What did Nyx recall about Taysa? Only that she wielded a massive two handed hammer, which she swung with the delicateness of a raging storm.

  The Gloam of Stars, Nyx thought recalling the name. It had strange properties related to what other hunters deemed the manipulation of “internal physics,” though Nyx didn’t know much more than that.

  Shit. Why do I have to deal with two Shoguns at this time?

  The Prowler tilted as the woman in shining armor etched with golden symbols landed on the ship’s main deck. The armor gleamed and rippled with Johrei, a grandiose display of her notoriety as being one of the few people in Neo-Kamakura to have taken down an Elite Enthipid all on her own.

  “Well, isn’t this a surprise?” Taysa said. Her eyes scanned the scenery. A bustling cityscape of white, black and gold painted the landscape of the district beneath them. Her eyes landed on the brothers and then on Nyx.

  “Two Shoguns, and a Daimyo, all on a single Prowler,” she remarked, before slamming the head of the hammer down on the ship. “I wouldn’t have believed the reports until I saw it for myself.”

  She looked at Nyx.

  “I’m with the Blackbirds now,” Nyx replied, “And you’re getting in the way of my hunt.”

  “Ah yes. A Daimyoy now. Strange, Ms. Imeraza,” Taysa responded, “because I don’t remember seeing any active bounty out for the brothers. Was it a private request? If so, you do realize that the protections from interference by other hunters who become aware of the hunt become null?” She paused for a moment.

  “And if it isn’t private, then you have quite the explanation to provide to the Auditors once I take you in.”

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  In Taysa’s moment of distraction, Siegren launched at her, bringing down a Johrei blade. She held her hammer up to block, with absolutely no weight resistance, and in a moment of disbelief, Nyx attempted to process the strange series of events which followed.

  Taysa released her grip on the hammer and balled her hands up in a fist. The hammer froze in place in the air – THE AIR – and blocked Siegren’s swing. She then swung her fist upwards, clocking Siegren in the face. Despite the shielding, which appeared to take massive damage from the swing, the knockback still sent him flying backwards, hitting the floor next to Cadmi’s feet.

  Taysa reached up, grabbing her hammer again as if the laws of physics weren’t just broken for those few seconds.

  “You know, Nyx,” she said, as if noticing Nyx’s puzzled look. “Calculating the hammer’s velocity in a moving vehicle isn’t easy. Luckily, my teammate is a…genius of sorts when it comes to these things. She’s close, as are the rest of my team.” Nudging her head to behind the Prowler, Nyx and the brothers noticed a string of prowlers and suncycles closing in on the ship.

  “Now I’m an avid seeker of the truth. I won’t assume what happened here, nor assume what hand either of you three may have had in the bodies of the dead Revenant’s Forge members that I found in my district, but I’ll have to take all three of you into custody for trespass and the charge of initiating an unauthorized hunt in New Celebrant in violation of the city laws.”

  Cadmi, who had been quiet this entire time, stared daggers at her.

  “I get to kill another Shogun?” he said coldly, and pulled up his shield ready for battle. Siegren, got up and pulled out his shield as well.

  The three sides stared at each other, ready for battle.

  In that moment, Cadmi and his brother nodded, and began to rush towards Nyx and Taysa separately.

  Nyx readied herself against Cadmi, but just as he was about to strike, Nyx tossed a handful of micro explosives at him. He preemptively dodged, as if his initial attack was a feint, and then both Nyx and Taysa reacted with surprise as the brothers jumped off the Prowler and landed on the decks of the nearby Prowlers chasing them.

  “Ares, Kilm! Incoming!” Taysa shouted as her teammates below readied themselves to fend off against the brothers. Taysa readied herself to jump off the Prowler herself to assist her companions when an explosion suddenly erupted next to her, knocking the Prowler’s starboard side down. It attempted to correct its tilt automatically, as Taysa looked on with annoyance at Nyx. Her shield flicker but surprisingly, she didn’t move at all from the impact. It was the same as the hammer earlier. That surprised Nyx.

  “Well, looks like I’ll have to deal with you first.”