Nen Feaster; Part 2: The Cat's Journey

Chapter 14: Wind-Cutter

As Nef took her new form, wind filled the temple. A whirlwind cut through the area, creating whistling sounds as the air passed through every surface and crevice. The two Troupe members were forced to shield their eyes and shift their footing to prevent themselves from being blown away. The nen that was released from the transformation got Cheetu's attention as he was running away, stopping him dead in his tracks. He thought back to the night Eli died, as the energy reminded him far too much of it. He got a serious expression before rushing back toward the village to assist Misha. The wind began to die down, and it allowed the Troupe members to uncover their eyes. They looked on at Nef, whose appearance had changed. Her clothes changed to a tight coat that fit her perfectly. Her hair had turned a light shade of green, along with her tail, and her skin had a bit more color to it. "Wow, that was awesome!" She shouted. It seemed her personality was now also changed, and the two could tell.

She inspected herself, and found that she felt much lighter. "This is exciting! I feel so light and fast!" She shouted. She could tell that she was being far more optimistic than usual. "This must be what it feels like to be Eli." She said cheerfully. She put her hands on her hips, and felt something on her left side. There was a katana in a sheath there. She pulled the sword out and inspected it. It was razor sharp and appeared to be fairly sturdy. "It is a sword!? Aw, man..." Nef said. She could feel power being emitted from the blade. It was definitely the catalyst for Vert's phase two abilities.

"You summoned a sword? That was a mistake." Nobunaga said.

"Come on! I didn't make this ability!" Nef complained.

"You didn't?" Feitan asked.

"No, it was... it was a friend's..." Nef said, and she got quiet for a moment. She snapped out of it and turned to Nobunaga. "Well, there's no use crying over it. I'll figure this out as I go." She took a stance that she felt comfortable with. She rose the blade next to her face, holding it steady with both hands, and pointed it toward Nobunaga. Strangely, the stance felt natural to her.

She charged toward him and swung downwards, but his reactions were far quicker than Nef thought. He quickly unsheathed his blade and knocked hers aside before slicing her belly. She was able to dodge, preventing Nobunaga from getting a deep cut in. When Nef found her footing, she looked back, and saw that he had already sheathed his sword. "He specializes in countering blitz attacks. I'll have to outlast him if I want to win. I need to tire him, find an opening." Nef thought. She rushed in again, and began striking with a flurry of blows. Their swords clashed, filling the air with the sounds of battle. Nef was fast, but Nobunaga's instincts were strong, and his reactions were flawless. For every attack Nef had, Nobunaga had several counters. Instead of Nobunaga being tired out, Nef found herself needing a breath. She backed off and started planning again. "Well, this sucks..." She mumbled.

She looked at the blade, and felt the energy inside of it. "Vert's an emitter type, so the blade should be weak since it's considered a summoner type ability, but what is this power I feel in it?" Nef wondered. She looked over to Nobunaga and inspected his stance. He remained still, waiting for Nef to attack first. Nef sheathed her sword and took a similar stance. "Copying me won't help you win." He said. "I'm no copycat." Nef said. She quickly pulled the sword and flowed into a downward slash.

There was a slash in the air that seemed to stretch beyond the length of the sword. For a moment, nothing happened, but then a slash of air cut through the area, speeding towards Nobunaga. He quickly dodged out of its way. The slash collided with one of the statues at the back of the room, slicing it in half vertically. The statue crumbled, falling apart in seconds. "Huh... so that's how I do it." Nef said as she inspected the blade again. She looked over to Nobunaga, and she could see that he was taking this more seriously now. "Oh, so now you're going to take me seriously?" Nef said.