Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
Up in the Air

While Cloak and Estelore were having their little powwow, Yarin was at an air field. No, he wasn't there to drool over the aircraft -- which were nothing like his ship, and he pitied them for that fact.

He was responded to the report of an aerokinetic creature. But he didn't seem to be able to find it, and he hated wearing this ID mask, which projected the image of an everyman human. Nondescript and plain. Unnoticeable.

He was confident that his telepathy would allow him . . . suddenly, he was tumbling head over heel. It was jarring enough to dislodge the ID mask from his face. He snatched up, and put it on his belt which he wore to keep his trinkets and tools at hand at all times. Then he saw what caused the wind that sent him tumbling ever so gracefully.

The creature was humanoid, but unusual in that it had its head set into its torso, so it was basically a light orange torso with angry, angular eyes (black sclera and orange pupils). It was purple from the knees and elbows down. Its upper arms and thighs were white. It also didn't have a left hand, but it more like an air cannon. It had purple lips that concealed a mouth that a dark orange propeller-like organ. It had golden ridges framing its arms, and gold blades that were racked backward on both his lower arm and air cannon.

Yarin was starting to question if he was ready for this, or if he was the right RAFian for the job. Seriously -- air and a creature that could manipulate the element seemed more like Cloak's territory than his. But oh well. He was here now, as the creature Yarin began to think of as Blowhard fired six small tornadoes, all of which were notoriously difficult to dodge. Yarin got hit once or twice in attempting to do so.

Blowhard did this three times, and Yarin was hit each time. The Nyac was taking a beating, and the creature knew it.

Then it decided to leap over Yarin and attack him from behind, using the six-small-tornadoes-three-times strategy. Yarin, desperate and refusing to acknowledge defeat and desperation, telekinetically throwing some dried leaves (odd considering that it was May) into Blowhard's mouth.

Yarin tried again, with more dried leaves, but they were blocked with the tornados. Clearly, Yarin would have to time this better.

He followed the pattern a few more times, still taking a beating, until he saw his opening a did it again. Using leaves to clog up the propeller like organ in Blowhard's mouth. Of course, Yarin never expected this to choke the creature. He never expected this to kill the creature.

***

Demos called it an aerosapien, not to be confused with an Aerophibian. He didn't have a good reason for creating this creature, and it was very obvious that it was a combat-oriented creature. The other RAFians had decided to suspend Demos's lab privileges for an extended period of time, more than he was already suspended for.

***

"Hmmmm . . ." Malice said, sipping from her drink, " I suppose that one was all hot air."

[theyoungphoenix]

cloak!! you used the song!!

[Cloak]

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

BOOK CXXXIX:
HOUNDED
CHAPTER ONE:
Crash and Burn

Cloak had come to what he assumed was some sort of abandoned munitions factory or something. The place reeked of scents suggesting that it had been forgotten for a long time. He could tell that the building materials used were starting to rot or otherwise deteriorate away.

His Earthsight told him all he needed to know. He and the creature, one of Demos's ill-conceived experiments were here. Clearly, the experiment was bound to the ground as he was without his energy disc. It could be Earthsighted, and done so with remarkable ease.

He found it before it saw him, as his feline instincts and experience as a RAFian told him how to stalk prey with the practiced ease that he did so. He also had an unfortunate weakness for Batman-isms, so to speak.

The creature was roughly the size of a average ten-year-old boy -- meaning Cloak was significantly taller than it. It had greenish-blue boot-like feet and lower legs with purple at the knees, black thighs and abdomen, greenish-blue armored chest with a purple stripe around where its navel would have been had it had one and circular-cut ruby embedded in his chest. It had purple bands at the shoulders black upper arms, bulky greenish-blue lower arms. It had no hands though. Just spikes, which were actually drills when examined closer. Its head was human enough, but it possessed a large white spike sticking out of its forhead for discernable reason. Its human-like eyes had black sclera and blue irises.

It was strange it seemed to be complety docile and harmless one minute, before it decided that it didn't like the way a blade of grass blew in the wind, and flew into an explosive rage. It was an experiment version of GH, during one of his moods.

It fired a sticky bomb indiscriminately in front of him, and a few seconds later it blew up with considerable psi, considering the payload. Then the creature lapsed back into his apathetic mood.

Almost as if sensed Cloak, it turned around, and Cloak saw that id didn't have a pretty face, and did not care to take it in. He'd just rather defeat or slay this creature to prevent it from actually doing damage to others. But soon it was clear that diplomacy wouldn't work.

It became abundantly clear when he shot Cloak with a sticky bomb, and it nearly got caught upon Cloak's eponymous namesake. When it blew, Cloak wasn't nearby sufficiently enough to be affected adversely.

But when this creature attempted to use it on him three additonal times, Cloak simply used his Mastery over thr Air element to blow it back to the creature, who might have been able to survive one, but it couldn't survive three.

And it didn't.

***

Demos called it a kurasshusapien. Once again, he didn't give specifics, but it sas clearly built for combat, given its explosive weaponry.

***

"Well," Malice said, noncomittingly, "that most certainly crashed and burned."

[Cloak]

Yes, I know I did this song before, but I thought this was a good twist on it.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWO:
I'm the Good Guy

It was right after the Realm Walker Council elections (considering the sheer number of members and former members that invariably, inevitably get corrupted while in office, it was a rather more frequent thing than in human elections). Shill had won her seat, despite cheating by rigging the election in her favor.

Now, the Realm Walkers had to put up with a donkey-form Realm Walker called Shill. She was luxuriating in the glow of her victory, when she was approached by two small sheep Realm Walkers, who were her supporters and helped her get elected to the Council.

They got into a brief argument. So, one of the sheep Realm Walkers asked the new chairwoman of the Council. "So you . . . don't want to represent us?"

Shill burst out into raucous laughter, "Oh my -- that is -- you think that I -- with you? Oh, my -- that is too good! I mean it's sad for you, but . . ." she sighed heavily before continuing, ". . . Let me put this a way you morons will understand."

Sultry music started playing out of nowhere. And Shill sang -- or at least, yelled the lyrics.

"I'm not the damsel in distress.
I'm not your girlfriend or the frightened princess.
I'm not a little bird who needs your help to fly.
Nope . . . I'm the good guy.
All these former regimes that you see,
Each of them, with shaking knees, has knelt before me.
So I'm not your teammate or your partner in crime.
What am I, boys?"

The captured regimes sang in unison:

"She's the good guy."

Then Shill sang again:

"Oh, it's magic
To watch a Realm
Shrivel up and die.
Oh, it's thrillin'
To thwart a villain.
I destroy their hopes and then I watch them cry."

She laughed heartily, as they showed her opponent (who was infinitely more liked by the young Realm Walkers, a gray wolf Realm Walker) as she sang the last line, before continuing.

"'Cause I'm the good guy!"

Meanwhile, Faith was looking at the fact-checkers information, and was surprised by her discovery.

Faith said, as she was looking upon a computer screen, "Oh my First Light! She's not trying to conquer the Realms so she can rule it -- she wants to destroy it! Man, that's evil!"

Shadow, who was defending herself from several of Shill's mindless sheep, shrieked like a monkey, "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"Oh, ain't it fantastic?
I see something, I blast it!
And let me tell you why.
I've always had a weakness
For barrenness and bleakness.
I crush all your hopes and then I watch you cry.
See, I find this corruption rather fun!
I don't want your assistance or your adulation!
I'll vaporize your existence and bid ya bye-bye!
Why? Come on, GUESS!!"

The sheep answered, "'Cause you're the good guy?"

Shill shrugged and added, before elapsing into maniacal laughter: "Or, well, girl."

And, of course, it was at this moment when Cloak awoke.


SOURCE SONG: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xdEo_t-iVbM

[theyoungphoenix]

that's such a fun song to use though. you don't ever have to apologize for using it =d

[Cloak]

Perhaps. But it's always best to acknowledge it, lest people think you unaware of it. And speaking of songs that have been adapted before . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER THREE:
Demos's Puppy

Demos hadn't really thought about his experiments in a while. Why? Simple.

He got a puppy. The little guy was about three, four weeks old and quite playfully feisty.

But it wasn't just any ordinary puppy, though it looking like the mutt of a German Shepard and Doberman pinscher. It was a hellhound. Specifically, it was a Winchester breed of hellhound, affectionately called Winnies.

Demos knew only a few other breeds of hellhounds -- the Yorkshire Barguest, the German Death-Bringer, the Black Shuck, the Catalan Dip, the Riordan Leary, the Welsh Cwn Annwn, the Moddey Dhoo, the Welsh Gwyllgi, the Yeth hound, the Scandinavian Kyrkgrim, the English Gytrash, the Bouley dog, but couldn't remember the others.

But it made no difference, his puppy was a Winnie, and his name was Patches. And Demos loved him dearly, something demons usually aren't capable off. Clearly, all the work he was putting in to be better than his demonic nature was paying off. He kay even gain humanity, though he was born a demon.

Demos watched as Patches would eagerly chase after a sky blue ball and then return it to him to throw again. Patches never tired of fetch. He never tired of playing, except when he needed to eat or nap. Mostly, he was a rambunctious bundle of energy -- that only the dying or dead could see (species like demons and Realm Walkers were an exception, and Mark-Bearers).

"You and me -- together we'll be,
Forever you'll see.
We two can be good company,
You and me.
Yes, together we two.
Together, that's you,
Always with me.
We'll certainly be good company.
You and me,
Yes, together we'll be."

Demos watched as the music played in pure intrumentals, as Patches gamboled around, just playing and enjoying himself as much as he possibly could. It filled Demos with joy. Pure, simple joy.

Then he sang again:

"You and me together we'll be
Always, you'll see.
We'll certainly be good company,
You and me,
Just wait and see . . ."

And, yet, Demos felt obligated to keep Patches a secret from the others. Perhaps if he knew, or was even remotely aware of the antics and problems that were about to ensue, he might have been a tad more forthright with this development.

As it was, Demos was just happy to allow himself to revel in Patches's unbridled energy and unbroken spirit.


SOURCE SONG: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JPSfhQkrzEI.

[guitarhero01234]

Oh my god, that chapter was just plain adorable. Reminds me of when Esplin was just a little pupper

[theyoungphoenix]

that is so cute my heart melted a little bit.

[Cloak]

Yep. Now, for a bit of a turn . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR:
Odd Attacks

Reports were coming of various suspect animal attacks.

Newton York (49) suffered from moderate-to-severe lacerations. He described his attacker as "some monster dog". He also claimed the animal vanished in dark flames, almost like Fiendfyre, though he never used that term.

Darius Barrington (25) suffered similar lacerations as Newton did, only his attack had bleached his dark hair white -- ghostly white. His attack had scared him so thorouhly that he was in more danger of cardiac arrest than from the lacerations itself. They were unable to get a description for the animal that maimed him, as he could not speak a coherent sentence, without hysterics making it unintelligible. He . . . didn't make it through this ordeal.

Victoria "Vicky" Julian (41) was admitted to the hospital with particularly peculiar welts on her limbs as well as the cuts and lacerations known but Newton and Darius. She was cognizant enough to tell people that the animal who attacked her was a black dog with malevolent, fiery eyes the size of saucers, and that it seemed to be floating on a blanket of inexplicable mist.

Dillion P. Dexter (54) was discovered, clearly attacked by an animal, but with all the blood emptied from his body. The footprints suggested that this was an animal attack, and the attacker was a canine with a lame leg. He was, quite obviously, dead upon the arrival of any help.

Lindsey Anne Franklin (10) was discovered, like Mr. Dexter, killed by an animal, which the evidence suggested to be canine in origin. Beyond that, they hadn't any other answers to how and why. She was barely recognizable.

Gavin Peel (35) was discovered to be quite frightened by something, after his screams were heard from a castle on the Isle of Man. He only described it as a dog, and died of cardiac failure three days later. He wouldn't divulge any more details other than.it was a dog.

Ryan Woodward (28) had just escaped an attack by a creature he described as a mastiff with balefule breath and fiery red eyes. He was walking home after pulling a graveyard shift, and he was going down an eerily deserted road. This dog had scared him, caused him to fear for his life.

Jeremy Hendrickson (49) had the scare of his life when he claimed (swearing ip and down) that he saw a headless dog wailing like a petulant, bratty child. He swore that it came right up to him before he panicked and fled the other direction, as fast as he could.

Michael Kirk (36) was ringing a bell, which sounded remarkably like a church bell, and was scared when he saw a huge dog, as he described it, with red eyes sauntering towards him, in a most belligerent manner. Michael happened to be cynophobic, so he fled the dog.

Raymond Traveler (58) was lost in the woods when he came upon an ntimidating black dog that terrified him. He had never liked dogs to begin with. The closer the canine approached, the faster Raymond ran, until he accidentally came to a road, where he could not see the dog at all. Then he realized that this was the proper road he needed to reach his desired destination, and he continued to walk, but still looking over his shoulder for that dog. . . .

Geoffrey "Geoff" Manley (89) was walking at twilight, when he heard the sound like a chain being dragged upon the ground. When he saw the dog, he was frightened. He was terrofied as the beast circled him with surprising swiftness. He did not know what else the beast did, as this was sufficient enough strain to cause him to experience a fatal heart attack.

More reports like these seemed to have that same commonality. A dog with red eyes was believed to be the perpetrator.

[theyoungphoenix]

oh noo...

also happy birthday Cloaky!!

[Cloak]

Thanks, Abby.

Just gonna be online long enough right now to add a new book idea, the last of Year 12. God, I don't know what I'd do if I came to Year 25 or something.

• Book MC (1,100): "Valley of Echoes" -- A few RAFians are tricked into the Valley of Echoes, where they must confront echoes of their pasts. . . .

Title is subject to change. Let me know what you think.

[theyoungphoenix]

ooooh. i'm excited for that one. it sounds like it would be a heckofa good book

[Cloak]

I hope so, Abby. I never know, not really, until I write it. And get reactions.

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
Demos's Thoughts

Demos was oblivious to all these reports. He would probably just have assumed that they were nothing more than isolated incidents, despite evidence that it could have been perpetrated by the same animal. He would have such a conclusion was ludicrous.

"Want your ball? Want your ball?" Demos said, as any affectionate dog owner would when asking such a question. Patches lowered his front body while raising his lower body, with his tail wagging furious joy. It was the characteristic canine invitation to play. "You do, don't ya, Patches?"

Patches gave a playful bark, which actually worried Demos. He didn't want to be found out. While it wasn't against the forum rules to have a pet -- Gaz had Laserbeak and GH had Leatherhead before he mutated, after all. Demos really had no real reason to hide Patches -- especially when a majority of RAFians probably couldn't even hear or see him.

Yet Cloak could, more than likely. Realm Walkers have a nasty habit being able to see everything -- no illusion, no hologram would be able to sufficient disguise Patches, and Demos was afraid being discovered, especially after his creations were being found one by one and destroyed by the other RAFians. It may not have seemed like it, but his intentions were not anything malevolent, not really. He knew he got carried away, but he took time enough to give them all names. Grant they were more like species names, but still.

"Go get it, Patches!" Demos said, throwing the sky blue ball across his thread, and Patches made a mad dash for it., tearing across the room. He seized the ball in his jaws and gave it a hearty squeak before returning, tail thrashing from side to side, barely able to contain his happiness.

Demos found himself reminiscing how he got Patches in the first place. While Cloak, Saffa, Aquilai, and Estelore were on that sun siphon mission, he had been taking a stroll. Everything looked so dark and bleak, as things often do, he found, when there's snow upon the ground.

He heard a sad bark, and he went to investigate. He saw Patches looking rather beat up. He was evidently the runt of the litter, and Demos had heard that runts aren't taken too kindly by their siblings or even their mother. Demos's heart went out to the little guy, who looked so lost and forlorn.

The more Demos looked at the pitiful creature's red eyes, the more that he saw himself in him. He was feeling the precise way before coming to RAF. He had always battled his demonic side, though it allowed him abilities like possession (which was always useful for infiltration or just plain fun) and pyrokinesis (which he firmly eschewed the use of Fiendfyre and infernokinesis, or the generation and manipulation of hellfire).

Anyway, Demos looked at such a pathetic creature, who flinched with fear of more physical punishment as the demon approached. This rent Demos's heart, because he saw himself after meeting just one of his myriad of half-brothers. Demos treated the hellhound with kindness and took him back his thread and gave him a hearty meal and a warm, safe spot to sleep.

It took a few days for Patches to get out of his shell, and for Demos to give him the proper name of Patches. But ever since then, it was obvious that their was a bond between the two, and both loved each other entirely.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIX:
The Investigation

"Hmmm . . ." Cloak said.

He, GH, Abby, Saffa, Underseen, and Parker had gone to investigate a new report of an unusual animal attack. Hilda McCory, 58. She did not survive the encounter, though evidence pointed to a canine attack.

"What is it, Cloak?" Underseen inquired.

"According to our information, this attack happened a scant hour or two ago, right?" Cloak replied with a question of his own.

"Right " GH said.

"Then that's odd," Cloak said.

"What is?" Abby pressed.

"It couldn't have gotten so stale so soon," Cloak replied, more to himself than to her.

"Cloak, stop it with the 'I'm-so-damn-mysterious' schtick," Saffa said, annoyed. "Out with it."

"Unless whatever attacked that woman had an inodorosity ability," Cloak said, "where they would have no discernible scent of their own -- like Rocky, for instance -- there would be a scent here of some kind. I got nothing. Not even a stale scent. Just the scent of spilt blood and ordinary smells of suburbia."

"Perhaps your sense of smell isn't acute enough to find it?" GH said, pragmatically.

"It's not impossible," Cloak concurred. "I do have my limitations."

"If it doesn't have any scent, though," Saffa said, picking up on something, "how will we ever find what it is."

"Especially since I've thrown every scan at it that Tyr and I could think of," Parker added, "full spectrum scans, thermal scans, infrared, ultraviolet. The spectral scan hasn't completed yet, but I have no reason to . . . oh, hello."

"Found something?" Underseen asked.

"It's not much," Parker confessed, "but it's something."

"Ugh! What is it with you and Cloak today?" Saffa said, annoyed and frustrated. "Details, Parker, details!"

"The scans only showed a blip," Parker said, "and Tyr said something about a deteriorating spectral trail to follow."

"Spectral trail?"Abby said. "Then this clearly isn't any ordinary dog."

"Might be one of those hellhound thingies," GH said, with a shrug.

[theyoungphoenix]

oh noo. i think i see where this is going, and if i'm right, Demos is going to be pretty upset at us.