Chapter 60
When Duke and Cailian finally walked into the council room, it had been a long and pressing night. Most of our people had started to fall asleep sitting in the chairs, even waiting for the interrogation to be over.
"Did you find any information on where he may be keeping the people?"
"No, but after thoroughly searching his belongings, he located the blueprints, which show tunnels underneath the houses.
"Maybe that's where the demon rabbits are coming from? It could be something like burrows that they created."
"Yes, but the tunnels appear to be highly deliberate. We believe it was organized as a set-up for removing some of the villagers and allowing the mayor and others to go, as he stated in the discussion between Mayor Ray and Columbus." Cailian said.
"Now that we have some of the blueprints, we can navigate through the tunnels on the map and locate the people in theory," Duke said.
"In theory? You say that as though you're unsure?" Josh asked Duke.
Duke walked over and placed a map of the blueprints on the table. "That's, unfortunately, the blueprints for. Fairly basic. There are a couple of areas that look like they could have held the people, but he did not specifically mark anything that would indicate this was an area where he was holding people. We're guessing to keep the rest of the crew quiet, okay? Say he came across his blueprints."
Cailian points to an area on the map: "This area and the tunnel sections are the two largest areas on the map. It could house the people. I think it's best that we split into two groups and investigate these areas. If one of us comes across the people, we should attack each other so we can help return to the other location and assist people. I have people working on making a separate map."
Matilda stepped over to our group, huddled around the table. "I want to go and help out as well."
Cailian looked over at Matilda and shook his head. "I doubt that's a great idea. You don't have any forms of weapons. There's no clue as to what we may encounter down there, and we already know that we're going to have to get through the rabbit demons even to get there.
"You saw the situation with Columbus. I might have been raised as a spoiled little girl, but I can hold my own. If it wasn't for me, you may not have pinned down Columbus the bull without my help. Also, if you remember, when we were kids, I remember quite a few times that I pinned you down and kicked your butt," she said as she stared Cailian down aggressively, waiting for him to argue."
"Yes, well, this is also very young. I've been deployed since then, and if something happens to me, who will be able to lead the people?"
"All right, class is now in session," Cailian joked. "Lined up here, I have three tests that showcase your skills and use of the chakram. Test one would showcase your throwing accuracy, the second is range, and the last is your strength. For the first one, you have to make sure you hit these five targets lined up. Could you try to make sure you get them as centered as possible?
"Okay, it does seem like it should be that hard."
"Oh, did I mention that you'll have to ride on a horse? It would allow us to see your ability through unpredictable movements and the case for being ambushed in an attack."
"Oh, that's going to be fun. I used to do cattle tie-down well horseback riding, if you remember. We had competitions, and I got the gold first place in at least three of those years. Why don't we have a little challenge? Let's see if you can rope cattle before I hit all five targets."
"Challenge accepted. I've been needing to practice my roping skills for a minute now since our battle with Columbus."
"See, the problem is the sweet little village boy moved out to join the Army and got lazy."
"Oh, do you think? We will see about that."
Becky giggled. Kaysi, are we witnessing some chest talking here? I put my bet on Matilda, and she's right about him being Rusty."
"I second that. Matilda could win. Said Micah.
"Now, hold on! Evan said. You can't count Cailian now; she was under a lot of stress before."
"On the contrary!" James said, "People have been known to do better once put under pressure if he's having issues on the battlefield. I don't know why a small competition would be any different, especially since he's needed as a chief. Being able to protect his people, he's going to have to get used to the chakram."
"We already know when James speaks his word, he's spot on. I'd say Matilda's going to be the winner of this competition. We don't know what he has in store for the other challenges, so we can't count them completely out," Duke interjected.
"What do you think about this? Josh asked, Baby?"
"Well, I was once the country girl myself. And then, given the nature, it's down in my roots, so my vote would have to be with Matilda."
"So you're saying you don't think Cailian is very country-grown?"
"I can't say I've seen too many reasons. Then again, we don't know what he used to do when he was in the village reservations anyway, so maybe he's not to be underestimated. I'd have to say my vote is 50/50."
"Well, in that case, 50/50 for me as well, but I'm leaning more towards Cailian. Maybe the accident with the bull was just a fluke, the luck of the draw, so to speak."
"Oh look, they're ready." Kaysi pointed to the two Riders.
Cailian saddled on one of his horses with his traditional bareback pad saddle. He wore native chaps with tassels and lace with beautiful turquoise patterns down the legs. Cailian held the rope in his hand, prepped and ready.
Matilda wore her family's Western-style dress and a traditional cowgirl outfit with native patterns from her family's lineage. It was a crossbreed of modern and traditional cultures. She had the chakram hanging from her saddle for easy grip.
"All right, Duke. I would appreciate it if you would be our referee." Cailian said, "You seem like an old-fashioned man of sorts. You seem to have a keen eye for detail."
"That you would be correct, sir, and I would not mind the privilege of being your referee," he said with a chuckle, acting as though he was bowing and tilting his hat.
"Duke pulled out of his pocket one of his handguns."
"Don't you think that's a little bit too much firepower to start the races with? Evan teased?"
Duke said. "Not at all! He spun his gun on his finger as it flipped and turned into a starting pistol."
Evan and I were shocked. "Wait, you're saying that things can change into different gun types?"
"Not necessarily. I just particularly like guns. You could call me a gun connoisseur. I can actually turn this into any weapon that I choose, much like Baby's Tekkō kagi claws. She can choose to wield it into whatever weapon, but she likes hand-to-hand. I've only rarely seen her turn it into Bagh nakh or even a pair of studded brass knuckles."
"Badass!" Josh said, Well, eyeballing Duke's new weapon."
"Over time, you'll find that your weapons can evolve into something a bit different as well."
"Sweet, can we make our weapons even more dope than they are? Evan said as he looked further at his sword."
"I've always been curious about that. Kaysi said, looking at Evan's blade. Evans's blade looks almost identical to mine."
"That's for you guys to decide. It was more connected to you, too, than what you know."
"Which is the exact reason why I should go. Your well-being is more important than mine when it comes to the future of the village. Your grandmother put you in charge for a reason, and your leadership skills definitely show. I've been nothing but a spoiled brat until now, even cursing out the very people who came to help us. Something more serious comes up, and I'll make sure to get out of the way."
"You're not going to give up, are you?" "Sigh..." "You can come with us, but you stay close. And because I have double weapons, I'll give you one of my chakrams that you could use to protect yourself. I'm just going to have to give you a short tutorial on how to use it before we leave. If you can figure it out, you can come with us."
"That is fine; I am sure we both could use some practice since you are new to this as well.