"What do you think about what Daniel told us?"

Drake frowned, and was deep in thought for a long time. The story the farmer told them was at the same time disgusting and impressive.

A rich man, the so-called Mister Anderson, had discovered that under the ground of Box O Farm and a couple others, there was an extensive auriferous field. That same Mister Anderson had at first tried to buy the farms, without telling anyone the reason. When the farmers refused - it was, after all, the land they worked so hard to develop - Mister Anderson created a group called Association of Riverplate - the name of the region.

The Association was composed of some of the richest businesses men of Fallen Star City and surroundings, and didn't hesitate to use underhanded methods to get what they wanted. The attack on Daniel's farm was only the last of many. Until now, the men of the Association hadn't killed anyone, but that could change quickly, which is why Higler decided to intervene.

"Is it common and easy? I mean, shouldn't the army or Fallen Star's police do something?"

"Unfortunately, it is more common than you would think. Powerful people always like to have more power and money, and most of them don't mind burying a few people to get what they want. As for the law... We have to see that yet. Maybe they just can't do anything without proof. In the wilderness it's easy to fake an attack as just a gang raid or something like that."

The way Higler said that told Drake that there was more. He didn't think the law was just clueless. He thought they were on the payroll of the Association. Maybe not the army, but the police, at least.

The ranger had asked if he wanted to come with him or bot. He said he understood if he didn't, after all this was a lot different from tracking a group of inexperienced bandits. However, Drake had answered immediately. He wasn't going to abandon Higler now.

"We will reach Fallen Star City tomorrow morning at the earliest. So, tonight we are gonna do a little bit of training."

"Training?"

"Yep."

Having said that, Higler pulled out a coin from his saddle, and threw it in the air. Instinctively, Drake's eyes followed the coin, so he didn't see the ranger drawing his rifle. But he heard four shots, and saw the coin jump in the air as if it was being juggled by someone.

Frainer 'grabbed' it before it fell down, and handed it to Drake, who saw very clearly four dents in the now deformed piece of metal. Not a single shot had missed the target.

"H-How did you do that?"

"Practice. Lots and lots of practice. You are fast, and pretty accurate, Drake, but not nearly enough if you want to walk with me and survive. You have to learn to be quick and precise. Firing first doesn't always mean you hit the target, but it gives you a better chance. But you have talent. In a few years, you should be about as good as me."

That night, Higler realized he was wrong. Drake wouldn't need years. He just needed a few months at most. His potential was scary.

--------------------------

They started the training by putting the empty bean cans of their dinner on a rock about twenty meters away.

"Today we will use the pistols. Depending on how you go, I might think about finding you a rifle."

Drake nodded, and stood still, looking at the cans like they were his worst enemy. Frainer and Warkin were running and floating after one another a few meters away, which didn't help his concentration. Suddenly, he remembered something.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask. Why a rifle? Wouldn't a machinegun or something like that be better?"

"Depends on the situation. If you want to wreak havoc amongst a group of idiots standing all together, then yes. But if you want to be accurate, no. I would never be able to hit the coin four times in a row with a machinegun unless it was by pure luck. Remember, a well-placed bullet from a rifle kills just like twenty from a machinegun. Besides, it would be a pain in the ass caring all the ammunition around."

Once again, Drake nodded - he seemed to be doing that a lot recently. It made sense.

"Okay. Let's see your accuracy first. One pistol, then two. After that we will see about speed."

He pulled out one of the pistols, and held it with both hands. He still had to get used to the weight, although the fact that he had been caring two of them on his belt helped. However, before he could even take aim, Higler was already lashing out at him. There was no sign of the easygoing man anymore.

"Use only one hand! We will train both right and left. Being ambidextrous is vital. You never know when one arm might be put out of use. Come on!"

Doing as he was told, Drake extended his right arm, and aimed at the can. After about two seconds, he fired, but missed. The bullet hit the ground a few centimeters to the left of it.

"What was that?! Do you think your opponent you let you aim for half an hour before shooting? And the aim! Was it just luck before? I guess I should have been afraid for my life, because the chances of you hitting me are higher than the criminals!"

His face burned with shame, and fired again in a hurry, this time missing by more than a meter. Behind him, he heard Higler scoff in mockery.

"I think I will let Major Johnson take you. The army relies more on volume than precision anyway."

Drake had to hold a sharp reply. He knew the ranger was trying to anger him on purpose, but that didn't change the fact that it was pissing him off. In the end, he decided the best way to shut him up would be by showing him that he was able to shoot properly.

Without caring for how much time he took to aim, Drake took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. A hole appeared right in the middle of the can, and it was sent flying.

"Now, that's better! Hey, don't look at me! We still got two hours of light for you to train. Come on!"

This went on until Drake was barely able to lift his arm. When he laid down on the soft soil, Frainer flew to his head, and prepared to eat. Soon, he fell into a deep slumber, and missed Higler looking at him with a glint in his eyes.

Drake had exceeded his expectations. He missed a lot at the start, but after just a few minutes, he picked up the pace. What surprised the ranger even more was that he was just as good with his left hand as he was with the right. That was a rare talent.

He was being an as*hole during the training because he didn't want his young partner to get too cocky. He had seen many die because they thought they were better than the others. However, there was no pride that stopped a bullet to the back.

Pulling his hat over his head, he closed his eyes while Warkin nuzzled in his chest. Although he appeared to be sleeping, he was very much awake. Drake was still too naive, so he didn't think about keeping guard, but Higler was an old veteran. They had provoked Anderson and his group by stopping their men, so now they had to keep their eyes open. Today he would let Drake rest, but next time they would have to take shifts stayed awake.

Well, tomorrow was tomorrow. Higler grinned slightly. It was part of his job to destroy organizations such as the Association of Riverplate, and he liked it.