"Kola, am I a reasonable man?" Faye asked. "Yes, oga," Kola said. "Why are you shaking na? You will make people think I'm unreasonable, o," Faye said with a strong tone, gesticulating with his hands and eyes. "No, No, I'm not shaking," Kola said, trying to keep his composure. "Do I not look reasonable?" Faye turned to his gang. "Over reasonable is worrying you," Sapara shouted. "Too much," the rest chorused. "Now Kola, you came to us with your problems and as businessmen, we listened. We gave your farm a platform to grow and all we asked was for a token. Small thing o, we are not greedy. If you ask me for palm wine now, I will give you because I'm not greedy", Faye said. "Oga, not the palm wine", Sapara said softly. "Ooooh, you talk too much. Farabale je kin soro (Calm down, let me talk)", Faye shouted turning to Sapara with disgust on his face. "Tuale", Sapara said hailing him.
"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. Kola don't be like that man. Don't interrupt me", Faye said. "Yes Oga mi", Kola responded. Biola remained seated on the wagon laughing. "We gave your farm a platform to grow and now you don't want to keep your end of the bargain. Do you know what I hate most?", Faye asked. "Answer me, na."Ooh, I don't like it when I'm talking and there's no response," Faye said angrily. "Sorry, oga. What do you hate?" Kola quickly asked. "I will light you o", Faye yelled. "Sorry, oga," Kola said with sweat dripping from his forehead. Dami watched the situation calmly. "Calm down, oga, forgive him," his men chorused. "Okay. I'm calm because I'm a reasonable man," Faye said, taking a deep breath and appearing to calm down.
"I hate cheaters, and do you know what I do to cheaters?" Faye asked again. "Please, I beg you, give me more time. I will come up with your goods," Kola begged with his palms tightened. "Oh, Olodumare, you're ignoring my question again," Faye said. "What, oga?" Kola asked with tears almost rolling down his eyes. "I burn them," Faye said, opening his eyes in a dramatic fashion. "Jekanmo (let them know)," Skibo, one of his men, yelled.
Kola's crowd of workers began to panic. "What is the problem?" Dami asked, now standing beside Kola. "Who is this one?" Sapara said in a rude manner. "Who called you into this matter?" Skibo added. "Okay, you're best at talking, abi? It will shock you now," Sapara teased. "Ah, ahan, he even carried a sword. Oh, so you have a bodyguard now. You have hired a bodyguard against us. You want to see the unreasonable me, and you will see it," Faye said angrily. "No, remain calm, please. He is only my guest. He is an injured traveler," Kola said.
"Oya, bring that sword," Sapara said as he walked toward Dami and stretched out his hand to collect his sword. Dami batted his hand away and thrust his palm into his chest to push him back. Sapara was thrown a few yards back. Skibo, Sepeteri, and Omoologo took battle stances immediately, ready to charge at Dami. The workers ran for their lives. "Stop. Leave him for me," Sapara said after lifting himself to his feet. "Ahh, what have you done?" Kola said to Dami. "Stand back. Go to your family. Let me handle this," Dami said to him. Kola remained hesitant. "Go!" Dami said authoritatively. Kola was about to leave when Faye's voice reverberated in his ear. "If you leave that place, Kola, you and your family will cease to exist," Faye said. "Carry him inside," Dami said to the woman sobbing on the floor near the injured man.
"Okay, you want to show yourself, abi?" Sapara said, gesticulating in a taunting manner. He sank his spear into the ground and tapped his head with both palms dramatically to show his madness before grabbing his spear tightly. He dashed his spear forward on the run, aiming to pierce Dami's belly, but he stepped aside to evade his attack while slapping the back of his head with his sheathed sword as he ran through. Sapara was dazed by the blow, but he shook it off. He turned around and swung his spear at Dami's head, but he leaned back to evade his attack easily. Sapara added to the momentum of his swing to raise his spear up and swing it vertically from above at the middle of Dami's head. Dami parried his attack and struck his right rib cage in one swing. He followed his attack with a second swing at his left rib cage at lightning speed. Sapara fell to his knees in pain. He dropped his spear and placed his hands on his ribs. "Ahhhh," he exclaimed in pain. The rest of his gang was shocked. "This one has skills o," Skibo said. "Abi Sapara is useless," he added.
Sapara grabbed his spear and dashed backward. His pain was evident. "I'm just starting, o," he boasted. He noticed it was dangerous to move close to Dami. His ability to parry and strike in one move and with excellent precision was extraordinary. If he unsheathed his sword, he would be dead right now. "I have no intention of spilling blood. Leave now and let this farm be," Dami said. "This warrior has a mind. Sapara, see the rubbish you are causing?" Faye yelled. "Don't worry, Oga. I'm just warming up," Sapara said boastfully.
Sapara put his left leg forward and stamped firmly on the ground. He positioned his spear at the height of his abdomen and pulled his hands back to generate power for his next attack. Dami stood watching him curiously, anticipating what he was going to do from that distance. It was definitely not a throwing position unless he was trying to use a different technique. Sapara thrust his spear forward at a distance that made it impossible to reach Dami. Suddenly, the spear elongated and shot forward at the speed of a Babalawo's ofa (arrow). Dami was caught by surprise. He twisted his body sideways to dodge the spear. It grazed his belly, tearing off part of his bandage. The spear retracted immediately. It occurred to Dami that they were not ordinary hoodlums. They were armed with ase-infused weapons. Someone powerful was backing them up. He had a serious look on his face. "It shocked you, abi?" Sapara said excitedly.
Faye smiled. He and his gang had stepped aside with their horse and wagon to watch the fight. Dami stood beside the gate, determined to prevent anyone from gaining access, while Sapara was a couple of yards away on the path between the maize field. Kola sat on the floor next to the gate, looking as anxious as he could be.
Dami held his sword handle with one hand and his sheath with the other. He thought of using its blade, then calmed himself. He didn't need to spill blood. The likes of them should be a walk in the park for him. If he couldn't pass this hurdle without breaking a sweat, he would be below the level he expected of himself. He relaxed his arms. Sapara thrust his spear forward again, this time aiming for Dami's head. Dami was sharper this time around, knowing what to expect. The spear elongated. Dami swerved his head to dodge the attack. Sapara flapped the spear, and like a whip, it turned in the air to wrap itself around Dami's neck.
Dami was prepared. He ducked under the attack. Sapara flapped again, and his spear came down on Dami, who rolled out of the way. The spear made a whipping sound as it made impact with the ground, wiping out a chunk of the floor. Dami needed to close the gap between him and his attacker to end the battle. He launched himself forward as he stood, closing a large portion of their distance in one leap. His physical prowess scared Sapara, who kept flapping over and over. Dami jumped over the spear, rolling, swerving, leaning back and forward. All the time he dodged, he kept closing the gap until he was within striking distance. Sapara called back his spear and thrust it at Dami with its normal length. Dami ducked under the attack and drove the top of his sword's handle into Sapara's chin, knocking out a few of his teeth fell out. Dami followed his attack with a side swing of his sheathed sword into Sapara's throat, using unbelievable speed and agility. Sapara coughed out blood. Dami walked away from him as he fell face flat on the floor.
"Behind you," Kola said. Dami was shocked. Skibo launched his two daggers at Dami's chin, missing by a strand of hair. Dami managed to lean back just in time to evade the attack. He hadn't heard Skibo move or make a sound. It would take a supernatural ability to be able to creep up on him unnoticed. Then he realized that he couldn't even hear his heartbeat. He looked at his hand and saw Oruka Ifihan (a ring of revelation). It all made sense. Skibo must be silent as a thief at night. The ring revealed his true ability and amplified it. "Kill him," Faye said with a straight face. The rest joined the battle, except for Biola, Olori Ina (Queen of Fire), who remained seated on the wagon, enjoying the battle. Dami had piqued her interest, and it made her smile slightly.
Sepeteri dashed toward Dami with his machete in hand. Dami kept evading Skibo's dagger attacks with smooth footwork and sidesteps. Skibo lunged his dagger from below, aiming to stab Dami's chin, but Dami evaded by stepping to the side. He used his other hand to drive his dagger toward Dami's ribs as he stepped to the side, but Dami spun his sword to parry his second attack and smash the tip of his sword into Skibo's chin simultaneously. The attack lifted Skibo from the ground, blood spilling from his mouth. Skibo fell backward to the ground theatrically. Sepeteri had just arrived within slashing distance of Dami. His machete became engulfed in flames. He swung it to decapitate Dami, but Dami leaned to evade his attack. Another ase-infused weapon, he thought. While leaning and stepping away, his shoulder touched the waves left by the swing of Sepeteri's machete, burning it. Swinging the machete left an invisible scorching wave from the point it was swung from to where it stopped. It was a fascinating weapon, Dami thought. Then he realized he had lost track of Skibo, whose presence he could neither feel nor hear. He turned sharply, and Skibo drove a dagger into his belly.
Dami's sheathed sword was between the dagger and his belly. It was a narrow escape. He was able to block the attack just in time. Skibo and Sepeteri jumped out of the way. Omoologo threw his hands forward rapidly and continuously from a distance. Glass beads shot out from the glass beads around his wrists. Dami used his sheathed sword to parry the beads with fast sideways slashes. The beads shattered as his sword hit them, and shrapnel scattered everywhere. Some pierced Dami's body. Omoologo's glass beads were also ase-infused. Dami rolled out of the way to prevent a fatal injury. He used neat dashes to evade the glass projectiles as he sprang up. "Die! Who are you?", Omoologo yelled.
Dami rolled on the floor to pick up a small stone while evading Omoologo's beads. Kola struggled to conceal his body behind his gate. A few broken beads pierced his leg. Dami threw the stone he picked up in the air and, with a powerful swing of his sword, shot it straight into Omoologo's forehead. Omoologo flew off his feet in shock and fell unconscious. "Oloshi! (Stupid person)," Skibo yelled at Dami in reaction to his gang member's fall. He lost his composure and charged recklessly. He grabbed both handles of his daggers in a way that their blades protruded under his grip. With confidence in his speed, he breezed right in front of Dami, stabbing his blades toward his neck from both sides with all his strength. Dami swung his sword underneath his attack and batted his daggers away while smoothly turning into him and headbutting him with the back of his head. He released his sword and grabbed Skibo's arms, which were now protruding above Dami's shoulders. He performed a fast and powerful shoulder throw that sent Skibo's back hard into the ground. "Yeeeh!", Skibo yelled in pain. Dami grabbed his sword before it hit the ground and drove its hilt into the side of Skibo's neck to knock him unconscious.
Sepeteri was paralyzed by fear. Faye slapped the back of his head. "Yeh," he said in pain. "Go and finish him," Faye said angrily. Sepeteri bounced around as if he were trying to summon courage. He let out a battle cry and charged at the calm and composed Dami with his machete raised above his head. He swung his machete vertically from above, but Dami evaded it with a nonchalant sidestep. He was wary of the invisible scorching wave formed by the sword. Sepeteri began to swing his sword uncontrollably at all angles. Dami maintained his composure while stepping aside to evade his swings. Sepeteri thrust his sword forward, aiming to impale Dami, who swerved his body to the side. He drove the tip of his sword handle into Sepeteri's protruding hand from below. Sepeteri's machete flew into the air. Dami smashed him across the cheeks with his sheathed sword before catching his flying machete. As Dami grabbed his machete, the scorching waves became visible. They were like spiderwebs. Dami kicked Sepeteri's chest to plunge him into the waves. He screamed in agony while rolling on the floor; his body was covered in scorching marks. "Interesting," Dami said. He figured the waves were not only visible to the wielder of the machete but were harmless as well.
Dami stuck the machete into the ground and turned to Faye. "It seems your men have had enough," he said. Faye's face was swollen with anger. "Do you think of yourself as some kind of special warrior for beating this fools?", Faye said, frowning as much as he could. "If the shoe fits," Dami responded. "Arrrrgh," Faye yelled to let out some steam.
Faye drank palm wine from his gourd ferociously and spat fire from his mouth. The fire intensely and continuously projected from his mouth with high pressure. Dami jumped out of the way. Kola's gate went ablaze, with Kola barely escaping the flames. Faye directed the fire toward Dami at a rapid pace. Dami rolled on the ground and lifted himself smoothly, dashing forward as his feet touched the ground. The flame caught Kola's crops. He had to end the battle quickly, or the destruction would be great, Dami thought.
The fire stopped abruptly, as if Faye was out of fuel. He quickly raised his gourd to pour more palm wine into his mouth. Dami saw it as an opportunity to attack. He closed the gap between them with one forward lunge. As he sought to strike with his sword, Faye cut his drinking short and spat fire at close range. This time, he narrowed his lips to make the fire more concentrated. It shot out like a laser. Dami ducked before he was incinerated. Faye swung his head around to create a slashing effect. The fire laser cleanly sliced a large portion of Kola's maize in half, and they were engulfed by blue flames. Dami thrust the handle of his sword into Faye's chin to force his mouth shut. He seamlessly turned to strike his cheek hard with the back of his other arm. Faye was on his way to the ground, but he planted his foot firmly to keep his balance. He was a bulky man and wasn't going down easily.
Faye swung his large fist with great strength at Dami's head, but he ducked again, sliding his foot into Faye's ankle as he dodged, sending him falling to the ground. He used the momentum of his fall to throw Faye over his shoulder. His large frame crashed into the ground. Faye gasped for air in pain. Dami followed with a powerful swing of his sword into Faye's face. Blood splashed on the floor. Faye was unconscious for a few seconds. Dami turned his attention to Biola, who sat on the wagon at a safe distance. She smiled in admiration. Faye forced himself up with shaky legs. Dami turned his face toward him nonchalantly. "Have you not had enough?" he said to the big man, but he noticed the determination in his eyes. That's why he was different from the rest and the leader of the pack.
"That's enough," Biola said. The rest of the gang struggled to lift themselves from the ground. Biola elegantly jumped down from the wagon. "I have not failed yet," Faye said submissively. Dami wondered if he was actually the boss of the pack. He turned his attention toward Biola, who walked toward him with enough sex appeal to bend his iron will. He maintained his composure. She was indeed beautiful and shaped like a Yoruba goddess. The proportions of her bosom complemented the proportions of her curvy hips. She looked mesmerizing in her red komole, which clung smartly to her body. With all that thickness, she still remained slim. "Can't you tell you can't beat him?" she said. She stopped so close to Dami that he could feel her breath. He remained alert, ready to strike if need be, but he sensed no hostility from her. "Look, he is yet to unsheathe his sword," she said to Faye. "You're child's play to him. Don't you know who he is?" she turned to Faye, who looked dumbfounded. "Balogun Otubu," she said, turning her gaze back at the serious-looking Dami.
"What are you doing on such a farm in the middle of nowhere?" she asked Dami. "Where I am is none of your concern," Dami responded. Biola smiled. "You shouldn't be in such company," Dami added. She turned and walked away from him. "My company is none of your concern," she said. "Let's go, boys. We're done here," she said before she mounted the wagon. The men followed her gingerly. "Today's your lucky day," Sapara said to Dami while massaging his throat in a futile attempt to reduce the pain from the damage he suffered from Dami's attack. They mounted the wagon with Biola and rode away. Biola's eyes remained locked with Dami's until they rode out of sight.
The men and women of Kola's compound trooped out with buckets of water to quench the fire. The children ran towards Dami, hailing him. "Get back inside!" Kola yelled at them, and they complied without hesitation and with a hint of fear.
Kola turned to Dami. "What have you done?" he said in a troubled tone. "You seemed to be in trouble, so I stepped in," Dami responded. "I had it under control. I could have handled it diplomatically, and now there is no hope of that," Kola said in an agitated tone. "It didn't look that way. They were poised to harm you and your people. There was a man in a pool of his own blood. Don't think reasoning would have worked," Dami explained. "I welcomed you into my home, and you condemned us all to death," Kola said. "What do you mean? No one should take advantage of honest working men in these lands. The Awujale will be made aware of this," Dami said in a strong tone of justice. Kola laughed softly. "It is obvious you don't know what goes on in these lands. You talk like an outsider," Kola said with a raised voice. "Why are you so scared?" Dami asked. "They are not to be messed with," Kola said. "They hold no power over these lands. Do not let yourself be consumed by fear of miscreants," Dami said. He was beginning to get irritated with Kola's attitude. "Talking from way above us. You don't know what happens beneath you," Kola said, looking Dami in the eye.
"So what now? You run along on your quest and leave us here to suffer their wrath when they return? You are merely a passerby. You had no right to meddle in the affairs of these lands," Kola protested. "What affairs, Kola? What affairs? They did mention that you made a deal with them, so tell me," Dami said. "It is none of your concern. You have done enough," Kola said, turning away from him. Dami became annoyed. He turned him around and grabbed his gbariye at his chest. "Your wife and children are in danger. You put them at risk with this business of yours, so tell me what it is," Dami said firmly. Kola felt ashamed. He yanked himself from Dami's grasp and sighed. "It's not like I had a choice. For some years now, things have not been as they used to be. I come from a line of successful farmers. We work hard, harvest, and reap the fruits of our labor, but that is no longer the case. Hard work guarantees nothing these days ever since Egbe Aserinse Ase (Association Ase Tool Crafters) took over the markets," he narrated. "Took over the market how?" Dami asked.
"They introduced ase-infused hoes and cutlasses for cultivation, making farming easier and faster with less labor. But it's not just that; the quality of produce from these tools is far better than what we grow normally. So, they did far better in the market, and customers stopped buying regular food from market men and women who purchased from farmers like me. It made life difficult," Kola explained. "I don't see the crime in that," Dami said. "Yes, at first, but they gave their tools to a certain set of farmers and set a ridiculous price for the rest. When their select farmers took over the markets, other farmers went to the association's accredited sellers to cut a deal. The association asked for a portion of their profit and stock. They had no choice but to accept because they no longer had any business, and their stock went to waste. We reported them to the Awujale, but there was nothing he could do. He claimed crafting ase tools took a lot of skill and he couldn't regulate how much they chose to sell them," Kola narrated.
"The Igbimo Ifa has no interest in commercial gain, only the progress of the Ifa religion and practice, so they are not invested in producing everyday ase tools. Egbe Aserinse Ase controls that sector. It was a rip-off to me, so I chose not to go along with it. After a little while, I could barely feed my family or pay my workers. My brother was doing so much better, and I was looking like a failure in a family with a long lineage of great farmers. So I had to reason with the association and cut a deal. After a long debate, we came to a compromise. I didn't need their ase tools because my workers are family to me and I want them to remain part of my farm, so they offered to buy my harvests and generate business for me while I also gave them part of it as their cut. It was a sham in the end. They dictated how much they bought my goods because I had no option and still took part of my harvest for themselves. I am yet to deliver their share of my harvest this time around because the money from the ones I sold to them is barely enough to feed my family and replenish my stock," Kola narrated.
"So the association sent those miscreants to collect," Dami deduced. "Yes, but they do not work under the association directly. The association would never openly affiliate itself with them, but those who do business with the association know they are its enforcers. They call themselves Imule Eje (Blood Covenant). They have two factions, Apa Otun (Translation: Right Hand) and Apa Osi (translation: Left hand). They are usually at loggerheads with each other, but they are used by the association and its affiliates to do their dirty work. The ones that came today are Apa Otun. They enforce the association's businesses around here," Kola explained. "I will take this matter to the Awujale personally. For now, I shall be on my way, but fear not. I will return before the end of the day. I will stay with your family for a few weeks while I send word to the Awujale to offer you protection before the issue is resolved," Dami said in an assuring tone.
"I cannot refuse your help with my current predicament. I do not know whether the Awujale would be of any help, but I trust you well enough now. Forgive my ungrateful behavior earlier. Thank you for saving my family and workers," Kola said. Dami whistled, and his horse galloped from the stable to the front of the gate where he stood. "Farewell for now," Dami said before riding off. To be continued.
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