Mutants Misplaced
Chapter 49
A Journey's End
Tyroth's eyes fluttered and slowly opened, complaining slightly at the dim light. He felt tired, sore and stiff, laying on the cold stone floor. Remembering where he was, he slowly sat up.
"You're awake, what a relief." he heard Sephie say. Looking to his left, he saw her sitting there next to him, looking tired and worried, even though she had a smile on her face. "You had me worried, love. I was afraid that you might not wake up." she said, taking his hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay, I guess, though… I'm not sure what happened. The last thing I remember, is that giant machine holding you in its hand. What happened to it? How did we win? We did win, didn't we?"
"We did, as to what happened to the robot… it's not a threat any more, it never will be again."
Not certain what she meant, Tyroth looked around and saw large chunks of metal laying all over a portion of the room, the same kind of metal that the mech was made of.
"How did you manage to destroy it?" he asked.
"We didn't, you did, all by yourself." said Leo as he and the others walked over to the couple.
"Me? How?"
"By going completely Ty-wrath." said Mikey, receiving a whack on the back of his head from Raph.
"You went berserk, and your magic more or less formed an outer shell the same size as the mech, allowing you to fight it." said Mona.
"Berserk… So that's what happened. My anger overwhelmed me again."
"That's putting it mildly." said Donnie. "Last time, you were at least capable of coherent thoughts and speech, but this time… you were savage. You don't remember any of that?"
"Bits and pieces maybe, now that you say it, but nothing solid. I do remember being angry, so very angry, but after that, it's all a haze. Much like after the fight in Arashi's throne room."
"Well, just like that time, this is a clear sign that nothing can beat you when you're angry." said Raph, placing his hand on Tyroth's shoulder.
"Maybe, but it's nothing I want to do again. What would have happened if I had lost control, if I wouldn't been able to tell friend from foe? I could hurt you guys, even kill you. I don't want that to happen."
"You won't do that, hun. You're strong enough to stay in control." Sephie comforted.
"It feels a little better knowing that you believe in me." Tyroth said with a smile, stroking Sephie's hair. "By the way, did you get the talisman?"
"Yes, we did. It's safe in my backpack, we were just waiting for you to regain your strength before we head out." said Leo.
"But what about all the other stuff in here?" asked Mikey. "We're not gonna leave all that awesome stuff, are we?"
"It's all staying right where it is." said Donnie. "We have no idea of knowing what even half of these artefacts can do. It is in everyone's best interest that we don't tamper with anything here."
Mikey sulked a little at having to leave all the potential souvenirs behind, but he also knew that Donnie was right, there was no telling what the items could do, and that was pretty much how they ended up in these kinds of messes.
After taking some more time to recover, and having Devina go over everyone with her healing magic, the group loaded up inside the massive elevator and pulled the lever. The wall rose again, and the platform shook before it started moving upwards at a slow pace.
Twenty minutes later, the platform stopped with a small jolt, shaking the group awake from their dull waiting. At first, they saw nothing other than the walls of the elevator shaft. But then one started to move, slowly being raised into the ceiling, revealing the outside world to the team.
Stepping outside, they found themselves at the base of a steep mountain wall, near a very old road. Shortly after they had cleared the elevator, the wall closed itself behind them as the platform returned to the bottom floor. Once closed, it was more or less impossible to even see that it was there. The Dwemer sure were advanced at their peak, but then why did they just disappear? A question that Donnie, like many scholars, pondered upon, but could not solve.
Getting their bearings, they found that they were not that far from where they entered the vault, it was only a few miles further to the east. They then made their way back to Morthal to rest and resupply for a far longer trip, their next destination being High Hrothgar.
Back in Morthal, they met up with Falion again, and he was indeed interested in hearing what had transpired in the old ruin, especially when he heard about the Juggernaut. Like Devina had said, most believed that those constructs were nothing but myths. And while he didn't deny that he would have liked to study the remaining artefacts, he commended the team for leaving them where they were.
"Divines know what kind of evil that might have been unleashed had you taken anything." he told them.
Staying at the inn to properly recover from their ordeals, the group continued on their way the next day, retracing their way through the frozen coast. At least this time the weather was a lot better, and while it was still cold, it was almost pleasant, even Devina seemed to enjoy the sun's soft rays.
Several hours later, they once again saw the city of Whiterun off in the distance, as they left the cold north behind. As they cleared the passage, Tyroth stopped for moment and looked around, deep in thought.
"What are you thinking about, honey? You seem to be miles away." said Sephie.
"I'm just wondering whether or not we actually should return home."
"What? Why are you even thinking that?" Mona interjected, having heard what Tyroth said.
"After all the trouble we've gone through, you're just gonna throw that out the window?" said Raph.
"Hear me out, guys, and try to see how I'm thinking. I'm simply saying that we might have a better life here, than back on Earth. Back there, most only saw us as monsters and freaks, while the people here barely raise an eyebrow at us. Now, I know this place is dangerous, but so is our world as well."
"I have to admit, I see his point, and I kinda agree." said Donnie. "Weighing our options, I would say that staying here could very well be our best option. That said however, I still think that we should return home, where we belong."
"It has been nice to be able to walk around like normal people, but I miss our home, all our friends." said Mona.
"Maybe that's why I feel like I do, this land does remind me of my childhood home." said Tyroth. "Aside from a few things, that is."
"We're all homesick, more or less." said Leo. "But there is another possibility. If we can return here, we could always come back. And should it come to a point where most of the world is hunting us, we could evacuate all our friends here, and build a new home."
"Like an emergency plan, for the worst case scenarios." said Mona.
"But, guys, what about her?" asked Mikey, pointing his thumb at Devina. "Can she come with us? I mean, she already know that the whole Saurian story is bogus and stuff."
"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Mikey. We don't know how she will react to our world's laws of reality." said Donnie.
"Very kind of you to think of my safety, and while I am curious to see your world, I'm not sure if I really should follow." said Devina. "I think it's better if I stay in this world."
Later that evening, the team reached Whiterun and decided to stop for a quick rest before continuing to the Throat of the World. It would take them just over a day to reach the top of the massive mountain, without any stops that is, but hopefully that would be the last journey they would have to do before they returned home.
A few hours of sleep at the inn, and a few of Hulda's pizzas later, the team left the city. The trip around the mountain was not a very eventful one, with the road being almost empty aside from a couple of hunters on their way to Whiterun to sell the meat and hides they had collected. Trading a few gems for some meat, the group could eat well after Tyroth had roasted the meat, allowing them to save their provisions for later.
They took a couple of breaks on the way, mostly in shaded areas during the day hours to allow Devina to recover. The next afternoon, they arrived at the path leading up to High Hrothgar, and the seven thousand steps that it held. Mikey felt tired just remembering the last time they had to make the climb, but if all went well, it wouldn't be long until he could sit back and relax with a video game or comic book back in Mutopia.
The climb was just as long and gruelling as they remembered it, but at least they weren't in such a hurry as the last time, so they could go at their own pace, taking in the scenery around them. By sunset, the temple could be sighted further ahead, offering a welcome sight to the group. Their goal was almost within reach, they only had to reach the very peak and the so called 'Time Wound', then, they would go home.
Home. How they had waited, hoping for a way to return. How was everyone back home holding up, with no trace of the reptiles? What were they doing, were they out looking for them? Soon, they would find out, for better or worse.
Entering the temple, they were once again met by the Greybeards, led by Arngeir.
"Well met. We have been expecting you, as per Paarthurnax' instructions. He awaits you all at the peak."
"All of us? That's unexpected, since last time only Tyroth was allowed." said Leo.
"The situation is different. While the path to the peak is perilous, master Paarthurnax will prepare it for your arrival. Shortly, it will be safe for you to make the journey. Please follow me."
Arngeir led the group out into the courtyard and to the open gate leading to the peak, with the raging blizzard further ahead. Approaching it, he faced the top of the mountain and shouted.
"Mu Los Nuk!" his powerful voice echoed. Moments later, another even more powerful voice was heard.
"Lok Vah Koor!"
As if commanded by Paarthurnax, the strong winds died down and the path was cleared. Even the clouds in the night sky parted, revealing the moons and stars, illuminating the mountain top.
"Hey, Big T." Mikey whispered. "You so have to learn how to do that, then we would never have to go on patrol in bad weather again."
"Don't get your hopes up. Even if I would learn it, it wouldn't benefit you unless one group visits the other."
"You could move in with us, we got room to spare."
"Come on, guys. We still got a short way to go." said Leo. "Tyroth, lead the way, please."
Doing as asked, the dragon mutant guided his friends up the path. He was constantly on guard in case they would run into more of those Ice Wraiths that attacked him the last time. But as they climbed higher, there was no trace of the frozen creatures, much to Tyroth's pleasure. Either he had killed all that lived on the top last time, or Paarthurnax' power had scared them all away. Not that it mattered, as long as they were gone.
Without the weather hindering the group, they made it to the top in almost no time at all. And there they were greeted by the Greybeards' master, Paarthurnax, who smiled when he welcomed them
"Welcome back, Dragonborn. And well met to your companions as well." the old dragon said, bowing his head. The group returned the bow.
"Greetings, Paarthurnax. We have recovered the Talisman of Misplacement, what do we do now?" said Tyroth.
"Bring the talisman to the Time Wound, if my guess is correct, the Wound should allow the talisman to attune itself to the distorted time, and function as it should, allowing you to travel home."
"Once we know how to use it properly, how do we figure that out?" asked Mona.
"Through meditation. Anyone can use a magical item, given the right knowledge, but those with magic talent can discover this on their own." said the old dragon, his gaze then moving to Tyroth. "Though, in this case, I urge you to let Tyroth do this, even if he is not the only one with magic."
"Why is that?" asked Raph.
"Dragons, at least of this realm, are very sensitive to the flow of time and have a different understanding of it than mortals. Tyroth, having claimed the soul of Lokdrogyol and thus his knowledge, should understand enough to learn how the talisman works."
Fetching the talisman from their backpacks, Tyroth held the cloth covered artefact in his hand. Feeling the power within, shivers went down his spine. It was indeed a powerful artefact, and it did seem to almost resonate with the Time Wound.
Approaching the rift in time, Tyroth could feel how the talisman started to pulsate, and as he got closer, so did the Wound. At a few meters away, Tyroth stopped as he couldn't move forward, the constant pulsing was keeping him away. Then there was a large pulse from the Wound, that flung him backwards several meters, onto his back. But as he flew through the air, images flooded his mind.
"Are you okay?" Leo asked, as he and the others hurried over to help Tyroth.
"Yeah, I'm okay." he said, getting back on his feet before the others could even try to help him up. "I think the talisman fixed itself, and… I think… I think I know how to work it now. I can get us home."
"Great, then we can finally leave this cold place." said Raph. "What do we have to do?"
"Just make sure that everyone is holding on to each other and me, and we should all end up back on the rooftop where all of this started." Tyroth then looked at the very top of the mountain, and a thought crossed his mind. "However, there is one thing I want to do first."
Puzzled, the others didn't get the chance to ask what he meant before he took to the air, flying up to the highest point and landing there. Spreading his wings and arms, Tyroth roared at the sky.
"What's he up to?" Mikey asked confused.
"It is a Dragon thing." said Paarthurnax with a smile. "You would not understand."
Taking one last look at the magnificent landscape before him, Tyroth soared back down to his friends.
"There, now I can officially claim that I've been at the top of the world. Everyone ready to go?"
"I think so, yes." said Leo, checking that they hadn't forgotten anything, important or otherwise.
With all of the reptiles linking hands, Tyroth held the talisman in his hand and was ready to activate it.
"Thank you for all your help, old one." he said. "You too, Devina. We couldn't have made it without your help."
"There is no need to thank me, Dragonborn. I am glad that I could be of help to you and your comrades." said the old dragon with a wide smile.
"The same goes for me, it's been a great time with all of you."
"We'll miss you, Devina." said Sephie, feeling sad that they were leaving her.
"One last thing before you go." Devina said, taking Sephie's hand. "I've changed my mind, and I'm coming with you!"
"You are?! That's great! But, won't you be putting yourself in danger? We don't-"
"Know how I'll be affected and all. We don't know that until I've tried, and your world sounds so incredible, I think it's worth the risk. Plus, it will get me away from all the vampire hunters and bounty hunters. So, if you will let me, I would love to come along."
"While I'm not sure if it's wise, I will not stop you." said Leo. "That would mean that we are all ready then."
"Then hold on tight, this might get bumpy." said Tyroth, and focused on the talisman. A sharp white light spread from the arcane artefact, enveloping the group. And in a bright flash, they were gone, leaving Paarthurnax alone on the top of the mountain, and the talisman on the ground.
"Go in peace, young ones. I will hide the artefact in a safe place." said the old dragon, looking up at the starry sky.
"Just what do you think happened here?" asked the cheetah Sarah, as she and the rest of the Chicago Knights investigated the rooftop where the others had disappeared. The bag of jewellery still lay on the roof, together with one stray amulet.
"I don't know," said Jack the wolf. "but, judging from the wrecked van down there, I'd say that they stopped the last guy."
"Yeah, that sure looks like Tyroth's work alright." said Sharky, looking at the van, as a group of cops apprehended the unconscious driver.
"I just don't get it. They got back the stolen jewellery, but just left it up here." said Percy, the grasshopper. "The cops didn't get here that far ahead of us, so that can't have scared them off, but we haven't seen them anywhere. And we can't even reach them by cells. It's like they've been removed from the face of the earth."
"There might be more at work here than we know, Percy." said the dragonfly Heather, kneeling by the lone amulet.
"Got any ideas?" Kate the viper asked. "'Cause the rest of us are only drawing fucking blanks."
Suddenly, before Heather could answer, the amulet began glowing with a bright light. Immediately stepping away from it, she drew her weapons as she continued to back away. Seeing what happened, the others also drew their weapons and prepared for a fight. Having fought demons before, they were wary of unnatural occurrences and anticipated the worst.
The light then suddenly burst into a flash, temporarily blinding the six mutants. Shortly after, the light quickly died down, and standing in the middle of the roof were eight humanoid figures. Four male turtles, two female lizards, one male dragon and one female human.
"We made it! We're back home!" the orange-masked turtle cheered.
"What the heck?! Where did you guys come from? And what happened to you?" asked Jack.
"And what's up with that getup?" said Percy, looking at the fur clothes the others were wearing. "Are you planning on having a Conan the Barbarian cosplay event, or what?"
"And who the hell is that?" asked Kate, shooting a glance at the lone human.
"To answer all your question; it's a darn long story." said Tyroth as he picked up the talisman. "We'll tell you once we get back to Mutopia, no doubt that everyone there also want to know where we've been these weeks."
"Weeks? What are you talking about?" said Sarah. "It's only been twenty minutes since you left to catch the guy in the van."
"But… we've been gone for almost three weeks. How is that even possible?" said Sephie.
"Time travel." said Donnie. "The talisman is a multi-dimensional, space-time gateway, so we crossed both space and time to move from one dimension to another. Time might move at a different pace here compared to Skyrim, or it was because of the Time Wound's effect on the talisman. There could be any number of possible explanations, but in the end, we still returned here shortly after we left. It's happened us a few times before."
"No wonder I was having a deja vu feeling then." said Mikey.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, it just sound like a lot of nonsense. And again, who is that?" said Kate, once again pointing at Devina.
"I'm called Devina, and I will gladly tell you my story when the others get to that part." she said with a warm smile.
"You don't have to worry about her, she's alright. Helped us a lot." said Raph.
"That's good enough for me." said Jack. "But it sounds like you've had one hell of an adventure to tell us about."
"But first you guys gotta take a bath!" said Sharky.
"Yes, no offence, but none of you smell very nice." said Heather.
"No? I can't smell anything." said Mikey, taking a few sniffs around.
"Aside from a few dips in freezing cold water, we haven't taken a proper bath for weeks." said Mona. "After that much time, we've gotten so used to all the dirt and grime on us, that we can't smell it. A real bath would be a blessing after all this time."
"I call dibs on the bath for us girls when we get back! Ladies first, you know." said Sephie, raising her hand high to make her point.
"Fair enough. Should we get going then?" said Leo.
"Sure, just… try to stay downwind, okay?" said Percy.
It took a little while, but they all made to Mutopia without incident, though it was hard for Devina not to stop whenever she saw something incredible, which was almost all the time. Only after they had promised that they would show her the entire city at a later time, could they get moving without any more stops.
Entering the mutant sanctuary, Devina was again amazed by what she saw, even though she had seen a fair deal of impressive things in her own world.
Meeting with Splinter and George, the old mutants were relieved that the others had been found, even though they had only been gone for a short while when Jack had called Hacker to check if they knew anything. Leo promised that they would explain everything once they had had time to freshen up.
Mona made a beeline for the room she and Raph was borrowing, grabbing a piece of soap, a bottle of shampoo, a pair of towels and a clean set of clothes. Then she made her way to the cave with the warm pool. She didn't know if it was men's time, women's time or free time, and she didn't care. She wanted that bath so badly that she was prepared to kick out anyone there if needed.
Luckily, it was free for anyone at the time, so she could just claim it without any objections. Taking of the fur armour, she lowered herself into the warm water and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the water against her naked skin.
"Mmm… I so needed this..."
"Hello? Mona, are you there?" she heard Sephie call down the tunnel.
"Yeah, I'm here. Is it just you?" Mona answered.
"No, Devina's with me. Mind if we join you?"
"Not at all, come on in."
Moments later, Sephie walked in with Devina right behind her, both carried the same things that Mona had brought with her.
"Sorry that we took a while. I took Devina to see Tania, to see if she had any clothes that would fit her." Sephie said, placing her things next to Mona's and started to undress.
"It's no problem, I did kinda rush ahead, but I did want us to have this to ourselves, just like you said before. But, Devina, can you really take a warm bath? I thought vampires couldn't handle high temperatures."
"You're right, they can't, but remember, I only half vampire, so I'm not nearly as vulnerable, and this water seems to be alright for me too. Besides, there is a place with hot springs in Skyrim, I stop by to relax whenever I pass by. It's hotter than this, but I can still stay for a few hours without problems."
"Then get undressed and get in the water." said Sephie as she sat down in the water next to Mona. "The boys will want to wash up as well, and while I think they can wait quite a while longer, it would be kind to them if we don't take too long."
It wasn't long until Devina had undressed and joined the two lizards in the water. The skin of the rest of her body was just as pale as her hands and face. Evidently, vampires didn't get tans of any kind. The lizard girls could see a number of scars on her stomach, upper arms and legs, which they found strange since she knew healing magic that had completely healed both her and Mikey's wounds without leaving so much as a mark. The scars must be so old that they pre-date her learning the spell.
"I must say, your world is just incredible. Never seen anything like it." said Devina.
"Quite something, yeah. Though, as we said, it is not as tolerant to none-humans as what you're used to. That's we live underground and tend to only go out during night time." said Mona.
"Sounds like I'll be able to fit in here then. But, you told me about a magic well, that turned you into what you are. Is it nearby?"
"Yeah, it's not that far away, though you're not allowed to go there unless you want to drink from it, since you're not a Mutopian. There's already been one accidental transformation too many." said Sephie.
"I understand. But I wonder, could it really cure me of my combined vampirism lycanthropy?"
"Honestly, I don't know, but I would think so, yes. Though it would permanently transform you like it did me." said Sephie.
"So, if you're hoping to become fully human again, that's not the right choice." said Mona. "But, if being a vampire in this world would be too difficult for you, you'd have an alternative."
"We'll see what happens as time goes by. Though I am curious to what kind of animal it would make me."
"You never know." said Sephie. "But don't think about that now, just relax for a while. We've earned this."
Outside the tunnel, Tyroth and the turtles waited for the girls to finish, some more impatiently than others.
"Man, why does chicks have to take so long time? I want to get clean too, you know." Mikey complained.
"Let them take their time, we're in no hurry." said Leo.
"Maybe not, but it would feel good with a bath either way." said Donnie.
"And to get out of these damn clothes!" said Raph.
"If you guys are so impatient, I know a way that could get you almost as clean as a good scrubbing." said Tyroth with a smirk, holding up his hand as his red mana covered it. Then it burst into flames, making Mikey gulp. "I've always found fire really cleansing after I discovered that I'm fireproof. It will burn away all dirt in no time at all, though you might smell of soot for a while."
"Whoa, big guy! We ain't fireproof!" Mikey said, as he and his brothers looked very nervous.
"Yeah, I'm not interested in getting barbecued!" said Raph, slowly backing away a few feet.
"Don't worry, I should be able to keep the fire from hurting you… hopefully." the dragon said, his smirk never leaving his face and the fire around his hand grew larger and more intense.
The four brothers all gulped at the sight.
"So who wants to go first?"
"Not me!" they all shouted at the same time, before high tailing it, leaving Tyroth alone by the tunnel.
"Ah, some peace and quite at last." he said as he sat down and leaned against the cave wall.
And that's the end of Mutants Misplaced. It's been a really fun time writing this and seeing all the reviews you people have left me. I really hope that you all have had a good time reading this.
With Devina on Earth, just what adventures will the mutants experience in the future? Who knows. All I know is that I will see you with my next story. Be on the look out for 'A Sister's Plight', on Fanfiction in the near future.
Big thanks to all supporting me out there, especially Bloodrayne666, whose stories I use as canon and have referenced throughout this story, and my girlfriend, both of which have been a great help and support.
And now, as of writing this, I am happy to announce that I and my beloved girlfriend, have just been married. It was a beautiful day with the most beautiful bride. (: I could not have been more happy or lucky.
Stay safe everyone.