“Not bad at all, Aio.”

Cyriak Imeraza, brother to Nyxandria, and a long-time friend of Caz, parried multiple incoming chitin spikes with his bladed knuckledusters. Sparks flew as the redirected spikes pierced the dirt beneath Cyr’s feet. A few spikes slipped through his defenses and hit him in the shoulder, damaging his Johrei shield. Another hit there and that part of the shield is done for, armor notwithstanding.

Nyxandria called out to Aio and Cyr, “Abe’s almost here. Make this the last round. I think the Rookie’s gotten enough practice with his new weapon.”

Cyriak dodged another set of spikes before charging in at Aio. Aio pulled back on his bow and readied another volley. He issued a non-verbal command, and a crystalline Johrei arrow manifested at the nock. He fired the arrow and activated the weapon’s core effect. As the arrow streamed through the air towards Cyr, he tried to sidestep, only to find the arrows redirected itself towards him.

Ah, so he’s figured it out.

The arrow tip exploded mid-flight, releasing another hail of chitin spikes.

Aio aimed specifically for his shoulder, where the shield was weakest. Cyr was too close to dodge all the spikes this time. In the moment however, Aio’s eyes widened. Cyr took his knuckledusters, one in each hand, and issued a non-verbal command. The blades arched in front of him, and with it, a stream of Johrei shards manifested where each swipe glided through the air, creating a pattern of flowing lines in front of him, hanging in midair. The chitin spikes collided against the makeshift shield which Cyr just made, breaching the air with the sounds of shattering glass.

Adrenaline filled Aio’s veins. This fight took all his ingenuity and focus, and Cyr, despite being less active than the other members, felt more rehearsed in the art of battle than anyone he’s sparred against so far, save for Caz and Nyx.

Cyr closed in quickly on Aio and began to swing down, knuckled fist within inches of Aio’s face. Aio began to panic but tried to keep his thoughts focused. Thinking quickly, Aio raised his hands up to block with his bow. Cyr stopped mid-air. Aio was stunned.

A feint.

Another second later, a boot kicked Aio square in the chest, causing him to fly backwards. The bastion metal held, but Cyr was stronger than he thought, and the blow knocked the wind out of him. While Aio was taking his time getting up, Cyr started charging in again.

“Don’t just focus on the weapon. Attacks can come from any direction, Aio”, Cyr said commandingly, whilst raising his hand for another blow.

Like last time, Aio raised his bow, the center of it set in the path of Cyr’s fist.

“Haven’t you learned from last tim- What the?” Cyr began, before jumping back from a bladed slash across where his chest had been. Cyr pivoted his foot at the last moment and leaped back, and Aio barely missed his mark.

Cyr recouped himself and looked forward, dust skidding from his foot as he slid back from the dodge. In Aio’s hand were two daggers, each curved in a convex design like a scimitar. At the ends of the pommel, Cyr noticed shimmering Johrei shards and began to chuckle.

“Kept your best hand for the end, huh?” he said readying a defensive stance.

Aio then held both daggers up in opposite grips – a battle-ready stance. As Cyr waited for Aio to approach, he noticed Aio smirking. Aio issued another non-verbal command. A string of Johrei extended from the pommel of the daggers and interlocked together, becoming the same bow Aio had just used earlier.

A versatile weapon, Cyr thought. At this distance, Cyr didn’t have a way to close-in. Looks like he’ll have to get a little more serious this time around.

Right as Aio was about to fire, a voice chimed in.

“Ok, that’s enough for today”, Nyx announced, as Abe walked in through the training ground’s doorway. “Let’s just call this one a draw for now.”

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“A draw?” Aio said excitedly, looking back at Cyr. Cyr smiled, nodding back to Aio. The pair had been testing out Aio’s new armor set and weapon. It had been a set of daggers which could combine into a bow, and at the time Aio requested the weapon be made, the blacksmith Noren was genuinely surprised at its ingenuity. Cyr didn’t know about the weapon’s features when they fought, but he adapted masterfully, which caught Aio’s breath. Additionally, they found out that the armor pieces made from the Barbed Enthipid enhanced Aio’s perception after having him try out the gear the first time. Perception armor sets were amongst the rarer types, as Enthipids of that nature typically avoided confrontation with hunters, using their enhanced senses to avoid chance meetings.

The Bastion metal that Aio brought to the blacksmith Soren only provided enough material to make chest plate and gauntlets, but Soren was able to find some Standard-Grade armor parts to fill in the rest of his armor, for a discounted price. Though the armor may be weaker in the joints and legs than it was on the torso or arms, the overall set effect granted by the armor pieces still improved Aio’s perception to the same degree a full Elite-grade armor set would have. However, it was said that a full Elite-Grade set contained even more benefits, especially when the metal came from the same Enthipid corpse. Though the Johrei pool from which Aio could draw from in his hybrid armor set weren’t as abundant as in a full set, he would have to make do for now.

In the end, Aio’s five senses were greatly enhanced. His vision especially, had sharpened to the point where distant objects seemed close and as clear as day to him. Whether it was luck or fate, Aio had become a marksman, and despite a shaky start, he seemed to be a good one.

“Your dagger play could use a little polishing,” Cyr noted. He patted Aio’s back. “Still, I think you’ve got that grit in you. Whether you think so yourself, you’re a real hunter now.” Cyr stated. Aio’s heart fluttered. Cyr was one of the members who first introduced himself to Aio when he joined the Blackbirds. He made Aio feel comfortable being part of the team, even though Aio was incredibly nervous in the beginning. To hear him praise Aio was the kind of validation Aio didn’t know he needed.

“That was passable, Rookie”, Nyx said. Her face broke into a hint of a smile. Cyr had always told Aio that despite how she acts, Nyx was a softie who actually cared about people a lot. Though she was still terrifying. That was also true.

The training grounds where Aio and Cyr fought were specifically set aside for hunters and the local militia in Magrest. The district had numerous training grounds like these scattered around and the one they chose was located close to the infirmary where Calli was staying at. Cyr had dropped by to see Calli after hearing about the news of her injury, but after he finished his visit and rendezvoused with his sister, he noticed Aio’s new gear and asked if he wanted to spar with him. Aio, more than exhilarated to train with one of the top fighters of a legendary Division agreed wholeheartedly and in the two dozen or so rounds they fought, Aio had won none of them.

But now, he had his first ever draw against a Division hunter. Cyr was impressed at how quickly he adapted. No wonder Caz picked him up. This kid has potential.

Abe walked into the grounds and spotted the group. He waved and they waved back. After pulling up beside Nix, he spoke in that deep rumbling voice of his, “Calli will be fine, but she’s going to need some time off. A few days at least.”

It is what it is. Nix sighed. “Well, we’re going to have to head out soon. One of Reina’s songbirds promised to watch over her for us until we finish this hunt. We don’t have to wait up for her. She knows where Calli is.”

She pointed to the others. “Brother, you’re coming with me and Abe.”

“What about me?”, Aio asked. “Didn’t you say I was coming along?”

“That was before I realized who the target was. It’s a personal request to hunt the leader of the Revenant’s Forge”. Her tone grew harsh and she walked slowly to Aio, towering over him, even though she wasn’t that much taller than him. “Tell me Rookie. You really think you can take down a Daimyo, let alone a Shogun? This isn’t training or school, kid. These are Division leaders, each potentially a threat level on par with Elite Enthipids. You couldn’t even beat Cyr, so what makes you think you can take on the best?” This was the scary Nyx he was used to.

Aio gritted his teeth. It was times like this that he didn’t back down from Nyx. He had not taken part in a high-stakes bounty like this yet, and Caz said he needed all of them for this hunt. Grounding his feet, Aio retorted, “You don’t call the shots here. Caz does. When I joined, he promised I was free to do my own thing. That was the only way I was going to join your Blackbirds, famous or not. Otherwise, I would’ve stayed behind at the orphanage. Even if you are the Daimyo here, I’m not afraid of you. No more minor capture hunts. I’m done with training. I’m joining this hunt even if I have to go through you to do it.” Aio’s face was one of sheer determination and he clutched his bow tightly, trying to quell his rising frustration.

Nyx stared long and hard at him. She exuded a commanding aura, and even Cyr and Abe began feeling restless. Cyr was about to break in when Nyx started, “You‘ve got half a spine at least, Rookie. Fine. You can join. But this is the real deal, kid. You might die. And if you can’t keep up, don’t expect me or any of us to save you.”

“And don’t cry when you’re the one who needs me saving you.” Aio responded, sticking out his tongue. Nyx grinned. Cyr felt a sense of relief. His sister was a big softie after all.