Memoirs of a RAFian

[Underseen]

Well spoken...

I think that the Aquilai centric book you were talking about was Book XXIV: The First Master [Time] master. I am probably wrong though.

[Cloak]

You're wrong -- that's the book that's gonna have no RAFians in it at all.  Except for minor bits of me in the beginning and end.  Besides, I've finished the chapter-by-chapter thing of that book a long while ago.  I was talking about Book LIV.

Speaking of which -- new page.

• Book XIX: The Clone Wars
• Book XX: The Darwin Gun
• Book XXI: Other Side of the Tracks
• Book XXII: Pits of Terror
• Book XXIII: RAF Comix
• Book XXIV: The First Master
• Book XXV: RAF -- The Musical
• Book XXVI: Outage Outrage
• Book XXVII: Infinity and Eternity
• Book XXVIII: The Virus Rings
• Book XXIX: Soul-Suckers
• Book XXX: Mayhem of the Music Miser
• Book XXXI: The Metal-Maker
• Book XXXII: Richard is Missing
• Book XXXIII: Emotional Food
• Book XXXIV: Transformation Confrontation
• Book XXXV: Richard's Horn
• Book XXXVI: Feral Scream
• Book XXXVII: Predators and Prey
• Book XXXVIII: A Protean Problem
• Book XXXIX: The Horsemen
• Book XL: Sizeable Pain in the Necks
• Book XLI: RAF's Nightmare
• Book XLII: Unlucky Charms
• Book XLIII: The Piper
• Book XLIV: The Wishing Star
• Book XLV: A War of Armor
• Book XLVI: The Worst Plague
• Book XLVII: Little Alien Napoleons
• Book XLVIII: Go Away!
• Book XLIX: RAFian Tales
• Book L: Maul
• Book LI: Erised Orbs
• Book LII: RAFians Alive! -- an out-of-normal-continuity book
• Book LIII: The Pain Reliever
• Book LIV: Beyond the Veils
• Book LV: Dangerous Deals*
• Book LVI: Of One Mind*
• Book LVII: The End of Time* -- another out-of-normal-continuity book
• Book LVIII: Hematomimic*
• Book LIX: Sins of Youth*
• Book LX: The Replacements*
• Book LXI: Arachnoids*
• Book LXII: Personal Tissues*
• Book LXIII: Memory Today, Gone Tomorrow*
• Book LXIV: Appliance Armageddon*
• Book LXV: Prodigy and Composite*
• Book LXVI: The Merging*
• Book LXVII: Be A Doll*
• Book LXVIII: RAF Captors* -- yet another out-of-normal-continuity book . . . unless I change my mind.
• Book LXIX: Dinosaur Island*
• Book LXX: Corrupted*
• Book LXXI: Artificial Skins*
• Book LXXII: Separation Anxiety*
• Book LXXIII: A Thing About RAFians*
• Book LXXIV: A Planted Idea*
• Book LXXV: Vacation Photos*
• Book LXXVI: A Personal Gremlin*
• Book LXXVII: The Rust is Silence*
• Book LXXVIII: The Toyman Cometh*
• Book LXXIX: RAFian Idol* -- yes, just another excuse to put in more of the (as of writing) nearly 800 parodies.
• Book LXXX: Savage Heart*
• Book LXXXI: Slave Islands and Juggernauts*
• Book LXXXII: Shredding a King*
• Book LXXXIII: RAF -- The TV Show*
• Book LXXXIV: The Drinker*
• Book LXXXV: The Last Laugh*
• Book LXXXVI: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad Villain*
• Book LXXXVII: Sight Unseen*
• Book LXXXVIII: Don't Let It Snow*
• Book LXXXIX: The Rachel Toxin*
• Book XC: Virus Alert!*
• Book XCI: A Youthful Thief*
• Book XCII: Calendar Creep*
• Book XCIII: The Branding*

Again, the (*) denotes a book I have yet to do the chapter-by-chapter notes for.

[Underseen]

I was close.

[Cloak]

If you say so, Underseen. 

And I don't think anymore chapters today.  That inconsiderate neighbor is giving me a headache.

EDIT: New chapter'll be coming . . .  nowish.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Free, At Last!

Mr. Guy continued to work on the carbolucite machine, and Cloak continued to force Collector watch as the other RAFians dealt with his drones with skill and style.

"You see how wrong you were, Collector," Cloak intoned.  "You and all of your ilk?  Dwellers may not be able to Walk but you shouldn't write them off so glibly.  They can be a force to reckon with."

"And that's why you joined them?" Collector said, with a nervous patter.

"No, you fool." Cloak spat.  "They're my friends."

Then Cloak thought of Rotiart.

"Well, most of them."

Mr. Guy go the machine to roar to life, and he managed to get it to go into reverse.  Soon, Noelle, Parker, Myitt, Hunter, Demos, Sakki, Mithril, Gaz, Horse, Yarin, Phoenix, Aquilai, and Dino were back among the mobile.  Although, Sakki was still unconscious, but Cloak didn't know why.  Then it hit him.

"Hey!" Cloak protested as he unintentionally released Collector.  Cloak saw the thing that fell from the ceiling, and recognized it as a tech-suppressing device.  Itemsmith would be furious to learn the perverted way his invention was being used.  Cloak held it then closed his fist, using his mastery over metal to destroy it.  Cloak had no qualms -- Itemsmith would be able to recreate it in a flash if he wanted to.

Sakki's eyes immediately snapped open at the destruction of the device.

"Any calls while I was out?" Sakki asked.

"Only one," Mithril said, "DUCK!"

Cloak watched benignly as Collector attempted to sprint to the door, despite not being much of a sprinter and a little rotund to run very fast, only to have found it tightly shut.  He knew that the wouldn't risk going back to the Nexus -- he was a wanted criminal after all.  And they thought him dead.  He couldn't leave, and he wouldn't leave his carbolacite and taxidermied collection behind.  Turns out, that the RAFians were the only living specimens on board.

"Open!  Open up!" Collector screamed.  He tried pulling with both his hands and his energy, but to no avail, as Cloak walked sedately up to him.  "Only a master of Metal or metalbender can open that door now." Cloak said.

"No!  No!  It can't end like this!"

"Well, it did, feathers-for-brains," Parker said.  It was difficult to tell with his helmet and all, but he was ticked.  Really ticked.  Cloak looked at Collector, then at Parker, and then he stepped aside for Parker to have words with the little scumbag.  As well as the other twelve that no doubt have had words for the little pipsqueak.

Collector glowered at a shadowy corner.  "Help me!  Help!!  We had a deal!  WE HAD A DEAL!!"

"Eh, it didn't work for me," replied an offhand voice as Parker, punched Collector on the head, though on the cloak side -- he was much too fond of his fist to try the more direct route.

[Underseen]

Nice Chapter, but the book isn't over yet so something can always happen.

[Cloak]

Well, I don't have my notes here with me at the moment, but I can assure you that you're right, Underseen.  But better get used to this one-chapter-a-day deal, because I'm getting a new book on the second and getting Pokemon White 2 soon, as well.

Maybe now people -- like Phoenix -- can catch more easily.

[Underseen]

I just got Borderlands 2 so I will probably just spend my time on that.

[Cloak]

Well, you seem to be the only RAFian caught up, thusfar, Underseen.

[Sakki]

Mithril and I have been reading this, we just don't have anything to say that doesn't sound repetitive

[Cloak]

Oh, well, I thought Underseen was the only one caught up.  Guess I was wrong.  But still, the one-chapter-maximum will stay in play -- at least, until I finish Pokemon White 2 and that Riordan book.

It's only fair to let everyone else catch up.

Anyway, Sakki, Mithril -- how's the animation thing goin'?

[Aquilai]

Just wanted to say (even if it isn't finished yet) this book is awesome

...RAFians dealt with his drones with skill and style.

Is there another way? ^^

I'm just wondering on how you're going to deal with Collector. Are you sending him back for his death sentence?

[Cloak]

Oh, I think I'll wait in to the last or penultimate chapter to reveal that, Aquilai.   Either way -- it won't be pleasant for Collector.

New chapter -- probably gonna be a short one.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Collector's Backers

"Young Elements Master," came the voice stepping out of the shadows.  It was Malice.  "Surprised?  Surprised that we are the backers of Collector and his collection?"

"Not really," Cloak replied coldly, folding his arms across his chest, giving Malice a heavy-lidded look.  "I am far to used to just about everything being due to your machinations."

"You mean, my Machiavellian machinations." she said, as Abomination stepped out of the shadows as well, flanking his "love".

"Not entirely." Cloak said, with a dry tone.  The others were still battling the drones -- they seemed to be deliberately drawing out the battle, enjoying destroying something.  Parker, however, stood right beside Cloak.  "I'm well aware that you freed Collector from the Gate Prison -- the Council's fault for not looking to the compency of their workers.  That's why, I assume, you were able to smuggle him out so easily, and without anyone being the wiser."

"So Realm Walkers aren't immune from bureaucratic idiocy?" Parker said, in an aside to Cloak.

"I never said we were," Cloak said, not troubling to lower his voice.  "No government is immune from that blight."

"We . . . we had a d-deal . . ." Collector said quietly with a cowering stutter.  Malice ignored him, but Abomination's eyes flicked to him and then back to Cloak.

"And you had Collector collection thirteen RAFians to add to his collection," Cloak said, with a bored air, as if all of this should have been quite obvious.  "While the Council would believe he had been sent through the Veil."

Parker said nothing -- he knew that "sent through the Veil" was the Realm Walker version of an execution.  What passes through the veil cannot return -- and nothing's been known to return.  That's why the gate was initially built, to prevent accidental deaths, from roiling down the pit into the oblivion that the ghostly, ever-fluttering Veil takes souls on to.  The gate was eventually turned into a prison, where the Twelve -- rogue Realm Walkers that was eventually taken down by the first ever Elements Master and they were the first prisoners there.  But their deux es machinas remained, and were spirited away.  Hidden, but Abomination found them, absorbed them, and came here.  Then he proceed to beat Cloak to near-death.  The only time in his life where he accomplished such a feat -- fortunately one of his ancestors had made the Zodiak rings . . .

Malice clapped slowly in a mocking way.  "Very good, very good.  You can put two and two together."

"We had a d-deal . . ." Collector said more insistently, but his voice fearfully low.  He was ignored again.

"But you've missed one crucial detail, I afraid," Malice said.

Parker leaned over and whispered into Cloak's ear, "Do all Realm Walkers like monologuing like this, or is just the bat**** insane ones?"

"I HEARD THAT!" Malice called in ringing tones.  "The detail you and your pet there seemed to have missed was that Collector was supposed to collect EVERY RAFIAN!  Not a mere HANDFUL at thirteen!"

Cloak didn't react.  It really came as no surprise to him.  Parker appeared not to react as well, but, beneath his helmet, he raised his eyebrow and wore a disbelieving, skeptical look.

"As always, Malice," Cloak said, his tone unpleasantly cold, "such a grandoise vision that it overshadows the pure nonsense of the scheme."

"We had a d-deal!" Collector said, shrilly.  "This wasn't part of the deal!!"

"I have changed the deal!" Malice said, unable to ignore the shrieking magpie any longer.  "Pray I don't change it again, you pathetic piece of --"

[Underseen]

Why won't he just DIE?

[Cloak]

Don't get ahead me.

. . .



EDIT: Added a Book XCII and Book XCIII to the list. . . .

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Collecting Dust

"B-b-but . . ."

"Oh, stop your snivelling," Malice said, delivering a swift, irritated kick to the cowering, whimpering creature before her.  He no longer seemed the powerful being that he had striven to look like to Cloak's RAFian friends, but looked more like an older Realm Walker, a shell of his former glorious facade.  Gone was the haughty imagine, replaced with the truth of what a pathetic person Collector was in reality.

Then, quite gradually, as Cloak stared her down, a smile blossomed and grew upon Malice's face.  Abomination just looked stupidly from one to the other.  Parker's face was inscrutable -- again, because of that helmet of his.

"You've been to see the Council," Malice said maliciously.

Cloak said nothing.  He knew well enough that she was just trying to get a rise out of him.  But his glare got all the more colder.

"Did you honestly think that they would believe you?" Malice chided gleefully.  "You expected politicians to help?  You expect politicians to DO anything, except covet their positions of power?  Did you honestly think that they would accept something that violates their quite way of life?  Those fools haven't stepped foot outside the Nexus!  Everyone knows this!  Yet, you honestly expected the government to investigate themselves?  You are so young and naive, Cloak.  They only tell the populace that to satiate them that something's being done, or deny anything has ever happend, while covering it up.  This why I would have been a much better ruler."

"You couldn't rule anything," Cloak said, voice as mild as he could manage.  Clearly, Cloak's optimism was nonexistent at this point.  "You couldn't make a democratic government work.  You have always been a tinhorn dictator."

She flushed, as if Cloak flattered her.  "Guilty," she replied with a school girl titter.

Cloak did not move.  He did not react -- outwardly.  Inwardly, he recoiled with disgust.  He always knew that Malice was screwed up -- considering her grandfather was called Cataclysm (and also presumed dead), he guessed that megalomania and vanity was a familial disease.  Cloak's frowning expression did not falter in the least.

"P-please . . . we had a d-deal . . ." Collector begged rather pityingly.

"Your usefulness has ended," Malice said, kicking the pathetic lump of a Realm Walker away.

***

Meanwhile, the rest of the RAFians were starting to enjoy battling the drones.  It was like level five on the training simulations in RAF's version of the Danger Room.  The levels went up to one hundred, with most -- if not all -- veteran RAFians training at level fifty or so.  So, this was pretty much a cakewalk for them.  But when they were all destroyed, Sakki was heard to, quite loudly, lament, "Awwww . . . no more?"

Faerie leaned against the wall after returning her axe to hammerspace.  Smacking her lips as if she was drowsy, she said, "Gee, I wish there were more of them."

Suddenly, several new drones appeared and, with a smile of intense gratification on her face, Faerie pulled her axe from hammerspace again, and said, "Ah!  Good!  Good!"

Sakki was heard to shout, "Banzai!", when diving into the fray.

***

"Oh, Cloak," Malice said, coyly -- and it was at this point that Abomination started to think that Malice was flirting with Cloak.  Cloak had no interest in the person he viewed as a monster.  "You failed."

"What is she talk--" Parker began.  But Cloak realized what she was gonna do a split-second before hand, and before he could shout, "NO!", Malice had struck Collector.  Hard.  Very hard.  The poor old fool had fell upon the metal floor, and his C.S.I, his corporeal structural integrity faltered.  Then his body collapsed into energy, and dispersed into nothingness.  Only his cloak remained.

Now Cloak could not show him to the Council.  Now Cloak could not prove that the Council needed to do more than sit on their butts.  Which is what Malice meant by it, by killing Collector.  Sure, Cloak could show the Council his cloak, but that is a bit of evidence that can be easily rationalized and explained away, especially to those who WANT to believe the rationalizations.

Cloak unfolded his arms, and glared at Malice.  He felt anger, but not enough for him to lose control of himself, like when Malice attacked Shadow.

"Uh-oh," Parker said, noticing Cloak distinct change in mood, "now ya in for it."

[Cloak]

. . .

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
A Devastating Dispute

"Parker, get Helen, Sam and Goku to take everyone out of here." Cloak said.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"But . . . but what about you, Cloak?  Even you cannot survive the vacuum of space!"

"You heard me." Cloak repeated more forcefully.  "Don't worry about me.  It takes a lot to kill a Realm Walker . . ."

Cloak glared at the two rogues before him.

"Fortunately, I'm sufficient enough."

Parker's eyes widened underneath that helmet of his, but Cloak stood resolutely.  His resolve would not be broken.

"What are you waiting for, SPARTAN?!" Cloak said.  And Parker knew that because Cloak had called him by his RAFspecies name, that he was starting to get ticked off.  "GO!"

Parker hesitated for a moment or two, then acquiesced, wondering how he would live with himself if Cloak did not make it out of this.  But, within moments, after the last droid fell, they broke a hole into the ceiling and left.  The suction lasted for only a minute or two before the ship's systems activated and pinched the broken hole back together.  The suction, naturally, stopped after this.  And still the three Realm Walkers said nothing, just glaring at each other.

"Isn't like an Elements Master?" Malice said blithely.  "Always so willing to sacrifice themeselves for the 'greater good' and whatnot.  Such inane heroic nonsense."

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand, Malice," Cloak growled.

"Huh?" Abomination said with a comically bemused look on his face.

"And I wouldn't expect someone like you, Abomination, to understand many things." Cloak said icily.  "Like how to tie your shoes."

"What?  Tie my shoes?  What's that?"

"Case and point."

"Huh?  Malice, what is he talking about?"

"Never mind, dear," Malice said, as if calming down an emotional toddler.

"And you actually believe Malice loves you, Abomination."  Cloak shook his head, and Abomination screamed not to call him that.  "Abomination, she doesn't love anyone.  Except the one that she sees in the mirror everytime she looks into it."

But the last part was lost on Abomination.

"So, what are you planning on doing, exactly, Cloak?" Malice said.  "You're a 'good guy', aren't you?  You can't possibility be thinking what I think you're --"

She stopped as the nearby wall exploded into metal shards.  Then they began to orbit the two, with the jagged ends pointed towards them.

"Wow, a little dark for you, Cloak." Malice said, though her bravado was slipping.

Cloak narrowed his eyes, as the shards began to orbit closer to Malice and Abomination.

"Y-you can't kill us!" Abomination shrieked.

"Watch me," Cloak said, as the shards now glowed with golden scarlet energy.  While thinking to himself, Now you'll feel the callousness that Collector felt.  The terror he felt.  He may not have been the greatest person in the world, but no one needs to die in such an off-hand, callous, and pathetic way.

"Y-you can't!" Malice said, showing fear for the first time.  "You're supposed to be a 'good guy', not an anti-hero!  You aren't supposed to kill us!"

Cloak smiled inwardly.  Of course, he knew he couldn't kill them.  But Cloak was tired.  Tired of their schemes, their using Realm Dweller suffering as entertainment.  This whole Collector business also proved that they weren't above using other Realm Walkers for their plans, and then killing them when it didn't work out anymore.  That's why they used Collector -- he was expendible.

"I'll . . . I'll bring you to the Council on this, Cloak!  I really will!"

That was the Realm Walker equivalent of threatening to sue.

"No," Cloak said, keeping his face stony and expressionless.  "You won't.  You won't risk them realizing you're not dead."

Although, Cloak thought savagely, they'd find a way to rationalize it away, no doubt.

Cloak kept thinking that he should kill them.  That he could kill them.  But his will kept faltering.  Eventually, the shards just fell, as Cloak lowered his hands and turned his back on the two.

"I knew you couldn't do it," Malice said contempuously.  "I wouldn't have been so weak with your powers.  I wouldn't have given it a second thought!!"

Cloak contorted his face into one of rage.  And then he ripped the ship apart -- literally.  And the three hung in space momentarily.