"Whose's ugly muzzle do I see? Is that Ben Higler, you sly bastard?"

The tall man greeted them excitedly, his voice so loud it was almost a scream. Drake stood quiet, since he didn't know the man, but he assumed he was the owner of Box O.

"Daniel! How are you doing, old smuggler?"

"Hahaha! Great, great! Come on in! You too, boy! Martha, are you there? We have visits!"

"No need to bother your wife, Daniel. We are just passing by to say hi."

No sooner than they dismounted from their Yscalents, the farmer pulled them into a tight hug. Even Drake wasn't spared.

"That just won't do. It's close to midday, so you are having lunch with us."

Before any of them could say anything, they had already been dragged inside, where they found a woman setting up the table. She was almost as tall as Daniel, and as large as him. She looked at them surprised before recognizing Higler, and kissing his cheek - and Drake's.

"It's so good to see you, Ben. How long has it been? Two, three years?"

"About that, yeah."

"Come on, sit down. Dan, be a dear and get two more plates and forks, while I get the steaks."

Obediently, the farmer disappeared inside the kitchen. When he returned, he had with not only the utensils, but also three bottles of beer.

Before he realized it, Drake was sitting at the table with a big steak in front of him, smelling delicious. Frainer was floating around, looking curiously at everything.

"So, are you gonna introduce the boy to us? Who is he, a ranger?"

"Haha... No, at least not yet. Drake, those are Daniel Bright and his lovely wife, Martha. Dan, Martha, this is Drake Stronter, a new adventurer. Don't underestimate him, he is a good one."

Drake's heart skipped a beat when he heard Higler say he wasn't a ranger just yet. That meant there was a chance, and he would be lying if he said he didn't like the idea.

The next hour passed in a lively atmosphere as they ate. Drake had to admit he liked it. Eventually, after they had finished eating, Martha and Higler went to do the dishes, while Drake and Daniel stayed at the table.

"So, how do you like the ranger life, kid?"

"It's... Exciting, although I'm not a ranger."

Daniel was reclining on his chair, looking at him while smoking a cigar. When he heard Drake's answer, he put it down and brought his face closer to his.

"But you must be good. Ben doesn't easily praise people, or trust them, even. But he likes you. See that scar?"

Drake was somewhat confused by the abrupt change of topic, but he still looked at the scar the farmer was showing. It was about four centimeters long, just above his right eye. He nodded.

"Ben gave it to me when he found me smuggling alcohol to a Sanctuary. The beating I received that day was enough for me to understand it was better I changed my lifestyle. And, well... Here we are. Lesson to be learned: don't piss him off. Hahaha!"

He seemed almost proud that the ranger had used him as a punching bag. No, he was proud. Although Drake wasn't sure why he was telling him that, he still smiled.

Stolen novel; please report.

"I will be sure not to."

"Hey, you pirate! You better not be talking bad about me to him, got it?"

Higler came back from the kitchen right at this moment, just in time to see Daniel whispering something to Drake. Seeing the weird smile on their faces, he was sure they were talking about him.

The farmer winked at Drake, and patted Frainer, before turning to the ranger with a serious expression.

"So what if I am?"

"Do you wish to continue the lesson I was giving you back in..."

He never finished what he was saying. The sound of screams and gunshots outside interrupted him.

Immediately, all of them got up, and looked at the door. Before Daniel said anything, Martha had already given him a rifle, and taken one to herself. Drake and Higler also had their weapons in hand.

"The motherf*ckers are back! Stay inside, Martha."

"Like hell I will. This is my home too. If the Association wants to take it, they will have to step over my dead body."

Ignoring the couple, the ranger and Drake looked through the windows, and saw a group of about eight people riding Yscalents and shooting at the Tezars. The big Iferes took a few bullets each before dying. Meanwhile, the workers were nowhere to be seen.

"What do we do?"

"Uhmm... Aim low, and try not to leave bodies. They only killed the Iferes until now, so let's not be precipitated."

Drake nodded. Even if Higler hadn't told him that, he still wouldn't kill anyone, if he could avoid it. He wasn't quite used to it yet.

When the group of hooligans approached the house, shooting and laughing, they were received by a rail of bullets. Two of them fell face-first when their mounts collapsed under them, and another three screamed when they were hit in the arm, shoulder, and leg. The ranger looked at Drake and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were aiming at the mounts?"

"I missed."

Needless to say, Higler had aimed at the men while Drake had chosen to be safe, and kill the Yscalents. The poor Iferes had nothing to do with the story, but it was better to kill them than humans, at least from Drake's point of view. However, his aim wasn't that good, and he ended up shooting one of the hooligans by mistake. Luckily, it wasn't too serious.

"Agh!"

"Ahhhh!"

"What the..."

"Hey, you guys outside! We have you under the aim of four guns here. If you don't want to die, grab your wounded and leave!"

They clearly weren't expecting such a reception. With three of them wounded, and another two on foot, their morale pummeled. Finally, after quickly dismounted and hiding behind the fence, one of them decided to parlay.

"Who the f*ck are you? Where is Bright?"

"I'm here, Montez! Tell your bosses we aren't selling the farm!"

"You should think better, Bright. I don't know how you managed to find someone willing to take a bullet for you, but it won't change anything. As for you, if I were you, I would pack my things and leave. When Mister Anderson finds out someone put their nose where it doesn't belong, he is..."

"Spare me the speech. You can tell mister I don't-know-who to come here himself if he wants my skin. Now, I'm gonna give you ten seconds to leave. After that, I won't limit myself to the limbs. I will aim for the head!"

To reinforce his words, Higler fired a few times, hitting the wooden poles Montez and the others were hiding behind. That was enough to scare them. In less than five seconds, they were all on their Yscalents, carrying their wounded counterparts, and throwing insults and threats.

After confirming they were really gone, Drake let out a sigh of relief. It would take some time to get used to situations like this.

Meanwhile, Higler walked to the Bright couple, pulled a chair, and sat down. Daniel and Martha looked at him with a guilty expression on their faces.

"Sorry you had to do that, Ben. You should go now, before they come back."

"Why? I like your hospitality. Don't you, Drake?"

"Yeah. The air here is nice."

The ranger raised an eyebrow while smiling. Drake was learning quickly. He even knew how to make puns now.

"See? No reason for us to leave. Now, tell us who were those guys, and who is this Mister Anderson."

Daniel looked at them, and knew they wouldn't give up. So, he sighed and told the entire story. After the end of it, Higler whistled, and looked at Drake while grinning.

"I told you that I have a tendency to find trouble, didn't I? And when I don't go after it, it comes to me."