Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Understood, Underseen.

Oh, and the next chapter'll be in my previous post.

Oh, new page --

• Book XXI: Other Side of the Tracks

The RAFians experiences significant differences which allow them to see the other side's point of view.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXII: Pits of Terror

The RAFians fall into pits that show them their greatest fears. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIII: RAF Comix

The RAFians are sucked into a comic book made by Damien. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIV: The First Master

Cloak meditates alone in a forest, and has a vision about the first Master . . . the first Elements Master. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXV: RAF -- The Musical

The RAFians find themselves trapped in a musical where everyone must burst into song occasionally.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVI: Outage Outrage

The RAFians find themselves losing their powers.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVII: Infinity and Eternity

The Infinity Gems and the Eternity Stones make themselves known.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXVIII: The Virus Rings

The RAFians are attacked by foes they never thought they'd see again.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXIX: Soul-Suckers

The RAFians are attacked by Dementors, which have a rather large effect on Cloak.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXX: Mayhem of the Music Miser

Cloak recalls the RAFians' previous confrontation with the Music Miser three years ago.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXI: The Metal-Maker

The RAFians must save their own from a Roboticizer. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXII: Richard is Missing

The RAFians must cope without Richard.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIII: Emotional Food

The RAFians must confront a different kind of vampire.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIV: Transformation Confrontation

The RAFians must confront some strange machines.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXV: Richard's Horn

The RAFians must get Richard's Horn, a mystical musical instrument, back from Malice, who recieved it from a RAFian traitor.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVI: Feral Scream

A Wildwethel-centric book, he must deal with his feral side.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVII: Predators and Prey

The RAFians are being preyed upon by some sentient predators.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXVIII: A Protean Problem

The RAFians must deal with a powerful snot-nosed kid who, quite literally, can do whatever he wants.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XXXIX: The Horsemen

Four RAFians are captured and converted into four Horsemen of the ancient, rogue Realm Walker Cataclysm.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XL: Sizeable Pain in the Necks

The RAFians must deal with Heinlein aliens. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLI: RAF's Nightmare

The RAFians must survive their own nightmares.  Nineteen chapters planned.

• Book XLII: Unlucky Charms

The RAFians must contend with a rather bloodthirsty leprechaun. Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLIII: The Piper

The RAFians must contend with a pied piper. Nineteen chapters planned.

• Book XLIV: Starlight Desire

The RAFians race Malice, Abomination, and the Banned to a wishing star (no, not Estelore). Eighteen chapters planned.

• Book XLV: A War of Armor

Parker is outraged to see knock-offs of his rather unique armor and what they're being used for.  Twenty-two chapters planned.

• Book XLVI: The Worst Plague

The RAFians must weather the worst plague to ever existed -- the Hate Plague.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLVII: Little Alien Napoleons

The RAFians are caught in the middle of a war between Helmacrons and Fmeks.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLVIII: Go Away!

The RAFians must deal with the papparazzi who are all of a sudden interested in them.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book XLIX: RAFian Tales

RAFians tell various RAFian-themed stories across a lunch table.  Twenty chapters planned -- a RAFian story per chapter, discounting the intro.

• Book L: Maul

The RAFians must deal with the result of one of Demos's experiments.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LI: Erised Orbs

The RAFians must face their greatest desires.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LII: RAFians Alive!

Read the "Mummies Alive" parody in the RAFize songs thread.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIII: The Pain Reliever

The RAFians must deal with an elderly Vulcan styling himself the "Pain Reliever".  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIV: Beyond the Veils

Aquilai and Aila must confront old foes while the other RAFians must put up with a Czarinian bounty hunter.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LV: Dangerous Deals

Demos meets up with his half-brother, Shenecron, who has a perchant for making deals.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVI: Of One Mind

Malice seeks out the Unimind.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVII: The End of Time

The RAFians must contend with two Kryptonians (who think they're Time Lords) and prevent them from ending time altogether.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LVIII: Hematomimic

The RAFians must capture a Plasmavore and put up with it's rather stupid Judoon jailor.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LIX: Sins of Youth

Estelore, Richard, Parker, and Cloak must survive when the entire city and forum have been reduced to two-year-olds.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LX: The Replacements

The RAFians must contend with the fame-feeding Eidolon Consciousness.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXI: Arachnoids

The RAFians must contend with the Arachnoids and finding a cure for one of their own that was poisoned before it's too late.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXII: Personal Tissues

The RAFians must contend with some one misusing Bibliophaetos's discarded book shell.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXIII: Memory Today, Gone Tomorrow

The RAFians lose their memory and must find a way to regain it.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXIV: Appliance Armageddon

A superintelligent computer controls all electronics, and the RAFians must stop it.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXV: Prodigy and Composite

Some RAFians are merged into two separate entities.  Twenty chapters planned.

• Book LXVI: The Merging

The Universes begin colliding and merging.  Ten chapters planned out thus far.

• Book LXVII: Be A Doll

The RAFians are confronted by a Super Chucky.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXVIII: RAF Captors

The RAFians are sealed into cards, and it's up to Jack and Shadow to free them.  May be an out-of-continuity book, haven't decided yet.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXIX: Dinosaur Island

Everyone, except those that bear a Mark, begin turning saurian.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXX: Corrupted

The RAFians must deal with the son of Cataclysm, Corruptor.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXI: Artificial Skins

The RAFians must deal with symbiotes.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXII: Separation Anxiety

The RAFians must contend with an ethereal virus.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXIII: A Thing About RAFians

The RAFians must contend with Seekers, which home in onto their Marks.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXIV: A Planted Idea

The RAFians must contend with a floramaniac.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXV: Vacation Photos

The RAFians are sucked into a Polarisoid camera.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXVI: A Personal Gremlin

The RAFians must contend with gremlins.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXVII: The Rust is Silence

The Rafians must deal with an ocidationr ay wielded by a criminal.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXVIII: The Toyman Cometh

The RAFians deal with a Toyman-esque character.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXIX: RAFian Idol

Yes, just another excuse to put in more of the (as of writing) nearly 800 parodies.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXX: Savage Heart

Cloak battles an ancient being called Carrotik.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXI: Slave Islands and Juggernauts

Three RAFians are taken prisoners by the Knights and sold into the slavery of New Genoshia, while the others deal with a juggernaut.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXII: Shredding a King

The RAFians deal with a demonic Shredder ghost.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIII: RAF -- The TV Show

The RAFians are forcibly recruited to one of Mojo's programs.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIV: The Drinker

The RAFians must contend with a Spirit-Drinker. No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXV: The Last Laugh

The RAFians must face Joker Gas.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVI: It's A Mad, Mad, Mad Villain

The RAFians must contend with mind control cards.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVII: Sight Unseen

Six RAFians are rendered functionally blind.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXVIII: Don't Let It Snow

The RAFians must face a second Ice Age.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book LXXXIX: The Rachel Toxin

The RAFians must find a cure to a toxin that increases the fearlessness, hostility and aggressiveness induced in people.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XC: Virus Alert!

The RAFians face a dangerous virus seeking a host.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCI: A Youthful Thief

The RAFians face a creature that siphons off the youth in its victims.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCII: Calendar Creep

The RAFians face the Calendar Creep, a criminal whose crimes are holiday themed.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCIII: The Branding

Faerie fights a witch-boy named Salem (and his magical black cat, Zat) for a magical branding iron in Faeries possession.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCIV: The Void Zone

Essentially gonna be a "Subspace Emissary" parody.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCV: An Epic Yarn

The RAFians' world is turned into yarn and fabric.  No chapters planned out yet.

• Book XCVI: RAFian Gladiators

RAFians are kidnapped by Gamesmaster, another rogue Realm Walker, and force to participate in gladiatorial games.  Contains the parodies of "It's Like A B-Movie" and "Worthless".  No chapters planned out yet.

BOOK XX:
The Darwin Gun
Chapter One:
The Targetmaster

It was about a week after what's become known as the "Clone Wars" and RAF was settling back into it's usual insanity.  Although, Cloak was quick to notice that a lot, but not all, of the denizens of the nearby city were decrying RAF as a terrorist front organization.  Of course, they had little to no proof of their claims, but that didn't stop some people from believing the nonsense, just as they would believe anything in the National Inquirer.

Cloak realized that RAF wouldn't achieve universal popularity with the outcome of the trial and having the evidence that exonerated the thirteen RAFians that were cloned (which all thirteen felt was a horrid invasion of their privacy and violation of their being, especially considering that their clones were evil, heartless beasts).  Such a fool expectation would be childish and unrealistic.

There were even some people looking for the most ludicrous ways of discrediting the solid evidence.  Of course, no one else really believed or entertained these postulations as truth.  The conspiracy theorists were all over this, misinterpting some minute gesture or direction of a fall as sinister, misconstruing intent and motivations to ridiculous degrees.  But that's what these people do, and no one pays them any mind, usually.

Cloak had wandered over to where Aquilai was working on Laserbeak, with Gaz looking on fretfully.  Cloak made a beeline for the two, wondering what was up.

"He'll be okay," Gaz said, concerned, "right?"

"Stop your worrying," Aquilai said, calmly, "he'll be better than fine."

"What's going on?" Cloak asked.

"Aquilai's updating Beaky," Gaz said, looking up for a moment.

"Updating?  How so?"

"I'm giving him another transformation."

"You're making him a triple-changer," Cloak translated aloud.

Aquilai gave Cloak a sidelong look, and said, "I suppose that's a good term for it."

Cloak didn't say that he didn't coin that term.

"There," Aquilai said, shutting a pannel on the little robotic bird.  "Done."

"Beaky?" Gaz asked hesitantly.  The little bird hopped up, and hopped over to Gaz.  He looked at her, then hopped on her shoulder and affectionately nipped  her ear.

"Laserbeak, why don't you show Gaz your new transformation?" Aquilai suggested, putting his sonic screwdriver away.  Beaky chirped in an excited way, and leaped up, and, with the G1 transforming sound, turned into a ray gun vaguely resembling the one in the Super Smash Bros. series, only with a circular barrell.  He landed in Gaz's hand, who found out that the handle grip fit perfectly with her hand.  Either one.

"Wow, Beaky," Gaz said, evidently awed at this transformation.

"So you turned Beaky -- I mean, Laserbeak, into a Targetmaster?" Cloak said, with his arms crossed, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"A what?"

"Never mind."

[Cloak]

Hmmm . . . apparently it's a busy Monday for everyone else. . . .

CHAPTER TWO:
Forward and Backward

Meanwhile, back in an underground bunker that's well hidden from human radar and tech, Gemini was finishing up a new weapon.  It was large and bulky, colored gun metal gray with black accents and grips.  It was evidentally held like rifle or shotgun, and it's function was clearly something devestating.  Gemini looked proud and smug about his work.

"This shall be my magnum opus, my greatest work," he muttered with a crooked smile.

Then he picked up the weapon, gripping it firmly, and flipping the black strap over his shoulder.  Then he headed into another room, which held several captive and unconscious aliens -- a Vulpimancer, an Arburian Pelarota, a Methanosian, a Sonorosia, a Vaxasaurian, a Necrofriggian, an Arachnichimp, and a Vulcan.  There was also a small, unconscious ten-year-old boy with dark hair.

They were all lying down in a row, and Gemini checked to see if the stasis chips that he implanted on the right side their heads worked.  He was unsure about these chips effectiveness, as he never tested them out before now, but he really didn't have anything to lose.  The chips would allow him to control the minds of these victims, in theory.  If they were unsuccessful in that, they were were loaded with enough explosives to cause sufficient enough brain damage.

But when he aimed the beam at the boy and the Vulcan and began to fire, there was a jarring rumble and the two awoke.  Gemini attempted to sedate them again, but they struggled with him, even as he tried to use the control chips, which clattered to the ground and exploded.  The two took this chance to escape, going two different directions.

"Damn!" Gemini cursed.  He didn't even know if he had hit them with the ray.  No matter.  He still had seven other victims to attend to.  Only he made sure this time that the chips were firmly secured before proceeding.  He doused them with the rays, but nothing seemed to happen.  Gemini expected the beam not to work instantaneously.  Over the next two hours, the seven victims began to change.  Size shifting, appearances altered.  They now were identical to their "Ultimate" forms*.

Gemini grimaced, "Well, the evolution progression function works."

"What good is that?!" demanded an angry voice behind him.  "We don't want to give our enemies more advances!"

"The Darwin gun cannot only progress evolution," Gemini said, smiling in a most unpleasant way.  Then he whirled and fired the gun at the voice, continuing, "but regress it as well!"

The figure -- unmistakably Malice -- was exposed to the ray, but looked unconcerned.  In fact, she laughed scornfully.  "Fool!  You should know the evolutionary ancestry of the beings you turn that thing onto!  How little you know about Realm Walkers!"

She laughed heartily, "Realm Walkers, fool, evolved from energy!  We were the very first beings to exist.  We existed before the moons, before the planets, before the stars, before the very realms themselves!  What made you have the gall to believe that your little trinket, your meager toy, you insignificant plaything could do anything to me?"

"I -- I -- I --" Gemini stammered.

"SILENCE!" Malice roared.  "I'll let you live.  I'll let you live as long as you use that little bobble on Cloak's beloved RAFians and their forum.  Do not progress their evolutions.  Regress them.  Regress them to ooze!"

"Y-y-yes, Mistress," Gemini conceded.  "I will carry out your bidding."

"You're --" she uttered a Realm Walker curseword which the closest translation in English is "damn", "right you'll carry out my bidding.  Now, go.  Do it."

She left, Walked out.  Gemini looked as if he had just wet his pants and soiled himself.  Then he stood up straight, narrowed his eyes, and snarled, "One of these days, Walker, one of these days . . . I'll find a way to have power over you.  Powerful as Realm Walkers are, you are not all-powerful. . . ."

---
*See "Ben 10: Ultimate Alien".

[Underseen]

I finally get free time and read this.

I liked Ben 10 Ultimate Alien enough to watch most episodes, but I skipped the ones that felt like filler. I believe that they released a new series that looks terrible.

[Cloak]

Eh, I don't mind it as much.

I just like like the thought of the Nemematrix -- Khyber (new villian) uses it on his hunting dog to turn it into predatory species of Ben's aliens.  That's what really keeps me watching it. . . . Just another thing I can catalouge . . .

Anyway, I might post another chapter, but don't count on it.

[Underseen]

The animation and voice acting turns me off

[Gaz]

Good updates! Yay for little Beaky's upgrade!

[Cloak]

Thanks, Gazzy.  And Underseen, it could be worse -- it could have "Fred" voices.  *shutters* How that guy ever managed to get two movies and a tv show is BEYOND me.

CHAPTER THREE:
Curious, Very Curious

Laserbeak eventually transformed back to bird mode and perched himself firmly on Gaz's shoulder, nibbling her ear affectionately, which evidently tickled Gaz.  Aquilai and Cloak looked at this with benign smiles, when a memo request to meet in the auditorium was sent to all RAFians.  Yarin had detected several odd anomalies.  He refused to elaborate further in the forum-wide memo.

"What's this all about?" Aquilai asked.

"Nothing good," Cloak muttered under his breath.  His further silent inquiry of whether his presence here was causing more crap to happen to RAF than would happen had he never became a RAFian resurfaced again, but he kept it to himself.

"Dunno," Gaz replied, as the three strode to the auditorium.  "Sounds important though."

Once, the RAFians were assembled in the auditorium, Yarin approached the podium with Richard and the mods seated to the right and left of a large screen.  Yarin motioned for the talking to quiet and it was really a needless gesture as all the murmuring had ceased when he walked onstage.

"My fellow RAFians, I've detected some strange anomalies via my security scans of the surrounding areas," Yarin said.  Then he showed on the screen pictures and video of what he found.

There appeared to be about six Cro-Magnons running rampant in the city.  An adult male wore a three-piece business suit, a female one wore a jogger's windbreaker, a young one wore what appeared to be swimming trunks even though the day was far too cold for swimming, another young one wore what appeared to be a tattered ballerina tutu, an adolescent one wore what appeared to be tennis attire, and the last one appeared to be wearing one of those Party City "morph suits" that Cloak never got the attraction of.

"Cro-Magnons?" Cloak queried disbelievingly and quite audibly.  "I thought they had evolved into the present-day Homo sapiens."  Then added after a thought, "In this realm."

"They did," Dino said.  "Could these be some of those cavemen-frozen-in-ice-but-then-revived deals?"

<Or perhaps a genetic experiment gone awry?> Noelle suggested.

"Guys, guys, guys," Goom said, "you're all missing one key fact.  Those clothes they were wearing, it didn't look like they just stole them from some place.  Besides, if these guys were frozen in ice, don't you think that they would have loincloths made of animal hide?  Not something from Banana Republic or whatever?  And if these Cro-Magnons were created from scratch, then wouldn't they have clothes that fit a lot better?"

Goom was right, the clothes looked strangely tight, and the morph suited Cro-Magnon's spandex had holes in some place as if the suit could handle a sudden increase in musculature . . .

"Maybe they were devolved by . . . something . . . something that should be impossible . . ." Cloak suggested, standing in his usual spot, rubbing his chin.

"By what?" Underseen said.

"As much as it pains me to admit," Cloak said, "I have no idea what could do this.  I sincerely have no idea."

"Be that as it may," Richard said, "we cannot really know until we have more information about this.  So --"

Suddenly, red lights started to flash, and Yarin immediately got the report.

"'Seven monsters rampaging in the city'," he read.

[Underseen]

Seven Monsters... Hmmm

[Cloak]

I don't know if you're making reference to something, Underseen -- outside the book, I mean.

Anyway, I might post another chapter later on -- it all depends on how I'm feeling.

[Underseen]

No I am just thinking.... Just thinking.

[Cloak]

Well, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then you're probably right. . . .

Still feeling a little ill, so I may wait until tomorrow to post.

[Aquilai]

Is the Evolution/Devolution gun from something? Seems like a novel idea. Energy beings are so different to biological that their evolution would be pretty fascinating to learn about.

[Cloak]

Is the Evolution/Devolution gun from something? Seems like a novel idea. Energy beings are so different to biological that their evolution would be pretty fascinating to learn about.

The gun part is partially based on Dr. Animo's weapon in the original Ben 10 series, although it wasn't really a gun per se.  The evolution progression/regression part isn't really anything too original by me . . . I used a similar item (some sort of powder) in "Animorphs: A New Beginning", the first RP I ever participated on RAF.  There's probably more to it that I'm forgetting, though.  My brain is like sludge right now. . . .

CHAPTER FOUR:
The Response Team

"Well, as I was saying, we need to send in an investigation team, which will now also double as a response team." Richard said.

"I'm going," Cloak suggested strenuously.

"Fine," Richard nodded, "Helen, Blaze, Sam, Hunter, Parker, Gaz, Horse, Block, Noelle, AniDragon, and . . . Aquilai.  Go with him."

The twelve soon departed for the city.

***

It was madness!  Mayhem!  Pandemonium!  People streaming into the streets, screaming.  Some were shouting profanities at the RAFians as they approached to quell this insanity, as, for all the world, if it was their fault.  Perhaps in an indirect way, it was, but how was it their fault that things like this happened simply for just existing?

"Split up," Cloak advised.  "Try to stay in sight of one another."

"On it, Cloak," Parker said, in a pose rather like Samus's up-taunt on Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Into the fray, they went.  Cloak initially taking on the hyperevolved Vaxasaurian, which immediately retracting his fingers and fired only what Cloak assumed to be osteobullets or something.  Which Cloak brought up an energy shield to block, but unfortunately, with the flurry of movement and bombardment of sounds, he was finding it difficult to focus.

Why now? he bemoaned quietly himself.  Why do I have the lapse of focus and concentration now?

But he was slammed away from the hulking, armored saurian's attention by the thrown body of AniDragon.  She was alright, up and fighting (using a spare Shredder as her powers required touch, and she couldn't really get close enough to these beasts).  Cloak suddenly found himself surrounded by floating disks, and he knew what would happen a split-second before it happened.  The disks radiated powerful sonic blasts around Cloak, forcing him to his knees holding his ears.  It wasn't as bad as a Howler's eponymous howl, but it wasn't really tolerable, either.

Parker managed to sharp shoot the disks, while Cloak found himself fighting his own emotions, trying desperately not to lose control -- although it's when he's his most powerful, it's also when he's at his most dangerous, as he didn't distinguish between friend or foe.  At least, not very easily.  It's why Cloak continued to try hard to bury his emotions as deep as he could.  Although he wasn't always successful.  But Cloak knew that the hyperevolved Sonorosian was now damaged.  Injured.  If his memory serves, they could not replicate those disks.  They could not replicate at all.

Parker, however, did not escape unmaimed, as he was rolled over by the hyperevolved Arburian Pelarota, who was rolling at high speeds toward Noelle who had to quickly morph a kafit bird to escape, and land and demorph again.  Noelle was finding her tail could not cut through or even scratch the armored hides of the hyperevolved Vaxasaurian or the hyperevolved Arburian Pelarota (in his rolled-up state).

Physical attacks were pretty much useless on the hyperevolved Necrofriggian while he was intangible, though energy attacks seemed to have some marginal success.  And Cloak was flash-frozen for the attempt.  But he simply engulfed him self with flames and melted his way through, as Gaz kept using Laserbeak, in raygun mode, and kept firing.  She had to resort to going to mist mode more than once to dodge an attack, although this didn't really work with the Necrofriggian.

Cloak saw that the hyperevolved Arburian Pelarota was making a way toward Horse who had her back turned, so he stepped in, using his mastery over Earth to make a trench to steer him away . . . straight into Aquilai.  But Aquilai was prepared and used a slab of Earth as a baseball bat to knock the Arburian Pelarota out like a home run ball.  This left it bouncing around a block over, until momentum stopped it.

Blocky managed to fight the hyperevolved Vaxasaurian close-range, but found that his bulk and strength was more than a match for the RAFian dragon.  Fortunately, Block's naturally thick, scaly hide protected him from most of the close range damage.  But he still bore marks of the battle, before Sam and Helen leaped in to help him using their Star Sapphire and Green Lantern rings to immobilize the beast, but it proved a difficult, but doable task.

Hunter was taking pot shots at the hyperevolved Arachnichimp while Noelle began to use her tail to start hacking at his four spider-like legs.  Eventually the Arachnichimp spat a glob of webbing from his mouth which, with a curse from Hunter, essentially sealed his gun's barrel shut.  So he had to rely on animal instincts and senses, which wasn't going to be easy -- the Arachnichimp didn't exactly smell like roses.

"Isn't it bad enough that I get eaten daily from the Pootang?!" Horse roared suddenly.  "Now I'm an alien dog's chew toy?!?!"

She was being worried by the hyperevolved Vulpimancer, until AniDragon fired into the side of Vulimancer's rather long, blockish head.  He released Horse with a whimper.  Horse landed a few feet away, covered in Vulpimancer drool.

"Ugh, alien slobber," she grumbled, then addressing AniDragon, said, "Thanks.  I think."

Meanwhile, Cloak had taken up battle with the hyperevolved Methanosian.  He was having a much easier time battling this one, due to the petrified wood in his body that Cloak could use his master over wood or earth to manipulate.  Cloak didn't like doing this, as it made him feel like a bloodbender, but he had little choice.

Blaze flew overhead, getting in an aerial battle with the Necrofriggian, having a hard time -- he kept going intangible just as Blaze was about to strike.  Even with Gaz and Laserbeak's help, in bat mode and bird mode respectively, it wasn't easy.

The battle continued to rage in this wild, chaotic manner with no side emerging victorious yet.  Little did the RAFians realize that the nearest alleyway contained a sniper. . . .

[Underseen]

A sniper other than Parker. It'd be a shame if someone dies soon.

[Cloak]

RAFian deaths only happen in out-of-continuity books -- this is a continuity book.  And, looks like you've been successfully misled. . . .