Mutants Misplaced
Chapter 6
Finally There
Having picked out and washed the clothes in a small stream, the gang took some time to change into their new attire. Not everyone was happy about this new set of clothing however.
"I feel ridiculous." Raph complained as he and his brothers walked out of the forest and back on the road.
They were all dressed in fur boots, loincloths and shirts with rough seams. They had adjusted their belts so they were on the outside of the loincloths and had kept their protective pads on elbows and knees. Raph and Mikey wore sleeveless shirts while Leo and Donnie had with sleeves that ended just above the elbow. In addition, Raph and Mikey had replaced their leather wristlets with fur armlets.
"It ain't that bad." said Donnie.
"No? They're uncomfortable, hard to move in and they itch!"
"Deal with it, Raph. They're still better than the ones we used to dress up as Purple Dragons to save Casey way back." said Leo.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm glad that I don't have to risk having my toes turn into popsicles. Too bad that the boots were a tiny bit too small." said Mikey.
"They'll stretch, be glad that you at least can use boots." said Tyroth as he joined the turtles. Wearing only a loincloth, armlets and a cape-like piece of hide that he could hide his folded wings under. "I on the other hand will have to walk barefooted for now."
"Yeah, too bad that there weren't any boots in your size." said Donnie.
"What's taking the girls so long?" asked Mikey "It's not like we're going to a party, so why ain't they ready yet?"
"It's not like they have a lot to choose from, I'll give you that, but they need to find something that fits. It's more like if they were shopping for clothes, Casey told me that April can take even longer time trying out clothes when she's shopping than when she's going out." said Raph.
"Let them take their time, we'll wait." said Leo.
"Always the gentleman." they heard Mona say from the forest, as she and Sephie joined the guys. Like the turtles, the girls had fur loincloths, boots and sleeveless tops that had a low neckline partly covered by shawls that were tied around the shoulders and hanged down part of their backs.
Sephie, like Raph and Mikey, had replaced her wristlets with armlets, covering most of her forearms and still had her pads on her elbow and knees. Both girls still had their hair tied up in their normal fashion.
Their new outfits seemed to be almost tailor made as they were very flattering for their figure.
"So, what do you think?" Mona asked as she slowly spun around.
"Babe, you look gorgeous." said Raph, walking over to his mate and embracing her.
"You both do." said Tyroth, letting his gaze travel over Sephie's figure.
"You don't look so bad yourself, handsome." Sephie replied as she walked up to her lover. "I really like that look, it fits you, love. You look so strong and so... wild." She said as she ran her hand over Tyroth chest.
"Really? Then I might just keep it." Tyroth said with a grin, stroking Sephie's cheek.
"Please do." Sephie giggled.
"Get a room, you two." said Mikey.
"Leave the lovebirds alone, Mikey." said Donnie as the mutants started walking anew. Using some of the remaining fur clothes, they made an improvised bag to keep their old clothes in, which Tyroth carried.
As they continued their walk towards Whiterun, the landscape changed from the lush grassland to a more rocky field.
After walking amongst the rocks, Mona stopped all of a sudden, looking out over the rock area to her left.
"You alright, babe?" Raph asked half worried.
"I thought I heard something." she said.
"Not more bandits I hope." said Mikey.
"Sh... listen."
The mutants stood quiet and listened for what ever Mona had heard, hearing nothing but birdsong and the wind whistling between the rocks. As they were about to dismiss it as nothing, they too caught the sound of something out of place.
A faint voice reached their ears, but they couldn't make out what it said. It was still enough for them to examine it, because they couldn't see anyone among the rocks.
Searching the field, the voice became clearer and they could now make out a few words such as 'Help' and 'Anyone there?'.
"Hello?" Sephie called, trying to get the attention of the voice.
"Over here!" the voice called, leading the mutants to a small but deep crevice.
"By the Divines, someone finally heard me." the now clearly male but slightly hazy voice said as some of the mutants peered down the hole. "Could you please help me up? My rope fell down and I've been stuck here for several days."
"Toss up you rope and we'll haul you up." said Mona.
Said and done, an end of the rope was thrown to the reptiles. Making sure that they had a good grip, Leo, Raph and Tyroth prepared to pull up the person in the hole. A few minutes later, Mona and Sephie helped the person to get a good footing again so he didn't fall back in.
The mutants were a little surprised that the man they had just helped was reptilian as they. He had to be an Argonian. Unlike them, that had many human features, he seemed more like a large lizard with a human proportioned body.
The scales were dark green with a more intense color around the edges and on the front of the neck, possibly on the chest as well. Like Tyroth, he had two horns on the top of his head and a few smaller ones near the back of his jaw bone, all bone white. Numerous feather, three to four inches in length and dark brown in color, protruded from his head, much like hair. The eyes were an intense green color.
He wore a blue shirt with a black vest, both in cloth and with golden trims, black pants and brown boots. Several small pouches or satchels as well as a small pickaxe hung from his belt and he had a large gray backpack. Aside from some scrapes and some dirt, he seemed to be fine.
"Thank you, marsh-friends." he said, dusting off himself.
"No worries, but how did you end up down there?" asked Sephie.
"It was my own fault, I'm afraid. I thought that I had secured the rope properly, but evidently, I hadn't."
"So you climbed down there on purpose? What for?" asked Raph.
"I was looking for potential veins of gems and precious metals. I had seen this crevice a few times and I wanted to check it before returning to Riften."
"Gems, huh? Are you some kind of treasure hunter?" asked Mikey.
"Not quite, I'm Madesi, one of the last Saxhleel-jewelers on the continent. I often travel the region in search of materials to use in my craft, even if the war and bandits have made the areas more dangerous than normal."
"We've noticed. I'm Leonardo, by the way. And these are my family and friends, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, Monalisa, Sephie and Tyroth. We're heading to Whiterun."
"Then might I accompany you? I need to replenish my supplies, being stuck in that crevice took its toll on my rations."
"You're sure that you're okay?" asked Mona.
"I assure you, I'm perfectly fine. And it wasn't all for nothing, I managed to dig out a few garnets and a small hunk of silver ore. That will more than pay for the new food I need, but I'm taking a carriage to Riften the next time."
Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to let Madesi travel with them, the reptiles made their way towards Whiterun.
After some time, they arrived at the city. Two extra layers of walls encased the road up the hill to the entrance, you could easily see that the walls had been damaged over time as small sections were either damaged or missing, but it still looked defensible enough with the guards patrolling the parapets.
At the base of the hill, next to the gate, was a wooden house in the same Norse style as the one on top of the fort. In a small enclosure next to the house, there were horses eating some hay and carrots.
Slightly further down the road, there were more houses with what seemed to be farmlands, bordered with small stone walls. A windmill could also be seen together with the houses, the wings turning slowly in the gentle breeze while cows with thick fur and large horns were grazing.
Following their Argonian friend, the mutants felt how the guards kept their eyes on the travelers, sizing them up in case of a fight. If they would have to fight the guards, which they certainly didn't want to, they would face far tougher opponents than the bandits from earlier.
All guards wore chain mail armor with short sleeves and a large yellow sash, fur boots and helmets, most of which covered the entire face. They were armed with swords and carried round wooden shields painted yellow with a horse's head as their coat of arms.
As they finally got to the main gate, one of the guards stopped them.
"Back already? I thought that you was on your way to Riften, Madesi."
"I got delayed and need to get new supplies."
"Is that so? What about your followers then? They don't look like any Argonians I've ever seen." said another guard.
"They are just fellow travelers, who need to rest a bit. If you are worried that they will cause trouble, don't be. They are kind people and I'll vouch for them."
"Very well, Madesi. I trust your word, but if anything happen, you may not be welcome here anymore. Either of you." said the first guard. He then proceeded to open the gate so that the reptiles could enter the city.
And so the team has reached Whiterun, now the challenge to be among lots of people start. Wonder if their little origin story will work.
Anyway, next time we see just what happens. A lot to see and do before they get their bearings.