Disclaimer: I still don't own digimon!! (yet)
A/N: I've decided to make this a trilogy-type thingy, so when this is done, expect two more stories. Also, I'd like to share you all the word of the day: spiffy. God, I love that word. Well, please R/R.
----------Chapter Four----------------------
Yelsand looked down on the small village below. Defenseless, lying on the border of the great kingdom in Käsen, and completely oblivious to the fact that an entire army of orcs had surrounded it. "This truly is a glorious day for the entire kingdom. Not only do we start global conquest with this little town, but every good warrior in the entire Ontak Empire is dead." The orc standing next to him said nothing. Yelsand snorted and then laughed. "General Orik, you may attack when ready."
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"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Yamato asked his brother, in the way that only older siblings can do.
Takeru laughed. "Yeah, I'm not three anymore."
"Okay, just take care of yourself, and don't get in too much trouble. The entire Free World is counting on you. Remember, no stress," Yamato joked.
"No stress. Got it," Takeru chuckled. "Bye, Yamato! Bye, dad!"
After exchanging heartfelt goodbyes, the twelve members of the Troupe (by which they were beginning to be called), left the palace and started towards the mountains to the south, which served as the border to Käsen.
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Yelsand walked through the burning remnants of the village of Gintas. General Orik walked in pace behind his master. Fellow orcs were running in and out of houses, setting them afire. The choking black smoke rose high in the sky, and on this windless day Orik was sure it could be seen for miles. Suddenly a Man was pitched forward in front of Yelsand. His short black hair was streaked in blood and his peasant clothing torn and shredded. In his hand he held a small dagger, covered with the blood of orcs. This man had clearly resisted, and probably took a few of the weaker soldiers. Yelsand reached down, picked him up by the collar, and spat in his face.
"So," Yelsand began with a sly smile, "you're the last of the village. How many orcs did you defeat with this little tiny knife? You probably think highly of yourself, having survived the first attack on the Ontak kingdom. What news of the kingdom?" The man was too frightened to answer the barrage of questions. "Answer me!" Yelsand spat. The young man still didn't open his mouth. Yelsand threw him back onto the ground and turned toward the nearest orc. "Take him back to the palace and have him tortured until he either talks or dies."
"No!" the man said finally. "I'll tell you everything I know."
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Koushiro walked in front of the group, followed by Taichi, Takeru, Hikari, Jyou, and finally the other seven, Jib, Rando, James, Zeke, Cid, Ash, and Chen. The morning was slowly draining away as the sun started to dip westward. The company made it to the bottom of a small dell and ate a small lunch. Before they departed again, Koushiro drew Hikari aside.
"The other night, when we were fighting the wraiths, how did you toss that knife? You must have been nearly fifty feet away. Not even your brother Taichi has that good aim," Koushiro whispered.
"I don't really know," Hikari shrugged. "But it did throw rocks a lot back in my cell in Yelsand's palace. I wonder if that had anything to do with it, because I've never used a weapon other than a cooking knife for Yelsand."
Koushiro nodded knowingly, and let to get something from his small pack on his horse. He returned with a small bow and a quiver of green arrows. "You ever used one of these before?" he asked.
Hikari shook her head. "Never." Koushiro handed her the bow and one arrow, then ran and placed an empty leather satchel. He tied the straps around a tree branch around two hundred feet away and returned.
"Okay, now try and hit the bag," he panted.
Hikari stared at him sideways. "Are you crazy? I can't hit that!"
"You'll never know until you try."
"Okay…" Hikari struggled to knock the arrow, so Koushiro helped put the arrow on the string. He then proceeded to assist her with drawing back the string, and then took a couple steps back and sat down to watch. He shot back up in amazement when the arrow came to rest in the exact center of the leather bag. "Damn!"
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Done with the chapter. Please review and stay tuned for the next chapter.