Forest Mutation (Book Two)

Chapter 27: Metal Quest

The next morning, birds chirp happily as they sing to the dawn, and the fire in the middle of the circle has been reduced to a pile of charred logs. Leonardo stirs first out of the five, blinking a few times as he takes in the early morning sunlight streaming through the trees. His face becomes serious as he stands up, moving towards the outer edge of the circle and gazing out at the trees.

Michelangelo cracks a yawn as he wakes up, making his brothers and Diaval wake immediately afterwards. They sit up, holding their heads and glancing at each other as if trying to decide whether the events of last night were real.

"Whoa, that was deep," Michelangelo comments, shattering the silence.

"Master Splinter made our quests clear," Leonardo says, turning back to his team. "It's time we begin, ninjas." He lifts his chin a little more. "Each of us will forge new armour and weapons, then journey on alone, where we'll be challenged in the spirit realm, the place where the unreal become real, and we meet our ultimate fate."

"Sweet!" Michelangelo grins.

Diaval stands and Donatello's attention is instantly on him. "And what about you?" the turtle asks. His tone holds the smallest amount of concern, one that isn't missed.

"Staying here," Diaval says. "Meet you after?"

"Sure." Raphael gives a sharp nod. He turns to his brothers. "Let's get started, huh?"

They bow to one another and split off to prepare for their quest. Diaval swallows and stares down at the charred fire pit, his hand tightening around his bow.

"Can't use a new weapon, not any good," he mutters. "Hope you don't mind."

One outfit change later, the four turtles stand around a flag decorated in Japanese symbols, their eyes shut. Leonardo wears a blue-grey mask that covers the entire top of his head, as well as a grey hood. His weapon of choice is a bow and arrows and his katanas remain in sheathes at his side.

Raphael also wears a white hood. His mask is still red, but has two longer sections that hang down and cover his cheeks. He has a small gas can on his back with a hose that connects to two blowtorches on his wrists. He has a pair of tekkō-kagi on his hands and fishnet sleeves cover his elbows, forearms, and hands. His sais are where they've always been.

Donatello wears a purple hood that covers his shoulders, as well as a white skull-like mask. Purple markings cover his legs and his bō staff has been transformed into a large axe. One could say that he looks like the Grim Reaper.

Michelangelo wields two kamas. His mask, still orange, is faded and covers the top of his head. The tails are long and tattered. He wears tree bark armour on his shoulders, arms, wrists, and feet, and his cheeks are painted with a spray of black dots.

Every turtle's belt, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrappings are off-white in colour. They stand in silence, eyes shut. The wind blows, rustling their hoods.

Diaval waits within the trees, out of sight. He tried to change his outfit, he really did, but his attempts have fallen flat when compared to those of the turtles. His pale hair is pulled into a high ponytail, exposing more of his face than before, and he's painted two black lines beneath his eyes. He tied his baggy red shirt around his waist and painted a few dark lines onto his body, covering any scars and blemishes, but left his pants and shoes alone. His cloak is still clasped around his neck and his bow and quiver are slung over his back.