Apologies for taking so long to post the chapters, I know I said I'd post three chapters at a time but I've been having issues with my laptop to the point that it shuts down on me and I'd have to COMPLETELY redo chapters or it wouldn't save what I last wrote so I'm probably going to have to take it to the computer doctor soon. I'm halfway through completing my other chapter but it may take a bit (won't go into HUGE spoils but it's one of the movies so it's taking a bit longer to complete.) so for now, enjoy this chapter.
With Baron and the Foot getting closer to the completion of the Dark Armor the questions and doubt grew stronger to the point it unsettled her stomach.
Alone in the Foot base standing in front of the armor her eyes trailed over each detail, her body screaming at her to flee, that this thing was dangerous, yet she couldn't move; the same fear telling her to leave had her stuck in place. Sweat slid down the side of her face as she reached a shaky hand to touch the armor only to immediately grab and lower it to her side. She looked away in disgust at herself before walking away, "I need some answers and I don't think I'm going to get them from anyone on this side. I guess we gotta do things the old fashion way."
Figuring a normal library wouldn't have what she was looking for she went to the next best thing: the library in the Hidden City.
Walking through the tall doors she looked around in awe at not only the massive archives of books but the grand structure of the building, feeling miniscule compared to the height of the shelves and numerous levels. Her awe and amazement, however, were immediately shot down when she saw who, or what, was at the center of the room stamping books and minding their own business; her worst predator: The Bat.
She pulled the hood over her head avoiding the Librarian as much as possible only to look up when she felt eyes on her, a small noise escaping her throat when she saw thousands, possibly millions of bats hanging from beneath the walkways and gulped. She had to grab what she needed and leave ASAP, "Libraries are suppose to be relaxing and peaceful. Nothing can be easy for me, can it?" She smacked her forehead only to freeze when the sound was a little louder than she anticipated, the eyes of the bats in the area now on her, making her hunch her shoulders and quickly walk away.
First things first, she needed to find information about the Dark Armor and The Foot Clan. With a glance to her left then her right at how huge the place was she decided to find someone or something to help her find what she needed. Eventually finding an orb she picked it up and gently ran her hand over it only to blink it in surprise when a question appeared in the orb, "What are you looking for?"
She blinked again and looked around awkwardly before opening her mouth, "Um..books on The Dark Armor and The Foot Clan."
A loading icon showed up and, in a few moments, "Error" flashed in the orb, "Sorry, the search you are looking for cannot be found. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Kara sighed while closing her eyes and leaning her head against the orb, "I just want the truth..books on mystic weapons." She removed her head from the orb, staring down at it as the loading icon came back only for the book to pop up with directions. She immediately reached for her phone and began typing in the directions. A huge huff of relief escaped through the small smile she had on her face, "It wasn't what I was initially looking for but it's a start."
Now that she had a destination, she took her time getting there, stopping to browse and picking up a few books here and there. She lifted her latest find, looking over the book cover when an extremely loud, "ECHOOOOOOOOO!" reached her ears not only startling her, tensing up like a cat, but she almost dropped her books, juggling them in the air before hugging them close to her body. Her eyes zoomed in their sockets left and right wondering if anyone saw her, cheeks flaring red, then looking up at the bats. When they stayed in position she slowly released the tension, almost melting into a puddle, but quickly composed herself.
"I REGRET NOOOTHIIIIING!"
She lifted her head finding the voice oddly familiar but shook her head knowing the fate of said person. Giving the hush bats one last look she continued on with her mission at hand.
With the help of the catalog orb she found the book with ease and began to make her way to check them out while pondering what to make to eat and drink for this special occasion. Reading one along the way her ears twitched hearing a familiar voice and lifted her eyes from the book to see Raphael and Leonardo ahead of her. Raising her brows in curiosity she closed the book and made her way to them.
"Write it down, I said, but noooo "The Brain is nature's notepad." He whispered to himself in a mocking tone.
"Raph, relax, I know that Donnie has once again messed up our mission as he does on virtually every mission-"
"Are you trying to get Donnie fired?"
"Whaat? Haha, we'll discuss that later."
"That's not very brotherly of you." A hushed voice said behind them, they turning around to see Kara using her lower arms to hold three books, her upper crossed over each other. Out of instinct they opened their mouths to make a noise but Kara figured this would happen and shoved her hands to cover their mouths, "Relax, it's my day off. What're you guys doing here? You don't seem the type to be in a place like this."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Raph asked.
"A quiet place." She responded.
"A pet of ours is trapped in a mirror and we're looking for a book that'll help us release them."
"I could help you guys. I'm not in a rush. I'll go find one of those guide orbs and meet back with you." She gave them a small smile and turned around to do so not seeing them look at each other in surprise.
Writing down the directions she went back the way she came and eventually found them face to face with the Foot leaders. She gripped her phone and walked to the opposite walkway to keep them from seeing her, moving the hood over her head but froze when they began to try and make each other laugh. Ever so slowly she brought out her phone to record them, the end of her mouth twitching.
One by one someone from either side failed, Leo first, then Buff Foot, and lastly the Lieutenant; Raphael being the victor. Quickly saving the video she lifted her head when she heard April's voice and tensed up knowing the bats would soon be on him. Placing her books in her pouch she spread her wings out and flew towards Raphael as he was screaming, "I'm on my way! Tell my little buddy, Mayhem, to hang tight!" Following after him as he fled the bats she gasped when he was soaring through the air down the flight of stairs and picked up speed, catching him before he landed.
"Kara!" He exclaimed in surprise noticing her nervous expression.
"Corridor B, is this it?" She asks, her eyes behind her at the bats, "Yes!" She nods and flies off not noticing the horde of hush bats were slowly discombobulating unaware that it was due to spinning of the tails on her hindwings that was confusing them, Raph using this opportunity to hold out his leg, sending a barrage of books at the hush bats, hitting quite a few and lowering their numbers.
"Sure hope that's an Ibis. Take a left, Kara!" Raph shouted.
She did so, making a sharp turn only to stop when they came across levitating bookshelves that were moving sideways, similar to vehicles in traffic.
"What? What is the point of this?!" He didn't have time to continue his thought for Kara was already flying towards the bookshelves, trying her best not to get hit but failed when one hit her wings and another hit her side right after and began to fall. Raph let out a shout and held her in his arms as they were falling, "Power smash-a-roni!" Using his mystic self to smash his way past the traffic, not focusing on the destruction he left behind, he smacked right into a wall of books, his head going through it.
People were screaming at the destruction, the hush bats quickly doing their job and taking them away.
"Wha-Raphael?!" She almost screamed when she saw his headless body only for him to smash his way through the wall and land on his feet, moving her on to his shell, "Hang on tight, Kara!" She wrapped her arms around his neck as he raced towards the pole and grabbed on tight, both of them flying up the pole, they shouting from the speed at which they were going til she and Raph broke through the waterfall, his eyes on the prize straight ahead of him, "The book! I'm coming, Mayhem!"
She let out a yell when even more hush bats were surrounding them, squeezing on to him while burying her head in his shoulder.
He stared at her in surprise before glaring at the hush bats, "I ain't got time for this! Flinging like a boss!" He shouts while pulling himself out of his mystic body and throwing them at the book stand not only smashing into it but the momentum and added bats, they crashed through the floor falling towards the Librarian.
They were eventually caught, Kara screaming as the bats surrounded and sent them to the kiddie room, but Raph was hoping for this, "I got the book! Let's go save Mayhem!"
Before anyone could move the Librarian popped out from the rubble, her eyes on he and Kara, "You! I'll pummel you into papyrus." She raised her voice while extending her wings to reveal four arms. Raph let out a noise til Kara stood in front of him with her weapon out, "G-Get your brothers. I-I-I'll h-hold her off." She tightened the grip on her staff when the sound of rhythmic drums reached her ears, all of them turning around to see the kids banging on the drums, Leonardo and Donatello fanning a Michelangelo who was sitting on a throne of large books and blocks wearing tribal gear with the Foot Leaders tied up and hanging upside down. "New toy!" He shouted, pointing at the Librarian, his followers surrounding the poor woman.
Kara let out a heavy sigh, leaning against Raph before holding her hand out and creating a portal to April's, "Here, seems pretty urgent, right?"
"Thank you, Kara!" Raph shouted, hugging her tight and bringing her with them, she now standing awkwardly in the background while they do their thing.
"The final step. Boom." Raph placed his hand on the circle and it glew brightly, the mirror now shining and a fully formed Mayhem flying out the mirror. Raph held his arms out, teary eyed to see his little buddy unharmed, going, "Goochie-goochie-goo~" Only to get scratched in the face and land in April's arms.
"Guys, you did it, thank you!" April hugged him tight, nuzzling her cheek on his head only to hold him out, holding her breath in disgust, "Ok, Mayhem, time for your bath."
Mayhem jumped out of her arms and into Kara's, nuzzling into her. She blinked down at the creature, slowly reaching her hand out and giving his head a little scratch when his animal smell reached her nose but held in her disgust, shuddering, "Maybe a little precaution is needed." She wiggled her wings, a little powder landing in her hand and sprinkled some on his head, he immediately falling asleep. She walked over to April and handed her her pet, "Um..glad everything worked out fine." Smiling awkwardly while rubbing her arm.
"Thank you for helping us out, Kara, I couldn't have done it without you." Raph smiled to her making her relax some.
"I didn't do much, just take you there. You were the one who remembered the directions, that was impressive."
"And I was the one who suggested we go to the library, so yeah." Donnie tried to shove Raph out of view but failed so he leaned against him instead, this making Kara giggle, "Brilliant as always, I see."
"Yeah, but it was also you who didn't write the directions down in the first place." Leo muttered, Donnie's face dropping in annoyance.
"Well, I should get going." She turned to leave, giving them one last smile but stopped and let out a sigh, turning back around, "What can you tell me about the Dark Armor?" They all looked at each other, Donnie holding his hand out to her. She stared down at it for a second before slowly reaching her hand out and gently placing it over his, stepping closer to them while April ran the water for Mayhem.
Entering the lab her focus was on the ground, eyes wide at what she was told. If what they said was true, and they have no reason to lie to her, then their whole mission was wrong and helping the Foot was wrong. She took a deep breath and marched towards Baron's room to warn him what she had learned but the closer she moved towards his door the slower her footsteps became and the doubt grew til she had stopped right in front of the door. Bringing her clenched hand to the door she forced herself to knock. When she didn't hear him or he open the door she waited another moment before doing it herself. Poking her head in first she didn't see him so she fully walked in to see his armor displayed near his bed.
Curious she reached up and pulled the mask down looking it over, running a thumb over the lips of the mask with a raised brow wondering how they could move like a normal mouth. Giving a quick glance to her left then right she put it on but due to the size difference of their head she couldn't see through it. Feeling pressure on top of her head, a gasp escaped her lips when the mask was lifted from her head and turned around to see Baron wearing a robe with a towel around his waist and one over his head, seeing a single, yellow eye beneath the shadow of the towel, "You'll need to grow more in order to wear this." He said with a light tone before putting it back, "What is it?" He left and sat on his bed while drying his hair off.
Kara stood in place to calm down from her embarrassment, covering her face with her hands, before sliding them down her face, "I..I need to speak to you about the Dark Armor." She glanced at him watching him freeze for a moment. She walked over to him, grabbing his hairbrush and sat down behind him, beginning to gently brush his hair, "I don't think we should use it. I feel the Foot aren't telling us everything about it, it could be dangerous." She tried to word her sentence carefully to keep herself from exposing where she got this information, "Ever since getting the last piece I've been feeling all kinds of wrong from them."
"You know full well why I need the Dark Armor. Once I retrieve the full armor, they won't be able to stand against me, even if they're foolish enough to try and double cross me. You will not speak of this anymore." He closed his eyes enjoying the feeling of his hair being brushed opening them a second later when he felt the bed move, she climbing off it, and leaving the room. He closed his eyes and laid down to go to sleep.
The frustrations of being undermined again was causing the simple task of changing into her night clothes troublesome, adding to her frustration, and climbed into her hammock, curling under her wings and shoves her head into her pillow to go to sleep. After a moment of not being able to sleep right away made her frown and groan into her pillow before laying on her side til her eyes landed on her pouch.
Remembering the books she got from the library she picked out the one about mystic weapons and began to read. Finding each of the turtle's weapons, except for Donatello's, smiling as images of them using their mystic weapons came to mind as she read through them, even finding her own; the name of the weapon too difficult for her to say. Her eyes lit up finding out that not only can her weapon shrink in size at the will of the person but can also be summoned back to its chain, "Huh. Neat." She says with a light yawn. Sinking deeper into her hammock she turned the page, her hand ready to turn to the next when her eyes fell upon a familiar sword. Sitting up slightly her eyes read each word, "Alastair, Defender of Mankind, was a sword past down from each generation of the Macintosh clan, it's last owner being that of the late Dragan Macintosh; a female knight in command of her own army, the Order of Rising Flames.
Having been raised in a family of knights it was only a matter of time before she would join the rank of knight for King Herald and Queen Lyra, gaining great favor from them to being treated like family. It wasn't just their good will that helped her rise in the ranks but her skills in swordsmanship and strategy on the battlefield; gaining the loyalty and respect of her brothers in arms.
Her death happened at a young age of fifteen when-" Her antennas twitched hearing footsteps and closed the book, tucked it under her pillow and laid down pretending to be asleep.
Her door slowly opened, Baron stepping inside and walking up to her hammock to see her asleep, his eyes trailing down to the blanket hanging over the blanket. He leaned over, grabbing the blanket and covered herself before walking away, closing the door behind him.
She opened one eye clenching her hand wondering what he was thinking but the added warmth and reading had calmed her down to the point of going to sleep for real, her hand holding the book in her sleep.
I hope there are Dragan fans out there because it's only a matter of time before she makes her debut and joins the group! Reviews are nice but so are hugs and I will take both. Til next time!