Bane

A Chapter by Star Catcher

This is not my writing, this is completely the writing of my friend (although I love and approve of it very much). Niqi's negative finds her...although not in the way one would expect.

“Hm. He hit you pretty hard.” Niqi’s negative grinned, nudging the fallen wolf with a hindpaw. “One punch knockout? Yikes.”

Niqi looked up, wondering how she had ended up on dry land. “Wha–”

“Don’t bother asking.” The negative said. “You’re still on the ship, you’re still tied to the mast, you’re still unconscious. This is the dream realm.”

“So you’re not real.” Niqi stated.

The negative raised an eyebrow. “How do you come to that conclusion? I’m real. I told you I’d find you when you were ready. I think you’re about ready.”

“…I just got knocked out.” Niqi muttered, standing up. “I doubt I’m ‘ready’. Besides, if you know I’m tied to the mast, you must know what Glide did.”

The negative nodded. “Yeah, I know, he took your powers. But you can get them back. I still have them. Of course, you can’t get them from me, but…”

“Great. That doesn’t seem like an unfair advantage at all.” Niqi growled, doing nothing to conceal her sarcasm.

“Laid the sarcasm on a little thick there.” The negative grinned, drawing her blade. “Enough talk. It’s time for some action.”

“Isamashii…” Niqi breathed, reaching for her sword, finding it still in the sheath. “But, how?”

“What did you call him?” The negative asked. “Isamashii? This is Bane. And I’m pretty sure you're holding his twin, Scourge.”

Niqi glanced down at her sword, flicking it from its sheath and examining it. “Scourge. Very fitting.”

The negative took initiative, lunging at Niqi and delivering a quick kick to her chest, causing her to stagger backward.

Niqi slid under a horizontal swing, spinning out of the way of an uppercut just seconds later. Baring her fangs, she took the offensive as her negative raised Bane again, slamming the pommel of her blade into the negative’s stomach, then raising it into her jaw.

Rocked by the sudden impact, the negative fell backwards, kipping to her feet, only to be knocked back down with a right hook.

“If you keep getting up, I’m gonna keep on knocking you down.” Niqi smirked, proving her point by kicking the negative as she attempted to get to her feet.

“Then quit messing around and finish me off.” The negative growled, unbuckling her belt and tossing it to Niqi. “My job was to test you. To make sure you can handle Bane. Take him.”

Niqi caught the belt, swinging it around her waist, Bane’s sheath sitting at her left hip, Scourge’s at her right.

“Do it.” The negative said, turning Bane and holding it by the blade, pressing it to her throat. “Bring me back where I belong. Take your power, and take your blade. You’re ready.”

Niqi grabbed Bane’s hilt, pulling it away from her negative and sheathing both blades. “If this was just a test, I don’t have to kill you.” She said, extending a paw.

“And that was your final test. You deserve your advanced channeling abilities.” The negative grinned, taking Niqi’s paw and fusing with her.

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