Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

No April's Fools jokes here. Never been very fond of 'em.

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER FIVE:
RAFian Investigators

Cloak, Shadow (against her uncle's better judgement), Faerie, Aquilai, Phoenix, Hunter, Nina, Goom, Parker, and Horse were sent to investigate this incursion. It was the one of the largest contingent ever sent by RAF for a mere investigation. It was telling that the Mods thought it was necessarily prudent to send so many (granted Shadow elected herself to go, and was not, technically-speaking, a RAFian).

"This the place?" Horse asked

"Well," Aquilai said, checking his data on his handheld, "it should be, if we're judging the trajectory from the point of atmospheric entry correctly."

"Which is a very wordy way of saying, 'yeah, probably'," Shadow said, impetuously scouting ahead.

"Shadow, don't go too far!" Cloak warned.

"Earthsight, Uncle!"

The elder Realm Walker came to the mistaken conclusion that she was always within his "sight" as long as she was touching earth. But he quickly realized that wasn't what she was getting at. She was telling him, in a way only she could, that he should have been using Earthsight.

When he did, he did not like what he "saw".

"There's no way anyone could survive this crash," Nina said, sadly. "All those Andalites . . ."

"There would only have been around ten, given the size of the craft," Parker said. "That's more than usual for an Andalite freighter."

"What are you saying?" Phoenix inquired of the SPARTAN.

"The cargo they had must have been something that was incredibly dangerous, and required a guard around it." he surmised. "The reason they used a nonmilitary spacecraft was probably because this cargo -- whatever it was -- was meant to be secret."

"Secret weapon?" Goom asked. "Lemme guess, a secret weapon of mass destruction."

"Plausibly," Parker said. "But let's worry about the interplanetary ramifications later, and let's see what this cargo is, and why all the secrecy was about."

"Whatever the cargo was," Hunter said, inspecting the wreckage, "it's not here anymore."

"What?" Faerie said.

"There seems to be some sort of warning, I guess." Hunter replied. "I can't be sure, I can't read Andalite."

"Are you sure that's Andalite script?" Nina asked, having joined him.

"It's not," Cloak said, dully. "It's Shi'ar."

"It's what?"

Cloak felt a chill. He had an inkling what this cargo was, but he hoped he was wrong. He continued to hope that they did not exist in this realm. They couldn't exist here . . . First Light, they better not exist here. . . .

[redtailedsaffa]

Oh I still remember last time's April Fools' joke.

[Cloak]

Then you have one up on me. . . .

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER SIX:
Pieces of the Puzzle

"Can't be," Cloak muttered. "Not this . . ."

"What do you mean by --" Hunter began before Shadow's shout.

"Uncle!! Here!"

Cloak deftly followed the younger Realm Walker's summons with a snappy gait of which Severus Snape would be proud. He was very serious, hoping Shadow's discovery would be one of little to no consequence.

He would be disappointed.

"Look," she said, quietly. All levity had left her . . . for she had found the family of six, laying forgotten, bodies unmarked. If not for the eyes, glowing yellow in their entirety, they would look like victims of Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse.

"What happened here?" Phoenix asked aghast.

"A creature had to have done this," Hunter said, sniffing the air, "the tracks are very shallow, so the creature must be very light. But that does not mean that it's not dangerous. The scent is both acrid and faint."

"What could do this?" Nina wondered aloud, having seeing the family of six and discovering the similarly-afflicted livestock.

"Spirit-Drinker," Cloak said, recognizing the evidence of the creature's handiwork on the victims at once. "I had hoped they didn't exist in this realm."

"You've seen this monster before?" Parker demanded.

"Have you ever seen an ankylosaur?" Cloak countered, not caring for the accusatory tone in Parker's voice. "In the flesh? With your own eyes?"

"Yes," the SPARTAN said tersely.

"Other than the Dinosaur Island thing," Cloak said, dismissively. "I hear about creatures through literature, media, first-hand accounts -- the same as any of you. I do not know which creatures exist in many realms and which are solely unique to one. Humans, for example, inhabit many of the realms, but do not in others. How was I to know Spirit-Drinkers could exist here? And, who knows, this one could be the very last of its kind."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Faerie said. "Simmer down, Cloak. We just want to know what we're up against. You have an idea of just that -- the rest of us don't."

It was then that Cloak elaborated on what he knew about Spirit-Drinkers. Suffice it to say, it wasn't much. But he placed emphasis on its feeding behavior -- that he was aware of, anyway.

"Kinda glad I have my armor, then," Parker said.

"It wouldn't matter if you were wearing Hulkbuster armor or stark naked," Cloak said. "Your armor won't protect you."

"But it's a titani--"

"Doesn't matter!" Cloak said. "In another realm, I saw video evidence of a cyborg with armor similar to yours became victimized by the creature."

Cloak took Parker's silence to mean that he didn't believe the Realm Walker.

"Shouldn't we follow the trail before it gets cold?" Hunter suggested pragmatically.

[redtailedsaffa]

The fact that it can penetrate armour just makes it worse.

[Cloak]

True, true.

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Trails and Their Ends

Fortunately, the trail had not gone too cold. But only Cloak, Shadow, Horse, Hunter and Parker could follow the trail, as the others could not perceive it in any way. Granted, Parker needed his suit's tech to "see" the trail when he otherwise would be unable to. The trail was faint a difficult to trace even with Cloak, Shadow, Horse, and Hunter's bestial senses.

"Uncle? Are you o-- ?"

"This way," Cloak said, not-so-subtly deflecting her question. She had noticed a certain subtle harshness in her uncle's movements and movements, a slight harder tone in his voice when he spoke.

It scared her. It scared her, because she knew that her uncle was afraid. This fact alarmed her because her uncle never wore fear on his sleeve like this, he always kept his emotions to himself mostly.

She did not know the truth of why he had came to do that. It was be ause it was the only way to survive his mother. His mother who loved herself more than she loved any of her progeny. Cloak learned the hard way how quick Ursa would turn away her own children. He kept his emotions down, compressed and repressed, to immunize himself from the pain of this heartache.

The thing with Realm Walkers was that they didn't usually sport scarring of the kind that can be seen. Nearly all, if not all, the scars a Realm Walker bears cannot be seen. Cloak was no exception. Though being around his RAFian brethren was helping him heal, it wouldn't be an immediate solution, and he was apt to relapse into the dark thoughts every now and then.

"In there," Hunter pointed, taking a cautious sniff. "I'm fairly certain that it's in there."

"I concur," Horse said.

"The readings corroborates this," Parker said, arms folded loosely.

"Why a sewer?"

"It's dark. It's dank. It's cold." Cloak observed impassively. "Monstrous beasts like Spirit-Drinkers would undoubtedly seek out such environments, like black widows or the like."

"I'm getting a serious 'Outlast' vibe from this," Aquilai said. No one argued.

"Let's get this over with," Cloak said, entering the sewer, confident in his Earthsight ability to alert him of danger.

[Gaz]

It's been hard keeping up with babysitting this week. But I'm all caught up!

[Cloak]

I'm glad, Gazzy!

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER EIGHT:
It Comes . . .

"Ew," Faerie groaned. "I honestly do not know how you guys can tolerate being down here. In the sewers."

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Nina chided good-naturedly. Still, Faerie gave her such a look that Nina was lucky that Faerie was not a basilisk.

"I honestly don't see what the problem is. This sewer is actually known for being one of the cleanest in the world." Goom said, calmly.

But ninja turtles and Goombas are at home in the sewers, and these sewers wererather unnecessarily expansive. The effluent water was kept separated from the bricked walkways on either side of the water. There were pipes inlaid overhead. The walls where the pipes connected were rather slimy beneath. But Goom was right, it was rather sanitary and clean -- for a sewer.

"Although this begs the question," Aquilai said, thoughtfully, "as to whom precisely does the cleaning of the sewer. Who keeps the upkeep of this sewer?"

No one answered or spoke until Cloak harshly dismissed it as irrelevant to their task at hand. But they found two maintenance workers who had symptoms identical to that of the family and livestock.

"It's definitely down here," Parker said, grimly.

They proceeded to wander around for a bit, when a disconcerting thought occurred to Cloak. One he tried to dismiss as easily as Aquilai's question.

The shallow footprints filled Cloak's mind. It led Cloak to wonder . . . maybe the Spirit-Drinker's footsteps were too light. This would cause a problem with Earthsight, as the ability was entirely dependent -- entirely dependant -- on vibration, on being able to "see" things from the aforementioned vibrations. If the vibration was too light . . .

But Cloak make his own vibrations, terrakinetic vibrations, like actively echolocating, but through the Earth. . . . However . . . the Spirit-Drinker's unique physiology . . . it may just absorb these vibrations . . .

If all this was true . . .

Cloak stopped walking. His face betraying his insecurity and fear. This realization scared him, and made him realize that perhaps, just perhaps, he was over-reliant on the ability. It might have made him a bit overconfident.

"Cloak," Horse said, full of concern. "Cloak, you're scaring me."

If it was true . . .

If it was true . . .

"Un--" Shadow hesitated, but plowed onward, "Uncle?"

If it was true . . . then that meant that the Spirit-Drinker . . . was very possibly . . . immune to Earthsight! This was seriously frightening for Cloak, who felt suddenly blind. Added to that was that Cloak wasn't sure if Realm Walkers were immune to the Spirit-Drinker feeding.

A pinprick on the back of Cloak's neck, and Cloak wheeled around to around eight o'clock. He quickly realized they had traversed to an area where the sewer waters did not penetrate, almost as if they themselves were afraid of the creature the RAFians saw barreling behind them.

The Spirit- Drinker.

[redtailedsaffa]

Oh god the suspense!

[Cloak]

Yeah, there'll be plenty more of that.

Anyway, I currently finished planning out "RAFian Day", and I will move on to the next during lunch at work tomorrow . . .

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER NINE:
Victims Scored

"There!" Cloak shouted, raising his right hand and forming an energy disc, rather like a Destructo Disc, only scarlet with gold at the edges. "Get ready, and keep your wits about you now!"

The Spirit-Drinker saw them with its Cyclopean eye and began to expel the tentacles from its fanged mouth as if it were belching out overlarge worms. Cloak tossed the rapidly rotating energy disc, which caused it to briefly slurp up the worm-like tentacle tongues.

This caused Cloak to blink, perplexed. That was far too easy.

But the Spirit-Drinker just spewed up the tentacles again, and they elongated and stretched toward the RAFians again. Cloak cursed himself for daring to think that it would be so simple to defeat such a creature.

"I got this," Parker said, confidently. Too confidently.

He blasted the Spirit-Drinker with his twin fusion cannons, and if it felt the blasts, the Spirit-Drinker didn't show it. Parker seemed to find this offensive, an affront to his suit's tech. So Parker poured it on, losing track of the point of the tentacles.

"Parker! Pay atten--" Cloak shouted before being interrupted by his niece.

"Nina!"

"Heeelp me . . ." The voice did not come from Nina's newly prone body, but the Spirit-Drinker's forehead. "RAFians . . . heeeeeelp meee . . ."

"Don't stop moving!" Cloak commanded.

Unfortunately, this whole thing simply paralyzed them with horrified shock. Aquilai and Phoenix were quickly the next victims. Cloak -- compartmentalizing his emotions -- threw several more energy discs, slicing the tentacles, causing the severed parts to evaporate as the part connected to creature regenerated within minutes.

"Get them out of danger!" Cloak commanded, hoping that he wasn't being bossy. "Goom, look out for them -- and watch your . . . PARKER, NO!!!"

Parker was the next victim. Cloak had to ferrokinetically move Parker into the magical "safe zone" Faerie had erected. It seemed that it could not penetrate magic. It was a limited weakness, but they had to be thankful for small favors.

Shadow shrieked suddenly, as a tentacle rapidly headed for her and she didn't have time to react. But a quicker reaction time won out, as a hand reached and snatched the tentacle out of the air. . . .

[redtailedsaffa]

*eats fingernails*

[Cloak]

Keratin deficiency, Saffa?

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER TEN:
Elemental Fury

Shadow remained untouched as her uncle held the tentacle in his gloved hand with a vice-like grip. Cloak's life force energy remained where it was, which surprised the creature. Whether it was because Cloak could redirect energy, his Realm Walker physiology, or his sheer wrath at the creature, that anchored his life energy to himself was unclear.

Cloak's body began to pulse with alternating scarlet and golden pulses. His eyes weren't mere suns but quasars, with streams of scarlet golden energy flowed from the edges of his eyes. All of this was a danger sign, one the RAFians were well aware of by now.

"Aw, crap," Hunter said. "Cloak's going all Avatar State again."

"This could complicate things," Goom said, at once.

The Spirit-Drinker was perplexed, and a bit frustrated because Cloak still held the tentacle with an iron grip. It could not withdraw it back into its mouth.

"How can he hold it anyway?" Faerie asked.

"These type of rules always work differently when Realm Walkers are involved," Horse answered, huddled by the empty bodies of the RAFians. To see them that way, unmoving, glowing yellow eyes . . . it was all kinds of creepy.

The Spirit-Drinker, with a wretching, shrieking squeal, ripped the tentacle from Cloak's grip, though it appeared to have a handprint burn on it. It was eventually regenerated away, but the Spirit-Drinker looked at Cloak. It didn't press its attack, as it stared at Cloak. It tried to use the spirits of the RAFians to cry out for help again.

This was a very stupid move.

Cloak's fury reached a frightening pitch. The effluent water sloshed agitatedly as the air itself seemed to crackle. The bricked floor, walls, and ceiling began to tremble, causing sand to be dislodged.

"If he's not careful, he's gonna collapse the sewers." Faerie said.

"And cause a sinkhole for the city above," Hunter said.

"And give the Spirit-Drinkers more victims to snack on," Horse said.

"Hence my initial assessment," Goom said.

[redtailedsaffa]

But you can't kill it now, can you?

[Cloak]

Oh, it isn't gonna be that easy.

New chapter.
 

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
That's Never Happened Before

The Spirit-Drinker appeared to be slow on the uptake, but it was clearly hesitating. It had not met anyone or anything that could harm it in such a way. The Shi'ar had managed to capture it, learning of its weakness to admantium, but it did not fear them. It did not know what fear was. The Shi'ar tried to send to a barren world in hopes of starving the creature to death.

Irresponsible?

Possibly. But they did not see any other alternative to them. They did not know how to destroy the creature who caused several of their number to be victimized. Their tyrannical king (now disposed) had once used it as a beast of execution. Something the Spirit-Drinker didn't mind too much, as it was given food at rather regular (sometimes more than regular) intervals. But even then, it had questionable sentience.

What the Shi'ar never counted on was that a spacefaring race may have come upon it and not exercised caution. A race such as the Andalites -- the crew of the Andalite ship Tree Transport. That containment field outside the box should fail when it had last millenia beforehand. That the containment crate would rupture, allowing the creature escape and feed on all the Andalites onboard.

And in all that time, it has never once felt fear. Not once.

Then it was unleashed upon this planet, fully prepared to feast upon the elaborate banquet this planet had to offer. Nothing could stand up to its power, nothing could escape its pursuit. It was unstoppable.

Then this happened.

This strange creature came along and it seemed to be an unstoppable force. Nothing the Spirit-Drinker had ever encountered in its incredibly long life. It was the only one of its kind to its knowledge, and it never encountered a creature that stymied it like this.

Now the every elements -- the effulent water seethed and surged, the earth (bricks are earth) around them trembled before this creature, the metal in the pipes creaked and groaned ominiously, the area crackled with heat, and the very air encompassing them swirled, rushed and buffeted.

No other creature that it met did not have such power. And yet, it seemed somewhat restrained somehow.

The Spirit-Drinker recoiled from the creature as he began to move forward. What was this new feeling? What was this feeling that making it want to flee from this food? What was this horrid feeling?

It was fear.

The Spirit-Drinker was feeling fear. For the first time in millennia, it was feeling fear.

[Cloak]

New book ideas!

• Book DCXCV: "A New Army" -- Two old foes of the RAFians gain an army of Bamfs and enslaved Neyaphem.
• Book DCXCVI: "One If By Red Dove, Two If By Knight" -- A clash of the Red Dove and the Knights.
• Book DCXCVII: "Power Vacuum" -- An organization experiences a power vacuum.
• Book DCXCVIII: "Two Walkers" -- An old foe returns, lusting for revenge against Cloak.
• Book DCXCIX: "Uneasy Alliances" -- An old foe teams up, reluctantly, with a trio of Slitheen.
• Book DCC: "Outted" -- A deception is repeatedly revealed.
• Book DCCI: "Captured" -- Red Dove's "collection".
• Book DCCII: "What If, Part 2" -- What-if scenarios from books #352 to #701.

Remember, all titles are subject to change.

New, shortish chapter.
 

CHAPTER TWELVE:
Flight of the Spirit-Drinker

Cloak's wrath was not abated. It could not be easily satiated. The chromatically-alternating aura around was not unlike that which surrounds a Super Saiyan, only Cloak's fur and cloak and general appearance remained identical when not in this state.

What was worse was all of Cloak's rationality was gone in this state, he was an entity of pure, chatoic emotion. It was frightening to see someone usually so calm and rigorously in control of himself, lose that control. It was not a pleasant sight for anyone to see.

The Spirit-Drinker's Cyclopean eye seemed to dilate as it seemed to recoil from Cloak. It held its two ostrich-like legs closer to its body, as if trying to appear smaller, more submissive. Like a beaten dog. It certainly looked more diminished like this, more . . . pathetic, somehow. Despite all it had done without conscience and morality, all it had done without a second thought, all its repugnant acts, it was actually . . . pitiful.

"Anyone notice that?" Hunter asked.

"If Cloak doesn't quit it, that we're all goners? I think we're kinda privy to that already, Hunter!" Faerie snarled unnecessarily.

"Uncle . . ." Shadow said, not replying to the others, but feeling a consuming concern for her uncle.

"I wasn't talking about that, Faerie!" Hunter growled right back. "The Spirit-Drinker. It looks like it's afraid of Cloak."

"I can't blame it on that," Horse replied. "Cloak is major scary right now."

Apparently, this all was too much for the Spirit-Drinker to take. It stood up and did an abrupt 180, and began to pad away. It was running away. It was seriously running away.

"WHERE THE VEIL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOIN'? HUH?!" Cloak roared.

"We're all gonna die," Hunter said.

"Thank you, Rattrap," Faerie sighed.

[redtailedsaffa]

Scary.