Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Eh, probably the last -- possibly brief -- chapter today. But don't hold me to that.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
A Plague Upon Thee

<What makes you think that this site would attract Pestilence, Broken?>

"Ash, Noelle." Broken corrected politely and succinctly. "I don't care what that monster may have decided to call her. She's still Ash."

Noelle acknowledge this with a slight nod, stalk eyes scanning the area dutifilly. <But still, what why would she be attracted to this florist greenhouse?>

"Yeah, Broken," Gaz concurred, "I'd hate to think that we secretly evacuated it for nothing."

"She'll be here," Broken said, voice filled with unwavering, unerring conviction.

<While I want to believe you, Broken, I'd be lying if I did not admit to having my doubts about this.> Noelle said, honestly but choosing her words carefully.

"As do I, Broken," Gaz confessed earnestly. "Broken -- be honest with yourself now -- what will you do if you can't change her back, if you can't get through to her?"

Broken didn't answer, but his silence was answer enough. Gaz and Noelle fell into silence as well, giving each other subtle looks.

Suddenly, a swarm of bizarre locust/minute Lepidopterran creatures broke through the glass and entered. Broken gazed intently at them, and recognition lit his eyes.

"That's her!" Broken proclaimed.

"But she can't transform into a swarm of anything," Gaz commented.

<Clearly,> Noelle summarized, <her abilities were somehow enhanced by the process that turned her into Pestilence.>

"Oh, great. Just dandy." Gaz sighed as the swarm coalesced into the Pestilence-Ash. Her eyes were dead as her speech. It pained Broken to see her in this form.

"Ash." He said, but the dead look her eyes did not light up with recognition. She was following Cataclysm's orders without question or free will.

"Ash . . . I know you're in there." Broken said.

"Uh, Broken . . . I don't think --" Gaz said, hesitantly.

"Nothing can strip free will!" Broken exclaimed. "Not even the Imperius Curse! They can only suppress it, or render it dormant."

<While I see the plausibility of your statements, Broken,> Noelle said, nimbly dodging strikes by Pestilence-Ash. <Ash could you stop attack and let me finish a thought!>

Broken had seized an arm of Ash, gripping it firmly. She retaliated by touching him with the Touch of Pestilence. But, as with Demos and Parker, all this accomplished was ridding herof the Touch of Pestilence.

"Ash, I will get through to you." Broken swore.

[Underseen]

This is romantic in a weird way.

[theyoungphoenix]

Very. And I'm back!! Got caught up (Jeeze, three pages?). This is all very romantic... and really cool.

[redtailedsaffa]

Yup, never knew you could give the romantic touch, Cloak.

Now why did Helen remind me of this...?

"We are to assume that she is a woman scorned, which fury hell hath no!" - Captain Jack Sparrow

[Cloak]

Eh, I never really thought of it as romantic. Guess this book isn't as dark as I thought. Then again . . . I haven't gotten to the battle with Cataclysm. . . .

Anyway. Here's the next chapter. May be short.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Mark of Pestilence

There was a brief moment of stares between the two. Broken's imploringly, while Ash's remained empty and hollow.

Then an idea occurred to Broken. But he really didn't like the concept, but he hadn't any other idea.

Noelle was wondering idly if she should morph. Even if she did, what morph would exactly be useful?

Gaz felt like she really go for a can of Blood Lite, a human blood substitute that served her very well.

"Ash, I know you're in there," Broken said suddenly, breaking the tenuous silence, as Ash continued to give him a dead look devoid of recognition. "And, so help me, I'm going to get through to you."

Broken closed his eyes, folded his arms and inhaled deeply, saying, "And, if this is the only way," he snapped his eyes open, "Then so be it."

To others he said, "We have to coordinate an Unity Pulse, triangulated on Ash."

<But wouldn't that destroy her?> Noelle queried in a way only an Andalite could.

"It could also awaken her," Broken said. The two girl did not miss how his voice cracked a little. Broken knew the possible and plausible consequences, and was preparing to bear the brunt of them.

They fired the Unity Pulses at Ash, wavering only a moment or two. Then, at the exact same moment as the previous two group, the Great Power resurfaced again.

Broken's wizard robes became white with black accents as his hair was bleached white. Gaz's clothing became predominantly white as her hair became pure white, as if she saw something truely terrifying. Noelle's became so white that she could have been mistaken for an albino Andalite, only without the pink eyes.

"Pour it on!" Broken said, hoping what he speculated brought about the Great Power was correct. "Come back to us, Ash!"'

It worked like it did with Demos and Parker. Her runes glowed blistering white, and her Pestilence persona flaked away. Ash was back to normal.

"Wha . . . why do I have a fishy taste in my mouth?" she asked.

Broken asked no questions but just pulled Ash into a warm, fond embrace.

"I guess I should get kidnapped more often." Ash said, remembering only the abduction, not the transformation into Pestilence nor fighting the three.

[Cloak]

Another chapter, I think. Now that I've the time and energy.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
The Most Vulnerable Place

Dino walked, full-sized, with Aquilai and Rad on her back. She didn't seem to really like this circumstance.

"I'm not a taxi," she grumbled.

"Oh, don't grouse," Aquilai childed affably.

"I don't like fearmongering like this," she said seriously.

"It's necessary," Rad said. "It will make people evacuate."

Dino still didn't like it. Instead, she asked, "Where is this place?"

"It's there," Aquilai said pointing. Once Dino arrived she began to shrink, to compact herself. Aquilai and Rad slid off her back when she was small enough that the drop wouldn't kill them.

"What makes you think that Yarin'll come to a food warehouse?" Dino asked.

"He's Famine now, so it would make sense that he would want to take out the local food source." Aquilai replied practically. "For what is famine if not starvation?"

"It's what I would do in his position," Rad noted.

""I won't deny that that seems logically sound," Dino said, "but I will confess that I have doubts."

"You're not alone in that," Aquilai admitted earnestly. "But my gut says that he'll show."

"Speak of the devil." Rad said, blithely gesturing to the Famine-Yarin, who had his fangs bared. "Or the Horseman of Famine, in this case."

But such levity and flippant attitudes were really not warranted. Aside from the Touch of Famine, the increases in Yarin's abilities did not just grant him with Omega mutant-level telekinesis, instantaneous teleportation, and a level of telepathy that could penetrate and "starve" any mind -- sans a Realm Walker's mind, a precaution of Cataclysm's should his free will suppressant fail. The trio could not make a move that Famine-Yarin did not know about. The Mark wasn't sufficient strong enough to prevent such telepathic intrusion.

Before any of the three could utter a word, fire a synapse, Famine-Yarin had seized one of Aquilai's arms with his Touch of Famine. Aquilai, Rad, and Dino had no knowledge of what happened with the previous three groups when this happened to them (as it was happening concurrently to this), so Famine-Yarin had no idea that by doing this, he'd lose his Touch of Famine.

This was enough of an distraction that the trio needed. They needed to act now!

[Cloak]

Third chapter of the day. Again, may be brief.

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Mark of Famine

The trio reacted together upon a single thought. Not having enough time to triangulate their Pulses, as doing so would give Famine-Yarin time to recover.

Yarin let out a gasp of surprise and growl when he was hit by the Unity energy. The trio could feel Famine-Yarin try to rip into their minds but they just increased the brute force of the Pulses to their maximum.

Like the previous three, the Great Power emerged, dying Aquilai and Rad's hair white and their clothing became white predominantly. Dino pretty much became an albino ankylotyrannus without the pink eyes.

"Keep pouring it on!" Rad said in a rallying cry.

It took longer than the other three, but eventually the glowing runes on his body disintegrated and the gross modifications had flaked away. Yarin collapsed to the ground, all four hands holding, cradling his head. He had a massive headache as his telepathy returned to its normal level, and he lost the telekinesis and teleportation completely.

"Yarin --"

"No so loud!" he complained. "Let take a wild guess. The kidnapper experimented on me and now I have no memory of what transpired."

"I -- I guess," Dino said.

Meanwhile, Rad was taking a call.

"So, that's all of them?" she was saying. She was speaking to Goom, who was monitoring the communications. "All of Cataclysm's Horsemen are back to their lovable selves?"

Then she fell silent, other than the occasional "Right" and "Roger".

"What?" she said, suddenly urgent. This garnered her the attention of the other three.

"What? What is it?!" Dino demanded, but Rad waved her hand to hush her.

"He is? They are?" she said. "Then what do we -- nothing? Seriously?"

Small silence.

"He would say that," Rad sighed. "Are you sure we shouldn't -- oh, alright."

She hung up.

"Cataclysm knows." she said.

[redtailedsaffa]

Now that's just dandy.

Wait, we're at chapter 19 already? But wasn't there supposed to be a battle? Or are you breaking tradition this time?

[theyoungphoenix]

I don't think he's gotten there yet. It sounds like ones coming up... I dunno though.

[Cloak]

There are going to be more than twenty chapters, guys. I thought I mentioned in a previous "before-the-chapter" blurb.

[redtailedsaffa]

You did?

*goes back checking several pages*

Oh.

[theyoungphoenix]

I told you Saffa! I told you!

[redtailedsaffa]

Okay, okay, calm down now. The chapters will come and the hurricane will be diverted and the world will be saved. You can calm down now.

[Cloak]

Now, now, children -- don't make me get Terenia and her Ruler of Death.

Anyway, as it looks right now, there'll be about 23 chapters, unless I split one into more.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Confronting Cataclysm

It was several moments before Parker, Ash, Demos and Yarin were reverted. Cataclysm had just dispatched them, rather overconfident with himself, already planning his victory . . . he and Malice were alike in many ways.

But Malice wasn't here at his side, which really chafed her. She did not like being treated as such, and yet she failed to realize that treated Abomination and Itellsya -- er, "Rumor" -- the same way. She remained painfully unaware of this fact, and she would never acknowledge it were she made privy to it.

Anyway, Cataclysm was happily designing his victory, seemingly forgetting the entire reason he did this, or simply losing sight of it, or both. He revelled in the death and destruction -- it's why he chose the name "Cataclysm".

Suddenly, he was knocked to the ground by two passable imitations of the secondary fire of Speed Burner. The flames evaporated to reveal Warrior Estelore and a rather ticked-off Cloak.

"You're the Elements Master? You?" he sneered at Cloak, who tempered his emotions. "You're just a child!"

"I'm 27."

"Yeah, right."

Cloak said nothing. He knew that Cataclysm was goading him.

Cataclym was taking in Estelore, and he scoffed. "You Masters are all the same. Afraid to face me alone."

Cloak continued his silence, knowing Cataclysm would just twist whatever he had to say.

"Oooh, the silent treatment." he snickered.

"Are we done with one-sided banter bit yet?" Estelore asked.

"Oh, your pretty little pet can speak, Master." Cataclysm taunted. "What other tricks can it do?"

"That's it, buddrow, you're goin' down." Estelore forging a katanna with a yellow hilt from a solar flare of her own.

Cataclysm didn't attempt to defend himself just evaded every slice and stab. Then Cloak joined in using all six elements.

Both RAFians were holding back, pulling their punches. They both were well aware of the extent of the damage their abilities could wreak unchecked. They were two of the most -- if not the most -- powerful RAFians in existance.

However, Cataclysm was blissfully unaware of this. Henassumed that both were showing them the extent, the limits, of their power. Cloak's ancestor, Guardian (the only other Master Cataclysm had ever fought, despite his sneers), did the same as Cloak.

[Cloak]

Just a couple more chapters until the loose parody of "The Puppetmasters".

May be brief.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
The Blast and the Furious

"You two are no match for the likes of me!" Cataclysm claimed. He was still pityingly unaware that neither of the two were using their full might.

Cloak was still hoping for a peaceful way to end this. A way where he woukd not be forced to take another's life, to become a killer. If he were to kill Cataclysm, would he truly be any better than Malice? Would he have shamed his grandfather's memory?

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he knew it was Estelore. Her mere touch was like lazing about in the sun on a warm, sunny afternoon. He looked at her, in the eye, and the message was clear, Do the doing now, save the second-guessing and doubts for later, when everything isn't so dire.

Cloak nodded, but then recieved a shock as his and Esty's Marks flared to life, a brilliant white. Estelore's Kevlar suit became white with sunshine yellow accents. Cloak's normally black cloak became the purest, stainless white, as did his clothing with black accents.

"The Great Power?" Estelore said, surprised. Unlike the others, these two did not relish its return. "We don't need it to send this doofus packing."

"What is this? A costume change?" Cataclysm demanded. Loudly. He was promptly ignored.

"We might not," Cloak noted, "but it does not mean that the others don't require it."

"Stop your muttering! Fight me, weaklings!" Cataclysm shouted, sounding more like a schoolyard bully than an evil mastermind. But, then again, was Cataclysm really anything more than a schoolyard bully, really?

"What do you me-- ah!" Estelore said, addressing Cloak. She understood mid-sentence. "You mean they would use the Great Power against the Horsemen."

"Precisely." Cloak nodded.

"What about my . . . my . . . no," Cataclysm said, his uneeded and unwarranted bravado evaporating. Prehaps he could sense that his four Horsemen were no longer loyal to him.

In any case, the Great Power withdrew and who knew where and when it would show up again.

Cataclysm gaped comedic for a few moments, then his bravado translated into rage and fury. He hurled a sizeable purplish-black energy orb at the two, which they dodged with practiced ease.

"YOU LOST ME MY SERVANTS!!!" he roared.

"I guess the others are free now," Cloak said.

"Cloak," Estelore said seriously, looking the Elements Master in the eye. "I think you know what must be done."