FicWad

Chapter Twenty Six: The Legend of the Five Dragons

Out on the ocean, a large ship approached the same island that had housed the Lap of the Gods. On the ship were the five heralds of the entity that they had declared to be the one true Shredder, the recently freed Foot Mystics. Their ship approached the island, landing off the shore and the Foot Mystics evacuated the ship, looking from side to side as they exited, before the ship vanished, leaving no trace that they had arrived from any onlookers.

“At last brother mystics we have arrived, the first artifact is in our grasp,” stated the fire mystic, as they walked forward, the river that their Kappa minions were set to guard the cask was not far from here but the sight they saw was the river halfway evaporated, as several Kappa laying, groaning on the ground, looking severely weakened and battered. As they moved forward, the cask was gone. “What not here?”

The Heralds moved forward, before they peered down at one of the Kappa, who attempted to get up, but the metal mystic pinned him to the ground, causing him to struggle.

“What is the meaning of this, where is the cask?” demanded the fire mystic harshly to the demon on the ground, who groaned, before it craned its head slightly, deciding to launch into the explanation.

“Tribunal…new Acolytes….they have it….” gasped the Kappa, as the five mystics looked around with obvious distaste as their fears were confirmed.

“You had one job, to protect the cask,” remarked the fire mystic coldly, but the Kappa looked up, with a pleading expression in its eyes, but the Heralds held no sympathy.

“But…they fought like demons,” pleaded the Kappa and this statement did not win him any favor, as the Heralds looked down at the Kappa with disgust.

“You are demons, demons that have failed at the simplest task,” stated the fire mystic as each of the heralds raised their staffs. “The supreme master we seek to revive accepts no failure, and neither do we.”

“Please, have mercy,” begged the Kappa but the heralds showed none, as their staffs were powered up, before a large burst of magical energy vaporized their failed minions and a second later, the heralds had transported themselves out, leaving nothing but the ash of their army of Kappa behind and an unsettling wind that blew in the distance, rattling the leaves long after the heralds were long departed from that area.

In the chambers of the Lap of the Gods, Harry sat towards the back of the room, with Ginny sitting next to him, lazily leaning against his shoulder. His brothers were off in the distance, trying to sleep on the cots but failing, while Master Splinter and the Ancient One were in the center of the room, in meditation. From the battle a few hours ago, physically, Harry felt fine, mentally was another thing all together. Seeing that particular helmet spooked Harry and thus raised even more questions, than the Tribunal’s explanation answered. The stirring of his brothers prompted Harry to pull himself up, with Ginny quietly following, as the Turtles all sat up on their cots, all wearing distressed looks on their face.

“Couldn’t sleep either could you?” asked Harry quietly as his brothers nodded in affirming.

“Yeah, we figure it’s pretty much the same reason we can’t either, that helmet’s still pretty fresh,” said Ginny. “I don’t get it, Harry defeated him, put him down, made sure that the body could not be retrieved.”

“No Ginny, something tells me that this is different,” said Harry slowly, as he looked at the haunted looks that were placed on the faces of the others, he had to admit they looked exactly how he felt. “Our resident fugitive Utrom might not have been the first person to hold the mantle of the Shredder…”

“Well, whoever it is, the Tribunal seemed adamant about putting it down,” offered Don. “The way they go on about it, you would think that this dark threat has the power to end all of humanity as they know it.”

“Yes, they expect us to be able to be good enough to fight it!” exclaimed Mikey in an horrified tone, as he rocked back and forth, the sight of that helmet also having it’s effect on the normally fun loving terrapin, but the others shot Mikey a look.

“Keep it down Mikey, or you’ll wake up the old guys,” said Raph as he craned his neck towards the Ancient One and Master Splinter, who were both sitting in the center of the room, not having moved from their current positions in quite some time.

“Raph, they’re not sleeping, they’re meditating,” corrected Leo and Raph just shot him an incredulous look, before Leo sighed, before regarding his brother seriously. “Trust me, there’s a difference.”

On the floor, Splinter began to stir, being unable to sit still, as the mutated rodent began breathing heavily, as he twisted and turned, as he sat on the ground, as the group’s attention was caught by Splinter’s movements.

“No….no…can’t let this happen…not again,” muttered Splinter. “Not again, did not want this for them, not now, not ever, they should not have been exposed to this….can’t allow them to cost me…not again…”

“Splinter-San, I cannot meditate with your constant muttering and squirming,” admonished the Ancient One, before pausing and adding in a thoughtful voice. “Well that and the fact that my backside has fallen asleep.”

“Master Splinter, what do you mean by not again?” asked Leo slowly and reluctantly, as Splinter’s eyes open, snapping to look at them all, wildly, before he settled down. “What are you talking about?”

Splinter sighed, he had looked much older than any of them remembered, before he had taken a deep breath, before he explained the cause of his mutterings.

“Some time ago, my Master Yoshi went to the Ninja Tribunal on behalf of the Utroms for protection against the Shredder,” stated Master Splinter calmly, but his eyes held disdain when he had talked about the Ninja Tribunal.

Hamato Yoshi, along with the Ancient One walked forward deep into the Lap of the Gods, towards the Ninja Tribunal, who stood in front of them, dressed in full armor, as they peered down the duo with disinterest.

“Honored ones, I beg you for assistance, I feel it would be beneficial for all parties if you help the Utroms combat the one currently holding the mantle of the Shredder,” remarked Yoshi. “Please, you must…”

“This insignificant alien bug is of no concern to the Ninja Tribunal,” interrupted Shakara coldly, as the group just fixed their glares at the Ancient One and Yoshi unblinkingly. . “He is merely just a parasite attempting to live off the reputation of one who has power that he can not even dream of using, so we will deny your attempts for assistance against him.”

“The Ninja Tribunal has much greater objectives in mind than playing protectors for a stranded alien race,” added Juto in an indifferent voice. “This is a problem that they will have to deal with on their own and without our assistance. You may depart and do not come back.”

“You may be surprised with what this Shredder is capable of, he might even one day channel the power of the one you all fear returning,” warned Yoshi, attempting to get the members of the Ninja Tribunal to see some amount of reason, but it was evident by their demeanors that they did not believe Yoshi’s warning one bit and in fact regarded the fact that he thought the fugitive Utrom was a threat as laughable.

“Just merely a diversion, distracting us from the real threat, we must remain vigilante,” said Con calmly. “Now be gone, you are dismissed.”

“Needless to say, the Ninja Tribunal did not here by Master Yoshi’s warnings, and thus, he was one of the countless across the universe that was brutally slain by the Utrom version of the Shredder,” stated Master Splinter. “Master Yoshi warned them of his danger, but they did not listen to his warnings about the danger that the Shredder posed, choosing to focus on what the perceived to be as the true, original Shredder instead.”

“Now Splinter-San, the Ninja Tribunal sees a larger picture than we do,” stated the Ancient One, but he did not seem all that sure at what he was saying. “At least I hope they do.”

“Wait a minute, what’s all this about a real Shredder, the Utrom Shredder, what are you talking about?” asked Mikey who looked befuddled, before he shook his head, attempting to clear the confusion he was getting from what was being said.

“Yeah, I agree with Mikey, how many Shredders are there?” prompted Raph and the others crowded around the Ancient One and Master Splinter, who exchanged looks, before Splinter sighed.

“Now, keep in mind this is only a story that I know only small parts of, in fact much if is a mystery to everyone but four individuals that reside here,” commented Master Splinter. “The original Shredder lived long ago, but those who have heard the story regard this entity that held the mantel of the Shredder as one of the greatest evils to ever live.”

“No one quite knows what foul pit of despair the original Shredder sprung out of, but one day, in the third century in Japan, the Shredder, a vicious and quite powerful tengu demon popped out to terrorize the citizens of Japan,” continued the Ancient One.

Several villagers ran in terror, as a thunderous boom echoed through the village. A ten foot tengu thundered down the village, breathing green fire. The impact incinerated everything it touched, as the tengu rampaged throughout the village. A brave few attempted to stop it, but a large wave of light knocked all attempts back, before the tengu continued on its rampage, preparing to turn the entire country into his own personal dark paradise. The tengu continued through its march as the emperor looked down at the village from his palace. The beast was getting closer, he needed to find warriors that would be able to take it down and stop its path of destruction.

“The entire country was thrown into chaos, but the emperor would not bend down to the will of the tengu,” narrated the Ancient One. “Therefore, he searched quickly for the best warriors in the country, masters of their art. Warriors that would be adept to saving the country from the menace of the tengu and in fact, you have already met four of the five warriors that were elected by the emperor to deal with the tengu menacing Japan.”

The Ancient One paused, for obvious dramatic effect, as the others waited for him to continue the story with baited breath. The aged master took a deep breath, before he continued his story.

“Shakara, Hisomi, Con, and Juto, the members of what you now know as the Ninja Tribunal were four of the five that were chosen by the emperor to try and take down the tengu,” explained the Ancient One. “However, there was a fifth warrior, one that may have been the best of them all. His name should be one that is very familiar to you. He was Oroku Saki.”

Looks were exchanged, as they heard the name of the human alias of the vile Utrom Ch’rell, that the fugitive used to make himself come across as a legitimate business man and now it appeared that the Utrom had used an identity that had a basis in reality, even if it was very long ago.

The tengu continued to menace the village, as the approaching sound of horses could be heard in the distance. On the horses, complete with weaponry, were the five warriors. Turning towards them, tengu snorts in distaste, before it shoots green light from its eyes towards the warriors, but they scattered. The impact from the tengu’s assault had charred the ground, before the warriors leapt up and rushed the tengu, ducking under the attacks, before Shakara sliced at it with a sword. The tengu was backed off, as Hisomi was behind it, twisting around the tengu, allowing Juto to throw several daggers at the tengu, but the tengu deflected it with a blast of light, knocking them backwards. Hisomi and Shakara was knocked to the ground by the impact, crashing hard and Con moved in for the attack, but the Tengu dropped him to the ground. The tengu looked up to a whooshing above his head and Saki brought down the blade across the top of the head. The tengu was backed off and attempted to go after Saki, but Saki ducked and another shot, as the other four warriors circled in around the tengu, wearing it down with a variety of attacks.

“Despite the power of the tengu, all five warriors fought bravely, and slowly, but surely, the tengu began to falter, its desperation becoming evident because of the carelessness of its attacks,” said Master Splinter.

“Above all else, Saki’s attacks were the most ruthless of them all,” commented the Ancient One. “All five warriors played their part, but it was Saki who played the largest part in dropping the tengu after its assault.”

The four warriors stepped back, allowing Saki to spring up and a thunderous kick dropped the tengu to the ground. Saki pulled out a large spear from behind his back, as the tengu was on its back, as the other warriors looked on, as Saki raised his weapon high over his head.

“I am Oroku Saki, demon, know that name well, because it will be the name of your executioner,” declared Saki firmly, as he held the weapon high over his head, with the demon on the ground, offering no resistance, before Saki plunged the blade down right into the heart of the demon. The demon went limp, apparently defeated, as the body laid motionless with Saki slowly stepping back, with the other four warriors nodding approvingly, as they stepped back from the lifeless body.

“The five defeated the tengu and were known throughout the country as heroes,” said Master Splinter. “They were invited to a special ceremony by the emperor of Japan, to honor their victory over the tengu. The five warriors received the three toed sign of the dragon, the highest honor that could be given in this time period. As a result, the group would be named the Five Dragons.”

“However, the terror was far from over for everyone, unfortunately, the battle involving Saki and the tengu had been fought on more than the physical plane,” stated the Ancient One

As Saki raised his blade over his head, the tengu looked up towards him, with a calculating look etched into its eyes.

“I am Oroku Saki, demon, known that name well, because it is the name of your executioner,” stated Saki, as he held the spear high over his head.

“I sense great potential within you warrior,” stated the tengu. “Let me into your heart, your soul, and together we can have all, rule all, just allow me in and together, we will show these insects true power.”

A second of indecision with Saki, as he had the spear, contemplating the demon’s words and accepting them, showing slight weakness, before the tengu’s essence swirled into Saki, just as the blade was impacted right into the heart of the tengu, rendering it dead from the point of view of the other watching warriors.

“So, while Saki delivered the crushing, final blow, it was only to the empty vessel, the tengu had already made its mark of Saki, and had transported its essence into Saki’s body,” said the Ancient One. “As a result, the essence of one of the greatest evils to exist now flowed within the skilled form of Oroku Saki, combining the raw power with skill to make an extremely dangerous enemy for all that stood in his way.”

Oroku Saki stood on the edge of a mountain, overlooking a village, as red magical energy swirled around his eyes, as he reared his head back and laughed coldly, before he raised his hands up, causing several clammy hands to burst from the ground below. Inferi, rose from the ground, and began to march forward towards the village. Several screams were heard, as a small child was grabbed by two of the undead minions, before he was dragged off into the distance. Several others attempted to run, as Saki stood atop from high above, laughing coldly at the chaos, as his undead minions continued to drag off the citizens of the village, as blood dripped to the ground.

In the distance, the gallop of horses indicated the arrival of an army. Crossbows were aimed and several razor sharp arrows were shot up towards Saki, but Saki calmly waved his hand. The arrows crumbled to dust in mid air and large vines burst out of the ground, wrapping around the arms and legs of those who fired at upon them. Several desperate screams and attempts to get through were in vain, as they were yanked through the soil to the ground below. Seconds later, Saki waved his hands, and the men burst back to the ground, with pale white skin, glowing red eyes, laughing madly as the same individuals who attempted to protect them were now terrorizing the villagers, grabbing the villagers, and pulling them off into the distance.

“Oroku Saki became the most feared warlord in all of Japan, amassing an army of undead warriors and ninjas that he had dubbed the Foot,” narrated the Ancient One.

“His name was spoken in whispers by all and the name they whispered was the Shredder,” added Master Splinter seriously. “This combined entity was extremely powerful, the likes of which that could not be put down, despite the best efforts of everyone to stall its efforts.”

“All who went against the Shredder were destroyed one by one, leaving a path of destruction through all of Japan and essential, the entire country was plunged into a dark chaos, ruled only by one entity,” stated the Ancient One slowly, as the others listened closely, enriched in the tale that was being told. “Now, the other four warriors had fled the country shortly after they found out that the tengu had merged with Saki. They realized, despite their great abilities, there would be no way for them to defeat the combined entity at that current skill level, so it was time to broaden their powers. They traveled the world, seeking out mystic knowledge among the greatest masters in their time, broadening their knowledge and their power.”

“After several years of training, they had returned to find Japan completely under the rule of the Shredder, but now they were ready, to return and face off against the one that not too long ago they fought alongside,” said Master Splinter.

The Shredder sat in a large throne room in a palace, as his army patrolled the villages all across the company, making sure the populace understand his power and respected that control. At that point, the doors right in front of him began to crack slightly, causing the Shredder to stand up, a curious expression etched upon his face. Before the tengu powered warlord could even take a few steps forward, the quartet of Shakara, Con, Juto, and Hisomi all burst through the doors, weapons drawn, as they stared towards the one that was now their enemy, ready for anything he would throw at them.

“Ah, my old associates, I was wondering when you would be foolish enough to stop me,” said the Shredder casually, as if their appearance only served to be a minor distraction to his overall rule. “I do have great respect for each and every one of you as warriors, so I will offer you the chance to join me and have a taste of the great power that I have accumulated. It would be such a waste of your talents to oppose me, when it is only a formality that you will be crushed.”

The members of the future Ninja Tribunal were not to be swayed by the Shredder’s offer but rather, they moved around him, circling the tengu, before they rushed in for the attack. Shredder’s hands were illuminated, before he shot bolts of green light in every direction towards the four warriors. They were prepared for this lethal assault, as metal shields appeared from them. The spells were deflected by at the Shredder, but the tengu cancelled them, before he rose up above them, eyes glowing red, as pure black dark magical energy swirled around his form.

“If you wish to oppose me, then you have sealed your fates,” said Shredder curtly, as clouds of yellow acid conjured out of the air, before they splashed down towards the Tribunal, who scattered in all directions. The acid splashed down to the ground, burning large holes where they had once stood. Several chains shot out, wrapping around the arms of the Shredder, pulling him to the ground, where Hisomi dodged behind Shredder, holding him in place, for Shakara to rush forward and blast the Shredder with a punch, but Shredder flipped Hisomi to the ground, before he sprung up. Several spectral birds shot out, diving towards the Shredder with razor sharp beaks, but Shredder closed his hand, causing the conjured sprits from Con to go to the ground, before Shredder waved towards the ground, with large spiked vines erupting from the floor. The vines began to wrap around his four adversaries, but they were ready, slicing into the vines, freeing themselves, before they burst towards the Shredder, shooting four high powered blasts of magic towards the tengu. Shredder was blasted directly through the wall, and for a second, they thought that assault would be enough to put their enemy down.

The glory was only momentary, as a loud thunderous growl echoed, as the warriors rushed forward, looking at the fallen form of the Shredder. A curtain of black light began to surround their dangerous adversary, the limbs extending and soon, a larger foe began to face the. The foe was a large dragon, rough skin as black as the night sky, sharp claws that could rip through pretty much anything effortlessly, razor sharp fangs, and glowing red eyes that radiated intense magical energy. The dragon rose up, taking a deep breath, before breathing hot flames towards the tribunal members. A cyclone of water just barely managed to fight the flames, but the dragon flapped its winds, sending gusts of wind towards the four warriors. They were knocked down to the ground, as the dragon dove down, taking a cottage in its jaws, before it flung it towards the tribunal. A cutting yellow light passed through the cottage, ripping it into pieces, as they faced the dangerous beast, as it breathed even more fire. It appeared that there was no way to stop their dangerous foe. The Shredder was far more powerful than any of them could have ever imagined.

“All did appear to seem lost, but the four warriors would not under any circumstances give up, they would continue fighting to the very end,” stated Master Splinter.

“Yet, despite all this, despite the power of the Shredder’s dragon form, the four warriors had one final trick up their sleeve, something that they did not fully master, but had come close,” said the Ancient One. “It was do or die for them, they had to find a way to unleash their own forms, because it was the only thing powerful enough that would even hope to help them contain the darkness that was the Shredder.”

The four members of the future Ninja Tribunal were now on the ground, as the Shredder, in his dragon form, circled around them, looking angry at the games they were playing. The dragon dove down, breathing fire from its nostrils and mouth, it would make them all pay for spurning him, for disrespecting his power. In a flash of pure white light, the dragon was stalled in its, tracks, backing off, growling madly, as it was backed off, flapping its wings, and when the light disappeared, four more dragons had surrounded it. The Shredder was not impressed by what he deemed to be nothing but insignificant little lizards. He flew up high above the ground and breathed black flames towards one of his opponents. Four more bursts of fire shot right back at the Shredders attempt, as it now boiled down to whose will was stronger, the Shredder’s or the collective will of the Tribunal. Both enemies pushed their attacks back and forth, the Shredder’s eyes widening, with the human intelligence of Saki guiding the sheer brute strength of the tengu.

After some anxious moments from the four warriors, the Shredder was pushed backwards. He rose up to his full size, growling, before several bolts of fire shot wildly at his enemies. They scattered, before they circled the Shredder, forcing him to chase them, stretch his power, and this only served to anger the Shredder even more. He blasted himself forward, heating up the air as he breathed fire, gaining a full head of steam. These annoyances would pay. Bursts of fire shot but all four warriors had maneuvered themselves right behind the Shredder. Four blurs shot towards the Shredder, high impact magical energy, amplified by the sheer size of the dragons connected right to the beasts. A loud anguished growl echoed as the Shredder was pushed right down towards the ground, his wings shrinking as the future Tribunal continued to push all of their power. They had to push him back into a more humane form, not matter what the cost. Shredder’s fangs began to shrunk, as the transference into the dragon reversed, the wings completely disappearing, with the Shredder grounded.

“No, you cannot defeat me, I will crush you foolish lizards!” roared the Shredder in a deep voice but more magical energy pushed down on Shredder. A sound escaped his body that alternated between a shriek and a deep growl, as the skin turned more human, as Shredder shrank from his massive size, back to his original ability. Before the Shredder could find a way to regain his bearings, the four warriors, now back as humans, placed a very powerful stasis field around him.

“The four dragons managed, through sheer determination and a bit of luck, to defeat the Shredder, at least temporary,” narrated the Ancient One. “Despite the fact that the Shredder was easily contained, he was much too powerful for them to completely destroy, so the only measure that they could take against him was containment.”

The eyes of the Shredder opened and it took him seconds to realize what had happened. The helmet had been removed from his head, along with the gauntlet on his wrist, as he laid inside an open coffin. He peered up and attempted to twist himself loose from his confinement but much to his displeasure, he found himself unable to move, as Shakara, Con, Juto, and Hisomi hoisted up a large concrete lid over towards the Shredder, who just peered up with anger at his former associates, as he struggled free.

“You will remain here on day, demon, until we find a way to sufficiently dispose of you,” said Con but the Shredder just looked at the warrior with hatred radiating from his eyes.

“None of you have the power to stop me, I will get out of here and when I do, you will all feel my wrath!” warned the Shredder, as the concrete lid was slid into the top of the coffin, as it was fused to the top. Several loud thumps were heard, before the four surrounded the coffin, before they blasted it with a high impact stasis charm. A blue light enveloped the coffin for a few seconds, before it remained still, as the helmet and gauntlet laid on the ground.

“From that moment of time, forward, the Ninja Tribunal has kept a constant guard over the Shredder’s body, helmet, and gauntlet, a never ending vigil that has lasted centuries, never letting up, with the gift or rather curse, of immortality that they had received during their travels around the world” concluded the Ancient One.

“Man, that’s a long time,” said Mikey, as the others nodded in agreement and in awe. Despite what they thought of the Ninja Tribunal, it was still rather impressive that they would keep over the three artifacts.

“It had to have been done, as if those three artifacts were ever reunited, that would mean the return of the Shredder,” commented Splinter. “It is safe to say that death and destruction would follow soon there after, as they only just barely managed to defeat the Shredder the first time around. A second time, they might not have had the same luck. Since that time, they have recruited many, training them under the art of these ninjitsu, acolytes as they have been known, in the event that the day that the original Shredder is resurrected, a certainty that is becoming more of a reality by each passing day.”

“Yes, I can see where they are going now, Ch’rell must have heard about what the tengu did, so he fashioned the Utrom exosuit to resemble the Shredder’s armor, in a way to easily recruit ninjas and reform the Foot,” concluded Harry. “The Sword of Tengu may have also partially been created as a tool to convince his followers of his status as the Shredder, using the alien technology to simulate magic.”

“Yes, and the fact that the fugitive Utrom Shredder was a formidable adversary in his own right, made the hoax a bit more realistic as well,” added Ginny with a nod. “And now, it looks like someone’s trying to bring him back.”

“Yes, and we may be the only hope,” said Mikey grimly. “I wonder if there I still time to go home.”

“We have to do everything we can to help stop the Shredder from being resurrected, the fate of the world rests in our hands,” concluded Leo. “Now, I would suggest we try and get some sleep, as I have a feeling the Ninja Tribunal is not going to let up anytime soon.”