Nen Feaster; Part 2: The Cat's Journey

Chapter 13: Wrestling With Phantoms

After traveling for a couple of days, mostly just to get the Hunters off of their trail, Nef, Cheetu and Misha landed in a forest at the edge of a 'nowhere,' village. Upon landing, Nef called Reid to check back with him. "Did you guys land yet?" He asked once he picked up.

"Yes, we did. Where are we?" Nef asked.

"Not sure to be honest with you. It's some village—well, it was a village, but it's more of a ghost town now. Place has been abandoned for a really long time." Reid said.

"Why are we here?" Misha asked.

"Because a little birdy told me that the Phantom Troupe's leader lost his nen." Reid said.

"What does that have to do with us?" Nef asked. She felt that him losing his nen would make the Troupe less of a target for Myriad.

"Their boss lost his nen because of a nen curse. The Troupe is looking for a nen exorcist strong enough to get rid of the curse. I did some digging and found a report saying that there was a group that used to live in this very same village that specialized in exorcisms." Reid said.

"Why is that?" Nef asked.

"I don't know, something about a curse, some ghosts and superstitious stuff."

"Do you think any of it's true?" Cheetu asked.

"Let's just say that I'm glad I'm not in the field."

"Do you really think any of the exorcists are still here?" Nef asked.

"Oh, I doubt it completely, but the Troupe probably thinks so too. They're probably looking for evidence of where they've gone, or maybe some way to replicate their abilities."

"Why would they go through so much trouble? How powerful is this curse on their boss?" Nef asked.

"I'm not sure, but from how much trouble they were going through, I'd say this nen curse had a death devotion attached to it."

"I see... is there anywhere we should start?" Nef asked.

"The buildings and the remnants of the civilization. There should be a large temple to the north of the settlement. After you check out the village you should head there." Reid said.

"Okay. How is the journal duplication coming along?" Nef asked.

"I've finished all of the text that wasn't damaged. I've got some of the burned text restored. From what I can tell, this Phase Two thing is powerful. It increases Vert's powers; they become faster and stronger. His wind ability seems to be enhanced and... focused in the Phase Two state." Reid said.

"What do you mean by focused?" Nef asked.

"Not sure, but the last sentence I was able to restore was, 'by using Wind-Cutter...' Wind-Cutter must be Vert's Phase Two ability." Reid theorized.

"Okay. When do you think you'll have the rest?" Nef asked.

"Tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Got it. Keep us posted."

"I will. You three stay safe out there." Reid said before hanging up.

Nef looked out into the forest. She didn't see any movement or any sign of danger. "Do you think we got here first?" Misha asked.

"Maybe, but let's assume we didn't. Keep your guards up, and don't let it down, not for a second." Nef said.

"Don't worry, nobody's sneaking up on me!" Cheetu boasted.

"Watch his back." Nef said to Misha.

"Got it boss." Misha said with a thumbs up.

"Hey!" Cheetu objected.