Achilles: It has been a long time.

Adéwalé: Achilles.

Achilles: Adéwalé! How go things in the West Indies?

Adéwalé: Very poorly, I'm afraid.

Achilles: **Your countenance tells me we should discuss this**. Come.

Shay: Who's our visitor?

Liam: That's Adéwalé. He was a slave who freed himself and hundreds of his brothers in the West Indies. That man's a living incarnation of the Creed.

Shay: I see...

Liam: You join me for some practice.

Shay: Soon. I've got other business first.

Achilles: Tell me what happened, old friend.

Adéwalé: It was terrible, Achilles. The ground shook, and the ocean waves crashed over Port-au-Prince...

Achilles: How many were lost?

Adéwalé: Thousands. **No family was left untouched.**

Achilles: I hate to bring up practical matters at a time like this, but did Mackandal's man complete his task be fore the earthquake hit?

Adéwalé: I cannot know. Vendredi has not been found. He was a strong Maroon, one of Mackandal's best students.

Achilles: Such a shame. So we cannot know if he found the site.

Adéwalé: Indeed. But if there was a temple under the waves, I doubt it is still standing.

Achilles: And the artifacts that showed the way?

Adéwalé: Stolen. The Templars broke in during the chaos. They seized the Manuscript and Precursor box. I gave chase on the sea, but lost their trail when they reached New York.

Achilles: We must consider what to do next.

countenance [ka?nt?n?ns]

---

Hope: You are late.

Shay: Hope! What did I miss?

Kesegowaase: Only the first hour of training.

Shay: We're always training, Kesegowaase!

Kesegowaase: And will continue to do so.

Hope: Do not waste your words. **Shay abhors improvement as much as cats abhor leashes.**

Shay: Hey!

Hope: A pity, the boy has so much potential... But so little discipline.

abhor [?bh?r]

---

Shay: So, what's the challenge today?

Liam: Shooting straight and true. Here, you can use these.

Shay: These are yours...

Liam: Well, I want you to have half a chance of succeeding. Go on.

Shoot these targets. You can take your time... But not too much, we have more work after this.

---

Hope: It's about time you showed up.

Shay: **Far be it from me to keep a lady waiting.**

Hope: I'm no lady here, don't you forget it! I'm your teacher... and your better.

Shay: Well some of that is true, at least. What will we be doing?

Hope: Exploring? **myriad** ways to end a life. You two! Make yourselves useful and watch Shay.

Far be it from me to = I resent to...

myriad[m?ri?d]= innumerable, countless

---

Achilles: Shay! I hear you've become **quite the mar sman.**

Shay: A generous gift. Thank you, mentor.

Adéwalé: **My ship awaits**, Achilles. The people of Haiti will make good use of your supplies. I trust you will retrieve what has been lost.

Shay: Lost?

Achilles: The Templars stole two precious artifacts. A manuscript of ancient wisdom, and a box that allows one to understand its language.

Adéwalé: I have tracked the Templars as far as this coast, but I fear the rest is up to you, my friend...

Achilles: Farewell, Adéwalé.

Achilles: Whoever controls the artifacts can access Precursor sites of power. We must recover them or none are safe.