Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Last chapter of the 27th book!  Just remember, the chapters today will have to tide you over 'til Monday.
 

CHAPTER TWENTY:
A Dark Horizon

"Okay," Underseen said, lowering his Light Blade all the way, now that Thanos was prone, unmoving, but still alive.  "What do we do with him?"

"If he's not already dead," Faerie said, the fire still in her eyes, "let's kill him and be done with it."

"That's a bit dark.  Even for you, Faerie," Goom said, but did not offer an alternative.

"Killing him is what he wants," Cloak said.  "It's his way of being with his, ahem, 'beloved'."

"What do you propose?" Phoenix asked, as all the Eternity Blades vanished in a way much like the Keyblades.

"Let him live," Cloak said, vaguely.  Then he realized how vague it was, and sought to clarify, "Remove all vestiges of power from him, then release him.  The Infinity Gems and Eternity Stones are no more, he cannot do any real harm once AniDragon gives him her treatment."

"But the Eternity Stones aren't gone," Mithril said, resumming his Fissure Blade in a style like Riku, and the armor came back with, "they come to us when we call."

"Mithril, weren't you paying attention?  That is no longer the Kwame Diamond, no longer an Eternity Stone.  It is an Eternity Blade.  It evolved -- they all evolved, so the Stones are gone." Cloak explained.  "The Stone could have been used by anyone.  The Fissure Blade is at your beck and call, Mithril.  Your beck and call.  Yours, and no one else's.  Those blades cannot be used by anyone else but the ones that they chose."

"Wow," Horse said, benignly.  "That's better than my Pinniped Dagger . . . although, this is sort of its son or something, I suppose."

"Right," Phoenix said, thoughtfully as AniDragon approached nearer, "but what about those people that Thanos killed?  With the Infinity Gems gone were they brought back from death?"

Cloak remained silent as he watched AniDragon work her magic and bind any powers Thanos had left.  He remained silent as she thanked the six Blade-Wielders and then went on her way.  He remained silent as Parker, Blocky, and Dino drug Thanos, none too gently, from the forum.

"Well?" Phoenix said, impatiently.

Cloak closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Phoenix, I don't know."

"What?"

Cloak opened his eyes and met the Blade-Wielder's gaze.  "I don't know, Phoenix.  I said, I don't know."

"But you doubt it." Phoenix said shrewdly.

"Yes." Cloak answered truthfully.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere, deep in space, a small mass of small black things swarmed closer to the solar system, like locusts looking for fresh greenery.  It's shadow cast upon many a barren planet.  The very swarm shouted evil from light years away, and they sought to ring destruction.

[Cloak]

Still planning out the chapters for "Hounded".

EDIT: Added "Book CL (150): Utter Pandemonium" and "Book CLI: A Reality Rewrite".  Now, planning the chapters of "A Buggy Afternoon", with four already planned.

• 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.

• Book CL: Utter Pandemonium

Cloak, Gaz, Saffa, Underseen, and Hunter investigate odd goings-on at a theme park island named "Haunted Island".

• Book CLI: A Reality Rewrite

Cloak, Faerie, Broken, and Broken's protege discover a magical, reality-altering typewriter.  Cloak, being a Realm Walker and the other three, being magical, are immune to its rewrites of reality.

[Cloak]

Eh, I'll go ahead and start this book.  Bit on the short side, I'm afraid.
 

BOOK XXVIII:
The Viral Rings
CHAPTER ONE:
Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?

Upon the grounds of RAF, Cloak felt like some weight had been placed on his back.  He did not know why, but it took him all his strength, all his willpower, to not collapse upon the ground.  He had never felt such a powerful force of evil.  Even Malice didn't give off this much.  And that was saying something.

He has heard tale, however, of one Realm Walker issuing out a similar level of evil.  His name was, quite aptly, Cataclysm.  But he was dead.  He's been dead for years.  And yet . . . and yet, so was Malice.  Malice is still believed to be dead by the general Realm Walker populace.

Whatever it was, Cloak could tell, it was coming closer.  What it was, however, he could not say.

"Cloak!" Aquilai exclaimed.  "You're okay!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, rather flummoxed.

"Well, FuBar, Bladeh, Kitsi, and every other feline RAFian is unconscious." the Time Lord said.

Cloak sighed heavily, "So I didn't imagine it."

"Imagine what?"

"The enormous, powerful evil approaching us."

"Wait -- more powerful than Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet?"

"Yes, in a more pervasive way." Cloak said.  "I don't know what this thing is, but --"

"You're worried." Aquilai said, astutely.

"Yes, Aquilai," Cloak said, very seriously, turning his gaze from the stars to Aquilai, "I am."

Silence spanned the hours as they stood their looking across the cosmos.  Thinking about it, make Cloak feel so small.  Even smaller when he thought that there were thousands more realms, realities, than just this little one.  Millions, really.  Some are destroyed and others are born every few days.

But it was in this one that Cloak found a place where he belonged.  It was in this one that Cloak found friends with similar interests.  It was in this one that Cloak found . . . a family.  Cloak shut his eyes as if he could shut out the memories.  He was treated with scorn back in the Nexus.  Simply because he valued Dwellers. . . .

But no . . . that wasn't entirely true.  There were other Realm Walkers who valued the lives of Realm Dwellers.  Shadow . . . for one. . . .

No, he mustn't go there.  Those memories were too painful.  They must be suppressed.

***

The mysterious mass encroached further and further to the solar system.  Upon closer inspection, revealed them to be round, with a hollow middle . . . rings.  Semi-sentient, black rings who appeared to be suffering from some corrosion.  There was no counting how many individual rings there were, but the mass seemed to be about the size of a compact car.

Who knew why they sought out the solar system, but their bad vibes were strong enough to span the distance. . . .

[Underseen]

Wow my armor is really cool. Why do I of all people get the light blade and can I change the sword too?

This new book will be interesting. I like when aspects from other books make new books themselves.

[Cloak]

[...] can I change the sword too? [...]

Yes, although it takes a toll on your energy and concentration.

[Underseen]

Meh rather just change myself.

[Cloak]

Its mostly for camouflage purposes -- helping you pull off certain impersonations.

[Underseen]

Oh I see. Why was it the light blade for me? I know I already asked that question, but you never answered it.

I just forgot that although today is Friday there would be no chapters, but I can just speculate what is going to happen in this new book over a latte.

[Cloak]

God, you're quick. And speculate away!  There  are basically two things that this book is loosely based on.

Oh I see. Why was it the light blade for me? I know I already asked that question, but you never answered it.

I just forgot that although today is Friday there would be no chapters, but I can just speculate what is going to happen in this new book over a latte.

Yeah, I deliberately neglected to answer that.  Why? I didn't really have a good answer . . . it just seemed a good idea at the time.

EDIT: Well, you can expect a minimum of two chapters tomorrow.

And here we go.  Sorry, it's short.
 

CHAPTER TWO:
The Black Plague

Estelore was muddling around some lonely, barren, "unattatched" planetoids.  She felt mingled feelings of disappointment, sorrow, and pity for the lifeless rocks.  Her examinations showed that the planetoids never had life, never had the opportunity.
Then she noticed something rather odd in the distance.

It was a swarm.  A swarm of small black objects, with something more substantial in the center of this strange hive mass.  It was a lantern of black metal, alight with a black-colored light.

What in the world . . . ? Estelore found herself thinking, wondering.  Her innate curiosity piqued, she approached the mass, who seemed to not take notice of her.

"The blackest night falls from the skies. . . ."

What's this? Estelore thought, thoroughly nonplussed.  How can I understand them?

"The darkness grows as all light dies."

Estelore started to realize that these things, whatever they maybe, were not harmless, inert things she initially thought.  Not objects doomed to float in the void, at the mercy of whoever decides destiny and fate.

"We crave your hearts and your demise. . . ."

The import of this message, and she realized the true motives of the vile, viral creatures.  She tried to figure their trajectory, working furiously.  It was with a heavy heart, leadened with dread, that she realized that they were making a beeline toward the . . . the Earth.

"By our black whims, the dead shall rise!"

For the first time, in a long time, Esty felt real terror.  Terror equal to when a Mummudrai Evile-possessed Phoenix came after her.

She took off to Earth, to warn them, to prepare them.  Unfortunately, this mass picked up on her terror, "seeing" her in shades of fearful yellows mixed with willful greens and hopeful blues.

They followed that . . .

[Cloak]

Got more to go, and that's not an April Fools joke.  Sorry this one's short too.
 

CHAPTER THREE:
A Falling Star

Estelore, oblivious that her emotional "light" was essentially lighting the way to the Earth, hurried towards the planets that orbited Sol.  Towards the third one, all blue, green, brown and white.
 
But, in reality, the blame did not fall with Esty.  It was just a matter of time before these corroded black rings and their black lantern hive-mother discovered the Earth, a planet so vibrant, so pulsing with the life and the emotional light that these rings and their lantern-mother despised.
 
Anyway, Esty encapsulated herself in her woman-in-a-sundress avatar as she approached this simple, unassuming rock.  She was soon descending through clouds of the fluffy variety as she controlled her plummet to the soft, loamy soil.
 

***

Cloak squinted as he looked upward to the darkening sky.
 
"What in the realm . . . ?" Cloak muttered the Realm Walker equivalent of "What in the world?"
 
"It's . . ." Aquilai said, squinting as well.  Then his eyes widened as he finished the statement, "Heading right for us!!"
 
Cloak stood his ground as Aquilai dove away.  But the descending object stopped within mere feet of Cloak -- and revealed herself to be a rather harried Estelore.
 
"Well," Cloak said with an airy tone he did not feel, "what brings you here in such a hurry?"
 
"Them," Estelore pointed enigmatically behind her, "they come."
 
"Care to be mor elaborate?" Aquilai asked, brushing and dusting himself off.
 
"Death itself."
 
"Yeah, that's specific," Aquilai sighed.

[Cloak]

Warning: this chapter'll be really short.  Probably too short. . . . So, yeah, I padded it a little.
   

CHAPTER FOUR:
Black Rain

But soon became obvious just what Estelore had meant just mere moments later.

"The blackest night falls from the skies,
The darkness grows as all light dies,
We crave your hearts and your demise,
By our black whims, the dead shall rise!"

Like some perverse rain, the rings plummeted into the atmosphere.  They still supported their "queen", their hive-mother, this lantern of black light.

"The blackest night falls from the skies,
The darkness grows as all light dies,
We crave your hearts and your demise,
By our black wrath, the dead shall rise!"

They eventually set down in the nearest sect of the Westboro Baptist Church, as that church was a leading cause of death, the death of tact and common decency, and this appealed to the lantern and its energy, fuelled by the vast emptiness, by its cold, lifeless expanses.

"The blackest night falls from the skies,
The darkness grows as all light dies,
We crave your hearts and your demise,
By our black avarice, the dead shall rise!"

The lantern's inner black light writhed and undulated rather hungrily.  Its "children" continued to recite their Oath in an almost singsongy way as their "mother" did this.

"The blackest night falls from the skies,
The darkness grows as all light dies,
We crave your hearts and your demise,
By our black dread, the dead shall rise!"

Then they scattered inexplicably.  They floated in a swirly manner before they floated away, for one mission.  One macabre mission, to extinguish the light of the emotional spectrum.  There was only one way to do that -- eliminate all life.  Still, they recited the Oath like little kids reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

"The blackest night falls from the skies,
The darkness grows as all light dies,
We crave your hearts and your demise,
By our black wills, the dead shall rise!"

[Cloak]

Perhaps the previous chapter was creepy enough.  Anyway, have a fourth chapter today.
   

CHAPTER FIVE:
The Rings of Death

The rings flared out and went, seeking some unknown object.  Some seemed attracted to the outskirts of RAF, to the graveyards of the city, to a mausoleum where Knights were buried.  They were drawn to crypts and places of death.  It was soon clear what their gross goal was.
 
They blasted into the crypts and wormed their way onto the fingers of those enclosed.  Then used black energy tendrils to firmly adhere themselves to the corpses which then began to raise up.  Not quite zombies and not quite Black Lanterns, but some perverse fusion of the two.
 
Several of the people that the RAFians had faced before -- the former owners of the Infinity Gems, Syphoon, Louis Cannon, Mallory Falwell, and, most surprising of all, Thanos himself!  They were restricted to just finding corpses, even the vaguest remnant was sufficient to reconstitute a viral Black Lantern.  Madre de Vampyra became a viral Black Lantern, as did Ardnalil-Shicom-Maar and his crew that were slain when Dark Phoenix annihilated their Dome ship.
 
They weren't exactly the same people that they were before the Black Lantern rings chose them, as if they were being controlled by another entity, but they retained all their memories.

But not all corpses were turned into Black Lanterns -- Abraham Lincoln's tomb was unable to be breached, as was Harriet Tubman, Gandhi, and other beings who vouched for peace and equality.  The Black Lanterns could not tolerate such an embrace of life, even in these great people's deaths.

 But there were enough people who allowed hatred and contempt to corrode this one principle, who allowed their bodies to be used in such away.  Like Black Lantern Inferi, their distorted and gruesome appearances in death frightened pretty much all.

Cloak saw all this happening, mostly with Earthsight.  Cloak felt a chill travel up his spine from the tip of his tail.  He could also feel his fur puffing up a little.

"Cloak," Aquilai said, showing a great deal of concern upon seeing Cloak's reaction.  "Cloak, what's wrong."

Cloak was very glad that Aquilai couldn't really see just how unnerved he was.  Realm Walkers all found the idea of leaving corpses when you die rather disconcerting, as they do not.  The idea of them being reanimated in any way was truly revolting to Realm Walker sensibilities.  Cloak wasn't an exception to this facet of his species psyche.

"Cloak," Aquilai repeated.  "What's wrong?"

Cloak turned and looked Aquilai in the eye, and said, with a slight quaver to his voice, "Everything."

[Cloak]

Oh, yeah, this is getting creepy, I think.  Fifth chapter today.
   

CHAPTER SIX:
Hunkered Down

More and more rings took on host corpses.  Some historically famous, like Andrew Jackson, and others more unknown.  But none were children, it seemed -- perhaps because they embrace the light of life more than anybody.
 
The other RAFians could not help but sit up and take notice of this.  Green Lantern Sam and Helen were among the first, after Cloak.  The color had left their faces as they realized something.
 
"Yarin, Aquilai, bring up the perimeter defenses," Richard commanded.  "The rest of you, in the auditorium.  NOW."
 
With that, everyone dashed to the large indoor auditorium.
 

***

"Now, what do we have here?" Richard asked the room at large.  "It appears to be zombies of some sort."

They had all assembled into their usual spots in the auditorium.  Cloak stood in the back, arms crossed, looking very somber and serious.  There was a brief outburst of whispering at Richard's proclaimation.

"Black Lanterns, actually," Sam corrected, stifling his fear.  "I thought they were a legend, a myth."

"They were viral, too," Cloak said, surly.  "They contain great evil.  FuBar, Bladeh, Kitsi and the others sensed it, too."

"They could be a fusion of a zombie virus and Black Lantern rings," Helen suggested, shivering at the mere thought of it.  Cloak didn't blame her.  "Who knows if there's a weakness?"

"Simple," Parker said, fully-armored, "headshots all the way."

"Honey, you know I love you," Helen said consolingly, "but it may work that way if they were solely zombies, but they're also Black Lanterns.  They'd regenerate."

"Oh, that's just perfect," Parker sighed.

"So, we just remove the rings." Gaz shrugged.  "Easy-peezy."

"I highly doubt that it'll be that easy," Underseen pointed out.  "They probably have roots or tendrils or something locking them onto the corpses."

<So,> Noelle thought aloud, <we'll simply have to destroy the rings.>

"But we don't know of anything that CAN destroy them!" Sam interjected.

"I have a question," Saffa spoke up.

"What is it?" Phoenix said, encouraging her to go on.

"If they were after us, why isn't there, I dunno, shakes and wobbles and such?"

Dead silence greeted this.

"We're not their primary targets, are we?" Saffa pressed.

Dead silence again as Cloak facepalmed.

[Cloak]

Probably gonna be the last chapter today.  Maaaaaybe not.  Depends.
   

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Mark-Bearers and Ring-Bearers

"Well, then," Cloak said to the silenced crowd at large, "there can be only one solution.  We must go and protect the city."
 
"But what about the other cities, Cloak?" Underseen asked aptly.  "We cannot possibly protect all of them."
 
Cloak forgot that this realm wasn't like the Nexus with only one real central city, only one big metropolis.  He recovered his poise with reasonable ease, "We must do what we can."
 
"And if it isn't enough?" Kelly asked, biting her lip nervously.
 
"It will have to be enough," Cloak shrugged.  "And we must give it our all to repel this threat."
 
<And get turned into one of those horrid things too?> Esplin countered.  <I heard their chanting.  They want our hearts.>
 
"Fine, Esplin," Cloak said, nodding to him, "then send in the RAFians who lack a physical heart."
 
"Like who?" Saffa asked.
 
"Like Sakki and Oceanspray," Cloak suggested, "being mechanical, and all.  And I would go with."
 
"You don't have a heart?" Estelore asked.

"I do, actually," Cloak said, "although somewhat -- er, never mind the specifics.  The fact of the matter is when I die, there would be nothing for them to eat.  Even if there was, it would cause the simultaneous incineration, melting, and disintegration of the realm."

Which would serve the viral Black Lanterns, as they hated life, but Cloak chose not to mention this.

"Wait," Faerie spoke up, "what about the Mark?"

"What about it?" Goom asked.

"Would it protect us from the Black Lanterns?"

All eyes glanced between Goom and Cloak.

"I don't know." Cloak said, honestly.  "It doesn't protect you from dying.  It protects you from possession, mind control, etcera, etcera.  But Goom and I never prepared for this eventuality.  We never foresaw it."

"I'll take that risk," Faerie said recklessly.

"I will too," Underseen said, suddenly holding the Light Blade.  His thinking was that they would recoil in fear against it.

"Okay, Oceanspray, Sakki, Faerie, Underseen, and I --"

"Hold up, I'm coming too." Parker said stubbornly.

"Parker, no!"

"Sorry, Helen.  I'm not getting left out of this."

"I'll tag along too," Gaz said.

"And that makes nine," Esty said, standing.  She was no longer Casual Esty -- the sundress and hat were gone.  She was wearing yellow Kevlar and her hair was drawn up into a tight bun.  She was Warrior Esty.

Noelle skittered a little, and, with slight hesitation, she said, <Make that ten.>

"Okay," Richard nodded.  "Go, and stay in constant communication."

***

The ten stationed themselves around the city, after a thorough search realized that the Black Lanterns had only penetrated the upper northwest quarter, turning those that they could into Black Lanterns.  Cloak noticed that their marks, normally blue, were now colored rather blisteringly white.

"Nothing here." Parker noted over communications.  They did probably the worse thing that they could have done.  They split up to cover more ground.  Even Cloak couldn't keep them in Earthsight range with all the other vibrations going on throughout the city.  He didn't like it, the city seemed to be deserted.

He had a very bad feeling about this. . . .

[Underseen]

People that took us a considerate amount of time to defeat are all back and if we can't beat them we might join them. The odds are not in our favor, which makes this all the more interesting.