The Normal Farmer - Completed

Chapter 2 - Goblin Village

Riattus smiled and disappeared. His voice came from outside the hatch, “You can come out, no one is here. The nature disguised even more the exit, there’s grass and a big bush around this. I had a pile of leaves and a big branch around the opening, but now, it’s perfect. I almost forgot how beautiful this World is, with the morning sun.”

Ronald pushed the hatch, and it opened completely. The dog jumped to the outside and sniffed around. Ronald followed him and closed the hatch again.

There was a small lever disguised as a rock and following Riattus instructions, he moved it to one edge, hearing a closing sound from the hatch.

Riattus nodded and said, “Yes, like that, if needed, you can use it again to enter my hideout. Not that I think you will need it, but it’s good to know that you can, right? So, we must think about what you will do from now on. But first, let’s get you down this mountain, shall we? Follow me, there’s an edge on this direction where you can use my next Card, the ‘High Slide’. When you reach the bottom and if you want to come here again, you will need the ‘High Stairs’ to make a path to climb up here. Better if we don’t make too much noise, I don’t want to attract any danger towards my saviour.”

Ronald followed him, calling out the dog in a low voice. In the edge, Riattus was frozen, looking down. He looked worried, and Ronald asked, “What’s the matter? You see something down there?”

Riattus nodded. “Yeah, and I don’t like what I see. Quick, put your hand on the bag and say, ‘Binocular’, so that you can take it out more easily. Then, look down there. Be prepared, the sight it’s a little upsetting.”

Ronald did that and what he saw made his face turn pale. For a while he looked around the village on the ground, increasing the magnification from time to time. He tried to look and understand what was before his eyes, despite the nightmare images that he was seeing.

A village with wooden huts, with strange dark green beings dressed in a cloth around their lower halves, with the size of a ten-year-old and some with almost two-meter-tall, judging by the dead horses nearby. Two horses were being roasted alive in a fire, pierced by a stick that was being rotated by one of the tall beings. On another fire, there were two live naked men, being roasted too. Fortunately, Ronald was on top of a mountain, because they seemed to be screaming their lives out.

That was too much, he put the binocular on the ground, ran to a nearby rock and throw up. He took a few deep breaths and rushed to the binocular again because Riattus was calling him with urgency. When he looked to where Riattus was pointing, he saw a pile of human bodies near the fire, already roasted and being sliced by some of the green creatures, but those had breasts, females, perhaps. Another look to a different direction and the sight was even worse. Two women were dead on top of a table, being eaten raw by five small beings while two of the tallest ones were r****g the dead women. On the nearest table, a woman was still alive, screaming while the green beings were eating her arms and legs and a taller one was r****g her, even while she was dying by the loss of blood from the wounds made by the eating. Near them, a blond naked woman was tied to a pole, watching that scene and crying her eyes out. She was next, judging by the small beings that were striping her, preparing her for their meal.

Ronald pointed to that woman and looked to Riattus. “We need to help her!”

Riattus slowly shook his head. He had hate in his eyes. “No, it’s useless. Even if you save her, her mind will never recover from what she is seeing. As fast as you try, she will be killed as soon as you do something by the nearest Goblin. I always hated those things. If I wasn’t confined, I would have eradicated all the Goblins in this World by now. I almost managed to do that, on my time. It’s better if we go down there and you kill everything in there. Don’t you think you can save any Human, it’s hopeless. After every single one of them is dead and you absorb the Mana Orbs, I will explain those things. But now, do me a favour, avenge the Humans, okay?”

“Yes… What can I do?”

“Get ready. The ‘Slide’ Card costs 100 mana, the ‘Giant Spider’, it’s 100 mana, the ‘Big Rat’ costs 150 mana, the ‘Rock Ball’ will cost 200 mana, ‘Bottomless Hole’ will be 200 mana, ‘End Life’ costs 100 mana and ‘Sonic Blast’ it’s 100 mana. You have 500 Mana, and because of your bracelet, you have 1.000 Mana to spend. If my math is correct, you will spend 950 Mana. Too short for my taste. It could be enough, but many Goblins could be hidden, and you will need Mana to summon more Magical Beings. I never went into a battle with less than 10.000 Mana…”

Ronald was looking at the Cards, and he wondered why the cost of the Traps ‘Rock Ball’ and ‘Bottomless Hole’ were more than the 100 Mana that the traps should be. But Riattus explained again because he would use those trap Cards immediately, the cost would be double. And the lack of Mana was worrying Ronald as well.

He looked at two Mana Spell Cards that Riattus told him to put on his deck. “How can I use this? I have 1.000 Willpower, I can change some of it to Mana, right?”

“Yes, it’s better if you learn how to do that, so hold one of them in your hand and say, ‘Mana Spell Card, Activate!’. You will feel the same tickling on your body when it activates, similar to the popping of a Mana Orb, signalling that you have gained more Mana. Use both Cards, one at a time. You will spend 200 Willpower but will gain 400 Mana. You will feel a minor headache because you are messing with your Willpower, but it’s not difficult to endure, and it only lasts a moment. In a fight, that brief moment could cost you your life, that’s why it is wise to be prepared beforehand so you don’t need to do it when you are in danger. It is better to always have at your disposal more Mana than you think you could need. Most Mages don’t do that, and that’s why I was never defeated. Well, along with my absurd Level and amount of Mana, of course.”

"I understand… And what about the other Cards? I have to throw them like a frisbee like the Mages were doing in the cave, right?”

"Yes, but try not to point one of them towards the dog, he might think you are playing with him and bit it, destroying the Card before it could activate. Now, increase your Mana, I want to stop the pain of those two women as soon as possible.”

Ronald used the Mana Spell Cards as he was told and felt a headache each time. Not too strong, but he could tell that it was something important, like if his brain was losing something. But the tickling that followed, stopped the headache.

At the edge of the cliff where Riattus was standing, Ronald placed the Card on the floor and activated it. A big slide appeared, starting at the place where the Card was and going all the way down, until it stopped on the ground below, with a gentle curve. Ronald pulled the dog, and they both jumped to the slide. He had to close the dog’s mouth because he was trying to bark in a surprise caused by the speed of the descent. In the end, they stopped near the edge of the slide. When Ronald stood up on the ground, the slide disappeared, and the Card was on the floor next to the place where the end of the slide used to be. He picked the Card and pulled the dog by the rope, making sure that he wouldn’t try to get loose to fight the Goblins and be killed. Riattus pointed to the nearby forest.

"A few meters ahead that forest, it’s the Goblin Village. I saw a lot of Goblins, some Orcs and a Goblin Shaman. The Orcs are stronger than a Human, and the Shaman can use Magic and summon Magical Beings. But don’t let the small size of the Goblins fool you. If a group of them attack you, they act like a pack of wolves, they can be very dangerous. Get from your deck the Spell Card 'Fire Rain', you will use it as a last resort. For attacking, look to where there are more Goblins and throw the 'Rock Ball', the 'Sonic Blast', and the 'End Life'. Throw the 'Bottomless Hole' to the front of a group that ran towards you. After that, summon the “Big Rat” and the “Giant Spider” by throwing them to the middle of the Village and let them run loose. They will kill everything that moves, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Goblin, a Human or a horse, but they are more or less obedient, you can order them to attack a particular enemy if you want. Have your sword at hand, you may need it. In case a Goblin comes to you, release the dog, it will distract him long enough for you to kill the damn thing. To make sure they all died, use the 'Fire Rain' Spell Card. Get ready to use the other Magical Beings Cards that you have, the other Rats and Spiders. You have two more Willpower Cards if needed, but be ready for the headache, okay? After the 'Fire Rain', you will have 350 Mana to summon more Magical Beings, but I would prefer if you saved that Mana for an emergency. We have a full day ahead of us, but you will get the Mana spent when you sleep. And even like that, you will only get 500 Mana, because of your Wisdom.”

Ronald nodded, and he rushed to the forest, with Woof running at his side and Riattus floating on the other. Near the edge of the Village, Riattus signalled him to crouch. Ronald saw the group that was eating and r****g the woman right at his front. His blood boiled. The woman was still screaming, but it was a low scream, her life was leaving her body with each bite. The other woman tied to the pole was screaming in a hoarse voice, it didn’t even sound Human anymore. The panic and the fear made her mad and was making her scream without realizing that a Goblin was eating her left leg. Her eyes looked dead. Just as Riattus told him, she was already lost without any kind of hope to recover from what happened to her and her companions. From afar, the horses that were being roasted were still neighing, and the men were screaming, while the Goblins were making some strange, inhuman snores, that looked like a big pig calling for food.

Ronald started by throwing the 'Rock Ball' to the nearest group with the command word for the activation, killing the woman that was being r***d, in the process. The Rock Ball went straight ahead, smashing the huts and every Goblin and Orc on its passage until it disappeared in the forest at the back. The 'Sonic Blast' went in the direction of the tied woman, ending her suffering and killing every Goblin on its path. Ronald threw the 'End Life' to the group of Goblin females that were slicing the roasted bodies, killing them and some youngster Goblins. He then threw the “Big Rat” and the “Giant Spider” in the direction of the men that were being roasted, and he ordered:

"Go right in front, kill everything!”

Strangely, the Rat and the Spider looked at him and the Rat nodded his head while the Spider clacked the mouth pincers. They ran ahead, killing every Goblin they saw. Woof tried to get loose, he seemed to recognise those Monsters from the cave, and he wanted to attack them. Ronald pulled the dog and tried to calm him down:

"I know, boy, but they are not after us. This time, they are on our side.”

Suddenly, from a nearby hut, a Goblin with an animal’s skull on top of his head appeared, and he was pulling something from a bag that he had on his hand.

Ronald reacted immediately, "Woof, attack!”

The dog ran toward the Goblin Shaman, with Ronald right on his tail. Woof jumped and bitted the arm that was holding a Card, making it fall to the ground. Ronald arrived and a straight pierce to the Shaman's throat ended the fight.

Ronald picked the Card from the floor and the bag of Cards and pulled Woof to the forest again. A quick look to his back showed two Orcs running towards him, but they fell in a quick throw of a 'Bottomless Hole'.

After a few moments, the Big Rat and the Giant Spider arrived. The Rat had some nasty cuts on his sides and the Spider had some missing legs.

Riattus told him that they were waiting for orders, it seemed that there was no one alive for them to attack. Ronald approached them after Riattus assured him it was safe, with Woof staying behind, barking at them.

"Silence, Woof! ‘Big Rat’ and ‘Giant Spider’, thanks for your help. I hope you recover over time, I may need your help again.”

The Rat nodded his head again, and the Spider clacked her mouth pincers. They disappeared, leaving on the ground the Cards. Ronald picked them up, and he then threw to the air in front, the 'Fire Rain' Spell Card. Upon the activation, Magic Fire came down in flushes, burning completely the village and vaporizing the dead bodies. Any Goblin that could be hiding in a hut was sure to be vaporized as well.

Ronald went to pick the Cards that he used, and strangely, he could feel where they were. Riattus explained that it was his link to the Cards that allowed that.

There were Mana Orbs all around, and Ronald went to each of them to absorb the Mana. In total, there were 21 Orbs, some red and some white.

Ronald thought that Woof could have some, but Riattus advised him otherwise, “Keep them all for yourself. Woof will have more opportunities. You need to get stronger or you won’t last long on this World. Do it quickly, we need to find a safe place for a talk. I need to explain some things to you.”

Ronald nodded and after popping every Orb, they left to a house in ruins that was near Riattus mountain. Riattus looked around and he seemed sad. "This used to be my house when my life was simpler and more peaceful. And also when I was naïve and thought that the people living in this World, could be helped. I should have stayed in here, farming and living in peace. Maybe I could have married and have some children and use my power to keep the surroundings safe and free of Monsters…”

Ronald was puzzled. "What do you mean by Monsters? The ones on the Cards?”

Riattus slowly shook his head. "No, on the Cards, they are called Magical Beings. I was talking about real Monsters, like Goblins, Orcs, Harpies and Lamias. Goblins and Orcs, you already saw them. Harpies are half women and half hawk, with wings and dangerous claws. They like Human flesh, a lot. Lamias are stranger. They are half women and half snake and despite liking to eat Humans, they also like to mate with them. Rapping would be the most appropriate term because no Human in his perfect mind would ever want to copulate with one Lamia and be eaten in the end. In this World, there are Humans, Dwarfs and Elfians. But not your usual Dwarf and Elfian that you may have encountered in your homeworld. They are all mean, dangerous and they prefer to kill you on sight instead of talking to you. Humans are the same, most of them don’t deserve to live, but occasionally, you can find a really good person, but they are very rare. Finding a good Dwarf or an Elfian is harder, but there were some in my time. I had two friends that were with me until the end. They were killed during my last battle.”

"Strange… Why are there so many bad people? The peaceful ones, they are killed upon birth or what?”

"No, it’s even stranger than that. Every year, near the middle of it, on Seya’s month, a flying Mountain appears in the sky, through a big Gateway. It travels around the World during that month and in the churches throughout the World, a female Knight appears, fully dressed in dark armour. Anyone upon his sixteenth birthday and on the following adult years can go to a church and be judged by that Knight. On some churches you have to pay to enter, on others it’s free while in many others, you must be allowed by the Priest, to enter. If you are judged as a good soul, you can cross the Gateway and leave this World. If not, you can try to improve and try again next year. If you fail by the third time, you won’t be allowed to try again. That Mountain stays for an entire week and then it leaves, returning in the next year, in Seya’s month again.”