to disarm him of not only his sword, but all of his tricks and made his last ditch techniques useless. It was so utterly embarrassing.

Blue would have thought impossible, but it was his fault. He should have never --

"How quaint," the cloaked figure in the gray cloak said. Blue noted that he was considerably smaller than Cloak, and he was obviously another Realm Walker. Blue had enough experience with Walkers to know that they weren't all like the RAFian Realm Walker.

The cloaked figure lifted up something, swathing it in brown and gray energy. It was with a stab of shock and acidic humiliation that Blue realized that it was his communicator. He gritted his teeth as the unnamed Realm Walker balled his fist, crushing the device.

"Such a pity," he said, with detached tones. Then he lowered his arm, and said, "Now. Dweller, answer my question."

Blue gave him a very dirty look as he stood.

"Don't look at you superior that way, Dweller," he said.

Blue ****ed an eyebrow as if to say, Seriously? before he glanced at his sword.

"Where is the U. A. Energy?" the demanding Walker commanded.

"The -- what?"

"The Ultimate Anomalous Energy, you foolish Dweller," the mongoose Walker said, disdainfully. He clearly didn't consider Realm Dwellers very smart. "Tell me where you are stashing it. Tell me, and I shall be merciful."

"You really are a Kool-Aid drinker, aren't you?"

"I lose my patience, Dweller," the Realm Walker snapped. "I have claimed dominion over you. You must obey my commands."

"What?" Blue wasn't amused in the least.

"You dare to defy me?"

"You really need to work interspecies people skills," Blue said, scornfully, "ya know that?"

"Fine." the Realm Walker said, launching himself at Blue, jaws open wide after he announced, "Die."

[Cloak]

Yeah, this book will likely be more than the requisite twenty chapters.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
Breakneck Blitz

But midway through this lunge, a roar shook the ground. Almost as if the very ground was trembling at the arrival of its master. And, within seconds, a loud WHUMF was heard, and the Realm Walker was hit by a blur of black and gray charging perpendicular to him.

"You?" the Realm Walker said, still dazed from the impact.

Cloak snarled, "You were expecting some pampered beast prince in a castle?"

"Why did you attack me?" the mongoose asked, thoroughly miffed. "I was just exercising my right!"

"You were going to kill Blue," Cloak snarled.

"I haven't given it a name, yet. I've claimed dominion over this Dweller."

Cloak was taken aback by the sheer, unadulterated stupidity of this reply.

"You do not have dominion over me!" Blue protested, offended. He was being spoken as if a piece of furniture, a mere object to be own and obedient, an unwilling possession. It was difficult not to take that kind of thing personally. "You do not OWN --"

"Be silent, Dweller," Gumshoe said, in an unbelievably condescending and dismissive voice, "the Walkers are talking."

"Blue, steady," Cloak said, without taking his eyes off of Gumshoe. "Get your sword. Your going to need it in a few minutes."

"You don't give orders to my Dw--"

Cloak had sent a small crescent of energy that moved like Street Fighter II's Guile's Sonicboom projectile. It hit Gumshoe in the cheek -- the Realm Walker equivalent of a slap to the face.

"Did you just --"

"You're rather slow on the uptake," Cloak said. "And, yet, you're supposed to be some sort of detective, right? Lemme guess. Your chosen name is something stupid like Gumshoe, right?"

"What's so great about 'Cloak', then?" he grumbled, and Cloak knew his insult landed. But then Gumshoe changed tact, and spoke louder, addressing Cloak. "Perhaps you know then where the --"

"Surprise attack!" Gangster yelled as he charged Cloak from behind, taking him unawares, but Cloak did not move did not flinch. Blue easily cut him from the air, but didn't kill him, naturally. Blue wasn't a Realm Walker, so he couldn't kill Gangster or Gumshoe. But that would also be unnecessary.

"Enough of this," Cloak said, with a snarl as he stood back-to-back with Blue. "Blue, remember the synergy training?"

Blue only smiled devilishly in response. Cloak took that as a "yes".

"Yes, this whole demonstration has gone on far enough." Gumshoe said. "Stand aside, Walker. You know your duty."

"Yeah, I know my Gatebursting duty," Cloak said, "but it isn't what you think."

"You side with these inferior beings?" Gumshoe said, as Gangster was nowhere to be found. "You betray your own people?"

"Inferiority is subjective," Cloak growled. He, as an adult Siberian tiger-form Realm Walker, towered over Gumshoe. "And I highly doubt the Realm Walker people approve of this incursion."

"The realms belong to us!" Gumshoe pronounced, passionately. "We Walkers have a rightful dominion over --"

"You do not," Cloak cut across him. "Walker or not, no one has the right to take the sovereignty of another sentient species. What you -- and, presumably whatever corrupted persons sitting on the Council now -- are doing is wrong. And it is wrong by definition."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Walker and Ninja

"Enough debate!" Gumshoe snapped. "I have had enough of listening to your traitorous sympathizing with a lesser species."

"We were not meant to be a species, a race, of conquerors, Gumshoe," Cloak said evenly. "We were meant to be a species of scholars, of observers. We were meant to learn, not dominate."

"Meant by whom?"

"Fate. Nature. Whatever, take your pick," Cloak said. "I refuse to believe that we were meant to lord over the Dwellers. We are not inherently superior. If anything, we are equals."

"Equals?" Gumshoe snorted. "You've overstayed your time in this realm, then, grandson of Sage. You have allowed your pride to be eroded to nothing, you have even sunk to the low of actually befriending Dwellers."

Cloak said nothing, but narrowed his eyes in contempt.

"Not to mention breaking D.U.M.B.A.S.S. Act," Gumshoe said. He pronounced it by the letters, not phonetically.

Blue looked at Cloak, "He can't be serious, can he? He's actually trying to enforce a law called the dumbass act?"

"You give him too much credit, Blue," Cloak replied, "he probably doesn't even know what one is."

"Apt," Blue quipped, "as he is one."

"Agreed."

"You must subjugate the Dwellers of this Realm, per the law." Gumshoe said. "Anything less makes you a traitor."

"The only traitorous soul I see here is you, Gumshoe."

"I'm bringing you in first," Gumshoe said, firing some tylee chains from his right sleeve, intending to bind Cloak. They approached with astonishing swiftness. Closer and closer and closer . . .

Only to find themselves wrapped around a cedar log. Cloak and Blue had vanished in tandem. Gumshoe found this to be a dirty trick, unworthy of a true with proper Walker pride.

But he was taken unawares when the log dendrokinetically floated up and began to whip around him. He didn't realize until too late that it was wrapping around him. Pinioning his arms to his side.

"I've gotcha now!" Gangster said, leaping in from nowhere. Blue managed to grab a hold of his tail, and swig him into Gumshoe, until both were thoroughly bound by the tylee chains.

"You'll never get away with this, traitor!" Gumshoe declared angrily.

"Oh, put a sock in it, you loyalist hack," Cloak snarled dismissively. Then he addressed Blue, "go and report back to the forum. I'll have to return these . . . these fundamentalists back to where they belong."

"Where?"

"The Oblivion Gate," Cloak said, as he prepared to Walk to the Nexus, "and then there are six other sites, six other coordinates that I must go and investigate."

"We're not criminals!" Gumshoe protested. Then he added after a brief pause, and he indicated Gangster, "Well, he is. But I'm not!!"

"Cloak -- you're going to run yourself ragged," Blue warned.

"Perhaps, Blue, but it must be done," Cloak said, Walking directly to the Nexus from there.

[Cloak]

Sorry, time got away from me yesterday.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
Brooklet Hill

Crack!

I should have known that that wouldn't have held him for very long, Horse found herself thinking.

She had come to a hilly area that consisted of three small ponds, the first one of which had a simple wooden plank bridge spanning it. The second required one to swim across, as it had some depth to it, but not enough to be called a lake. The third one was big and deep, but you could easily see the bottom when the water had settled enough.

That's where he was.

He was clearly a Realm Walker, but definitely not cloak, as he was a great deal smaller. He was more or less Horse's size as a juvenile, talking seal. But the difference was that he was swathed in aquamarine blue and light blue energy to make himself look remarkably larger. Far larger than any Realm Walker she had ever seen. Horse wondered if he was overcompensating for something. Or if Realm Walkers were like Namekians, in that capacity.

Creeee . . .

She had frozen over the third pond, hoping to trap this monster. But now the monster was breaking through. She had even lost her communicator -- she no idea where it got to.

Creeeeeeeak . . . . CRACK!

Why didn't she freeze the entire pond? Why didn't she freeze the whole of it solid?

These were her thoughts as she rushed to seal any of the cracks and fissures that it made in the  ice cap of the pond she made. Then, quite suddenly, it stopped. This was so unexpected to her that she stopped momentarily, minorly perplexed.

Then it began again with renewed vigor, almost catching her unawares. She was irritated when she heard a deep-throated sort of laughter. She became aware that Walker monster was just playing with her, that he -- she? -- didn't consider her a legitimate threat. This really angered her, to be taken so lightly, as if she was nothing.

She was managing to keep on top of it in an impressive manner, as well. But no being, not even a Realm Walker or sentient star, can keep up something like this indefinitely. Something would give eventually.

And that's when the energy blast came. It was lurid pink and pastel blue. It knocked the seal RAFian for a loop.

Then, with a resounding crack, a long, deep fissure appeared in the ice. Horse was still too disoriented to do anything about, as the ice burst appart and she slipped down into the pond with this monstrous Realm Walker. . . .

[theyoungphoenix]

oh snap. also sorry cloak! i fell behind in reading, but i caught up again, woo!

[Cloak]

It's okay, Abby. **** happens. *shrugs*

New chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Hydro Vortex

The ice cap fissured more and cracked, and Horse found herself underwater. Now, being a seal and all, she could swim quite easily. Far easier than any human. But she was in close proximity to a giant monster -- well, a small monster swathed in aquamarine blue and light blue energy, rather like combat magic. And this creature had as much control over water as she had.

It was then that the water began that churn. It began to churn as if Horse was caught in a merciless washing machine. It was a sensation that she really could have done without experiencing.

"Someone . . . turn this . . . thing off!" she muttered, her voice vibrating. "I'm . . . going to be . . . sick!!"

Then it suddenly stopped.

"Thanks, Cloak," Horse said, somehow managing to make even her fur look green with motion sickness.

"Just don't regurgitate on me," Cloak said.

"Term's 'puke', Cloak," Horse said, quickly managing to regain her color and composure again. Horse paused for a moment -- they both heard the music begin. Horse addressed Cloak, "He's gonna sing, isn't he?"

"It's almost like there's a quota . . ." Cloak observed passively.

"This Walker is back to bring his wrath upon thee,
You can't be rid of me!
Not that easily!
And like all who dare defy me,
You will learn your lesson well.
Never toy with a Walker like me."

"You got what you deserved!" Horse croaked out. She was starting to come out of her disorientation.

This Realm Walker just kept singing, oblivious to Horse's statement.

"Angel! And me, Many!
Loyal darling, strong as the tide!
Sweetest poopsie, hasten to my side!
Right now! Daddy needs you!
Crush those stupid fools, make them writhe!"

"I don't think so!" Cloak said.

And yet . . . he continued to sing. He was persistent.

"What a feeble Walker.
No, I can't believe my eyes!
Such a stubborn Elements Master,
Who is fighting for his prize!
Without your precious Realm,
You'd crazy with revenge.
I suppose I sympathize!"

"I'm not gonna lose my home!" Cloak contradicted.

"Right, I'm with you all the way!" Horse proclaimed, as her head cleared.

And Many . . . he just sang:

"Angel! And me, Many!
Loyal darling, strong as the tide!
Sweetest poopsie, hasten to my side!
Right now! Daddy needs you!
Crush those stupid fools, make them writhe!"

"It's over, Many!!"

He just sang:

"This is not the end, my dears.
I swear, I've just begun!
It's not over until MANY HAS WON!!!!!"

"He through?" Horse asked.

"Maybe," Cloak answered.


SOURCE SONG: https://youtube.com/watch?v=TAp0yWdsoiI

[theyoungphoenix]

pfff. the last two lines made me laugh

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Walker and Seal

Many began to launch into the song again, but this time the two RAFians ignored him, and Cloak brought out the same tylee chains he used on Gumshoe and Gangster, before he put them in the Oblivion Gate's doorstep. They were taken in, despite ludicrous claims of amnesty.

They targeted Angel first, as Many was still too busy singing his silly little song, overgrandoising himself. Cloak was starting to suspect that he was overcompensating for something.

Angel was easy enough to deal with. She clearly wasn't a fighter -- Cloak and Horse could recognize that right away. She was sluggish with her attacks -- slow and hesitant. She clear had not engaged in many, if any battles. Whereas Cloak trained and practiced the elements every day, as Horse used the training simulator semi-frequently (usually when she got bored). Not to mention the countless missions that they went on. Angel really stood no chance at all.

With his accomplice apprehended for the moment, the two focused on Many, who leaped out of the water, a creature of aquamarine blue and light blue. Cloak could easily tell that this was nothing more than an energy construct. Cloak couldn't begin to hazard a guess why. Perhaps Many believed it would intimidate them. Perhaps he had a Napoleon complex. Perhaps he was insecure about his obvious small stature.

Whatever the case was, that construct wouldn't be too difficult to get around. Or through. Many was still so enthralled with his song -- which, in all honesty, wasn't that great -- he seemed oblivious to the actions of the two RAFians. Which worked wonderfully for their plan.

Seal began to dart expertly around the construct, which looked like the unholy union of a Dunkleosteus, a school of sardines, and a submarine, trying to distract it while Cloak came from behind. Cloak had swathed his feline claws in golden scarlet energy, and had taken hold of Many's construct.

And, yet, Many seemed oblivious to this, just intent on singing his song over and over again. It was getting to point of being irritating and grating. But this was going to be over soon enough.

Cloak impaled his claws into the construct, and, still, Many didn't notice. He was going into his fifth rendition of the song, apparently losing sight of what he was intended to be doing in this realm. Cloak tested Many's attentiveness by digging his claws in deeper.

No reaction. This was good. This simplified things considerably.

Cloak dug his claws in a tad more, and began to use all his physical strength to pull the construct apart. To rend it asunder, and uncover Many's true self. This was actually far harder than it appeared. Apparently, Many was a practiced hand at producing constructs like this -- Cloak had only ever used energy constructs for crude shields for both protection and containment, or concussive blasts. He had never made a construct with this kind of nuance, thickness, or viscosity.

Such a pity that Many was a Kool-Aid drinker, and believed the ridiculous, nonsensical "right to Dweller domination" rhetoric. Cloak was just glad that they weren't spouting that it was for the greater good. That would just be pathetically thickminded.

Though more difficult than he had anticipated, Cloak quickly made mincemeat out of the construct, which evaporated into energy as Cloak bound Many up next to Angel, still unaware and oblivious to her unrequited love. Cloak actually found himself feeling sorry for her because of that little fact.

"Go and report this to the forum, Horse," Cloak said. "I have to get these two to the Oblivion Gate."

"You can't!" Many protested profusely. "D'you have any idea what they do to Walkers like me in the Oblivion Gate?!"

"As long as we're together, Many, we'll be fine," Angel said, sweetly. She was clearly enamored with Many. Cloak wanted to snap her out of it, but he knew the power denial has over a person, and how it firmly distorts one's worldview.

"Oh, shut up, Angel!" Many snapped.

"I love you, too, puddin'," Angel said, leaving Cloak's mouth a bit ajar. Denial already had a firm grip on this Realm Walker.

Many leaned toward Cloak, and said, in a desperate whisper, "Help me!!!"

He wasn't trying to persuade Cloak to let him go, either.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
The Volcano

"Oh, be a dear, there, and tell me where you lot are hiding the U. A. energy," the lizard Realm Walker was addressing Blaze. He tone was sultry and alluring, like the scent of a pitcher plant, before you tumble into its pit with the digestive enzymes. "I assure you that I can make it worth your while . . ."

"Are . . . are you trying to seduce me?" Blaze said, thoroughly nonplussed at this. When he went on this mission, when he sojourned for the caldera of this dormant volcano -- this wasn't what he had expected to find.

"Seduce you?" she said, with what she clearly believed to be scintillating, girlish giggle. "Why, whatever would make you think an old woman, like little old Beguile, would would do something like that?"

"Because your name is 'beguile'," Blaze said, flatly, ignoring the obvious rhetorical question.

"Oh, m'dear Dweller, don't judge me so harshly for the name! It was just something that others had given me --"

"Probably for good reason," Blaze countered.

"Oh, you do enjoy your little Dweller jokes," Beguile said, rather flirtatiously. Blaze, however, didn't care for the condescension he heard whenever she said "Dweller" or the fact that she seemed to always need to frame her statements to make it clear that Dwellers were something insignificant. That Dwellers were some sort of oddities, at best. "But, I must know where the U. A. energy is, dearest. We can get to the fun topics afterward."

Blaze didn't like how she seemed to like toying with him. He said nothing, but noticed a clearly younger Realm Walker behind her, looking disaffected and moody. He was more or less Shadow's age, but he looked far more unhappy than she ever was.

"Oh, come now," Beguile said. "Come, come, come."

Blaze didn't like the way she was saying that word, though he wasn't sure if he was taking it out of context or not.

"Pay no mind to Onus," she said, dismissively, "he's not really all that important."

Clearly, Onus didn't really mean much to Beguile, and she only saw him as a burden or an accessory, it fluctuated. Hence his inherently dour demeanor and melancholic personality.

"Now, dearest," she said, focusing her mind games upon a still confused Blaze, who was seriously not interested. "The U. A. energy. Can you point us in the proper direction for a twinkle?"

"Back off," Blaze said, back away. Unfortunately, his communicator fell and broke. And he didn't know how to repair it. But he had far more pressing concerns at the moment.

"I'll give you a friendly piece of advice, my Dweller friend," she said, still sounding sultry in her attempts to captivate the djinn/angel hybrid. "Do not scorn me or spurn me. You will not like the results."

"What?" Blaze said. He was seriously not liking where this was headed.

"You heard me," she said, her sultry voice suddenly mutating into a sinister, hoarse one. "Do not resist me. You wouldn't like it. Just ask Onus's father."

"You . . . you killed him, didn't you?" Blaze said, flapping his wings in a desperate bid to put some distance from the two, but keeping them within eyeline. Beguile and her angsty son.

"Now, that's a hurtful accusation," she said, in an abrupt return to her previous mannerisms. "You can't prove anything about that. No one can. Right, Onus?"

Onus just shrugged and said, "Whatever."

Beguile huffed an exasperated sigh, and said, "Little Dweller, the fun of this is starting to lose its novelty. Tell me where the energy is, or I will just dispose of you like the expendable creature you are."

Blaze just scrunched his face into one of anger and contempt. This was all a game to her. She had enjoyed making him uncomfortable. She had enjoyed his confusion.

"You try my patience, Dweller," she said, voice hard and fiery now. "I'll give you until the count of five to grant me the location of this energy. Or else."

"Or else what?"

"One."

Blaze could easily see that she would not be reasoned with.

"Two!"

Blaze quickly reviewed his options.

"Three!"

He had none. He didn't know what the hell this U. A. energy stuff was. He had never even heard of it.

"Four!"

Something told him that it wouldn't be a good enough excuse for her.

"Four-and-a-half!"

He drew his sword, this one of his own design. He prepared himself for what was about to come.

"Four-and-three-quarters!"

Every muscle in his body was prepared for battle. He was as ready as he ever was gonna be.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Inferno Overkill

"Five." she said. She wasn't a very happy camper. "Fine. You want to be difficult, little Dweller? You want to defy a superior being? Well, fine. I did give you plenty of warning before this,so don't go bleating about how I was irrational and unfair."

She got on all fours, as if she was a quasi-pedal animal. Her plantigrade feet seemed to become inexplicably digitigrade. It was almost as if she was a facultative biped, even though she was a Realm Walker. All Realm Walkers had plantigrade feet. But the more incredible thing was the tongues of flame that were wrapping themselves into a ball of flames within Beguile's open jaws.

Which the ball of flames, almost as big as an overinflated beach ball now, continued to grow, unwedging itself from her jaws but dallying around her hooked upper jaw. Blaze wasn't stupid. He knew what was coming, what Beguile intended. Blaze, himself, was a pyrokinetic, so he, naturally, felt that he could handle this.

The huge fireball bore down on Blaze, who tried to quiet all the qualms he had with this plan of his, but held his sword in front of him, perfectly parallel to the ground. He was preparing for the expected massive impact. He only hoped that it wasn't too strong, wasn't strong enough to shatter his bones.

Fortunately, the blast wasn't like that, but Blaze had to use his other hand on the flat side of the blade of his sword to help brace against the force of the fireball. He even flared his wings, though this was more out of instinct that anything else. But the fireball had enough force to push him backward. But the initial inertia stopped, as Blaze was able to push back with equal force -- which wasn't at all easy.

"Prepare yourself, Blaze!" called out a familiar voice. It actually relieved him to hear it, though he probably would never admit to just how much.

Suddenly, a small spire of earthen stone sprouted up from the ground, bouncing the fireball as if it was nothing more than a mundane volleyball. It soared in the air, with Onus and Beguile just standing there, dumbfounded at this turn in events.

"Blaze!" the voice prompted, but Blaze didn't require any. He flew up to the fireball, with his sword at the ready. When he was in the position that was just right, he began to slash at it with one swift, fluid, fast motion. He must have slashed the thing fifty or so times before anything happened.

He quietly and swiftly swooped away as a hug water vortex swallowed up the shattered remains of the fireball, perhaps in an overly flashy manner. And, as soon as it appeared, it vanished. Beguile was nonplussed, and Onus became disinterested and disaffected again.

Blaze landed with all the grace of an experience flier, like a bird. He stood and folded his wings against his back, extinguishing the flames that he had them engulfed in, as he was trying to look intimidating, and he had yet to know if he was successful in this avenue.

"So," Cloak said, stepping into view, "another one, huh?"

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Walker and Hybrid

"Another one?" Blaze said, incredulous. "You mean at the other coordinates there where -- ?"

"Other Realm Walkers? Yes," Cloak said, with an irreverent and cavalier manner. "At least four others, anyway. All subscribing to this ludicrous ideal that Walkers have the inherent right to take over the realms, and that they somehow have automatic dominion over Dwellers. A logical fallacy that seems to surface with irritating regularity in some Walkers. I took care of them, and put them back where they belonged: the Oblivion Gate."

"Oh, poor, sweet, shallow-minded fool," Beguile said, sweetly, with that crooked sort of smile on her face. "You are the ludicrous one, really. Dwellers exist for no other reason hut to entertain us. Their lives are nothing but a meaningless interruption of Walker goals at the best of times, I'm afraid."

"All lives have meaning," Cloak countered. His eyes flashed briefly with scarlet and gold -- always a danger sign. "No one life is worth more or less than another -- with the possible exception of a child's life over an adult's. That is a flawed way of thinking, lady -- and I use the term loosely."

"Oh, impudence," she said, a gesture of exaggerated exasperation. Cloak could swear that she was more hammy then William Shatner. "Power like yours is so wasted on an ineffectual being like yourself. You choose to ally yourself with these . . . these . . . these toys? You chose this? You actually chose this?"

In response, Cloak addressed Blaze, "I think you can see know why I dislike my own species at times."

"Eh, all species have prick members," Blaze said, with a shrug.

"A 'prick', am I?" Beguile said, venomously. "Well, maybe I should reactivate this dormant volcano. Then will I be this 'prick' you speak of?"

"Well," Blaze said, with a blase look, "yeah. Yeah, you would be even more of a prick."

Beguile clearly didn't know the meaning of the word, the noun sense anyway, but she could tell that it was pejorative. This did not make her feel any better.

"Fine, you insignificant nothing!" Beguile snarled, voice drenched in venom. "I shall do it then! We'll see how bold your tongue is when -- mrph!!"

Her jaws were suddenly bound shut by a length of tylee chains.

"Spout your vitriol elsewhere," Cloak said, swiftly tying her up in the rest of the chains. She yelled muffled cries of help, help from Onus. Cloak had quickly pieced two and two together. "The boy's gone. He has abandoned you."

Beguile's eyes sparked with anger, and a little fear.

"Now, to put you back where you belong," Cloak said, rather pitilessly. "Oblivion Gate."

She tried to protest profusely, but Cloak just addressed Blaze, "Go. Make your report to the others. I'll clean up this mess."

[Cloak]

Sorry for not posting yesterday. Time got away from me and my mobile device has decided to be annoyingly SLOW.

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Lush Jungle

Underseen was afraid.

He knew something was hunting him, here in this muggy rainforest, but he had no idea what. It wasn't like that woodpecker Realm Walker who talked to much, and had a lust for violence. Underseen easily sneaked past the boisterous idiot.

But there was something else here. Something soundless. Something that was watching. Something that took his communicator. Something that destroyed said communicator. He never saw who or what it was, but just knew that it was on the trail. He could feel its presence like a hot breath upon his neck, but every time that he looked 'round, there was nothing to be found. Just dense, oppressive jungle.

It was a novel feeling, to be hunted like this. But that, by no means, meant Underseen enjoyed this experience. Underseen did not enjoy being afraid. Underseen did not enjoy this unknown creature's pursuit.

Sure, he tried using his shapeshifting to elude this creature, but he felt that it witnessed every shape he shifted into. The element of surprise was not in his favor, and he knew it. Worse was that this creature, whatever it was, knew it, too, and knew that it was the one with it. Clearly, it didn't want to squander the chance for anything less than an opportune occasion, especially considering how it refused to give up this element of surprise at its many conveniences, which it clearly believed them to be inauspicious.

Underseen was quickly coming at a lost of what to do. There was a limit to what he could shapeshift into. And whatever form he assumed he couldn't assume any of their inherent powers, that weren't strictly physiology-based. For instance, if he became a Psycholeopterran, he would be able to fly, but not go intangible or release the hypnotic gases -- he was basically only able affect the appearances of things, not all their properties.

Underseen thought he had scarcely discovered a clearing in this dense jungle foliage. This was good. This would force whatever this thing was out of hiding. And then maybe, just maybe, Underseen would discover a way to beat it. It won't be easy though, if the creature figures out what he's up to.

There!

Underseen, in the form of a Bengal tiger, burst through the jungle into the clearing. He turned back, readopting his human form, and he waited to see just what this creature who was pursuing him so arduously was.

But nothing happened.

No creature revealed itself. No nothing.

It was rather anticlimactic, Underseen had to admit. Did he simply misinterpret the innocent scurryings of an ordinary jungle critter? It was possible, Underseen had to admit to himself. But he was so sure that there was something . . .

He had allowed himself to get so caught up in these thoughts, he didn't realize or recognize the brief breeze that seemed to force the flowers' colors to become more vibrant. He failed to realize that four petals on a flower, upon which he unknowingly had trodden the center, were rising up, to encase him. To squeeze the life from him.

There was no crack to slip through as something small. The petals alone must have weighed like a hundred pounds. To heavy to be dislodged easily. And he couldn't become bigger, as there was no space to do so safely. He was trapped, trapped by heavy petals that felt more like dry tongues -- and Underseen felt unnerved by that, somewhat.

But he was trapped for the time being. But the petals were growing closer and closer together. He may very well be crushed to nothing soon . . .

[Cloak]

Sorry for the delay, I wasn't feeling it yesterday.

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Bloom Doom

Great, Underseen thought, just great. After all these life-or-death missions, after all those brushes with death, and how do I die? By being stuck inside some flower. That shrinks.

Underseen knew that he could accommodate the shrinkage, but for a time. Even he had a threshold for how large and how small of forms that he could take. Pushing those thresholds would hurt in ways undreamed of to those with static shapes. He didn't care to be forced to simply survive -- and he may not at that. He couldn't really go any smaller than, say, a flea. There was no way he would survive to a microbial level -- that was just impossible to do, at least for him.

But the petals were too heavy and sturdy for him tondislodge on his own. Like slaps of fleshy granite, propped up by each other. Sure, he could grow larger and try to burst out, but that could end up hurting him more than helping him. It would seem that he was stuck at an impasse . . . no, it wasn't an impasse, because the flower he was within was shrinking. He was at an disadvantage. A clear-cut disadvantage, and he seemed to be screwed anyway he looked at it.

But then one of the petals of his ever-shrinking prison grew strangely hot. This left Underseen in a perplexed quandary. Was shrinking into oblivion not enough for this sadist? Now they intended to parboil him as well? How cruel was this creature?

But then the petal began to feel dead, as curled up, going from a lurid sort of pink to a shriveled-up black. Then the dry, dessicated petal fell away, revealing an exit. Underseen didn't need any invitation and hastedly exited his prison.

"Cloak?" Underseen asked.

"You were expecting Fire Lord Zuko?" Cloak replied.

"What?"

"Never mind," Cloak said. "I see you ran into your own fascist Realm Walker."

"Is that what that thing was?"

"Yes," Cloak said, making a quick stomp of his foot and quick pivot punch, and she was launched from the jungle to right before them. She landed in a rumpled mess. "Oh, I know you. 'Silence' or something like that I believe?"

She lifted her chitinous head up, and glared at Cloak with undue hatred.

"Known for quickly silencing political enemies," Cloak said, in a rather glib manner. "In addition for very seldomly even muttering so much as a singular syllable. An achievement, indeed."

She righted herself, looking thoroughly rumpled and disgruntled. She stared dangers at Cloak, her belief that he was a traitor to his kind, to his race, was very evident, even without a single word being uttered.

"You still want to challenge me, Silence?" Cloak asked, despite already knowing the answer as she took a fighting stance. "You still think that you can best me?"

Cloak chose not to draw attention to Underseen, as she seemed unaware of his liberation from her flower. Underseen seemed to pick up on this quickly, and swiftly adopted an unobtrusive form, unseen and unknown to Silence.

"You want to silence me, as you have so many that dared to disagree with your extremist politics?" Cloak said, assuring he held her interest, and he sounded rather unimpressed. "Well, I just don't see that happening."

Silence said nothing, but her gestures and mannerisms all said, then let me OPEN YOUR EYES!!

She made a lot of sweeping slices and kicks -- not a one hit, due to Cloak's constant training at RAF, not mention each blow was clearly telegraphed by her feet, and the weight she put on them. It made it almost too easy against someone with Earthsight.

"Are you done with this futile display yet?" Cloak provoked.

To this, Silence actually spoke.

"Die."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Walker and Shapeshifter

"Perhaps later, Silence," Cloak said, sidestepping her attack. She had clearly telegraphed it again so that even a rudimentary Earthsight user would be able to tell her intentions, "but not today!"

She tried to slash with her elongated pinky fingers (she was an anthropomorphized orchid mantis, after all), which was not sheathed in her Realm Walker corona. This meant she could wield them without detriment to the realm and the Dwellers within it -- though she wouldn't really care if it did. She clearly depended heavily on the element of surprise for most of her power, and would still have been formidable had she not been fighting someone who could sense her movements and weight shifts through the very earth itself.

"I will admit that you have skill," Cloak said, still sounding rather unimpressed, "but you fight for all the wrong reasons. There is no good to come from rejecting and refusing to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Dweller governments. Walker law doesn't supercede all law -- in fact, most of those laws were only crafted to keep the common Walker down and the elites fat and happy."

Silence ignored him in her zeal to silence him.

"I see," Cloak said, his tepidity giving way to disappointment. "You wish to see no reason. You wish to cleave to this wrong ideal of Walker supremacy. The most dangerous kind of ideologue. An iconodulistic ideologue."

Silence said nothing.

"Then you force my hand," Cloak said, for the first time showing the minutest trace of fatigue. "Underseen! To me!"

Underseen burst from his hiding place as a Rottweiler, and dashed toward Cloak, who declared, "Fastball special!"

Underseen nodded his canine head, and leaped at Cloak, shapeshifting into an armadillo, and rolling into a ball. He rolled down Cloak's left arm and into his hand, taking a length of tylee chains Cloak provided. Then Cloak ****ed his hand back and threw Underseen with all his might.

Underseen used this momentum to shift into a large raptor -- the bird-of-prey kind -- and fly towards Silence, who had yet to react to this. Underseen swiftly circled her chitinous head, and bound her tightly with the tylee chains.

"I'm here to help you -- oof!!" the woodpecker Realm Walker said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Only to be tied up and thoroughly bound with Silence, with minimal effort.

"What do you think you're doing?! Untie me right now!!" Blabbermouth said. "Unbind me right now!"

"I think I preferred Silence's method of communication," Underseen said, assuming his human form. His base form. "This blabbermouth talks to much."

"Don't you speak to me in such a disgraceful tone, Dweller! You should watch your tongue or you may find you don't have one anymore!"

Underseen deftly shapeshifted into an Andalite -- despite not being able to use thought-speak, even in that form. He was making a point that Blabbermouth would never get. Andalites don't have tongues to wag, but this point was, as expected, completely lost on the two. They clearly took no time to really get to know the world they were trying to occupy with this excursion.

Blabbermouth was continuing to go off on them, but Cloak had tuned him out. There was still much to be done, and he felt the fatigue, but he did his best to not only not show it, but to not feel it as well.

"Go on and make your report to the others," Cloak said. "I'll get these two back to where they belong -- oh, will you shut up Blabbermouth?!"