Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
Suspicions

"Must be some sort of plastic that absorbs vibrations," Cloak said. "Vibranium plastic, as it were. There's a scary thought."

"What's vibranium?" Gaz asked.

"A metal that can absorb sound. I think." Cloak said. He felt lost without his Earthsight, he was once again reminded just how dependent he was on it.

"And still no appearance by our mysterious benefactor, either," Sakki said, scolded.

"There could be a good reason behind it," Az said, without any real faith in this assertion.

"You don't believe that," GH said, knowingly.

"Perhaps not," Az said, but he did not elaborate any further on this, and allowed the subject to drop.

"Ugh, I don't like this," Cloak said.

"You said that already," Sakki said.

"I don't like not being able to Earthsight," Cloak said, continuing as if he hadn't heard her. "I feel blind without it."

"Now you know how we felt those months ago," Sakki said, snarkily.

"Of course I do," Cloak snarled, irritable, "as I was there, Sakki."

"Settle down, guys," Gaz said, placatingly. "Tensions need not rise to aggressive hostilities. Let's just calm down."

"Remind me to thank Mr. E. Z. Velocimortis for a simply wonderful time." GH said, with caustic sarcasm. "But I don't think I'll be signing off on this attraction."

"'E. Z. Velocimortis?" Cloak said, upon sudden inspiration. "E-Z Velocimortis. . . . E-Z Fast-mortis. . . . E-Z Fast-death. . . . Easy, fast death. Why didn't I see this before now?"

"I . . ." Az said. Then he sighed heavily. "Okay, I'll admit it. I was hoodwinked."

[redtailedsaffa]

Yeah, I thought the name was dodgy.

And yeah, vibranium absorbs vibrations. Hence the name.

[Cloak]

Since I'm posting this now, the next one probably won't be until late tomorrow (my time, obviously).

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIX:
Gaz is Outtie*

"Wait a moment," GH said, looking around suddenly.

"What?" Cloak said sharply, looking around, whipping his head from left and right. Gaz was truly gone, vanished without a trace. There was no scream or anything alerting them to her spontaneous absence, before GH noticed that she wasn't present. "What the Veil happened? She was standing there not more than teo seconds ago."

"You'd think that she woukd have screamed or something," Sakki said, searching the scarlet walls.

"Perhaps there wasn't time," Underseen suggested, searching the walls.

"I think we're being messed with," GH said, eyeing a wall suspiciously.

"Of course someone's messing with us GH!" Sakki snapped. "The front door melting into the wall was enough to prove that!"

"Hey! Don't talk to me like that!" the guitar warrior protested heatedly.

"ENOUGH," Cloak said, causing the air around the RAFians to crackle ominously. "This bickering isn't constructive in the least. We need a plan of action."

"Such as?" Az asked.

Cloak paused. He was considering, formulating his answer.

"No magical answer?" Sakki said, snarkily, revealing her discontent.

"Let's itemize," Cloak said, ignoring Sakki's jibe. "We need to find a way out of here, and we need to find Gaz."

"Yeah, about that, Cloak?" Underseen said, with uncertainity etched in his voice. "I think we found her."

Cloak looked up.

"And nine extra," GH added.

And, indeed, there were ten Gazs. Each one identical to the last, down to the hair, clothing, and disposition.

"This could be a problem," Cloak said.


*I think I've been watching too much jacksepticeye.

[redtailedsaffa]

I KNEW IT.

Or not.

[Cloak]

If you say so, Saffa.

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
The Worst is Yet to Come

"You underestimate me, Cloak," Sakki said. Then she gave a series of ten sharp whistles. Each only didn't last but ten seconds. Each and every one of the Gazs distorted, rippling as if reflections in a stream.

"It didn't take long for the downfall. Poor little vampire.
Now isn't it sad, kiddies?
Too bad about that hill!
You're off to the trap-filled hallway, and I'm glad you're looking glum!
Cause, oh, oh, oh, oh, the worst is yet to come!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, the worst is yet to come!
These kids don't look so good around the gills!
The forest is crawling with goblins.
They're deadly! They're creepy!
They're tough!
Their passion is mass destruction.
I think they breathe fire and stuff!
They chew up unlucky children like so many pieces of gum.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, the worst is yet to come!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, the worst is yet to come!
Be very afraid, little kiddies!
You babes, be filled with gloom!
No dollies or dancing flatwear in the hallway of your doom!
You'll wish you were in the attic, in the dark, without a crumb!
Oh, oh oh, oh, the worst is yet to come!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, the worst is yet to come!
Your nerves are jarred. Your heart beats hard.
Like a kettle drum!
You're hearing shrieks and eerie squeaks!
Where is that one coming from?!
It's worse than we imagined! Are you sucking your thumb?
Oh, oh, oh, oh, the worst is yet to come!
Oh! Oh! Oh! OH! The worst is yet to come!"

"We trapped inside a living house." Az said, quick on the uptake.

"That's absolutely and completely bonkers," GH added.

"A typical Thursday morning for a RAFian," Sakki said dryly, as the Gaz holograms shivered and shimmered out of existence.


Song source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YFc3xHTTcEY

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Investigative Survivalism

The house voice fell silent.

Cloak saw this house voice as sort of an anti-Aivas. As loopy as he was sane, as irrational as he was rational, as hysterical as he was calm. All in all, it was not a good omen, as the RAFians were trapped within the endless twisted and coiling corridors, and the red walls did not alleviate this ominous sense.

Then Cloak came up with an realization. "This isn't a house."

"No kidding," Sakki said.

"It isn't a house, but a Perplexahedron." Cloak said. "A place of impossibility and traps. Though the colors are more vibrsnt the the last ones I visited.

"Well, that fits, then," Az said.

Suddenly, five corridors appeared before them. One orange with indigo trim, one yellow with blue trim, one solid green, one blue with yellow trim, and one indigo with orange trim. The orange corridor turned grandually to the left, the indigo hallway turned steeply to the right, the yellow corridor sloped downward, the blue one sloped upward, and the green on was a straight away.

"It looks like we're going to have to split up," Cloak said.

"Are you crazy?" GH said. "This is a clear attempt to divide and conquer!"

"Got any better ideas?"

"Stay together as a group and investigate the corridors one by one," GH suggested.

"And if the exit closed like the front door?" Cloak asked.

"Oh, um, didn't think about that," GH said.

"I know it isn't ideal, GH," Cloak said. "But we've but a few options."

With that, GH took the orange corrdior.

Az took the blue corridor.

Sakki took the indigo corridor.

Underseen took the yellow corridor.

And, finally, Cloak took the green corridor.

[guitarhero01234]

"Alright, gh, just remember: there's no such thing as Creed. There's no such - OH GOD, IT'S SCOTT STAPP!"

[Cloak]

Sorry, don't understand the references. But, then again, I'm exhausted. I'm sure the weather is a factor.

[guitarhero01234]

Even if you don't know about Creed, I think this video might entertain you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNJsN6VcLwY

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINE:
The Sheath

Az climbed up the blue corridor, which seemed to get steeper with every step. He had glanced back after climbing up this steep corridor, and, like Cloak surmised, the doorway into the corridor had pinched itself shut horizontally, without a sound.

Az did not like how steep that this corridor was becoming. It was at least on 84 degree incline, when it started out on like a sixteen degree incline. He eventually tumbled into a strangely spacious room, that was lit rather dimmer than Az would have preferred.

The steep corridor emptied into a room in a way that recalled a saucepan. The threshold was mounted way above the floor. It had at least a twenty-foot drop to the floor, and, through the dim light, Az could make out something along the far wall. He didn't know what it was, but he was also sure if he went into the room itself this corridor will seal itself against him.

It was a contest between Az's curiosity and his prudence, and he was evenly split between the two. But, eventually, curiosity won out. He slithered his body into the room, dropping from the corridor's threshold, and crafting an ice bridge, a la Iceman, spiralling down to the floor. He looked up and saw that he was right in his assumption, as the corridor opening had pinched shut, causing the light in the room to become paradoxically brighter.

Az decided that he would discover a way out after he satisfied his curiosity. He went to the object that had captured his attention. But, upon closer examination, he jumped back. It appeared to a corpse, in a crumpled heap. But as Az watched the heap warily he realized there was an odd familiarity to it.

Then he looked closer, and saw that it wasn't a corpse. At least, not in the conventional sense. It was a pile of . . . well, it wasn't metal per se, appeared to be some sort of organ-mimicking plastic of some sort. Az didn't know how else to describe it. Then came to the strange automaton's face.

It was E. Z. Velocimortis.

Here, empty and forgotten. Az began to realize. E. Z. Velocimortis wasn't a robot, wasn't an exosuit piloted by a dead Arquillan or Fmek, or anything like that. It was an empty vessel, a sheath in which . . . in which the house could animate as if life. The house used it to lure them here . . .

"Oh, dearie me," came the house's voice. "You weren't supposed to see this."

"You led me here!" Az protested.

"Enjoy your swim," the house replied.

"What?" Az yipped.

Suddenly, the room started to flood. It was at his ankles within seconds.

[redtailedsaffa]

This is crazy.

[Cloak]

Indeed.

Although what's crazier is that I'm somehow maintaining my post schedule despite being exhausted.

[redtailedsaffa]

You don't need to push yourself.

[Cloak]

That's the thing. I'm really not.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
Gaz, Where Are You?

"Did someone get the number of that Mucillator that hit me?" Gaz groaned. She gazed around, discovering herself in a dark, dark room. Gaz's vampirism afforded her suitable night vision. Her eyes penetrated the darkness and saw that she was in a rather bare, barren room.

She immediately rose into a sitting position, taking inventory of herself. She was unharmed, though dead tired and a little sore at her joints. Whatever happened, she had survived it. She always seemed to be able to survive these things, though she avoided thinking that, so she could avoid becoming complacent, which is more dangerous than the average person might expect.

Looking around once more, expecting to see just an endless expanse of walls without corners. The circular room lacked a door and was rather like being inside a kettle drum. The walls were even the color of tarnished bronze and secondhand brass.

Oh? What's that? Gaz thought.

She quickly crossed to the computer console inset into the wall. It lit up at her approach, which caused her to back away until her eyes adjusted to the light. Then she strode up the console and found a keyboard attached, with a circular monitor.

"Interesing," Gaz murmured as ashe eased her hands over the keyboard. "Maybe I can get some answers here . . ."

She typed with a steady but cautious beat. She had a naggling feeling that someone was watching what she was doing over her shoulder. But when she looked, there was no one else in the room with her. She wasn't particularly fond of that feeling, being knowingly spied on. And it just would not go away.

She tried to ignore it, as there was nothing she could do about it. She keyed in a few inquiries into the computer of questionable design. This house had a sovereign computerized system in control of it.

Well, Gaz thought caustically, no duh.

But it gave her a name. A.I.E. -- Artificial Intelligence Entity or Artificial Intelligence Experiment. Pronounced as "aye-ee". But she couldn't glean anymore information than that. The rest of the text had quickly devolved into indecipherable gobbledygook.

"You did a no-no," chimed in the voice of A.I.E. "You must be punished."

"Wait -- what?" Gaz said, as the ceiling overhead seemed to be suddenly perforated with holes. Which exuded a perfectly conical spike each, whose tips were tinged with a substance of green and black. Poison.

They began to rain down on her, with new ones spawning to replace the old.

"Overreact much?" Gaz reacted.

[Gaz]

Well, that's no good.