As Katsi sat there, she could feel the cold edge of death in the air. The reaper coming for her. As her head was placed on the wooden block, she felt her gaze grow distant and her breath run cold. Her mind drifted to the question of if she would even get a grave. What would the Falos do to the corpse of a rebel, least of all the leader of a rebellion that had been so ineffective against them. She could feel the helpless stares of the Cosmic Patrol, the bloodthirst of her executioner. Her heart gripped her chest and while she could feel herself crying, all she could think was how pointless it had all been. A life thrown away for nothing…
“Really? You are just going to give up? That’s not like you at all.”
A familiar voice echoed in her ears. That wasn’t what he had said that day. He had said-
“Kat, you have to stand up before this fish guts you.”
She was pulled back from her memory to this place far from home, looking up at the all too familiar face of her right hand man from the old days, Terry. He was a little different than she remembered but his face and voice were unmistakable. So too was the rest of her team. Lisa, the lead assault of their team, was unloading on the swordsman who seemed just as lost as Katsi was. She barked, “Get your ass up! Your guns are bigger!”
The sword master was slicing through the hail of gunfire effortlessly, but seemed interested in what was happening, seemingly staying the execution for now. As if just now returning to sanity, she looked at the glowing pillar of light, feeling Gavin’s eyes on her. Mack sighed as he adjusted his flat cap, “Well, I would blast him with a rocket, but he seems pretty slick.”
“This is why grenades are better. Try deflecting shrapnel!” Jack laughed as he tossed a grenade that went off with an oddly blue flame. Effortlessly, the swordsman did exactly that. Mack laughed as Jack removed his ball cap and rubbed his for head with the back of his hand, “Well… that’s new.”
Katsi looked on in surprise… and as the data began to run along her visor, she could see it clear as day. She allowed the lenses to tint as she spoke with a voice weighed down by grief, “Everyone, you are… still here…”
The swordsman asked with an amused awe in his voice, “Is that what you see? Those you have lost? Sadly, you are being fed a lie from your friend. These… birds… are no more than illusions. I will not be swayed.”
She stood up, her heart beating firm in her chest as she looked at the faces of her departed friends. As her armor formed a mask to cover her mouth as well, she said through it, “You are half right… I know… I… they aren’t here. But it isn’t a lie.” She began to walk towards him, arms at her sides and an aura of menace. “Their love for me doesn’t fade with time and can’t be taken by the grave. I just have to keep myself open to it.” As she took a deep breaths she allowed herself to settle on the task at hand, even more information flowing by as she saw Dean’s information once more… and her sister’s insights… and Gavin as well. And it was here she saw something she hadn’t expected… and she latched onto it. “You are a man of honor, aren’t you? So how about this, you hit me with every single one of your little special sword moves directly. If I can get back up from each, you join up with us.” He paused, clearly hesitant, but she barked, “This is war! Woman or not, I am a warrior now. Hold nothing back!” Her outburst caused the images of her friends to fade as the teal doves flew away from her.
The information was clear. This man was an ally in the previous timeline. Dean’s superior had managed to prove himself pure of heart by surviving all seven strikes. She couldn’t swing a blade, but if this man was everything he seemed to be, then this was the fastest way… and if a good man was in there, he deserved this branch. She just had to rely on Dean’s information that these nanites were strong enough to withstand the attacks.
[The first slice. Shatterstone. A strike that harnesses the fury and anger in the heart of the swordsman and channels it into a burst of speed and power capable of shattering stone, helping them to satisfy their temper and focus on the fight at hand. In order to do so, they have to focus it on a single point on the battlefield as the attack is mostly reflexive and on autopilot. Many aim their focus on the torso of their foe in hopes of causing even blunt force trauma to vital organs.]
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Using this information, she allowed the nanites and Dean's knowledge of Douglas' use of these techniques to reinforce where the blade was most likely to strike. The swordsman took a deep breath, the first step of the technique. As he unleashed the strikes, she could feel it. His anger was vicious and primal, rocking her body just like she was being shot with a minigun while in a ballistic vest. And yet, the anger didn't seem focused on her. The focal point was... off. She wasn't the object of his anger, at least according to the feedback these sensations fed to those who cherish her. She could even see from her sister's experience with such emotions that it wasn't meant to be a murderous blow.
That's an interesting development. A Falos soldier who doesn't hate us. Let's see what the next one is like.
[The second slice, Tidal Upheaval. A singular blow meant to harness the sensations of doubt and panic and release it in a singular blow with as much force as one can to strike in as wide an area as possible. The truly skilled can clear miles of terrain or structure for over a mile. This is to prevent any hidden assailants or to cleave away any deceptive defenses or traps. It is always a horizontal slice even if it can sometimes be angled slightly.]
The swordsman closed his eyes tightly for a moment before unleashing the second strike, Katsi refocusing her efforts on reading the angle of the blade as it came out to move Dean's coin into the path of it. This was a slight tactical error she answered for as she could feel the pressure of the entire strike hit her in the solar plexus and her body was carried a great distance by the blow. As she flew into a nearby building, the slice caused the roof of it to land on her. As she laid under the rubble, starting to fight for air, she could see the instructions across her eyes.
[Breathe slow and deep. Fight the panic response.]
Easier said than done.
It was from Terry, seconded by the information from her sister and Dean, but she also saw something from Sai. A memory she shared as well.
[Get up.]
Despite not having recovered yet, she forced herself back to her feet. This was nothing. She would be fine. She had five more to take.
[Third Slice. Zephyr. One gathers and increases the density of the air around the blade to increase friction. One must swing as hard as they can before twisting the blade and pulling it back up, allowing their doubt to be cleaved like the air. The friction creates a sonic boom that hurts all those around them. The wielder cannot allow the potential pain of this technique to bring them a moment of hesitation or their doubt will thicken the air around their blade beyond cleaving and tire them. Potentially breaking their arms if they aren't careful.]
Seeing her stand back up seemed to shake him some. But she could also see his resolve. She couldn't understand it, but Dean's data on her screen speculated that he was collecting his resolve, not just for the next strike but out of respect for her resolve. She considered briefly taking the hit. Just letting herself hear such a thing... and then she got new information that dominated her visor. While a sonic boom, soundproofing isn't enough. It releases a concussive blast from the blade. She had the nanites move quickly to insulate her, but as his blade cleaved the air, she could feel it in her very soul. This man... He was drowning in doubt. This was about to hurt... a lot.
-------------
Shawn saw the pillar release them. Teal birds, but he knew them as something else. "The messengers of heaven, gliding on wings of truth... It has been too long." He watched them as they flew to locations where smaller pillars began to appear, showing Anisa's crew during their struggles. He was so caught up in such a grand and ambitious display that he failed to notice when the bullet pierced his cracked helm, shattering it completely. As his hand drifted to the shallow wound left by the bullet, he picked it out and sighed, "That's a shame. It's going to be so much harder not to kill you all now."
Grav'us laughed mockingly, "That's not what armor does, STOOPID!"
heh
heheh
Hahahahaha
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!
"You always had a way of making me laugh, Grav'us." He approached slowly a menace filling the air as his crimson eyes shone in the night. He flicked the hulking brute and the trench he carved on his way to the tree line was deep enough for others to fall in. "Alright, not all of you at once now. It isn't tactically sound and I would rather be challenged."