Memoirs of a RAFian

[guitarhero01234]

So is this gonna be based on that Harry Potter book or something? Because that's the last HP movie that I remember anything about, and if this is based on that, I have a feeling it's gonna be awesome

[Cloak]

No, it's not gonna be based on HP GoF, that was just the way that they selected racers.

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR:
Tantrums

"The first racer," Richard said, as the recipient was bathed in a soft blue light, "is Parker!!"

Cloak continued to stare suspiciously at the guy in the cloak who was trying to keep a low profile.

"The second racer," Richard said, "is Abby!"

Cloak wondered what could this person possibly want here.

"The third racer," Richard said, "is Gaz!"

Cloak dismissed the idea that the suspicious individual was here to simply disrupt the events. That would be so . . . stupid a scheme, really.

"The fourth racer," Richard announced, "is Yarin!"

Cloak couldn't help but wonder what nefarious goals the stranger intended. Surely, he or she intended something against the forum's interests.

"The fifth racer," Richard announced, "is Broken!"

Cloak had a moment of recognition as a Richard said, "The sixth racer is --"

The stranger was lit with a bloodred light, as he threw back his hood, revealling his identity to all, as Richard was unable to keep the surprise in his voice, "ALOTH?!"

The Banned looked thrilled with himself. He had managed to con his way into the race. But why? Why would he even bother? There was no reward to it. No reward to winning it, except bragging rights.

"He's not a RAFian!! He can't be a racer!!" Saffa complained.

"But his name came out of the Goblet," Richard said, resigned, "he's obligated to race until he crosses the finish line or is disqualified. Rules are rules."

"Yeah, rules are rules!! And when I win," Aloth said, sounding rather like an immature child, "I will unBan Queen and myself!"

"He cannot be serious," Cloak said, flatly and audibly.

"But I am! When I'm made a mod," Aloth said, "I will have the power to do just that!!"

"There are just so many things wrong with that line of thinking," Phoenix said, "not to mention, that the winner of the race just gets --"

Suddenly, the Goblet revealed the final racer: Cerulean.

"NO!! NO!!" Aloth tantrumed. "NO FAIR!! I DEMAND A RECOUNT!!"

But the fire of the Goblet had gone out, and would not reignite until another Selection is needed.

"He was chosen fair and square," Richard said, placidly with a small smile, "he has every right to race, and is now obligated to."

"Yeah," Cloak said, indulging himself with a smile, "rules are rules, after all, Aloth."

Aloth shot Cloak a sour look.

[guitarhero01234]

Oh damn, I can certainly say I wasn't expecting that one. Awesome friggin' plot twist. Although, I'm a little disappointed Leatherhead didn't get chosen. Oh well, I guess that's just an excuse for us to go out and get ice cream

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
The RAFians Are Approaching the Starting Line

It was a bit before the first part of the race on simplest course of the fourteen, so the racers could brace and prepare for it and the thirteen after.

Meanwhile, GH took Leatherhead for some ice cream, to stop his crocodile tears (he was a crocodile, after all). He was very gentle about allowing Leatherhead feel the disappointment, and explaining that, sometimes, disappointment is going to happen, and he was teaching him the proper way to deal with it.

Cerulean was getting dangerously overconfident and ****y, Cloak noticed. Yes, he had superhuman speed, but ****iness had a way of making one careless and reckless. Confidence can be a good thing, overconfidence is never a good thing.

Then there was Aloth. He was just nearly as ****y, and Cloak thought he knew why.

"You know that Aloth will cheat at the first opportunity he gets, right?" Aquilai said, in an aside to Cloak, who stood to his left.

"Obviously," Cloak said, in a perfect imitation of Alan Rickman's Snape drawl.

"How do you think he'll do it?" Aquilai said, conversationally.

"I can't really say," Cloak said, "but look at that smug expression on his face. The fact that he thinks his victory is assured -- more than ordinary overconfidence. He has something planned. I cannot say what I do not know, but he has something planned."

"You think he'd attack the others to win?"

"I wouldn't put it pass him," Cloak said, with a sigh, "but even if he won, it won't matter. The winner only gets --"

Cloak stopped as it appeared six of the seven were approaching the starting line.

"Where's Cerulean?"

"He said, that he was going to give the others a head start on every track," Aquilai said.

Cloak groaned as he facepalmed. "Confidence is one thing, but overconfidence? That's quite another."

"It'll prove itself a detriment to him," Aquilai said, "but no one can talk him out of it."

"Imagine how embarrassing it would be if Aloth won?" Cloak said, dully. "Especially because he actually --"

"Oh, look, it's starting," Aquilai noticed passively.

[redtailedsaffa]

I enjoy the little hook about the Grand Prize you keep dropping. Most amusing.

Nice Dumbledore impersonation, Richard.

PDF of the last book:

[Cloak]

I enjoy the little hook about the Grand Prize you keep dropping. Most amusing.

*winces visibly*

Uh, then I probably shouldn't hype it up anymore, otherwise it might be seen as a complete letdown . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIX:
Track One -- The Simple One

The first track was, of course, the easiest.

It was very open, which would allow the spectators easy viewing. It started out with a small hill, leading to a slightly steeper hill. Following that was brief water obstacle, followed by another one after a brief sprint. A brisk sprint after that, was a earthen wall that was ten feet high, and two feet thick, that the racers would have to either climb over or burrow through. Then another brief sprint to three descending, tiered steps. Then after a small ascension in slope unto extremely uneven ground, from which it would an all-out run to the finish line.

And, yes, this was the easiest course.

"Get ready." Nate called to the racers. "Get set."

FWEEEEEET!! went his whistle, and the six racers were off, with Cerulean giving everyone a ten second head start, still confident in his victory.

Gaz took and early lead, followed closely by Abby and Yarin. Broken was not far behind, with Parker just behind him, and Aloth taking up the rear. They were making good time, except Aloth.

Just before they got to the first water hazard, Gaz felt a strange tugging and found that Aloth was now in the lead!! It wasn't possible. Aloth wasn't a speedster. How . . . ?
Questions for later, she decided.

They plowed through the first water hazard, then the second, and already Aloth was falling behind again. Then came the wall. Gaz just misted her way through the unseen cracks and crevices and continued with the race. Abby had deftly morphed a Psycholeopterran while running -- an impressive feat in and of itself -- and just phased through the wall, before demorphing back to human and continuing to race. Yarin elected to climb it, allowing himself to be overtaken by Broken and Parker. Broken just magically flew over the wall and continued to run, while Parker just climbed it like a beast.

Yarin had made it to the top, and was dropping down when he felt a tug on his right shoulder, right were his lower arm and upper arm met. It wasn't a pleasant sensation.
He put out of his mind and decided -- hey! How'd Aloth manage to over take him?! He's in last place now!!

Yarin was tempted to probe his mind telepathically as he ran, but he didn't, because that may have disqualified him. And he really wanted those bragging rights. Maybe it would stop people from referring to his Food Yield Increaser as a microwave. Any similarity was just superficial, and he could not understand why no one got that.

By the time Gaz made it to the uneven ground and Yarin had just overtaken Aloth, a blur of pure speed just came over the wall and was barrelling to the finish line. Within another second or two, Cerulean was standing sipping on something that could have been a mimosa or whatever it was called.

Gaz felt the tugg on her shoulder and found that Aloth had usurped second place from her, so that she came in third, Abby came in fourth, Broken came in fifth, Parker came in sixth, and Yarin came in last.

From Cloak's vantage point, he couldn't see how, but he knew that Aloth had just cheated.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
Track Two -- the Tunnel Track

The second track was considerably more involved than the first.

It consisted of first a small hill preceding some uneven ground. From there, after a brisk sprint, the track proceeded into a downward sloping tunnel with an uneven ceiling. The floor levelled off briefly from the entrance, be for opening into a wide chamber where the racers had an option to continue running on the ground, which dropped off suddenly, or run around and platform on some wooden pallets supported by wooden beams, before both routes merged into uneven ground which soon narrowed into a winding vertical tunnel. Then it terminated into a straightforward path with uneven ground before coming to an upper path, which opened into the air and a lower path. When both paths united once more, it was a straight shot to the finish line.

The racers approached the starting line with Yarin and Gaz giving Aloth the stink eye. They were sure he was cheating, but they had no proof or evidence of it.

"On your mark," SuperNate said, "get set."

FWEEEEEEEEET!! The whistle announced the start of the race, and they took off.

This time Parker dominated, with Gaz and Abby not to far behind. Broken and Yarin were behind him, and Aloth was trailing last. And this remained so as they descended down the tunnels. Parker thought that he felt a tug on his shoulder, but ignored it. He needed to have his mind in the game.

Wait, how did Aloth overtake him? No matter, no matter. He would take back the lead. Parker and the other RAFians continued to power through the course. Parker was overtaken by Gaz, Abby, Broken and Yarin when the course opened up into the large chamber, as Parker chose to take the path that followed the ground, thinking that way would be the shortest.

He was slightly mistaken, but he didn't pay too dearly for this misjudgment. The others didn't overtake him too badly, and he was ahead of Aloth. Parker allowed himself a small smile at this as he powered through, keeping his lead on the Banned.

Abby was now in the lead, as they came to the forked path -- up or straight ahead. Abby, Gaz, and Yarin went up, Broken, Parker, and Aloth went to the straight ahead path.

There was a blur and a whoosh, and Cerulean already claimed first place, with Broken about to -- no, Aloth! Aloth managed to make second place again! With Broken in third, Parker in fourth, Abby in fifth, Yarin in sixth, and Gaz in last.

Now Broken suspected Aloth of cheating as well.

[redtailedsaffa]

*happily sips iced coffee in reclining chair as a spectator*

[Cloak]

Sorry that this is so late.

Anyway, I've been watching Jacksepticeye play through a game called "Quantum Break", and makes me envision what a Memoirs game would look like with those kind of graphics. . . .

Anyway, new book ideas! Hopefully, I haven't rehashed anything:

• Book CMLXXIV: "What? FuBar is Evolving!!" -- Fubar becomes a nekomata.
• Book CMLXXV: "Senri Sensei" -- FuBar befriends a Senri, a type of yokai.
• Book CMLXXVI: "Beast Bots" -- The RAFians must defeat a bunch of robots disguised as realistic animals.
• Book CMLXXVII: "Power Randomizer" -- Several RAFians have their abilities swapped with each other.

Titles are subject to change.

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
Track Three -- The Complicated One

The third track began with a steep climb up a hill, before evening and levelling out for a brief stint. Then came a sheer drop which they had to go down -- not far, though -- which terminated in flat ground that was walled off except for a narrower tunnel, which was expected for the racers to make bigger. From there, they had to traverse up a shaft with spiked walls and a spiked ceiling leading to the mouth of the tunnel. After the mouth of the tunnel was a water obstacle with square lily pad-like pallets that the racers could leap frog off of, platforming their way onward. After this, they come to an area that looks suspiciously like a dead end. The idea was for them to burrow down into the earth until the found the next leg of the course. Next was an open area blocked off by two walls, just one foot thick, but there was a tunnel above the first one to completely bypass it. But the second wall had to be destroyed. Then came another shaft, which made it into a U-turn tunnel. Proceeding onward from that came a water obstacle that they had to swim through in order to complete. Once done with that, it was winding path onward. Then a choice lf two shafts to climb up, an easy one with handholds and footholds, and another without. From there it was just a straight shot to the finish line.

The racers approached the starting line,  with Broken, Yarin, and Gaz giving Aloth the stink eye. While Cerulean was sitting on a beach chair, which was starting get old as far as the other racers were concerned.

With the shrill FWEEEEEET of SuperNate's whistle, the six racers leaped into action, and, to no one's surprise, Aloth was trailing everyone. The steep hill wasn't really an obstacle for the RAFians, given the number of missions they go on within a single month, yet alone the year. Aloth did not have this advantage, but he didn't need it, as he had his "secret weapon".

Abby was in the lead, and about to drop down the first shaft, but suddenly felt a tug, pulling her back, and somehow Aloth was in front of her!! Impossible!! He was in last place!! It was impossible!! That little twerp was cheating!!

Abby's determination deepened. She would beat that cheating little so-and-so. She pushed herself further, landed in the narrow passage, deftly morphing to Psycholeopterran, and completely phasing through the obstacle, not realky caring how the others would find their way through. She was still in second, but steady closing onto Aloth.

Aloth was stymied by what appeared to be a dead end. Abby knew better though, and defty remorphed back into a Psycholeopterran, and just phased through the ground to the next leg of the course, where she demorphed, no in the lead. Even Cerulean wouldn't be able to get through that, no matter how quick he was.

Abby continued the race, but unfortunately for her and her lead, Parker was right after her, and he couldn't go intangible. He had to dig his way through, and Aloth allowed him. Allowed him to do the work for the Banned.

It was a fairly fair race, until they reached the two shafts, and Aloth was bringing up the rear yet again, and Gaz and Abby were trading the lead. In -- quite literally --a blink of an eye, Cerulean had secured the first place spot. Gaz and Abby were now vying for second, Parker a close fourth, and Yarin and Broken were vying for fifth.

Abby managed to pull a head of Gaz, but felt a tugging in her shoulder, and Aloth was ahead of her!!!

"You motherf--" Abby said, before censuring herself.

Aloth had managed to secure second place again, while Gaz and Abby tied for third, Parker won fifth, and Yarin and Broken tied for sixth.

Abby was still quite miffed. Now she knew, without a shred of doubt (and evidence), that Aloth was cheating. If not for Cerulean, he would have won the last three tracks.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINE:
Track Four -- The Urban One

This track had an urban setting and motif.

It began with flat, level, asphalt ground towards two sharp curves, with the second one leading to a gradual incline. This quickly lead towards another sharp turn, which, in turn, lead to a steep incline. This lead directly into a sharp turn, littered with bumpers, which were intenxed to bump the racers and momentarily disorient them. From there it was sheer dropoff to the next part of the course. Shortly after this, the terrain became just less sticky than fly paper, except for a near-invisible path. This lead to another sharp turn, where it is a straight shot to the finish line.

This may have seem simpler than the previous two courses, but there was a very cogent amount of enemies littered around the course. These were allowed to be attacked by the racers, especially if it impeded their path, as there were verying sizes of them. But, still, the course was rather straightforward enough.

All of ther other racers were giving Aloth the evil eye now, but instead of being perturbed by it, he seemed to bask in it. Even Rotiart would have the decency to look abashed for this, even he . . . but he was dead, wasn't he? It . . . it didn't matter anymore.

FWEEEEEEEEEET!!

And they were off.

Broken was using Reducto nonverbally to clear his way. Abby was using her agility and morphing to dodge these land-based enemies rather destroying them. Gaz was of the same mindset, using her gaseous form to dodge and evade these enemies. Yarin managed to divine their weak points, using his knowledge of tech, and destroyed them that way and in that manner. And Parker decided to eschew any munitions and decided that he preferred a more . . . tactile methodology to taking on these enemies, using his energy sword.

And Aloth? Aloth just bundled and blustered his way through, like a more clumsy and accident-prone Ron Stoppable. It was amazing how he was able to continue the race as he did this. He almost looked drunk.

The RAFians, seeing this, decided that he wasn't a legitimate threat anymore, and continued on. But that was a mistake, as Abby rediscovered as she took the lead, past the sticky terrain. Only for Aloth to, somehow overtake her!! She had never felt the tug in her shoulder this time.

"How are you doing that?!"

All she got was a smug smile in reply, though that faltered when Cerulean blew by, stealing first place, with Aloth in second, Abby in a close third, Gaz in fourth, and Parker, Broken, and Yarin tying for fifth.

"Aloth!" Abby fumed. "I know you're cheating. I don't know how, but I know you're cheating!"

Aloth had heard her, and what irritated her more was he didn't lose that smug swagger he had, as he said, "That's a serious accusation to make, dear Abigail. Have any proof of it?"

Abby seethed. She longed to punch him, but knew that would be seen as nothing more than bad sportsmanship. Her hands were shaking with her ire and rage. She seriously considered being disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct and just going ahead and punching him. It was a serious temptation.

[Cloak]

New book ideas. Don't think I rehashed anything.

• Book CMLXXVIII: "The First Light Cometh" -- Cloak sees the supposed "Second Coming of the First Light".
• Book CMLXXIX: "Choose Your Venom" -- The RAFians must deal with artificial symbiotes.
• Book CMLXXX: "Hidden Agendas" -- An old foe uses a speed demon against the RAFians.
• Book CMLXXXI: "Possessed By Music" -- The RAFians must deal with symphosentiences.

Titles are subjected to change.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
Track Five -- The Mountain One

The fifth track was in a mountainous setting, with dirt terrain.

The track began with a brisk start with a gradual turn, leading to the rest of the mine-infested course. These weren't mines in the most literal sense of the word, but objects that would severely disorient a racer, forcing them to stop for a second or two. There was a cannon (which fired beanbags) that could be avoided easily, if the racer in question was paying attention to what they were doing. Shortly after the beanbag cannon, the course dipped down as it turned sharply. The course turned into an almost "C" shape. There were quicksand traps dotted here and there which was visible, but just barely. But they were not deep at all. They were just there to slow down the racers, not kill them. After that, there was a jump, which the racers had to -- well, jump. The finish line was right after a curve.

The other RAFians gave Aloth the stink eye as they all approached the starting line. Cerulean was still not taking this seriously, and being real complacent about his abilities. This, his fellow RAFians found, was starting to get real old, real fast.

Abby was still seething, swearing that an opportunity to take Aloth better not arise, or else she just might have to take it. And the other racers weren't far away from the same conclusion. But Aloth seemed to be absolutely obvious to the extent of this enmity, but simply assumed that he had them scared.

Aloth was never the most intelligent being in the world. Even by human standards.

FWEEEEEET!!

The racers all started of strong, dodging and weaving the mines. Except Aloth. He practically bumbled into each one, but seemed unaffected by them. Parker managed to get into the lead, tanking the mines that he did not manage to avoid. The others had to be a bit more careful.

Parker began confident in his potential vic-- well, that mine was difficult to tank. It managed to disorient him a little. Maybe he was losing some of his innate endurance. It didn't --

Aloth!! He had overtaken the Parker! How?! HOW is this even possible?!

Cerulean had already taken first, and Aloth aready completed his jump. Parker was running full tilt, with Gaz, Broken, and Abby not that far behind. After Parker landed -- and landed hard -- but he was also overtaken by both girls, and tied it up with Broken. Yarin was lagging behind.

Aloth was second -- yet again. Gaz and Abby were tied with second, Parker and Broken and Parker took fourth, and Yarin took last. Aloth basked in the nonexistent fanfare and cheers for him.

"He's definitely cheating," Parker grumbled. Then a pause as he listened to Tyr's commentary, and then grumbled, "Sure, now you agree with me."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Track Six -- The Crystal One

The sixth track was in a subterranean setting, with dirt terrain. Crystals littered the course everywhere, acting as obstacles.

The track started out with a straightaway path, terminating in a curve where after a brief sprint, they had to watch out for a slick, icy floor and a growing crystal coming from the left following that. Then, after a brief stretch, came a long stretch of the slippery terrain ending in another crystal trap shortly thereafter. Then came a steep curve, which allowed the racers ro race up the walls if they had sufficient momentum. Then came a jump, which if they fell would just land them in an earlier part of the track quite able to continue, though in presumably last place. It would be a far better idea to make the jump. Another three crystal traps followed with the first appearing right after a gradual curve and another curve being around the last one. Traversing of the slick terrain again, they would have to deal with to more crystal traps, on coming from the left first, and another coming from the left. Then the course split into two pathways, one leading to the finish line, and the other leading to a false path with no finish line, but loops the track forcing the unwary racer to redo the entire course again. And there was no way to tell which path was the right one, which was part of course's test of the racers.

While the RAFians were approaching the starting line, as Saffa had gone to replenish her iced coffee, having drained her current drink. There was a noticeable gap between the five RAFians (Cerulean was still ****y) and the single Banned.

GH and Leatherhead had returned to the spectator stands with their ice cream as SuperNate blew the whistle with a sharp FWEEEEEET!! And off they went.

Parker continued to power through, shattering the crystals by tanking the spikes, while the other RAFians dodged them. Aloth just ran into them, and was buffered by them, slowing him down considerably.

Parker had once again managed to get into the lead, and he had decided that he would not get complacent this time. He would -- a blur sped by him. Cerulean. Cerulean had already claimed first place.

Yarin had managed to get into overtake Parker when he slipped a bit on one of the slick areas. When he fell on the slick area, when he tried to proceed, he was overtaken by Broken, Gaz, and Abby, who bypassed the slick areas by wall-bouncing.

Yarin was to the jump, and was in midleap when he found himself tumbling down into the gap onto the earlier part of the course. He found himself uttering Nyac curses, feeling incensed. He went from first to last in a span of a few seconds!! He would have made that jump!!

He crossed the finish line after everyone else in what felt like an eternity later, shen it was really only ten, fifteen minutes. Cerulean was first, of course. Aloth was second, despite having taken the wrong turn before turning around and getting second . . . somehow. Gaz was third, Parker was fourth, Abby was fifth, and Broken was sixth. Yarin was last.

Yarin glowered at Aloth. The temptation to telepathically paw through his mind very tempting. But he would, naturally, be aware of it, and presumably report him. And Yarin wanted those bragging rights. . . .

"Aloth," Saffa said, squinting her eyes. "I'm very sure that he's cheating."

GH watched Leatherhead enthusiastically eating his ice cream, befire saying, "That's hardly surprising, though."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
Track Seven -- The Toy Factory One

The final track of the day (the other seven would be picked up tomorrow) was one of a toy factory motif and setting. It had panels that would be neutral and not affect the racers in any way, positive or negative. But with the push of a button that the racers can run over, the panels can change from neutral to green (which boosts the racer's top speed and endurance), red (which slows them down considerably), translucent blue (which makes them slippery).

The track started out as being rather straightforward until the first curve, where the end segment of the course was rather like a "P" with two small patches of these changing tiles. Then, through an archway, they come to an entire chamber of these tiles, which are mostly unavoidable barring one, almost imperceptible, path through them. This was repeated for the next three chamber-like rooms, so that seemed the floor consisted of more changeable tiles than regular normal tiles. It continued this way until the curve that led to the finish line.

As the RAFians approached the starting line, they all gave Aloth a deep glowering look. He seemed to love the emnity, seemed to think that being hated like this made him cool and popular -- a horribly immature and childish thing to think. But Aloth made Rotiart seem tolerable by comparison.

But the racers were not the only ones giving Aloth the dirtiest of looks. Saffa nad GH glowered at him as well, as Leatherhead hummed "I Love Rocky Road", but Aloth enjoyed playing the heel.

FWEEEEEEET!!

And they were off! Parker powered through, with the others close behind, and Aloth trailing conspicuously behind. They all found the changing tiles inconsequential, but that was on their neutral state.

Then Aloth tripped the tile change switch button.

This changed the tiles to green acceleration pads, which caused the race to really heat up . . . but Cerulean had already taken first place. The others were nowhere near close to completing the course.

Aloth accidentally tripped the tile change switch button again.

This changed the tiles to red slow-down pads. Aloth, however, did not seem to be affected by it, and easily managed to make second place, with Abby in third, Yarin in fourth, Broken in fifth, Gaz in sixth, and Parker in last.

Yeah, they didn't like this course very much.

However, this was the last course of the day. The next seven would take place tomorrow. This would allow the racers a few hours to rest and eat and whatnot. Aloth, however, was not welcome to sleep, eat or whatever in the forum. He would have to sleep outside the gates in a tent.

The magical contract did not force the RAFians to offer him room and board. So . . . they didn't.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
The Eavesdropper

"LH," GH said, as night had fallen, "it's time for your bath."

GH could hear him giggle. He was hiding. If he were honest, GH really didn't care for this particular game of Leatherhead's. It didn't help that Leatherhead's bath time just happened to be right after the race on the seventh track concluded.

He was finding that his patience was straining at this point. Leatherhead had been very good all day, he had even earn his ice cream! And now . . . he chose to act up. He knew it was very important to keep his scales clean, right? GH had instilled that in the mutant crocodile, right? GH didn't want him to get scale rot or something.

"LH," GH said more firmly, before realizing the thread door was opened, and opened wide. He could not hear giggling anymore, but GH was not a happy camper by this sheer disrespect for his authority. He grumbled to himself, "Oh, Jesus, Leatherhead, I am so not in the mood for this right now."

GH gave his thread a cursory look to make sure that he wasn't hiding, but a anthropomorphic crocodile the size and maturity of a six-year-old isn't that easily missed. Or one would think. Leather could be really good at hiding when he wanted to be, something GH thought might be more difficult when Leatherhead is his age and adult.

But it wasn't too hard to find him, once GH closed his thread and locked it. He had found Leatherhead listening in on Aloth. He was -- you guessed it -- singing:

"Don't really care for chasing skirts.
Never was keen on booze.
Don't take cocaine or that "Mary-Jane",
No, I get drunk on boos!
Because . . .
You've got to love to be hated.
Find the good in being bad.
Oh, the crowd is full of gentlemen,
But they've paid to see the cad!
Yes, it's a hoot, a kick, a gas,
When you're the villain of the show.
Once you wear black you never go back,
It's a high to be loathed.
Chucky, O'Reilly, Megatron,
Laura Mallory, Donkey Kong.
Vader, Nader, Simon Legree.
Terminators 1, 2 and 3.
Iago, Joker, Voldemort.
Ethan Couch finally in court.
Mr. Burns and Skeletor,
Keep your good guys! What a snore!
When it's your head they wanna sever,
And your blood they wanna shed,
You know you're gonna live forever,
If everybody wants you dead!
So, listen up, because I've been given,
The best advice anyone'll ever know.
So feel the thrill, I know you will,
It's a high to be loathed!"

"Who is he talking to?" GH wondered quietly, causing Leatherhead to jump in surprise. Aloth did not hear or notice him. But the two seemed to notice how he seemed to be checkinv on and coiling some odd sort of cable device, only visible in the undulating firelight, and only just. It was tipped with something that looked like a kunai or derivative.

It was a grapple. And that was against the rules. He was cheating like everyone expected. But that grapple was the only proof. It was far too dark, the lighting too poor to take a picture of any reputable resolution to be able to be verifiable proof. This could not stand.

But how to prove it?


Source song.

[guitarhero01234]

"And then gh ran over, yelling 'Whassup, ****es!' and yanked the grapple out of Aloth's hands. And then something about more ice cream."