Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Thanks, Saffa.

I am surprised that you released 6 chapters in one day.

Eh, it was a good day.

And the ambitious list:

• 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.

• Book CLII: The Coming of Galacticron

The RAFians must save Earth from Galacticron.

• Book CLIII: Theft of Intellectual Property

The RAFians must contend with Brainiac.

• Book CLIV: The Contingency

The RAFians must battle the Talos Project and their living weapon -- Weapon XLIX.

[Cloak]

Well, let's try this again.  Sorry, it's shorter than the one that I lost.
 

CHAPTER TWO:
A Demental Case

"Will you hurry up?!" Malice snarled.  "I'm getting impatient! And, more importantly, annoyed!"
 
"Nearly there, dearest!" Abomination said sycophantically.  His voice was muffled a bit due to the crate-sized case he was hoisting effortlessly.  He made to put it down, which incited Malice's ire to flare up again.
 
"Not here!" Malice scolded, deliberately avoiding saying, "you idiot", though wanting to. As much as she would deny it to everyone and herself, she needed Abomination's muscle.  "We must be closer to that forum."
 
"Why?"
 
The question was innocent enough, but Malice saw it as insubordination, as she never knew love.
 
"Don't question me. I know what I'm doing." she sniffed.  "Come now, a little closer?"
 
Abomination hesitated before voicing one of the stickiest questions he had ever dared to, "Forgive me, love . . ."
 
"What is it?" she said, finding it difficult to keep out the scorn.
 
"Why must we . . . why must we rely on such . . . things?"
 
Malice stopped walking, looking at Abomination, her face inscrutable.  Then she hid her contempt and disgust with practiced ease, and said, "They affect you?"
 
Abomination said nothing, he was painfully aware that she would think him delicate or weak if he answered truthfully.
 
"This is the spot.  Let them out."
 
"How can we be sure they'll stay in the forum?"
 
"Cloak will attract them."

[Cloak]

Another shortish chapter, and one that doesn't quite meet my size quota. . . . Sorry.
 

CHAPTER THREE:
That's Demented

Gaz and AniDragon were milling around the "Gaz Reviews the Beast Wars" thread*.  Gaz had just posted a new review that Cloak was not yet aware of.
 
"Do you feel that chill?" AniDragon asked the vivacious vampire as Laserbeak nuzzled a wing.
 
"Well, Megatron had just erased the Maximals from existance.  So, yeah it's a bit chilling." Gaz replied.
 
"No, seriously,"AniDragon said, and it was true it was a if the heat had been literally sucked out of the air.  And it was a very warm, comfortable sort of day to begin with.
 
"We'll just shut the window then," Gaz said, decisively.
 
But she never got that far.  The coldness seemed to reach deep inside the two.  Forcing them to remember things.  Horrible things from their lives that they were now being forced to relive.
 
They did not see or seem to know what is causing these demented feelings, but it forced the two to their needs, feeling as if they'd never be cheerful again.
 
Then, all at once, it stopped, as Gaz forced herself to shut the window.  Then the effects suddenly and swiftly stopped.  The two RAFians looked borderline to tears.  The two of them were shaking with the force of the visions, the bad memories that they were forced to relive with such vivid and elaborate detail.

AniDragon reached for a Twix in her pack, and turned to address Gaz.
 
"Twix?" AniDragon offered, as she took some herself.  AniDragon suspected comfort food might help the both of them.  Gaz took her up on her offer.
 
But the creatures remained within the forum, hungrily looking for more victims to feed on.
 
---
*Yes, this is a bit of "project-placement" -- you know, like "product-placement".

[Cloak]

A long chapter title, hopefully the chapter itself will follow suit.
 

CHAPTER FOUR:
Things that Armor Can't Stop

These creatures that feed on positive feelings, these creatures that empty feeling beings of every happy memory, continued to prowl RAF -- and not all RAFians could see them.  Mostly the non-magic kind, although no thing can be invisible from Realm Walker eyes.
 
Parker, Oceanspray, Underseen, and Sakki were milling around and about posting and mostly enjoying the day -- except the sunlight seemed unusually muted all of a sudden.  And the suddenness of this darkness was disconcerting.
 
"Strange, I don't have any meteorological data for rain today," Parker said.  Then Parker said, "What do you mean it is because of those odd wraith-like creatures, Tyr?  There aren't a wraith-like creatures."
 
A beat of silence, broken when Parker said, "There's no call for namecalling, Tyr."
 
Another beat of silence, broken again when Parker said, "Tyr, I'm in no mood for -- now do be that way!"
 
But then the other three felt the chill.  Oceanspray and Sakki were surprised at how cold it felt, but Parker was mostly surprised that he could feel the chill through his armor, as if it was made of cheap tissue paper.  Parker would remark on the sheer impossibility and implausibility of this, but the chill was forcing him to relive rather unpleasant memories.  The other three were not spared, and Underseen was terrified.
 
Terrified because he knew exactly what creatures could cause a chill, a cold, this severe, this completely soul-numbing.  Underseen uttered very quitely, "De . . . Dementors. . . ."
 
Suddenly, Parker was lifted up by the scabbed hands of a particularly large Dementor . . . it pressed it's blind jaws upon his helmet and began to suck.  It was attempting to deliver a Kiss -- but, being blind, it was unaware of Parker's helmet.  But this foul beast would not hold Parker for much longer.
 
His Mark activated, and it drove the Dementor away.  Parker was dropped roughly, and the rest of Dementors fled before the power of the Unity Energy.
 
"What the bloody hell was that thing?!" Parker gasped, scared of the force that he could not see.
 
"De--Dementors," Underseen said, he was still shivering so much that his form was blurred.  "Those things are worse than the Black Lanterns."

Parker pondered this.  "Dementors . . ."

Then a chill rather unrelated to the chills that the Dementors foist upon all feeling beings crept up his spine as he read the species database entry for "Dementors".  "It was attempting to Kiss me, wasn't it?"

"I would imagine," Underseen said.

"You couldn't see it?" Sakki asked.

"I couldn't," answered Underseen.  His form was still shaky.  He looked similar to a staticky hologram.

"Neither could I," Sakki said, voice hollow.

Oceanspray said nothing but shook his head in reply.

"So we're powerless against them." Parker said, then was silent for a bit, and spoke again with an acidly sarcastic tone.  "Oh, yeah, Tyr, you've been ever so helpful when it was trying to Kiss me."

"Not necessarily," a voice said coming up to them.  It belonged to Broken, with Faerie skimming the grass behind him, they were attracted by the actions of the Dementors.  "We -- that is to say, Faerie and I -- can see them."

[redtailedsaffa]

That can be even creepier when you can't actually see them. *shivers*

[Cloak]

Yes, it is true, Saffa.

Now, very probably the last chapter today.
 

CHAPTER FIVE:
Cloak Demented

Cloak had left his thread, thinking that maybe his mind was playing games with him.  He thought perhaps a walk would help him clear it.  It was an idea that he regretted immediately, as the Dementors made a beeline for him.  But unlike Gaz, Parker and the others, he could see them.  He could see them quite easily.
 
"Away!" Cloak commanded.  "Away with you!"
 
It was then that Cloak realized that he was not immune from their effects.  He saw images began to swim before his eyes, but he forced the memory down.  But he eventually failed to do so -- and the memory swam through his mind and he saw it as if it were happening right now. . . .
 

***

He was back in the dilapidated mess that was his mother's house that was surrounded by trees and had a very great view of the Realms.  He was a great deal younger, roughly 25 years old (or roughly 251 in Dweller years).  His mother was singing.

"The world is cruel.
The world is wicked.
It's I alone whom you can trust in the whole city!
I am your only friend.
I who keep you, teach you, feed you, dress you --
I who look upon you without fear
How can I protect you, boy, unless you
Always stay in here?"

Then she stood up, nose held proudly in the air, and she spoke, "Remember what I taught you, son."

She sang,
 

"You are inferior."

Cloak echoed,
 

"I am inferior."

She continued with this littany:

"And you are lazy."

Cloak echoed this again,
 

"And I am lazy."

Then she continued her abusive words:

"And these are crimes
For which the realms and the world
Shows little pity!
You do not comprehend!"

Cloak added, in a quiet manner,
 

"You are my one defender."

His mother continued:

"Out there, they'll revile you
As a loser."

Cloak spoke to himself more than his mother.
 

"I am a loser."

His mother continued in her debasement:

"Out there they will hate
And scorn and jeer."

Cloak again spoke to himself more than his mother.
 

"Only a loser"

Ursa now wheeled Cloak to face her, and sang:

"Why invite their calumny
And consternation?
Stay in here.
Be faithful to me."

Cloak answered:
 

"I'm faithful."

His mother added:

"Grateful to me."

Cloak replied:
 

"I'm grateful."

His mother continued:

"Do as I say.
Obey,
And --"

Then they sung together:
 

"Stay
In here."

"Remember, son," she said, gesturing to the shack of a home, "this is your sanctuary."
 
Then she left as Cloak slid down a wall, one of the few solid walls in the house.  He sang in a voice over, as he went over to a window:

Safe behind these windows and this guilt I can't atone.
Gazing at the Dwellers down below of me.
All my life, I watch them as I hide here alone,
Hungry for the histories they show me.
All my life, I memorize their faces,
Knowing them as they will never know me.
All my life, I wonder how it feels to pass a day,
Not apart of them,
But among of them!

And out there,
Living in the sun.
Give me one day out there!
All I ask is one!
To hold forever!

Out there!
Where they all live unaware!
What I'd give,
What I'd dare,
Just to live one day out there!

Out there among the goombas and the gryphons and their wives.
Through the roofs and gables, I can see them.
Ev'ry day they shout and scold and go about their lives
Heedless of the gift is is to be them!
If I was in their skin,
I would treasure
Ev'ry instant --

Out there!
My life to brighten.
To taste a morning out there,
Like ordinary Walker men,
Who freely walk about there!
Just one day and then
I swear I'll be content
With my share!
Won't resent!
Won't despair!
Old and bent,
I won't care!
I'll have spent
One day
Out there!!

***

"NO!" Cloak roared, very aware how close he was to passing out.  But he simply would not allow it.  It was difficult though, to stand after that heavy, heavy memory.  One of many he had tried to suppress.  And there were still others, others that he continually tried to repress.

Maintaining consciousness was difficult . . . though . . .

[Cloak]

Perhaps just one more.

CHAPTER SIX:
Cloak's Vulnerability

Cloak had collapsed to his knees, stubbornly trying to stay conscious.  But the . . . the images . . .

"Go away . . ." Cloak said weakly and rather pathetically.

They ignored this.  They were hungry -- Malice has starved them as best as she could.

"Go away," Cloak said, slightly firmer.

They once again ignored this.  The largest swooped down upon him, pulled back its hood, and lifted him up.

"Put me down . . ." Cloak said, still tormented by the memories, his own memories.

The Dementor did not and would not acquiesce.  Cloak hated seeing those horrid scabbed-over scratches where eyes would be on a normal being.  Then there was that gaping mouth with its rattling breath and its underwater-death skin.

"Put me down," Cloak said stronger now, his anger not being a positive emotion that the Dementors could suck out of him.

Too late, the Dementor lunged forward to Kiss Cloak . . . only to be incinerated, melted and disintegrated simultaneously.

Cloak was fine, his soul still where it ought to be.  But his fury was still quite tangible.  The other Dementors could not see what happened to its fellow but they were very eager to Kiss Cloak.

"I'm not telling you again," Cloak said, eyes like suns again, "BACK THE VEIL OFF!!!"

Suddenly, a powerful blast of golden-scarlet energy from within Cloak erupted and pushed the Dementors away. Then he pointed his palm, the one that bore the Mark, at them.  It bubbled and frothed with Unity Energy.  This seemed to deter them as his own biological energy could.

The Dementors fled, and Cloak looked at his Mark incredulously.  He supposed that Unity Energy was similar to the material that gave Patronuses their substance.

[Gaz]

Was that a hint, Cloaky, in that one chapter?

Good stuff! I really enjoy reading this.

[Cloak]

Why, I don't know whatever you could mean, Gaz.  :shiftyeyes:

Another shortish chapter. I think.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Rage and Rescue

Cloak looked around and saw the Dementors were gone.  He had to be sure, though.

He began to patrol the boundaries of the grounds like an indoor housecat when there's another cat outside.  He hunted them down, evenn though he didn't really want to find them.  He knew he was still very vulnerable to them, but he knew so was his RAFian friends.

He really must hurry, but he must be thorough.

***

Esplin and Noelle was grazing about the grounds. Then the sunlight vanished into a dark, inky blackness.

<What in the world . . .?> Noelle said, confused.  Then the chill hit her and Esplin.  The two Andalites started to remember . . . remember terrible things.

She pressed her hands to the side of her head, as if to squeeze out the bad memories, and Esplin followed suit.  They squeezed their main eyes shut as their stalk eyes scanned the area frantically.  Neither could see anything.

<What is causing this?!> Esplin demanded.

<I have no idea!> Noelle screamed. She didn't care, she was reliving her worst moments.

Then she felt ice-cold hands grasp her shoulders and the base of her neck . . . but Andalites had no mouth.  The Dementors could not suck their souls out via a nonexistent nose. The Dementors, being blind, knew no better, so went for the noses instead . . .

Which doesn't work.  They can't Kiss someone through the nose. This fundamentally made Andalites immune, but it doesn't help that they all are unable to see them.

But Noelle's Mark didn't allow the Dementors to really try, so it wasn't something that would be tested, nor would any Andalite (or any feeling being) volunteer for such a test.

The Dementors fell back to see more food.  It was then that it was apparent that these Dementors had somehow been . . . altered.  They sought not to simply suck the place of all positive feeling and memories.  No, like a hormone-crazed teen, they desired to Kiss others.

But the question remained . . . how could Dementors be altered?

[Underseen]

Weird how right before I read these I saw a picture saying "Honey Boo Boo is my Patron us." Nice updates.

[redtailedsaffa]

Great chapters! Like plunging yourself into a bucket of ice-cold water. 

[Cloak]

Strange that, Underseen.  Just . . . strange.

True, Saffa.

Anyway, I don't know how many chapters I'll get up today.  I'll try for another six, but don't give your hopes up.
 

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Demented Dispelling

Saffa was reading a long book beneath a holly tree while Horse and Guy were splashing about in the lake.  Horse, being a seal and therefore far more adept in the water, was repeatedly getting the better of Guy.

"You know Horse, somehow this has lost its fun," Guy said drily.

"Oh, don't be such a wet blanket!" Horse said playfully.

"I think my blanket is just about the only thing of mine that isn't wet," Guy sniffed.

"Hey, what's that supposed to --"

But Horse never got to finish her question.  The sun seemed to have vanished from the sky, and the three were mired in inky blackness as a coldness filled them up.

Saffa dropped her book, where it laid forgotten, as she writhed from both the memories and the cold.

Guy struggled to leave the water as Horse summoned her Tempest Blade, allowing her to take her armored human form.  But the Blade would protect her about as much as Parker's armor would have protected him from the cold -- such cold that even a seal was unaccustomed to.

"Wh-what's happening?" Guy said, his voice quavered at the memories that he was forced to relive.

Saffa's voice held the same quiver as she replied, "Only on thing I can think of, off the top of my head -- Dementors."

"Oh, that's just peachy!" Horse snarled.  Being forced to relive the worst memories she possessed made her rather moody.  "Then where are they?"

"I don't think we can see them." Saffa stammered.

"Oh, lovely," Guy said, facepalming. "I don't wanna be Kissed."

"Brother, dear, as a Geek, I don't think that will happen -- AAH! GETOFFGETOFFGETOFFG ETOFFGETOFFGETOFF!" Horse said ending in a somewhat hysterical shriek as she felt icy hands on her back.

"What is it?" Guy shouted, instantly concerned. Horse was too busy being hysterical about being Kissed.

"Sheath your Infinity Blade, Horse!" shouted a voice. Horse complied, reverting to her seal form, slipping out of the Dementor's grasp.  It tilted its head as if Horse confused it.

"Now, Dementors, talk to the hand!" said another voice, revealed to be Richard, while the owner of the other voice was revealed to be Cloak.

Both were holding up their hands that bore the Mark, then they fired a beam of Unity Energy each at the Dementors which promptly fled. The sun returned to its full brillance.

"How'd you see them?" Saffa asked, absently scooping up her book.

"It's rather obvious why Richard can," Horse said, a little shakily. "He's just awesome like that."

"And you, Cloak?"

"Nothing is invisible to a Realm Walker," Cloaked answered, a little surly. The three picked up on his tone easily.

"Are . . . are you okay, Cloak?" Saffa ventured tentatively.

"I'm fine!" Cloak snapped quitely. "I'll go tell Aquilai, Goom, Yarin, or whoever to put up and modify the Code Avalon. Then I'll meet you in the auditorium."

And, with that, he swept from the group, his black cloak swishing in time with every step.

[Cloak]

Probably a short chapter.
 

CHAPTER NINE:
Raise the Code Avalon

Cloak walked to communications, where the buttons to activate Code Avalon were, usually Yarin was on duty in there. This time, however, Aquilai was in there.
 
"Cloak! What --" Aquilai said initially genial, but quickly changed to all seriousness upon reading Cloak's body language, "what is it?"
 
"We need Code Avalon activated," Cloak said with a hard, expressionless tone, "once everyone's in the auditorium."
 
"Why? What's happened?"
 
"That's everyone," Cloak seeing the monitor, "activate it now."'
 
"Not until you tell me why!" Aquilai said, pushing his luck.
 
Cloak narrowed his eyes. "To keep the Dementors out."
 
Aquilai looked on blankly for a moment.
 
"Check the database if you're unsure, then!" Cloak said losing a bit of his temper. "But activate it now or I will!"
 
Which was a bit of a stretch because Cloak couldn't remember the complex series of buttons to push to activate it.
 
"Okay, okay," Aquilai said, setting about activating Code Avalon. "But something's going on with you, Cloak. Don't think I can't tell."
 
Cloak said nothing but swept from the room in a style of which Severus Snape would've been proud.
 
"Must've been some bad memories," Aquilai muttered after Cloak's departure, revealing he was very aware of was Dementors were.

***

On the way back to the auditorium, Cloak felt genuinely contrite with his shortness with Aquilai.  Aquilai didn't know the . . . the things that Cloak saw, but if he had he wouldn't have reacted in the same way, Cloak was sure.

And even now, with the Code Avalon activated . . . he could still feel them.  He could still feel those death-cold hands, hear their rattling breath as they sucked the happiness out of the air. . . .

Cloak shivered and tried to put it out of his mind, but it kept charging on through to the forefront of his mind.  No one was around, so Cloak allowed a tear to sear the ground.  These Dementors were bringing up everything, every emotion that he had though he had so successfully surmounted.

It would seem, Cloak realized, that he never overcame them at all.  He just buried and suppressed them until they were long forgotten.  He knew this was unhealthy, but he knew nothing else to do to manage his emotions . . .

He entered the auditorium and took his usual spot.

[redtailedsaffa]

*sniffs slightly*

Ahem. I know the memory I would've seen... You'll know when I get about to posting my fanfic, which will be accomplished as soon as this infuriating coaching class is over. Either way, it involves... okay. I'm not gonna say any more. Focus on Cloaky, people!

[Cloak]

Ah.  And you'll soon see more of my memories in this book.  But fret not -- this atmosphere will end with this book, as Book XXX is gonna be a tad more light-hearted.

Maybe a short chapter.  Probably the last chapter for a few hours.
 

CHAPTER TEN:
The Dementors' One Fatal Weakness

The auditorium was full, yet it felt more packed then usual, and louder than usual.  Cloak wasn't a particular fan of loud noises, but he tolerated this as his mind seemed to want to dwell on the unpleasant images he was forced to unsuppress.  He did not want to remember them, as most of them were of with his deteriorating relationship with his narcissistic, egotistical mother.
 
"Now," Richard addressed the group at large.  Cloak was only half paying attention, the other half of his mind continued to obstinately dwell on the sour, bitter memories of being ignored and enduring his mother's verbal knives.  "As you may have noticed, the Forum is involuntarily playing host to some Dementors."
 
There was a brief surge of voices easily overlapping each other.  Richard waited for it to subside before continuing.
 
"Now, I don't know how they came to be here," Richard began.
 
"That's no mystery," Cloak interrupted.  "Malice must have brought them here."
 
"How do you know that?" Saffa asked.
 
"Because they don't affect her," Cloak guessed.
 
"Realm Walkers are immune?" Underseen asked.
 
"I didn't say that," Cloak said, as he fell into silence once more.
 
"Well, then," Richard said, seizing the floor again, "the fact of the matter is they're here.  And some of you may very well not be able to see them.  I can.  Broken, Faerie, and Cloak can as well."
 
"I can't," Saffa, Noelle, Gaz, Parker, Horse, Esplin, AniDragon, Oceanspray, Guy, Sakki, and Underseen said, at once and in unison.
 
"Now, be that as it may, this brings us to the question of how to destroy them." Richard continued, ignoring this outburst.
 
"Except that they can't be destroyed," Underseen said sadly.
 
There was a subdued silence at these words.
 
"That's not exactly true," Cloak said quietly.  Then he was aware that all eyes were on him, but he said nothing.
 
"Care to elaborate?" Dino coaxed.
 
Cloak looked up and took a deep breath.  "They're weak to what all Realm Dwellers are vulnerable to." Cloak said, fiddling and rubbing the clasp that kept his cloak fastened.
 
He thought this was a subtle enough to answer the question.  But Rotiart, obnoxious as ever, said, "WHICH is WHAT?!"
 
Cloak pulled his mind out of the unpleasant memories at this, and threw Rotiart a look of deepest loathing.  Rotiart didn't do subtlety very well.
 
"Removing my cloak," Cloak answered, very plainly.