Chapter 14: Be Aware

Author's note:

Another chapter done, and well you know the rest at this point. Well things are going to be progressing along in this chapter, plus a fight at the end because those are fun. I won't say much here for the sake of not accidentally spoiling anything. Again there will be occasions where I use brackets to act as the character talking in that language which I cannot write due to not knowing how to write it. But for those new here it usually goes as follows.

() - Language 1

[] - Language 2

{} - Language 3

English dialogue will just go normally. Anyway this is TheFoolOfTheNoon signing off.

/

Ankha's P.O.V.

"He is trying to get to me, I know he is..."

I muttered those words quietly to myself as I recalled the event that taken place not too long ago. We have long since comforted Isabelle and while she was still shaking a bit from the encounter as we finally got started on the investigation. Nacho would occasionally give me worried glances and I would give a small hand gesture telling him I'm fine. Well sort of, Aten lived up to his threat and the thought of him being anywhere and anytime without us knowing is unnerving. Although if I had to choose I rather have him target me alone than going after the people I love.

Despite my concerns, we have a task at hand and that task is picking up leads from this mystery group of humans that are kidnapping the villagers of these kings. The co-rulers showed us the villages that were affected and the evidence they gathered. It was mainly left-over accessories or belongings to those who were kidnapped. They even shown us some worn out footprints and a mysterious circular imprint into the ground. There was some residual magic energy within the imprint and after taking a look at it, Azhum was able to find out it was an emergency teleport spell. A spell that allows for a quick escape, but the energies produced also cause it to take everything within range with it, limbs included.

However, the teleport only can go to a place the caster knows that is only five miles away. Yet, despite the kings and their men best efforts they couldn't track them down. The scent trail ended right at the teleportation site. I gave a sniff myself, and yes, I could faintly smell the scent of human. It wasn't enough for any details, but one stood out to me. Something the kings picked up on as well. One of the scent's had a hint of death around it which was strange. I know this smell quite well as it was the kind of smell Lucky would give off if he stayed in the sun too long.

"That is really an odd scent."

("You smelled it too didn't you? That stench of the dead?") Olemach asked me curiously.

"Yeah, its faint but its there. What does that mean though? You only find that kind of stench off of dead bodies."

("Perhaps a witch doctor or Necromancer is among their ranks?") Taimolche suggested, ("Those are the only ones that come to mind thinking of working with the dead.")

"That could be bad Ankha, remember we are missing a certain important dead body. It wouldn't be far fetched to think that these guys may be connected to it," Nacho brought up a good point, but we know so little about them.

"Maybe, but we need more information. Hmm…we got to lure them out somehow."

"Perhaps some bait is in order Lady Ankha?" Azhum said.

"Bait for sure, but I doubt there is anybody in the village that wants to volunteer to be one."

("I can agree, the chiefs of the villages would not rather sacrifice one of their own for such an idea.")

"Oh! Ankha! Don't you have the spells that can change your fur color and eye color?" Isabelle happily exclaimed.

"Oh right! You used it before when you were Patri and Cleo Saracopha," Nacho added.

My ears perked up when I heard those names again and the reference to my older spells. In the past, I would take two false identities before ending up in Mellow. These identities being the famous actress Cleo Saracopha and illustrious singer Patri. Back then, I only knew how to use magic to change my eye color, but later on I learned to change my fur color. This was helpful for me as I traveled across lands and staying under the radar. I had to grow out my hair for these looks, but it was worth it to stay unnoticed. I was practically unrecognizable.

"Ah, I see what you are getting at. I don't exactly share the same pantherine features as most of the villagers here, but if I alter my fur and color just right then they won't be able to tell the difference!"

It wasn't the greatest plan we could have thought of, but it was the only one we could think at the time that could work. So, after deciding that I would disguise myself as one of the natives and become live bait for this human group taking these villagers. It took a day for the kings to convince a village to be used in the plan and let me be a part of them. They are the Tree Hopper tribe, I was told, and we visited them. They mainly had a green to brown or black coloration with a leopard patterned coat. They got their name as they are very acrobatic and can easily climb and hop from tree to tree. I was able to easily replicate this due to my own physical training in the past. Granted I am not gifted with the natural predator claws they used to make the climbs easy, but my skills more than made up for that.

I was able to purchase some tribe's women clothing as well. Apparently, they are aware some goods can only be purchased by the money of the land. It was simple civilian wear, a simple leather top with a for fitting leather leggings with tribal footwear. There were only a few accessories which involves feathers and some leaves. Thankfully, the top covered my back a bit, as the only thing that can never go away is my Ankh marking on my back.

Once I have everything I need, I took the time to get my look settled. I was able to recreate the common color of the folks in the tribe. Switching to the clothes of the tribe folk, I could only slyly smile as my time as an actress came back to me.

"Oh, you still got it."

/

It took me two more days to get used to the routine of the tribe I was supposed to blend in with. The natives were amazed that I was able to blend in to look like them so easily and my abilities to keep up with them. To them, they didn't think any other felinmew would be capable of such a feat unless they are chosen by the cat mother. Me in turn, I learn of their traditions and some of their language thanks to Azhum. I haven't learned the whole language, but it was enough to get me by. Since that, nothing happened for a while. Nothing of particular note happened, villagers would note some mysterious and haunting voices in the jungle but nothing else.

It was unnerving to say the least, but I took the time to practice my magic in secret and when I wasn't on the clock. It was kinda stressful waiting for something to happen, but it doesn't seem to come. Thankfully, Nacho and Isabelle would visit me time after time, keeping me calm and levelheaded. I still remember when they first saw me in my new look and they couldn't believe it was still me. It was funny and we all shared a laugh together. They still gave their concerns, but only because we are lovers. They have faith in my ability to take care of myself, but it is only natural for your significant others to worry.

However, one visitor I didn't expect was Taimolche, the king stepped into the hut I was staying in to keep up appearances within the tribe.

("Oh? Your majesty, what brings you here?")

("I came to talk, if that's alright with you?")

("I have the time, what do you wish to talk about?")

The king gave a sigh, ("I wish to talk about you personally. As there are things about you that intrigue me.")

("Well I hardly know you myself, but remember I have two lovers. You may be a king, but my loyalty is unwavering.")

He raised his hands defensively, ("I assure you I did not come to flirt, while your beauty is unquestionable that is not why I am here. One, you picked up our language so fast, two you are aware of the faults of immortality, right?")

I gave him a raised brow, ("Well picking up your language is second nature to me. You see, I traveled very far from my homeland through the ages of history. So, learning the language of new lands became a vital skill to have. It only takes me a few days to get a hold of the language, but more if I were going to master it.")

("Ah that explains it, I can hear some of your accent in our tongue, but no matter. I suppose I can move onto the more pressing topic at hand. As you already aware, my brother and I are immortal kings and we have experienced hardships because of it. I have no reason to doubt that you too experienced such trouble.")

I sighed, ("Indeed I have, how long have you been immortal for though? As I been around for at least over a thousand years. I used to think three thousand, but Nacho managed to do the math to help with that. Anyway, I have seen a lot in my life and have lost a lot. Friends, family, and lovers alike.")

("One thousand years?! My brother and I are only a few hundred years old; you are my senior yet you seem so composed. You are aware what will happen to your lovers over time right? It will take them and there will be nothing you can do about it. I know because…well I used to have lovers myself.")

("How many? As I only lost two, Nacho and Isabelle are my current and hopefully the last I will ever have.")

("I had lost four, however only one of them suffered an early demise. I have seen them grown old and it pained my heart to see their beauty fade. Many of them knew the consequences of loving an immortal, so many asked me if I would still love them if they grew old. I was a man of my word and said yes. Still I can see the look in their eyes as I gazed upon them. They knew I was saddened by their appearance. They also knew how awkward it was for an old woman to stand next to a young man.")

("Yeah…") I thought about what Aten said and the mortal lives of Nacho and Isabelle. I accepted this fact, but it doesn't mean I was going to let nature keep its course on them, ("I know what you mean. I had the questionable luck of not seeing my lover's age from time, but the way I lost them was still a blow to me. It is our burden, but it doesn't have to be that way. At least I don't think so.")

("Hmm? What do you mean?")

("I…rather not say, but it is something I am looking into. That is all I am willing to say.")

("That sounds ominous, lady Ankha. I have heard of countless stories of immortals trying to find ways to keep their mortal lover eternal as they are. Needless to say, it usually ended in ways that can be considered…unfavorable.")

("I am painfully aware, but I want to try at least.")

("Well, I cannot stop you, but only give you warning that it's a fool hardy task. Don't let your emotions cloud your reasoning.")

("I'll make sure, but what happened to that one other lover you had? The one that didn't pass to time?")

("She…was killed, by Humes.")

("Oh…I'm so sorry for your loss.")

He visibly tightens a fist as he closed his eyes and breathed a sigh, ("It…was a painful experience…I was unable to do anything. As an immortal being, it was a wake up call to show that I am not as powerful as the gods in our lore. I am just long living, not all powerful.")

("What happened exactly?")

He sighed, as if debating if he wanted to tell me or not, ("Another time, when we are more well acquainted. Its amazing that despite the time you and your companions had here. We never gotten the chance to sit down and get to know one another.")

("Perhaps we can fix that once this problem is taken care of. You and your brother seem to be interesting people. Also stepping into the shoes of one your villages has proven to be quite a cultural experience.")

("Well I am glad the chosen of the cat mother thinks so. My brother and I, though we are the same in appearance. We tend not to share the same mindset sometimes. He honestly believed that you were going to overthrow our beliefs.")

("I understand the concern, I lived long enough to see civilizations supplanting their beliefs and forcing them on another. Although those who that are narrow minded and tend to do a disservice to what they supposedly believe in. However, I must ask, where are your gods? Surely they must be watching over your land?")

("Ah, our gods are nothing but statues. Unlike yours they cannot do much but give blessings in exchange for offerings. They are quite weak as they claim to have lost influence in their original land. I can assume its this…Earth you speak of before.")

("Possibly, I heard not many gods from the old age of worship managed to survive the transition. My gods managed to leave a pile of influence in this world to keep their strength while me and other chosen are given the task to create a temple of worship for them. The only reason why I am here is because your cat mother is goddess is a case of my goddess accidently making an impact in your culture. Sadly though, your temple for her doesn't have the requirements needed for her to benefit from it.")

("Ah that explains it, well as long as you apprehend the humes causing us trouble then we will be more than happy to supply you with what you need.")

("Thank you, it means a lot to hear that.")

("For the chosen of the cat mother, I am willing. We shall talk more later when we get the chance. I'll leave you so you can continue your duty.")

He gave me a friendly bow before leaving my hut. Tiamolche seems to be a friendly king, makes me wonder how his brother is like. I feel bad that he suffered one of the main burdens of being immortal, but it is something I must work around avoiding myself. It is selfish to be sure, but I don't want them to leave me. I feel like it would destroy me emotionally.

Wow…even thinking that makes me sound crazy. I need to be careful, or else I will end up being another tragic tale of an immortal loving a mortal, or mortals in this case.

/

Nacho's P.O.V.

Left with time to burn, I been exploring the kingdom itself with Isabelle. We been playing tourists while keeping up with our training as we wait for the human group to take the bait. This also serves a way for us to take our mind off of Ankha as we are worried for her safety, but we are also trusting that she will be fine. However, the other part of me doesn't think so.

"Why are you trusting our mate will be fine on her lonesome? You must be there for her!"

"Shut it, as much as I feel for Ankha setting herself up as bait. I cannot be there or else the plan won't work."

"What if Aten shows up then? How do you plan on getting to the village in time in case he attacks?"

"I'll figure something out. Besides I still have Kirin DNA inside of me, I can just beast trigger and be there in a flash."

"Yes, but can you even beat Aten? We both remember how our last encounter went."

"I do, but I have gotten stronger. I know more earth ki skills now and now it's really coming together."

"Please, if you think that's going to cover it then you are seriously underestimating the main threat. Just give your wild side a run and that will be the end of it."

"Shut it, that is the last thing I want for anything."

"Your level of corruption says otherwise. It has grown a bit hasn't it?"

I went silent as I looked back to my gloved hands. The corruption grew ever since the attack on Isabelle, I can feel its grip growing stronger but thankfully it isn't at any concerning level. Still this is something I need to be careful with. I don't know what could happen and I dread what will when it does.

"Nacho? Sir? Are you okay?" Isabelle asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking about something."

"Still worried about Ankha?"

"Yeah, but to be fair. I would be worried regardless of who is playing the role as bait."

"Same, still we should trust that she can pull it off. Plus you got a built in radar that can track both of us, so I think she has plenty of safety nets."

"True, I just need to take my mind off of these things."

"Well that's why we are looking around. Granted it would have been helpful to have Azhum here with us, but he did say he picked up on something important."

"Something important to the mission I hope."

"I hope so too, but enough about that. Have you noticed something similar about this architecture back in our world?"

I noticed it quite early on, the set up of this kingdom plus the architecture shows to have Mayan or Aztec in mind. Which is strange to see in another world, "Yeah, reminds me of the Aztec temples in Mexico. "

"Really? Actually, if the Egyptian gods are around. What about more ancient pantheon of gods? What about these people's gods? Are there only certain number of pantheons or do they keep getting created when people think of them? Ohhh…. thinking about it makes my head hurt…"

I cracked a small smile as I rubbed her head with my free hand. She moved her head to my caressing touch and was wagging her tail happily, "Take it easy Isa, best not to think about it too hard. Still I can't shake off the similarities."

As we kept walking, we walked pass a mural and this is where I came to a sudden stop. Isabelle was confused and asked me why I suddenly stopped. I simply pointed to the mural to which she was still not getting it. It depicted two men and a single woman in the middle, dressed in tribal wear, but not the current tribal wear. It was Aztec/Mayan style of wear, with feathers, headdresses, collars, and all. The men are clearly distinct, the one on the left wearing a headdress like a snake with plumage and feathers being a main part of their outfit. Their skin is dark with some red make up lines. Behind him is the outline of a winged serpent; this is Quetzalcoatl.

The man on the left had a jaguar inspired outfit but he was also holding a skull like mask in his right open hand. His skin is all dark with a yellow tribal horzontal band of make up across his face. His outfit is composed of darker greens, yellows, and reds. He held a dagger in his left hand, ready for anything. His right leg is missing and replacing it was a smoky bone like structure being created by nothing else but an obsidian mirror. Behind him is the outline of a jaguar; this man is Tezcatlipoca.

The woman in the middle I was unfamiliar with, but she was a beautiful woman with her arms outstretched and dripping with what looks to be parts of the world and people. Unlike the men she didn't take after a human in appearance. Instead it looked to be a humanoid feline wearing a white tribal shamanistic gown. She took after the appearance of the people here, having a jaguar patterned fur with a browner to green color. While it was inaccurate, I have no doubt in my mind this is supposed to be the cat mother aka Bastet.

"Whoa…this is beautiful!"

"Isa…those men in mural…its Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca! Aztec gods!"

My canine lover looked at me with surprise, "W-Wait really?! How do they know about them?"

"I don't know…" I looked around and noticed we were getting some attention of the locals. Many of which were looking at me with bewilderment, no doubt from my outburst, "We should just walk away from here now."

Isabelle nodded as we quickly made our way out of the area. The locals quickly losing interest in us. I could only breathe a sigh of relief, the last thing I wanted is the attention of the people around me. Especially people whose language I couldn't speak, reminds me of the first time I went to Mexico with my family in my youth. I was so lost, and it was kind of painful to think about.

"So those men on the mural are Aztec gods, Nacho?"

"Yeah, there is no doubt in my mind. Just…what the heck?"

"That is very strange…oooh…I wish we had Azhum here. Then maybe we can ask the locals about that."

I continued to scratch my head as I looked around and then my eyes fell upon a temple. I was seeing a group of tribal priests walking in all holding ceremonial daggers. I raised a brow but when I examined the temple more, I saw it was meant for Tezcatlipoca. Curiosity compelling me, I began walking towards the building.

"Nacho?"

I heard my canine lover say to me as I entered the temple. Nobody was there to stop me from going inside. The building is finely furnished, and clean as stone temples go. Statues and tapestries depicting the god have been placed around the room. The chants of the priests can be heard, almost like a sermon or…maybe it is a sermon and my brain just can't register it. Walking around I saw what the priests were surrounding, a life sized statue of Tezcatlipoca. Unlike the other statues I seen which appeared to be disformed from accurate portrayal of the human body, this one isn't.

To my surprise, one by one. The priests cut their left palm with the ceremonial knives, causing them to bleed. They then dripped the blood into what I saw to be a small obsidian bowl. How did they managed to make a bowl out of volcanic glass is beyond me. However, the more surprising bit is when they poured the blood onto the statue. While they kept chanting, the statue glowed with power as a small wave of magic power was released into the earth. I was transfixed with the statue, as it suddenly began speaking. Its language I couldn't understand at all and was different from the native tongue here.

I just stood there, as the statue kept talking. Before it said something that caused all the natives to look at me. They looked back to the statue as if confirming something before looking back at me. The leading priest spoke out and had the group open a path to the statue. They beckoned me to come over. Against my better judgment, I walked over to the statue. It was odd, like my body was on auto pilot. Eventually the noise began to fade and all I could see is the statue in front of me. It's gazing eyes piercing my soul, as if it was scanning my being. It spoke to me again, but I still could not understand. However, I knew what it wanted. A sample of my blood, I didn't know when, but I was holding a dagger in my hand. Like the priests, I cut my palm and dripped my tainted blood onto the statue.

Before I knew it, I felt a rush of magical energy come from the statue as the world around changed into some sort of smoky realm. I couldn't see the floor, the walls or the ceiling. As this happened, my senses returned to me.

"Huh? What? Who?"

It was then a voice rang out from the smoke; speaking Castellano Spanish, ["Ah…I thought I smelled something familiar…you are a descendent, aren't you?"]

["I-I what? Hold on, who am I talking to? Just what happened and where am I?"]

["Relax child, you are in a safe place. Forgive me for the sudden calling, but when I smelled the blood of a descendent, I knew I had to take a closer look. It took some of my magic power to compel you to come into the temple, but it was worth it. Though…your blood is not normal isn't it?"]

["It's a long story, but I'll give you a quick rundown,"] I quickly explained to the formless presence how my body came to host a virus in a symbiotic relationship and the adventure that caused it.

["Hmm...impressive, I like you already. A proven hunter, has slain many beasts and helped preserved the balance of nature. You make your ancestors proud."]

["Well thanks I guess?"]

["Still, there is a familiar taste in your blood, however its been so long since I tasted blood like yours that I cannot recall. Yes I can taste the Aztec, but there is something more…"]

["Well I am mainly Mexican, but I think I might have some Italian on the side. Oh! My father's side is Greek!"]

["Hmm…that might explain some of the flavors. However, there is something that taste…special…a simply divine flavor. Maybe there is something you are unaware of child."]

["What? I mean there has been a history of some members in my family being gifted with great strength and durability. Doctors believe its genetic, but there is nothing they could find out of the ordinary."]

["Regardless, there is something special about you. You haven't gotten this far on that alone, your skills and prowess grab the attention of many. That would explain why there are those determined to destroy you."]

["Wait, you mean Aten?"]

["I am not blind child; I may be in hibernative state, but I am very aware of the world. A shadow stalks you, determined to break you. His machinations are in motion…I advise you to be careful as that virus in your blood…he's interested in it."]

["Oh shit…"] I looked at my hand and clutched it into a fist. I am aware of the devastating damage it can cause if unleashed upon these poor inhabitants. We do not have enough vaccine for everybody, ["Thanks for the warning, Tezcatlipoca."]

The unseen figure laughed, ["So…you do know my name."]

["Of course, the Aztec myth was one of the first ones I looked into."]

["Then you save me the trouble of introducing myself. Still I must ask your name."]

["It's Nacho, this certainly been an experience."]

["Yes it has, continue on your quest Nacho. I feel we may be seeing more of each other in the future and I look forward to it. Oh, and if you meet my brother, tell him I said hi."]

["I'll make sure I will."]

I waved at nothing as the magical world faded and I was back in reality again. I realized my hand was still on the statue, and after pulling it away I shook off any drowsy feeling I had left. Only then I was able to hear the shouting of Isabelle.

"Nacho! Can you hear me? Please!"

"Ow! I don't think would be able to hear for a while after that!"

"Nacho!" she immediately tackled me, but I managed to react fast enough, so we don't fall over, "You had me worried! What happened?"

"Sorry sorry, would you believe me that I just got magically compelled by an Aztec god to meet him?"

Isabelle just stared at me with a raised brow, "You did what?"

/

Ankha's P.O.V.

Night came and nothing happened today, then again, I doubt any raider worth their salt would be foolish enough to attack in open daylight. Still the time for my magical practice proved to beneficial as I had a easier time now moving objects or things with my magic. Granted it can only move small items, but progress is progress. It was the only kind of magic I could do without blowing my cover. Physical training was no problem, so no need to worry about that. Still I couldn't help but sigh as I tried to think of something non training related to pass the time.

I defaulted to thinking about pickles and what kind of poem I can write about them. I personally meh on the food itself. I don't outright hate it, but I feel like it can ruin the flavor of some foods. The only reason I ever thing of them for writing is because it was something I did while I was bored on one of my travels. It was an unnecessary skill to have in hindsight.

"Aw…all alone aren't we?"

My eyes widen as I heard Aten's voice. I stood attention and began looking around, "Where are you?"

"That's not important my dear lovely Ankha. Even that disguise cannot hide your beauty from me. Though it was a nice effort."

"Telepathy? Curse it…"

"Magic can do many wonderful things my dear. Sadly, it cannot allow me to touch your lovely fur. Your goddess made sure of that, but no matter."

"What do you want?"

"I am simply offering my deal again, leave those unworthy mortals you call lovers and join me. Truly you don't believe you can make them immortal, do you? They will just end up hurting you in the end."

"I don't care, I love them with all my heart and nothing will break that."

"We shall see about that, hehehe…"

"Just what happen to you Aten? You were never like this, what about Serufet?"

"That name means nothing to me, as for me…well it simply hit me one day that my feelings for you never wavered…no matter how I tried to fight it my feelings grew stronger. I couldn't deny my feelings as it drifted to utter obsession. You dominated my mind...ah…hehehe, I almost went off on a tangent there."

"You have lost your way Aten…"

"Personally, I think I found it, my new god understands my potential and knows the way to make Egypt not only return to its former glory but even better than it was before! Don't you want that Ankha?"

"Not for the price you payed."

"Heh, and what price are you paying? You cannot win Ankha as with a wave of my hand I can take away everything you hold dear. Like that useless mutt."

"You leave Isabelle and Nacho alone! This is only between you and me!"

"It always has been between you and me my dear love. Regardless, you won't have a choice in the matter…by the way, you got company."

His presence faded and I was left in confusion as his last words caused me to spin around just to see two men in robes reaching out for me. My eyes widen as I reactively stepped back and immediately responded with a swift kick to one of their sides, causing the one to crash into the other one. Taking the opening, I ran outside and picked up two native weapons just to see the village I was hiding in, under attack by various wild animals. Their eyes glowing red with the same rage that once infected the Jaguworden.

"What?! Everything was fine a moments ago, when did they?"

I wasn't able to finish my thoughts as some of the beasts turn their attention to me and began to attack me. I was able to deftly dodge them while giving them a few quick hits from my kicks and the blunt end of my blades. More men in robes showed up and called me out, "We have a spry one here! She will make an excellent slave. Restrain her!"

I mentally cursed as they began shooting magical chains in an attempt to restrain me. However, I didn't on being chained up again. I deftly dodged them and began my assault as I slashed them with the tribal blades. I am aware that I am supposed to be taken by them, but I figured that if I put up a fight then I'll take some heat off the locals.

Their blood sprayed across the dirt as most of them clutched their sides in pain. As an extra measure I stabbed their hands so they cannot hold any weapons or immediately cast magic. After that though, all attention was on me as more men showed up and more rage induced beasts. I activated my speed boost and I was able to swiftly outmaneuver and slash through many of the enemies in my way. Unfortunately, it was burdensome on my stamina and I had to cancel the effects after a minute of using it.

"She's a fighter alright, she'll fetch a high price."

"Tough one though…"

"What's going on?"

The remaining robed men looked behind them and parted as a large man in armor showed up. It was the same man Nacho described seeing. His eyes red and glowing.

("So you are the one that lead the attack my village! Call off your attack and I may let you live!")

"Hmm? So this the one causing you so much trouble. You look pretty strong, show me your strength."

The man pulled out two blades himself, strangely looking similar to the Greek Kopis's. I took my fighting stance as I observe him take his own. Something about seemed familiar to me as his glowing eyes stared at me. We began circling each other, taking notes of each other's physiques. I am clearly not going to overpower this guy with brute force alone, especially if I have to hide my hyper state. I'm going to have to rely on out maneuvering him and taking the opportunities to use his strength against him.

After a few seconds, I took the first attack. Stepping forward then feinting in order to bait a strike from him. He took the bait and swung a blade downward, it crashed into the ground much to my surprise. It was a heavy strike and nearly messed with my footing, if that was the strength he had with a short blade then I really don't want to be hit by it. It would have been enough force to cleave me in two. He really is dangerous.

Taking advantage of the whiffed attack, I ran in and gave the man a swift kick to the face. However, he seemed to be unfazed by the hit as his other arm came in for a horizontal slice. I quickly fell flat to the ground to avoid the slash and rolled out of the way as the man slowly returned to his stance. Unmoving and unflinching, I went for another attack. Slicing his arms and legs in an attempt to disable him, but he didn't react. He just let it happen. When I stopped and leapt off him after giving him a couple of nice stabs, I realized that he wasn't bleeding.

"Hmm…you're holding back. You aimed for non-lethal areas so that I will live. I assume you wanted to make an example of me," He cracked his neck, "Let me show you what happens when you hold back."

Suddenly he ran towards me like a raging bull, his speed nearly taking me off guard as I quickly began avoiding his assault of slashes. Our blades clashed a couple of times, but only because I was leading his blades away from my body. Still the impact hurt my wrists as I kept up. I was able to get a couple of slashes to his body as I dodged him, but it didn't make him flinch. He instead took the hit and took the opportunity to slash at me. I barely managed to avoid the worst of the attack, but I couldn't help but scream as I felt his cold blade slash a part of my waist.

I backed away and growled as my natural super regeneration began kicking in. Healing the wound with no scarring, but still the blood that remained on my fur stayed as a reminder of the damage.

"Careful you idiot! We need slaves like her alive and good condition!" yelled one of the robed men. However, the man was silenced when the man looked at him and sent fear through his body.

"I don't need you in good condition whelp. This is a duel, and I shall respect it as such."

"Yeah you dumbass!" shouted a female voice from one of the robed people.

Clearly these kidnappers have no respect for one another, but at least I know the robed man has some sense of honor. I just took my stance again and once again went to fight him again. It was dance of strength and skill. However, it was a dance I was quickly losing as he began reading me easily. He began feinting me and I found my blade hitting nothing but air as he just stepped out of range and punished me with another slash to my body. I was surprised he didn't cut me in half already, but by this point I tried everything I can to outsmart him.

Some of it worked, I was able to slash his hands from some of his missed strikes and give a few decent blows from my legs to his chest. The impact of the hits pushing him back, but again he simply shrugged off the damage like it was nothing. That fact of the fight was infuriating me as he wasn't slowing down. As for me, I was doing my best to not wear myself out. Then there is the situation of his fighting style with those swords. It took me a bit to realize that he is using a similar style to my own, but more focused blowing through attacks and tanking hits. It's a style of fighting I recalled seeing before, but I couldn't think too deeply on it as our fight restarted.

I couldn't keep this endurance match up much longer and clearly this man is dangerous. So it was time I go for the jugular like a real predator. So I took a deep breathe and focused on his movements. I kept avoiding clashing with his blades, but he surprised me as he used his blades to grab both of mine before delivering a hard knee to my body. I gasped as it knocked the wind out of me and caused me to lose both of my weapons as I was sent flying. I was vulnerable, but strangely the man did not press the assault.

From my blurry vision I saw him pick up my weapons and tossed them at my feet, "If you still have fight left in you, pick up your blades. If not, stay on the ground."

("Argh…thanks…I suppose.")

I got up and picked up my borrowed blades and restarted the fight once more. However, my movements are much slower now thanks to my injuries, and no amount of super regen recovery can fix that. Only resting will and I cannot rest right now, however, eventually he made a mistake and that is when I pounced. I managed to grab one of his blade slashes with my own and move his arm into the ground. While he was still surprised, I went in and cut off his hand and with it the weapon he held. The sudden loss of limb had him stumbling backwards and I took this opportunity to take my blades and run them through his jugular. A fatal blow by any other name. At least I thought it was, as suddenly I felt his other arm wrap around me. I yelped in surprise as he stared coldly at me, using his legs to sweep me off the ground and using his handless arm to slam me into the ground hard.

I groaned in pain as I couldn't understand how he even managed to do that. He was supposed to be dead. My vision was fading in and out and with it I was able to see the man taking the blades out of his throat. As some of his wrappings became undone, I saw greenish grey skin underneath and the damage done slowly being covered up. I only got small hints of his face as he looked at me with intrigue and thought. Before I blacked out, I heard his last words to me, he whispered them to me and it shocked me.

"You fought well…Ankha."