"Would you look at that, a draw." I provoked. "I thought bows were superior to guns post-impact. Did something change, or are you your clan's disappointment? You know what? Let's agree on a draw, and you just give me the dagger, then you will never see me again."
"Over my dead body, Henka! We will continue with the knock-out stage. First to miss loses. Or are you scared of losing? Your reload time is quite slow for a gunslinger." He angrily countered.
"First of all, I'm not a gunslinger. I am a swordsman who would've decapitated you for taking what is mine, but I couldn't, given the circumstances. And second of all, bring it on!"
The knock-out stage began. The crowd around us became even more quiet once the first targets started being thrown into the air again. Only this time, I didn't shoot my gun at all. Suzaku was right, my reload speed was quite slow. I simply threw the bullets at the targets with pinpoint precision. It became a matter of time until one of us missed and lost the wager.
'He surely won't hold up his end of the bargain. I must prepare for that.' I planned ahead.
*TING*TING*TING*TING*
The metal targets were hit with with a clinging sound. With each passing round, the time in which Suzaku was able to draw his arrow become narrower. The servants were good. Their timing was impressive. I could feel the targets throwing time exponentially shorten.
After 30 or so targets, exhaustion set in. Not even my inner clock was able to decipher the time between each round. Throw after throw, target after target. It didn't really mean anything to Suzaku if he lost, but he still wanted to beat me with his sheer determination. 'He wants to prove himself in a family where even outsider can outdo him.' I realized.
"You... *TING* know, Suzaku. *TING* I think... *TING* you want to... *TING* make a name... *TING* for... *TING* your- *TING* self. By... *TING* beating... *TING* a... *TING* Henka." I started my psychological assault. Something in me wanted to beat him 'fairly' now. I enjoyed our little wager. But I still needed the dagger.
"You!"
*TING*
He couldn't even respond. His sole attention was on the targets.
"HAHAHAH! *TING* You... *TING* will... *TING* lose... *TING* boy!"
*TING*Whoosh*
My bullet hit its target, but his arrow missed its target by a hair's width. It was over, I had won the wager.
The non-Takeda cheered, while other Takeda shook their heads in disappointment. And lucky for me, no one noticed the Mana on the targets.
"Hooo! Great workout, I must admit. I think I will come here again when I feel like my aim needs a little improvement." I joked.
"Fuck you!" Suzaku cursed.
"Well, any moment now. The dagger and I leave." I said.
"You wont go anywhere!" Suzaku threatened.
"I knew you would say that. So I grabbed the dagger just in case."
Suzaku turned to the other Takeda who had his pouch with the dagger in it. And while he looked at the pouch, I threw a bullet in the air, placed a gravitation point on it, and had the pouch gravitate into the air. The crowd was shook, they didn't expect the pouch to fly away.
Suzaku turned his head around to look at me, but I had jumped into the air with the help of Supreme-Control and caught the bag mid-air. Because I had reduced the earth's gravity on myself, the time it took for me to land was reduced to such an amount, I was able to create another gravitation point above the estate that I used to let myself gravitate towards it.
I softly landed on their estate's roof and turned to the crowd on the training grounds.
"No matter how much you outnumber us, the Henka Clan is more poised and more capable than you ever will be!" I yelled.
I proceeded to run to Gin, who I had marked with my Mana so I would know where he was when I used Galaxy-Sight. I opened the pouch and took out the dagger.
"I got it, Gin. Let's go back home."
***
"If there is a day where I need you to go past your limits, it's today. Girl, if you manage to get back to the estate today, I will give you all the sugar and grass you want." I said to Gin.
'I'm talking to my horse now, I might've just become as senile as my father's father.' I disappointingly realized.
Of course, I made it easier for Gin by reducing the earth's gravity on both of us, but after my little competition with Suzaku and the escape, my Mana reserves were bound to be depleted in an hour.
An hour of travel with reduced gravity was like two and a half hours. Better than nothing. I needed a head start.
It felt just like when I was back at the Arabic Empire, the feeling of being chased, the paranoia induced mind wasn't as capable as the calm one. A paranoid person was bound to miss a few things, but in my case, I wasn't just a person. I was me, the most capable. I knew myself best.
'Tsuki wasn't involved with any of this. Hopefully, she can stand her ground against the arrogant Takeda. That really isn't an issue though. The real issue is, I'm like a magnet for problems. I didn't have one day of real peace. I need that. I think I will just focus on my recovery when I get back. But the real question is, why am I the way I am?
***
I still hadn't realized the depth Salan abilities had. How much they influenced, how much they affected the Bearer that wielded such powers. But understanding and finding out was on the path of Mana. If one desired more strength, they would inevitably end up on the path of discovery and understand.
***
Gin's legs trembled, her breaths heavy. She had truly gone all-out. In the middle of the night, when most of my family members slept, I returned Gin to the stables silently.
But Master Henka appeared from out of nowhere with his Katana drawn and ready to cut down whoever was sneaking around his property.
"Master Henka, it's me, Niam. I returned from the Takeda estate." I revealed before he might've tried to attack me.
"Oh, it's you." He put the Katana in its sheath. "Why have you come so late?"
"Master Henka, why did you take my dagger and my revolver away from me? I hope you don't want to teach me a lesson on attachments, because they don't exist in our family's teachings."
Because it was so dark, I couldn't make out his expression. I waited for an answer to my question, but was met with an order.
"Come to my room tomorrow before breakfast." He said and walked away.
After giving Gin everything she needed, I didn't leave her side until she fell asleep. She drank and ate until I felt her stomach grow in size.
'I was right, it was Master Henka who orchestrated everything from the beginning. I just need to know why. Then, I can finally recover and start my training with Aunt Daitan.'