Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

True, Underseen.

CHAPTER THREE:
You Will Not Pass!

Gaz stood at threshold of RAF. She felt what the cats felt, but didn't know why. She was a vampire, not a cat. She looked out at the ground beyond RAF's borders, deep in thought.

It was dusk now, but, being a vampire, her night vision was superior than that of a "flatscan" human (that is to say, a human without any inherent powers). Her gaze picked out something that seemed to coalesced from the very night. It had a face that not even a mother would love.

In her shock, she took several steps backward, into the forum. This . . . this thing, whatever it was, was that off-putting, that ugly.

Its horrid voice cut through the night like a cleaver through meat. It addressed Gaz.

"You're afraid," it had said.

It was able to "see" Gaz not as most could, but with a vision similar to thermal vision. Only it didn't see heat.

"Yes . . . you're feeling fear. It's quite clear that you're terrified."

"You're wrong," Gaz said attempting to swallow said fear.

"Oh," he said, approaching closer and Gaz found herself actually rooted to the spot, "it is pointless to lie to me, when it comes to feelings and emotion. I can see them as clearly as you see freckles on a face. Now -- ACK!"

It was then he discovered he couldn't cross the threshold into the forum. He hadn't been invited, and he was nowhere near welcomed.

He attempted to seduce Gaz.

"How's 'bout inviting me in, dearie?" he said.

But Gaz was gone, but not be fore some yellow energy had left her being and was hoovered up into Van Pyrrhus's ugly maw. He licked his lips, and muttered, "Delicious emotion."

Then he pressed his hand what appeared to be a temporary plastic wrap bubble that was invisible except where he put his hand.

"Don't think yourselves safe from me," he muttered, mildly. "Your delicious emotions will satiate me soon enough."

[Underseen]

Wow, so you really have to invite a vampire in.

[Cloak]

Depends on the power level of the vampire, I believe.

[redtailedsaffa]

Oookay. Creepy guy.

I think my ESP would've probably gone mental in my head screaming "Evil! Evil! Trap ahead! Danger!"  

[Cloak]

A lot of old-school vampires can be, I believe, Saffa. The modern-day vampires are more like the ones in "Being Human" or "Angel", I believe.

CHAPTER FOUR:
All-Points Bulletin

The RAFians quickly assembled in the auditorium after Yarin, who managed to see Gaz's encounter with Van Pyrrhus, called into the intercom, "RAFians, assemble!"

"What? We're Avengers now?" Horse said, as she toddled into the auditorium with the rest.

Once there, there was an outpour of chatter. Parker and Blaze were having an argument over who had the most points in the training sim. Two rather newer RAFians that Cloak wasn't familiar with were swapping recipes. AniDragon and Underseen were apparently comparing Pokémon or whatnot. Emotions were running high.

Cloak noticed that none of the feline RAFians -- himself included -- were being so jovial. Neither was Gaz, Saffa, Shanker, Yarin, or any of the mods. It was as if all of them knew the seriousness of the situation. It didn't help that not all of these meetings and announcements in the past were all of grave importance, but some, like the announcements of the dates for the RAFparty, were met with earnest frivolity.

Richard approached the podium on the raised stage. Cloak felt a little bit more relaxed knowing that he was there, considering all he and Aquilai did to retrieve him from the Vox.

"RAFians! RAFians!" Richard said, attempting to steam the talk. "Lend me your ears!"

A pair of pointed ears landed at Richards feet. They were old, plastic, novelty ears.

"Very funny, Demos," Richard replied drily, then he insisted, "This is serious!!"

That got everybody's undivided attention. Then Richard related Gaz's encounter with the emotion vampire.

"Van Pyrrhus?" Shanker interrupted duddenly, quite alarmed, upon hearing the description. "It's real?"

"Oh yeah," Gaz said suppressing as shiver.

"You know of this creature, then?" Cloak said, standing at his spot in the back, arms folded most severely.

"Only legends, really," Shanker said. He was not handling this shock very well. "They say that he didn't feed on -- on blood, like a proper vampire. He chose to feed on emotions, all emotions. Feed on every last one, until his victim is a dessiccated, dried-out . . . thing."

Shanker took a couple of shaky breaths, before continuing.

"He doesn't even need to bite -- acvording to the legends, he didn't even have fangs --"

"Well, he has a face not even his mother could love." Gaz retorted, allowing herself a small shutter.

"That's thing," Shanker looking directly at her, "his mother is -- was -- Madre de Vampyra. She birthed him."

"You mean 'sired' him, right?" Abby asked.

"No, the legends specifically state that she birthed him."

"Great, now I have a little sympathy for the old bat," Gaz muttered mutinously.

"And, according to legend, she also sealed him away because she could not control him." Shanker said, running a hand through his hair, looking pale. "She always was a control freak."

"But . . . then who let him out?" Abby asked aloud.

"Malice. Who else?" Phoenix said with a shrug.

"No," Cloak said with ringing tones.

"Huh? Why not?" Underseen asked.

"Because, if this thing really does feed on emotions, she'd be affected." Cloak said. "Realm Walkers possess emotions, like any feeling beast in existance."

"But it couldn't kill her, right?" Saffa asked. "I thought only another Realm Walker could kill another Realm Walker."

Cloak's eyes darkened, "You'd be surprised what you could live through."

It was clear he wasn't thinking of Malice as he said that.

[Gaz]

That guy's creepy. Creepy vampire type dude.

[Cloak]

And he ain't gonna get any less creepy, Gaz. But he'll get bored easily enough. Shortish chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
A New Target

Van Pyrrhus remained at the threshold of RAF, hoping to seduce a RAFian to let him in, to invite him in. He very nearly succeeded when it apppeared, for a moment that Rotiart fell under his thrall. But, it was revealed, that Rotiart had decided Van Pyrrhus was something else with burning red eyes, as he proceeded to the auditorium.

Soon, Van Pyrrhus could not see any emotions within the forum to snack on.

No angry reds. No greedy oranges. No fearful yellows. No hopeful blues. No compassionate indigos. No lovely pinks. Nothing.

Van Pyrrhus, to his credit, did wait. He waited for whatever meeting these creatures with emotions had, not knowing where they've gone.

While he could see emotion, as well as having acute night vision, he could not see through walls and more than the average flatscan human.

Van Pyrrhus speculated aimlessly that the emotional-prey had gone to plot against him. they always plotted against him, even his own mother forsake him. Of course, Van Pyrrhus didn.t know that Madre de Vampyra was dead. . . .

Eventually, the emotion vampire got bored, and began to poke around RAF's borders.

Then looked in the direction of the Bannedlands, which, to Van Pyrrhus's eyes, glowed red with anger, bitterness, and resentment. He considered travelling there to feed briefly.

Then he caught sight of the nearest city, which seemed to be alive with feeling.

Van Pyrrhus weighed his options. The Bannedlands looked to taste quite sour and not as appetizing as that city.

The city . . .

It appealed to him as a world of candy would appeal to Homer Simpson. . . .

There really wasn't a choice here, was there?

Van Pyrrhus, salivating at the thought at all those delicious emotions, galloped off towards the bright lights of the unsuspecting city. . . .

[Underseen]

Were did you get the idea of Van Pyrrhus anyway?

[Cloak]

Hmm . . . *rubs chin* . . . an interesting question. . . .

I suppose intial idea came from an old "Are You Afraid of the Dark" episode, I think -- I couldn't really remember the episode (it scared me as a child -- had an overactive imagination) or its title, but there was this everpresent image of a monster sucking the emotions out of someone he was holding up with one hand.

"Van Pyrrhus" was initially "Van Pyrra", which was a pun off of the word "vampire" (say Van Pyrra aloud).

The initial design wasn't really designed until the night before I wrote and posted the chapter.

Hopefully, that answers your question, Underseen.

Anyway, I probably won't post any more chapters until tomorrow.

[theyoungphoenix]

Oh crap!! *facepalms* I didn't realize I double posted until you said something...

Nothing is ever very easy for us, is it? It's always something... This is going to be interesting...

[redtailedsaffa]

What's a superhero without some work to do, eh?

[Cloak]

Right, Saffa.

Planned out the first ten chapters of "Larval Ambush", and it'll probably be a dark book.  Thus far, it appears that Aquilai, Cerulean, Demos, Dino, Goom, Horse, Parker, Phoenix, Saffa, Sakki, Underseen, Yarin, and myself (big surprise there) will have appearances, unless something changes when it comes time to write and post it.

• 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.

• Book CLV: Muppet, Muppet Man

Parker and Gaz are turned into Muppets. ()

• Book CLVI: Larval Ambush

The RAFians must deal with insectoid creatures who are parasitoids with humans.

• Book CLVII: As the World Doesn't Turn

The RAFians must stop a group of feline aliens from stopping the world from rotating.

• Book CLVIII: Princess Pearls

A few girls of RAf discover the Princess Pearls.

• Book CLVIX: Attack of the Killer Produce

The RAfians must deal and cope with killer produce.

• Book CLX: Moonscarred Menace

The RAfians investigate mysterious disappearances on Moonscar Island.

• *Book CLXI: League of Assassins

The League of Assassins set a number of Assassins after Blue.

• *Book CLXII: Dark RAFians

The RAFians come up against an evil team modeled after them, attempting to usurp their postions.

[Cloak]

Now, let's see if I can get another five chapters up.
 

CHAPTER SIX:
To Protect the World From Devestation -- or Not

Cloak felt it, like a firebender feeling the sun after a solar eclipse. The evil that lurked around RAF's borders was receding. Not disappearing, but moving. Moving away, nearly out of range.

"Hear me," Cloak said. "The evil, this Van Pyrrhus, is moving away from the site."

"What?" Richard said, at once.

"Where is he going?"

"Has he been killed?"

"Maybe he's just going to the Bannedlands."

These were among the rising roar of voices that was heard. It was much too loud.

"Quiet, all of you!" Cloak snapped, unleashing some emotion he tries to bury, "yelling out questions all at the same time so that it is impossible to distinguish words isn't helpful."

But it was no use. even Cloak couldn't make himself heard. The thoughts and worries of a creature able to consume emotions, it was certainly a fear-inducing and discomforting idea. Cloak eventually resorted to let loose his tiger roar, something he hadn't utilized in a while.

Rotiart yelped and cowered in his seat. The other RAFians quited down, but Cloak knew they were on a razor's edge from bursting into noise again. Cloak had a personal dislike for prolonged loud noise.

"Look, as disconcerting as this news is, breaking out into a panic won't help matters." Cloak said. "So, calm yourselves down and don't work yourselves up. That'll serve no purpose other than attracting it to you."

Of course, this has the opposite effect that Cloak desired. Cloak feeling annoyed left the auditorium.

***

Meanwhile, in the city, it was foggy. A lone woman with a strawberry blonde ponytail, white headband with a blue stripe, and a red windbreaker was jogging rather nonchalantly.She was feeling good and happy, indifferent to the cool evening air.

But, from out of the fog loomed such a fearsome silhouette, and filled the woman with fear. She screamed as Van Pyrrhus sucked the emotion out of here in whites, reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, indigos, pinks, and blacks.

The woman flopped to the ground, a cross between petrified wood and a mummy.

Van Pyrrhus just wiped his mouth with his arm and licked his lips.

"Delicious, and so tasty." he muttered. The woman was his third victim this night, and still his hunger was not satiated. It seemed to be on par with a Taxxon's lust for sustenance.

[Cloak]

You know, eventually I will only be able to post one or two chapters a day. Just don't get used to this "five-chapters-a-day" deal. Maybe a short chapter comin' up.
 

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Impatience

Cloak stood around outside the auditorium, waiting for what he assumed would be a solution, a plan of action. Something. But he stood discovered that they were still talking in rather loud, rumbling voices.  Eventually his own impatience got the better of him, and, disregarding the fact that he was just as susceptible to this vampire as the others, he left the threshold of the forum.

Little did he know that Noelle, Aquilai, Underseen, and Saffa had came after him, after they realized that he had left. They were fearful to leave the safety and sanctity of the forum's protection, which extended to the grounds. To leave was to put themselves at risk.

The only being immune to Van Pyrrhus was one devoid of emotion. And the four did not know one creature such as that -- though Cloak, Horse, and many old-timers did know one.

"He can't go out there!" Saffa proclaimed. "Surely he must realize the risk!"

"Looks like he already did," Underseen said, fretfully.

<This isn't like Cloak,> Noelle said. <This isn't like him to disregard danger and his own susceptibility.>

"Cloak's been burdened with guilt recently," Aquilai said knowingly. "He feels guilt for what he did to the Vox. He wonders if it was too excessive."

"He just took of his cloak, didn't he?" Underseen asked.

"Yes, and thereby, he killed the two Vox who kidnapped Richard.  He feels that maybe it didn't come down to executing them in such a fashion." Aquilai explained, having heard all this from Cloak firsthand. "He wonders if he didn't act according to the values he subscribes to."

<But he was just making sure they didn't kidnap Richard again --> Noelle began.

"Yes, but he still questions the necessary amount of force he brought to the table," Aquilai interrupted.  Then he looked beyond the borders of RAF, as he mused, "This must be his way of getting his honor back.  To wash away with what he must see as a sin."

"Isn't this, in and of itself, excessive?" Saffa asked.

Aquilai remained silent, as to let the question stand.

"We have to go and save him, don't we?" Underseen asked.

Silence from all four.

***

Cloak ran until he had to slow to a trot.  His thoughts swirling around his head seemed to be unbearable.  But his face showed no emotion, his body emanated no emotion. He was used to suppressing his emotions, it was how he survived being around a narcissistic, egotistical mother. Now it was an asset to him, or so he believed.

Cloak slowed his pace as he approached the city -- he knew the creature was here.  It had the faint scent of wet dog, which only olfactory sense such as his and beyond could pick up.  Humans had such pathetic senses of smell, they would not be able to flee, to escape, Van Pyrrhus.

Cloak slowly approached the city limits, his emotions buried deep.

***

Van Pyrrhus was feasting upon the homeless in the city.  This evil beast seemed to take the most delight when caught a homeless child, and fed.  Fed off their fear, their anxiety, their panic. It was disgusting. It was vile.

It was cruel.

[Cloak]

Three more chapters today, I think.  Don't hold me to that -- just hope my energy holds out.
 

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Fuelled By Emotion

Van Pyrrhus had seized a boy with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and a red Star Trek shirt, who was taking out the trash as demanded by his mother.  Van Pyrrhus began to suck out his emotions in the rainbow colors -- it was like he was vomiting a rainbow in reverse. Not only was it vile, but it was also very gross-looking.
 
Soon enough, the boy's skin was wrinkled and creased so much, he looked like a mummy or petrified wood in a blonde wig and modern-day clothes. He was sucked dry, and Van Pyrrhus discarded the poor boy's body rather unceremoniously before he left, wiping his Joker-like grin with his arm.
 
Had Van Pyrrhus more presence of mind, he would have fed on the mother who knew instantly that the mummified corpse was that of her boy and she lamented loudly, which Van Pyrrhus seemed to have discarded.  He seemed to have fed his fill tonight, but needed to find a place to rest for the day -- for he, like many other vampires, were heliosensitive -- that is to say, sensitive to the sun's rays.
 
But, unbeknowst to Van Pyrrhus, Cloak had seen this and was repulsed.
 
"Stop right there, vile monster." Cloak said, at the emotional vampire.
 
Van Pyrrhus, unaccustomed to being unable to see a being capable of speech via emotions, was surprised.  "What? Who are you? More importantly, where are you?"
 
"That is immaterial and irrelevant," Cloak said coldly.
 
Van Pyrrhus squinted. He saw dark images of swirling grays that soon brightened to muted colors in one spot. Then his smiled deepened as he taunted, "You think you're the only one who tried to suppress their emotions to face me? It does not work.  True, it makes your emotions more difficult to see -- difficult, but not impossible."
 
Now Cloak realized that he was in some serious trouble.
 
"Fearing me now, I see?" the vampire taunted again.

The night was beginning to be disspelled as the first light of the day was beginning to crest into the city.

"I'll feed on you later," Van Pyrrhus said, "don't go away now, delicious."

Then he left, and Cloaky was stunned.  How pathetically juvenile he was. Why did he think just suppressing his emotions would be enough? Why did he believe that burying them would prevent Van Pyrrhus from seeing him? He was a stupid, stupid fool.

It was at this point that Saffa, Underseen, Noelle, and Aquilai had come to collect him.  He went with them without a fight, and in silence -- after assuring them that Van Pyrrhus never fed on him. Had it not been the well-timed appearance of the sun . . .