Chapter 39: Battle in the Swamp

Salem pov

I was currently in a swamp and the rain was pouring down on me heavily. I was wearing a red shirt, open black sleeveless hoodie, black shorts, sandals and a straw hat to cover my head from the rain. Yeah, not the best choice to travel in the swamp but most of my clothes were ruined due to fighting and training and I was running really low.

I made a fireball with my Rathalos power to shade some light on the swamp as the place was really dark and misty, making it more mysterious. I hoped from the tree heading to the location of the next anomaly. The water wasn't deep and I could probably stand in it but I didn't want to get my clothes wet. The monster I was hunting was Mid S-class which was a froghemoth from the dnd games.

"Damn bugs." I grumbled as I swatted some bugs away from me and continued on to the anomaly. But as I got closer, I got an eerily feeling in my body and paused for a bit.

My sensory skills have gotten a little better throughout the years and I was picking up some magic around but it felt dark and malicious like dark magic. But I couldn't pinpoint its direct location, maybe due to the swamp.

Everything went silent as I observed my surroundings carefully and looked around and down to the water intensely. Suddenly the water burst and I began dodging water-based attacks but my fireball got hit multiple times turning it off. I was about to attack back when I felt something coming from behind. I saw a jet stream of water coming towards me and quickly dodged but it pierced through my straw hat knocking it off.

I flipped and landed on tree trunk than dodged some attacks coming from the water. I quickly re-equipped my gun and shot into the mist sensing where the next attack was going to land next. And I heard a search and quickly sprung myself transforming my hand into that of my cat from making a knife formation and dug it in the thing's neck. My sharp claws penetrated its neck and we were on a tree branch.

I got a good look at it and it seemed to resemble a turtle but more malicious looking and was about the size of a short human.

"The fuck." I mumbled. But then moved out of the way as more water attacks shot at me. "Okay that's enough!" I yelled as my head transformed into that of the Zinogre.

"HOWLING THUNDER!" I fired a powerful lightning blast from my mouth into the water and I heard multiple screeches of pain and I saw about twenty of those things float out of the water dead.

I turned my head back to normal and up transformed my eyes and ears to my owl form to get a better read on my surroundings. Then in the distance in the mistier terrain I saw a couple more stalking me but slowly went into the water. I raised my eyebrow a little at that as suddenly the place started rumbling.

"WHAT HELL!! WHAT NOW!?" I questioned then a huge gust of wind blown back but I transformed into my hybrid owl form to keep to the skies. "The fuck?" I questioned as I looked ahead.

Trees were collapsing and the area was rumbling more and I heard very heavy footsteps of a giant monster and something told me I knew what was coming my way. The froghemoth appeared and it was about 20 feet tall and 10 widths in height. It's body is yellow with a yellow greenish belly, four massive tentacles extending from its body, the nostrils protrude on short stalks, and yellow eyes located on retractable appendages.

"Damn you're bigger than I thought." I mumbled a little taken back by the giant froghemoth size but not anything I haven't seen before.

The anomaly launched it tentacles at me in a frenzy but I was too far for them to reach but strong pressures of wind where blown my way it I did my best to dodge but eventual I was hit by a strong one knocking be back hard but I could take it. I saw it launch its tongue at me which I quickly dodged and launching myself to the swamp's waters splashing than a terrain of electricity covered the water shocking the froghemoth.

I was in my hybrid Zinogre as I already learned most aquatic monsters don't take electrical attacks well. The forghemoth stunted a bit but looked like it wasn't affected that match but it still got the job done a little.

It roared in annoyance and shot a huge stream of water from its mouth and I dodged it. The destruction left by the attack was nothing to scoff at. I quickly unleashed a powerful blast of electricity at the creature and it responded by blowing a strong gust of wind nullifying my attack and knocking me back several metres.

I slammed across many trees and quickly got back up a little damaged and noticed multiple jets streams of water and I used my lightning body to dodge them. I zipped past the trees and appeared behind the Forghemoth. But it took notice of me but I was faster.

"Giga volt canon!" I unleashed a huge beam of lightning knocking the giant swamp frog back a little but it held its ground but it was still a little paralyzed. I quickly began to shoot more long-distance attacks damaging the monster more and with my smaller fast frame I had a good advantage.

It made a strong swift of wind from the bottom tentacles and I jumped upper avoiding the attack but then it shot its big water beam at me and that brief instant I switched to my hybrid Ankylosaurus form lessening the damage of the attack. A lot of trees were destroyed in the aftermath of the attack. I took heavy damage and my hands were the one that had it the worst as they were bleeding badly. It launched at me but I took to the skies quick with my Teostra wings sprouting on my back.

"ARGHH!" I groaned in pain as I felt a bad headache then it got wise making me grit my teeth. Suddenly the wings were gone and fell but I landed on a tree branch.

"T-The hell." I mumbled in worry and a little fear than suddenly tough wrapped around my leg Dragged me into its mouth. I caught the giant frog's teeth and prevented it from chewing me up. But with my busted arms it proved tough.

"I-It stinks in here!" I gagged from the smell.

I was have a hard time keeping it's mouth closed. I was at activating my magic but I was flicking in and out of my transformation. I flinched more in pain as my injuries were kept making the task difficult. Finally I went to my ant from breaking some of its teeth escaping.

I went to the werecheetah form to quickly put some distance between us and landed on a tree and started healing slowly. I zoomed away from another incoming wind attack.

I jumped high into the air and came rocketing down like a meteor but again dodged. It flung its tentacles wildly but destroying it managed to dodge the attacks but with the huge amounts of wind pressure it was also producing it was a much tougher job. But it was a little slower than the last time it did that. When I dodged the recent one, I was healed for a bit just nodding my arms a little better. I went back to hybrid Zinogre form and shot a power blast of lightning in the water and made it conduct to the froghemoth but it surprisingly powered through it.

I took large trees from each of its tentacles and threw them fast at me and I quickly dodged and destroyed one. But it was distracted and took a heavy hit from one of its tentacles. Smashing me on a tree and coughing a little violently. I charged up another water blast and I quickly got out of the way.

I went into my glacier wolf from freezing the water beneath and trapping the froghemoth in a strong trap of ice which struggled to get out. I went into my full Zinogre form and shot even a powerful lighting blast. It seemed more hurt as it screeched louder. After I was done it seemed paralyzed as multiple balls of lightning floated around me and began bombarding it with them.

Then I felt a sharp pain on my arm and I let out a growl and saw some of those turtle men a far in the unfrozen water. I the froghemoth broke out and shot the biggest water blast at me and it was coming too fast and too close for me to dodge. I shot a powerful howling thunder and we were having a beam clash and caused harsh winds to blow through the swamp.

Its was slowly overpowering me as it was still a little stronger but I made a lightning stream from under my feet shocking it badly making me slowly win. But I was hit by sharp water arrows by the turtle man once more. And I couldn't do much due to most of my power and concentration on another task so I tried to use my tail to zap them.

'SHIT!!' I thought in panic as the headache come back but I was not transforming back but more body still felt weaker. "AAAGGGHHH!" I pushed harder but the headache became but the Froghemoth attack overpowered me and the attack hit launching me back and to at least minimise the damage it went to my Ankylosaurus form as I block the attack my world went dark.

End of Pov

Somewhere in the entrance of the swamp a man dressed in standard ronin gear, a katana on his hip, and a straw hat. He looked to be in his early thirties, a goutte and curly hair in a ponytail

"What is happening in this swamp, are these really the kappa?" The man questioned as he felt the forest shake multiple times and a huge surge of magic. "What the?" He questioned as a child about 13-14 years old with brown skin and white hair lay down unconscious and a little bloody on the lay and the man picked him up and carried him over his shoulders.

"The mission can wait a little. I should get you some medical attention first." He ran off extremely fast.