Memoirs of a RAFian

[guitarhero01234]

...You just had to bring it up again, didn't you?

[Cloak]

A little humor was necessary, as I don't foresee a lot for the rest of the book.

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIX:
Excess and Reporting

Amin was living it up, having sold some newly gold refuse items to pay off his debits and pay off his victims from persuing him legally (by giving them gold items worth far more than what he took). No one knew that he was essentially manufacturing his own wealth from the Midas Duck, which had become Amin's golden goose.

He had managed to get himself a luxurious four-bedroom Victorian house, opting out of a mansion because those places are just too big, and he wasn't so incapable as to be unable to cook and clean for himself. He didn't want to pay for a personal dietary staff or housekeeping staff. Not only because he was becoming stingy with his new wealth, but he knew it would severely open up the possibility of his little secret being exposed.

And if others had discovered how he made his fortune, they might steal his lovely little duck statuary away. And then he would be left to petty thievery again. Or worse, they might have killed him for this highly desirable item.

No, it was better this way. Better to be a reclusive billionaire inside a golden house -- yeah, he couldn't help himself on that account. If anyone asked, he said he knew some very good contractors that he reserved for only himself. When the numerous inconsistencies in this story came up, he either ignored them or issued a threat of litigation if they press further, despite not really having any grounds for any sort of legitimate case. And if they persisted . . . they vanished, with a golden statuary appearing in their place with shocked or scared looks on their faces.

He thought that he could live like this for the rest of his natural life -- or maybe even beyond, by funding ways to extend it from scientists with loose scruples. He was just glad that he no longer had to survive on the streets or in roach-infested tenements. He was free to do whatever he pleased.

This Midas Duck practically printed out money for him, and he paid no mind how it might jack up the economy, due inflation and whatnot. If everyone had the gold, it would start to lose value, that prices may go up, and everyone would need more and more gold -- it wasn't to this point yet, and it was a bit of an alarmist's rhetoric, but if Amin was a bit more reckless with his spending . . . But he didn't care. He only cared for the person he saw in the mirror every day. No one else, not even his own brother, mattered the least bit to him.

He also never bothered to consider the consequences, as his greed had overtook his common sense and throttled it into submission. . . .

***

"You can't be serious," Aquilai said, flat out. "Such a thing you're saying is impossible."

"But I assure you, my friend, it is!" Tharisno insisted.

"It is scientifically impossible," Aquilai said stubbornly.

"Aquilai, need I remind you that we've faced creatures that steal happiness -- dementors --  and those that stole memories and shadows. All those were scientifically impossible, or at least, inaccurate, right? And we know that several varieties of magic exist." Cloak said. "Chrysopoeia shouldn't be all that farfetched."

"Chrysopoeia?" Blaze asked. "Is he related to Chyrsaor?"

"Or Chrysler?" GH asked, dully.

"It's turning matter to gold," Cloak said.

"Why couldn't you just say that?" said the obnoxious RAFians that Cloak wanted so very badly to pop in the face. "Just because you wanted to sound smart?"

Cloak ignored him, as Richard said, "Just continue, Tharisno."

"There is no what?" Abby asked, quite innocently.

"Tharisno Rigtreble," Tharisno said, seeing where this was headed. It wasn't the first time he was told his name resembled a sentence.

"There is no big trouble?" GH asked. "Then why call us together?"

"No, my name is Tharisno -- T-H-A-R-I-S-N-O -- Rigtreble -- R-I-G-T-R-E-B-L-E," Tharisno said, slightly annoyed. "But the problem is the Midas Duck has been stolen. By my own baby brother, Amin, no less."

"'I'm in big trouble'," the obnoxious RAFian snickered inappropriately.

Tharisno ignored him and continued his spiel, "We're at least a day and a half from the point where the Midas Duck will undergo its first metamorphosis, and the final one will come just mere hours afterward. We need to procure it and get it back to the sacred fountain in Domus Anas Aurea."

Cloak nodded. "Gold Duck House", apt.

"Um, details, please?" Saffa asked.

[theyoungphoenix]

hah i didn't get those puns at first but now i'm laughing that's amazing

[Cloak]

I thought it was obvious, to be honest. But, then again, I'm the writer, I already knew the puns ahead of time.

Anyway, new book ideas. A lot of them.

• Book MLXXI (1,071): "Eating Money" -- The RAFians must reluctantly face an oligovore/plutovore.
• Book MLXXII (1,072): "Not Happy" -- Gaz and her fellow RAFians must face a nachzchrer.
• Book MLXXIII (1,073): "Wretched Retributionist" -- THE RAFians must face against a vengeful retributionist.
• Book MLXXIV (1,074): "The Movie" -- RAF gets a movie, but it may not live up to their expectations.
• Book MLXXV (1,075): "The Seals of What?" -- A duo of old foes discover scrolls detailing of some strange stones. . . .
• Book MLXXVI (1,076): "The Seal of Cowardice" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Cowardice.
• Book MLXXVII (1,077): "The Seal of Ire" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Ire.
• Book MLXXVIII (1,078): "The Seal of Loneliness" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Loneliness.
• Book MLXXIX (1,079): "The Seal of Greed" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Greed.
• Book MLXXX (1,080): "The Seal of Hate" -- A RAFian ally is trapped within the Seal of Hate
• Book MLXXXI (1,081): "Seal of Sloth" -- A old foe is trapped within the Seal of Sloth.
• Book MLXXXII (1,082): "Seal of Insincerity" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Insincerity.
• Book MLXXXIII (1,083): "Seal of Lust" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Lust
• Book MLXXXIV (1,084): "Seal of Unreliability" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Unreliability.
• Book MLXXXV (1,085): "Seal of Envy" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Envy.
• Book MLXXXVI (1,086): "Seal of Ignorance" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Ignorance.
• Book MLXXXVII (1,087): "Seal of Gluttony" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Gluttony.
• Book MLXXXVIII (1,088): "Seal of Hopelessness" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Hopelessness.
• Book MLXXXIX (1,089): "Seal of Pride" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Pride.
• Book MXC (1,090): "Seal of Darkness" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Darkness.
• Book MXCI (1,091): "Seal of Cruelty" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Cruelty.
• Book MXCII (1,092): "Seal of Guilt" -- A RAFian is trapped within the Seal of Guilt.
• Book MXCIII (1,093): "Seal of Destiny" -- An old foe is trapped within the Seal of Destiny.
• Book MXCIV (1,094): "The Leviathan" -- The true reason for all these Seals is revealed.
• Book MXCV (1,095): "RAF Carols" -- The RAFians, to unwind and celebrate the spirit of the holiday, sing RAFmas Carols.

Don't think I rehashed anything. I know the whole Seal thing may seem repetitive, but they are intended to be character pieces.

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Walkabout Idol

Amin was finally feeling happy.

He no longer had to worry where his next meal would come from, whether it was too putrified to eat safely. He didn't have to live off the scraps of the wealthy and middle class. He was now the one who made those scraps. But that didn't mean that he had pity or compassion for those that were in his situation.

He no longer had to worry about having a roof over his head. He had one now -- and a golden one, at that! He never did realize a principal problem of having a house of solid gold was that any intruder could easily just blowtorch their way inside and kill him in his sleep, making off with his precious golden duck.

He no longer had to worry what would happen to him as he slept, or where he slept. His mattress was just about the only thing that he didn't turn to gold, as it would have had questionable comfort. Nor where his pillows gold, but all of it was gold colored. He has never slept more soundly than he slept. Of course, this is what he wasted the fountain water on, when he didn't think it through.

He was feeling very happy. Now he could want for nothing. He could have anything and everything that he ever wanted. Being a selfish man, he never wanted to share a single nugget with anyone, much less a spouse or girlfriend. So he was a dedicated bachelor.

He always kept the duck close, being the source of his wealth and affluence. Sadly, this was not a good thing to do, as seen when the duck gave a sudden, inexplicable discharge of some gold energy. This caused Amin to involuntarily drop the idol.

The golden duck flared its wings -- which Amin was absolutely sure that it didn't have a moment before, as it landed on stout webbed feet that it wasn't supposed to have upon his bed. Amin was nonplussed. His golden goose had become an animate golden duck!

This naturally concerned Amin, as he would lose his manner of income if the bird escaped him. He would have get a cage and cram it in there. He would not lose his way to easy money!

The duck pecked a pillow. It became gold.

"Hey!" Amin claimed. He was very controlling in the fact that things only became gold when he -- then he realized the window was open to tempt in a morning breeze.

The duck pecked another pillow. It turned to gold. Amin quickly crossed to the window, as the duck pecked the bed, turning it to solid gold. And, by doing this, he called attention to the open window. The duck made a beeline for it. Too quick for Amin to shut.

"No!" Amin shouted, attempting to stop the duck.

And he was pecked in response.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Pecking Order and Awareness

The Midas duck flew from the open window, with the only goal to peck as many things as it could with its bill. An oak tree. Quickly followed by an elm, birch, rowan, juniper, and sycamore.

Then it flew, gliding ever so neatly to the ground were it pecked all sorts of items. A bench, Donald Couch's car,  a flashlight, a signpost, a lady's Schnauzer, a bus, Donald Couch, part of the sidewalk, and so forth. It knew nothing else. It had no other purpose, but to peck things gold.

There was really no rhyme and reason to it, other than the fact that Midas's curse was given new life, in the form of a duck. It was a sad existence, to be sure, but it did not care. All it cared about was doing what it instincts commanded of it.

"Get outta my way, you stupid chicken!"

It was kicked very rudely away by an arrogant, bespectacled man with teeth problems and supercilious manner. He always wanted to the easiest parts of a job, leaving the hardest bits to people he believed himself to be better than, by definition. He wore a slackjawed look of pure hostility and contempt that appeared to have his face stuck like that. He wore a blue button-down shirt, black hat, and black slacks. He was not a pleasant person to be around.

And what did he get for his sour disposition and snarling ire?

The Midas duck immediately pecked him without qualm or hesitation. The unpleasant prick was turned to gold immediately from the retaliatory peck from the Midas duck. The unpleasant man hadn't any time to react or reconsider his actions before he became an auric statuary.

Then the duck waddled on. Perhaps to a lemonade stand to inquire about its stock of grapes. . . .

***

Amin was in a daze.

He couldn't be sure just what was happening. He was so confused . . . and disoriented . . . and confused. Did he mention that he was confused?

All his saw was blackness. He couldn't see anything. Nothing -- but the deep blackness. He was blind! He was blinded! It was incredibly horrifying for someone accustomed to being able to see thing to suddenly not be able to do that anymore.

He tried to move his arms to his face, but they remained still and motionless. He couldn't even so much as twitch the last digit of his pinky finger. He could not move in the slightest degree. Not at all. This is what sparked his initial fear.

Then he realized that he couldn't hear anything either. Try as he might, all he heard was a deafening, all-consuming silence. He couldn't even hear the slightest muffle around him. The spark of fear began to ignite into a burgeoning ember of terror.

He wanted to scream, only to discover he was mute. His vocal cords would not vibrate, his mouth and tongue would not move. He could not say anything, he could not speak at all. His ember of terror began to form into a flame of panic.

He wanted to cry, but he could not even manage that. So, he cried inwardly, as it was the, quite literally, the only way that has could. He had never before felt so helpless. He surmised what happened, of course. His body was now gold. Every cell, every pore and follicle. Solid gold.

And, yet, he still failed to feel contrite for his victims, to have regret for his past actions. As far as he was concerned, he was still always right in everything he does. Despite being victimized by his own avarice, he was still very much self-centered and egotistical. As far as he cared, this situation was somehow not his fault, but somehow someone else's fault.

It would be a matter of time whether he learned humility or failed completely to take anything away from this.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINE:
A Peck on the Cheek

Cloak, Abby, Blaze, Gaz, Faerie, and GH went with Tharisno to locate the duck idol, unaware of its first transformation. Tharisno had some of the fountain water with him, in the event the duck had undergone a transformation, but it still was not a lot. He had impressed upon the RAFians that it must be used for that purpose and that purpose only.

The RAFians had Yarin and Broken analyze it both scientifically and magically, and had them try to see if they could reproduce it, in a laboratory setting. Tharisno thought this was a futile attempt, as only water from the fountain would be sufficient for this task.

But they had to make haste. Time was against them.

"If we don't hurry," Tharisno insisted, "the first transformation is imminent."

"What if it already happened?" Abby asked.

"Then I'd say we're all royally f--" GH began before he was cut off by Gaz.

"How will we find it, though? The city, much less the world, is a big place." she pointed out. "And we can't just go barreling into people's houses. That's breaking and entering. It's illegal."

"And we already don't have the greatest PR image around," Faerie noted. "No thanks to Bernard Bridges."

"People, priorities," Cloak said. He had an inkling what the final transformation was, remembering something like this from a different Realm. He had hoped he was wrong. He really hoped he was wrong. "We have to find the duck first. We can worry about things like PR when the world is safe."

"Oh no . . ." Tharisno said, as they came to a bus stop with several things turned to gold at random.

"What? Has your brother gone loopy, Tharisno?" GH asked.

"I think not," Tharisno said. "I believe this is a clear indication that the duck has undergone its first transformation."

"So we're too late." Blaze said.

"No," Tharisno said, "it must just be the first transformation. You'd know if had achieved its second one."

"How?" Abby asked.

Tharisno paused, before saying, a tad overdramatic, speaking darkly, "Believe me, you'll know when it happens."

"How hard can some statue of a duck be to find?"

"Before it's first transformation, probably easier than after," Tharisno said, as they continued their feverish search. "The first transformation animates the idol into a living golden duck. Then its only purpose is to peck as many things as it can before its second and final transformation."

"You certainly sound all doom and gloom about the second transformation, and yet are extremely reluctant to tell us what it is," Faerie said.

"We should focus on getting the Midas duck," Tharisno said, sidestepping the accusation, "the sooner we get it, the sooner we don't have to worry about that."

"There it is!" Blaze said, pointing. Then he powered his wings, and impetuously cried, "I got it!"

"Blaze, no!" Cloak shouted, but his warning came far too late. Blaze's lunge missed as the duck's flight path quickly changed direction and maneuvered outside Blaze's reach and pecked him on the cheek. He turned into solid gold and he clattered to the ground -- having only been a mere few feet above the ground.

But he was solid gold now. Unable to see. Unable to hear. Unable to speak. Unable move. Unable to even breathe. But still alive and aware, somehow.

"Blaze!"

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
Hesitation and Attrition

"Blaze!!"

Then the duck took notice of them, and clearly desired to peck them into submission. It targeted Abby, who had reflexively morphed a Psycholeopterran and went intangible. The duck could not touch her, much less peck her, so whilst in her Psycholeopterran morph, she was fundamentally immune -- provided she remained insubstantial.

Then the duck turned onto Gaz, who pulled the same trick, turning into mist to escape every peck. The peck didn't work on gases, apparently, so Gaz was effectively immune whilst in this form. It wasn't long before the Midas Duck lost interest in Gaz and decided to go for another pecking victim.

It decided on Faerie next. With an exasperated "Oh, wonderful," Faerie took to the air. Once airborne, she proved herself far more maneuverable and agile than the duck, who just plain could not keep up. Soon, it lost interest in her and turns its sights onto a new target.

"Oh, crap," GH was heard to say, as it made a beeline for him. He had unshouldered his guitar and had lifted it just so to block an incoming peck -- which resulted in his alder guitar becoming purely solid gold. He was surprised to hear that it could actually still play. He had expected it to be ruined. It definitely felt heavier, though. GH cried, a la the Cabbage Merchant from Avatar the Last Airbender, "My guitar!"

"Look on the bright side, GH," Faerie said, "you're richer now."

GH gave her a very sour, very angry look, but said nothing. He just swiftly and deftly tuned his guitar, and began to briefly strum, while dodging pecks -- it was almost like a music video or album cover. Then he played with all the fervor of a madman. He played a song of a genre Cloak couldn't begin to hazard a guess at.

The duck swept its wings over where its ears should have been after a few minutes of GH's strictly-instrumental music. After a few more consecutive moments, it turned tail and waddled away into flight.

Gh frowned, "Everybody's a critic."

Then he turned and noticed Cloak. He was less than thrilled with the Realm Walker's idea of a joke, "Stop that, Cloak. It's not funny."

Cloak pulled his hands off his ears, as GH stopped playing. Cloak just didn't particularly care for the song choice.

"Good to see that you're both still un-goldified, and all. Oh, and just so you know, it's not really important or anything, but you might want to get on it," Faerie said, with acid sarcasm, "but it's getting away, you lazy lumps!!"

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
The Ticking Clock

"But not for long," Faerie said, powering her wings and soaring up to meet the golden bird.

<I'm on my way too, Faerie!> declared Abby, despite Psycholeopterrans being slower than a faerie like Faerie Larka.

"No, you aren't!" Cloak said. "An hour and fifteen minutes have already passed since you morphed reflexively. You only have three-quarters of an hour left, and Psycholeopterrans wouldn't be able to catch up to a duck with this much of a head start. Faerie is the only likely --"

"Faerie's in trouble!" Gaz declared, having gone to her bat mode. It was then Cloak realized that as overprotective as Laserbeak was, he was not here. The Realm Walker shook his head, that was an irrelevant thought to have at the moment. Especially because Faerie was indeed facing difficulties with the duck.

She was trying to capture it without being pecked or put in a position where she could be easily pecked. It's not as easy as it may sound. She was becoming more disgruntled with every miss and every near-miss. The duck was rather obstinate in this, as obstinate as Faerie herself, and that's considerable.

"We need to hurry!" Tharisno intoned with great urgency. "At any moment now, its final transformation will be triggered."

"And then?" GH said, irritably.

"All will be lost," Tharisno added enigmatically.

"Great," GH said, dully. That answer did nothing to lighten up his mood. "Thanks for clearing that up, Tharisno. Really love those specific details."

"Procure the duck!" Tharisno encouraged uselessly, clearly not having heard GH's spiel. This rankled the symphokinetic somewhat.

"What a clusterf-- Yarin? AniDragon? Marie? What are you three doing here?" GH said.

"To lend a hand," Marie said. "What happened to Blaze?"

"The duck gave him a peck on the cheek," Gaz squeaked, drolly, as she tried ever so hard to get up to the altitude that the aerial dogfight was. Abby had already demorphed and was quickly remorphing.

"There's no much for you to do, though," Cloak said, knowing that the three were landlocked outside of using a ship or something. "And, Yarin? Just why were you in Radio Shack?"

"No reason," the Nyac replied.

"You know I can tell when you're lying," Cloak said, close to a scold. "First Light, if you're seeking to repair that Veiled microwave --"

"Food yield increaser!" the Nyac hissed angrily.

"-- again," Cloak continued as if he were not interrupted, "then so help me, Yarin, I'll --"

"Can we FOCUS?!" both Tharismo and GH yelled.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
A Golden Problem

"Cloak, seriously?" GH asked, as they watched the three woman try and fail to secure the duck.

"What?"

"'What'? 'WHAT'? 'WHAT'?" GH cried, almost hysterically. "Are you a Master of the Air element or not?!"

Cloak was glad his chagrined expression was hidden by the hood of his cloak, but GH knew him too well.

"Oh, you think of it just now?" he muttered, mutinously. "Honestly, Cloak, when I have to be the voice of reason . . ."

Cloak ignored him. Cloak was allowed to have faults, right? He was as fallible as the next sentient being.

"Faerie! Abby! Gaz! Disperse!" Cloak said, steadying his breathing and drawing his right hand back. They did not question his request, as they knew he wasn't trying to be bossy, but that he was clearly gonna try something.

"Hurry! We must get it to the waters of the fountain as soon as humanly possible!" Tharisno insisted. He was really regretting being so naive, so willing to trust his good-for-nothing brother. He should have known better. This whole ordeal was his fault, he felt, and thus his responsibility. He felt tremendous guilt over it, though he internalized this, and thus could come off as a bit overbearing. "Quickly, before the final transformation is triggered!"

"You are not helping things, right now, Tharisno," Cloak said, tersely, before flinging a crescent of air toward the duck. It succeeded in downing it, without harming the others. He didn't even harm the duck, as it was able to get up. "There. The water quick, Tharisno!"

But the man was frozen. Frozen in terror. It was tough to tell with his baggy monk clothing, but Cloak could feel him shaking through the earthen mediums upon which they stood.

"The water, Tharisno!" Cloak demanded.

Cloak knew it before the man spoke again, though he had severe difficulty in accepting it. But he had no choice when he heard Tharisno's words, "I-it's too late."

"Too late? What do you mean that it's too -- Jesus!!" GH exclaimed as they all watched the duck. It stood motionless for a moment or two before the gold began to sweep down from the crown of its head, from its beak, from its neck, from its wings, from its every feather. It slithered down its short legs and pooled under its webbed feet. It was almost like a gold symbiote, which revealed the marble white mallard that it uncovered.

The mallard gave a quack, almost as if it was a sigh after relieving itself, and flew away, almost as if it itself was oblivious to the gold puddle it left behind. But this is not what elicited GH's reaction. It was the fact that the ground upon which it happened was turned to gold, and it was expanding outward.

"The water, Tharisno!" Cloak commanded.

"I-It won't do anything now," he stammered in fear, backing away from the gold wave that seemed to start picking up momentum. "It's not enough. The gold wave will not be stopped until the duck is back on the fountain. It will not stop until the whole world is encompassed."

He paused as he continued to back away.

"We're doomed," he said, before he began to run away in earnest.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
An Auric Plague

"Tharisno! Get back here, you coward!!" AniDragon shouted.

"Forget about him!" Cloak shouted, a tiger's roar intermingling with his words. "We have more present concerns!"

"Now you're thinkin'," GH said, with a smile.

"GH, move it!" Cloak growled. "The Midas Wave is coming this way."

GH nodded and shuffled forward, not as mobile with his guitar being heavier than what he was accustomed to. His guitar had become a liability for him, but he would not relinquish it -- it was his and without a guitar his powers were, he was sure, gone. He wasn't thinking clearly either.

The others were mostly in the same boat, other than the fliers. Fortunately, Abby had another hour or so in morph. They wisely stayed airborne, while Cloak was trying his best to evacuate the others from the gold wave.

GH was found that his right foot suddenly stopped moving and he couldn't proceed forward anymore. He initially thought it was snagged on something, but he was wrong. So very wrong. His foot was gold and the rest of his body was quickly following suit. He didn't want to accept this, he didn't . . .

"GH!"

AniDragon had hesitated, even momentarily, as she watched GH's fate. This was a perfectly natural response, but it was also, unfortunately, a costly one. Because of that moment's hesitation the gold wave, the wave which Cloak had dubbed the Midas Wave, had caught up with her and made her share the same fate.

Yarin and Marie met the same fate as well when they stopped momentarily to bear witness. The Midas Wave was without compassion or conscience. It had no sentience or intelligence of any sort. It was not alive, though it seemed to be. It was relentless.

Cloak found that it made contact with his foot, but, unlike the others, it seemed to ignore Cloak's very existence, as if he wasn't important enough to turn to gold, as if he was not worthy of it. Cloak wasn't complaining, but this confirmed to him that this Midas Wave was magical in nature. Realm Walkers were essentially the Teflon of magic -- it could not affect or stick to them.

Abby, Faerie, and Gaz landed. They did so safely because, evidently the danger only lay on the edge of the Midas Wave. They remained fully organic and alive. The quartet mourned their fellows who did not escape the chrysopoeia of the Wave.

"I radioed ahead to the forum," Faerie said, as Abby deftly demorphed. "They have Code Avalon at its maximum intensity."

"Hopefully, it's enough," Cloak said.

"What do we do now?" Abby said, sounding morose.

"There is only one thing left to us," Cloak said, "we must find that duck and put it back on the fountain at Domus Anas Aurea."

"But we don't know where Domus Anas Aurea is," Abby said.

"Also, we don't know where the damn duck is, either," Faerie said.

"I didn't say it was a perfect plan," Cloak said with a shrug.

"But it is a plan," Gaz said. "And I don't have any other alternative to stop that Midas Wave."

[Cloak]

Now, I'm really starting to get concerned about Saffa . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Flock Finding

"We must find the Midas Duck first," Cloak said.

"Great," Faerie said, with scathing sarcasm, "any idea where?"

"Not really," Cloak said, "but it flew off in that direction."

"This is gonna be a right good mess, isn't it?" Gaz sighed, in her humanoid form now, but swiftly returning to her bat form as Abby remorphed the Psycholeopterran form and Faerie powered her wings. Cloak stepped upon a golden-scarlet energy disc and floated up after them, as he couldn't truly fly like the girls.

It almost seemed futile. They had lost track of the Midas Wave, but they reasoned -- oh, wait. There it was. It didn't make as much headway as Cloak had feared. The four RAFians blew pass it, looking for the little white mallard. Surely, it wouldn't be this difficult. Surely, it wouldn't.

That was being optimistic beyond all reason, really.

However, they managed to come upon a flock of white ducks in a quiet lake. There was like thirty-two or so of them. Any one of them could be the duck that they were after, and, just as likely, none of them could be what they sought. There wasn't any real way to know. And the Midas Wave would be approaching in like an hour, if that.

"Maybe we let the Wave hit?" Abby said. "Maybe the duck is unaffected?"

"I'd rather we didn't," Gaz said. "I want to have this dealt with A.S.A.P. The sooner we do, the sooner we can reverse this. The sooner we can end this."

"No thanks to that useless Tharisno," Faerie snarled.

"Focus, Faerie," Cloak said. "Dwelling on such things isn't helpful to our current situation."

"So, how are we going to find the duck, then?" Faerie said, agitated. "Just go up and wait for one of them to start screaming 'Aflac' in Gilbert Gottfried's voice?"

"Aflac!"

"You can't be serious," came Faerie's reply.

"You're hearing things, Faerie," Cloak said.

"Aflac!"

"I'm telling you there's a duck there that's saying Aflac!" Faerie said.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Abby said. "We need to find the Midas Duck, if indeed, it is even in this flock! But how?"

"Hmmm . . ." Cloak said, pondering this, "well, if it still has the disposition of Donald Duck . . ."

Cloak unleash a powerful roar, a roar that even momentarily frightened the girls, as they had not been anticipating it. The ducks immediately took to the skies.

"What good did that do?!" Faerie demanded.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
How Fowl (Like That Pun)

"How was that supposed to help?!" Faerie demanded angrily, despite her position of being unable to kill the Realm Walker.

Cloak said nothing, as he waited for the ducks to disperse into the air. They were fleeing for their lives from what they believed to be a rather impetuous predator. This.was precisely what Cloak was hoping for.

"We better go catch them, then!" Faerie said fitfully.

"That won't be necessary, Faerie," Cloak said, calmly.

"What are you nuts! The duck will get away!"

"No, it won't," Cloak said, with an annoying certainty, "as it's right there, heading straight for us."

It was true. A white mallard with a disposition that made him seem to be the grandson of Donald Duck paddled its way toward them, in a very not-duck-like manner. It growled a menacing quack -- which was more funny than it was sinister, to be perfectly honest -- as it made a beeline for the four RAFians.

"Seriously?" Abby asked.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Gaz said, pragmatically, "we still have another impossible task after this one."

"How'd this get to be an average Tuesday night for RAFians?" Faerie sighed.

"But it's Saturday," Abby said.

"It was an analogy, okay?" Faerie snapped, irritable. "Cloak, capture that duck already, would you? At this rate, the entire Earth will be a gold nugget."

Cloak could have complained. Cloak could have rankled at being given an order. Cloak could have matched her snappy irritation. But he didn't, he knew where she was coming from, and he understood. So, he capitulated, and the duck was suspended in a golden-scarlet energy bubble. It wasn't too pleased with its new accommodations, naturally. But seemed to have a very violence-prone disposition anyway.

"Good," Abby said, "but now what? How do we find this Gold Duck House or whatever it's called?"

"Should be simple enough," Cloak theorized, "assuming that the Midas Wave would head for the fountain last, as placing the duck upon the fountain -- oh, stop it you stupid duck, stay still! -- placing the duck upon the fountain should reverse it and place the curse back into the duck idol."

"'Should reverse it'?" Faerie noticed. "And if it doesn't."

"Then I don't have a solution or alternative," Cloak said.

"Tharisno seemed very adamant that it would work," Abby said.

"Before he deserted and abandoned us," Faerie said caustically.

[Cloak]

Saffa . . . please be safe . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Racing the Wave

"Let it go," Cloak said.

"Why should I?" Faerie asked, grudgingly aggressive.

"Because it will do you no good dwelling on --"

"Guys, we got company," Abby said, looking at four o'clock. "The Wave is coming this way."

"Time to shut up and fly," Gaz squeaked, already airborne as a bat. Abby was already flapping her Psycholeopterran wings before she even completed the morph. Faerie, with some resignment, dropped the subject and powered her wings, taking to the air. Cloak formed the energy disc beneath his feet neatly and rose with his arms crossed, giving hm a very Magneto-like posture.

"How do we know that this Duck House thing is at those coordinates?" Faerie asked again. "How'd we even get those coordinates, anyway?"

"The tech boys at the forum triangulated it," Abby said. "There were six possible sites."

"Oh, wonderful," Faerie said, as the quartet continued to raced against the Midas Wave, which Cloak swore was picking up speed.

"Cerulean checked them all," Gaz said. "He eliminated all but one."

"Having a speedster on your side certainly has its advantages," Cloak mused.

"I dunno," Faerie said, still unconvinced. "Still feels too easy somehow."

"Well, there's the kiss of death," Gaz muttered.

"What?" the faerie protested immediately.

"You never say 'somehow, that was too easy' or 'what could go wrong' or anything like that," Gaz explained, "it just invites misery and complication to happen."

"That's just superstitious hog--" Faerie began, before Abby interrupted.

<Does it look like the Wave is getting faster to you?>

"I thought it looked like it was gaining speed," Cloak said, as the duck indignantly pecked at its bubble.

"'Superstitious hogwash', eh, Faerie?" Gaz said.

"No one likes a gloater," Faerie sniffed.

Gaz laughed at this remark.

"Now is hardly the time for levity, you two," Cloak said, seriously dour. "We need to make haste, time is against us."

"Cloak, why do you have to be such a killjoy?" Faerie asked.

"Call it what you want, I don't care," Cloak said tersely, actually the slowest flier of the quartet, due to him not exactly flying in the conventional sense. He saw that they were closing in upon the Domus Anas Aurea, where a nervous Cerulean was waiting for them, and it was with a sinking heart that he realized the Midas Wave had been quick.

He could see the full circular rim of the wave, meaning that the forum was already engulfed. Cloak did not know if Code Avalon could block it, or if the wave just encased them in a golden bubble, and he did not want to think about it. He did not want to dwell upon it.

They must do what they must.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Slowing the Wave

The quartet swiftly landed as Cerulean swiftly gave them the layout of the place that he had surveyed, without preamble. The place was only of a moderate size, but the fountain room was one of the more protected, innermost rooms. For obvious reasons.

Tharisno was here briefly, after he fled from RAF, but the monks here turned him away for being too trusting, and not having the right state of mind for starting this mess to begin with. Funnily enough, these monks weren't all that forgiving about starting the end of the world as they knew it. Tharisno Rigtreble's accursed naivete and Amin Rigtreble's boundless avarice were a potent venomous ****tail that led to this whole mess.

"The fountain is in the center of the innermost chamber," Cerulean was saying. He was making an effort not to talk too quickly to be understood. A common hazard for speedster, such as the Kineccelerans. "I don't know where the water or the fountain is fed from, but --"

"You five go and put the duck on it," Cloak said, passing the duck to Faerie, who grabbed it from the popped energy bubble, pinioning its wings to its side. "Hurry."

"What about you?" Cerulean asked, concerned.

"This wave won't affect me," Cloak said, hoping not to sound immodest, "I will try to slow it down. To buy you more time."

"But how --" Abby asked.

"This is not up for debate!" Cloak's temper flared up suddenly. It happens when he is stressed. They didn't have time to argue the point. The Wave was coming, and coming fast. Time was leaking away from them, and the others needed to realize it. "Go. Go now! There's no time to argue to finer points of this decision! Go! Go now!"

They hesitated.

"GO!!!" Cloak roared, an actual tiger's roar intermingling with the word, making it heard two miles away. Cloak wore a very ugly look upon his face, which made them go swiftly, and allowed Cloak to work.

Cloak slammed his left arm upon the ground, almost as if he was throwing a tantrum, but he wasn't. This impact caused a jagged line of stones to surround the monastery. It was sloppy, Cloak acknowledged, but he didn't really have much time to shore up the defenses. The Wave was already at the stone wall.

Cloak was frustrated when he discovered that this didn't slow them at all. Moreover, he was irate with himself for thinking that it would. This Wave had proven time and time again that it could sweep over the land as easily as a passing shadow.

He could only conceive of one other thing to do. He projected a golden-scarlet dome around the building. He hoped that this was enough, that this was sufficient. He didn't think that he overlooked anything . . .

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
You Can't Be Effin' Serious

Cloak braced for what he had expected to be a great impact. He had expected the Wave to then sweep over the dome he created, giving the building a smooth golden carapace.

But expected great impact never came. It never came, and took him a minute or two to realize why. And he immediately hated himself for being so naive, for being so Gateburst stupid!

"Gateburst!" he snarled to himself. "Gateburst it to the Veil*!"

He cursed the fact that Earthsight was virtually identical to Metalsight, the only difference being the material, the medium, in which the vibrations are sensed. But this was just an excuse for his miserable failure.

He had failed to taken into account that the energy dome only stopped at ground level, and he hadn't projected any type of flooring to the dome. He hadn't even thought of it, when, with all the given evidence, that would have been a wise thing to do. He was furious with himself because of it, because the Midas Wave had swept by him without even seemingly acknowledging him or his energy dome.

It had already swept to the threshold of the building, perhaps beyond, Cloak's panic had not allowed him to pay attention to his Metalsight nor his Earthsight. He had failed. He had failed in a spectacularly, stupendously, stupid way!! He was absolutely irate with himself on this one.

He immediately dropped the energy dome -- it didn't have a purpose anymore -- and he rushed inside, hoping that he could still salvage his mistake. Hoping that he could live up to his promise of slowing the Wave down, hoping . . . hoping . . . hoping . . .

Hoping that he wasn't too late.

***

"It's just this way," Cerulean pointed a hallway at nine o'clock. "We must hurry!"

"Intruders!" a burly monk said, from about two o'clock. His tone was accusatory, as he barrelled towards them, flanked by two more monks, both barrel-chested mammoths of men.

"Don't they know what we intend to do?" Faerie said, hefting the duck. It seemed to enter a certain somnolent vapidity.

"I think they might just be more than a little paranoid at this point," Gaz said.

"Move! We can't let them stop us from returning the duck to the fountain." Abby said, getting them back on track. "We'll just have to evade them long enough."

But it was soon clear that they weren't gonna lose the security trio, so Abby stopped, "You three go on, I will distract them."

"How?" Gaz said.

Abby couldn't answer as her mouth, tongue and vocal cords had gone from human to Psycholeopterran, which was rapidly becoming her signature morph. The three moved on, quickly, toward the fountain room. They were very close now.

Abby used her Psycholeopterran powder to form into hypnotic concentric circles to mesmerize the three monks. The three monks saw what they most wanted, though in a very artificial way. It was stimulating the reward and pleasure centers of their brains -- this is one reason why Psycholeopterrans were an endangered species, because beings throughout the galaxy got addicted to this, just like the Mirror of Erised was so addictive. Only Psycholeopterrans were easier to obtain, despite preying on the sapient Necrofriggians.

It didn't matter, all she had to . . .

They were gold! The Midas Wave . . . Cloak didn't manage to slow.it down for long! She had to get to the others, as she called out in open thought-speak, <Gaz! Faerie! Cerulean! Hurry! The Wave is coming! The Wave is coming!>


* Realm Walker for "Goddamn it to hell!"