Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Glad you liked that bit, guys.  And I'll be referencing the parodies now, instead of inserting them into the chapters . . . its just I don't wanna go through the work of finding them and figuring out how to embed them into the chapters.

Speaking of which, several chapters'll probably be posted today.

CHAPTER THREE:
Viral Infection

The virus's minion were loafing around in their -- well, barracks is the only word that can halfway accurately describe it, only very dingy and scummy.  The one in blue was picking a bat's wing* from her teeth, while the other was, as sickening as it sounds, having an earthworm sandwich.

The virus, in the form of a stooped, hooked-nose, warty witch, strides into the "room", for want of an accurate term.  She sees her two minions lazin' about and doing nothing.

"WHAT'S THIS?!" she shrieked. "Why aren't you down there taking away the bright, vibrate colors of that stupid forum?!"

"Hard work made us quit," the tall one in red said.  This was quite a foolhardy thing to say, as the virus then boxed them both by the ears.  Then it dragged them to the open pit behind their cave, which lava pooled.

Music started up, and the Virus sang "We're Wicked" while smacking her two dim-whitted proteges.  Ending by laughing maliciously.

"Now, go do something USEFUL, you stupid louts!" it scolded.  Then it took down a thick, leather-bound book (suspiciously bound in what appears to be human skin).  It started to pour through the tome, searching for something unknown.

"I want to make them writhe," it muttered, "I want make them suffer.  I want to make them sorry for bringing color back to the 'Net.  I want to make them ooze. . . . Wait a minute . . ."

It started to flip the pages harder and harder, until it seemed that it would tear every page.  Then it jabbed one of its stubby fingers with claw-like fingernails down upon the ancient page.

"Ah, yes . . . this'll do.  This'll do nicely.  Azul!  Rojo!" it snapped, and those two minions stumbled forward.  Then the virus jolted down several items into quite a lengthy grocery list.  "Go and gather these items.  Go and do it now!!  And do NOT fail me, you worthless peons!!"

The minions stumbled out of the cave to gather the materials, as the virus looked at them leaving.  "How do I know that they're not gonna get the Pootang's flume?"

What it means is Pootang mucus.

---
*Hope that wasn't anyone you knew, Gaz.

[Cloak]

'Nother chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR:
I'll Do the Dirty Work

The minions stumble about, singing "I'll Do the Dirty Work", collecting several items.  They argue about getting the Pootang's "flume", Pootang's mucus.  They go to writing.com and take the dirtest, flithiest story to be used in this oozing concoction.

Then they headed to the gates of Hell and manage to collect a minute amount of hellfire in a small jar with a black lid before being chased away by Demos and Asmos.

Then they headed to a dead lake, to collect the deadened water, where no fish could no longer survive.  Whether because of the turbidity, dissolved oxygen, or pH, it was immaterial.

Then they headed to a horribly deforested forest and collect some emaciated, bleached-white twigs.  They had a great number of choices of that here.

Then they try to bottle lightning, resorting to using a magic-computer-code to wrangle it into another unbreakable jar.  Even that took them six tries.

Then they headed to an irratiated site.  There, they gathered up some of the soil that still carried residual radiation, then scampered away.

Then they raided a pharmacy site for six bottles of some chemical.  The pharmacy site wouldn't report the theft until much later.

Then they procured the webs of six spiders, while the spiders themselves were eaten by Azul and Rojo.

"Needs salt," Azul said.

"You think everything needs salt." Rojo snipped.

Then they collected the sweat of a champion fighter, who simply thought that they were weird fanboys -- because actual fanboys and fangirls had actually shaved him bald.  Completely bald.

Then they sucked up some residual ectoplasm from a ghostly sneeze.  While others would think this gross beyond all belief, these two relished it.  They even . . . ate some of it.

Then they collected some iceberg ice from the iceberg that sank some famous ship, one that no seems to remember.

Then they steal one of Shock's scales while he was arguing with Jess.  While already possessing the scale, they were spotted by Gymn and Parker, who chased them away, unaware of their loot.

Then they stumble upon a geode, which Rojo state was "pretty" in an awestrucked voice before he was harshly elbowed in the gut by Azul.

Then they collected carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen gas in five seperate vaccuum bags.  It almost sounded like the gases were complaining about the confinement.

Then they collect rubble from old RAF, only to be chased away by Duff and Blue, who were on an archeology trip, so to speak.  "And don't come back, dorks!" Duff shouted after them.  They didn't register what he said, didn't care, or didn't understand what a "dork" was.

Then they collected the shadows from the Bannedland wasteland, but the Banned and trolls didn't care about their presence.  But, as the duo resembled trolls, they probably just assumed that they were trolls.

Then they broke into Aquilai's thread and collected the rare Zoodeitium metal alloy, whose properties are still widely unknown and not understood.  Aquilai was attempting to understand the properties and understand them himself, but he had barely begun.

Then they collected some interesting muck on a tree trunk.  Little did they know that Horse wiped off Pootang phlegm after she was eaten for the thousandth time, a few hours ago.

Then the two returned to virus's cave. . . .

[Cloak]

Yes, I realize that the previous chapter was probably a bit dry, but here's another chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
Regrets and Slime

Cloak finally hobbled to the thread that Shadow was a few moments before, fully intending to apologize for his lost temper.

"Shadow, I didn't mean what I said.  I --" he stopped as he realized she wasn't there.  Then he noticed Blocky's PM.  He picked it up read it, gasped, and looked toward the mountains.  Dark clouds were gathering there.

His fur began to stand on end, sensing an evil's approaching presence (an ability that is relegated to cats, not just feline Realm Walkers).  He could almost see something begin to ooze down from the mountain . . .

***

"It's about time, dolts." the virus said, gathering up the incredients her minions got for it.  The virus was still in the form of the squat witch (and will be here after be referred to as a female), and waddled off to the lava lake out back.

She threw several items indescriminately into the lava, which turned into something not-quite-lava, but lava-looking.  Then she would proceed with the remaining items, slowly, seemingly savoring this.

She took out the page from writing.com and muttered something inaudiably, then tossed the page into the lava, which turned into a Pepto-Bismol pink, plain liquid which bubbled thickly.

Then she took out the bottle of hellfire, muttered "Ignis," and dropped it, bottle and all, into the pink concoction.  It frothed violently, and turned scarlet red.  It was bubbling violently and angrily.  The virus laughed at this.

Then she took out the dead water, muttered "Aqua Mortis," and dropped the entire bottle into the scarlett eyesore, which turned sapphire blue and became the consistency of water, with considerable steam issuing from it.  Virus smile became broader at this.

Then she took the bleached twigs, muttered "Faenum", and dropped every twig into the froth.  It unleashed a green flash of light, turned moldy green, and became the consistency of rotted wood -- partially liquefied.  Virus smirked at this, though it seemed odd.

Then she took the soil jar, muttered "Terram," and dropped the whole jar into the nearly solidified mass, which somehow liquefied into a quicksand like consistency, taking a sandy color as well.

Then she took out the lightning bottle, muttered "Electricum," and dropped the whole jar into the mess, which swallowed it up hungrily.  It turned watery, and electric yellow.  The virus beamed at this, as two bolts of lightning were fired upward, starting dark clouds hovering over the concoction.  And they were expanding.

Then she took out the spider webs, muttered "Entomos," and dropped the whole thing into the concoction, which ate it with a single sucking sound.  Then it turned to the ropey consistency of spidersilk, and became olive green.

Then she took out the sweat -- "smells so sweet", she commented -- then muttered "Pugna," and dropped the jar into the swirling, ropey concoction.  Then it became orange with the consistency of sweat.  And quite smelly as well, which the three seemed to find the odor absolutely lovely.

Then she took out the ectoplasm jar, muttered "Phantos," then she threw the jar into the smelly mess, which turned nearly insubstantial with an eerie indigo color.

Then she took out the jar with the iceberg ice, which should have melted by now, but strangely had not.  Then she muttered "Glacie," then she pitched the jar into the concoction which took on a dirty white color, with the consistency of shaved ice.

Then she dug out the dragon scale, muttered "Draconis," and dropped it in.  It turned into what appeared to be tan magma.

Then she dug out the geode, muttered "Saxum," and pitched it in.  The concoction turned into gray magma.

Then she dug out the bags of gas, muttered "Volans," and tossed them in carelessly.  The concoction turned gold with consistency of a Pensieve.

Then she dug out the rubble from old RAF, muttered "Psychicae," and tossed them into the potion.  The stuff turned violently violet with the same consistency.

Then she got out the jar of shadows, muttered "Umbra," and tossed them into the potion.  The concoction turned black with the same consistency.

Then she got the Zoodeitium out, muttered "Ferrum," and tossed it into the potion, which hissed and screeched loudly.  Then the concoction turned silvery gray with the consistency of liquid steel.

Then she took out the pharmacy chemicals, muttered "Venenum," and tossed the whole lot into the potion.  It frothed, turned venomously purple with a sludgy, oozy consistency.

Then she took out the last ingredient . . . "Pootang flume.  I didn't think you would be smart enough to get this.  Without this, the ooze is nothing.  It supplies it with a killer instinct to smother everything."

She muttered, "Animus," and then tossed it in.  Then the whole concoction began to froth and bubble, and flow downhill.  To RAF.

"Go, fools," the virus ordered to her minions, "ride on the Oozy Scab, bring it to that site."

[Ash]

This seems interesting I can't wait to get some free time and sink into it.

[Cloak]

Thanks, Ash.  You'll actually have a bigger part 'round Chapter Twelve.  And remember this is Book Two, there is a whole 'nother book earlier in the thread.

I'll probably post another chapter shortly.  Maybe I can get to Chapter Ten today . . . *looks at time* okay, maybe not.  New chapter anyway . . . might be a long one . . .

CHAPTER SIX:
Nothing Can Stop the Viral Ooze

Cloak hobbled closer, to get a closer look.  He found that Genies, Azzy, Gaz, Parker and ND were already noticing it.  Even Estelore herself was there -- she had come for the celebration, Cloak remembered.  And more RAFians were rushing to the area, including the mods.

"What is that?" Genies asked.

"Bad news," Cloak said, morbidly.

***

Meanwhile, riding on a boat, the Oozy Scab, the minions were jubilantly singing "Nothing Can Stop the Viral Ooze", while the virus watched from her cauldron pot.  They were all very joyous at their monsterous creation.

Forest animals, forest Pokemon, forest Digimon, birds, flying Digimon, and Flying Pokemon fled in abject terror of the purple stuff.  The ooze gurgled as it barrelled over and submerged and entombed the brush.  Smothering it all beneath a congealed purple shell.  But there was no where they could hide.

***

<What do we do?> ND asked, with a rather twitchy tail, and stalk eyes seemed almost epileptic, jerking from here to there.

"Evacuate RAF," Richard said.

"No!" Broken protested.  "Not again!"

"We haven't a choice!" Richard snarled.  "I, and the other mods, will activate the security measures and attempt to stop it."

"I will remain," Esty said, "to help."

"As will I," Cloak said, well aware that he was still not up to par.

"You're up for it, Cloak?" Phoenix said with genuine concern.  "You're not exactly at full power."

"I will do what I must." Cloak countered.  "Besides Estelore is here.  That will make things expotentially easier."

"Okay.  Aquilai, Rad, Gymn, Yunyun.  You're in charge of the evacuation.  Make sure everyone gets out and to a safe distance." Richard commanded.

***

The ooze was at the gates of RAF, and the mods, Esty, and Cloak when to work.  Esty, due to her species, floated above the ooze using all her stellar might.  The mods, the ones that couldn't fly, were using floatation rings to fly.  Cloak was using energy discs, much like Susan Storm or Gwen Tennyson, to stay above the ooze.  All of them attacked with all their might.

It wasn't enough.

One by one, the mods felt into the mire, and struggled to free themselves, but it was like a tar pit.  It pulled down all the mods except Phoenix and Richard, both of which cursed very audiably.

Then Richard's floatation ring failed, and Phoenix and Esty tried to pull him up.  But both were too far away, and Cloaky was even further away.  The ooze pulled the RAFfather under without a word.

Then a slimy tentacle wrapped around both Phoenix and Estelore, and one nabbed Cloak's tail and left leg.  The grip was far stronger than that of an andaconda's.  It would not let go.  Soon, Phoenix was engulfed into the mire.  And, as ludicrous as it might sound, so . . . so was Esty.

"This is impossible!" she screamed before her voice was snuffed out.

Cloak attempted to continue to fight it, but he was already waist-deep in the mire.  But if Estelore couldn't escape . . . what chance had he?  He was still weakened from Abomination's assault.

The last thing he saw before he was engulfed was the other RAFians, standing a distance away, from high ground, watching all of this.  The last thought he had was, "This has been a very bad year for me."

[Aquilai]

"Double, double toil and trouble
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."

Nah, I didn't think the last chapter was dry. (I got a mention! though...) Someone discovered the use for zoodeitium before me!  

[Cloak]

And you were gonna use it to beef up the security weaponry too.  Shortish chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Always Another Rainbow

The RAFians stood on their little hilltop in shock.  The mods . . . Cloak . . . Estelore . . . all gone.  All gone!

<What . . . what are we supposed to do now?> ND asked hesitantly.

"They're gone . . ." Gaz said, breathlessly.  Clearly in shock.

"Why can't we just dig them out?" Jack asked.  He had been with his mother for the celebration.

"I'm afraid that's impossible." Yarin said.  "The concealed ooze has left an impenetrable shell.  I'm afraid we're stuck with it."

"No!  We can't give up hope!" Horse proclaimed.

"Horse is right.  We will find some way to get rid of this." Mr. Guy said firmly, then added, wistfully, "somehow."

Kelly attempted to lift everyone's spirits up by sining "Always Another Rainbow".  Then the RAFians moved away from the sight of what used to be RAF.  They rallied and decided to come up with a plan.

"How do we get that thing off RAF?" Yunyun ask.

"Who says we can?" DP countered.  "You heard what they were singing, right?  'Nothing can stop the viral ooze'."

"Have you learned nothing from the Abomination thing?" RYTX argued.  "NOTHING is without a weakness.  All that matters is finding it, and exploiting it."

"And what, exactly, would the weakness to that stuff be?" Alic asked.

"Soapy water?" Jack guessed.

"Doubt it, Jack." Horse replied.

"Brad might know." Guy offered.

"Yeah, but where is he?  He hasn't been in RAF for God knows how long." AniDragon replied.

"He moved to the other side of the forest." Gaz said.  "I visited him once."

"Okay," Jess said, "Gaz, you take Horse, Aquilai, Alic, Jack, and AniDragon to go to Brad.  The rest of us, we'll go to the bunker and protect that as well as we can.  Is this plan agreeable?"

It was.  And so they went on their separate ways.

[Gaz]

Dang ooze, makin us evacuate all over again. Right after that killer firework show.

[Darth Revan]

I like the soapy water idea. Soap can clean anything!

[Aquilai]

Probably not too much of a stretch to assume this blob will have the characteristics of the items stolen from the RAFians.

It's not really a spoiler in the sense that these are just some random thoughts on the items.
[spoiler]
writing.com page -> Pepto-Bismol pink effect???
hellfire -> more lavaness? lava's pretty fire proof anyway what extra mythical properties are there? it doesn't seem to have burned anyone yet.
dead water -> more sludgy so hard to get out of? (hampers propellers of boats at sea)
bleached twigs -> moldy green..consistency of rotted wood -> decays living matter? O.o
soil jar -> quicksand property -> You wouldn't deliberately step into quicksand if you could see it would you?
bottled lightning -> non-electrical conductivity or just giving it life?
These above references may have been to the "elements" (fire, water, air/wind, earth) though generalising the blob's immunity to most types of attacks. Apart from swallowing people, it's not shown any offensive capabilities like throwing lightning or fire blasts (yet).

spider webs -> glue or tensile capabilities? probably glue.
sweat -> well...stinky to everyone else, perfume for the virus? depending on how repugnant it becomes it may even be able to knock out Pootang! (probably not, though rendering things unconscious is always useful)
ectoplasm -> ghost proof? strange idea, does that mean this vacuum cleaner won't work either?
iceberg ice -> freeze proof
dragon scale -> the blob may be able to harden to become as tough as dragon scale?
geode -> crystalline structure reinforcement?
separated gases -> classical air element? some ability to create a living atmosphere within itself? (we can probably safely assume the RAFians caught in it aren't dead but still need to breath. Carbon monoxide/dioxide if it wants to kill them? Filling the lungs with the goo would probably work just as well...)
rubble from old RAF -> "That's olde magick!" incorporates RAF's mystical properties?
jar of shadows -> Probably not the same as Psylocke's ability to teleport through shadows(as cool as that is)! Damn tempting to add all of Psylocke's abilities to my character's abilities on "What is your species"...sorry off-topic ^^ Can anyone spell overpowered? Course, "overpowered" is dependent on the abilities of everyone else. We'll see. There are some pretty powerful RAFians here anyway! And tbh, high level long distance telepathy is problematic for interesting plot lines.
zoodeitium -> Have I worked out what properties this has yet? Metamaterials are a fascinating subject if this element is one. You could almost say anything really lol cloaking, electromagnetic absorption etc...
pharmacy chemicals -> Probably not going to be able to give this blob a "cold". Saying that...anti-virus.
pootang flume -> well it's explained, killer instinct. Begs the question how it's controlled...
[/spoiler]

Half the fun of a book is guessing! (Or maybe that's just me ^^)

[Cloak]

Lol, Parker.  Nope, Aquilai, just invincibility.  Although, what you have posted, has occured to me.  But, if does gain those abilities, it won't appear in this book.  Maybe a future one.  And I just used the types of Pokemon to come up with those ingredients, to be honest.  But . . . well, maybe I will go into that in a future book. . . .

Now, shortish chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Viral Wrath

Back up at the mountain, the virus was feeling elated.  The bright and colorful site was smothered in dreary purple.  The festive, bustling, active sight was gone.  Again the RAFians had to evacuate.  Again, they had to fall back to the RAFbunker.

But there was still something that unnerved her.  She kept wondering what this feeling of unease was about.  There was something.  Some facet that she overlooked?  Not possible.  Some mild indigestion?  Possibly, except she didn't eat.

Azul and Rojo, her two dim-witted minions "sailed" the Oozy Scab back to the cave, and they appeared kneeling in what appeared to be a most uncomfortable way.  Utterly loyal and servile, because they just were not smart enough nor brave enough to be any other way.

"You haven't told me something," she accused.

"Yes we have!  We told you every thing, Mama!"

This was a very big mistake.  The virus could no more sire or birth children as a rock could.  This slip of the tongue would carry a very dangerous spark.

"WHAT . . . did . . . you . . . call . . . me?!"

"Uh, nothing!  Nothing!"

"That's what I thought." she said, making a mental note to put some arsenic in their food.  It wouldn't kill them, as it would a normal human, but make it very unpleasant when it comes out the other end.  "Now . . . what haven't you told me?  Perhaps a missing prude?"

"Prude" was her term for RAFian.  As no RAFian ever heard her utter this at them, no one knows whether they consider it derogatory or not.

"I know we got several of the powerful prudes in the ooze.  And that many have escaped -- WHICH I BLAME YOU TWO FOR!  Perhaps what you're not telling me is that one of those prudes happened to be one of those vile, filthy faeries?"

***

"What if Brad doesn't know?" Jack asked as the team tranversed the forest.

"He must know.  He has to know." Horse insisted.  "Or else we're royally --"

"C'mon, guys," Gaz urged, "stay positive."

"Is that a mushroom?" Jack asked abruptly.  He was looking at giant fly amanita mushroom which had two black boulders at its base, making it look like an accidental goomba.

"Yes, it means we're getting closer."

[Darth Revan]

Well the soap would at least clean the smell... maybe.


Hmmm... will the day be saved by Fae and Brad the Brit? Perhaps Brad the Brit and Gumby should combine their British Beam and Canadian Beams!

[Cloak]

Hmmm . . . I said a faerie, but it doesn't necessarily mean our faerie.

Oh, more chapters are coming, I'm just doing a million things right now.  Here's another shortish one.

CHAPTER NINE:
Shadow Travels

"Shadow, you can't do this!  I tell you, running away isn't the answer!"

"Go away." Shadow snarled.  "Go chase your tail, or whatever it is you do."

"Shadow --!"

But Shadow leaped up into a tree, and started brachiating away.  Blocky had a difficult time keeping up, until Shadow misstepped and tumbled into a ravine.  Blocky, concerned, jumped down after her.  When he put his hand on her shoulder, she pulled away, standing up with her back to him.

"I'm fine!  Go away!"

"Shadow," Blocky said, in a valiantly attempt at a consoling tone, but irritation was creeping in, "don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?"

Shadow didn't answer, but continued walking along the deep ravine.  Blocky heaved a heavy sigh and followed.  Shadow's family were famed for their ostinate behavior -- all inherited maternally.

Shadow turned back, and saw Block following her.  She was about to yell at him, but instead turned her attention beyond him, toward the ridge.  "What is that stuff?"

"Huh?"

Some purple gunk was flowing forward, tumbling down the ravine banks.  It was the ooze.  It was closing in on them.

"I'll tell you what it is," Blocky said, "bad news!!!"

"In here," Shadow said, pulling Blocky into a cave, climbing a steep incline, to a plateau area inside.  The ooze flooded in but stopped, a mere foot away from engulfing them.  Solidifying into that impenetrable shell.

Shadow terrakinetically makes a tunnel, and both she and Blocky proceeded onward.

[Cloak]

Now, another chapter, the tenth chapter.  'Bout ten, eleven, more to come before we get to D-- er, Phoenix's starring book, Book three.  Might be a bit on the short side.  Or, as my aunt says, "vertically-challenged".

CHAPTER TEN:
Brad's Pad

The group, which consisted of Gaz, Aquilai, Alic, Jack, and AniDragon, eventually came to a clearing with some tree-like mushrooms, and some chintz sofa-like mushroom growths.

A little ways down was a small, colonial two-story painted yellow.  Brad was playing three-layered chess with what appeared to be a Lopunny.  They heard Brad bemoan that he never wins. ((()))

"Brad!  Brad!  BRAD!" Gaz hollared.

"Hey, you in the top hat!!!" Jack helped.

"What?  Oh," Brad said, seeing his fellow RAFians, "something really bad's happened hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Horse confirmed, then added, "if could can call the entire forum submerged in congealed ooze 'very bad'."

"Yes, I would say that qualifies." Brad replied, deliberately not noticing Horse's sarcasm.

"We have no HQ anymore." Alic added.

"That's ridiculous.  Absurd.  Everyone needs a home -- er, HQ." Brad said, then proceeded to sing "HQ", where he offered other places to replace RAF.  All rejected by the other five RAFians.

"You know we don't want replacement, Brad." Alic chided.  "Just away to get rid of the stuff."

"Get rid of the ooze?  But that's impossible, impossible, impossible." he said, blustering.  Then he noticed the Lopunny glared at him and stamping her foot.  "Oh!  Right!  Thanks, Lola.*"

"'Lola'?" Horse critiqued.

"We all have our role models."

"How is Lola Bunny a --"

"This mystic map!" Brad interupted.  "It shall lead you to the Sealie Court of the Faeries . . . although couldn't you just as Fae to go there for you?"

"She had business elsewhere," AniDragon explained.  "We haven't seen here since before the celebration."

"Celebration?  Oh, yes.  That," Brad said, flustered.  "Just follow the map then."

"Why?" Jack asked, looking thoroughly confused.

"What?  You don't know?  Why, my dear boy, faeries are the only beings able to purge the ooze from anywhere.  They are the only ones who have that power. . . ."

Brad looked pensive.

"Or was it the glowworms from Dimension X?  Or the Hoovervacs from Hoover Dam?"

"We'll take the map, Brad." Gaz said, resigned.

----
*Okay, I don't know if Brad really has a Lopunny named Lola, or a Lopunny at all, just bear with me.

[Cloak]

Time for another short chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Forest Follies

The quartet continued on, and walked on into an eerie, dark part of the forest.  It gave all of them the creeps.  Jack clinged to his mother closely, and she was obviously being quite protective of him.

"Um, Gaz?  What are those squiggly lines on the map?" AniDragon asked.

Gaz could have made a joke, but decided against it, thinking it too mean.  "I don't know what they mean.  Could be stray marks, or signs of neglect of this map.  I mean, we don't exactly know how long --"

Suddenly, a crudely-fashioned wooden stake rips the upper left corner of the map.  Gaz screamed.  Vampires aren't too comfortable with wooden stakes being thrown at them.

"I think we just found out!" AniDragon exclaimed.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Horse shouted, firing ice shards back.

"Wait, there's no need to panic." Aquilai said, level-headedly.  Then he was suddenly in a "cage" of crude wooden stakes.  "Okay -- START PANICKING!"

"Dendrosapiens!  Where's an Elements Master where you need 'em?!" Gaz screamed as she turned into a bat, rolled up map in her feet, and she flew for all she was worth.

Alic scooped up Jack and ran for her life, and her son's as well.  AniDragon wasn't fair behind.  Aquilai climbed out of the roofless "cage", and dashed, dodging the volleys.  But he still got scratched up.

Horse took a nearby waterway, as she was faster in her element.  And she was quite literally in her element.

It took about an hour for all five to escape the forest.  All were quite scrapped up, but no one was as unnerved as Gaz -- after a wooden stake to the heart . . .

"Well, that was fun." Horse said, drily.  "LET'S NEVER DO IT AGAIN."