Villagers, assemble!

Hi guys, I'm still alive, sorry for not being able to release any new chapters in the past seven or eight days. I had a stupid accident which resulted in breaking my right arm (my main hand) and having to stay in the hospital for a while. It was super boring without a phone, I tell you. Anyway, I'm back home now, and the chapter I had prepared is finally finished. It will take longer for the next chapters to come, but they will still be released.

Here's the following: I've edited the fight scene from Chapter 4 again. For now, I plan to stick with the nickname for Percedal, as I believe it comes from Yugo and the others, and using different names might cause confusion. Nevertheless, thank you for the suggestion, I'll keep it in mind.

Regarding how the characters acquire their abilities (from the gods, which I couldn't find in the series and I haven't watched the game lore yet), I will ignore it for now until I find something appropriate and come up with an idea to incorporate it. Still, thank you for the information.

The upcoming chapters will be quite important, so let me know if anything is unclear, if I make a character look bad, or if a plot hole arises. But now, onto the chapter, enjoy! :)

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*Kwick kwik*

*kweek kwik*

"Amidst a sunlit clearing, the peaceful atmosphere was momentarily disrupted by the sound of two tofus arguing near the old trees at the edge. As the tofu argument reached its peak, a rustling of leaves and a gentle breeze filled the air. But the peaceful atmosphere was suddenly disrupted when...

"Hah, Hah, Hah, Hah..."

In the same clearing, two children stood side by side, their swords glistening in the sunlight. Beads of sweat dripped down their foreheads as they swung their swords in a synchronized rhythm, their determination evident on their faces. The blazing sun beat down relentlessly on them, but they persisted in their training.

Meanwhile, in the distance, faint laughter and voices of other children could be heard, their presence hidden by the dense foliage. Oblivious to the commotion, the two sword-wielding children continued their rigorous training, their minds set on something.

"Haha, you can't catch me!" one of the children called out.

"Wait!" gasped the other, out of breath.

"Hey, not so fast!".

*rustle...crack*

Suddenly, three children appeared in the clearing.

"Hey Percy, Kai, do you want to play Arena with us?" one of the children called out.

"Oh, hello Leo, El, and Fin, sure, let's go!" Percy replied. But before they could engage in their game, Kairos interrupted the excitement.

"Not so fast! Dad told us that we can only play after we finish our sword training for today. We still have half of it left."

"Oh, come on..."

"Why are you training so hard, Kairos?" Finnegan asked.

"I want to pursue my dreams, but I need strength and determination for that. That's why I train. It's the same for Percy."

"jup, I want to become the strongest Iop fighter and go down in legend as a hero," Percedal proudly declared, raising his sword high.

"That sounds cool, and what about you, Kairos?" Leo asked.

"Me? I want to see the world, learn new things, and have adventures. But I also want to protect my family," he replied with a smile on his face.

"I also want to experience something special in my life, Hah, I got it, I want to become a treasure hunter!" added Elian, now inspired by the ideas of the two.

"I like how you want to protect your family. I will do the same. What do you think about me training with you?" Finnegan suggested, also motivated by the idea of training for his dreams. He hadn't really thought about what he wanted to achieve until now.

"Me too!" Leo agreed.

"Haha, sure, you can train with us, but first, we'll show you how to warm up properly," Percedal announced, attempting to demonstrate with his movements while Kairos tried to describe it in words.

---> time skip <---

(Kairos, Percedal, Finnegan, Elian are 10 years old, and Leo is 9 years old.)

*crash... thud*

Something rattled along the uneven path, eventually reaching a medieval like village.

*boom*

A loud crash was heard as a runaway carriage collided with a tree in the village. A small cloud of dust rose as a slightly injured person crawled out from the dust.

"Cough, cough... bandits... BANDITS are approaching!" he shouted loudly into the village. Exhausted, he sank to the ground. His carriage was pierced with arrows, clear signs of an attack.

The villagers were initially bewildered and startled, but as they heard the man's message and saw the scattered arrows around, panic took hold.

"Quick, take the children inside!"

"Hide!"

"Warn the others!"

"Quick, someone inform Adam! He is our only hope!" Despite the initial panic, the village began to secure their belongings and protect themselves. The news spread rapidly throughout the village.

"...I will work on a plan as soon as possible, but I can't do it alone. I need the help of some brave men," Adam declared in a serious and determined tone.

Percedal, Kairos, and their mother were sitting at the breakfast table when there was a frantic knocking at the door and loud voices could be heard.

"Dad, what happened?" Kairos asked with concern. He could tell from his father's reaction that something terrible had happened. His father looked serious, more serious than Kairos had ever seen him.

"From now on, both of you are forbidden from going into the forest to train, stay at home for the time beeing. That goes for your friends and the other village children as well. So, make sure to stop them if they ask you! Do you understand?! And don't even think about playing heroes, Percy."

"Is the world ending? Do you know anything, Kai?" Percedal asked, relying on his brother to always be there for intelligence questions.

However, Adam ignored his two children and gave his wife a brief look, signaling her to take care of them.

Percedal, thinking that his father was embarking on a heroic adventure, waved at him with a broad smile, even though he was sad that he couldn't go along and perform heroic deeds.

"Come on, brother, what's going on? What do you think?" both children asked as they sat in their room now.

"Hmm... He said we're not allowed to go into the forest, so something must be going on there. I also heard that Dad can't handle it alone. So, I think it involves multiple dangers or one big one... Ah, I've got it! It must be bandits," Kairos concluded.

"Really? That's cool! I want to show those evil bandits who's boss, just like Dad... Hey, he just now forbade us from playing and training outside. But I still want to visit our friends! Today is training day" Percy stated.

"we can theoretically visit them but we need to be sneaky and silent and maybe they know more," Kairos replied.

"theo what?"

"Are you coming, Percy?"

Curiosity about what was happening in the village prompted the two of them to sneak out of the house and visit their friends.

"I hope Kai remains sensible and doesn't have a bad influence on the children. After all, he's the most reasonable one among them," their mother thought, finally noticing that the children had left the house. It was too quiet in the house.

"Hey, Percy, help me with a shoulder stand so I can peek into the window," Kairos whispered to Percedal. The two children could be seen at a medieval looking house, crouching beneath a window. They were directly beneath Finnegan's roomwindow. Kairos was light and Percedal was strong enough.

Kairos looked into Finnegan's room. He could see a wooden wardrobe, and leaning against the wall next to it was a wooden sword, Adam had carved a sword for all three of his friends. He could also see a table with a chair right in front of the window. The bed was partially visible, but he couldn't tell if Finnegan was in it.

*knock, knock*

"Hmm?" A muffled sound came from the window. "Great, he is there," Kairos whispered excitedly, signaling to Percedal what was happening. He was already quite excited down there.

The window opened, and a head with brown hair and a questioning face appeared. "Oh, is it you? But what are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"Pssst," Kairos urged him to be quiet, putting his finger to his lips.

He motioned for Finnegan to come with them, and Finnegan jumped out of the window to follow them. A little distance from the house, Kairos asked Finnegan, "Hey, do you know what's going on?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that my father was very serious and followed some others. My mother was very worried. What do you know so far?" Finnegan informed him.

"It could be thieves or other dangerous things like monsters," Kairos told him. "Hey, it would be best if both of you go get Elian, and I'll go get Leo. That way, we'll be faster, agreed?"

Both nodded in agreement to Kairos' plan.

"alright, lets meet here afterwards"

Kairos began to sneak through the village. Leo didn't live far from the village center since his father was the village baker. Kairos moved away from Finnegan's house, which was located on the outskirts of the village, just like their own home.

He noticed a small group of guards.

"Hmm? Is that a squad that our father assembled? If they are patrolling the village, it means there really are thieves. I don't think I can get Leo like this, Dad will surely be somewhere in the village," Kairos thought to himself.

Kairos tried to stay hidden behind bushes, trees, wagons, and any other available cover. The adjacent fields where the villagers usually worked were now deserted, with the almost ripe crops gently swaying in the wind.

Kairos moved quietly and carefully between the dense hedges. Each step was deliberate and silent as he used the natural cover to hide from the newly stationed village guards. The bright sun beat down on him mercilessly, and darkness offered him no refuge.

His heart raced with excitement in his chest as he reached a narrow path that led him directly across from Forgeron Haldor's forge, a close friend of his father's. But unlike usual, the forge seemed unusually quiet and empty. No rising smoke from the chimney, no rhythmic hammering indicating busy activity.

Kairos cast a cautious glance around, his senses sharpened. To the right, there was nothing and no one that could give away his presence. To the left, a bend hidden behind dense bushes held the secret of what lay there. He listened intently to the sounds of the surroundings, his ears on alert. No whispers, no creaking of footsteps broke the silence. It seemed as if the entire village was frozen in an eerie stillness.

Determined yet cautious, Kairos slipped to the other side of the path and hid in a bush right beside the abandoned looking forge. However, his entry was anything but silent.

*crack*

A loud crack filled the air, and he froze in the midst of the bush, holding his breath. Seconds stretched into eternity as he listened, waiting to see if he had attracted anyone's attention.

...

...

"Puh," he whispered softly as relief washed over him. He had been lucky, no one seemed to have heard his noise. The village was sprawling, and the houses provided ample space to hide, but he couldn't afford any carelessness. He moved from bush to bush, cautious and soundless, not wanting to draw the attention of the villagers. His gaze fell upon the bakery that appeared before him, and a spark of hope flickered in his eyes. Finally, he had reached his destination.

Kairos skillfully approached from the back since he had no way of staying unnoticed from the sides or the front. He now stood beneath Leo's roomwindow wich is on the second floor, but he couldn't access it directly. Kairos picked up a few pebbles and threw a small one at the window. It was something he and Percedal had done many times before, although they had once shattered the window and gotten into big trouble with Leo's father, Crispin, and Adam.

*klong*

"Come on, open up," Kairos silently hoped, but nothing happened. He threw another pebble.

*klong*

"Why isn't he opening yet?" Kairos wondered, spending more time waiting. He listened, in case he had been heard. "One more time, the others are probably already waiting." He threw a third stone.

"Ouch, what is this? I'm coming down already," came a slightly loud whisper from the window.

"Oops," Kairos stood somewhat shocked and embarrassed in front of the bakery's back door, waiting for Leo.

*click* the door opened

"What are you doing here, Kairos?" Leo asked in a hushed tone.

"You've probably heard that something is happening in the village, right? Percy, Fin, and I want to find out what happened. Percy and Fin are with El. Do you know what has happened?"

"This morning, a carriage crashed into a tree near our bakery. I overheard some villagers running around in panic and shouting things. I heard it has to do with bandits, and your..."

"Ha, so my suspicion was correct," Kairos proudly interrupted. "Oh, sorry, continue. What else do you know?" Kairos asked Leo, realizing he had interrupted him.

"I was about to say that your father has assembled several patrol groups, including one that is searching for the thieves outside the village. Your father and Fin's father are in that group. They want to gather information or have a fight outside the village, i dont exactly know it" explained Leo. "That's all I could gather from the conversation between your father and mine when your father was getting provisions."

"Okay, now we know what happened. Are you coming with me to the others?"

"I can't, I have to help my father. It would surely raise suspicion," replied Leo,

"Thank you Leo, see you anothertime" Kairos waved Leo off as he set off again to relay the information to Percedal, Finnegan, and Elian.

Kairos quietly and discreetly sneaked through the village, careful not to be detected. Every step was deliberate, every glance carefully assessing his surroundings. Leo could provide answers to the questions they had, and it wouldn't be good if he were caught now. It was time to share the information with Percedal, Finnegan, and Elian.

As he approached Percedal, Finnegan, and Elian, he could already hear their soft and muffled voices. The two were standing together with Percedal in a secluded spot shielded by bushes, apparently engaged in an intense discussion. Kairos approached, slipping into their conversation unnoticed.

"So, Leo told me that a carriage crashed in panic near the bakery," Kairos whispered, diverting the others' attention towards him. "It seems to involve bandits, and our fathers have now formed patrols to search for them and guard the village."