Meeting Farmer Cork

"Don't tell me after all the time we spent together you still haven't figured him out Lucy. Under all that crazy and idiotic facade lies a knowledgeable and dependable person. Ming only acts that way around us because he can't change this skin easily."

On a lonely dirt road, winding along the grasslands, two young children walked while engaging in quiet conversation. The moon and stars overhead, together with the gentle, silver lit countryside did well to mask the thoughts of the recent bloodletting.

Lucy gave him a glance before replying. In the night he did not notice the raised eyebrows over one of her eye like a true skeptic.

"Chu, are you sure about that? Are we talking about the same person?"

Chu slowed down for a moment. With only the moonlight as his guide, walking on the uneven dirt road became a task. For Lucy it was no problem in this darkness. He turned to look into her yellow eyes.

"Ming has always been dependable. Since living in the slums he has always shown a mark of helping others. Furthermore, if you want to know where his true skills lay, then accompany him to the tavern one day. I can guarantee you will be shocked at how easy the guy blends in.

He might not look it, but he has an uncanny way of socializing. Whenever we move to the city, that guy is going to be our greatest asset."

Chu had realized ever since the demon wolf incident that Ming possessed a high aptitude for gauging someone. A person with that sort of sixth sense would make a great adventuring companion on the road.

Lucy placed her finger on her chin as she processed what Chu just told her. A gradual picture of the true hidden 'big brother Ming' materialized in her mind. What Chu said was probably right.

"So all we have to do is make sure he can survive his crazy escapades to make it into the city?"

Chu turned and gave her a soft karate chop on the head.

"Don't raise anymore flags."

Lucy rubbed her head before following him. She had a clear view of his small and narrow back, but to her it seemed so broad. Even though she could have dodged that slow-moving chop, she would never think of doing it.

It was after all, consistent with the way they both usually interacted.

Luckily for them the nearest farm turned out to be around one to two hours walk away. By the time they entered the roadway entrance leading to the farm, the sliver of light from the east heralded the dawn.

Chu looked around at the ripe and ready cornfields. Only an efficient farm like his had managed to complete the harvest early. Most of the others such as this one before him were still in the progress. Because of this, these farms had to cope with the loss due to the freak storm.

"Do you see it Lucy? See the intelligence of a bandit after learning from the previous generations? They attacked the farms near the end of autumn. That way they either get the farmers hard-earned cash from selling the excess, or the recently harvested grains."

Chu explained his reasonings to Lucy.

The young girl soaked in the information like a sponge. She was accustomed to Chu spouting his deductions from a mere observation. Using her own mind she pieced together the simple logic. She might have figured it out eventually, but only he could grasp the overall picture.

Before they entered the area surrounding the farmhouse, a voice shouted out from among one of the uncut fields.

"State your business stranger!"

Chu gazed among the rows of corn now visible in the early light. His face bore a grim expression.

'This life can truly be called hard.'

Imagine knowing that bandits are on the prowl, yet having no choice to continue on with the harvest. He considered it a lose-lose situation. Either be killed by bandits or risk being sold as slaves.

"Mor'ning! We have come to see the farmer. My old man Farmer Thomas sent us with an urgent message!"

The cornfield responded to Chu's shout in silence.

Shortly thereafter a young man walked out holding a wooden fork.

"Farmer Cork is in the fields at the back with the rest of the help. I'm here acting as a lookout, you kids do know there are bandits prowling around right?"

Chu answered with a nod. He did not want to reveal any information unless he spoke to the farmer himself.

The man had them walking in front while he held the pitchfork horizontally at the back. Chu thought he finally understood the feelings of a herded animal. Before they could walk pass the house a woman's voice called out from inside.

Even as a kid the guy treated them warily.

"Heaven's me! Is that Lucy? Young Miss Lucy?"

A woman around the age of Mrs Thomas unbolted the front door and ran out.

"Lucy, did something happen at the farm? Is Mrs Thomas and the other girls ok?"

Ms Butters was the name of the farmer's wife. On recognizing the young girl she rushed out seeking news. Lucy received the smothering hug from the well-rounded woman until she was freed.

"Everyone's fine at the barn, but we need to talk to Farmer Cork urgently. My old man had an important message."

"Well don't just stand there Dun, hurry and go get my husband!"

Ms Butters swiftly issued a command, typical for a farmer's wife.

While the help ran for help, the kids were quickly ushered inside the house. Only when the door was barred did the woman feel safe. Inside the house they met up the two daughter-in-laws.

Even though hard work from farming had given these women callused hands and some scars, Chu could only thank the heavens he stopped the bandits in time.

Otherwise these women would have had to experience the same fate as the ones he saw previously. His mind received a huge moral boost, supporting his nightly action.

They did not have to wait long before Farmer Cork came running in, huffing and puffing. Chu waited until he settled down before relaying his planned message.

"My old man told us to check you during our hunting. When he discovered the destruction at the Hoyle farm he had his previous adventuring buddies with him. He sent us with his friends to exact vengeance while he buried the household remains.

Last night his friends waylaid some bandits who were heading towards your farm. Because time is short, they sent us to deliver two messages of utmost importance."

Chu stopped to allow his words to sink in. The gasps from the frightened women showed the at least understood they had been saved from disaster. This would of course have the effect of swaying them easily towards his cause.

"What are the messages?"

The old man asked.

"The first one is to accompany us with a wagon to secure the prisoners they captured. My brother is out there, guarding them at the moment. Don't worry, a guy in the party fed them some poison. They are all bundled up and ready for you. No danger at all!

The second is to send a quick message to both the garrison and our farm. My old man is at home protecting it and his friends say they will need him to help in some tracking. If he could meet up with them in the evening it would be ideal."

Chu finished his talk. He hoped he convinced the man.

"Are you saying out on the road are a group of captured bandits?"

"Correct, all tied up and waiting on transport. The mercenaries hope you will get there quickly. Otherwise the remaining bandits will escape and possibly return in the future to exact revenge for their fallen comrades. We have to return to assist them in carrying their supplies."

Farmer Cork nodded. After some more questions he understood the majority of the situation.

That man Mr Thomas raised a rough neck household. It was rumored that he even sent his daughter into the forest to track and hunt. He never doubted that household capabilities -He himself had received gifts of large cuts of smoked deer and boar.

He further knew from his wife that Mrs Thomas had cordial relations with the women at the Hoyle farm. If she could sway her husband to act, those bandits would kick an iron door.

Having two children wander the roads in the dead of night without a care, testified to the character of that household.

"Ok, I will have Dun take a wagon and rush over to the village and farm. My sons and I will grab the other wagon and take you back. I want to see the faces of the men who planned to butcher my family."

Farmer Cork had no inkling about if this was some trap. The two kids could never tell so brazen a lie.

It did not take long for the group to mobilize. The unquestioning and quick response surprised Chu.

'This is all thanks to the trust and well wishes built up over nearly two years by Mrs Thomas.'

Chu was a little lost as to where they left the place, until he remembered the horses and campfire. However when he saw the remains of the fire, he missed the horses. His stomach turned into a knot as countless scenarios played out in his mind.

Those fears were dissipated when Ming stepped out from a nearby hedge.

"The bandits are behind this ridge here, while I tied the horses at the bottom of that one there."

He led them over the bump to the fellows lying on the grass. Some of them had regained their consciousness after being knocked out, but the poison effects still lingered. The fellows had a hard time preventing themselves from choking on their own spit, much less trying to escape.

"By the blue sky! Damn, your old man really has some powerful friends! What do you want us to do?"

Farmer Cork had nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the number. After the inspection and witnessing the current state of the men, he had no problems following any orders given by the boy.

If these men were allowed to conduct their raid, then he and his family would have been surely dead in different ways to the world.

"We will leave them to you then. Since you sent Dun to the barn, the old man should arrive first. When he does, he will decide the fate of these men. You can load them on the wagon like bales of hay. Just remember to keep them separated when you return, so as to prevent any schemes."

"No problem, I think three grown men can manage this."

Chu nodded. He did not forget the true gains from last night's skirmish.

"What about the horses, will you make a second trip for them?"

"No need. My boys will gather them and tie em up in single file behind the wagon. That way we only need to make this one trip."

Farmer Cork rubbed his hands. Being able to help out during this time could only leave a good impression on Mr Thomas. If ever he ran into trouble, a friend like this was worth his weight in gold.

He watched as the three children waved goodbye and ventured off into the grasslands.

Kicking a bandit lying on the ground he and his sons began loading the men like sacks of potatoes.

They never noticed the huge shape that bounded across the grasslands to rejoin the children.

All Chu wanted was to cover some distance and then get some sleep.

His bandit hunting day had just begun.