Disclaimer: I don't own the ninja turtles, but I do own the Demon world, it's residents, the Reapers and their respective identities, and the Xawks.
A/N: Well, it's happened....I've gotten busy. Ah well, I knew it would happen, but that's ok. I'll do my best for a chapter a week, maybe more if I have time. Enjoy!
----
A blue and a yellow Xawk appeared in the sewer tunnels of Toronto mere minutes after Don, Mike, Splinter, and Shayl had made their exit. Both Xawks were being particularly stubborn that day, and neither were unhappy that the four had gone. They also weren't in much of a hurry to figure out where they had gone next, but the Xawks knew that they would eventually have to look.
For now, though, they could just stay here. The blue Xawk swooped down to the river running through the tunnel and started batting at the water. It wasn't sure what it would find, but maybe there would be a dead fish or some rotten food. The yellow Xawk saw that it was missing out on the fun, so it flew over to the blue one and tackled it into the water. Furious, the blue Xawk exploded from the water and attacked the yellow. They began to roll about on the stone floor, making quite a ruckus.
A pair of small eyes watched the two Xawks diligently. The yellow and blue fought for several minutes, but eventually both either became bored or forgot what they were fighting about. The blue told the yellow that they'd better start looking and they both disappeared. Instantly, Rudy disappeared as well, telling himself that he really was the best Xawk in the world, because he could watch these idiots and make sure they didn't get away if they found his master.
----
Don blinked as Rudy appeared in front of his face. Immediately he tensed as he received the message about the two Xawks. He told the others, and they all began to watch intently for the imminent arrival of two enemy Xawks.
They cavern they had procured as their hiding place was small and dark. Shayl had created a light for them, and they had done their best to make it comfortable. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about the hard stone floor or the lack of beds. Shayl had told them not to worry about food or water; even Splinter would not need it now that he'd been linked to Donatello.
The minutes ticked away, each one of them becoming more and more tense. Rudy sat on Don's shoulder, Blackie on Shayl's, and Clip on Mike's. Clip showed his anxiety most clearly, his little white wings flapping constantly, his ferret head bobbing up and down. Suddenly the little white gave a warning squeal and two Xawks appeared in mid air. Rudy was the first to leap at them, grabbing onto the blue Xawk with a hiss. Blackie and Clip made it to the yellow shortly afterward, their leathery wings beating against its small yellow body as they attacked.
Clip and Blackie tore at the yellow Xawk with their claws, rending the flesh from its wings. The little yellow beast fell to the floor with a piteous cry, and Blackie pounced on him, sinking her teeth into its neck. Clip fluttered backward to save himself from Blackie's wrath. Shayl leapt toward Blackie and the yellow, creating a large belt-knife in her hand. Blackie leapt back obediently and Shayl sliced the knife into the yellow Xawk's belly, tearing the life from its body.
Meanwhile, Rudy was fighting the battle of his life with the blue. Don and Mike had rushed over to help, but the two fighting Xawks were flitting aimlessly around the cave, just out of everyone's reach. Rudy screamed as one of the blue's claws tore across his eye, leaving a nasty gash where his eye had once been. Furious, Rudy charged the blue, lashing his talons across its belly. The blue fell back, and Clip rushed in, his small white body fairly diminuitive to the larger blue. The blue swatted his wings at Clip and sent him into a wild spiral away toward a nearby wall. The little white slammed into the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Rudy screamed angrily and rushed at the blue once more. Blackie also entered the fray, tumbling into the blue and tearing at his wings with her sharp claws. The blue dove frantically and smashed into the ground, knocking Blackie off and sending her rolling. Rudy dove after them, but the blood from his lost eye was starting to seep into his good one, and he missed them, slamming into the ground himself. The blue shrieked triumphantly and zipped away from Blackie. As he informed them that they were now screwed and Ssylvar would find them, a clawed hand flashed forward and grabbed the blue Xawk by the neck. The blue shrieked in alarm and tried to struggle free, but Splinter tightened his grip and began to crush the Xawk.
"You will not betray us," He said to the blue and squeezed his hand tight, breaking the back of the blue Xawk. The creature cried out sharply in pain and then fell limp in Splinter's hand.
"Whew..." Mike said as he scooped up the unconscious Clip. Don didn't comment as he knealt down to inspect Rudy's wound. It was bad, and Don had no idea how to heal a Xawk.
"Here," Shayl said, tearing off part of her sleeve, "Wrap this around his head. It should heal in a day or so, including that eye."
"It'll grow back?" Don asked, concerned for his little friend, and also a little alarmed that an eye could grow back.
"Yes," Shayl said, "At least, it should if the wound doesn't go too deep. Xawks have limited restorative powers."
Don nodded and wrapped the makeshift bandage around Rudy's head; the little Xawks was moaning piteously.
Mike guestured to the two dead Xawks, "They're not gonna restore anything, are they?" He asked. Clip regained consciousness at Mike's voice and squawked. Mike patted his soothingly.
Shayl shook her head, "No...once they're dead, they stay that way. Orgo and Ssylvar will just get new ones, though. xawks are wild creatures that choose to help out the Reapers. It may take a while for new ones to come to them, since they let their old ones die, but more should come eventually."
"Are you certain?" Splinter asked, "Perhaps these Xawks won't help those who are evil."
Shayl shrugged, "That'd be too much to hope for."
"There's always hope," Splinter responded.
Shayl rolled her eyes, "Whatever, gramps. Blackie, take care of those bodies." The black Xawk chirped an affirmation and swooped over to the yellow's body. He grabbed it, disappeared, and promptly reappeared for the blue. No one asked where he took them.
----
--TWO WEEKS LATER--
"Dammit!" Don pounded his fist on the wall angrily.
"Why can't you learn this stuff?" Shayl asked, grinding her teeth.
"I don't know!" Don said, "I guess I just don't think the right way."
"You have to learn!" Shayl said, "Mike's learning it fine! Why can't you?"
Don sighed. He really didn't know. Thus far Mike had been able to learn how to blast someone with fire, shake the ground with an earthquake, create a tornado, teleport, and he could even turn rocks to life! It had all been very difficult to accomplish in the small cavern, but Shayl had shown Mike how to aim his spells so they only hit who he wanted them to hit. So far all Don had learned was how to make an earthquake. It was -substantially- more powerful than Mike's had been and had nearly brought the cavern down on their heads despite Shayl's assurance that that could not happen; but that was all he could do. Shayl's aiming advice had not worked for Don.
Mike had also been practicing his teleportation constantly. He didn't really have anywhere to practice...from one end of the cavern to another, but that didn't matter. It was still the most entertaining thing he'd ever done.
Splinter had spent most of his time meditating, though he did take the opportunity here and there to encourage Donatello. However, it wasn't helping, and they were all starting to go stir-crazy.
"I can't take this anymore," Don said, "I have to find a way to learn this stuff...I have to beat Orgo and Ssylvar..." They had been receiving constant reports about the world above from their Xawks. Rudy's eye had indeed healed, despite a rather nasty scar, and he and the others had taken turns going to the surface to see what was going on.
The news had been grim. Ssylvar and Orgo had begun systematically destroying cities and people. They had also recruited legions of Vile Demons; those who had been banished to the Wastelands for their deeds in life. They were destroying city after city, every day moving closer to Bonang and total domination of the Demon World. The Xawks had reported that Orgo and Ssylvar had set up a sort of 'palace' in what was once the city of Gui. As far as the Xawks knew, they had not gone to the Living World yet. They could only surmise as to why.
Shayl thought that they were just waiting until after they'd taken over the Demon world; they would find attacking the Demon World more challenging and thus more entertaining. Don had interjected that perhaps they were afraid Gaia would interfere with them, but Shayl shot him down. She reminded him that Gaia had gone away. She had no more power.
The four of them could do nothing but hide in the caverns and train. They had encountered six more invader Xawks since the blue and yellow had come, and each had met their death quickly. There was always the constant threat of discovery, but so far they had not been found.
"I don't know what to do," Shayl said, "You've only learned one spell, and yes, it's destructive, but it's not going to do much good."
"I'm sorry," Don said, "I just can't seem to learn anything. I really don't know why."
"Me neither," Shayl said, slumping down on the floor in defeat.
"You know," Mike said, "Maybe it's because you're too scientifically minded, Don. You need to believe in this mystical stuff."
Don shook his head, "I've tried that, Mikey, but every time I go to cast a spell, my mind wonders -how- it works. If I only had time to study..."
"Well, you don't," Shayl interrupted. "You're just going to have to change the way you think."
Don sighed, "I know...it's not like I don't -want- to think that way. I just can't help it."
Splinter put his hand on Don's shoulder, "I believe you will find a way, my son. Perhaps you were not meant to learn these spells."
"How can he not be meant to learn them?" Shayl asked angrily, "He's the Siyem! That's what the Siyem -does-!"
Splinter just shrugged and sat down to mediate. Shayl huffed angrily and stomped away from them, though she couldn't get very far in the cramped cavern.
Don turned away from the others and began to think about his spells. He didn't know why he could do the earthquake spell and teleport to the living world, but he couldn't do anything else. The earthquake spell had not come to him easily, and in fact it had taken him over a week to even do it. Don wondered if all the other spells would come that slowly.
'Probably,' Don thought sullenly. He couldn't face Orgo and Ssylvar with only one spell and the shell on his back. He would lose, and that would be that.
Don hung his head in his hands and wondered what the heck he was going to do. This was certainly not how he'd expected to spend his afterlife.
----
"I've had it, I'm going nuts!" Raph kicked at the wall, his foot painfully bounding off the hard surface. He didn't seem to notice.
"I know," Leo said quietly. They'd been confined to Ssylvar's house for two weeks now, and they'd had this conversation nearly every day of that time. At first Leo had spent his time meditating, but soon, an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty and guilt had built up within him, and he'd lost nearly all his resolve. Raphael had done his best to knock Leo out of that mood, with limited results.
"We have to get out of here!" Raph yelled, kicking angrily at Ssylvar's furniture and frowning for the millionth time when it didn't break.
"We can't," Leo said.
"There HAS to be a way out!" Raph yelled, angry at his brother for giving up.
"Just sit down, Raph," Leo said in a patronizing voice.
This infuriated Raph, and he leapt toward Leo, all his patience gone. Leo immediately prepared himself, dealing a kick to Raph's chest. Raph fell back slightly, but instantly initiated a counterattack, heaving his fist into Leo's face.
Leo dodged the punch, but wasn't ready for the sweep-kick that Raph performed a moment later. Somehow, Raph was just a little bit faster than him. Leonardo fell to the ground and Raph loomed over him, an angry look on his face. However, he didn't look like he was going to attack again.
"Stop acting stupid!" Raph said, "There has to be a way out of here!"
"There isn't, so stop-" Leo's words were cut off as an enormous explosion shook the house. Raph staggered backward and Leo climbed to his feet, only to to be knocked off of them again by another explosion. Both turtles gaped as the entire front wall of the house blew off.
"Damn!" Raph exclaimed, "I told you there was a way out!"
Leo stared at the hole in astonishment, shook his head, and gathered his shattered wits.
"C'mon Raph. Now's our chance!" Leo raced for the hole.
"Y'don't have to tell me twice!" Raph yelled, running after him.
Outside, they were both staggered by the carnage around them. Fires were raging, and Demons were running around screaming. Many of them were injured, and some were on fire. Many more lay dead in the streets.
"We've got to find some cover!" Leo yelled over another explosion. They couldn't tell where the blasts were coming from, but neither turtle really wanted to find out. Raph ran over to a thin alleyway between two somewhat damaged buildings. Both turtles ran into the opening and followed it until they came to another street, this one wracked with just as much carnage as the one before.
"Where now?" Raph asked, looking around frantically.
"I don't know!" Leo said. He began to run, guesturing for Raph to follow. They both ducked under fallen walls and scattered stone, trying their best to dive away from explosions and shrapnel. At one point a huge explosion brought the wall of a building down on top of them, but both turtles were astonished to find that not only were they not injured, but they had very little problem climbing out of the rubble.
They continued to run, dodging panicked demons and falling stone. Finally, the explosions seemed to abate somewhat, so they stopped in a doorway to catch their breath.
"I wish I knew what was going on," Leo said. Raph nodded and was about to speak when a blast of energy hit him square in the chest. Leo exclaimed in surprise and looked around for their attacker, but before he could move, he was hit squarely in the face by another energy blast. By this time Raph had managed to struggle to his feet, but Leo had been rendered unconscious. Raph snarled angrily, looking around for someone to fight. Suddenly, another blast flew in, hitting Raph in the face and knocking him out. Strong hands grabbed onto the two unconscious turtles and pulled them through the doorway that had been their momentary refuge.
----
Ssylvar surveyed the room that had become his palatial chamber with a smirk. Finally everything was going the way it should; he was the rightful ruler of this world, as he had always been meant to be.
"Stop oggling," Orgo said, interrupting Ssylvar's thoughts, "You act like this is the most beautiful place on the planet."
"Well, it is," Ssylvar said sourly, "It's the seat of our empire; what could me more beautiful than that?"
Orgo scoffed, "It's just a room. Besides, this means nothing as long as the Siyem still lives."
"Bah," Ssylvar said, "You're still worried about that? He's probably rotting somewhere, trying to figure out how he's going to beat us!"
"Exactly my point," Orgo said irritably, "And when he does figure out how to beat us..."
Ssylvar waved his hand angrily, "He won't! And I don't want to hear anymore about it!"
Orgo bowed his head, "As you wish. You're the boss, after all."
"Yes, I am," Ssylvar said, "And you'd best remember it."
Orgo carefully controlled his expression.
"Now," Ssylvar said, "Let's hear about the day's destruction, hmm?" He waved his hand at a nearby Demon, who immediately jumped to his feet and ran out the door. A few minutes later he returned, escorting a young female Demoness, who looked quite a bit like a frog.
"What have you to report?" Ssylvar said, reclining back in his 'throne.'
The young demoness seemed hesitant to speak, and there was a look of abject fear on her face. When she did speak, it came out in a stammer, "W-well, s-sir....we attacked B-Bonang today..."
"Excellent!" Ssylvar exclaimed, "How did that go? Lots of new slaves, I hope?"
The frog-girl hesitated and Ssylvar frowned.
"Well," he said, "Report!"
The girl gulped and spoke, "It...it w-went f-fairly well, sir. B-But..."
"But WHAT?" Ssylvar was starting to get very annoyed. His green eyes glowed angrily.
"B-But we...we accidentally d-destroyed your house...s-sir."
"WHAT??" Ssylvar leapt from his chair, eyes burning in pure fury, "What happened to the turtles I was keeping there?"
The frog-girl cringed and was momentarily unable to speak. Finally, she found her voice, "We...we didn't see them, s-sir. Their bodies....we d-didn't find them. Th-they escaped."
Sslyvar sat down in his chair, but his face was alight with rage. He waved his hand and three Demons marched toward the girl. "Execute her!" He said, and the Demons grabbed onto the girl's arms. She screamed and tried to struggle free; she was a Reaper and she was strong, but the three holding her were stronger, a higher rank. They led her out of the palace, ignoring her pleas for her life. Ssylvar smirked and folded his arms, but Orgo was frowning.
"You've got to stop killing Reapers," Orgo said, "They're too strong to be wasted like that."
"I had to make an example," Ssylvar said, "She was weak anyway, and Rigai will give us more."
"How do you know that?" Orgo said, "He hasn't actually -said- he'd make more; you're just assuming."
"I'm not," Ssylvar said, "He told me he would make more if we needed them. I just didn't tell you about it."
"Then how come he hasn't?" Orgo asked.
"Because we don't need them yet," Syylvar said, waving his hand dismissively. Orgo rather thought that Rigai wasn't telling them something, but he didn't say as much to Ssylvar. The snake-man wouldn't listen anyway.
"Whatever," Orgo said instead, "Just stop killing them. We can't afford to alienate the ones who have joined us."
Ssylvar shrugged, "Fine, I'll stop killing them. Sheesh, you've become a real baby lately."
Orgo frowned, "Stop. I'm just trying to get you to see that we haven't won. Not yet. Hell, we don't even have Xawks right now."
"Humf," Ssylvar said, "We'll get more. Those stubborn pests are just holding out."
"If you say so," Orgo said.
"I say so." Sslyvar smirked, his forked tongue flickering.
Suddenly, a large blue Xawk appeared in the air above Ssylvar's head. He stared at it for a minute, and then turned his smile toward Orgo.
"See?" He said nastily, "I told you we'd get more."
Orgo frowned and crossed his arms.
"His name's Slug," Ssylvar said triumphantly. "Now....Slug. Do you know what you need to do?"
The big Xawk informed Ssylvar that he did indeed know what he needed to do, and he wouldn't die like his foolish brothers had.
"Excellent," Ssylvar said. The big blue gave a chirp and disappeared, off to do his master's bidding.
----
----
A/N: Well, it's happened....I've gotten busy. Ah well, I knew it would happen, but that's ok. I'll do my best for a chapter a week, maybe more if I have time. Enjoy!
----
A blue and a yellow Xawk appeared in the sewer tunnels of Toronto mere minutes after Don, Mike, Splinter, and Shayl had made their exit. Both Xawks were being particularly stubborn that day, and neither were unhappy that the four had gone. They also weren't in much of a hurry to figure out where they had gone next, but the Xawks knew that they would eventually have to look.
For now, though, they could just stay here. The blue Xawk swooped down to the river running through the tunnel and started batting at the water. It wasn't sure what it would find, but maybe there would be a dead fish or some rotten food. The yellow Xawk saw that it was missing out on the fun, so it flew over to the blue one and tackled it into the water. Furious, the blue Xawk exploded from the water and attacked the yellow. They began to roll about on the stone floor, making quite a ruckus.
A pair of small eyes watched the two Xawks diligently. The yellow and blue fought for several minutes, but eventually both either became bored or forgot what they were fighting about. The blue told the yellow that they'd better start looking and they both disappeared. Instantly, Rudy disappeared as well, telling himself that he really was the best Xawk in the world, because he could watch these idiots and make sure they didn't get away if they found his master.
----
Don blinked as Rudy appeared in front of his face. Immediately he tensed as he received the message about the two Xawks. He told the others, and they all began to watch intently for the imminent arrival of two enemy Xawks.
They cavern they had procured as their hiding place was small and dark. Shayl had created a light for them, and they had done their best to make it comfortable. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about the hard stone floor or the lack of beds. Shayl had told them not to worry about food or water; even Splinter would not need it now that he'd been linked to Donatello.
The minutes ticked away, each one of them becoming more and more tense. Rudy sat on Don's shoulder, Blackie on Shayl's, and Clip on Mike's. Clip showed his anxiety most clearly, his little white wings flapping constantly, his ferret head bobbing up and down. Suddenly the little white gave a warning squeal and two Xawks appeared in mid air. Rudy was the first to leap at them, grabbing onto the blue Xawk with a hiss. Blackie and Clip made it to the yellow shortly afterward, their leathery wings beating against its small yellow body as they attacked.
Clip and Blackie tore at the yellow Xawk with their claws, rending the flesh from its wings. The little yellow beast fell to the floor with a piteous cry, and Blackie pounced on him, sinking her teeth into its neck. Clip fluttered backward to save himself from Blackie's wrath. Shayl leapt toward Blackie and the yellow, creating a large belt-knife in her hand. Blackie leapt back obediently and Shayl sliced the knife into the yellow Xawk's belly, tearing the life from its body.
Meanwhile, Rudy was fighting the battle of his life with the blue. Don and Mike had rushed over to help, but the two fighting Xawks were flitting aimlessly around the cave, just out of everyone's reach. Rudy screamed as one of the blue's claws tore across his eye, leaving a nasty gash where his eye had once been. Furious, Rudy charged the blue, lashing his talons across its belly. The blue fell back, and Clip rushed in, his small white body fairly diminuitive to the larger blue. The blue swatted his wings at Clip and sent him into a wild spiral away toward a nearby wall. The little white slammed into the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Rudy screamed angrily and rushed at the blue once more. Blackie also entered the fray, tumbling into the blue and tearing at his wings with her sharp claws. The blue dove frantically and smashed into the ground, knocking Blackie off and sending her rolling. Rudy dove after them, but the blood from his lost eye was starting to seep into his good one, and he missed them, slamming into the ground himself. The blue shrieked triumphantly and zipped away from Blackie. As he informed them that they were now screwed and Ssylvar would find them, a clawed hand flashed forward and grabbed the blue Xawk by the neck. The blue shrieked in alarm and tried to struggle free, but Splinter tightened his grip and began to crush the Xawk.
"You will not betray us," He said to the blue and squeezed his hand tight, breaking the back of the blue Xawk. The creature cried out sharply in pain and then fell limp in Splinter's hand.
"Whew..." Mike said as he scooped up the unconscious Clip. Don didn't comment as he knealt down to inspect Rudy's wound. It was bad, and Don had no idea how to heal a Xawk.
"Here," Shayl said, tearing off part of her sleeve, "Wrap this around his head. It should heal in a day or so, including that eye."
"It'll grow back?" Don asked, concerned for his little friend, and also a little alarmed that an eye could grow back.
"Yes," Shayl said, "At least, it should if the wound doesn't go too deep. Xawks have limited restorative powers."
Don nodded and wrapped the makeshift bandage around Rudy's head; the little Xawks was moaning piteously.
Mike guestured to the two dead Xawks, "They're not gonna restore anything, are they?" He asked. Clip regained consciousness at Mike's voice and squawked. Mike patted his soothingly.
Shayl shook her head, "No...once they're dead, they stay that way. Orgo and Ssylvar will just get new ones, though. xawks are wild creatures that choose to help out the Reapers. It may take a while for new ones to come to them, since they let their old ones die, but more should come eventually."
"Are you certain?" Splinter asked, "Perhaps these Xawks won't help those who are evil."
Shayl shrugged, "That'd be too much to hope for."
"There's always hope," Splinter responded.
Shayl rolled her eyes, "Whatever, gramps. Blackie, take care of those bodies." The black Xawk chirped an affirmation and swooped over to the yellow's body. He grabbed it, disappeared, and promptly reappeared for the blue. No one asked where he took them.
----
--TWO WEEKS LATER--
"Dammit!" Don pounded his fist on the wall angrily.
"Why can't you learn this stuff?" Shayl asked, grinding her teeth.
"I don't know!" Don said, "I guess I just don't think the right way."
"You have to learn!" Shayl said, "Mike's learning it fine! Why can't you?"
Don sighed. He really didn't know. Thus far Mike had been able to learn how to blast someone with fire, shake the ground with an earthquake, create a tornado, teleport, and he could even turn rocks to life! It had all been very difficult to accomplish in the small cavern, but Shayl had shown Mike how to aim his spells so they only hit who he wanted them to hit. So far all Don had learned was how to make an earthquake. It was -substantially- more powerful than Mike's had been and had nearly brought the cavern down on their heads despite Shayl's assurance that that could not happen; but that was all he could do. Shayl's aiming advice had not worked for Don.
Mike had also been practicing his teleportation constantly. He didn't really have anywhere to practice...from one end of the cavern to another, but that didn't matter. It was still the most entertaining thing he'd ever done.
Splinter had spent most of his time meditating, though he did take the opportunity here and there to encourage Donatello. However, it wasn't helping, and they were all starting to go stir-crazy.
"I can't take this anymore," Don said, "I have to find a way to learn this stuff...I have to beat Orgo and Ssylvar..." They had been receiving constant reports about the world above from their Xawks. Rudy's eye had indeed healed, despite a rather nasty scar, and he and the others had taken turns going to the surface to see what was going on.
The news had been grim. Ssylvar and Orgo had begun systematically destroying cities and people. They had also recruited legions of Vile Demons; those who had been banished to the Wastelands for their deeds in life. They were destroying city after city, every day moving closer to Bonang and total domination of the Demon World. The Xawks had reported that Orgo and Ssylvar had set up a sort of 'palace' in what was once the city of Gui. As far as the Xawks knew, they had not gone to the Living World yet. They could only surmise as to why.
Shayl thought that they were just waiting until after they'd taken over the Demon world; they would find attacking the Demon World more challenging and thus more entertaining. Don had interjected that perhaps they were afraid Gaia would interfere with them, but Shayl shot him down. She reminded him that Gaia had gone away. She had no more power.
The four of them could do nothing but hide in the caverns and train. They had encountered six more invader Xawks since the blue and yellow had come, and each had met their death quickly. There was always the constant threat of discovery, but so far they had not been found.
"I don't know what to do," Shayl said, "You've only learned one spell, and yes, it's destructive, but it's not going to do much good."
"I'm sorry," Don said, "I just can't seem to learn anything. I really don't know why."
"Me neither," Shayl said, slumping down on the floor in defeat.
"You know," Mike said, "Maybe it's because you're too scientifically minded, Don. You need to believe in this mystical stuff."
Don shook his head, "I've tried that, Mikey, but every time I go to cast a spell, my mind wonders -how- it works. If I only had time to study..."
"Well, you don't," Shayl interrupted. "You're just going to have to change the way you think."
Don sighed, "I know...it's not like I don't -want- to think that way. I just can't help it."
Splinter put his hand on Don's shoulder, "I believe you will find a way, my son. Perhaps you were not meant to learn these spells."
"How can he not be meant to learn them?" Shayl asked angrily, "He's the Siyem! That's what the Siyem -does-!"
Splinter just shrugged and sat down to mediate. Shayl huffed angrily and stomped away from them, though she couldn't get very far in the cramped cavern.
Don turned away from the others and began to think about his spells. He didn't know why he could do the earthquake spell and teleport to the living world, but he couldn't do anything else. The earthquake spell had not come to him easily, and in fact it had taken him over a week to even do it. Don wondered if all the other spells would come that slowly.
'Probably,' Don thought sullenly. He couldn't face Orgo and Ssylvar with only one spell and the shell on his back. He would lose, and that would be that.
Don hung his head in his hands and wondered what the heck he was going to do. This was certainly not how he'd expected to spend his afterlife.
----
"I've had it, I'm going nuts!" Raph kicked at the wall, his foot painfully bounding off the hard surface. He didn't seem to notice.
"I know," Leo said quietly. They'd been confined to Ssylvar's house for two weeks now, and they'd had this conversation nearly every day of that time. At first Leo had spent his time meditating, but soon, an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty and guilt had built up within him, and he'd lost nearly all his resolve. Raphael had done his best to knock Leo out of that mood, with limited results.
"We have to get out of here!" Raph yelled, kicking angrily at Ssylvar's furniture and frowning for the millionth time when it didn't break.
"We can't," Leo said.
"There HAS to be a way out!" Raph yelled, angry at his brother for giving up.
"Just sit down, Raph," Leo said in a patronizing voice.
This infuriated Raph, and he leapt toward Leo, all his patience gone. Leo immediately prepared himself, dealing a kick to Raph's chest. Raph fell back slightly, but instantly initiated a counterattack, heaving his fist into Leo's face.
Leo dodged the punch, but wasn't ready for the sweep-kick that Raph performed a moment later. Somehow, Raph was just a little bit faster than him. Leonardo fell to the ground and Raph loomed over him, an angry look on his face. However, he didn't look like he was going to attack again.
"Stop acting stupid!" Raph said, "There has to be a way out of here!"
"There isn't, so stop-" Leo's words were cut off as an enormous explosion shook the house. Raph staggered backward and Leo climbed to his feet, only to to be knocked off of them again by another explosion. Both turtles gaped as the entire front wall of the house blew off.
"Damn!" Raph exclaimed, "I told you there was a way out!"
Leo stared at the hole in astonishment, shook his head, and gathered his shattered wits.
"C'mon Raph. Now's our chance!" Leo raced for the hole.
"Y'don't have to tell me twice!" Raph yelled, running after him.
Outside, they were both staggered by the carnage around them. Fires were raging, and Demons were running around screaming. Many of them were injured, and some were on fire. Many more lay dead in the streets.
"We've got to find some cover!" Leo yelled over another explosion. They couldn't tell where the blasts were coming from, but neither turtle really wanted to find out. Raph ran over to a thin alleyway between two somewhat damaged buildings. Both turtles ran into the opening and followed it until they came to another street, this one wracked with just as much carnage as the one before.
"Where now?" Raph asked, looking around frantically.
"I don't know!" Leo said. He began to run, guesturing for Raph to follow. They both ducked under fallen walls and scattered stone, trying their best to dive away from explosions and shrapnel. At one point a huge explosion brought the wall of a building down on top of them, but both turtles were astonished to find that not only were they not injured, but they had very little problem climbing out of the rubble.
They continued to run, dodging panicked demons and falling stone. Finally, the explosions seemed to abate somewhat, so they stopped in a doorway to catch their breath.
"I wish I knew what was going on," Leo said. Raph nodded and was about to speak when a blast of energy hit him square in the chest. Leo exclaimed in surprise and looked around for their attacker, but before he could move, he was hit squarely in the face by another energy blast. By this time Raph had managed to struggle to his feet, but Leo had been rendered unconscious. Raph snarled angrily, looking around for someone to fight. Suddenly, another blast flew in, hitting Raph in the face and knocking him out. Strong hands grabbed onto the two unconscious turtles and pulled them through the doorway that had been their momentary refuge.
----
Ssylvar surveyed the room that had become his palatial chamber with a smirk. Finally everything was going the way it should; he was the rightful ruler of this world, as he had always been meant to be.
"Stop oggling," Orgo said, interrupting Ssylvar's thoughts, "You act like this is the most beautiful place on the planet."
"Well, it is," Ssylvar said sourly, "It's the seat of our empire; what could me more beautiful than that?"
Orgo scoffed, "It's just a room. Besides, this means nothing as long as the Siyem still lives."
"Bah," Ssylvar said, "You're still worried about that? He's probably rotting somewhere, trying to figure out how he's going to beat us!"
"Exactly my point," Orgo said irritably, "And when he does figure out how to beat us..."
Ssylvar waved his hand angrily, "He won't! And I don't want to hear anymore about it!"
Orgo bowed his head, "As you wish. You're the boss, after all."
"Yes, I am," Ssylvar said, "And you'd best remember it."
Orgo carefully controlled his expression.
"Now," Ssylvar said, "Let's hear about the day's destruction, hmm?" He waved his hand at a nearby Demon, who immediately jumped to his feet and ran out the door. A few minutes later he returned, escorting a young female Demoness, who looked quite a bit like a frog.
"What have you to report?" Ssylvar said, reclining back in his 'throne.'
The young demoness seemed hesitant to speak, and there was a look of abject fear on her face. When she did speak, it came out in a stammer, "W-well, s-sir....we attacked B-Bonang today..."
"Excellent!" Ssylvar exclaimed, "How did that go? Lots of new slaves, I hope?"
The frog-girl hesitated and Ssylvar frowned.
"Well," he said, "Report!"
The girl gulped and spoke, "It...it w-went f-fairly well, sir. B-But..."
"But WHAT?" Ssylvar was starting to get very annoyed. His green eyes glowed angrily.
"B-But we...we accidentally d-destroyed your house...s-sir."
"WHAT??" Ssylvar leapt from his chair, eyes burning in pure fury, "What happened to the turtles I was keeping there?"
The frog-girl cringed and was momentarily unable to speak. Finally, she found her voice, "We...we didn't see them, s-sir. Their bodies....we d-didn't find them. Th-they escaped."
Sslyvar sat down in his chair, but his face was alight with rage. He waved his hand and three Demons marched toward the girl. "Execute her!" He said, and the Demons grabbed onto the girl's arms. She screamed and tried to struggle free; she was a Reaper and she was strong, but the three holding her were stronger, a higher rank. They led her out of the palace, ignoring her pleas for her life. Ssylvar smirked and folded his arms, but Orgo was frowning.
"You've got to stop killing Reapers," Orgo said, "They're too strong to be wasted like that."
"I had to make an example," Ssylvar said, "She was weak anyway, and Rigai will give us more."
"How do you know that?" Orgo said, "He hasn't actually -said- he'd make more; you're just assuming."
"I'm not," Ssylvar said, "He told me he would make more if we needed them. I just didn't tell you about it."
"Then how come he hasn't?" Orgo asked.
"Because we don't need them yet," Syylvar said, waving his hand dismissively. Orgo rather thought that Rigai wasn't telling them something, but he didn't say as much to Ssylvar. The snake-man wouldn't listen anyway.
"Whatever," Orgo said instead, "Just stop killing them. We can't afford to alienate the ones who have joined us."
Ssylvar shrugged, "Fine, I'll stop killing them. Sheesh, you've become a real baby lately."
Orgo frowned, "Stop. I'm just trying to get you to see that we haven't won. Not yet. Hell, we don't even have Xawks right now."
"Humf," Ssylvar said, "We'll get more. Those stubborn pests are just holding out."
"If you say so," Orgo said.
"I say so." Sslyvar smirked, his forked tongue flickering.
Suddenly, a large blue Xawk appeared in the air above Ssylvar's head. He stared at it for a minute, and then turned his smile toward Orgo.
"See?" He said nastily, "I told you we'd get more."
Orgo frowned and crossed his arms.
"His name's Slug," Ssylvar said triumphantly. "Now....Slug. Do you know what you need to do?"
The big Xawk informed Ssylvar that he did indeed know what he needed to do, and he wouldn't die like his foolish brothers had.
"Excellent," Ssylvar said. The big blue gave a chirp and disappeared, off to do his master's bidding.
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