The Normal Farmer - Completed

Chapter 16 - Blue Bird and Spider

Ronald woke up with Ovaidel pushing him. It was still night, and Riattus told him it would be two more hours before the sun started to rise. Ovaidel went to sleep, and Ronald quietly put more wood on the fire.

He gave a quick look around to confirm if everyone was asleep and saw the Rat nod his head towards him and continue sniffing the air.

Ronald slowly went to a nearby rock, where Duza was seated when she started her guard shift and whispered to Riattus: “So, what can I do to pass the time? It’s supposed that I just remain still without anything to do while everyone is sleeping?”

“Yes, that’s about right. The others did the same. Ovaidel was carving a piece of wood; it looked like an animal. Duza, on the other hand, was biting her lip and looking at you from time to time. On more than one occasion, she strongly shook her head, as if she were trying to get rid of some perverted thought. Or she was wondering about you and your Mana. You, I don’t know what you can do to pass the time. Do you want to know anything about your Cards?”

Ronald slowly shook his head; he was thinking about something else. “Do you have a slingshot inside this bag? Or a simple sling with cord and leather? I could use that to hunt.”

“No, I never needed one. Every time I wanted to hit something at a distance, I just summoned a Magical Being for that. But you don’t need that; with your strength, you can easily kill any animal just by throwing a stone with your hand.”

“Yeah, but that would make everyone even more suspicious. If they saw me throwing a stone and killing some animal with it, it would be too difficult to escape the questioning. With a sling, it would be easier. I used to be very good with a sling I made when I was very young. Something like that, one never forgets. I may need some training, but I think I will easily remember how to hit a target with just one shot. I need some cord and a piece of strong cloth or leather.”

Riattus nodded and pointed at the one-shoulder bag. “I have a ball of web made from a Giant Spider and a pair of old leather boots. You can cut leather from there and as much web as you need. If you want more, ask your Spider to make it. But you will have a lot of trouble cutting the web; it’s very strong.”

“I have time…”

Ronald took everything he needed from the bag and used one of his daggers to cut a piece of leather from one boot and the web from the ball.

That one was a piece of work, alright. He destroyed the sharpness of two daggers before finishing.

When the sun was rising, Ronald finished the sling. During his guard shift and even while he was making the sling, he didn’t forget to put more wood on the fire and look around to see if everyone was still sleeping and confirm if the Rat was giving any kind of alarm.

As soon as he noticed Reylom and Ini stretching their arms after waking up, he silently went to one of the mules to prepare some tea over the fire and to order the Rat to disappear.

When everyone was getting up and tying up their mats and blankets, Ronald used his new spell, the ‘Pot of Water’, so that they could wash their faces. When Ari and Taly got out of the carriage, he already had tea and hot, toasted bread waiting for them.

Ronald was the first to finish his morning meal, and while the others were cleaning the campsite, he searched for some round and hard stones that he could use for the sling. He tried one stone with the sling towards a nearby tree. He had to lower the strength of his throw to not demolish it, but even like that, when the stone hit the middle of the tree, it made a loud bang, and the entire tree trembled.

Duza looked in the direction of the tree, alarmed by the sudden noise. Ronald raised his right arm. “Sorry, my bad! I was trying this sling, and I threw a little too strong.”

Duza looked at the sling that he had on his hand and questioned, “Where did you get that? I never saw anyone throw a stone with so much strength using a sling!”

“I made this during my shift. I was getting bored with nothing to do, and I remembered I used to be very good at this when I was younger. I can use it to hunt because I am no good with a bow and arrows.”

Ini grabbed a dagger from his belt and threw it to the same spot of the tree where Ronald’s stone hit. “You can use a dagger instead.”

Ronald smiled and shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t do that. I am way better with this simple sling.”

While Ini went to the tree to fetch his dagger, Duza was looking at the sling. “It’s well-made. What did you use for that?”

“Some leather and web from a Giant Spider that I had.”

Duza blinked a few times. “You have web from a Spider? And you spent it to make this? Do you know how difficult it is to find web like that? Mira made this combat suit for us, but we were the ones to search all over the forest for the web! We couldn’t afford to buy it because it was so expensive, so we had to search for it ourselves! The Spider almost killed Reylom!”

Ronald took his Card Box from the pocket at his chest, and from there, he pulled out the Giant Spider Card and showed it to Duza. “That’s good to know. I can ask this girl to make a lot of webs so that we can sell them in the next City!”

Duza pointed at the Card with a trembling index finger. “No way! You have one of those? What else are you hiding in that Card Box?”

“Well, someone told me that Magical Cards are very personal, and I shouldn’t show what I have to anyone who asks for it. So, enough talk, let’s go; we are wasting daylight!”

Duza was still a little shaken. “The Big Rat is gone. Are you summoning that Giant Spider today?”

“No, better not. Woof doesn’t like her. He gets too nervous when he sees it. He got used to the Rat, but the Spider is a problem. Unless you think it’s best to have a Magical Being guarding us.”

“Okay… Well, we are still in Loriath, and things are more or less peaceful here. But we must stay vigilant; some bandits might appear. It’s not usual around here, but we never know. I think you can use that Fast Bird Card you got in that old woman’s Card Shop so that he can fly above us and warn you if he sees any kind of danger. But you need to explain to him what he must search for; otherwise, it will do no good. But your Intelligence must be high, or he will not understand you. I remember you had 200 Intelligence. It’s not much but it should work.”

“Understood. Where did I put him… Ah, here it is.”

He summoned the ‘Fast Bird’ and, from a whirlpool on the ground, a small blue bird appeared, and with some very fast strokes of his little wings, went to the top of Ronald’s left shoulder and landed there.

Ronald tried to explain to the bird what he needed to do, and to Duza’s surprise, the little bird nodded his head and chirped. He then flew up into the sky and stood there, hovering, and looking around. Ronald pointed at him and questioned Duza: “Do you think it works like that? Or he needs to fly higher?”

“No… That will do. Let’s keep going; we can’t waste any more time if we want to arrive in a City before nightfall.”

Duza went to her place at the front of the caravan, and Ronald joined Taly in the driver’s seat. When they started to move, Ari opened a breach on the little window on his back and talked to Ronald: “You could try to see through that little bird’s eyes, you know?”

“I never did that. What do I need to do?”

“Call the bird, look at his eyes, and order him to let you see from his point of view. You can even control his body if you want, but since you have never tried, it’s better if you start by his sight. Later on, you can experience more. I heard you talking with Duza about your Giant Spider Card. You can summon her, if you want, and tell her to make some balls of web for you to sell in the next City. I bet that in the Adventurer’s Guild, there is a Quest asking for some web. That’s one more good thing about this voyage. You can gain a lot of money with side jobs!”

Ronald looked at his Card. “Do you think it’s alright if I do that? Because the job is an escort service, and for me to take this chance to gain some extra money, it doesn’t seem very professional.”

Ari shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t see a problem with that, as long as you don’t forget your job to do those side ones.”

Ronald took a look at Woof, who was lying on top of the carriage. “That guy doesn’t like the Giant Spider very much. Better if I don’t summon her.”

Ari opened the window completely. “Call him and send him through this; he can keep me company, considering that the bastard next to you prefers to be seated there instead of here, cuddling me!”

Taly looked back, surprised by the voice tone. “What do you want now, you crazy woman? Can’t I take a moment for myself?”

“Sure, you can, dear, and I will do the same in the next City, with the first man I see! Stupid bastard… Mister Ronald, the Spider can also warn you if she senses any kind of danger. That kind of Magical Being is very good at sensing differences or vibrations in the air.”

Ronald held back his laughter and called Woof. After he joined Ari inside the carriage, he summoned the ‘Giant Spider’ on top of the carriage and showed her his ball of web. “Hello, little Spider! Look here. Can you make some balls of web like this one? I want a bunch of these balls to sell in the next City. The web can’t be used if it sticks, so make it dry, understood?”

The Spider clacked its mouth pincers and started to make its first ball. After some minutes, she showed it to Ronald for approval. “Let me see… not sticking, a perfect ball that one can unwind… Okay, make some more like this one, okay? You can stick them together next to you so that they don’t fall off. Keep an eye on our surroundings and warn me if some danger or strange thing is coming towards us, okay?”

The Spider clacked the pincers again and went to a space between two bags of grain. While she was making balls of web, Ronald called the ‘Fast Bird’ and did as Ari told him. Suddenly, he was looking at himself from the eyes of the Bird. “This is so weird! I am seeing myself! Okay, fly again and let me have a look around!”

The Bird flew up in the air, with Ronald looking down at them all. When the Bird moved its head to their front, Ronald could see, at a distance, a City. They were heading in that direction. All around them, he could see some people in the fields, cows, two small houses, and a small forest to the left.

Focusing the Bird’s eyes, Ronald could even see some insects on the branches of the trees. He called the Bird again with a shout and released his sight. “Thanks, little Bird, that was fun! Go up again, okay? Warn me if you see any people or any Monster approaching us.”

The Bird flew into the sky again and accompanied them for the rest of the journey. While Ronald was ordering the Spider and the Bird, Ini was looking at him, very interested in what he was doing.

Ovaidel noticed where he was looking and asked: “What’s the matter? You seem intrigued.”

“Nothing of importance; I was just looking at Ronald and his Magical Beings. For a simple Farmer, he uses his Cards with such ease that it surprises me. He could become a powerful Mage if he set his mind to it instead of stubbornly remaining a Farmer.”

“Yeah, I see what you mean. It would be beneficial for us to have a Mage assist us with our work as well. That’s something that it’s missing in our Party. You and Duza can use some Cards, but you both don’t have enough Mana to be a proper Mage.”

Ini nodded with a smile. “And he would be a good match for Duza. It wouldn’t be good for her image as a powerful Adventurer to have as a partner a mere Farmer. But a powerful Mage, that would be different. We must try to convince him to aim higher.”

While Ovaidel and Ini were scheming, Ronald was talking with Taly and enjoying the morning sun, completely unaware of their plans. From time to time, he trained with the sling by shooting against a nearby tree.