Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

CHAPTER EIGHT:
The Forgotten

The last one would take the longest.

Jaxur crossed over so much land, only pausing because he absolutely had to -- you know, eating and sleeping and the like. But only when they couldn't be ignored. Enough time passed as he followed the key, more like a compass whose needle is honing in on the last spoke.

Soon desert gave way into forest, which offered him some fresh meals in terms of fruit and nuts and things. But he only cared enough to satisfy the gnawing hunger, and then pursued his quest. His beard had grown longer and scraggly, and he just didn't care. His hygiene was questionable, but, again, he didn't care. He looked rather like a vagrant. He just followed the key, and the key led him through the forest, which was quite easy to get lost in.

He found a low stone structure. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be some sort of ancient temple. Incan or Aztec, in design, it appeared. It was strewn with leaf clutter and such things, which seemed odd in March. Or was it April? No matter, no matter. Jaxur saw that the key indicated that he should go in, and he complied.

He saw that it was a literal city, with a crumbling domed wall above them. The buildings were all mouldering, ruinous, and deteriorating. Jaxur noticed several of the buildings appeared to be multistory and may have even been residential. But that was inconsequential and pointless.

The key was pointing to the town square, and he hurried to that location. Once there, the key spun him around to what appeared a roughly square hole in the ground. It was clearly where a building once stood. Jaxur looked down, and found that it was difficult to see. He jumped down, and found that it was a bit further down than he thought. But he, fortunately, didn't seem to have hurt himself in doing so. He felt a bit churlish to realize that there was some decending stairs to his left.

But the key began to hover of its own accord, and a plate of crysral colored electric yellow slid itself into the final empty slit. The key was now complete. Jaxur grinned giddily, as he greedily grasped onto it.

His power, his weapon, was nearly at hand. He was nearly back at the top again, despite looking like a vagrant, Jaxur was certain that this was his ticket. His ticket to the top, yes.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER NINE:
You're Too Late!!

Jaxur grasped the key tightly. He really needn't have, as his hand was adhered to the key itself. It would not let go, as if it was a Portkey. He was transmuted into blue light and shot off intot the sky, hand gripping tightly upon the key.

The key, acting exactly like a Portkey, had returned him back to the warehouse. Jaxur felt his excitement surge again, despite not knowing what it would do. He never considered that there might be any negetative ramifications for going through with this.

Yeah, he really didn't think this through.

He had landed and reformed from the blue light a few paces away from the smooth, bullet-shaped device. With the "+"-shaped keyhole. The path now was beautifully clear and simple. He felt the rush of Machiavellian delight, of assuredly being right, of the certainty of triumph and guarantees of victory. So close now. Easily within his grasp.

He couldn't help but to milk every moment, to savor it, to remember it for later, where he can reminisce of it fondly. This was gonna be a good moment for him, he was sure of it. This was the only reason for his hesitation.

He thrusted the key up to its handle in the keyhole.

"NO!!!" came the shouts. But Jaxur had tuned out everything but this. This was the only thing important to him right now. He didn't acknowledge the sudden arrival of Saffa, GH, Abby, Underseen, and Cloak. They were not important. Not to mention that they were far too late.

"Don't do it!!" Abby yelled.

"You don't know what it'll do!!" Underseen proclaimed.

"Neither do we, to be fair," GH pointed out.

"GH!" Saffa scolded.

"What?"

"Not in front of the psychotic madman!"

"He isn't even paying us any any attention," Cloak said.

All this happening as they were quickly approaching Jaxur, but there was no way they could get there in time. There was no way they could stop him before he turned the key and activated the device. No way . . .

Well, there was one way, if Cloak was a ruthless sort of person. But bloodbending is never the first thing that enters his mind at this. They could have also killed him before he turned the key.

But they didn't and he turned the key.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TEN:
Encapsulating and Escaping

The Crystal Drive hummed as it activated.

"Yes! The power of the device is mine!" Jaxur said.

Cloak recognized his scent, but could not place it with a name.

"You don't even know what it does!" Saffa protested.

"Shut up, alien-lover," Jaxur snarled, looking like some deranged beast. "All I know is this device, this weapon is mine."

"You can't know that it's a weapon." GH argued.

"It is! It is, you stupid filth sympathizer, and it's mine!!" Jaxur said, rather crazed. "And I'll finally be back on top!"

Then it clicked. Cloak declared, "Jaxur. The Void Space projector. That was you!"

"Don't you dare mention that to me, you cloaked menace!" he spat. "After you took my last weapon away from me! When you hadn't any right to do so!!"

"Rights? You want to talk of rights?" Cloak asked.

"Here, we go," Saffa said.

"Um, guys?" Underseen and GH said, in unison.

"What right have you, and you alone, to dictate who can and cannot live here? What right have you, and you alone, to dictate who is worthy enough to live? What right have you to send people into Void Space, a space between timelines that you know very, very little about?" Cloak said. "You pompous little man. You haven't any right to do what you were posturing! Aliens do exist, and they are --"

"GUYS!!" GH said emphatically, as he noticed several nozzles having come out of the Crystal Drive. "Can we FOCUS?!"

"You do not give me orders, Aberration," Jaxur snarled. "Aberrations" were what the Knights called humans with so-called "unnatural" powers. It wasn't a really flattering term. GH, however, didn't much care -- he had more pressing concerns. "The Drive is mine. Mine to control and use as I see f--"

BOOM!

The Device apparently had just gave a kick, and around it, in a ten-inch radius, the soil, wood, everything was turned into taydenite crystal, or just encased in it, it was difficult to tell. But that ten inches soon became fifteen, then twenty. It was picking up speed, and Jaxur was already taken and crystalized completely, mid-argument. Frozen like a taydenite statue.

And the wave was coming toward the RAFians.

[redtailedsaffa]

Jeez, Cloaky, you need to work on your monologue timing.

[Cloak]

We're both hard-headed.

New chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Crystal Flower

Four screams rent the area.

"Oh, will you four stop your bawling?" came Cloak's impatient voice. "We need to open communications with RAF."

Then the RAFians realized that they were inside a golden-scarlet energy bubble made by Cloak. He had deflected the crystallization wave over them, encapsulating them in taydenite. Entombing them.

Cloak snapped his fingers impatiently, "C'MON!! Come-come-c'mon!! I can't drop the shield, or the taydenite might decide to cave in and crush us."

Saffa quickly made the call, told them to be prepared for the wave, and GH worried about Leatherhead -- he was being babysat by Dino, who was finding herself becoming fond of the little guy -- and GH imagined the taydenite creeping over Code Avalon, and blocking out the sun, entombing the forum forever. GH was scared in that regard, but he tried not to show it.

"Appears to be a Petrosapien Terraforming Drive," Cloak said, "I never understood the technology behind it though. But I believe it was meant to recreate Petrotopia, their destroyed home world."

"We have to get out of here," Abby said, beginning to morph to her Psycholeopterran morph, with Saffa following suit. Abby, no longer having adequate mouthparts now, switched to thought-speak, <We'll send reinforcements to get you guys out of here.>

"You offend me, Abby," Cloak said, voice quiet but it carried nonetheless. "Taydenite is crystal. And crystal is Earth."

Suddenly, Cloak winced, as GH had spontaneously decided to play. And he played it loud. The taydenite wall collapsed backward and the walls collapsed outward, apparently carried on the sound waves themselves.

"That felt gooooood," GH said, stretching and flexing his fingers. "I've been soing too many melee things recently."

"A little more warning would have been helpful," Cloak said.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?"

Abby and Saffa were swiftly demorphing, as the looked around their surroundings. They seemed to be on some massive crystal flower, with two towering stamen and large plated petals.

"It's still going," Cloak said. "It's going too fast. If we don't hurry, it will engulf the entire planet before tomorroe morning."

The other four moved away, but Cloak asked, "where are you going?"

"RAF," Underseen said, surprised. Wasn't it obvious?

"No," Cloak said, "well, you can if you really want to, but that won't stop this. We need to go to the Citadel."

"Citadel?" Saffa asked.

"The Crystal Citadel," Cloak said.

"Of course it is," GH said, rather grumpily.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
State of Emergency

"This is a state of emergency," came the news commentator. "We have to urge everyone to stay in their homes with their windows closed. There is a crystalizing wave of energy approaching the city, urban areas first, but rural areas are not any safer."

The news commentator paused a bit to sip his water before continuing. He wasn't anything like Bern Bridges, he was not at all pompous and egotistical in his rhetoric.

"This is not a hoax, people," he said, although in this city, it was more believable to be true than most. "This Crystal Wave will turn you into crystal if you allow it, but you'll be safe indoors. Do not take this lightly. There is no cure for this crystal wave yet, so I very ardently advise you not to get complacent. You all need to take this seriously. These are dangerous times and you must exercise due diligence in this matter."

He sipped his water again.

"There is no word on the source of this crystal wave," he said, "the authorities have no further leads at this time. Please remember, stay indoors."

***

"What if Code Avalon isn't enough, Auntie Dino?" Leatherhead asked.

"Don't worry, little one," Dino said, motherly, "it will be. It always is."

"How can you be sure?"

"Have faith, little one," Dino said. She was going to say more, but already the taydenite was beginning to creep over Code Avalon. It started on the right side and began to creep so much that there was a ten-foot high wall.

It was not gonna take long before the sun was lost to them and they'd be completely entombed.

"Auntie Dino," Leatherhead said, "what about Daddy?"

"Don't you worry abot him," Dino replied, remarkably gentle and kind, "GH knows how to take care of himself. Anyway, he's with Mister Cloak, Miss Saffa, Miss Abby, and Mister Underseen. He's not alone, Leatherhead."

Leatherhead still looked unconvinced.

***

"And again we're back to the RAFian agenda," Bern Bridges said. He took a sip of his "coffee" and continued his harangue. "They're not satisfied with interfering with our way of life, oh no. Now they caused this so-called Crystal Wave, and have yet to make a statement accepting their responsibility in this. And, dear listeners, do not doubt that these monsters have had a hand in this whole mess. They've had a hand in all the tragedies that have befell our great city, which I have told you all about on this show before."

She slurped his "coffee" in the most loud and obnoxious way possible.

"Yes," he said, resuming, sounding a bit tipsy. "They are reason for the homeless epidemic in this country, my friends. They are the reason why the middle class is shrinking and disappearing. And they do nothing to help. They cause property values to plummet, while prices skyrocket. It is RAF's doing. It's their fault. It's all their fault."

Bridges was sauced again. And he had an open mike.

[Cloak]

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Pause and Resolve

The others had decided not to return to the forum, and stick by the Realm Walker as a sign of solidarity. Cloak appreciated it, but had a pause himself. He had a qualm about his action, he wondered if he should be stemming the wave instead of doing this.

But it made sense to be proactive, right?

But this thought kept nagging at him as the five pressed onward. However, as they did, Cloak was starting to wonder if the Drive had some limited sentience, as it seemed to try to prevent their progress forward.

Walls inexplicably appeared from the ground that Cloak busted through.

Pitfalls inexplicably opened in the ground that Cloak closed.

Spikes protruded inexplicably from the ground that GH musically shattered.

"I think the Drive knows," Underseen said, managing to evade every spike, pitfall, and wall. "Or whatever is behind this."

"How come I get the feeling that there should be a bunch Unown chanting their name?" GH said.

No one answered him, as the attacks seemed to pick up in frequency. They were far too busy dealing with them. However, unbeknownst to them, by distracting the drive, thereby slowing down the crystallization process. Thereby making Cloak's qualm meaningless, though, he was unaware of this.

But, eventually, they made it to the base of the citadel -- the crystal plant's "stamen" -- and the spikes, pitfalls, and walls stopped forming, stopped impeding him.

"Okay," Saffa said, "now what?"

***

Mithril had taken upon himself, as the only other RAFian terrakinetic, aside from Cloak, to try and stem the Crystal Wave. But he was one and he didn't have the raw power Cloak did.

But he did his best.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Breaking and Entering

"We break in," Cloak said, touching the smooth taydenite. He recoiled sightly as the crystallization energy surged toward where he had touched.

"Somehow," Abby said, "I don't think it's gonna be so easy."

"It'll be easy enough," Cloak said. Then he gave a little hop, and then mimed parting a curtain, causing the citadel wall to crack and pop as it gave way to Cloak's terrakinesis. "See? No prob--"

Suddenly, the crystalization energy swept in and blugged the hole, making it look like it scabbed over.

"You were saying?" GH said.

Cloak scowled at this.

"This could be a problem," Saffa said.

"Ya think?" GH said.

"Don't be so sarcastic, Logan," Saffa teased.

"Don't call me that!" GH snarled. "How'd you find out my real name anyway?"

"FaceBook," Saffa answered wirh a dry, sardonic wit.

"Still here, guys," Abby said, remind the two of their presence.

"We're getting in," Cloak growled, "regardless of whether the Citadel wants us to or not!!"

Cloak ripped a hole into the citadel again, and this time didn't relent. Any time the crystallization energy tried to fix it, he just made the hole bigger.

"What are you four waiting for?!" Cloak roared. "Get in!!"

"And get crystallized?" Underseen protested. "No thank you!"

"I got it," GH said, unshouldering his guitar. He then began to play riff after riff, as concentric circles of energy came out through his guitar, allow Underseen and the girls to pass inside of the Citadel.

Then Cloak picked up GH bodily and leaped through the opening that quickly sealed shut after them.

[Cloak]

This book will be more than the requisite twenty chapters.

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
First Layer of Defense

"Getting a serious 'Five Nights At Freddy's' vibe here," Underseen said. He had taken the form of an aye-aye and perched on Abby's back.

They were in a myriad of of labyrinthine hallways of solid taydenite crystal, cutting off all light from outside. The light was a deep scarlet and brown, and was the only light that the others could see. The darkness was no barrier to Cloak, whose feline eyes reflected the dim light like any other cat's eyes would.

"We're not alone here," Cloak said. It was strange, he was Earthsighting with more clarity than he had anticipated. He saw a creature of taydenite, roughly ursine. It had no bottom jaw leaving his skeleton's upper set of snaggleteeth, as well as no left ear. It has one luminous pupil in each eye socket.

"What's that?" GH said, as Underseen cringed behind Abby. GH referred white light washing into the hallway.

"God, you're adorable when you cower," Abby said.

"You don't see it like I do," Underseen said, as if he was expecting a a legit jumpscare.

Then the creature of taydenite had rounded the corner, and the RAFians saw that its eyes functioned like flashlights. They did not run, they did not flee. But human instinct was tugging at the others to go. The instinct was difficult to ignore, especially after the creature roared and charged forward, it luminescent eyes causing light to dance on the smooth taydenite walls.

The instinct to run overcame the other RAFians when the fearsome beast roared again, but Cloak did not move. He only ever truly feared on person, and this taydenite creature was not her. He was not impressed or intimidated. He raised his hand against the creature, and the creature was terrakinetically lifted off the ground.

"You don't need to run anymore," Cloak said, coolly.

"We weren't running," GH said quickly. "We were, uh, stretching our legs. It is rather cramped in here, you know."

Cloak said nothing to this, as his attention was currently occupied by the hideous abomination in front of them. It was almost like a zombie Freddy Fazbear made of taydenite. Its roar was still terrifying, despite not being able to do anything.

"Enough of this," Cloak said, tiring of this, "Begone with you."

Then he condensed the creature into a single lump of taydenite, and projected him to the far wall. Then he navigated his way through the labyrinthine hallways to get to the Crystal Citadel's next layer.

[redtailedsaffa]

Lots of books going over twenty chapters these days. Are you increasing the limit?

[guitarhero01234]

It is a little ambitious. I'm liking the longer books

So I got incredibly bored tonight and decided to draw a little cartoon version of Memoirs gh.



Keep in mind I'm a terrible artist and haven't even doodled anything since high school art class, so I'm aware it's not great by any means. The hand in particular looks just plain awful, and the same arm is at a questionable angle. Regardless, I was bored and figured you guys might like it.

[Cloak]

Lots of books going over twenty chapters these days. Are you increasing the limit?

Only when I feel it necessary, but twenty is always gonna be the main.

It is a little ambitious. I'm liking the longer books

So I got incredibly bored tonight and decided to draw a little cartoon version of Memoirs gh.



Keep in mind I'm a terrible artist and haven't even doodled anything since high school art class, so I'm aware it's not great by any means. The hand in particular looks just plain awful, and the same arm is at a questionable angle. Regardless, I was bored and figured you guys might like it.

To be honest, I always had imagined it something like this:



New chapter.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Second Layer of Defense

Cloak stopped when they descended and after Cloak broke open a wall. Underseen had switched to the form of a small elf owl, and perched upon GH's shoulder. If GH minded, he didn't say anything. He didn't spasm out of control calling Underseen his god either, so his feelings could have been mixed.*

They clearly had crossed into the second layer, which had the distinct feeling of a basement. This place was awash in blue and purple light. With one step on to this place, Cloak immediately knew that they were no longer alone.

"Another one?" GH asked.

"Gonna stretch your legs again?" Cloak asked, smirking at his little joke. GH scowled deeply at him. "Yes, there's another one."

Cloak searched with Earthsight until he found it again. This second taydenite creature lacked a left arm, which was replaced by tenuous bits of taydenite spouting out of its shoulder. It's right arm was reduced to a withered gray taydenite skeleton. It seemed to have two rows of teeth on the bottom jaw, as it appeared to be missing the upper third of its head. It's inner set of teeth are noticeably much smaller than the outmost set of teeth. It had tenuous bits of taydenite dangling down from its forehead, or lack thereof, covering some of this creature's head. It had somewhat dim, glowing red eyes. It had rather lapin taydenite ears atop its head, with one torn in half.

"One, two, Freddy's coming for you," Saffa intoned, "three, four --"

"Enough, Saffs," GH said. "This is creepy enough."

"Can't handle it?" she teased.

"Hey, you ran, too!" GH countered.

"I thought you were stretching your legs," Cloak said.

"Dah, I was!!" GH said, trying for a hasty recovery. It was comical in a way only GH manage effectively. But it was an ephemeral moment, as it was soon replaced by sudden shrieks and a panicked hoot by Underseen. Cloak felt no such compunction, because, after all, these taydenite creatures were no match or him.

Though it occurred to him, that maybe they had the power to --

Whoa! It decided to show up quick! Cloak heard the thumping of the footsteps of the creature long before GH, Abby, and Saffa. Underseen had owl hearing, so he probably heard it, too.

Cloak saw it first, and it had its singular fist pulled back into a preemptive punch, but Cloak wasn't about to have any of it. He did with this one what he did with the last one, and flung into the far side of the hallway, and turned into a lump of taydenite in the process.

"I dunno how many more of these jumpscares that I can handle," Abby said, hold her hand over her heart, which was beating as fast as if it was trying to escape her body. "Please tell me that we're nearly there."

Cloak said nothing.

"Cloaky, please? Pretty please?"

"I'm not going to lie to you," Cloak said. Then he pressed on.


*

[Cloak]

New chapter. Sorry about the brevity.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
Third Layer of Defense

Then they ascended until the taydenite hallways seemed to be more attic-like than basement-like. Underseen changed into a small bat, and clung to Saffa's shoulder, which she found to feel very strange and disconcerting. And that was all fine and dandy for all of three seconds, before Abby screamed.

All she saw was the white glowing eyes, while Cloak could "see" much more of the creature. It was roughly anthropomorphically vulpine in shape, though rather skeletal, with a hook for a right hand, no tail, a long snout filled with razor-sharp teeth, and remarkably quick on its feet. It was actually quite frightening.

Suddenly, its blank white eyes became a violent shade of red and it galloped with astonishing rapidity towards the RAFians, with a fearsomely terrifying roar. Directly for Saffa in particular.

"CLOAKY, DO SOMETHING!!" Saffa shrieked, unaware that she was able to deflect this taydenite beast unconsciously. It was not to the degree that Cloak was able, though. "CLOAKY!!"

Cloak quickly slingshot it to the otherside of the hallway, coalescing it into a lump of taydenite, inert and harmless. Cloak gave Saffa a brief look, for he had noticed her able to deflect the creature, albeit the ability seemed a tad atrophied. Cloak had always just assumed Saffa was just a morph-capable human, and not paused to think that she may have had more abilities outside that.

Cloak realized that he did not know just how Saffa and Abby had come to obtain their morphing abilities. He had never asked. But he would hesitate to do so now, as he believed it would just be him being nosy. There were some things about himself, things that he didn't necessarily like, that he wasn't very open about. Why should Saffa or anyone else be any different?

"Thanks, Cloak," Saffa gasped, somehow not knowing the look Cloak had given her, despite his reflective feline eyes. "My heart is going a mile a minute."

Cloak said nothing about what he noticed, but proceed forward. They had to be nearing the end of these defenses.

[redtailedsaffa]

I shall explain. In due time. Although considering it's the holidays I should probably get on that since I already have an outline in mind.

And oh my god, gh, that drawing is so cute.

[Cloak]

Ah, good, good.

And that drawing does have a certain FOP style.

New chapter.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Final Layer of Defense

They came to an area that was still dark to human eyes. Its boundaries were lit with yellow light, and there weren't hallways anymore, but tree-like pillars of taydenite with a far more open feeling.

"Oh, I don't like this," Underseen said, in a squeaky voice. He had changed to the form of a small luna moth with a four and a half inch wingspan. He was perched on Cloak's back.

"Is that why you're perched on me?" Cloak said, rather dully.

"I plead the fifth," Underseen said, in his squeaky voice.

"Of course you do," Cloak muttered.

"I dunno, I'm kinda with Underseen on this," Abby said. "At least the enclosed space was, I don't know, more secure."

"This allows more escape options," Saffa said.

"And allows more attack options," GH pointed out.

"Pessmist," Saffa chided.

"No, realist," GH countered.

"What is that?" Abby said, sounding rather like Ashley from "Until Dawn".

She was referring to two glowing white eyes. Cloak's Earthsight easily unmasked the creature as anthropomorphically avian. It had no bottom jaw and hollow eye sockets, which the glowing white lights resided. It had no arms, just mangled remnants of arms. It looked rather terrifying.

"What is it waiting for?" Saffa asked.

"Don't tempt --"

Then the roar. Then it sprinted toward them. Sprinted toward them to attack them. Saffa managed to unwittingly trip up the creature, and it fell. Cloak quickly forced it to coalesce into a harmless lump of taydenite.

"PLEASE," Abby said, "please tell me that that was the last one."

"Looks like it," Cloak said. "But it will only get all the more harder from here."

"Of course it does."

They proceeded deeper, towards the Citadel Core.