Chapter 404 (1/2)

Book 4, Chapter 22 – Dead Heat

A sharp blast rattled in their eardrums

Cloudhawk felt that fa too hard for the naked eye to folloept by He called the power of the phase stone just as a light blue orb of coainst the ground The earth and rocks undulated like the surface of a pond Dirt was kicked high into the air

As the first concussive wave settled, a second followed The dark forest cah

Hurricane-force pressure was cast fro with it a roar that pro in its path asunder Cloudhawk dared not try to deflect it, so he fled the area

With Cloudhawk out of the way, the sweeping light struck a tree that would five men wouldn't be able to e shards of bark in all directions

The hurricane lash disappeared, but that did not mean the attack was finished

A swar froe passage In the center was a woh an array of postures She deftlythe trees as she and her swords closed in on the fleeing shadow

Cloudhaorld becay

He was caught, with nowhere to flee Meanwhile, the cyan worip was a whip of power that flowed through the air, heedless of gravity's laws She walked on air, her black hair dancing in the wind as she sped along Yet her eyes were calm, indifferent – like a vision of a tempest fairy The power in her weapon had coalesced in preparation for another strike

It didn't matter how Cloudhawk tried to avoid her, she was ready with a counter strike

Natessa was a wind-focused demonhunter, and possessed a number of relics of this type Just like the wind, she was fast – much faster than Wyrmsole Cloudhawk could not outpace her, but at least he could create some space If others interrupted their inevitable conflict, things could turn out very poorly

“I ondering as so eager for my head Turns out it's Instructor Windham!”

Her cyan blades did the talking for her They closed in on Cloudhawk's location, flawlessly whipping around one another and leaving no space between

He watched them come Just as the impossibly sharp swords were about to shop him into pieces, he vanished Half a second later he reappeared right behind Natessa [1]

The swords collided in e off into the forest before dissipating

Teleported?

She looked behind her without a word Her ar her ith the force of a tempest Grass and underbrush in its wake exploded into clouds of debris Not even trees thousands of years old could survive Natessa's wrath

But attacks like this had a clear flaw While the trees and shrubs couldn't stop Natessa's blows completely, they were obstacles that reduced the lethality of said blows She was strong, but cutting through terrain to get to her target required twice as th It asteful

Cloudhawk closed the distance between thehtning and rippling like snakes But as the silver light came her way she leaped up on a bed of co several meters

Cloudhawk looked at her She looked back They stared at one another for a e sense of unfa one another every day

Natessa didn't knohere Cloudhawk's odd powers ca over such a short period

Cloudhaas just as confounded by this woman

The Giants of hell's Aruish soldier of fortune, another a chatty old lecher She was different – attractive, unassu, taciturn Cloudhaays had the best iht she'd sink to such lows

Why would she choose to betray Skycloud? Was this wo an ambitious heart, and he'd never noticed?

If not, then as the point of all of this? What was she chasing?

Natessa pulled back her ar the whip back It stiffened into the shape of a rod Crouching down, she pushed off empty space and launched herself at Cloudhawl like a laze, the sa her actions

No one kneas going on in that wohts and secrets were her own

Cloudhaas left with no choice She was not holding back, so neither could he

More than a hundred rapid-fire exchanges happened between the perfor to the eye

True to her nature, each of Natessa's attacks invoked buffeting gusts of wind Not just swift and keen, her attacks were laden with staggering power

Thankfully, Cloudhaas blessed with the old drunk's eh he was still at a disadvantage, Cloudhawk could at least contend against her His Silver Serpents danced aer to land a bite on his former instructor

“I have to ad sister – you pack a punch!”

Cloudhawk spoke as they continued their pitched battle

“You can fight, you're pretty, you're a leader – there's nothing you can't do, nowhere you can't go So why fight Skycloud? You really need to come back home”

His own incessant prattling stole his attention just enough to reveal a flaw in his defense She quickly exploited it, sla her rod into his chest twice in quick succession Cloudhaas knocked back several steps

She followed up with a forward charge Channeling through the boots she co blade of wind and sent it flailing toward him

A flash ensued as Silver Serpentsthe latter to break apart But it was a distraction, allowing Natessa the time to move in before Cloudhawk could react Her rod descended upon him in a flurry of blows Cloudhaas too slow, and the blows rained down on hi he would have been gravely wounded