Raph

I didn't actually mean it!

Donnie had leapt, and we all ran to the edge of the cliff to see.

His head popped up out of the water, and he swam to the other side. I let out a quiet breath of relief.

"Okay, guys! One at a time! Leo, you first!" He called.

Mikey and I watched Leo as he took a couple steps back, squeezed his eyes shut, and ran to the cliff, leaping off. He, too, emerged and swam safely to Donnie.

I looked at Mikey. Okay, sure, it was all well and good for Donnie, who had no weaknesses, and Leo, who was a fit young adult, but Mikey was now fat, and I had a huge backpack. Not to mention all of what previously were my strengths, were now my weaknesses.

"Come on, guys!" Donnie called.

I suddenly felt myself be pushed.

"Mikey! You a-" SPLOOSH

I struggled to reach the surface, and swam to the edge, where two strong arms grabbed me and dragged me onto land. Sweet, sweet solid land.

Mikey jumped. I was half-hoping he wouldn't be able to get to us and drown. However, he made it. I sighed.

I guess. If we lost all of our lives...

"Okay, 'genius', where's this... Bazah?" I growled at my brother.

"Bazaar." Mikey corrected me. "Should be... this way."

I groaned as we followed Mikey. In the distance, I could see a small village or marketplace. That must be where we were going.

As we got closer, I could see vendors and people calling about bread and fish and other foods. My stomach growled. The place smelled good, like fresh baked goods and cooking meat.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one that was hungry, as Leo spoke up. "Does anybody have any money that we can buy food with?"

Mikey shook his head, looking sad.

"Wait..." Donnie reached into a pocket, pulling out a bag. He opened it to reveal several small, round coins of a silvery metal. They had pictures on them of the jewel we had in my backpack. The other side said ONE in blocky letters. "I have... twenty coins. I think I got them when I killed the guys on motorbikes."

I grinned. "Great. Let's eat."

Donnie walked up to a vendor with breads of different assortment. He paid for four helpings of food, which was apparently worth 16 coins.

Mikey grabbed a loaf and bit into it. "Oh my god, you guys. This is the best bread I have ever tasted." He moaned in satisfaction. The others grabbed loaves of bread.

Leo frowned. "Just tastes like normal bread to me."

Donnie nodded in agreement.

I grabbed a chunk of Mikey's loaf. It didn't taste like bread. Actually, it was sweet, and melted slightly in my fingers. I scrunched up my eyebrows. It tasted really good, but... there was something... wrong.

Donnie and Leo, each noting my expression, took pieces of Mikey's loaf. Donnie gasped. "This isn't bread! It's pound cake!"

Everybody stared at me. I gulped and froze. "Is... Am I breaking out?" I asked them. Donnie shook his head. "Is my skin turning purple?" Leo shook his head. "Am I shaking? Is... Is anything changing or off?" Mikey shook his head.

I relaxed. "Okay. So... Maybe it just means I can't resist cake, that my weakness is-"


Suddenly, I was falling through the sky again. I have no idea how to describe what had happened, but... I think... I exploded?

I landed hard on a vendor's table, crashing through and breaking it.

"Real smooth." Leo smirked, as Donnie pulled me to my feet. I looked at my wrist. We were barely halfway through this game, and I had already lost two lives.

"Okay, guys, we can't take any more risks. There's no point wasting our lives." Donnie frowned.

Mikey suddenly saw something. "Guys... Guys, we have company." He pointed. I saw it. Big guys were pushing through the crowd. They were heading our way.

"Let's... Let's go that way." I suggested. Normally, I wasn't afraid of busting a few heads, but not only was I now weak (my weakness was literally strength) but I had only one life. I did not want to lose that.

We tried going the other way, but more guys were there, too. Somebody grabbed my arm. I struggled, and gasped. "Get away from me!"

Donnie appeared, punching the guy in the face. He went flying back and hit a wall.

"Thanks, bro." I breathed. Donnie nodded.

A kid appeared suddenly. "Heroes! Quickly!"

We all shared looks. I pushed past Donnie and ran after the kid as he ran into the marketplace, hopefully getting lost within the NPCs. The others ducked after me.

The kid stopped just before a tent. "In here. If it is the missing piece you seek, lift the lid and take a peek. Be aware of what's inside, trust each other, coincide. Good luck heroes, I will lead them away from here." The kid left the tent.

We all stood around the basket.

"What are the chances there's a snake in there?" Leo asked.

"High." Donnie gasped. Mikey gulped.

"Okay... I... I'll lift the lid slowly, everybody stay back." I said bravely, grabbing the lid.

Donnie grabbed my arm. "Wait, Raph-"

Too late. I lifted the basket lid. The snake rose up and hissed.

"Black Mamba!" I screamed. Donnie grabbed the snake behind the head just before it struck at me. The snake snapped and writhed with reptilian rage.

Without thinking, I slowly reached up and grabbed one fang, snapping it forward. I did the same with the other fang. Donnie stared at me with wide eyes, but when I had finished defanging the viper, he placed it on the ground. It slithered away.

"Raph, did you just-" Leo gasped.

"I just defanged a snake." I grinned proudly. I had no idea how I knew how to do that, but somehow I did.

Mikey pulled out the paper. He unwrapped it to reveal a black totem-like elephant, and a note.

"When you see me, begin the climb." He read. "There... There's no map piece..."

"What?!" I gasped. "There has to be!"

Leo frowned. "That doesn't make any sense... The kid said the missing piece would be here!"

Donnie suddenly gasped. "We got company, guys!"

We all ran out of the tent to see the big guys that were sent to kill us and take the jewel. As we were prepared to fight them to the death (hopefully not literally) somebody ran past us and grabbed my backpack, tearing it off my back.

"Hey! Guys, somebody just took my bag!" I yelled.

"So?!" Donnie growled.

"We have slightly more pressing matters, Raph." Leo reminded.

"It had the jewel in it!"

"WHAT?!"

I started running in the direction the thief had gone, ready to tear him limb from limb. I saw him now, wearing a cloak over himself. He couldn't hide that huge backpack though.

He noticed us coming, and turned a corner. We followed, hot on his trail.

He stopped just before a wall. We had him cornered. He turned and I could see a smirk under his low dark hood. Throwing the backpack over his shoulders, he jumped onto a ledge, and scaled the wall in two more leaps.

We all gasped. Donnie leapt after him. Leo, Mikey and I... struggled to follow them.

When we were finally over the wall and on the roof, Donnie had the thief cornered before a long drop. We ran to them.

"We'll make this easy." I growled, wishing again that I was a huge turtle that was still intimidating. "Give us the backpack, and we'll let you go."

The thief just shook his head, and leapt off the roof. I cried out in frustration.

"Come on, we can't lose them now!" Leo leapt after the thief.

Donnie followed. Mikey groaned. I could feel that pain. We climbed down, and realized we had lost the others.

"There!" Mikey pointed over the heads of merchants. I saw it. Donnie's head. We ran in that direction.

Finally, we caught up to the others, but I couldn't see the thief, or my backpack. "Where'd he go?"

Donnie groaned. "He threw the bag over that fence." He pointed. "But I think he took the jewel."

"No!" Mikey gasped. "That's our only way home!"

Leo nodded. "Donnie, you and Mikey try to find the thief. Raph, I'll get the backpack. Wait here and be a lookout."

I nodded. "Hurry, you two. We'll catch up."

The others broke off from us as Leo began to scale the fence. I hoped they would catch the thief and get the jewel back. I did not want to be in this stupid game forever.