Chapter 4: The Ghost Town

Takuitsu's POV

When we left our home town we traveled through a forest until we reached a clearing, that is when it started getting dark. We set up camp, I built a fire, Ray got some water, and Kyra went to find food. She slayed a deer, found a berry bush and a fruit tree. After we ate Kyra went and stood by a tree, she leaned against a tree and her face went emotion and lifeless. I assumed she was taking a strange form of meditation, so while she did that I went to get more fire wood for the fire.

Kyra's POV

We were all set, we had food and water and a fire, after we ate I went and stood by a tree just to be alone, but then the vision reoccurred. The same thing happened, the guy said the same words to me but in the end he was killed differently. Instead of an arrow whizzing into the back of his head a sword went through his neck and he collapsed into my arms. Even though I didn't know who the man was, I felt like crying, but I fought back my tears. I mean this guy said he loved me, why wouldn't I cry, if only I knew who he was. Once I was back in my own world I went back to join Tak and Ray by the fire. After we sat there for a while and talked about the temple, we settled in and drifted off to sleep.

Spy's POV

I watched the group as they settled in for a rest. After they had gone to sleep I pressed the button on my comlink and spoke into the microphone. "Raven here," I said. "The group is asleep, should I move to assassinate?" "No," the voice on the other side said. "Wait until group 2 fails before you move in." "But this could be a perfect opportunity to steal the keys, move in and steal the keys nothing more," the voice said. "Raven out," I said into the microphone. I had to plan this carefully, I didn't want to wake the group up and end up getting killed. I needed a plan.

Since I couldn't think of a plan good enough to use I tried to just sneak in and take the keys. Silently I tip-toed into the camp and snuck over the old man, I saw the box in a pouch on his waist and tried to take it, reaching my hand in slowly I moved the box a little then my hand slipped and hit the man's ribs. The old man stirred, and mumbled in his sleep. I scowled at my clumsiness and kept trying to remove the box. Then all of a sudden the old man's eyes shot open. I was just about to grab my dagger and slit his throat, but I then remembered my orders not to assassinate anyone. So thinking fast I brought my hand up and brought it down with mild strength on his neck, it was just enough strength to knock the man out. Awakened by the sudden noise of the attack the male warrior sat up. I was faced with a dilemma, if I stayed to complete my order I would surely die, but if I ran away I would have failed my masters and would suffer greatly. I was stuck.

Takuitsu's POV

I heard a noise, a swift and semi-silent crack, but it was enough to wake me. I sat up and saw a man dressed in black with a ninja mask over his face standing over Ray, he was armed with two daggers and a broadsword across his back. He was reaching for the box that contained the keys. When I sat up he looked at me, a slight look of fear spread over his face. He froze thinking for a while, I didn't wait to see what his first move was. I stood up and drew a short sword hidden within my suit. The look of fear grew bigger, no one said a word. Turning away from Tak and the job he came to do he dashed away. I thought of pursuing him but wanted to see how Ray was. I rushed over to him and shook him a couple times. "Ray, Ray," I called, but he didn't awake. He was out cold.

While I was inspecting the keys to make sure they were all there I felt a presence behind me. Short sword still in hand I whipped around and almost ended up slitting Kyra's throat. "What happened?" she asked in a hurried voice. "Someone was trying to steal the keys, I guess Ray woke up halfway through so the thief knocked him out," I said shaking Ray again.

Kyra's POV

I heard Tak calling Ray's name, I didn't know what happened. I got up and saw Tak leaning over Ray shaking him. After a couple of shakes Tak grabbed the key box and began looking through it. I went up behind him and got the shit scared out of me as Tak turned around and put his short sword up to my throat, but when he saw it was me he lowered it. "What happened?" I asked, scared of what was a possibility of the answer. "Someone was trying to steal the keys, I guess Ray woke up halfway through so the thief knocked him out," he said. "That dumb, piece of shit, bastard. That mother fuckin' son of a..." "Kyra!" Tak screamed my name as if a warning to stop. "Cursing the guy who did this is not going to bring him to justice, we now know that we need to be more careful," he said. "I swear when I see the guys who are trying to get to the temple before us and that are trying to steal the keys and kill us, I am going to slay every last fucking one of them," I said picking up a rock in one hand and crushing it. "Kyra don't be so vicious, as long as we have confidence and a strong fighting spirit we'll get there before the bastards and we'll make sure that they don't take advantage of the statue," Tak said in his most confident voice. I hated when he was so confident, he made it sound like he thought everything and everybody was on our side, but they weren't.

Normal POV

For the rest of the night Kyra and Takuitsu took turns keeping watch over the camp while the other one slept. When morning came Ray still had not awaken. So Tak put Ray up on his shoulders and the trio continued on. After they had reached a field on the other side of the forest they had slept in Ray woke up screaming.

"Takuitsu,Kyra, one of those thieving bastards is...!" "Come down Ray," Tak said to him. He ran away when I got up to see what was wrong and he didn't get the keys or the map, everything's ok," he said putting Ray down. "Why were you carrying me?" Ray asked in a relieved voice. "I guess you woke up during the robbery and the bitch knocked you right the hell back down, and you wouldn't wake up so Tak was forced to carry you," Kyra told him.

Takuitsu's POV

Ray, Kyra and Iwalked along until we came to a field of tall grass. Thinking smart Kyra drew her itakoa a medium sized boomerang with two jagged bladed going up each side. She drew it back and whipped it at the tall grass, this cut a clear path right through the grass and then being a boomerang it circled up and came right back to her. Surprisingly the grass field wasn't all that thick. I looked through the path in the grass and just beyond that I saw a town. I was so relieved but I had a bad feeling about it.

Not knowing what to expect from this new found town we approached slowly. When we entered the town we noticed that it was a complete ghost town. There were no people, buildings were splintering and farm animals were running around the town like a twister was coming. Doors were broken, buildings were black as if burned a long time ago, it was chaos. When we neared the middle of the town we were jumped. Thirty or more ninjas and two warriors jumped out from behind building and from on top of them. We were surrounded.