Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Time to kick it in, here's another chapter.  And its the shortest chapter today.  Sorry.
 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Clash of Infinity and Eternity

"What?  Who are you?" Thanos said, a little perturbed by Cloak and the orbiting Eternity Stones, allowing him to fly without using aerokinesis or his energy disc.  "And how DARE you speak to me in such a way, gnat!"
 
Cloak merely frowned, a bit disappointed on how apparently limited Thanos's knowledge was.  The Eternity Stones were the counters of the Infinity Gems in everyway.  Granted, this was rather obscure knowledge, even for Realm Walkers.  Still, Cloak said nothing.  Let Thanos find out in his own way.  Let him find out that the powers of the Infinity Gems aren't as infinite as he believes them to be.
 
"Silent now?  Even a braggard such as you is scared of my power."
 
Cloak folded his arms in front of him and said nothing more.  The Eternity Stones orbited him a somewhat sedate and lazy way.  Cloak stared into those dark, pitiless eyes of Thanos.  The man with an obsession with Death, a very unhealthy, romantic obsession, at that.
 
"Why don't you speak?  You were very verbose a minute ago."
 
No, he wasn't.
 
"Stop it with the silent treatment, fool.  Bow to me and we can get on with this."
 
Cloak finally spoke, with an unusually calm and cold.  "I will not bow before you or anyone."

"You still defy my will?" Thanos looked a little taken aback.  "You still dare to believe you can stand up to me?"

"Attack me if you will," Cloak said, coolly, "but I will not yield to a tackless, delusional lackwit such as yourself."

"How DARE you!" Thanos raged.

"How?  Like this!" Cloak said, demonstrating the power of the Eternity Stones, striking his Gauntlet.  This caused a small crack in the metal and the Gems to dull in color -- as well as the Eternity Stones own color dulling as well.

"Fool, your powers are nothing to mine!!" Thanos cried triumphantly, ignorant of what the attack truly did.

[Cloak]

Now, the future book list.  Getting close to the book I'm rather looking forward to writing (Book XXX).  And I'm planning out the chapters of Book CXXXVIII ("Solar Sucks").

EDIT: Yarin, Estelore, Saffa and I were the principal characters in that book.  Now planning out the chapters of Book CXXXIX ("Hounded").

• Book XXVIII: The Virus Rings

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

• Book XXIX: Soul-Suckers

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

• Book XXX: Mayhem of the Music Miser

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

• Book XXXI: The Metal-Maker

The RAFians must save their own from a Roboticizer.

• Book XXXII: Richard is Missing

The RAFians must cope without Richard.

• Book XXXIII: Emotional Food

The RAFians must confront a different kind of vampire.

• Book XXXIV: Transformation Confrontation

The RAFians must confront some strange machines.

• Book XXXV: Richard's Horn

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

• Book XXXVI: Feral Scream

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

• Book XXXVII: Predators and Prey

The RAFians are being preyed upon by some sentient predators.

• Book XXXVIII: A Protean Problem

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

• Book XXXIX: The Horsemen

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

• Book XL: Sizeable Pain in the Necks

The RAFians must deal with Heinlein aliens.

• Book XLI: RAF's Nightmare

The RAFians must survive their own nightmares.

• Book XLII: Unlucky Charms

The RAFians must contend with a rather bloodthirsty leprechaun.

• Book XLIII: The Piper

The RAFians must contend with a pied piper.

• Book XLIV: Starlight Desire

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

• Book XLV: A War of Armor

Parker is outraged to see knockoffs of his rather unique armor and what they're being used for.

• Book XLVI: The Worst Plague

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

• Book XLVII: Little Alien Napoleons

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

• Book XLVIII: Go Away!

The RAFians must deal with the paparazzi who are all of a sudden interested in them.

• Book XLIX: RAFian Tales

RAFians tell various RAFian-themed stories across a lunch table.

• Book L: Maul

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

• Book LI: Erised Orbs

The RAFians must face their greatest desires.

• Book LII: RAFians Alive!

Read the "Mummies Alive" parody in the RAFize songs thread.

• Book LIII: The Pain Reliever

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

• Book LIV: Beyond the Veils

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

• Book LV: Dangerous Deals

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

• Book LVI: Of One Mind

Malice seeks out the Unimind.

• 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.

• Book LVIII: Hematomimic

The RAFians must capture a Plasmavore and put up with it's rather stupid Judoon jailer.

• 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.

• Book LX: The Replacements

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

• 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.

• Book LXII: Personal Tissues

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

• Book LXIII: Memory Today, Gone Tomorrow

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

• Book LXIV: Appliance Armageddon

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

• Book LXV: Prodigy and Composite

Some RAFians are merged into two separate entities.

• Book LXVI: The Merging

The Universes begin colliding and merging.

• Book LXVII: Be A Doll

The RAFians are confronted by a Super Chucky.

• Book LXVIII: They're Such Cards

The RAFians are sealed into cards, which end up trapped in an ancient leather-bound book, and it's up to three kids to free them.  An out-of-continuity book.

• Book LXIX: Dinosaur Island

Everyone, except those that bear a Mark, begin turning saurian.

• Book LXX: Corrupted

The RAFians must deal with the son of Cataclysm, Corruptor.

• Book LXXI: Artificial Skins

The RAFians must deal with symbiotes.

• Book LXXII: Separation Anxiety

The RAFians must contend with an ethereal virus.

• Book LXXIII: A Thing About RAFians

The RAFians must contend with Seekers, which home in onto their Marks.

• Book LXXIV: A Planted Idea

The RAFians must contend with a floramaniac.

• Book LXXV: Vacation Photos

The RAFians are sucked into a Polarisoid camera.

• Book LXXVI: A Personal Gremlin

The RAFians must contend with gremlins.

• Book LXXVII: The Rust is Silence

The Rafians must deal with an oxidation ray wielded by a criminal.

• Book LXXVIII: The Toyman Cometh

The RAFians deal with a Toyman-esque character.

• Book LXXIX: RAFian Idol

Yes, just another excuse to put in more of the (as of writing) nearly 800 parodies.

• Book LXXX: Savage Heart

Cloak battles an ancient being called Garrotik.

• 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.

• Book LXXXII: Shredding a King

The RAFians deal with a demonic Shredder-like ghost called Regiphaetos.

• Book LXXXIII: RAF -- The TV Show

The RAFians are forcibly recruited to Mojo's programs.

• Book LXXXIV: The Drinker

The RAFians must contend with a Spirit-Drinker.

• Book LXXXV: The Last Laugh

The RAFians must face Joker Gas.

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

The RAFians must contend with mind control cards which are ineffective on them.

• Book LXXXVII: Sight Unseen

Six RAFians are rendered functionally blind, optically-speaking.

• Book LXXXVIII: Don't Let It Snow

The RAFians must face a second Ice Age caused by a Diznee Ice Ifrit.

• Book LXXXIX: The Rachel Toxin

The RAFians must find a cure to a toxin that increases the fearlessness, hostility and aggressiveness induced in people which the Mark cannot protect the RAFians from.

• Book XC: Virus Alert!

The RAFians face a dangerous virus seeking a host.

• Book XCI: A Youthful Thief

The RAFians face a creature that siphons off the youth in its victims, provided they're younger than him.

• Book XCII: Calendar Creep

The RAFians face the Calendar Creep, a criminal whose crimes are holiday themed.

• Book XCIII: The Branding

Faerie fights a witch-boy named Salem (and his magical black cat, Saberhagen) for a magical branding iron in Faerie's possession.

• Book XCIV: The Void Zone

Nothing like a "Subspace Emissary" parody.  Sorry.

• Book XCV: An Epic Yarn

The RAFians' world is turned into yarn and fabric.

• Book XCVI: RAFian Gladiators

RAFians are kidnapped by Gamesmaster, another rogue Realm Walker, and force to participate in gladiatorial games.

• Book XCVII: The Box

The RAFians must cage thirteen Revenants released from Pandora's Box -- each representing and amplifying a particular feeling (i.e. hatred), while looking for the perfect host.

• Book XCVIII: From the Shadows

The RAFians must save their shadows and the shadows of everyone else from being absorbed (eaten) by the Umbraraptors, but not everything is what it seems.

• Book XCIX: Grimm Prospects

The RAFians discover Malice controlling several "wesen" with control collars akin to April's in "Catwoman from Channel Six" and get stuck in one-on-one battles to the death with them.  One will die.

• Book C: Loop-De-Loop

Everyone's trapped in a temporal loop, but the only ones that realize it are Cloak, Aila, and Aquilai.

• Book CI: Get 'Em, Shaw

The RAFians face a creature native to the planet Gossamer, who's under the control of Malice.

• Book CII: Threadfall

The RAFians must exterminate an epidemic of Thread.

• Book CIII: Siren's Song

The RAFians must deal with a siren and her alluring song.

• Book CIV: Resistance is Futile

The RAFians must deal with a hybridization of the Borg and the Hive chips (Ben 10: Alien Swarm) -- which the Mark cannot protect them from, nor the Unity energy can destroy.

• Book CV: The Titan

The RAFians must contend with the Titan serum and its effects.

• Book CVI: A Stony Glare

The RAFians must deal with a hungry Stone-Biter and a petrifying venom of a Diznee Stone Ifrit.

• Book CVII: Spritely Pests

The RAFians must deal with irritating sprites, which Faerie has had some rather tenuous experiences with.

• Book CVIII: Destroy All . . . What?

The RAFians must contend with a Furon incursion, and it turns out the Nyacs have knowledge of Furons. . . .

• Book CIX: Going Backwards

A grievious malfunction in Aquilai's TARDIS causes time to reverse its flow and flow backwards.

• Book CX: Death Takes A Holiday

The RAFians must convince Death to take up his role again.  A RAFian will die in this book, and it is within the continuity.

• Book CXI: High Price Stakes

Shanker and Gaz must flee and elude Daphne, the vampire hunter.

• Book CXII: A Killer Housing Market

The RAFians must survive and either destroy or escape a killer house.

• Book CXIII: A Silenced World

The RAFians must cope with a world that has become muted and a young sorceress, Melissa Spellman.

• Book CXIV: The Bureau

The RAFians must save their own from the insideous Bureau of Lost.

• Book CXV: To Tell the Truth

Broken's apprentice, Melissa, accidentally casts a spell forcing everyone to tell the truth.

• Book CXVI: Skin Crawlers

The RAFians, repulsed and revolted, must contend with Hundred (who eventually becomes Thousand, then becomes Million, then Billion, and then, finally, Trillion).

• Book CXVII: School of Stepford Lies

The RAFians must save the children from a school that turns them into Stepford students at Terenia's school.

• Book CXVIII: Ol' Salty

The RAFians must deal with the Salt Man.

• Book CXIX: The Great Race

The RAFians hold a race that Aloth cons himself into.  Who will win?

• Book CXX: Ape Escape

The RAFians must help super intelligent apes -- Caesar the chimp, Brutus the gorilla, and Maestro the orangutan -- reconcil their misanthropy.

• Book CXXI: A Different Kind of Unity

The RAFians must contend with a parasitic "unity".

• Book CXXII: The Great Brain Robery

Someone is stealing brains for an unknown purpose.

• Book CXXIII: The Bounty Hunter

The Knights, in their hypocricy, hire a Tsul'Kalu bounty hunter to collect select RAFians (to taxidermy).

• Book CXXIV: New Controllers

The RAFians confront Zirconians.

• Book CXXV: Creeping Crystal

A wave of crystallizing energy is sweeping the land. . . .

• Book CXXVI: The Element Feeder

The RAFians deal with a creature who feeds on a specific element and matures to a different element each time as it matures. . . .

• Book CXXVII: The Rider and the Walker

The RAFians come up against the Ghost Rider.

• Book CXXVIII: Headhunters

What will happen when RAFians lose their heads?  Seriously.

• Book CXXIX: The Color Purple, Man!

The RAFians confront the Purple Man, who manages to turn the entire government against them . . .

• Book CXXX: The Nemetrix Beetle

The RAFians confront the Black Beetle with Nemetrix properties.

• Book CXXXI: It's Tought to Be A Mod

The members of a primitive forum declare Demos and Blue to be mods. . . .

• Book CXXXII: Who-Zilla?

An energy reaction begins turning RAFians into monstrous creatures in 3XXX.  Out-of-continuity book.

• Book CXXXIII: Well, Techadon-ally . . .

The RAFians confront Techadons who assign them qualitive quatilities, and refuse to acknowledge any defeats.

• Book CXXXIV: The Mind's Eye

The RAFians face Spellbinder and his realistic illusions.

• Book CXXXV: Bas-ic Instincts

Bas awakens and attempts to take control of Cloak and other felines.

• Book CXXXVI: Midas Duck

The RAFians must contend with a very strange golden idol and a greedy sneak-thief.

• Book CXXXVII: War with the Warworlds

The RAFians must defeat two heavily-armed Warworlds.

• Book CXXXVIII: Solar Sucks

The RAFians must save Estelore from a device able to suck out her stellar substance and lifeforce.

• Book CXXXIX: Hounded

The RAFians are attacked by hellhounds that only Demos can see, although Cloak can "see" them via Earthsight.

• Book CXL: Politics

The RAFians, much to Cloak's chagrin and irritation, get caught up in the middle of Realm Walker politics.

• Book CXLI: Buggy Afternoon

A Bug is after Parker's blood, to "avenge" their brother slain by the SPARTAN.

• Book CXLII: Cloak's Nightmare

Cloak has an exceedingly vivid nightmare of the Great RAFian Purge. . . .

• Book CXLIII: Cloak and the Olympians

Cloak confronts and defies the Olympians.

• Book CXLIV: Down to Earth

The RAFians have gravity-related problems.

• Book CXLV: Hittin' the Dino-Sauce

The RAFians learn the dangers of Dino-Sauce.

• Book CXLVI: Blood Feud

Shanker's past comes into light. . . .

• Book CXLVII: She's Back! A Dino Story

Pretty much a shameless parody of "We're Back! A Dinosaur Story".

• Book CXLVIII: A Journey into Her Past

Delving into Noelle's pre-RAFian life and her relationship with Ardnalil-Shicom-Maar.

• Book CXLIX: Mortality and Morality

The RAFians face some rather conceited Leviathons.

[Underseen]

I liked how you said "Kyrptonian power to be immune to mundane things." We all know Superman's writers like making him a Mary Sue.

I admire the fashion in which this is happening, great writing.

[Cloak]

Too right, Underseen.  Although I do worry that my character is a bit of one, as well.

Anyway, I'm not sure how many chapters that I'll be able to get up tomorrow, but it will, at the very least, be one.

[Underseen]

Let's hope for good weather.

[Cloak]

Well, I just realized this thread has overtaken my last project thread -- "RAFize Songs" -- by 19 pages.

First chapter of the day.  Sorry about the brevity of it.
 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
One-On-One

The battle began in earnest, after Cloak told the others not to involve themselves, Cloak easily managing to either dodged, redirected, blocked or preempted every attack Thanos attempted.  He wasn't too happy with this development.

"This isn't possible! I possess the Gauntlet!  I possess the Infinity Gems!!  It is not possible to defy me!!!" he raged.

Cloaked disengaged Thanos, and stayed there, hovering.  "And I have the Eternity Stones."

This stumped the behemoth, who resorted to anger and arrogance, "Eternity Stones? There's no such things!"

"Really?" Cloak said silkily, as Thanos recommenced his assault.  Don't believe your own eyes do you?"

Cloak dodged and avoided this attack with practiced ease and feline agility.

"Always the brute, eh, Thanos?" Cloak said. "Surely you must have realized by now."

"Don't mock me, you miserable --"

"Realm Walker," Cloak supplied.

"Whatever!  You will die!"

"You don't honestly think you're the first to try to kill me?  Only one has come close." Cloak said.  "I doubt you'll be second.  Especially now that the Eternity Stones dimished the powers of both sets of stones."

"Wh-what?"

"Oh, c'mon, Thanos! This ain't rocket science! That energy pulse diluted the powers and effects of both the Infinity Gems and the Eternity Stones themselves!" Cloak said.  "Now you cannot do inreptuable damage to the reality of this realm."

"This realm?"

"Don't even entertain the possibility, Thanos," Cloak scolded.  "No Dweller, no matter how powerful, can ever leave their realm."

This wasn't the entire truth, but Cloak didn't need Thanos contriving and scheming to take the Nexus.  The humiliation would be akin to being responsible for allowing a rather naughty, destructive cat outside.  More of nuisance than an actual threat.

[Cloak]

Second chapter of the day.  Probably gonna be a bit short.  I apologize.
 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Underestimation

Thanos gave a loud roar and charged Cloak.  This time he wasn't fast enough to dodge.  Thanos barrelled into Cloak, who just rather passively rode the air currents.  Thanos whipped right around and attempted to grab Cloak only for the Eternity Gems to bat it away in a rather languid, lazy way, resolutely following their orbits.
 
"Give it up, Thanos," Cloak said.  "There is no way that you can win."
 
"There's no way you can win either!" he countered.  "Our power levels are equal!!"
 
Cloak said nothing, hiding his true emotions.  It was true, the Eternity Stones really didn't make him any stronger than he was before, and, though their powers permanently diluted, the Infinity Gems still had some juice to make Thanos a real viable threat.  Granted, Thanos would not be able to kill Cloak, but he would be able to hurt him enough to wish that he was dead.
 
"You're one doing the realization thing now, aren't you?" he taunted.  "We are equals.  Of equal strength, equal might, equal power!"
 
"You will not win," Cloak said stubbornly.
 
"You haven't the power to defeat me," he pointed out.  "Your puny little Mark is nothing, does nothing, to help you out."
 
He was right on that account.  Unity Energy here was more than likely useless.  Cloak could really do nothing but check Thanos's power.  Check it . . . for all eternity.  That was not possible -- even Realm Walkers aren't immortal.  Nothing truly is.  Every beginning has an end, even Realm Walker society had to rebuild before.  While Cloak knew that Thanos wasn't effectively any more immortal than he himself was, it wasn't very much comfort.
 
"Face it, boy." Thanos said.  "You can't do anything more than just keep me in check.  You have no friends that could even remotely help you here.  You're just the catalyst for a never-ending struggle."
 
Thanos couldn't have been really any more satisfied with this situation as Cloak was.  The two had interlaced their fingers and were struggling to push the other back.  The Eternity Stones had changed their orbit slightly to allow this.  They were basically locked in a battle that neither could win, and neither could lose.
 
And yet . . .
 
And yet that word . . . "catalyst" . . . it meant something more, something that Thanos had no idea what it truly meant.  But, in Cloak, it registered something . . . something in the back of his mind. . . .
 
"And you'll never give up, will you, boy?"
 
No, he knew he would never give up.  He would always hold this monster in check, no matter his attempts to throw him.  No matter how many threats or taunts he threw casually his way.  But . . . still . . . that word . . . why did it illicit such a reaction in him?  Why . . .
 
No.
 
No way could it be that.  No way could it be telling him what he thought it was.

[Cloak]

Third chapter of the day.  May be quite short, may not.
 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
The Catalyst

Only a fraction of Cloak's thoughts lingered upon the battle, the never-ending battle with Thanos.  His other thoughts strayed back to that prophecy of sorts that appeared when he had procured the CP Garnet. . . . Maybe it was more than what Cloak initially dismissed it as.  The more he thought about it the more he could see the parrallels.
 

"The time approaches near.
Along with the being of fear."

The being of fear was not Sinestro or his Corps.  It wasn't Phobos or Deimos, immortal sons of Ares.  It wasn't even Parrallax.  It was Thanos -- who attempted to flip Cloak, but he stood his ground.
 

"The warring Infinities and Eternities
Will bring the Earth's chosen to their knees."

Cloak resisted another attempt from Thanos to throw him.  The warring Stones and Gems . . . and they brought the RAFians to their knees.  In a way.

"Six upon six, there can only be one fix."

Only one fix . . .

"A catalyst is needed."

A catalyst . . . Cloak's eyes widened with realization.  He wasn't meant to defeat Thanos.  That wasn't his destiny.  He allowed Thanos to flip him, and he twisted his body and landed on his feet the way that only a cat could, with practiced ease.  But he stood tall.
 
"I understand now," Cloak said, voice sounding rather ethereal.
 
"You understand nothing," Thanos spat.
 
"I understand far more than you do," Cloak said.  Suddenly, Eternity Stones stopped their orbits as the RAFians below were reviving.  Suddenly, all six were awash in golden-scarlet energy.  Then Cloak crossed his arms in front of him, and then his eyes snapped open, golden-scarlet suns.  "I am the catalyst."
 
Suddenly, the Eternity Stones rotated on their own axises as rapidly as a Ferrothorn.  Cloak waited only a moment more before declaring, "Now go!  Go to your rightful owners!!"
 
The Stones sped away from Cloak, and one each stopped in front of Horse (absorbing her destroyed Pinniped Dagger), Phoenix, Faerie (absorbing her broken battle axe), Mithril, Underseen and Goom.
 
The Stone that used to be the Gi Sapphire turned into the Tempest Blade, her Pinniped Dagger reborn, and Horse grasped it.  With a brillant blue flash, she became a human with long, snow-white hair with blue armor with white seafoam accents.
 
The Stone that used to be the Wheeler Ruby turned into the Sun Blade, and Phoenix took it.  With a brillant red flash, he was adorned with armor rather similar-looking to Blaze Heatnix -- red armor with yellow, fiery accents.
 
The Stone that used to be Linka Pearl turned into the Gale Blade, her battle-axe reborn, and Faerie took it eagerly.  With a brillant white flash, she was adorned with white armor with pink airy accents.

The Stone that used to be Kwame Diamond turned into the Fissure Blade, and Mithril took it tentatively.  With a brillant green flash, he was adorned with green armor with brown earthy accents.

The Stone that used to be Heart of Mati Succhi turned into the Light Blade, and Underseen took it rather hesitantly.  With a bright yellow flash, he was adorned with golden yellow armor that changed as he did.

And, finally, the Stone that used to be the CP Garnet turned into the Damocles Blade, and Goom took it somehow.  With a bright silver flash, he was adorned with silver armor with many sharp corners and edges.

The Eternity Blades had been given to their rightful owners.

[The Spectre]

Book CX for the win!!!

[Cloak]

Yes, but we're a long way off from that book.  And no spoilers, Spectre!

[Underseen]

Armor is always cool and so are swords. That was pretty cool and I wonder the true potential for everyone's weapons.

[redtailedsaffa]

I am gonna read every Memoir even if it means saving all 102 pages for offline reading and driving my mom completely nuts.

[Cloak]

I'm simultaneously flattered and concerned at that, Saffa.

First chapter of today.  Kinda short.
 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
The Blades

"Stupid boy!" Thanos said, not quite hiding his perplexity, as Cloak slowly descended to the ground, landing rather gently.  "Only a fool throws away his advantage!"

Cloak collapsed down to one knee, head bowed, eyes closed, breathing ragged as his left hand clutched his chest.  The mere act of catalyzing the Stones drained him far more than he had anticipated.

"And you've weakened yourself in such a futile display!" Thanos proclaimed uncomprehendingly. Then his tone took on a slight tone of disappointment.  "You and your Eternity Stones could have held me at bay for countless millennia.  Now you're a weak, little nothing."

Cloaked gritted his teeth, steadied his breathing before slowly lifting his head, gnashing his teeth with every word, "Am I, Thanos?"

Then he stood tall, looking directly at Thanos, feeling completely unintimidated and completely irked.

"You see, Thanos," Cloak said, very clearly and plainly, as the chosen wielders of the newly-minted Eternity Blades came and stood beside him. "The Eternity Stones had another power that the brutish Infinity Gems do not."

Thanos hesitated at this, then decided, "LIES!"

"How can it be a lie when you witnessed the event for yourself?" Cloak said, as if Thanos was a very naughty child.  "The Stones, when enough energy from a full-fledged Elements Master of the Six Elements, have been sufficiently energized, they evolve -- yes, evolve, Thanos -- into the Tempest, Fissure, Sun, Fissure, Light, and Damocles Blades, collectively known as the Eternity Blades."

"Fancy words," Thanos taunted. "But that's all they are, aren't they?"

"Care to see for yourself?" Goom said.

"We're more than ready to take you down." Phoenix said.

"Enough talking, more hitting!" Faerie cried.

[redtailedsaffa]

Haha no worry, it's just that I'm slightly late and so I'll try and read as much as possible. You go so fast it's crazy!

[Cloak]

Well, it's a sort of therapy for me, Saffa.  Writing is always cathartic for me.  One hundred pages at only 27 books. . . . geez, wonder what the page number'll be when I get to Book CX (that is to say, Book 110).

Now, another chapter -- and the one after it will end it.  This book, that is.
 

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Shattered Explosions

"Happy to indulge, fairy!" Thanos said.
 
"What . . . did . . . you . . . call . . . me?" Faerie said, her eyes alight with malicious violence.
 
"Oh no." Cloak said, slightly facepalming.  "He called her the 'F' word."
 
"What?  What's wrong?" Saffa asked, sitting up, reviving from Thanos's first assault.
 
"He shouldn't have done that." Az said rather amused, but in a somewhat bemused way.
 
Faerie roared loudly and flew straight to holding her Gale Blade at a very dangerous angle.  Then she struck, struck, struck!  Thanos blocked each strike with the Gauntlet -- apparently unaware of the minute fissure, the crack that appeared in the Time Gem.  But Faerie's attack didn't stop or faulter.
 
It was this barrage of attacks that actually forced Thanos to the ground.  Faerie had backed off a bit, only due to exhaustion.
 
"This is all you have to muster?" Thanos gloated, still unaware of the damaged Infinity Gem.  "Pathetic."
 
"Oh, hello." Underseen said pleasantly, on Thanos's side.  Then he slammed his Light Blade against the Gauntlet, causing several rather invisible fractures in the Soul Gem.  Thanos roughly threw him aside, and he remained ignorant that two of the Infinity Gems were structurally-compromised.  However, Underseen hadn't missed this, as he oozed away from Thanos -- the Light Blade and his armor oozing with him, as if they were nothing more than an extension of his being, which they were.
 
"Phoenix, Goom, Horse, Mithril," Underseen said to the others, when his lips, mouth, and vocal cords solidified enough.  "You each have to attack him individually.  Jeopardize the other Infinity Gems."
 
"What?" Horse asked.
 
"The Space Gem and the Time Gem have been fractured," Cloak said, nodding, "I can sense it from here.  The only reason it's still in one piece is because of the Gauntlet.  Each power would have been affected accordingly."
 
"Okay, I'll go then." Mithril said, and he charged forward, easily ducking Thanos blow, wondering idly how he could remain ignonant of his power ebbing away slowly.  Then he slammed the hilt of the Fissure Blade upon the Gauntlet, and slashed at it with the blade, breaking the Reality Gem with rather obvious cracks.  But Thanos's mind was elsewhere, as he punched Mithril in the gut, and the RAFian flew in the air, the Fissure Blade slipping from his grasp for just a moment.  He landed hard on his feet, and his breath coming in huffs and puffs.
 
"My turn," Horse said.  So she charged forward, teeth clenched in an animalistic rage, yet the seal still lurked about in her face.  She fluidly dodged Thanos's punches.  It was as if he was trying to punch water.  Horse snuck under his guard and got in a nice slice of the Mind Gem.  Then she dodged away, and stood her ground.  This perplexed Thanos.  He was suspecting something more was going on.
 
"Quick, Phoenix," Cloak urged, "he already suspects.  Do it now."
 
Phoenix nodded, and flew -- yes, flew -- on fiery phoenix wings toward Thanos.  He was not one to be so easily intimidated, though.  This fact served Phoenix very well, as his intent was far different from intimidation.  With two well-placed strikes from his Sun Blade, he managed to cleanly sever the Space Gem into quarters.  Thanos remained none-the-wiser, as he believed the attack was intimidation.
 
"Fool!  I will not be so easily frightened!!"
 
"Goom," Cloak urged, "go now."

"Right," Goom said, charging forward, sword held high and inexplicably.

However, Thanos didn't considered Goom very much of a threat, as he laughed a great big belly laugh.  Goom had no trouble in slicing open the Power Gem.  Then he charged out of Thanos's reach.

Thanos was still grinning like a great big idiot, "Is that the best you could do?"

"I think it was suitable." Goom said, lowering his Damocles Blade slightly.

"Suitable?  You didn't do anything!!" Thanos said with another belly laugh.

"Didn't they?" Cloak said, a subtle smirk playing around his lips.

"What do you mea -- ARGH!!"

BOOM!  BOOM!!  BOOM!!! Bah-BOOM!  BOOM!! Bah-BOOM!

The Gems disintegrated explosively with colored explosions, as they were unable to contain the little power they managed to hold on to.  Thanos was very, very, very much weakened by these explosions, and the gold Gauntlet was nothing more than twisted, tarished gold that was smoking slightly.

"Uhhh . . ." Thanos said, before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"It's over." Phoenix said.