Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

New chapter. Again, sorry for the brevity.

CHAPTER NINE:
Melissa and Nikki

"Accio! Acci-- oh, forget it." she said.

Nikki was relieved, but soon realized that she wasn't out of the woods yet. She was still a possible a practice magic target. Surely, this qualified as animal abuse? Surely, the SPCA, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, would side with her on this one.

But, then again, Melissa didn't mean anything by it. She wasn't trying to harm Nikki, and the mature cat knew this. Melissa may be a bit overly enthusiastic and a bit overbearing at times, she was a good kid. Nikki did feel a certain need to safeguard Melissa, though the cat got frustrated with her from time to time, Nikki saw Melissa not as her master but her ward. She watched out for the poor, backwards human.

What was she doing now? She had given up on the Summoning Spell, as well as the Full-Body Bind Spell and the Stunning Spell. Alas poor human, she gave up far too soon, in the humble cat's opinion. She got frustrated and flustered too easily, Nikki felt. Such a precocious little scamp . . .

Melissa was looking up new spells, and she displayed good judgement and fortitude in deciding to go out of her way to NOT learn the Kiling Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Imperius Curse. Those three curses went against everything she stood for, as a human being.

She did not like the absolute control over another that the Imperius Curse promised. She was not a very controlling person, more of a free spirit. Vivacious and lively, bursting with excitable energy. She would never imagine imposing her will over someone else in this way. She wasn't sure if she could do it, even if or when she ever had need for it.

She was a gentle soul, and she could not bring herself to feel the anger and hatred that the Cruciatus Curse required. She couldn't bear to torture anyone. She could not fathom such a person that would revel, masochistically and sadistically, in torturing others. Her compassion and empathy would render her unable to use this curse effectively. Not that she would ever want to.

The last one, whe actually recoiled from. She never killed anyone. She was proud of that fact. Perhaps it was a bit naive, but she held fast to this belief. Killing -- and killing in cold, calculating blood -- was a reprehensible act, especially if the murderer feels no remorse for their actions. Melissa could not imagine such a person. Perhaps she had lived a really sheltered life.

So, Melissa started to search for a few more spells to try out. She flipped through the book with almost reckless abandon.

Suddenly, Nikki was alarmed, while Melissa seemed oblivious to anything out of the ordinary. But the cat knew something was wrong. Really wrong. Not about the forced silence everyone but a scarce few were forced to endure. Something else, something very off about Nikki's self-anointed ward.

And Nikki was worried. Very worried, indeed.

[guitarhero01234]

Damn cliffhangers.

[redtailedsaffa]

Cats are never ever humble.

[Cloak]

Doesn't mean that they can't think that they are being humble, though.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
The Dangers of Overextending Oneself

Melissa continued her search through the huge leather-bound book, though she appeared to be searching with less vigor. Her eyes seemed to unfocus and then refocus, with her oblivious to any change.

But Nikki wasn't so oblivious. She knew something was very wrong. And she hated that her scope of doing anything about it was effectively nil. She couldn't even meow a warning. She was at a lost of what to do, and she had come out of her hiding spot from beneath the armoire.

Nikki could sense Melissa's energy waning. It must be because the magicks she was using, that she was studying from that stupid book. That stupid book . . . it may have allowed her, Nikki, more comprehension and intelligence than that of an average cat, but it would have been worth it to lose her ward in the process.

The book must be siphoning off her magical energy to use for its own purposes. The book was evil, Nikki decided. Maybe if she destroyed the book somehow, her Melissa would become better, maybe she would reclaim her magical energy again.

Nikki slithered over Melissa, with every intention of clawing the book to smithereens. She would destroy the source of what was making her Melissa weak. She was going to --

"High there, stranger," Melissa said, gently and kindly. In the way that Nikki always liked to be spoken to with.

Melissa gently scooped Nikki up and held her close, in the way that always made Nikki feel comfortable and safe. Though she she would never say it aloud (and due the fact that she only spoke Cat and not Human, though she understood Human), she loved this strange creature who walked on her hind legs.

But, even here, Nikki could tells something was wrong. She could sense Melissa weakening, albeit very slowly and incrementally. So slow and incrementally that it was essentially unnoticed by Melissa herself.

Melissa had to have done something, something which was burning out her magical reservoir. And when that burns out . . .

***

"It's getting more and more unstable and out of control," Faerie noted, as she and Broken continued to try to fid things. "What a time for Yunyun to be out of town on personal business."

"I doubt our task ahead would be any easier even with her help," Broken said, pessimistically dour. "Such inexperise at controlling their magical ability . . ."

"Their abilities are being grossly magnified." Faerie said, analytically. "The only person that would be capable of this kind of chaos is a disciple of Apophis, or --"

"The Sorcerer Supreme?"

"Perhaps, Broken, perhaps." Faerie said, rather noncommitally. "Still that would require copious amounts of magical artifacts, and you know it."

"I think we're beat around the bush here," Broken said, "there's another reason that we really need to find this neophyte witch or wizard or whatever the appropriate term they choose to identify themselves as."

"We really are getting too PC," Faerie grumbled.

"Eventually, this kind of magic will burn out the neophyte's magic reservoir," Broken elaborated, as if Faerie's comment maligning PC culture was not uttered. "And when that's burned out --"

"Their life force will be next," Faerie finished. "If this doesn't stop, they will not only overtax, overextend, and exhaust their magical powers . . . they will die."

"Yes," Broken confirmed, "and I rather not have that on my conscience, Faerie, so we best hurry and discover them."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Ticking Clock

"There has got to be a better way to find this kid," Faerie grumbled.

"This is the only lead we have, Faerie," Broken pointed out.

They were following the chaotic, unstable magic. They were under the belief that it would get stronger or more frequent around the source of the magic, namely the neophyte spellbinder. It wasn't the best lead, to be sure, but it was all they had st the moment.

"Still sucks," Faerie said. Then they both fell silent as they continued bringing order to this chaotic magic. The silence was actually deafening. "This silence spell worked a little bit too well."

"Indeed," Broken said. "It's a bit surprising that the denizens of the city have found a way to adapt to it."

It was true, with everything rendered mute, most of the citizens assumed that they themselves had been rendered deaf, unaware anyone else was afflicted. It was a demonstration at the innate self-importance that people tend to have, whether or not they are aware of it themselves.

They have gone to relying on flashing lights to notice emergency vehicles, and pedestrians were paying more attention, other senses more acute to compensate. Radio was effectively killed, though, which was a boon to the people as idiots like Bern Bridges were effectively silenced, meaning his misinformation and anti-RAFian propaganda wasn't being heard.

But that was just covering-up the gaping sores that abhorrent people like Bern Bridges were, reveling about in hatred and ignorance. People who are unwilling to use actual facts, and instead peddle in lies and misdirection, claiming to be truths and facts. The question really was if they truly believed this schlock or were just paid to believe it.

If they were paid, one would have to ask, why, whoever their payers were, saw RAF as such a threat as to require so much propaganda, so much mudslinging, so much smearing of their reputation.

"This," Faerie said, "this is starting to get difficult to manage."

"But it must mean we're getting close," Broken said, mulishly.

"Unless this is a false trail," Faerie said, upon sudden inspiration, "or these events happen completely randomly in pockets instead of being like a broken seam."

Broken said nothing.

"Broken, it's a legitimate concern," Faerie said.

[redtailedsaffa]

I sense foreshadowing.

[Cloak]

Perhaps.

Sorry that there won't be a chapter today. A lot of things came up and I got real busy. I might be able to post later on tomorrow, but depends on how tired I am.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
Tiring

Melissa, who barely felt any fatique since she cast the silence spell, suddenly felt a suitable amount of exhaustion. An exhaustion she could not ignore. She could not begin to guess where this tiredness came from.

Nikki knew Melissa finally realized something was up, and, even now, she could not so much as meow or purr to comfort her. Nikki felt Melissa's arms begin to sag beneath her. Nikki's mouth still worked furiously to meow concernedly, but no sound came out.

This time, however, Melissa noticed. But she was perplexed, because she still did not realize that she cast a spell.

"Nikki, what's wrong?"

Feline faces are actually more expressive than one might expect. And Nikki's expression clearly said, Human, you are hopeless. Nikki leaped from Melissa's arms, and streaked toward a closed window, and looked back at Melissa. Clearly Nikki wanted Melissa to follow her.

Melissa acquiesced, and threw the window open. Nikki did not jump out and escape, but allowed Melissa to witness the world outside her window. Allowed her to hear the resounding, droning silence. This perplexed her.

There should be the sounds matching the bustling city outside her apartment window. Especially in this part of town. There wasn't anything, and Melissa felt a sudden dizziness and she found that she really needed to sit down, or she was going to fall down, or collapse.

But it wasn't about the realization of the Silence Spell, but because she was starting to burn through her magical reservoir. But she was still a magical amateur, and, as such, did not know anything about a magical reservoir, per se. There were a plethora of other dangers that she was very, very ignorant of.

Nikki joined her on Melissa's rather threadbare bed, with thin sheets and a floral-print comforter. Her apartment wasn't exactly the best, the cream of the crop, but she liked it well enough. Sure, the neighborhood wasn't exactly . . . idyllic, but it was good enough for her, and the rent was cheap.

"Did I . . . did I cause this . . ." Melissa said, a sudden weariness in her voice. "Did I cast . . . was the silence . . . a spell?"

Nikki now was very agitated. Melissa was now visibily weakening. But the scope of what Nikki could do was seriously limited.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Cunning Trickster

Cloak was back in his secluded meditation spot. Perhaps it wasn't the most productive means to with his time. Perhaps it was wrong with the whole silence spell thing going around, but the fact of the matter was there was little that he could do about it. Realm Walkers couldn't really use magic, aside from the occasional "Expellocorpus", which one could argue isn't really true magic. So, he was sort of out of his league on this one -- something he had a tough time admitting to.

So, he decided to try and see if he could get another vision of Aniyu. He was sure she was an ancestor of his, a paternal ancestor. Sure that she was contacting him in much the same way his grandfather, his mother's father, used to contact him.

His father's side of the family was such a mystery to him. He knew next to nothing about them. He only saw his paternal grandfather when he was really too young to remember, and spoken to him once when he was fifteen. His mother had a hand in preventing contact, he felt, control freak that she was. So, naturally, he burned with curiosity about that side of his family. The enigma, the mystery . . .

He found himself on a strange landscape thoroughly ensconced in plain, white, featureless fog. Only a single dirt path lied ahead, unimpeded by the fog, but only for a yard or two. But, clearly in view, was a lupine Realm Walker whose cloak was as snow white as her fur.

"Aniyu?" Cloak said.

Aniyu gave no indication that she noticed Cloak's presence, though he was sure that she did. Suddenly, she was engulfed inside the gas, and her silhouette was gone before Cloak could call out, "Wait! No! Don't go!"

Cloak stumbled and ambled forward and he seemed to enter into a clear area, a perfect circle, which followed him as he moved. Gateburst! He was so close to finding out answers! So close!

He dwelled on this fact for a bit, then he heard, "Hello, handsome."

Behind him, a vulpine Realm Walker stood, almost seductively, in a violet cloak. She seemed overly promiscuous, even by Realm Walker standards. Cloak didn't trust her. Foxes, including vulpine Realm Walkers, are well-known for being clever and cunning.

"I can help you for what you're looking for, hon," she said.

Cloak's eyes narrowed. He hadn't mentioned that he was looking for something.

"Oh, don't be all paranoid, hon!" she said, her voice strangely alluring. "Just had a look on your face, is all."

Cloak didn't trust this.

"Let me help, dearie," she insisted.

Cloak said nothing, and the silence stretched until it spiralled into awkwardness.

"I don't bite, hon. C'mere. I'll help you," she said. It was very convincing, but Cloak's troubled past was giving him trust issues. "Trust me. I'm just wanting to help."

"I'm sure you are," Cloak said, with subtle sarcasm. "Like a hinkypunk in a bog."

"I'm not entirely sure what a hinkypunk is," the vulpine Realm Walker said, innocently, "but, yes. I only want to help you."

"To find Wolfblitzer, the black wolf?" Cloak said.

"Yes," she replied.

She didn't fall for the trap Cloak had laid, rather inexpertly. But Cloak thought he knew enough about this stranger.

"It won't work, Trickster," he said as he continued to look for Aniyu, only to see his environment to be rushing backwards as he he opened his eyes to the msterial world, having his vision quest broken for the time being.

His communicator was going off, vibrating rather inconveniently. Cloak couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"What d'ya want?" Cloak said, rather rudely.

"Cloak?" Broken said, with no mention or acknowledgment of the Realm Walker's rudeness. "I need you procure something of the utmost importance. It's rather imperative, if we arrive late. If it's too late, then --"

"Stop beating around the bush," Cloak said, crankily. "What do you need?"

[guitarhero01234]

So, would that be fifteen in Dweller years?

Also, so many jokes I could make relating to the fox Realm Walker. But since you mentioned the clearing being "a perfect circle," my mind got stuck on this song. It's about falling in love with a stripper.

[Cloak]

Realm Walker years, actually.

And the fox was an illusion, not a prostitute. She was a trickster, a test. Put that skillet down, Saffa, it wasn't a spoiler.

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Trailling Spectulation

"This is starting to get real annoying," Faerie said, dully.

They were cleaning up some of the unrestrained magic, which appeared to be granting more and more cartoonish effects to inanimate objects. It was getting more and more chaotic and dangerous as they proceeded. Especially because they were silenced, as well.

"Well, I got through to Cloak," Broken said. "He sounded cranky."

"He's Cloak. He's always cranky." Faerie said, dryly. "Did you give him your grocery list?"

"Yeah. He said he would gather the herbs," Broken said, wearily. "I'm still hoping that we don't need them."

"I think, at this point, that is a foregone hope, Broken."

"I can still hope," Broken countered. Then, after a beat of considering, he replied, "They are clearly using some sort of magical artifact to amplify their magical power."

"I thought we already established the likelihood of that," Faerie said. Then, after clearing up some bit of chatoic msgic that demanded her full attention,  she continued, "It's obvious that she must be using an artifact of some sort. No one, short of --"

"The Sorcerer Supreme?" Broken supplied.

"Yeah, him," Faerie said, with a roll of her eyes. Then she proceeded with point she was trying to make, "No one short of him has the kind of power to do this without a powerful artifact or talisman."

"Not to mention the danger of mixing magicks," Broken said. "This neophyte doesn't know about that."

"It's like a child playing with the remote to a nuke," Faerie said. Broken thought the comparison was apt, if not a bit simplistic.

Silence fell between the two, as they cleaned up the residual chaotic magic, the unrestrained magic, the misdirected and directionless magic.

"What if it's a grimoire?" Broken asked.

"What?" Faerie said, taken off guard by this.

"A grimoire," Broken said, as if this was a question that knotted his stomach. "A book of instructions in the use of magic or alchemy. Especially summoning demons."

"Demos might see the 'summoning demons' thing as a bit racist," Faerie said. "They always seem to come and go as they wish."

"Faerie, we only know two demons." Broken said. "Demos and his half-brother."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," Faerie said, waving this away. "Let's get going."

[redtailedsaffa]

I'm giggling at the Sorcerer Supreme gag.

[Cloak]

Hope you're not expecting Dr. Strange, though. He's not the Sorcerer Supreme in this continuity and I believe I blithely revealed who it was in a previous book.

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
Meeting Up

"I'm starting to think a mixing of magicks is happening," Faerie said.

"What makes you say that?" Broken inquired.

BOOM!!

"Call it a hunch," she replied.

"It could be just someone who ate a large bean burrito," Broken tried to quip, but his timing was all wrong.

"Leave the one-liners to the experts, kid," the faerie said.

Bah-BOOM!!

"We probably shouuld do something about that." she added, almost as an afterthought.

"Just what precisely, though?" Broken asked. "It's difficult to discern the type of magicks at play here. We --"

Bah-BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

"We might just be exacerbating the situation," Broken said. "Mixing more magic into it will only heighten the volatility of the magic already mixing."

Bah-BOOOM!!!

"We have to do something, Broken. People can be hurt by this."

"Our hands our tied, Faerie," Broken said. He wasn't too pleased with having to say it. But this is the problem with mixing msgicks of different types. Potterian and Enix and whatnot.

"Then the solution is simple," came a voice, "cut this problem off at its root."

"Cloak," Broken said, welcomingly, "you've procured the herbs?"

"Need you ask?" Cloak said, presenting a satchel not unlike the one the male player character carries in Pokémon X or Y. "Complete with a Smilodyte satchel."

"What's a Smilodyte?" Faerie asked.

"It's not important," the Realm Walker said, waving the question away. He pointed to a rather conspicuous sinuous tentacle of magical energy, that had a clear source. "Why not follow that?"

It was then that Cloak paused to wonder whether or not Broken or Faerie could actually see the anfractuous tendril of magical energy of indeterminate color.

BOOM!!!!

"We should get going, methinks," Cloak said, pleasantly.

[redtailedsaffa]

Lol, of course not. Isn't it Broken?

[Cloak]

More on that later.

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Converging

"There. That building," Cloak said. "Six windows up, eighth from the left."

Cloak had not taken time to notice the details of the building. It was not a very appealing place to live. It was little more than a rat-infested tenement thst looked rather shabby and dilapidated. The building was a dingy brown, with the paneling missing in places. Faerie and Broken was not so oblivious, however.

The RAF stormed into the poorly-lit, grungy lobby. There was a woman sitting at the front desk, with her shoes -- which appeared to be torture devices to whomever would try to wear them, and gave the appearance of hooved feet -- perched atop the desk, as she leaned back on her chair, obnoxiously popping pink bubblegum (soundless, though) as she filed her claw-like nails, painted a green so dark it was nearly black. She had horribly teasex black hair, a frumpy face, and a little to much make-up on -- so that it was remarkable she wasn't mistaken for Bozo.

She paid no mind to the RAFians as they raced for the fifth floor, and Cloak suspected that she would have allowed them up even without the spell of silence. He got the feeling that she didn't realky do her job, but still collected a paycheck, albeit it a very meager one.

They raced down the hallway to Apartment 68A, and found the door was locked. It wasn't exactly the sturdiest-looking one either. But it was stable enough to function as a door.

Cloak rapped the door smartly. No answer. He wasn't surprised, as the knocks were muted. He should have considered that.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Faerie called out in a manner befitting Lin Bei Fong. "RAFians. Open up."

No answer.

"Hello?" Broken tried.

Nothing.

"Sorry, guys, but the time for pleasantries has ended. This needs to stop, and needs to stop now." Cloak said, touching the door. He felt the metal deadbolt, though he could not see it with his eyes, and he used his ferrokinesis, his Mastery over the Metal element, to turn the deadbolt, to unlock it. He did the same to secondary lock, and soon the door saung inwards.

"Way to go, Sly Cooper," Faerie said, sardonically.

Cloak growled unintentionally. He was still a little moody and a lot cranky. Upon stepping into the single room studio apartment, they saw a girl, eighteen or nineteen, by the look of her, passed out upon her twin-sized bed.

"Broken!" Faerie exclaimed

"Already on it!" Broken said, already usjng the herbs to make some sort of herbal tea of sorts.

"I . . . I can smell her . . . dying. Her scent is changing." Cloak said. Then he noticed a black cat looking forelorn and miserable. She seemed much more aware than ordinary cats.

"This should revive her," Broken said, as he started to feed her the tea. It didn't appear to work.

[redtailedsaffa]

Oh my god. What is this suspense why.