“This sucks,” Leon grumbled as he leaned his back against the wall that he was chained to by his hands above his head.

“I’m sure they’ll hear us out sooner or later,” Seth said optimistically, bound in a like fashion.

Just then, Ikoga and handful of Nagaboro Tribe elders entered the wooden hut, which was more like a small cabin by modern standards.

“We have decided to give you one chance to speak the truth and perhaps then we shall spare you,” Ikoga spoke, his voice low and gravely.

“Just hear us out,” Leon began, instantly catching a dirty look from Seth who was about to speak before Leon cut him off, “we were sent here by the Grand Elder of our order with a list of names, people from different villages that we are supposed to track down and bring back with us. We haven’t come to hurt anybody. We just need to take Oinko with us and we’ll leave.”

“Onko,” Ikoga corrected him with narrowed eyes.

Seth huffed and shook his head. “If I may, Chief Ikoga?”

“You may not,” Ikoga shot back at Seth. “It is clear that where as you may not be assassins, you have come to capture my son and take him back to the Grand Elder of the Raijin Clan. Tell me- who else is on this list?”

Leon and Seth exchanged glances but both shrugged.

“It was in my bag that got left behind,” Seth told them uneasily.

“Ah, you mean this bag?” Ikoga smirked as one of the elders brought forth Seth’s expanse bag and dumped it out on the floor.

“Yes, there’s our list right there!” Leon said excitedly, pointing to the folded-up piece of paper on the ground.

Ikoga nodded to the elder that dumped out the contents of Seth’s expanse bag, and he knelt down, picked up the paper and unfolded it. His eyes widened as he scanned over the names and locations and passed it to his Chieftain.

“I see…” Ikoga said as he read the names for himself. “So, you have also come to our land to capture Lady Thrua from Shisang and a someone named ‘Ryujeth’ from the Zoawara tribe, eh?”

“We haven’t come to capture anyone!” Seth cried out.

“Yeah, we just need to take them with us,” Leon added.

“I will not withhold the full extent of judgement, tomorrow morning during your trial,” Ikoga sneered.

“Trial?” Leon blinked.

“Tomorrow morning, you two will stand before our entire tribe and answer for your crimes,” Ikoga said with grim pleasure.

“But we haven’t done anything!” Leon argued.

“And we’re thankful for that. Thankful that we caught you before you even had a chance- although, maybe we should have just allowed the Kugomano to take care of the job for us. Me saving you is the last act of mercy you shall receive from the Nagaboro,” Ikoga spat and then turned along with the village elders and exited the hut.

“Good job, Leon. You really screwed us over this time,” Seth sighed and shook his head.

“I screwed us? What the hell did I do?” Leon’s eyes became wide with fury.

“You should have just let me do the talking. You made it sound like we really were trying to capture Ikoga’s son,” Seth huffed.

“Well, I mean if it came down to it, right?” Leon shrugged.

“What? Are you insane?” Seth stared at his peer, wide-eyed.

“Look, Elijah gave us a mission. He gave us a list of people and their locations in order to bring them back to the Sanctuary with us. The way I see it is that they’re coming back with us one way or another,” Leon rationalized.

“You idiot, he didn’t mean to kidnap anyone!” Seth exhaled loudly.

“You think he would have just let you go if you refused to join him?” Leon challenged.

This caused Seth to grow quiet for a moment as he contemplated this.

Before he could answer, a younger member of the Nagaboro tribe entered and approached the two prisoners.

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“Who are you?” Leon asked and looked up at the young man, clad in the same tribal, leather armor that the other boar-riders were adorned in.

“I’m Onko,” said the young man. He looked to be no older than fifteen years old. He was plump and had soft features. His head was the shape of an egg because of his large cheeks that slightly dropped on either side of his face. “Why do you want to kill me?”

“Ugh!” Leon sighed and shook his head. “No one wants to kill you, moron.”

"Leon!” Seth shot his peer a dirty glance and then gave Onko an apologetic look, “we are from a sect called the Exalted Guardian Society, which we are helping to rebuild in order to protect the various nations in our galaxy from evil threats. We came to invite you to join. Not capture or kill you. We were simply sent by our Grand Elder, Elijah, to see if you would be interested in helping us rebuilt the sect. I imagine it is because you show potential for becoming a great Cultivator.”

“Me? A Cultivator?” Onko blinked for a moment in disbelief. “Wait, you said Elijah? Did you mean Saint Elijah?”

“Umn…” Seth looked at Leon who gave a subtle shrug.

“Yeah, that’s right. Saint Elijah sent us. Do you know him?” Leon chimed in.

“Well, I mean, I’ve never met him. But I’ve heard lots of stories about him as a kid,” Onko swallowed.

“Good. Then you know that we’re the good guys and that we aren’t trying to kill you. So, get us out of this mess and come join us,” Leon said forwardly.

“Ugh, not act, whatsoever,” Seth rolled his eyes and then turned his attention back to Onko, “is there anything you can do to help our current situation?”

“If what you guys say is true and you’re serious about me joining you and becoming a powerful Cultivator, then tomorrow morning at the trial, I will try to convince my father not to kill you,” Onko promised.

“Excellent!” Seth grinned.

“Just don’t let us die, kid. We’re counting on you,” Leon told Onko, receiving another dirty look from Seth.

The next morning, just as the sun was rising, Leon and Seth stood before the entirety of the Nagaboro Clan, hands bound together in front of them as Ikoga stood in front of them as their judge.

“People of Nagaboro- today, I bring before you two suspected assassins from the Raijin Clan. They confessed to coming to our territory to take my son, Onko, and were found to have this-,” he held up the list of names that was in Seth’s expanse bag, “-list of names of other people that they were sent to go after by their Grand Elder. What shall we do with these two merciless kidnappers as punishment for their crimes?”

“Death!” the villagers cried out in unison, raising their fists in the air.

Seth and Leon exchanged looks of terror as they braced themselves, before Seth closed his eyes and began to subtly focus his Spirit Essence.

“Very well, then we shall put these two to-,” Ikoga started saying before he was interrupted.

“Wait, father!” Onko called out and came to his father’s side.

“What is it, my son? Do you wish to personally execute these monsters for attempting to steal you from us?” Ikoga asked with satisfaction.

“No, father. I don’t believe they came here to hurt me,” Onko bowed his head reverently before the Chieftain.

“What makes you say this?” Ikoga narrowed his eyes at his son.

“I snuck into the prisoner’s quarters last night and questioned them myself. They say that they are Guardians sent by Saint Elijah himself!” Onko relayed, receiving many gasps of astonishment from the rest of the Nagaboro Clan.

“Saint Elijah?” Ikoga looked from Onko to Leon and then to Seth. “Nonsense. Why would Saint Elijah send these two after you?”

“Elijah sent me and Seth here to recruit Oinko to help us rebuild the Exalted Guardian Society,” Leon called out in his defense.

“Onko, you idiot!” Seth said through clenched teeth.

“My son has shown no signs of being able to cultivate his Spirit Essence. Why should I believe that Saint Elijah of all people would send for him to help rebuild the Exalted Guardian Society?” Ikoga questioned suspiciously.

“We’re still relatively new ourselves,” Seth admitted. “I don’t know what I could do to prove that is why we came. Honestly, I don’t even know how we’re supposed to get back once we’ve recruited all the people that we were sent here to recruit. This is the first real mission that Leon and I have been on since Elijah started training us.”

“I see… So, Saint Elijah has been training you himself?” Ikoga mused aloud.

“That’s right!” Leon answered.

“Fine. Then prove to us by showing everyone here what he has taught you,” Ikoga said and then nodded towards one of his men who stepped forward with a knife to cut the ropes which bound Seth’s hands together.

Before the Nagaboro clansman could get close enough to cut it, however, Seth channeled his Spirit Essence to his wrists and with one, swift motion, separated them, causing the ropes to snap and fall to the ground.

“No problem,” Seth smirked confidently as he took a step back and began to demonstrate the first form of the Protector’s Fist.

All of the villagers of the Nagaboro Clan gasped once more as they watched Seth perform the sacred martial arts form.

“What you say is true,” Ikoga said and dropped to one knee, bowing before the young Guardian. The rest of the village followed suit, bowing to Seth who finished the form and stood up straight before all of the people.

“Please, stand up,” Seth urged them, feeling his face become hot with embarrassment.

“Show off,” Leon muttered and rolled his eyes as he stood there, hands still bound.

“Release them!” Ikoga ordered as he and the rest of his tribe stood up. “You may take Onko with you, if that is what he wishes,” he said and looked to his son.

Onko looked from Seth to Ikoga and bowed his head again, “yes, father. I think I would like to join them.”

“Very well! Men, pack plenty of food and supplies for these three. We shall see them off at the edge of the village before noon,” Ikoga ordered as the villagers hastily began to prepare for Onko, Leon and Seth’s departure.

The elder with the knife stepped forward and cut Leon’s ropes as he rejoined Seth and the two were given their expanse bags back.

“Please, watch over my son. I know that when he becomes stronger, he will become a powerful asset to the Exalted Guardian Society,” Ikoga requested, looking from Seth to Leon.

“Of course. We will train him well,” Seth promised.

“Also, give my regards to Saint Elijah. I have not seen him since I was a little boy. He once saved me from a Kugomano just like I saved you. It’s funny how that happens,” Ikoga chuckled and bade the three boys farewell.