Farmer

The moon was hidden behind grey clouds, making the night sky seem as eerie as it was beautiful. The sound of waves crashing against the sand broke the silence of the night. A party of at least twenty warriors were riding along the coast, tired and weary of their journey. They were following an unmarked road towards an unnamed town with a notorious reputation. Their objective, only they themselves knew. After an hour of riding, they reached an armoured gate barring the way towards the cove wherein the town was located.

Hidden within the well-secluded cove was the fishing hamlet the party was looking for. The small town was still bustling with noise and the warriors were met with many looks of distaste upon their arrival at the gate. From the distance they could see the hamlet was made with shoddy wooden edifices arranged neatly around a half-moon shaped pier filled with ships of many shapes and sizes. At the entrance of the cove stood guard a dozen heavily armed and clearly battle-hardened men.

"Halt!" Commanded the leader of the guards. A short man with a beard that reached his belt. "What is your purpose for coming here?"

The group of warriors broke off in two halves. The group closest to the guards was led by a young man dressed lavishly like a noble. His silk clothes fluttered in the soft breeze as he urged his horse to stand before the leader of the guards. His eyes shone with arrogance and a contemptuous scowl hung from his lips.

"Our business is our own." Explained the young noble as he waved with his hand. "Now grant us passage and we may yet forgive you."

"Outsiders are not allowed to come here unless they explain their purpose." The guard acted as if he hadn't seen the young noble's disdain. "If you do not want to tell me, then I will have to ask you to leave."

The young noble frowned. He had not expected a lowly guard to bar him passage. Just as he was about to order his men to kill the guards for being so impudent, a soft hand landed on his shoulder. He turned and noticed a beautiful young lady he knew well shake her head softly towards him.

"My good man, it is not that we do not want to explain, but that we swore on the honour of Naosh that we wouldn't. Thus, we are unable to." She said softly. The young lady possessed a beauty that could cause hearts to stop beating and fire to freeze in shame. With her soft features and golden locks of hair that cascaded onto her shoulders, even the moon paled in comparison. "But we understand the importance of your task and so will compensate you accordingly."

"My Lady, is this really necessary?" Hurriedly tried to stop her the young noble.

"Of course it is, young master Ley." She replied as she handed the guard a heavy pouch filled to the brim with gold and silver coins. The guard, whom had already been shocked senseless from the beauty before him could not help but feel even greater shock upon witnessing the contents of the pouch. This was more wealth than he had seen in his entire life.

"My Lady, if I can be of any service, do not hesitate to ask!" He said amidst hurried breaths. "If you require anything I, Toli, shall oblige to the best of my abilities."

"Thank you, good Toli. As matters stand, we need someone to care for our rides as we conclude our work here."

"This is no problem at all!" Toli struck his chest with his fist and indicated to his guards to help dismount the party before them. "Allow me to guide all of you good people during your stay here. With me beside you, none will dare trouble you."

"None would have dared without you, either." Disdainfully interjected the young Ley noble; but Toli ignored him and proceeded to instruct the other guards on what they must do.

Once all the horses were cared for, Toli led the young lady and the young Ley noble down the winding path towards the hamlet. From time to time he would explain the inner workings and trading activities present at the hamlet. He was brimming with pride at the accomplishments of the once barren wasteland that had been this area. Following closely behind them were the warriors of the two groups. Toli watched them momentarily and noticed that each faction was dressed slightly differently from the other; clearly indicating that half of the warriors belonged to either the Ley or the Lady's side.

"Good Toli, there is no need for you to guide us." Spoke the Lady, interrupting Toli's trail of thought, upon reaching the first row of houses.

"Of course there is!" He said striking once more with his fist against his chest. "And it is not enough! Should you require anything else, please do not hesitate to ask. Be it lodgings, contacts, weapons, armour, or trade, I can help you with anything."

"Actually, we are searching for a man whom rumours state is here." Explained the Lady after hesitating for a while.

"Pray tell, who is this man? If he is here I shall guide you to him myself! I do not mean to boast, but not many would refuse to meet me, Toli, here!"

"We are looking for a man known as Farmer. Have you heard of him?"

Upon being questioned, Toli suddenly went pale and stopped in his footsteps. He wasn't the only one. A few random passer-by's froze and hurriedly retreated far from the group. For a minute the silence was suffocating and the Lady regretted mentioning Farmer. And yet, she was curious as to the kind of man that could provoke such a reaction just with mentioning his name. Maybe the rumours had been understating just how dangerous Farmer was.

"My lady, are you sure you intend to meet with this… man?"

"Yes, we do. It is imperative we talk to him."

Toli sighed and rubbed his forehead in deep concentration. "I already gave my word I would guide you to him, and I intend to keep it. But, allow me some words of warning: do not meet with him unless there is no alternative."

"Thank you for your concern, good Toli, but we truly have no choice."

"Very well. Let us go, then."

"I doubt this Farmer will refuse to meet us when he hears our family's names." Arrogantly commented the young noble. "The Ley family's reputation is as vast as the sky."

"For all your sakes, Young Master, you will not try to pressure him using your family's name."

"Pray tell, what do you mean, guardsman? Will he not give my family face?" Angrily asked the young noble. However, Toli merely ignored him and proceeded to guide the group of warriors towards the narrow streets of the fishing hamlet. If at first Toli was cheerfully talking, now he remained silent and gloomy.

Toli took them through weaving alleys and passed many wooden houses from which signs in all shapes, colours, and languages hung. Blacksmiths, potters, cobblers, ship-builders, etc…, each had a store in the fishing hamlet. Before long, they reached a bustling tavern. The Dry Fish. Sounds of people shouting and things crashing reached the group's ears.

"All of you together cannot come in. Only four, at most, can come to meet him." Suddenly explained Toli. "Decide that amongst yourselves, I will take no part in this matter."

"My Lady, this establishment is unbefitting of the majesty of your presence. Allow myself and three of my best men to talk to this man. I assure you, before the hour is out, he will agree to all our terms or my surname isn't Ley." Boasted the young noble.

"Very well. I shall await eagerly out here."

With that, Toli led the young noble alongside three of his warriors into the inside of The Dry Fish. As expected, the inside was a den of madness as people shouted and drank themselves senselessly. Some were gambling, a few were fighting, and there was even a couple fucking to the side. Immediately the young noble furrowed his brows and cursed under his breath. He was glad that the Lady had stayed outside.

Toli rapidly approached the bar and called the tavern master over. He was a fat man with a dishevelled beard; but his eyes were brimming with friendliness. Clearly, he wasn't concerned with the goings on of his tavern.

"Brother Toli!" Exclaimed the man in glee. "I was not expecting you this evening. I thought you'd still be at the gate. However, it is always a pleasure to see you. Tell me, what will it be tonight?"

"I'm afraid that I come not for pleasure, but for business, tonight. This man here is looking for Farmer, may he meet him?"

Instantly the noise began to die down. Toli's words hadn't been loud, but somehow everyone heard them and everyone stopped in their actions. Even the couple pulled themselves apart and dared not breathe heavily. You could have heard a pin drop in the once bustling tavern. Outside, the rest of the party was aware of this change and couldn't help but to look around suspiciously. Some drew their swords and prepared to rush in to defend the young noble should a commotion arise.

"Toli, my brother, is what you say true?" Fearfully asked the tavern keeper.

"It is." Shouted the Ley noble, interrupting Toli before he could explain on his behalf. "Now quickly bring me to him!"

"Toli…" Sighed the fat man, ignoring the noble. "Toli, are you sure of this?"

"I am not, but they paid good coin and have expressed their good faith. And I promised them my help. I am nothing if not true to my word."

"Very well, brother, because it is you, I shall oblige; but, be warned, he may not take this matter kindly. You four, follow me."

With that, the tavern keeper came out from behind bar and led the four men towards a heavy curtain hidden in a back corner of the tavern. He knocked thrice on the side of the curtain and then lifted it cautiously. Without uttering a word, he raised his hand and indicated for the others to cross it.

Behind the curtain was a dark room. Strewn all over the floor were broken tankards and torn pieces of paper, fragments of maps so old some would turn to dust if breathed heavily upon. In the middle of the room was a large oaken table. Sitting with his back to the curtain was the figure of a man wrapped in a hooded leather cloak. Beside him was a black quarterstaff and a surprisingly large snow-white wolf which had its face between its paws.

"Guests, allow me to introduce you to Farmer." Hesitantly spoke the tavern keeper.

"My name is Illeon Ley, Farmer." Arrogantly proclaimed the young noble as he raised his face upwards. Outside the room, Toli shuddered and pitied the young man's foolishness. "No doubt you have heard of my family. Rejoice, for we have long heard of your great reputation and have travelled for many days to seek you in order to perform a task. Should you be successful, not only will you be handsomely rewarded, but your name will be the first when future business is discussed."

The speech was practiced, and Illeon's gestures were calculated. He was expecting Farmer to rise to his feet and hurriedly bow upon mentioning his background; however, reality proved to be the opposite. Farmer didn't move, not even to raise his head. The only reaction Illeon got was when the wolf's ears perked up in interest momentarily before returning to their resting position.

"Do you not desire our patronage, Farmer?" Illeon was feeling humiliated and angry. He was looking for any excuse to send his men forward to teach this man a lesson. And yet, he still did not get a reply.

"Callum." Suddenly spoke up the Farmer after a minute of silence. His voice was deep, raspy, and filled with charm. It made anyone who listened to it feel like following this man to the Thirteen Hells if he asked it. "Who is responsible for bringing this Ley dog to me?"

The men from the Lay family all had to hold themselves back from spitting a mouthful of blood upon hearing Farmer's question. One of them clenched the hilt of his sword strongly. The young Illeon turned green in anger and was close to pouncing forward when he was interrupted by the tavern keeper Callum.

"Reporting to Farmer, Toli was the one who brought them here."

"I see. Bring him in. I wish to know why he did so."

Callum needed not vacate the room before Toli hurriedly came through the curtain with his head bowed against his chest. Farmer gestured with his hand for Toli to sit in front of him. Once there, Toli began explaining the course of events leading to this moment, not daring to embellish or omit any detail. He made special emphasis on the Lady being the one who initiated contact with him and not Illeon Ley.

"I see. In that case, you're not the one at fault Toli. But I do not want to speak to these Ley dogs; bring me to the Lady, I shall speak to her personally." Farmer stood and grabbed his staff and turned to face the Ley noble and his warriors.

Momentarily, they were stunned.

Farmer's features were smooth and his face hard and angular around the edges. He was tall, tall enough to tower over them by half a head. His figure was strong and even though he was wrapped in a heavy hooded cloak, his appearance betrayed the large muscles hidden beneath it. However, what most caught their attention, were his piercing violet eyes that shone bright like stars in the midnight sky. There was something in those eyes, in his piercingly intense expression, that gave no room for argument.

Without waiting for a response, Farmer walked passed them and headed outside the tavern closely followed by Callum, Toli, and his snowy white wolf. As they exited the tavern, everyone else from inside flooded the doors and windows to catch a glimpse of the events that were about to transpire. This infuriated Illeon as he ran through the crowd attempting to stop Farmer from talking to his beloved fiancé.

"How dare you turn your back on me?" He shouted as soon as he was able to stand between Farmer and the rest of his party. "Do you not know who I am? Did you not listen when I told you my name?!"

Illeon was fuming with anger. Never had he felt so humiliated as he did at this time and he felt as if he needed to prove himself. His three guards took places beside him and drew their weapons. In less than a moment, the rest of his men surrounded Farmer and pointed at him with crossbows and swords. In total, a dozen armed warriors had blocked all means of his escape. Little did they know, however, that Farmer never had any intention of escaping.

"Are you the one looking for me?" Asked Farmer towards the Lady, not placing either Illeon or his warriors in his eyes.

"How dare you ignore me again?!" Illeon could take it no further and he readied himself to attack. His hands began to shine with an azure glow. Their intensity and substance revealed the fact that he was a third-dimension sorcerer. Truly a powerful arcane user in most parts. Nonetheless, an action that would fill most men's hearts with trepidation only triggered the scorn of the observers as they began laughing at the young Ley noble. Even Callum and Toli couldn't help but snicker.

"Young Mistress." Called out one of the guards standing beside the young Lady. "Something's amiss. Perhaps we should try to stop young master Ley."

"Oulong, you know as well as I do that Illeon's rage has been ignited. We cannot put a stop to his actions here tonight. Furthermore, he is a third-dimension sorcerer and all his men are in the second-dimension, some in the third. I doubt he will be harmed."

Her heart, however, betrayed her words as she did not truly believe them. Her eyes were fixed on Farmer's own. Even though he was surrounded, he did not shift his gaze for a second. And there was something in his calmness that told the young Lady that Farmer was about to cause a slaughter without batting an eyelid.