Chapter 3 - Tanimọla

The Balogun of Ilu-ina waited patiently for the Baṣọrun's return. Usually, when they came for a meeting like this one, he was always by her side, but today is different; now she stands alone, and she's aware of the eyes that some of the chiefs are giving her. It is not news that most of these leaders are used to claiming women as wives forcefully, and she, being the youngest female Balogun, happens to be a primary target. The only reason they had been kept at bay was the presence of the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province. She never had the chance to prove her worth before all these distinguished leaders; she had never proved why she was worthy of the rank of Balogun. Now, it seems like she has a chance, but at what cost? She could tell that the weaker ones were patiently waiting for the more fearsome ones to advance; she felt like a wild Antelope surrounded by a band of merchants making bids for the largest parts of her meat.

She unconsciously removed the limiters of her power level just in case she's hit by a sudden attack, the sudden burst of power will be necessary to break any binding chant. She used every effort to rummage through her mind in search of a chant effective enough to protect herself while preserving the life of the one stupid enough to attack her; it is necessary to defend her rank and, at the same time, keep the peace, not an easy goal to achieve.

"Th-There is no need for you t-to be so jumpy" the voice sounded from behind

Every single sense in the Balogun's body screamed at the sudden intrusion, the man simply appeared within her blind spot without any warning. It took every inch of willpower she possessed to react indifferently to the sudden intrusion; the reaction among the other chiefs was instantaneous. They were all impressed by her reaction; if only they could see her heart rate their reaction would have been a little different.

"And you are?" She inquired fazed by his sudden appearance,

"S-So you d-don't know me," he said walking around in order to talk to her face to face "Y-you should B-be stupid F-for not k-knowing m-me"

Those words offended her but she held her peace, her goal here was to gain the respect of all the elders without causing anyone's death, "If you're not a god then you're of no interest to me" and then she started putting some distance between herself and the stranger

"I-I am B-Balogun Adegbenro," he said with pride "Of I-Ibadan"

The Balogun signed in frustration, 'It had to be him' Anyone else but him, the prime candidate for the post of Ara ona Kankan fo, one of the most powerful men in the whole of the Yoruba empire. No wonder he spoke down to her concerning his identity; to be at odds with him would be the highest level of bad luck she could have ever encountered.

"S-so" he continued arrogantly, "Y-you have no choice, M-mo ka sẹ le ọ," he said meaning that he has claimed her as his wife

"Emi o gba (I will never accept)" she pronounced defiantly

"Haaaaaaaaaaa," Balogun Adegbenro roared in rage, "Oooo to bẹ!"

"Irọ ni (it is a lie)" she said knowing that now it can't be helped there is definitely going to be a fight, for her, it's to defend her womanhood and gain the respect of all the chiefs present and for him to save face in the sight of all the other chiefs.

"S-so you want to c-challenge me," the Balogun of Ibadan said with sad mockery in his tone "Y-You do know that the B-baṣọrun of the Adegunju p-province is not here to p-protect you"

"So that means you're afraid of him," She said and then regretted her words. Oluseyi was definitely rubbing off on her. She cursed beneath her breath; from the look on the face of Adegbenro, he didn't like what she had said at all.

"Ooo lekọ (you are not properly trained)" he roared "Ma bẹ gi fun ẹ (I will strike you down)"

The Balogun could do nothing but brace herself for the upcoming attack; she smiled in mockery; 14 seasons ago, the case would have been different. Then, she was inexperienced and quick to make careless judgements. Now, she's different. She now had the instincts, patience and more than 10 seasons of combat experience. He might be stronger than she is, but she has the advantage to calmly bend the nature of the battlefield. In addition, she knew that her opponent does not have the intent to harm her; his intentions are just to either immobilize or to render her unconscious; she is, after all, his latest catch. She started whispering her chant beneath her breath in preparation for the impending battle, one of the more capable Baloguns present chuckled in mockery and that alerted her to a tremendous error. She failed to explore his background, every tribe possesses a specific area of strength and different levels of weaknesses. Then it hit her, this is Balogun Adegbenro from the Ojualẹ (Night eye) tribe.

Balogun Adegbenro is the 7th generation bearer of the ancient chant, a chant that enhances the visual powers of its wielder. Members of the Ojualẹ tribe are blessed with the ability to paralyse their opponents by simply looking at them; the Balogun of Ilu-ina cursed her imperceptiveness. She had walked into the trap without even noticing it. In the process of chanting a form of fortification all over her body, she had unconsciously let down her mental guard, and this effectively allowed Adegbenro to Paralyse her with ease; she cursed her inexperience; Balogun Alawo, her predecessor, would have been disappointed.

"N-now you K-know your P-place", the Balogun of Ibadan gloated, "F-foolish W-woman" Then he stepped forth and started to caress her face and even reached out to fondle her breasts shamelessly.

One of the more noble Baloguns present stepped forth to defend her in the face of her defeat, from the way he was dressed he must be another one of the candidates aspiring for the post of Kankan fo and he carried himself with pride and dignity, "Balogun of Ibadan we are here at the Kabiasi's command conflict among us is strictly forbidden so …" he could not continue because the Balogun of Ilu-ina snapped at him

"Shut up!" she roared in rage as she struggled against the restraining chant, "Watch me humble this bastard," she growled in a more controlled voice, showing signs that she meant no disrespect. If she fails to prove herself in front of all the other leaders, they will never see her as an equal. She must prove herself here, and now, So she closed her eyes and concentrated on the best method of overcoming this predicament. The only thing that came to mind was to unleash her full power and combine it with the fire chant; that way, she could forcefully break out of the seal. She closed her eyes and concentrated. He might have paralysed her body, but he would never be able to paralyse her mind, and this is what she utilized to Break Free. Her formal master, Balogun Alawo, once taught her that the spiritual power of every Ẹṣọ has a core, and to harness the power of the core, one must first learn to control the Agbara circulation within the body, difficult for a beginner but for someone at her level it's child's-play. She followed the instructions given to her by her predecessor, calming her mind and controlling her breath as she began to chant into her mind.

"Deep within me is the power of control

Control from within is the bounding of the beast

A wild and untamed beast

A beast like no other

What happens when the power of control is unleashed?

Then the beast runs wild

And the circulation goes on the rampage

The warrior explodes!" she whispered, then she shouted, "Oro oo!!"

The Explosion was so sudden that everyone present got caught by surprise. A sudden stream of black fire issued forth from the Balogun of Ilu-ina. Her aura burned so intensely that every warrior within the vicinity became uncomfortable, others got into a position to protect their royal charges. As for the Balogun of Ibadan the one closest to her, the pressure from the explosion sent him flying. It took him a few seconds to recover from the sudden shock once he had landed 10 feet away, and as his vision cleared, he saw Lara standing above him, clearly the victor; what was most disturbing was the look in her eyes. She had that melancholy essence about her as if filled with deep regret. A different warrior would have conceded to defeat and acknowledged her as an equal, but not Agba Adegbenro; like any other self-absorbed brute, he took offence and roared in defiance, angered by the fact that he was humbled by a woman. He dropped his Agbada revealing his fortified war vest garnished with shells and beads in preparation for battle.

"He is out for blood" one of the Baloguns observed

"We should stop him, she's in danger." another observed.

"No," the third said, "If she can break the hold of the Ojualẹ chant, she is capable of taking care of herself"

"M-ma Pa ẹ (I'll kill you)", Adegbenro roared, "M-ma pa ẹ" he had progressed from an arrogant bully to a murderous madman. The Balogun of Ilu-ina village simply stood silently with a hint of sadness in her eyes

"I'm sorry," she said in genuine repentance.

"I-I will n-never forgive y-you" he shouted, "I'm going to beat you like a dog, I'm going to make you regret attacking me. F-foolish woman."

"Something's wrong," the Balogun who had wanted to help Lara said in deep suspicion,

"My power knows no equal

No one dares to confront me

I am the warrior that knows no rival

And the gaze of my eyes paralyses every enemy

Prepare to fall

I am ..."

Agba Adegbenro was chanting into one of his most powerful attacks to inflict as much pain on this foolish female as he could, but then he felt a sudden jolt of pain run through his spine. It was foreign Agbara, a poison of some sort, how the poison got introduced into his body, he cannot tell, but from the pain and the way his entire being reacted, it is wise to guess that the damage being dealt by the poison was fatal. What did this witch do to me? He wondered. To his shock, he felt the power within his body draining; the poison was leaching away at his strength, and for some reason, he lacked the skills necessary to counteract it.

"W-what did you d-do to me" He roared in genuine fear "I am t-the great e-elephant of Ibadan so why am I d-dying"

"I'm sorry," She said sadly,

"What did you do to him?" one of the Baloguns asked

"It's a curse I placed on myself when I was about 16 seasons," she said sadly, "I had no intention of killing you I only intended to defend myself"

"I command you to heal me now woman!" Adegbenro roared.

"There is no remedy for that curse," she said calmly, "I used the curse of the Thunderbolt (Magun) to create that curse with the sole purpose of preventing any man from raping me"

"That was a long time ago," one of the Baloguns observed "Think of the kind of chants she's capable of now," and all the other Baloguns reluctantly had to agree if her black fire display didn't convince them of her capabilities then the curse has definitely proven her worth. The Balogun of Ibadan started to melt away to the shock of all the warriors present; this woman was a lot nastier than she looked. She might even give the witches a run for their money.

"I-I don't want to d-die," Agba Adegbenro cried, "Emi o fẹ ku, Ṣa a nu me (Have mercy on me)," those were his last words before he fell to the ground and turned to dust. The 7th generation of an ancient warrior tribe destined to become the greatest Warrior in the empire was defeated by a woman. Seven generations of hard work and controlled breeding resulted in nothing. The Olori ebi (Tribal head) of the Ojualẹ tribe will not be pleased by this news; the death of the tribe's flag bearer is a big blow, more so when he finds out that Adegbenro died at the hands of a woman.

"I'm sorry, but there is no cure", Ogunlara said, and this time, she had shredded every form of sadness and weakness from her personality; in the eyes of all the warriors present, they saw a formidable warrior, one that should never be crossed. They can now tell that the reason why the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province stood so close to her was because he was protecting the others from her wrath and not the other way around.

"She killed a Kankan fo Candidate without any effort" another observed

"I will never underestimate a female warrior again," another said in admiration

Ogunlara stood in the spotlight looking like the toughest warrior in the empire, and with the defeat of the Balogun of Ibadan, she had unconsciously declared her candidacy for the post of Kankan fo. She turned towards the other warriors, mustering all the confidence at her command, sending out an unspoken challenge to any who still thinks her unworthy of the post of Balogun.

A man holding a large calabash filled with palm whine stumbled towards Ogunlara, singing like a journeying musician; he had a mischievous grin on his face and from all indications, he was about to make the same mistake that Agba Adegbenro just made. "Ogunlara," he said "how long has it been since we last met, I intend to settle the score"

Ogunlara made a sharp turn in preparation to face the new foe, but as their eyes made contact, her face brightened with recognition.

"Tanimọla!" she cried joyfully "it is a lie!!"

"Ogunlara my sweet Paepae!!" Tanimọla responded,

"You just abandon us at the village" she continued as she threw her arms around the man he in turn picked her up by the waist and spun her around three times before placing her back down on her feet

"Don't mind me" he replied casually, "I'm like a wild monkey, never knowing when to rest its head"

They both laughed joyfully and started chatting away like old friends in front of all the leaders present, Ogunlara didn't even realise that her public personality profile had done a complete downward plunge at first she was a merciless leader and then the next thing she was acting like a 17season old girl on the hunt for her next husband. It took all the Baloguns by surprise. She is indeed a simple-minded woman ready to act the part even if it is the part of a formidable warrior or the part of an eligible damsel. She is a woman of many faces and unpredictable by nature; no wonder Balogun Alawo chose her to be his successor.

"Don't you know who that man is?" one of the leaders whispered, indicating Tanimọla who was chatting with Ogunlara carelessly.

"Who is he?" another inquired

"That is Tanimọla the second most fearsome man in the whole of the Yoruba empire," the first said in reply.

"If that is the rumoured Tanimọla, and Ogunlara is the mysterious second Iwofia of Balogun Alawo this means that Tanimọla is the first"

Tanimọla was a warrior with a special kind of power, a kind of power that gave him immunity against various levels of chants and long-range attacks. He left Ilu-ina at an early age long before Alawo's death, he left with the excuse of finding his warrior spirit. And since then, his journey had been a continuous battle with a great deal of self-discovery. In the process, he discovered a devastating ability, an ability that made him the second most feared man in the whole Empire.

"So where's your Olufẹ? (Boyfriend)" he teased,

"The Baṣọrun is not my Olufẹ" she defended

"Yet" Tanimọla concluded on her behalf

"Why are you here?" she grouched, reminiscing her last moments with him as an annoying brother who enjoys making his sister's life miserable.

"I was invited" he defended, "The Ooni of Ifẹ thought some of his enemies would launch a surprise attack on the road here so he decided to hire someone strong for protection"

"Have you found what you were looking for?" she asked soberly after a short pause,

"Not yet," he replied, "But I have not given up" he continued with a half-smile. "How's the village?"

"Missing you" she said, "Tanimọla remember you are still one of the strongest pillars the village can boast of"

Tanimọla placed a strong comradely hand on her shoulder in understanding communicating his emotions to the only other person who understands how he feels, "I might be the legacy of Ilu-ina but I have no legacy to pass on so I must move on until I find one"

"Just tell me that this is not the last time I will see you" she pressed

"Ahhh! Don't worry, I will definitely come for your wedding. I can't wait to find out the identity of the man that manages to tame you" he said with a great deal of humour.

The Ogunlara scowled at him threateningly and advanced with her fist clenched Tanimọla responded by taking two steps back and his hands out protectively. "You've just had a fat warrior of a man for breakfast, are you planning on eating me as well? I am not ready to die yet" Ogunlara couldn't help but laugh at the humour in his remark and she let a chuckle escape her lips.

It is at this moment that a member of the Adegunju tribe arrived as usual, covered from crown to sole in the glossy shadow substance; the aura of the Adegunju radiated with the charisma of a natural-born leader. "The Baṣọrun of the Adegunju tribe will not be able to escort you to the village he apologises for being late"

"Seems like the meeting with the Alaafin is lasting longer than I had expected" she observed,

"I will be the one to escort you to the village," the Adegunju said with a bow, "I promise to guard you with my life, it is the one duty that my king has given me"

"Are you sure the Baṣọrun is not your Olufẹ?" Tanimọla teased again and he was rewarded with a solid blow that nearly knocked him out.

"Ogunlara, you are a terrifying woman" he spouted, "I will never underestimate you again"

"Idiot," she remarked

"Do you wish to leave now ma?" the Adegunju inquired,

"Yes," she replied, and then faced Tanimọla; he smiled as a way of saying goodbye, and then he turned to walk away.

"I'll see you soon, just make sure you invite me to your wedding", Tanimọla said as parting words, then ran away before Ogunlara decided to hit him again.

"Let's go," she said to the Adegunju

"As you wish," the Adegunju said as he accompanied her towards the entrance of the village. She had a slight thought, Oluseyi and Tanimola had several similarities in terms of personality. She decided to dwell on this as they journeyed to the nearest hamlet. They were both free-spirited and had a smile on their faces, and for some reason, they both suffered rejection from the rest of the village. Then, an idea formed in her mind; she was about to voice this idea but then decided against it; better to leave this to someone with more experience.