"A score to settle?" Cliff laughed. "You and half the other people in this village. We don't really give a damn. I'm still not sure what you have against us, but we're not wasting our time on punks like you." The dark-skinned man continued walking forward. "You don't quite understand me. I mean we have…" He allowed a small handle to fall out of his jacket sleeve, and then pressed it with his thumb. "A score…" A blade flicked outwards. "To settle."

Cliff took a step back, realization flashing in his eyes. "You… you're the one who attacked me on the way to the village, aren't you?"

The man did not stop. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. But I am the guy who's going to attack you now."

Jack put his arm in front of Cliff, keeping his eyes locked on the other man. "Cliff, let me handle this." The man with the knife laughed. "Handle it, huh? You don't know what you're getting into, farmboy." Neither moved, now. The road was empty. Both stood, waiting. And then the man charged. His knife spun into an aggressive stance, and it pierced the air where Jack's head had been. The farmer dodged to the side, arms extended wide. His opponent shifted his weight and cut diagonally, missing Jack's neck by inches. Jack grabbed his wrist as it moved downward, and used the opening to twist around and elbow the other man in the face. The man with the purple bandanna fell back into a roll, recovered and wiped the blood from his face.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Jack Walker."

"Kai Karabiner."

Kai didn't stop for long. He stabbed at Jack again and again, feeling his hand blocked by a stiff forearm every time, until finally his entire right arm ached with pain. "You son of a bitch…" Kai used every bit of his strength to kick at Jack, who grappled it by the knee and sent the tan man flying. Kai recovered on his right arm, using the airtime to switch his knife-hand. In a last ditch attempt to take out Jack, he threw the knife into the air and jumped, knees up to his chest, grabbing the knife and coming down like a bat. Jack seemed to spin through the air like a ribbon in the wind, his leg coming across Kai's side with a deafening whump. Kai sailed through the air for a moment, and then dragged across the dirt, flipping over several times on his way down. Dust rose in thick tan clouds above the body of the defeated man. For a moment, a very shocked and injured Kai weakly attempted to get up, but finally collapsed. He gurgled, and spit up a mouthful of blood.

"I must b-be… f-fu… drea-dreaming…"

He turned to Jack.

"You…messed up…m-messed up big ti-time, little m-man. Once they… hear about me, they'll c-come for this whole vill…age." His head lolled back, and he was out cold.

Cliff was slack-jawed. "Jack, what the HELL did you just do?"

Jack didn't answer. He ambled over to Kai's body and kicked it lightly. The man groaned, but hardly moved. His bandanna had come loose, revealing long locks of greasy, curly black hair. "Cliff, go get the Mayor." Jack's friend nodded and ran off towards the town square. From nearby bushes, a pair of green eyes watched intently.

Mayor Thomas paced back and forth in the Town Hall. Several of the villagers were gathered with him. Kai was at the clinic, having his wounds treated. He'd then be taken to the Hall. To court. Court was something new to the villagers. Many hadn't been around to see the last session. Even Mayor Thomas was new when that one happened. Little deliberation would be needed. Jack had a witness to defend him, and even Gotz and Duke, Kai's good friends, wouldn't show.

"I had my suspicions…" Mayor Thomas began, "I had my suspicions but not this. Not this, damn it!" He pounded a gloved fist on the wooden pulpit, causing several present to stir. "A knife fight. In our village, a bloody duel! Jack, explain to me again what happened." The farmer calmly repeated the events. "I was just leaving the grocery store when Kai stopped Cliff and I down the road. He told us he 'had a score to settle' and pulled the knife. I gave him a little discipline and then told Cliff to get you." The mayor clasped his head in his hands. 'A little discipline,' he thought, 'sent a man to the hospital in critical condition. What haven't you told us about yourself, Jack?' He sighed. "Alright, I understand. But why would Kai want to hurt either of you?" Cliff spoke up. "I… I think Kai's one of the people who attacked me and knocked me out on the way to the village." The mayor's eyes bulged. "You were waylaid on the road and you didn't tell anyone?" Cliff's cheeks glowed pink. "I… didn't think there was anyone who could help me. But I remember someone in a purple bandanna. And there were others. I'm sure the former was Kai." Thomas plopped down in a chair angrily, removed his glasses and groaned. "Bandits have attacked villagers. Bloody bandits."

Jack continued. "What's worse, is when I knocked out Kai, he warned me there were more. And that when they found out what happened to him, they'd come for us. For the whole village."

Mayor Thomas didn't react, but breathed in deeply.

One of the villagers, Popuri's mother Nina, stood up. "You said bandits. As in, more than one. Does that mean…"

"Yes. There are dangerous people in or near Flowerbud."

"You're damn right there are! And one of them is sitting right there!" said Rick, pointing an accusing finger directly at Jack.

The mayor raised his voice. "None of that, now! Jack was defending himself, it's clear. If anything you should be thanking him for revealing the threat, not accusing him of being a part of it!" Rick sunk down without a word. "Now we have to deal with this carefully. I want everyone to gather at the Town Square in two hours. Find all the villagers. Don't talk openly about this, the last thing we need is a panic. If you see anyone who doesn't live here, especially someone who looks less than trustworthy, stay away. Does everyone understand?" The mayor punctuated the last sentence definitively. Everyone understood.

Two hours later, as the last rays of the sun were eclipsed by Luna Mountain and the horizon, every villager gathered in the Town Square. It was a solemn occasion, a festival without lights or songs or smiles. Thomas stood at the head of the crowd on the stage, trying his best to ignore the many questions. Those sent to gather everyone up had done their jobs; there was no panic, simply anxiety. Jack and Cliff stood leaned against the walls of the library, whispering to each other. Finally, Thomas spoke.

"Everyone, please. I know you all have questions," at this, several affirming shouts came from the crowd, "But if you'll just let me speak I promise to answer them all." The chatter disappeared. "Early today one of our villagers was attacked," Murmurs began, but Thomas silenced them with a harsh look, "But, he was quite capable of defending himself. The culprit is currently in custody, but too injured to really be worried about. The reason that I called you all here today was to warn you that there might be more of those who attacked him." Angry shouts quickly began. "SILENCE!" Yelled Thomas, and there was dead air. "Do not panic. The last thing we need is panic. Now I have not gone without planning. We have several very capable men and women working to get to the bottom of this. There is nothing to suggest that there are many of these attackers, or that they are anything more than cowardly. I do ask that everyone stay together until this situation is cleared up. The village is safe, but it's never hurt to be careful. We must stay calm, collected and safe. If anyone- I mean anyone sees something suspicious, report it to Constable Harris or me. Is that clear?" The people nodded gravely. "I'm glad. Please, go to your homes and do not worry. By the morning I'm sure this will all be cleared up. Stay safe, everyone." Mayor Thomas strode down from the stage, amidst low-voiced discontent. He made a beeline for Jack and Cliff. "Well, that's the best I can do. We just have to hope it calms everyone down long enough for us to solve this whole situation." The two nodded. "Mayor Thomas," said Cliff, "You said capable men and women." The politician shuffled a bit, and began to speak but was cut off. "Yeah. There somethin' wrong with that?" The three turned to see Karen, dressed in a thicker layer of clothing than before. "I figured you two could use the help of someone who lived here. And don't think I can't take care of myself, either." Cliff tried to formulate a response but Jack was quicker. "You are not hunting bandits with us. This isn't a damn movie, you could get hurt, or-" "Killed. I know. And I don't care. Somebody attacked my village. My friends, and my village. And I plan to pay 'em back in spades." Jack resigned. "Has anyone ever told you you have a hard head?" She grinned. "Yeah. You did."

The three collected the little bits of weaponry the villagers had, a rifle from Doug, poles and shovels from houses and a few knives used for skinning. It wasn't exactly an arsenal fit for an army, but Flowerbud was hardly a well equipped settlement, and by all means, it was better than nothing. The mayor stood on the stage, lost in thought, watching the moon. Cliff tapped him on the shoulder. "Ah, it's you three. Suited up for war, it looks. How terrible." Jack shook his head. "Don't worry, Thomas. We'll take care of this and come back by the morning." The mayor nodded solemnly. "Still, how do you plan to find the other bandits? You don't know if they're in the village or hundreds of miles away by now." Jack smiled cruelly. "I have a feeling we can get answers from the esteemed Mr. Karabiner." At this, Cliff cracked his knuckles. Mayor Thomas groaned. "By the Goddess…"

"We're leaving now. Thanks for the help, Mayor." Jack, Cliff and Karen turned and headed towards the clinic. Thomas watched them go, then returned his gaze to the moon. "Good luck, Jack Walker. I'm counting on you. We're all counting on you."

The moon was full.

A perfect night for a hunt.

Dark here. Three chapters in three days, pretty good for a guy like me, eh? Hopefully the next chapter will be up sometime this week. As for me, I'm studying for finals. Will Jack capture the bandits? Who's working with Kai? And why is everybody after Cliff? Next time, on No Looking Back- Chapter 7: The Hunt for Truth.