The Normal Farmer - Completed

Chapter 14 - Begining the voyage

In front of the stable, the carriage was stopped, and the stable boy was having some trouble keeping his hands steady while holding the reins of the two ‘Big Dark Bulls’ that Ari summoned.

Ronald finished putting some supplies on the top of the carriage, and Woof was already lying there, comfortably on top of a big bag of grain. The mules, tied to a rope at the back of the carriage, had their two saddlebags with the extra weaponry and camping gear. The others rode their horses from the stable on the other side of the Guild.

When Ronald looked back at the approaching sound, his heart almost stopped.

Duza was at the front, mounted on a dark horse, with a black and red combat suit made of one piece that only left the skin visible from the middle of her forearms to the wrists. Two metal gauntlets and a pair of fingerless gloves completed the top of her outfit. At the bottom, the suit ended inside long leather boots that reached her knees. With a sword at her side and a round metal shield at her back, her hair tied into a long braid at the back of her head, with the tip of loose hair floating as the black horse walked, she was indeed the sight of a powerful Adventurer.

Reylom was next, with Ovaidel at his right, and Ini was the last one. Each of them also wore black and red combat suits. Reylom had a spear and a long shield on his saddle, while Ovaidel had two short swords. Ini had a longbow at his back and a belt quiver.

Ronald thought they really looked like a proper Party of Adventurers. He then realized he was one of them too, minus the cool outfit. Suddenly, Duza threw a bag at him. “Here, you can’t be the only one dressed as a civilian!”

Ronald looked inside the bag and took from there a complete suit, also black and red. He looked back at Duza, questioning her, but before he could ask anything, she answered with redness on her cheeks: “I hope it fits you… I worked on it last night. It was from our previous member. You… don’t mind, I hope?”

“No, I don’t mind. Unless you do. This will not bring back terrible memories for you? And how did you manage to get my measurements?”

“Don’t worry about that; you are not like that ‘shilum’ bastard. As for the suit, I have a good eye for body measurements and vital points; it comes with the job.”

Ini shouted from behind them: “I also do the same kind of job, but no one ever saw me sewing anything overnight!”

Duza became even redder, and she pointed at the suit on Ronald’s hands. “Go try it on! Since you are one of our members, it would be better if we all dressed alike to look more professional. It’s one of my crazinesses; don’t mind it.”

Ronald nodded, and he quickly entered the stable to find a spot to change his clothes. Duza bit her lower lip while looking at him leaving. Ini approached and whispered, “Control yourself, Duza, you are almost going after him to see him naked.”

Duza stuttered while whispering back, “No… I am not! I was… just wondering if it would fit…”

Ini whispered again: “Or if it would make him look good, with that tight suit, squeezing his muscles…”

Duza didn’t answer, but she bit her lip even more strongly. Ini smiled and guided his horse near the carriage, to take a look at the top and confirm if everything was strongly tied to their place. The voyage could be rough if they had to escape an attack. Since all looked okay, he went to the mules at the back to confirm how the saddlebags were fixed.

When Ini was pulling the straps on the last mule, Ronald arrived. Ini smiled when he noticed Duza. She had her mouth a little open and her eyes were frozen, as if she were in shock. Ini drove his horse to meet Ronald and made a complete curve around him. “Duza made a fine job with that, Mister Ronald. You look good in it.”

Ari looked from the window of the carriage. She was inside, looking at all the commotion. “Mister Ronald, If I wasn’t already an engaged woman, I might try my luck with you! I think we are going to have a lot of trouble keeping the single women that we may encounter during our voyage away from you! What do you say, Miss Duza? Does he look good or what?”

Duza mumbled in a low voice, “Yeah… really good…”

Ronald was moving his arms up and down and lifting his legs one at a time, confirming the suit did not hinder his movements or was too tight in some weird places. He pulled a little around his chest, surprised by the way the suit stretched, and then returned to its place. “Yeah, this will work. Strange fabric… it stretches, but it looks tough.”

Ini nodded. “Yes, it’s made from the web of a Spider Monster, but a Giant Spider Magical Being can also make that type of strong web. Mira uses Spider web to make this type of fabric so that she can make clothes. She has a very profitable side job as a tailor. She was the one to design and make this combat suit for us to wear. I am sure that she first made it so that Duza could be safe, but we also profit from that care. This may not look like it, but it’s very strong. It can stop a dagger or a s***h from a sword. It’s not indestructible, but it helps a lot with increasing our HP Armour. And it also makes us look good.”

“Cool… I never knew a Giant Spider could do this. The last one I saw gave me the chills. I was used to spiders the size of a small marble, but spiders of the size of a sheep it’s too much.”

Ini made a surprised look. “Really? You are in for a surprise, then. During our voyage, we will for sure encounter some Magical Beings that can be bigger than a Giant Spider. I was hoping we didn’t face such danger, but the voyage is too long for everything to go smoothly. Well, get on top of the carriage so that we can leave. Miss Ari, are you ready? And Mister Taly?”

Taly nodded while grabbing the reins of the two ‘Big Dark Bulls’. He was in the driver’s seat while Ari was inside the carriage, looking with a smile from the window. She winked one eye at Ronald. “Sure, but I have an idea. If Mister Ronald learns how to drive this carriage, Taly can come inside and keep me company. I may feel lonely in here!”

Taly tapped the empty seat next to him. “That’s an idea. Come, Mister Ronald, seat right here. These big guys are a little temperamental, but when you get used to driving them, it’s easy.”

Ronald went to the seat and watched closely the way that Taly was holding the reins. Not too loose or too stretched. With a quick snap from the reins and a ‘Yaoi!’ shout from Taly, the Bulls started to walk. Duza went with her horse to the front, Reylom and Ovaidel on the sides, and Ini was the last one.

While they walked along the main street, some smiles and waves from the passing people greeted them. Ronald noticed Duza received a lot of appreciative looks from the men and a lot of angry ones from the women. Even he was the target of many looks from the women, and some of them threw kisses at him from afar.

When they reached the front gate, as soon as the Gate Guards saw Duza, they quickly opened the gate and stood at the side, in a pose, with a straight-up body, the arms against it, and the spears and long shields on their hands, touching the ground. When they were crossing the gate, the Guards shouted, “Safe voyage, Miss Duza Sonanji’s Party! May God Seya guide you all!”

Duza nodded in their direction with a serious look. The others did the same, and so did Ronald. He thought it was some kind of ritual or just a matter of wishing someone good luck. Either way, he did it without asking anything.

Outside the City and while travelling on the main road, Ronald looked back, and he saw the gates closing, with the Gate Guards outside, looking at them from their posts.

They travelled for a while in complete silence, and after two curves, when no one could be seen around, Ronald asked Ovaidel: “Mister Ovaidel, do you think this is a good spot for me to have my first lesson as a rider? I was thinking I should learn it as fast as possible.”

“Sure, but we just left the City, it’s too soon for a stop, no?”

Ronald took a Card from a closed pocket on his chest. “Who said I needed to stop? ‘Summon Big Rat!’. Come here, you!”

With a quick throw to the side, a whirlpool appeared, and from there, the Big Rat emerged. Ovaidel was looking at it in surprise. “No way… You have one of those? Do you have a saddle for him?”

“Yeah, I bought one early, before I took care of the carriage. I can put it on him later on. He doesn’t seem to mind being used as a ride, so I guess it’s okay for me to ride him, right?”

The Big Rat nodded while walking alongside the carriage. Woof made a low bark as if he were greeting the Rat, and Duza slowed down her horse to walk near the Rat. She looked at it and then at Ronald. “You are indeed full of surprises, Mister Ronald. There are not many of these Cards around, and for you to have one of these… Whom do you kill to get it?”

Ronald shrugged his shoulders. “No one; the previous owner died in a fight with a Knight. Since there was no one around still alive, I took it for myself because I was curious. It surprised me when I found out I could use that Card. And even more when the Rat appeared and started to obey me. Woof didn’t like him at first, but they got used to each other.”

Duza frowned. “I wonder what Cards you have… You have some that can help in our journey, or is it just this guy?”

Ronald stopped to think for a moment, but after a smile and a nod from Riattus, he confirmed: “I have some more, but don’t worry; if needed, I can help more than you think. Now, let me get on top of this guy, you distractive woman! I must learn how to ride him as soon as possible!”

Ovaidel pointed at the Rat. “You have to get used to the swing he makes while he walks on four legs. It’s different from a horse; it’s more wobbly. You need to swing in the same direction as he is, but don’t try to compensate by moving your body in the opposite direction, or you will fall.”

Ronald stretched his left arm to hold the Rat’s head fur, and he put one foot over the Rat’s back. A quick jump moved him from his seat on the carriage to the Rat. He had to grab the fur with both hands because the Rat’s movements almost made him fall. He stood like that for quite some time, holding the fur, to get used to the Rat’s swing. Little by little, he straightened his back while still holding the fur.

Riattus was hovering next to the Rat and pointed. “Ovaidel may be able to teach you how to ride a horse, but a Big Rat is trickier. Put your right hand a little more to the side and your left hand on the opposite side, at almost the same place. The Rat obeys you, but you must tell him where to go without using reins. When you put a saddle on him, you don’t need to put reins on him; I am sure he doesn’t like having them around his head. It also hinders his movements; he needs to have his head free to attack in case of need.”

Ronald made a slight nod, and he did as he was told. After a while, he looked more comfortable, swinging like the Rat. He smiled at Ovaidel. “This is not so bad. I don’t know how it would be if this guy runs, but for now, it’s nice to ride like this. I noticed I am either getting better at this or this Rat is swinging less.”

Ovaidel looked at the Rat’s legs and nodded. “Yeah, you are right. This guy is swinging less; he is steadier. I guess he wasn’t used to being a ride, and he is trying to make you more comfortable. And that’s a little weird. Normally, these Rats aren’t smart, and most of them don’t care if the rider falls or not. You may have a higher stat on your Intelligence than I thought for him to behave like this.”

The Rat looked at Ovaidel and snorted. Ronald laughed. “Ahahaha! I guess he doesn’t like hearing you say that Rats aren’t smart!”

“Yeah… this guy is weird…”

Ronald continued on his ride, pretending to not understand Ovaidel’s suspicions. Duza was at the front, looking around and watching for trouble.

They were still in Loriath, where the roads were more or less safe, but she never forgets that danger can come from anywhere.

After some hours, they stopped for lunch. While the horses were eating some fresh grass, Ronald was taking care of the lunch. Woof was accompanying Ini on a short walk around their campsite. Duza was talking with Ari near the carriage, while Taly was near Reylom and Ovaidel, seated very near to Ronald.

Taly made a small smile at Reylom and asked, “So, considering you are a former Priest, what do you think about the way Humans are acting against each other over these last few years? Do you think things are more peaceful now, or are they worse? And the Church has something to do with it, or it’s just because of the government of each Kingdom?”

“I guess one could say that things are more or less the same. And that’s what worries me, because according to my studies when I was a Priest, every time things are steady, some sudden change shakes things up, and most of the time, a lot of people die. Either by a war, a tyrant who tries to conquer more lands than he should, or an epidemic. If History keeps repeating itself, it’s time for a war to happen, caused by a Kingdom that wants to enlarge its borders. Maybe Breidan, because over the last months, the attacks from their soldiers have increased, or maybe the Diocese of Thetria, because the Universal Church of Truth in Thetria is sending orders to the Priests to start an Evangelic Crusade in an attempt to convert everyone to their faith. Every time either Kingdom did that, a war started.”

Ovaidel frowned, and he remembered something: “I heard a rumour about the Kingdom of Argoheria that the Elfian King there is very powerful. Some even say he is the most powerful Mage in the World, but no one knows how he got so strong. Maybe because he is so old, or is there some weird thing happening in that Kingdom. I also heard that in some Kingdoms, there is a rumour about some secret groups that kidnap people, either when they are travelling or in the middle of the night, from their homes. Those people were never found again; they completely disappeared.”

Taly nodded. “Yes, we heard that as well, during our travels. That’s the main reason why we want to go there, to find out what’s happening. Ari wants to go to Argoheria directly, but I was told the monsters in Zakrosia are getting too numerous, and they will soon start to invade the nearby Kingdoms, looking for food. Manly, Humans. That’s why I told Mister Ronald to come with me to reduce their population. Maybe we find out they are at a dangerous number, and we may need help, or the rumours are false. Either way, I want to have a look.”

Ronald was in silence, preparing the food and pretending not to hear. Taly looked at him from the corner of his eye, but it was Riattus who was talking to Ronald: “Things are strange nowadays, it seems. An Elfian lives twice as long as a Human and with that lifetime, they can get very powerful. And a Crusade by Thetria… The last time they did that, I had to kill a lot of Priests to stop that nonsense from spreading. Religion can be a nice thing, but in the wrong hands, it can be very dangerous. During my time, I received reports from my Empire, about some crazy people who went on suicidal missions against my Castles and Military outposts just because they were convinced God Seya would punish them if I wasn’t stopped. They made a lot of mess, and many good people died. Along with the rotten ones, but those I wasn’t so fond of. I didn’t care if some bad apples died ahead of time, as long as the ones that obeyed me remained alive. That little incursion of yours to Zakrosia is getting more interesting by the minute.”