Chapter 40: Deadly encounter with shinobi

Salem pov

I found myself standing on an Aztec temple which was insanely tall and was almost touching the clouds. I looked down and saw a wide forest area but it wasn't the only thing as thanks to the height of the temple I saw different areas. I saw a volcanic area in the distance, a savannah area, a body of water, an s snow area, a rocky valley, and what looked like a city nearby.

"What in the world?" I questioned as I looked around. The last thing I remember was getting hit by the massive water attack by the froghemoth after those frog turtle things interfered in my battle.

The place began to shake violently and before I could get off it the Quetzalcoatl wrapped itself on the upper layer of the temple and was now staring menacingly at me and my eyes widened.

"ROOAARR!!" With a loud boom the Testora come out of the volcano flying us in meteor speeds.

"W-HAT THE!" I yelled in shock as I was about to make a quick retreat. The Quetzalcoatl struck at me at lightning speeds but stopped by the Testora and the temple crumbled and I fell from high up in the air.

"AAHH!

I shot up and breathed heavily at what just happened then I flinched in pain as I felt it all throughout my body. I saw there were bandages all around my torso to chest a little, arms and legs. I was out of the swamp and in a proper forest clearing of sorts. I looked down and saw four papers which looked like talismans on my body.

"Guess someone helped me while I was out." I mumbled as I got up but flinched from the pain and to make it worse my head felt like it would split apart with a massive head I was having. But I wondered about that dream I had with Quetzalcoatl and Testora.

I removed the talismans from my chest and examined them a bit but they didn't sense any magic coming out of them but wondered what these were for. I still felt my magic so I wasn't sealing spells and my body could still move so it wasn't for restriction so I guess it was just meant for healing, I hope. I couldn't sense any magic signatures around and I turned my nose and ears into that of the rabbit's but besides the scent of another person in this area and I guess it was for the one who helped me.

"I wonder if these things are as op as Fūinjutsu in Naruto?" I thought as the seals in Naruto could do and had the potential to do so many things it was ridiculous sometimes.

Suddenly the wind blew a tad bit stronger and my ears were picking up something a good distance away and it seemed like the sounds of explosions from a battle. But I didn't pay that much in mind as mage battles are common but I heard something else familiar. I switched my rabbit ears to my owl ears and heard the froghemoth roaring and sounds of fighting.

"That's not good." I mumbled and transformed into my full owl form and the bandages around my body fell off and I flew fast towards the sounds of the battle.

I reached the swamp and saw there was a good bit of destruction as it flew through deeper and deeper in it but something told me that this was the aftermath with my battle against the froghemoth. I got in a little closer and I heard the battle noses ease up and the froghemoth's roars and screams die down but I also heard the sound of people in that area. I got closer to the sight which was a small clearing in a swamp and I stopped by a tree branch. I used my enhanced eyesight to see what was going on.

I saw the froghemoth down but it didn't seem dead and it seemed to be breathing but I saw it multiple talismans on it. There was a good summary of those dead frog-turtle men and I saw one of them with a kunai on their head or neck. There were 7 people in black ninja outfits which looked pretty cool but I saw another man was lying in the swamp water bleeding heavily with slashes on his chest.

"-ence the transportation?" One the ninjas speak.

"Hai." The other ninja nodded.

"It seems that the imperial soldier is still alive but barely and I suspect he called for reinforcements. What should we do with him?" One of the ninjas asked.

"Finish him off,remember we can't afford any witnesses and have little time before the other imperial army members get here."

One of the ninja walked over to the samurai and walked over with a blade in hand. I was about to intervene but I my ears twitched and heard something heading towards me and on instinct I flew upwards fast and I saw one of the ninjas almost cut me down with their sword. But one I wasn't given time to breath as I began to dodge multiple shuriken by the ninjas but I flew out of there way by going higher in the air. Two of the ninjas were already in the sky as well and had their swords drawn out about to slice me into two but I quickly transformed into an ant making them miss and transformed back and gave them a split kick to their faces.

Both of them did manage to throw a kunai while I was still in the air but as I twisted my body to dodge it I noticed a paper attached to it. Next thing I knew an explosion happened.

I was falling down from the sky burned and blooded and slashed into the water breathing heavily three were about to stab me. I shifted into a snake going into the water and my body twisting my body avoiding the blades and quickly bite one of the ninja's leg poisoning him making him jump back but before the others could as well, I come out behind one of them and throw a strong right hook to his face which I felt his jaw crack from the hit.

I was hit by a strong kick which I barely blocked with my hands making me flinch in pain and I was pushed back a bit. Four of the ninjas jumped at me and quickly began to engage in close combat. I could barely dodge and counter but they were too coordinated and I was losing steam fast and I had to be extra careful every time a sword came down to me.

I was given a slash to the cheek, and the others slightly cut my arm. I tried to get some distance between me and them but they were relentless. I jumped out f an attack and when one tried to sneak, I quickly grabbed his arm and throw him hard towards his buddies but he gracefully twisted and the all come at me at once and so in a but my turned my hands into glacier wolf's putting my hands in water making ice large spikes flying at them.

"Cough' 'Cough.'" I coughed out a little blood and breathed that spell wasn't helping me depleted reserves.

They were really getting me good and my previous ones weren't doing me any favours. My magic and stamina were still depleted so I couldn't really use my heavy hitters or bigger spells as I had to pace myself well in this battle which was hard with them barely giving me time to breathe.

The area then began to get incredibly misty and I could barely see anything but I had switched into my hybrid cat form and I could at least see better. Even though I could see a little better I had to focus and I barely heard any footsteps. I sniffed the air and smelt the scent familiar to the one who I assumed healed me. It was mixed with so much blood but it was heard to track the ninjas. On reflex I turned and clapped my hands together with a catching sword and struggled to keep it bay as the ninja kept pushing it down further. I heard a ninja quickly appear and slashed my back making me grunt in pain. Another was coming and used my tail and grabbed his arm.

I quickly got out of the way, the sword then quickly kicked the ninja away, flipped, clawed the ninja in the face, making him scream, then kicked hard at the back of the head, sending him to his friend. I requiped my gun and shot them both but I saw a dragon tattoo vin his back. I quickly requiped my short sword using my reflexes to block some shuriken.

I wobbled a bit, felt my magic getting depleting faster than I thought and even my stamina. Suddenly a ninja appeared to slash my chest and moved back, cutting my shirt a bit. I tried to shoot him but he dodged every shot.

'Damn must be the mist. I'll end up dead if this keeps up.' I thought to myself that it would be best if I got out of here as the froghemoth could wait so I had to take a risk. I was looking around getting ready for an attack at all sides and the sudden sound sent me on edge.

Multiple projectiles come flying around I dodged shot them one ninja suddenly appeared next to me and quickly stopped his hand and I saw he had a talisman on him but he skillfully broke out my grip strike my hand hard making me let go of my short sword and kicked me hard sending me to a tree which then it exploded.

I was knocked out of my cat form and just floating in the water barely conscious bleeding and the mist almost depleted. I saw them coming down from the air about to stab me but I decided to take a risk and went into my were-cheetah form but the one that looks like my hybrid forms in my animal transformations. I quickly ran out of the way, ignored the pain and I flicked to my normal form but I kept pushing it. I followed my nose to the imperial soldier and grabbed him. I saw blood gushing out of his neck, not breathing and no heartbeat.

'Fuck they already killed him.' I thought in frustration. I did the only thing I thought and took the body and ran like hell. I saw the ninja following fast behind me and even though I was putting distance between us I was flicking into my normal form but ignored the pain and kept pushing it.

I didn't look back with my heart pumping like crazy and adrenaline going through my body. I smelt the air and got a whiff of other people other than the ninjas but I didn't care if they were still following me or not as I ran fast to the other people hoping they weren't the enemy. But I was out of my cat form and fell into the water breathing heavily and struggled to get up.

I forced myself up and walked to the soldier and dragged his floating body towards the people.

"Hey." I weakly called out. "Hey." I called out again and I heard people running along the swamp's waters. My legs gave in and I fell in the water, my vision getting blurry but I saw a man in uniform running towards it and everything went black.

A day later

"'GASP!!'" My eyes shot up and I got up and so I was in a hospital bed and room. "Ha déjà vu." I was covered in bandages from my stomach to chest and a bandage on my cheek.

The door suddenly opened and I saw a man dressed in a red samurai armour with a sword on his hip. He had neatly kept black hair, brown eyes and was very tall.

"Hello young man, I'm glad to see you awake." He spoke as he sat on a chair not too close or too far from my bed. "My name is Hirata Sato and I'm the captain of the imperial army here in Chiba. It's nice to meet you." He stretched his hand for a hand shake I took.

"Nice to meet Mr. Hirata. I hope I said that in the right order. I'm Salem Shupiwe. Salem is my first name and Shupiwe is my last name." I introduced myself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Why did you hold your wrist when you were shocked that something was wrong with your wrist?" He questioned.

"Oh no it's just where i'm from you just do that when shaking hands with an older person to show respect." I explained and he nodded. "Thanks for getting me to a hospital by the way."

"You're welcome. Is it okay if I could ask you some questions?"

"Before anything of t-that guy who I was carrying did you know who he was?" I asked and the captain looked down solemnly.

"His name was Akiyami Rick or Rick Akiyami in your case. But that was something I wanted to know about what your relationship was with him and what happened in the swamp. We did a little search on the swamp in it looked like multiple destructive battles happened in the area?"

"I-I don't know him at all. I fought a monster in the swamp and I got damaged but Mr. Akiyami found me and helped heal me using his talismans. But he was gone when I woke up, he was gone and I followed his scent to the swamp but when I got there some ninjas had got to him, captured the monster and tried to kill me too but I ended up getting away with his body." I finished my story.

"I see, thank you for collaborating. Rick was just supposed to be in the swamp because there was an alert of a high number of Koppa in the area but did you notice anything more about the ninjas and what the monster was?"

"Well, the monster was a giant frog and I saw one of them have a black dragon tattoo on his back if that helps." I saw his eyes widen after I said that.

"Yes, it helps a lot."

I than sighed in sadness. "I never even got the chance to speak nor thank him let alone save him to at least return the favour by at least saving his life." I looked down sadly.

"It's okay Shupiwe-san you were lucky to have gotten away with your life. That was the dark guild, the Oni Dragons and their part of the dark trinity." He put his hand on my shoulder. "I could tell you did his best to save him."

Two days later

I was out of the hospital and was currently at the graveyard. They had already had the funeral while in the hospital. I just put a rose on Akiyami graveyard which was filled with roses from his friends and family.

"I'm sorry I was not able to save you like you did me or did the minimum of thank you." I put my hands together and began to pray for the man's soul wishing him a peaceful after.

I left the graveyard and took out my phone and so that the froghemoth was in the same area some other anomalies have rounded up and I guess they were also captured by the Oni Dragons. The question in my head was how did they know about the anomalies.

I got a splitting headache again and I almost dropped my phone. When I saw my reflection on my phone I saw my eyes were like the Quetzalcoatl and flick back to normal green eyes.