The Normal Farmer - Completed

Chapter 12 - Violence in Durant

Ronald and Duza went to a Weapons Shop, to buy the weaponry that was on the list. When Ronald was putting two enormous bags full of arrows and throwing daggers, he noticed a commotion at the end of that street, with people running out of the shops and along the street to get there.

Duza came from the shop, bringing four big water canteens, which she placed next to the other four that were already inside the pushcart that Ronald brought. She saw him looking at the crowd down the street, and she too wondered what that was about.

Ronald picked up the pushcart, and they went down the street to the shop where they could buy the blankets, the pots, the pans, and the tableware for the next four months. Since the shop was right at the edge where the crowd started, they left the pushcart leaning against a wall with Woof tied and guarding it.

They slowly dug through the crowd, trying to see what was happening at the front. From the back, the shouts the crowd was making were difficult to comprehend, but as they approached the front, it became clear.

They were opposing what was happening, but no one dared to intervene. Some people were tied to a pillory, and the sound of the whipping was resonating in the back wall, echoing back to Ronald that dreadful sound, together with the screams of a woman and two children, a little girl and a little boy, of no more than six years old. They were being whipped to death by two Guards, judging by the wounds on their bodies and the blood on the floor. Ronald shivered, and something snapped inside him.

Before Duza or Riattus could stop him, he ran straight to the Guards and grabbed the hands that were holding the two whips that were slashing in turns between the mother and the two children. Ronald squeezed both hands, and the Guards let go of the whip, and they fell to their knees with the strong grip.

Ronald looked at them and asked, with so much anger in his voice that Duza trembled: “Why… are you whipping them?”

The crowd went silent. The only sound that could be heard was the crying of the captives and the screaming of the Guards who were feeling their wrists being crushed.

From Ronald’s left side, another Guard approached, and he pulled his sword. Ronald warned him: “Think very well what you are about to do because after I break these two in half, I am going to slice your head in the middle. I asked, why are you whipping them?”

The Guard stopped with his sword half-pulled from the sheath. “That woman attacked a Guard! My colleague fell because those two children were running, and they bumped into him! When my colleague slapped the children, the mother appeared and slapped him!”

Ronald increased his grip on the Guards’ wrists, and he shouted, “That was the reason? Just because you are Guards, you think you can do anything you want?”

Ronald closed both hands and the sound of the wrists exploding mixed with the Guards’ screams.

The other Guard pulled his sword, but before he could get near Ronald, he had Duza’s sword at his neck. “Well, well… what do we have here? Three City Guards abusing their power and punishing three citizens without proper judgment or superior orders… So, by the authority the Adventurer’s Guild grants me, I, Duza Sonanji, hereby apprehend these Guards, so that they can be punished for their behaviour.”

She hit the Guard’s head with the hilt of her sword, knocking him out. Ronald pulled the wrists that he was still crushing, and the Guards lost that hand completely. He then threw those two bloody hands to the floor and cleaned his own hands on the clothes of one of the Guards, while they were still screaming from the excruciating pain.

He then did what Riattus shouted to him: he opened his one-shoulder bag and took from there a flask with a very powerful Healing Potion. He dripped some drops onto the bodies of the woman and the children and forced them to drink a little.

After a few seconds, they stopped screaming because the pain had stopped. Before the surprised eyes of everyone that was near, their wounds started to heal at an incredible speed. Ten seconds later, there was no proof of what happened to their skin, except for the blood on the floor and their clothes.

Ronald put the flask in his bag again and took out a big rope that he used to tie the feet and arms of the three Guards and dragged them along the floor to the pillory. He lifted them and tied them from the arms to the top of the pillory, leaving them at two meters high, with one knocked out and two screaming their lungs out.

He then went near Duza and asked, “What happens now? There is no one to whom we can report what they were doing?”

Duza looked around, and she chose two men from the crowd. “You two, go call a Captain of the Guard! When he gets here, tell him what these guys did. We need to go buy some supplies, but we will return briefly. To everyone else, don’t let anyone take those guys from there! Or you all will be in their place when I return! Mister Ronald, shall we go before it gets too late and the shops close?”

Ronald followed her, and when they entered the shop where Woof was waiting for them, she slapped Ronald’s head. “What was that about, you stupid? Why do you always act before taking a sense of the situation? Fortunately, those Guards were the ones at fault because if they really had orders for doing that, you would be in trouble!”

“Orders? What kind of person would ever order the whipping to death of a mother and two children? What kind of country is this to allow such a thing? And why has no one in there stopped them?”

“Because they would be in trouble if they did anything! Those guys are City Guards. They abuse their power every time they see fit, and if no one opposes them, they get away with it! But in this City and this country, Adventurers are considered a higher rank than a mere City Guard! I may be a young Adventurer, but my rank is higher than that of a Capitan of the Guard, just so you know! But you are just a Farmer, you can’t go against a City Guard every time you feel like it!”

Riattus snorted. “You… What can I do or say to put some sense into that thick head of yours? Think before you act! When in doubt, ask me! Lucky for you, Duza was here, or else you had to flee as fast as you could, killing anyone who tried to arrest you!”

Ronald was frowning while making a fist with both hands. He was still angry with what happened. “I can’t… I can’t stand these situations… Seeing a woman and her two children being killed is too much for me… I think that if this keeps happening, I won’t have a chance with Gaya to approve me. I am starting to think I should just get stronger the fastest I can and kill everyone I see doing things like that… This World is rotten… The people here are even worse… Monsters can be horrible, but the people…”

Duza was looking at him. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Ronald was so much different from his kind and gentle self. Something was terribly wrong. She didn’t know what to do, so she turned away and went to talk with the seller at the back of the shop to buy the supplies.

After some moments, she arrived with him and a boy; they were all carrying the last things on the list. Duza pushed Ronald with her free hand, and they all went outside to fill the pushcart with the last purchases.

When Ronald picked up the cart again, he went in the direction of the Guild. Duza looked at his back, and she went to the pillory, where a Captain of the Guard was looking at the three Guards tied to it.

When the Captain saw her, he stood straight and saluted her with his fist closed against his chest and his elbow at a perfect 45-degree angle. “Miss Duza, I am…”

Duza interrupted him with her raised palm. “I don’t give a damn about your name. Has anyone told you what those Guards did?”

“Yes, Miss Duza, they did, and I need to apologize…”

“Save it. Take half their salary for the next eight months and give it to that woman as compensation and an apology. In eight months, I will look for you and see if you did that. If I find out you didn’t obey, the next one to lose a hand will be you. Make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again. Guards are supposed to protect the people, not attack them. Take that woman and the children to their house to make sure nothing more happens to them.”

“Yes, of course…”

Duza took one last look at the Guards, and she then faced the crowd. “You should all be ashamed… Today, it was that woman and those two children. Tomorrow, it can be you or your family. Why didn’t you stop them or call for an Adventurer or a Captain of the Guard?”

No one answered, but many of them looked away while others had tears in their eyes.

Duza went back to the Guild, feeling disgusted after all that. No wonder Ronald was so mad. Coming from another country, thinking things were peaceful there, and on the same day, seeing four Guards trying to attack her and then, three others whipping a mother and her two children, was more than enough to make any normal person lose their cool.

When she entered the Guild, she couldn’t find him. Not inside, not in the kitchen, or at the back. One servant told her that Ronald left the pushcart and went away without saying a word.

Duza went to the Inn to look for him, but he wasn’t there. She had a terrible thought. Maybe he went away… And just by thinking that, she felt tears rolling down her face. Surprised, she wiped one tear, and when she was looking at her wet finger, she heard Woof barking and followed that sound.

There was a narrow passage between the Inn and the Guild and at the back of the Inn, Ronald was seated on the floor and leaned against a tree while Woof was barking at a ‘Jumping Rabbit’ that was running around that tree.

Ronald saw her approaching, and she noticed he had been crying. She approached him and sat down in front of him, looking at him. “Are you okay? You worried me, back there.”

Ronald didn’t answer her; he just looked at the ‘Jumping Rabbit’ that was hopping around him and the tree and spoke to Riattus. “Magic in this World is funny. From a Card and with Magic that everyone has, a little guy that looks alive appears. There are normal people here, but the truly rotten ones are in a higher number.”

Riattus answered while looking at Duza: “Yes, I already told you that. But don’t forget that even normal people are capable of disgusting and violent acts to survive or just live in this World. I bet your beautiful Duza here has done some things in her past that it would be better if you never found out. Or at least, not so soon; you may start to see her or treat her differently, and she doesn’t deserve that. I like her; she is a strong woman with her head and convictions in the right place.”

Since Ronald seemed to be talking to himself without seeing her, Duza approached him and held his hands. “Ronald… are you okay?”

Ronald looked at her, and seeing those brown eyes so close with so much sadness in them made him slowly approach his lips. She didn’t avoid it; instead, she placed one hand on the back of his neck and pulled him near.

She put the tip of her tongue inside his mouth and slowly caressed it. Ronald strongly hugged her, stopping the squeezing when she complained by pulling the hair on the back of his neck.

They kissed for a while, with Duza taking the initiative and showing him with her tongue what she liked. She then slowly moved back a little and smiled. “Feeling better now? You didn’t look so good when I got here.”

“Yeah… sorry about that… That situation over there was too much for me. I almost left this City the fastest I could, but then I thought you could be sad if I did that, so I came here, and while I was thinking of you, I summoned that Jumping Rabbit. I think I understand why kids like that guy; he is funny. I suppose he is not very good in a fight, but he stopped my depression. And then you came to save me from this dark hole where I was. Thanks…”

Duza leaned her head on his right shoulder, and she fixed a piece of hair that was hanging in front of his eyes. “You’re welcome. But please try to not become so depressed around the others. I can’t kiss you like that every time you fall into another dark hole of depression.”

“That means I can wait for it when we are alone, right?”

Duza blew some air to move away that annoying piece of hair. “I think I can do that. But don’t you think I won’t slap your head if you do something crazy again! My man must be well-behaved! No one likes a violent and scary person!”

“Wait… are you saying I am your man? Since when? And who told you that I want to be yours?”

Duza slapped his ear. “Don’t you dare deny what you did to make me look like a seductress!”

“Never, dear Duza. I will also be more careful with my actions from now on so that you don’t worry so much.”

“At least talk to me before doing something rash, okay?”

Ronald smiled, and they stayed in there for a while, talking and looking at the rabbit that was jumping all around and avoiding Woof’s teeth.

When it was getting dark, Duza gave him another kiss, but this time, she even put her hand under his clothes and clenched her fingernails on his chest. When he tried to do the same to her breasts, she stopped the kiss and moved away. “No, no, Mister Ronald, I am a lady. Don’t you try to get too frisky with me!”

“Hey, but you…”

Duza quickly got up and jumped away, evading him. “Me, it’s me; you, it’s you. You need to be more reliable and more caring towards my feelings before I let you put one little finger over me!”

Ronald frowned. “Not fair…”

Duza put her hands on her back, and she leaned forward in a cute pose. “Who knows? Maybe one day I will let you do some very fun things with me. But you need to stick around and not try to be killed at every chance you get, okay? Because I would be sad if you left or if you died.”

“Okay, I won’t leave, but I can’t promise that I won’t die. There’s a dangerous voyage ahead of us; a lot of things can happen.”

Duza approached his right ear and whispered: “Yes, a lot of things can happen… I am counting on it…”

She then licked his earlobe and moved away before he could catch her for another kiss. “Time for dinner. You are going to eat with Mister Feebles, right? Do you want to go to the Guild afterwards for a late drink or tea? I can have a table ready for you if you want.”

“I don’t know if he wants to go there. He mentioned he gets nervous around so many Adventurers.”

“Well, you can tell him my father can join you guys to keep him safe; that should work. I must go; I need to ask Mira about her walk with Ma. Oh, I almost forgot, that Healing Potion you used on that woman and her children was impressive. It works even better than the ones we sell at the Guild!”

“Your father has the Blue Brittlebush leaves I sold him. If he prepares them right, he will make the same powerful potion.”

“Yeah, he was reading something about that last time I went to his office. Cool… Okay, see you later!”

Duza went back through the narrow passage to take the shortest route to the Guild. Ronald called the ‘Jumping Rabbit’ and told him to disappear. He then grabbed the Card and placed it in his Card Box again. He suddenly remembered that Riattus was there when he was kissing Duza! But when he looked around, Riattus wasn’t anywhere to be found.

“Weird… Maybe he left to take a look around, and he left us all alone. At least he realizes when he is the third wheel…”

From his left, Riattus spoke: “I went to my Card Box to leave you alone the moment she kissed you. Or you kissed her. I don’t know who started it; I just left.”

“Yeah… But… I thought it would take more time to get to this point. Wasn’t this too fast?”

“No, I don’t think so. Things around here progress a little faster than in our Worlds. They have to because death is around every corner, and it’s so easy for a couple to get separated by it. When a man and a woman are interested in one another, they go for it with all their body and soul.”

“If that’s what normally happens, what about Ma Yangfa and Mira? It took him a long time to actually try something.”

Riattus shrugged his shoulders. “I guess Mira was waiting for him, and he took so long because he is stupid. Or because he is so strong, he doesn’t worry about suddenly dying. In my time, I never wasted my time like that. When I saw a woman I liked, I conquered her. On my glorious days, I never spent a night alone; I always had a different woman in my bed, sometimes two or three. There was only one woman who acted like Duza was acting with you, showing that she was interested, but not letting you take any kind of advantage or take her for granted. That woman became my greatest love. It was because she was killed by a traitor I thought was my friend that I decided to conquer this World. I almost achieved it. If I did it, for sure, this World would be better by now. At least, the majority of evil people or violent ones would be sentenced to death and would become Monsters in their next life.”

“And by doing that, the number of Monsters would be too much for people to handle. I bet that by now, there would only be a few Humans around.”

Riattus nodded. “Maybe, but the few that remained Human would be great, instead of the rotten and mischievous ones that lurk on every corner.”

“You don’t know that… Well, time for dinner.”

“Wait, before that, pick up the Sphere and let’s place your points in the right place before our voyage starts.”

Ronald slowly took the Sphere from his bag and placed it on the ground. He looked inside while Riattus was approaching.

Race – Human

Name – Ronald O’Sullivan

Age – 25

Job – World Traveller

LV – 100

ATK – 15.060

HP – 10.040

Skills – none

Physical Attributes:

Strength – 110

Quickness – 100

Body – 100

Mental Attributes:

Intelligence – 1.000

Wisdom – 1.000

Special Attributes:

Willpower – 1.000

Mana – 1.400

XP (x2) – 40

And then the letters, saying, ‘Each XP gives 5 points to spend on Attributes. You have 200 points. Choose the Attributes and the number of points to allocate‘. And the Attributes appeared.

Physical Attributes:

Strength – 110

Quickness – 100

Body – 100

Mental Attributes:

Intelligence – 1.000

Wisdom – 1.000

Riattus pointed to the Sphere. “Well, you know what to do, right?”