Chapter 20
The execution stage had been carefully prepared to look grandiose and important. It was tall, and the front of it was lined with a gold trim and an ornate vine pattern. There was nothing on the stage itself, but hanging behind it was a banner that read "Stamp Out Disobedience, Follow Your Rightful Leader" in big red letters.
There was ample room in front of the stage for a crowd to gather, and it had because of the citywide order to do so, but at the moment no one was paying attention to the stage. Everyone was fighting, in a riot that had grown to epic propotions thanks to the underlying tension created by Ssylvar and Orgo; Raphael had simply been the spark to the flame.
As Ssylvar and Orgo made their way onto the stage with their prisoners, they made no reaction toward the severity of the riot. In face, Ssylvar watched it for a few moments with a look of amusment on his face. Finally, he put up his hands and began to chant runes.
The sky turned completely black and the ground rumbled. Everyone in the crowd gasped and many lost their footing as a large earthquake rattled them into silence. Ssylvar was pleased to see that once the earthquake had ended everyone was looking at him, and he could see the fear in their eyes.
"My people," the snake man said, guesturing his scaly arms out toward the crowd, "You have come here today out of loyalty to me to witness the beginning of a new age." He paused, listening for sounds of dissent from the crowd. He heard none, "Today we will execute the traitor Siyem, who has not taken up his duties to the people properly. He will pay for his crimes, as will those who have tried to help him." Ssylvar made a grand guesture toward the other prisoners on stage, and as one, they all unfroze, their magical bonds holding them fast. Raphael immediately began to yell, but Ssylvar waved his hand and Raph fell silent; an invisible gag had been placed over his mouth. No one else said anything, each lost in their thoughts.
Leonardo was still trying to plot a way out, but he knew his stregnth would not aid him. Justin was silently panicking to himself. He didn't want to die...it was hard for Reapers to come to terms with death, especially when they'd lived as long as Justin had. Michelangelo felt numb...he felt like his mind was in another place, floating somewhere beyond his reach. Splinter was simply meditating, finding peace with himself. Raphael was seething, wanting more than anything to rip Ssylvar's head off and kick it into the lava pools.
Donatello, unlike the rest, was analyzing. The stage was interesting to him, especially the blatant signage that Ssylvar had put up. He wondered how they were going to kill him without causing damage to the crowd. He was also wondering how they would kill him at all, but then the answer came...and Don was very upset when he saw it.
Fifteen Reapers approached the stage, each with a person walking in front of them. Don could tell just by looking that these people were just normal humans. The difference was that they each bore a scar on their shoulder, a scar that Donatello easily recognized. The Reapers had linked to these people, and the people were going to kill Don. Worse still, the humans who would do the killing would die as well...anyone who killed the Siyem died too.
Don was sure these people didn't know that. They probably thought they were earning their lives by doing this. Don wasn't going to stand by and let that happen. At least he could give them a chance.
"Hey!" Don called out, causing everyone in the crowd as well as Ssylvar, Orgo, and the rest of the prisoners to look right at him. Don swallowed a bit in nervousness and then continued. "You can't let those people execute me. They'll die!"
"Shut up!" Ssylvar exclaimed and waved the humans forward, "He's a traitor. Kill him and continue your lives."
"He lies!" Donatello said, struggling in his bonds. Ssylvar waved his hand and Don felt a magical gag form over his mouth.
"The Siyem will be the first to die," Ssylvar said, stepping off to the side. There was about twenty feet of open space on the stage now between Donatello and the humans. They began to advance.
No...Don thought...I can't let this happen....
He tried to struggle, but he couldn't break the bonds. He still didn't know any magic. He'd been taught it all, but he just couldn't do it.
Suddenly, a portal opened up right in front of Donatello. Ssylvar stepped forward quickly, but stopped when he saw who was exiting.
"Shayl!" he guffawed, "Are you really suicidal?"
Shayl waved her hand and her portal closed. The humans had stopped moving and were now looking at Shayl in confusion.
"Turn around and leave," Shayl said, her voice low and ominous. Many of the people looked like they wanted to obey her, but they all stayed put. Ssylvar stepped forward, placing himself between Shayl and the people. He leaned forward and brushed his hand across her cheek. Shayl sneered and spit in Ssylvar's face, but the snake man simply laughed.
"You're trying to provoke me," he said, amused. Shayl didn't respond.
"You must be suicidal," Ssylvar said, "You can't escape now, even if you wanted to."
"I don't want to," Shayl said, "This is a last stand."
"I thought so," Ssylvar said, "Now, die!" He extended his hand toward Shayl and grabbed her throat violently. She struggled to break free, but it was impossible. Ssylvar's hand tightened and Shayl began to sputter and gag.
"NO!" Donatello and Michelangelo exclaimed at the same moment. Ssylvar barked a laugh and squeezed harder. Shayl's face began to turn blue.
Don felt a feeling of desperation unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He renewed his struggle on the energy bonds holding him.
Shayl's face turned a deep purple and drool began to dribble from her mouth. Ssylvar lifted her off the ground and her feet kicked at him, but of course it did nothing to stop him. Her feet continued to kick for another agonizing minute, and then finally, they hung limp. Ssylvar barked a laugh and released Shayl's neck. Her body slumped to the ground, and everyone present could tell that she was dead.
Don coudln't beleive it. Shayl had walked right up to Ssylvar and died, just like that. He'd never been more furious in his life; all Don wanted to do at that moment was kill Ssylvar and end the pain he had caused so many.
Ssylvar continued to laugh and make a guesture toward Shayl's body. It began to glow with an eerie blue light, which curled around and toward Ssylvar's arm. It wound around his body twice and then was gone; Shayl's power had been absorbed into him. Ssylvar was now even stronger.
The white hot fire of anger burned within Donatello as he watched Ssylvar descecreate Shayl's corpse. He clenched his fists and began to flex his muscles against the magical bonds.
Michelangelo was also burning with anger, but he was suddenly distacted from his own fury by the anger he felt coming from Donatello. It wasn't that he could just see how angry Don was; he could literally feel it coming off in waves, washing over him. Mike could almost see the anger.
Ssylvar turned away from Shayl and back to the prisoners, "Time for the execution," he said ominously, drunk with his own power.
Donatello cried out, his eyes suddenly starting to glow red with his rage. The other prisoners noted this with surprise, especially Leonardo and Raphael. Ssylvar stopped and stared at Donatello for a moment, but then waved for the executioner humans to advance once again. They didn't get far, however, before Don screamed out in rage once again. This time his whole body was glowing red, and his bonds, which had previously seemed so unbreakable, melted away from his body and formed in a puddle at his feet.
At this, the humans stopped, and most of them turned and ran. Sslyvar screamed at them to come back, but they weren't listening. Donatello walked several paces toward Ssylvar.
"You shouldn't have killed her," Don said, his voice raspy and almost double-toned.
Ssylvar snorted, "She was weak. She deserved it."
Don's hands clenched into fists, "You've done enough. This ends now."
"You can't beat me," Ssylvar said, laughing, "You don't know anything."
"I learned something just now," Don said, raising his left hand above his head, "I learned that I've been too busy trying to figure this stuff out," A glowing ball began to form above his hand, "I usually analyze everything, but what I really needed to do was get pissed off." The energy ball crackled and sputtered with electricity. Ssylvar back up two paces and crouched defensively.
In the background, Orgo carefully slipped offstage. He disappeared into a doorway and was gone without anyone noticing.
"You can't beat me!" Ssylvar screamed, balling his hands into fists. Energy began to crackle around his body. Don advanced toward him, looking like a thing possessed. Everyone on stage was watching intently, but most of the crowd had scattered. Michelangelo was the only one seemingly not paying attention. His eyes were closed and his head had lolled off to one side.
Ssylvar snarled and thrust his hands toward Donatello, releasing an exposion of electric force. The blast hit Don directly, knocking him back several feet. The observers onstage could feel the electricity bearing down on them, but Don took the brunt of the attack. His own energy ball began to fade as the blast intensified, until it was stuffed out. Don staggered and fell to his knees, his skin beginning to blister in many places from the heat.
Ssylvar laughed, "You see?" he said, cutting off the barrage, "You're weak, just like Shayl. You should have let -me- teach you how to do magic."
Donatello stood up shakily, "She did what she could." His voice sounded defensive. He'd lost a bit of his resolve.
"What's the matter?" Ssylvar scoffed, "You stop being angry?"
Don took an agressive step forward, "No. Were you hoping I had?"
Ssylvar took a step forward as well, "I wouldn't mind seeing you cry."
"I'll bet you'd like that," Don said, raising his left hand again, "Let's go."
Before Ssylvar could comment, Don shot a blast of fire at Ssylvar. The flames engulfed the snake man, and for several moments, no one on stage could see him. Don screamed as the flames blasted from his hands, his eyes alight with anger. Finally, he stopped, and as the smoke and flames began to clear, the sound of laughter could be heard. Ssylvar stepped forward out of the smoke.
"Nice try," he said, rubbing his face, "That -did- hurt, but as you can see, I'm fine."
"Dammit!" Don said angrily. He'd put everything he had into the blast.
"I'm tired of this," Ssylvar said. He extended both of his arms and sent out an incredible blast toward Don. Electricity and fire, twining together, smashed right into Donatello, knocking him backward and to his knees. He screamed in agony as his flesh began to burn.
"Die!" Ssylvar screamed, this time not letting up his barrage.
"NO!" A scream erupted from behind Donatello. Then a huge flash of light was seen, and Ssylvar's flames snuffed out.
"What?" Sslyvar exclaimed, staggering back. He looked at Don, who was still on his knees. The snake man shifted his eyes around, wondering what could have happened. At that moment, a figure stepped out of the smoke from Ssylvar's fire. It was Michelangelo.
"Stand down, Ssylvar," Mike said. He looked positively furious. Leo and Raph watched in complete astonishment. This wasn't how their mild, fun-loving brother was supposed to act. Of course, Don hadn't been acting too normal either.
Ssylvar guffawed. "You?? The Wiyem? Don't make me laugh."
Don turned his head at the sound of Mike's voice. He wondered how the heck Mike had gotten free, but he was still scared for his brother, "No, Mike," he said, putting up his hand weakly, "Stay out of this! Save yourself."
"No, Don," Mike said, his voice rising in intensity, "I'm not backing down. I know what I need to do here." Mike put up his hand and pointed at Ssylvar. The snake man just laughed and crossed his arms. Mike's hand then began to move slowly, away from Ssylvar. Eventually it was pointing at Donatello. Michelangelo began to chant, and blue flames erupted from his hand, arcing around Donatello. Ssylvar watched with interest, but still stayed put.
As the blue flames encircled him, Don felt rather strange. The pain that he'd been feeling began to melt away, and he could feel a tingling in his extremeties. Suddenly, a surge of power flashed through Donatello, and he bolted upright, electricity arcing from his body to the ground. He heard something in his mind, a small work of encouragement. Faint, but substantial. He began to advance on Ssylvar. Mike ended his magic and stepped back.
"What is this?" Ssylvar said, taking an involuntary step backward, "What did he just do to you?"
"He did his job," Don said, "It seems that the Wiyem has a greater purpose than we originally thought, Ssylvar."
"What..." Ssylvar sputtered, "No...stay away from me!" He snarled and blasted electricity at Don yet again. This time, Don threw up his hands and leaned into the blast. The electricity flowed around him, and Don felt it burn, but then, he felt it begin to dissipate, as his body absorbed Ssylvar's wrath.
"My turn," Don said, balled his hands into fists, barked out a few runes, and fired off an enormous blast of energy at Ssyvar. The snake man shrieked as the electricity hit him, engulfing him in fire. He began to stagger as Don increased his onslaught, and finally, Ssylvar stumbled, fell to his knees, and then toppled over onto his face.
Don cut off his barrage, falling to one knee in exhaustion. Michelangelo quickly ran past Don and up to Ssylvar, bending over the snake man.
After a few moments, "He's dead..."
Don heaved a heavy sigh and put up his hand. Sslyvar began to glow with an ethereal blue light, and just as had happened with Shayl, a blue flame began to encircle Ssylvar's corpse. However, Don waved his hand forcefully and the flame flickered, twirled and then dashed away, disappearing into the sky.
Don sighed heavily and proceeded to pass out, face first on the stage.
----
a/n: we're almost done here, folks. One more chapter, I think.
The execution stage had been carefully prepared to look grandiose and important. It was tall, and the front of it was lined with a gold trim and an ornate vine pattern. There was nothing on the stage itself, but hanging behind it was a banner that read "Stamp Out Disobedience, Follow Your Rightful Leader" in big red letters.
There was ample room in front of the stage for a crowd to gather, and it had because of the citywide order to do so, but at the moment no one was paying attention to the stage. Everyone was fighting, in a riot that had grown to epic propotions thanks to the underlying tension created by Ssylvar and Orgo; Raphael had simply been the spark to the flame.
As Ssylvar and Orgo made their way onto the stage with their prisoners, they made no reaction toward the severity of the riot. In face, Ssylvar watched it for a few moments with a look of amusment on his face. Finally, he put up his hands and began to chant runes.
The sky turned completely black and the ground rumbled. Everyone in the crowd gasped and many lost their footing as a large earthquake rattled them into silence. Ssylvar was pleased to see that once the earthquake had ended everyone was looking at him, and he could see the fear in their eyes.
"My people," the snake man said, guesturing his scaly arms out toward the crowd, "You have come here today out of loyalty to me to witness the beginning of a new age." He paused, listening for sounds of dissent from the crowd. He heard none, "Today we will execute the traitor Siyem, who has not taken up his duties to the people properly. He will pay for his crimes, as will those who have tried to help him." Ssylvar made a grand guesture toward the other prisoners on stage, and as one, they all unfroze, their magical bonds holding them fast. Raphael immediately began to yell, but Ssylvar waved his hand and Raph fell silent; an invisible gag had been placed over his mouth. No one else said anything, each lost in their thoughts.
Leonardo was still trying to plot a way out, but he knew his stregnth would not aid him. Justin was silently panicking to himself. He didn't want to die...it was hard for Reapers to come to terms with death, especially when they'd lived as long as Justin had. Michelangelo felt numb...he felt like his mind was in another place, floating somewhere beyond his reach. Splinter was simply meditating, finding peace with himself. Raphael was seething, wanting more than anything to rip Ssylvar's head off and kick it into the lava pools.
Donatello, unlike the rest, was analyzing. The stage was interesting to him, especially the blatant signage that Ssylvar had put up. He wondered how they were going to kill him without causing damage to the crowd. He was also wondering how they would kill him at all, but then the answer came...and Don was very upset when he saw it.
Fifteen Reapers approached the stage, each with a person walking in front of them. Don could tell just by looking that these people were just normal humans. The difference was that they each bore a scar on their shoulder, a scar that Donatello easily recognized. The Reapers had linked to these people, and the people were going to kill Don. Worse still, the humans who would do the killing would die as well...anyone who killed the Siyem died too.
Don was sure these people didn't know that. They probably thought they were earning their lives by doing this. Don wasn't going to stand by and let that happen. At least he could give them a chance.
"Hey!" Don called out, causing everyone in the crowd as well as Ssylvar, Orgo, and the rest of the prisoners to look right at him. Don swallowed a bit in nervousness and then continued. "You can't let those people execute me. They'll die!"
"Shut up!" Ssylvar exclaimed and waved the humans forward, "He's a traitor. Kill him and continue your lives."
"He lies!" Donatello said, struggling in his bonds. Ssylvar waved his hand and Don felt a magical gag form over his mouth.
"The Siyem will be the first to die," Ssylvar said, stepping off to the side. There was about twenty feet of open space on the stage now between Donatello and the humans. They began to advance.
No...Don thought...I can't let this happen....
He tried to struggle, but he couldn't break the bonds. He still didn't know any magic. He'd been taught it all, but he just couldn't do it.
Suddenly, a portal opened up right in front of Donatello. Ssylvar stepped forward quickly, but stopped when he saw who was exiting.
"Shayl!" he guffawed, "Are you really suicidal?"
Shayl waved her hand and her portal closed. The humans had stopped moving and were now looking at Shayl in confusion.
"Turn around and leave," Shayl said, her voice low and ominous. Many of the people looked like they wanted to obey her, but they all stayed put. Ssylvar stepped forward, placing himself between Shayl and the people. He leaned forward and brushed his hand across her cheek. Shayl sneered and spit in Ssylvar's face, but the snake man simply laughed.
"You're trying to provoke me," he said, amused. Shayl didn't respond.
"You must be suicidal," Ssylvar said, "You can't escape now, even if you wanted to."
"I don't want to," Shayl said, "This is a last stand."
"I thought so," Ssylvar said, "Now, die!" He extended his hand toward Shayl and grabbed her throat violently. She struggled to break free, but it was impossible. Ssylvar's hand tightened and Shayl began to sputter and gag.
"NO!" Donatello and Michelangelo exclaimed at the same moment. Ssylvar barked a laugh and squeezed harder. Shayl's face began to turn blue.
Don felt a feeling of desperation unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He renewed his struggle on the energy bonds holding him.
Shayl's face turned a deep purple and drool began to dribble from her mouth. Ssylvar lifted her off the ground and her feet kicked at him, but of course it did nothing to stop him. Her feet continued to kick for another agonizing minute, and then finally, they hung limp. Ssylvar barked a laugh and released Shayl's neck. Her body slumped to the ground, and everyone present could tell that she was dead.
Don coudln't beleive it. Shayl had walked right up to Ssylvar and died, just like that. He'd never been more furious in his life; all Don wanted to do at that moment was kill Ssylvar and end the pain he had caused so many.
Ssylvar continued to laugh and make a guesture toward Shayl's body. It began to glow with an eerie blue light, which curled around and toward Ssylvar's arm. It wound around his body twice and then was gone; Shayl's power had been absorbed into him. Ssylvar was now even stronger.
The white hot fire of anger burned within Donatello as he watched Ssylvar descecreate Shayl's corpse. He clenched his fists and began to flex his muscles against the magical bonds.
Michelangelo was also burning with anger, but he was suddenly distacted from his own fury by the anger he felt coming from Donatello. It wasn't that he could just see how angry Don was; he could literally feel it coming off in waves, washing over him. Mike could almost see the anger.
Ssylvar turned away from Shayl and back to the prisoners, "Time for the execution," he said ominously, drunk with his own power.
Donatello cried out, his eyes suddenly starting to glow red with his rage. The other prisoners noted this with surprise, especially Leonardo and Raphael. Ssylvar stopped and stared at Donatello for a moment, but then waved for the executioner humans to advance once again. They didn't get far, however, before Don screamed out in rage once again. This time his whole body was glowing red, and his bonds, which had previously seemed so unbreakable, melted away from his body and formed in a puddle at his feet.
At this, the humans stopped, and most of them turned and ran. Sslyvar screamed at them to come back, but they weren't listening. Donatello walked several paces toward Ssylvar.
"You shouldn't have killed her," Don said, his voice raspy and almost double-toned.
Ssylvar snorted, "She was weak. She deserved it."
Don's hands clenched into fists, "You've done enough. This ends now."
"You can't beat me," Ssylvar said, laughing, "You don't know anything."
"I learned something just now," Don said, raising his left hand above his head, "I learned that I've been too busy trying to figure this stuff out," A glowing ball began to form above his hand, "I usually analyze everything, but what I really needed to do was get pissed off." The energy ball crackled and sputtered with electricity. Ssylvar back up two paces and crouched defensively.
In the background, Orgo carefully slipped offstage. He disappeared into a doorway and was gone without anyone noticing.
"You can't beat me!" Ssylvar screamed, balling his hands into fists. Energy began to crackle around his body. Don advanced toward him, looking like a thing possessed. Everyone on stage was watching intently, but most of the crowd had scattered. Michelangelo was the only one seemingly not paying attention. His eyes were closed and his head had lolled off to one side.
Ssylvar snarled and thrust his hands toward Donatello, releasing an exposion of electric force. The blast hit Don directly, knocking him back several feet. The observers onstage could feel the electricity bearing down on them, but Don took the brunt of the attack. His own energy ball began to fade as the blast intensified, until it was stuffed out. Don staggered and fell to his knees, his skin beginning to blister in many places from the heat.
Ssylvar laughed, "You see?" he said, cutting off the barrage, "You're weak, just like Shayl. You should have let -me- teach you how to do magic."
Donatello stood up shakily, "She did what she could." His voice sounded defensive. He'd lost a bit of his resolve.
"What's the matter?" Ssylvar scoffed, "You stop being angry?"
Don took an agressive step forward, "No. Were you hoping I had?"
Ssylvar took a step forward as well, "I wouldn't mind seeing you cry."
"I'll bet you'd like that," Don said, raising his left hand again, "Let's go."
Before Ssylvar could comment, Don shot a blast of fire at Ssylvar. The flames engulfed the snake man, and for several moments, no one on stage could see him. Don screamed as the flames blasted from his hands, his eyes alight with anger. Finally, he stopped, and as the smoke and flames began to clear, the sound of laughter could be heard. Ssylvar stepped forward out of the smoke.
"Nice try," he said, rubbing his face, "That -did- hurt, but as you can see, I'm fine."
"Dammit!" Don said angrily. He'd put everything he had into the blast.
"I'm tired of this," Ssylvar said. He extended both of his arms and sent out an incredible blast toward Don. Electricity and fire, twining together, smashed right into Donatello, knocking him backward and to his knees. He screamed in agony as his flesh began to burn.
"Die!" Ssylvar screamed, this time not letting up his barrage.
"NO!" A scream erupted from behind Donatello. Then a huge flash of light was seen, and Ssylvar's flames snuffed out.
"What?" Sslyvar exclaimed, staggering back. He looked at Don, who was still on his knees. The snake man shifted his eyes around, wondering what could have happened. At that moment, a figure stepped out of the smoke from Ssylvar's fire. It was Michelangelo.
"Stand down, Ssylvar," Mike said. He looked positively furious. Leo and Raph watched in complete astonishment. This wasn't how their mild, fun-loving brother was supposed to act. Of course, Don hadn't been acting too normal either.
Ssylvar guffawed. "You?? The Wiyem? Don't make me laugh."
Don turned his head at the sound of Mike's voice. He wondered how the heck Mike had gotten free, but he was still scared for his brother, "No, Mike," he said, putting up his hand weakly, "Stay out of this! Save yourself."
"No, Don," Mike said, his voice rising in intensity, "I'm not backing down. I know what I need to do here." Mike put up his hand and pointed at Ssylvar. The snake man just laughed and crossed his arms. Mike's hand then began to move slowly, away from Ssylvar. Eventually it was pointing at Donatello. Michelangelo began to chant, and blue flames erupted from his hand, arcing around Donatello. Ssylvar watched with interest, but still stayed put.
As the blue flames encircled him, Don felt rather strange. The pain that he'd been feeling began to melt away, and he could feel a tingling in his extremeties. Suddenly, a surge of power flashed through Donatello, and he bolted upright, electricity arcing from his body to the ground. He heard something in his mind, a small work of encouragement. Faint, but substantial. He began to advance on Ssylvar. Mike ended his magic and stepped back.
"What is this?" Ssylvar said, taking an involuntary step backward, "What did he just do to you?"
"He did his job," Don said, "It seems that the Wiyem has a greater purpose than we originally thought, Ssylvar."
"What..." Ssylvar sputtered, "No...stay away from me!" He snarled and blasted electricity at Don yet again. This time, Don threw up his hands and leaned into the blast. The electricity flowed around him, and Don felt it burn, but then, he felt it begin to dissipate, as his body absorbed Ssylvar's wrath.
"My turn," Don said, balled his hands into fists, barked out a few runes, and fired off an enormous blast of energy at Ssyvar. The snake man shrieked as the electricity hit him, engulfing him in fire. He began to stagger as Don increased his onslaught, and finally, Ssylvar stumbled, fell to his knees, and then toppled over onto his face.
Don cut off his barrage, falling to one knee in exhaustion. Michelangelo quickly ran past Don and up to Ssylvar, bending over the snake man.
After a few moments, "He's dead..."
Don heaved a heavy sigh and put up his hand. Sslyvar began to glow with an ethereal blue light, and just as had happened with Shayl, a blue flame began to encircle Ssylvar's corpse. However, Don waved his hand forcefully and the flame flickered, twirled and then dashed away, disappearing into the sky.
Don sighed heavily and proceeded to pass out, face first on the stage.
----
a/n: we're almost done here, folks. One more chapter, I think.