[center][h1][b]Nova[/b][/h1][/center][hr][hr]
The potion had worked, but regardless of how much Nova shouted in the man’s ear or tugged at him, he remained unresponsive. Unconscious. The griffon would soon be able to attack again, and while Nova could escape on her own, she didn’t think she could take the man with her. Maybe a skill…but then, those that would let her flee had only worked on her before, and even if she carried the man, there was no way to know if it’d still function as intended or not. And that wasn’t something she could afford to test just then.

Steeling herself, Nova prepared to combat the griffon. Protecting someone else while directly confronting her target really wasn’t her stile, as a ninja, but something she could manage against a single opponent. Usually, she was more of a harasser while in this class, but she knew that beyond the bomb she’d used so far, it’d serve her better to switch to close range than rely on mid-range. The latter moves were there more so for support anyhow, used to keep on the heat on an enemy when she had to move away from them. Of course, it also worked for surprise attacks, or just switching up tactics.

All that and more was a mere background consideration in Nova’s mind as she moved. She jumped up at the still reeling griffon, one arm ready at her weapon, other preparing to execute a certain skill. Midair, she jumped again using Heavenly Step, which brought her right to the griffon’s chest. With her left, she applied an Explosive Tag, and with her right, she drew out her blade to block the incoming attacks. 

She blocked its claws, but the griffons’ beak skidded alongside her blade when she swung it in a counter-clockwise arc. Seeing that she was about to get hit, she activated Shadow Jump. Her body dispersed into a dark-grey smog, and she re-appeared directly behind and above the griffon. It was mildly disorienting, since she was now facing the other direction, but she quickly got her bearing, slicing at the griffon’s back as she descended.

Her bird enemy, in the meanwhile, was at first confused when its target disappeared from right in front of it. Then, just when Nova appeared above it, the Explosive Tag finally activated after a slight delay (of perhaps a second), exploding upon its chest. The creature shrieked its displeasure, but that was only the first in succession of many injuries it would suffer. Right after, it felt the base of its wings being sliced up, and twisting its neck around, turned to see where the danger was.

As the griffon turned to look at her, Nova landed right on its back. She performed a downwards thrusting attack, which scored a critical hit on the creature. While the katana was still lodged into its back, the griffon extended its neck. Recognizing what was to come, Nova freed her left hand from the hilt of her weapon, and materialized a kunai out of her inventory to deflect her opponent’s beak. 

The block with the shorter sidearm was imperfect, and her forearm suffered a long gash for it. But it’d given her enough time to dislodge her katana. Nova pushed herself off the griffon’s back, sending the kunai flying with her left. The bird managed to block it, but it’d served as the distraction that she needed it for. Midair, she sheathed her katana, and performed a back flip, landing gracefully on the ground. 

She grabbed a bunch of shuriken out of that interdimensional pocket of space known as the inventory. “Lightning charge…” she muttered – unnecessarily, really, but she was kinda getting into it. Burning some stamina and mana, the five shuriken sparked with electricity. She sent them at the griffon in quick succession. When the last one landed, she shouted, “…And Strike!” and electricity discharged from the serrated metal discs right into the flying beast. It was enough to finish it off, and with a gurgle, it fell to the ground. The thud of the body was heavy, and it raised some dust once more. Blood pooled from its body as it lay there, dead.

Nova looked away, wiping sweat from her brow as she re-focused on the unconscious messenger. Time to get him out, and lay low a bit. She hurried, grabbed the man underneath his armpits, and dragged him into the nearest alleyway. Nova hid them both amongst some trash. Once they were mostly safe, she slumped against the wall, head thudding on the concrete as she half-sat, half-collapsed onto the ground.

That fight had been…taxing. She’d not thought so before, but now it all came rushing back…the many times she could have been injured, the one time that she [i]had been[/i], the griffon’s corpse…She clutched at her left forearm, staunching the blood flow. Nova…No, she was definitely Akira just then, and she needed a breather. So, she stayed there, guarding the unconscious man as she calmed her breathing, glancing around every once in a while.