Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Now --

CHAPTER TEN:
The Source Goads

After awakening, somewhat refreshed, the away team exited Yarin's ship, which he immediately camouflaged.

"I didn't know it could do that yet," Parker commented.

"Yeah," Yarin said, nodding.  "I've been tinkering with it."

"If we've done with the tech talk part of this assignment," Blaze said grumpily, "let's get a move on."

Cloak stood a little ahead of everyone else, eyes slammed shut, and his toes spread, with the claws on his feet JUST barely touching the ground.  He was attempting to Earthsee their surroundings.  He didn't "see" any danger, but he did "see" that they were just beyond the threshold to a small amusement park or circus -- it had a Ferris wheel, in any case.  He relayed this to the others.

"A circus?  Really?  Here?" AniDragon said, genuinely surprised.  "This is the middle of nowhere!"

"We're about 60 miles from RAF," Cloak estimated.

"Seems farther," Gaz noted.

<Cloak, are you sure that there's any human habitations over there?  It just seems like -- > Noelle said, uncertain.  Then she caught a glimpse at the ugly look Cloak was giving her.  <I mean no offense, Cloak!  It just that it doesn't seem very likely -->

Cloak snapped his fingers and two trees bent over, each to one side, revealing the amusement park/circus.

"You weren't kidding about the 'run-down' part." Sam commented.  "It's a regular rat jamboree."

"Could the source of the waves be in there?" Underseen queried.  "It may be a small circus, but whatever generated those waves could be big or could be small.  We don't know what it could be."

"I'm not registering anything -- my scans are all coming back as normal data," Parker said.

"This does not bode well," Cloak muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"It couldn't hurt to continue the investigation, right?" Aila asked rhetorically.

"I can't see why not," Aquilai replied.  "After all, we came all this way.  We can't just give up now, because it's the easiest thing to do."

"Why?" Blaze asked.

"It's just not done."

"Why?"

"Blaze, should we call you 'Mindy'* from now on?" Cloak said, getting irritated.

"Huh?"

"Look it up." Cloak said snappishly.  "Let's get a move on."

They searched the place, but found nothing.  Cloak was stubbornly refusing to admit that there was nothing here.  He could feel the evil, but he could not pinpoint it.  In the end, they decided to come back with a larger group.  This sated Cloak for the moment, but he could not help but wonder what this evil could be. . . .

Could the book have been found?  Could Bibliophaetos been freed? . . . No. . . . She'll never be strong enough to exist outside those pages on her own.  It must be another artifact of evil.  It had to be. . . .

---
*Obligate Animaniacs reference.  "Buttons and Mindy".

[Cloak]

I probably should wait until everyone catches up . . .

Oh, okay one more chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Situation Harry

After the RAFians left, the Bibliophaetos wasn't so guarded with her energy.  She did not know how long it would before they came back, if they came back.  She would have to get her little puppet boy to hurry up.  She carefully manipulated him to get the last ingredients, deliberately keeping the urgency that she felt out of her voice.

"And this'll make me a better magician?" Harry asked, unsure.

"The best," the Bibliophaetos intoned.  "Now, go get those ingredients!!"

Harry left the room, never questioning Bibliophaetos's intentions.  Such a foolish, overly-trusting boy.  He would live to regret this naive nature of his, but it would be too late . . .

Harry gathered up all the ingredients, the final items -- viridian earth, pewter stones, cerulean muck, vermilion minerals, celadon bulbs, saffron flowers, fuchsia mold, lavender flowers, cinnabar minerals, indigo flowers, fresh elm bark, cherry wood, violently violet powder, azalea leaves, goldenrod powder, ecru-jaundiced teak wood, cyan wood, olive-colored olivine, mahogany roots, black thorns, and silver with sentimental value.  Then he deposited one after the other into a smoking cauldron.  Each sparked a different color with each additional item.

"It's done," Harry said, shielding his eyes from the steam, which was now pouring copiously from the cauldron, causing the room to darken.  The only light coming from the cauldron.  "What do I do now?  How does this help me become the greatest magician?"

The Bibliophaetos cackled,"It DOESN'T, you fool!  It grants me leave of this worded imprisonment!  At last, I can be FREE of this book!  HA HA HA!  You deluded fool!"

Bibliophaetos was no longer Bibliophaetos, but back to her true form as Phaetos, as the book dropped with a clunk to the floor, and she revealed her spectral form to Harry, appearing very much like if Wuya from "Xiaolin Showdown" and Asajj Ventress were merged into one spectral being.  Harry was terrified, and Phaetos was looking at him, deciding his fate.  She thought she no longer needed him, and she could easily do away with Harry.  He was expendable to her now.

Then the cauldron's steam stopped abruptly, leaving an empty cauldron, causing the dim lighting to click on.  But Phaetos didn't even flinch, as if she expected that to happen.  Then she clutched at her chest, where one's heart would be.  She gasped in raspy breaths.  It was then that she came to the realization that she could not maintain her form.  She would have either die or return to her bookish prison!

Then she looked at Harry, who was trembling and cowering with the greatest of paralyzing fear, and got a sinister smile.  Perhaps there was another way to be free . . .

"What are you . . ." Harry said, then gasped and grunted once or twice.  Then he stopped trembling at once, stood up, and looked at his hands, as if he had never seen them before.  Then he began to caress his body, saying, almost moaning, in his own voice, "Not what I anticipated, but a prison of flesh beats that hardcover internment."

He was Harry no longer -- he was Phaetos's host.  She saw it as the next best thing, she still had freedom of movement and magical ability restored to her in this body.  And she was no longer under the control of --

"Took you long enough, Phaetos," a voice said from the shadows.

She whipped to the sound of the voice, looking desperately for the source.  But human night vision is one of the weakest of known species.  Her stolen eyes could not penetrate the dark.

"Who's there?!" shouted Phaetos, apparently haven't lost her true voice, as she continued to speak with Harry's.

"Take . .  a wild . . . guess."

[Underseen]

viridian earth, pewter stones, cerulean muck, vermilion minerals, celadon bulbs, saffron flowers, fuchsia mold, lavender flowers, cinnabar minerals, indigo flowers, fresh elm bark, cherry wood, violently violet powder, azalea leaves, goldenrod powder, ecru-jaundiced teak wood, cyan wood, olive-colored olivine, mahogany roots, black thorns, and silver with sentimental value

Did you just name all the cities in Pokemon Silver, and then name the title of the game. I have to admit it was a very clever thing to do.

[Cloak]

Actually, I ripped the "silver" one from Mt. Silver.

[Underseen]

That also makes sense.

[Gaz]

Good updates!

[Blazing Angel]

Reminiscing about Shaolin Showdown now. Man that show was awesome.

[Cloak]

I'm sure it has episodes on YouTube, Blaze.

Now, a new chapter. . .

CHAPTER TWELVE:
Her Pet Monster*

"You're too late, Malice!" Phaetos announced triumphantly in Harry's voice.  "I'm free of the book!  You have no power over me?"

Malice stepped into the partial light, with silkily calculated movements.  "Really?  Are you so sure that you're out of my power?"

"Yes, you foolish braggart!  I may be stuck, ensconced in this trusting boy's flesh, but I am now free to do as I please!" Phaetos elated.  "You cannot make me do anything!"

"Sure about that?" Malice said, coyly.

"I told you, yes!"

"How about attacking me then?  Prove you're outside my control?" Malice said delicately.

"You think me a fool?  I know you're far stronger than this boy.  And I know if this boy so much gets anywhere near you under your cloak, whatever body part is close with disintegrate in a most unpleasantly painful way." Phaetos shot.

"Oh, I see," Malice said, with faux compassion.  "You're afraid.  Your power doesn't translate to your host.  It's bottled up within him, and you don't want to risk destroying your new prison."

Phaetos, perhaps influenced by the fifteen-year-old's teenaged hormones, grew red-faced.  She yelled as she charged Malice, unaware that this is exactly what Malice wanted.  Why Malice so carefully goaded her.

With a quick movement, Malice held up a gem -- the Necrectopolian gem, only their seems to be a reddish counterclockwise swirl within it.  She must have pocketed when she was there.  Phaetos stopped her (his?) charge, and doubled over in pain.  She groaned and yelled in pain.

"Now, what was that about you being free from my whims?" Malice taunted.  "Interesting the baubles you pick up in the Fractured Realms."

"Stop . . . please . . . stop it . . ." Phaetos pleaded, Harry's voice hoarse.

"Very well," Malice said, pocketing the Gem.  "But you better tow the line, Phaetos.  Or else, next time I'll make it REALLY hurt!"

"Yes . . ." she said, making Harry's voice sound very resentful, " . . . Master."

"Very good," Malice said, smirking evilly.  "Now rest your newly-obtained bones, tomorrow night we take the fight to the RAFians."

"Why?"

"Did you just question my orders?" Malice said, suddenly having the Gem in her hand.

"No!  No!  I'm sorry!  I didn't mean to question you, Master!" Phaetos pleaded.

***

Meanwhile, back at RAF, the away team was filling everyone in.

" -- and then we blasted that eagle to kingdom come." Blaze finished.

"So," Richard said, "to recape, we confronted dendrosapients, demirevenants, tenebrarevenants, and shadow eagle."

"Yes, that seems the long and short of it." Cloak said, arms folded, head bowed, standing rather stiffly.  "We tracked the source to a small, run-down amusement park."

"I thought it was a circus." Blaze said.

"Don't contradict me." Cloak said with mock warning.

"Clearly they do enough business to stay open, whatever they are," Aquilai said.  "Because it wasn't completely abandoned."

"It was there." Cloak said.  "There somewhere."

"How can you be sure?"

Cloak didn't answer for a moment.  "Just a gut feeling.  It's . . . just a hunch."

"We're gonna wade into possible danger on a hunch?" Broken said.  "I'm sorry, Cloak, but --"

"You don't have to go.  None of you do.  But I will go back, and find this thing."

<You have an idea what it could be, don't you, Cloak?> Noelle asked.

"And it's more than a hunch." AniDragon added shrewdly.

Someone in the crowd said, "And that's how they became the RAFian Bunch!" apparently looking for a laugh.  They didn't get it, and they hid in the crowd.

Cloak hesitated.  Then relented, "I believe the Book of Bibliophaetos has been found and opened."

Phoenix said, rather diplomatically, "Cloak, I believe we're gonna need more information."

---
*Anyone get this reference?

[Cloak]

Blahity, blahity, blah.

Sorry, but I always like including a "header" of sorts before a chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Malice's Boy Toy

Malice slumbered, snoring rather audibly, on what appeared to be an puffy, chintzy easy chair.  Her right hand rested on an ornate chair-side circular table, with the Gem dangling precariously out and onto the table.  Yet, she continued to snore rather easily from her chair.  Abomination was out on another errand, most likely furthering another scheme.

The door creaked open carefully and slowly.  Phaetos appeared in the dim light, and Malice continued to snore.*  Phaetos tiptoed over to the table, and reached out Harry's right hand toward the Gem . . . slowly . . . carefully . . .

"ARGH!!"

Malice's eyes had shot open, and she grasped the Gem tightly, causing Phaetos to writhe on the floor in Harry's body.  All in a manner of a few seconds.  Malice's face was hard, yet . . . disappointed.

"Did you really think you could catch me unawares?" Malice scolded, as if Phaetos had been a very naughty puppy.  "Really, Phaetos?  Really?"

Phaetos continued to writhe on the floor, Malice watched with mild interest.

"Phaetos, how could you disappoint me so much?" Malice continued, as Phaetos began to scream a bit in Harry's voice.  "It's really a letdown, you know.  I always thought you would be cunning, clever, and intelligent."

Phaetos closed Harry's eyes tightly, as the pain built up.

"Imagine my dismay on how EASILY you are to outwit." Malice said, much like a child dissatisfied with their new toy.  "How little EFFORT it took to control you."

"Please . . . stop the . . . pain . . ." Phaetos choked out in Harry's voice.  It appeared that only Phaetos was being harmed, as Harry's body had no mark upon it -- well, none that weren't there before yesterday.

"I can tolerate your treachery," Malice snarled.  "I CAN'T tolerate your INCOMPETENCE!"

Ironic, coming from her minion in Abomination.

"Please . . . Master . . . stop . . ." Phaetos pleaded, realizing major consequence of being trapped in a flesh-and-blood body.  She may be able to where she wishes, but pain is all the more tangible to her now.  Although the flesh of Harry's wasn't being harmed, she felt the pain as if it was.

Malice relented and withdrew the Gem into a fold of her cloak.  Malice could practically feel Phaetos's hatred and resentment at her.  But such power was nothing compared with the little Gem she had in her possession.

"Get that boy out of those rags and into something more presentable," Malice said, back to Phaetos, and speaking over her shoulder.  "We have a forum to overrun."

***

Cloak had told the others the story, story of his ancestor Guardian, an Elements Master, and her beau Noble.  Cloak also mentioned that to most Realm Walkers that this was more fable than history, much like Arthurian legend in human history.  Richard suggested taking a rest then setting out the very next day.  Cloak resisted, but eventually relented.

But he found that he had difficulty getting to sleep that night, and when he did, he dreamt.  Dreamt of the past . . .

It was in the middle of a vicious battlefield in the nexus.  There was only one realm in this time . . . the primordial beginnings of the Prime Universe.  A swan-form Realm Walker was battling with Phaetos at full power whilst an equine-form Realm Walker was feverishly looking something up in a book.  The book looked familiar.

"Any time now, Noble!" the female swan-form Realm Walker addressed the equine one.

"Patience is a virtue!"

"Not now it's n-- oh, never mind!  Just hurry up!!"

"Your boyfriend will never be able to help you," came the rather tinny voice of Phaetos, then her tone turned sneering, "Guardian."

"I have faith him." Guardian countered, and blasted Phaetos in the gut.  She didn't use any elemental abilities, because they would have only a marginal to nil effect on Phaetos.  But energy could affect her, so it was the best way.

"Gnieb fo erup live," Noble began casting, "I won ruoy rewop!  I pirts ti morf ruoy gnieb!  Brosba otni siht koob!  I part rouy luos otni siht koob sa llew!"

Noble continually repeated this as his girlfriend, the Elements Master, battled Phaetos.  Eventually, Noble's book began to glow, and he pointed it outward, towards the Nexus anomaly called Phaetos.  A being that very well may not have come from the Nexus, but may have hailed from Necrectopolis.  But no one knew or cared.  Eventually, the book fired what appeared to be a vortex at Phaetos, who was ensnared in it.

"NO!" she screamed.  "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!  I'VE DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS!"

Guardian regarded her coldly, and said, "You were instrumental in the slayings of twelve Hatchlings.  My father.  My mother.  My brothers."

"My grandfather." Noble put in.

"And you still think yourself innocent?" Guardian continue.  "Consider yourself lucky we don't shred you."

And, with that, Phaetos was drawn into the book and became Bibliophaetos.  Then . . .

Cloak awoke with a start.

---
*Gaz or AniDragon probably know what's coming next.

[Blazing Angel]

Great chapters cloak.

[Ash]

I adore your writing style, Cloakster

[Cloak]

Thanks, Ash, Blaze.

More chapters tomorrow -- I should have PLENTY of free time for them.

[Blazing Angel]

Also

"If we've done with the tech talk part of this assignment," Blaze said grumpily, "let's get a move on."

I'm into tech talk. In fact if I were to start a band right now, I would pitch the name 'techno babble.'

[Cloak]

I'll bear that in mind, Blaze.  Probably gonna be a long chapter. . . .

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Five Degrees of Separation

The RAFians awoke, yawned, stretched rested muscles, and milled about the peaceful forum.  Cloak exited his thread, fully prepared to go to back to the run-down circus-amusement park.  It turns out that he needn't have to.  Malice had come to him, to the forum.  Cloak stood before the rest of the RAFians, cloak billowing dramatically in the wind.

"What do you want here, Malice?" Cloak said coldly.

"Oh, the usual," she replied, in a casual way, "You're head on a plate, your neice squealing in my grasp, your RAFians' mournful cries . . . you know, the works."

"You think it's gonna be just that easy, don't you?"

"Well, yes," Malice said, with Abomination -- as loyal to Malice as Inferno was to Megatron* -- and a reluctant, resentful Phaetos-possessed Harry.  Phaetos now wore a loose polo shirt, dirt brown slacks, a black cape with a bloodred underside, a jaunty top hat, and some uncomfortable-looking back shoes.  Cloak took careful note of the kid, he could feel a familiar malevolent energy coming from him, but did not want to believe that this boy, this lanky, frail-looking boy was the source of all those hatred waves.  There had to be another force, another factor at work here.

"Getting into the kidnapping biz, Malice?  Or are you picking up some extra change as a babysitter?" Cloak shot.

"Oh, clever quip, Elements Master." Malice sneered.  "This boy isn't what she appears."

"'She'?" Cloak said, trying to hide his confusion.

"Yes, 'she'." Malice intoned.  "She manipulated this boy, and she took him over."

"Enough with the suspense, Malice.  What are you getting at?"

"Oh, you'll find out in due course, I'm sure," Malice said with a girlish giggle.  Then she turned to Phaetos and said, "Do it.  Do it now!"

"You presume to order me!" Phaetos said, outraged.

Malice's face fell, and, in a venomous whisper that Cloak nonetheless heard, said, "I don't like your tone, Phaetos."

Then she brought out the Gem to cause the spirit pain, while Cloak's eyes widened.  "PHAETOS?!  You released Phaetos from her prison?!"

"No, I didn't," Malice said.  "Scout's honor."

"You've never been a scout, and you don't have any honor."

"Right on both accounts!" Malice smirked.

"Again, I must ask, WHAT DO YOU WANT HERE, MALICE?!"

This time, Malice ignored Cloak, and said to Phaetos, "Do it.  Or I will subject you to levels of pain that you did not know could exist!"

Phaetos swallowed her pride, and raised Harry's arms to the sky.  Then she said, "Esir ssenkrad!"

Suddenly, the surrounding were dark, lit very dimly.  Cloak looked around, and saw no one else but Abomination and Malice.  He'd been separated from his RAFian friends.

***

Rad, Dino, Blocky, Green Lantern Sam, Aquilai, and Blaze looked around, but everything was but woodless, dimly lit darkness.

"Okay . . ." Rad said, voice betraying her as unnerved.

"That was surreal," Dino said, "where are we?"

"I'm open to suggestions." Aquilai said.  "My TARDIS won't activate . . . that's bad . . . nothing should have the power to do that. . . ."

"That Phaetos kid," Blocky said.  "She did something do make everything like this."

"Don't look now, guys," Sam said, as the dark shadowy forms of demirevenants appeared, "but we have company!"

"There's at least a hundred of them," Rad said.

"Good," Blaze said, cracking his knuckles.

***

Ash, Broken, Dameg, Russell, Goom, and Empress Goose gaze around to find that they were all quite alone.  They were confused and perplexed.

"Wha . . . how . . . who . . . when . . . where?" Broken sputtered.

"Exactly," Ash agreed.

<Where the devil are we?> Russell demanded.

"Dunno," Dameg offered.

"It would to be some kind of a void," Goom thought aloud, "but there are object of RAF that are lit, albeit dimly."

"Thanks the analysis, Spock." Empress Goose sighed.  Then suddenly a horde of tenebrarevenants began appearing from the shadows.  Empress Goose gave an embarrased chuckle and said, "Was it something I said?"

***

Noelle, AniDragon, Kelly, Yunyun, Skymorpher, and Horse appear dazed and confused in a different void.

<Wha . . .> Noelle said, disorientated, <What happened?  Where are we?>

"In darkness," a voice replied.

"Wha -- who are you?" Kelly asked.

"I am Phaetos.  An all-powerful spirit forcibly esconced in this boy's flesh." she said, revealing herself in light.

"What do you want from us?" Yunyun asked.

"Yeah, why don't you leave us alone.  Why don't you leave RAF alone?"

"Fool," she snarled.  "I am bound by the Gem that Realm Walker carries.  It causes all ghosts and spirits great pain.  I have to do her will.  And her will is to destroy you!"

Suddenly, before they had any rational thought about they were running.  They had no memory of telling their muscles to run.

"A chase would be far more entertaining for me," she said, "and a little music . . ."

"Run for cover,
Don't stop to look around.
Nothing to do
But hide some place
We won't be found.

Don't make a sound. Don't make a sound. Look out! Be careful! Here it comes! Whoa! Whoa! Run away!

Look out, it's after you!
No idea where we should go.
It's a nightmare coming true!
The fear and panic are starting to grow.
Your friends are doing all that they can do.
What about you?
Running and running from this unfortunate soul.
How can we stop it before we go out-of-control?
Look out!
Keep running and stay out of sight.
Look out!
Keep running and it doesn't seem right.
Hurry, get away!
Look out!
Running and running and running again.
Running and running, oh, please make it end!
Is there some way of make it a friend?!
Malice has a hold over it.
He's long forgetten about friends.
Look out, he's after you!
He's just like Phaetos.
It's a nightmare coming true!
When will this bad dream ever end?
Look out!
He's not himself!
She's being cruelly mean!
And on a path
Of terrible wrath!
Like no RAFian's ever seen.
The RAFians will help you out,
Because they dare and there is no doubt
They'll lend a hand,
But are prepared to make a stand!
It's powers are wrong, but incredibly strong!
If only we could make it understand!
Look out! Look out!
Watch out!
What can you do if there's only a few of you?
What can you do if there's only a few of you?
What can you do if there's only a few of you?"

Then Phaetos, in Harry's voice, cackled loudly and heartily.

***

What of the other RAFians?

Well, they fell into idyllic illusions of their deepest, most desparate desires of their hearts.  It would take true strength of character to break free . . . will they ever be able to free themselves?

---
*Again, another Beast Wars reference.  You'd have to watch season two or three to really get it.

[Underseen]

I'm blaming you and Gaz on this, but I started reading the Beast Wars manga.