[spoiler]Yep, I’m bringing this back. I plan on working on this a little more often than, uh, whenever I feel like it. I’ll put up a post after this with links to the Prologue and all 10 Chapters, and I’ll link it below this in the replies. I definitely recommend going back to the beginning and rereading everything, and maybe reminding yourself of which character was who’s. I don’t know who all is still interested in this story, but I know I want to keep writing, so I will.[/spoiler] [i]Previously, in Broken Honor…[/i] Ringivek raised a small finger. “A lesson for the three of you, taught as best I can in times of necessity. To hunt to the best of your ability, you must [i]think[/i] like your prey. If you were a mad villain looking to capture the trainees of a remote village, what would be your first order of business?” He looked at the three of them, and when none of them could provide an answer, he continued. “Well, it certainly wouldn’t be to announce his presence. No, he must have had a plan, yes? There’s another part of his plan that we have yet to discover. Maybe we should look around the village stealthily for that.” The three trainees nodded in agreement, and quietly made their way outside, staying close to the edges of the cobbled road and remaining in the shadows, eyes peeled for any hint of Cmirg or his minions. As they left, a thought flashed through Rysko’s mind. He remembered his own family, lost somewhere in this chaos and confusion. Arte’s father and the village midwife were already gone… How many more would be gone before the end? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Rysko, Arte, Ichiro, and Ringivek equipped themselves inside Ichiro’s abode, they stood in grim silence, trying not to think about what they might find. After a tense few minutes, Ringivek led them outside, keeping to the sides of the street rather than the center of the street. By this point, night had fallen. The air was completely still, with a gentle wind beginning to pick up. The sky above was clear - all the stars above twinkled like shining lights, and the moon was full. If not for the current situation, Rysko would’ve found it to be quite a breathtaking night. The party of four skirted around each building, giving them a wide berth so as to not alert anyone to their presence. They did not know where the three villains were - better to avoid confrontation at all rather than risk alerting their presence to Cmirg, Jain, or Aku. As they snuck along, Ichiro gave a sharp, quick whistle, signaling to the rest. The other three turned to look at him, and they too noticed what he had - a line of gray powder thinly laid between two buildings. The trainees didn’t recognize it, but Ringivek surely did. “Blast powder. We use this stuff rarely when we’re out on hunts. This isn’t good.” Ringivek spoke quietly as he stepped forward and used a sword to break up the line of powder, scattering it. “Keep an eye out for more. This is probably what their main plan was.” As Ringivek stepped back out onto the road, however, an arrow whizzed by him, missing by inches, and embedded itself in the wall of the building next to him. Tied to the arrow was a small slip of paper. As Ringivek signaled the three trainees to remain quiet and out of sight and stepped over to read the note, Rysko couldn’t help but feel his hand shaking and sweating. Had they really been found out so soon? The more Ringivek read, the angrier he got. He clenched his fist and hurled the paper out onto the road, turning around and crouching in between the houses again. “Stay here. Those guys are still after you. I can draw them away. They want me to turn you over. I’m not letting that happen. Go to the Elder’s house - the grand hall at the far end of the village. Most of the Hunters will have holed up there, doing what they can to hold out. Be careful. These guys are a serious threat, and they don’t seem to mind taking lives in order to get what they want.” Ringivek gave his last orders, then stood up, running out into the street. His feet pounded the cobblestones as he ran back the way they had come - leading a dozen men cloaked in black after him, firing crossbows as they ran. Ichiro watched his father go for a moment before turning to the younger Arte and Rysko. “Let’s go. Keep to the shadows, it seems that there’s more than just three enemies here.” The three trainees snuck around behind the houses, weaving their way between buildings and alleys as they made their way toward the Elder’s house. The entire time, they were silent as a mouse - nothing detected their presence. They snuck past several sentries cloaked in the same black clothes as the men from before before they crouched behind a shop, looking at the courtyard leading up to the Elder’s house. The front door was barricaded to the max - furniture, tables, and even glyphs strengthened their defenses. Outside, in the courtyard, stood seven men cloaked in black. Among them, two carried swords strapped to their waists, and another two carried bows strapped to their backs. Of the last three, one carried a vial of blue liquid, one wore two metal gloves, and the third carried a single revolver holstered on his hip. [i]To be continued…[/i]