SS1: An old man’s rambles

—Oldman Gazz POV—

I had lived all my life tending to this village lands. Planting, harvesting, foraging, and taking care of brats. You name it! There were only a handful of villager oldies who could best me at doing these things.

The old village head was always the one arranging and planning everything in this village. After all, he was one of the few who could study in Lord Gisvon’s Gartner Town. When the village head was still young, he lucked up and ended up assigned as a storekeeper in the business of some well-off merchant. It was something everyone was envious of during those times. Well, excluding this old man, of course!

I heard he learned a lot about managing and keeping tabs or something. Bah! I think the thing he learned the most was counting money and picking chicks. Just look at her wife and you could tell how smooth he was when he was younger.

Anyway, though I’m older than the village head, he looks much older than me. Bahaha, serves him right! Continuously piling issues regarding the village must have taken a toll at his looks. It definitely made him grumpy and unpleasant looking unlike me. The young lazy bums in the village had given him a lot of extra white hair due to stress. It was a fantastic thing that I taught my kids and their little ones about working hard.

***

A letter had come from the town with the Lord Baron’s seal.

Apparently, a month ago, an adventurer from the town delivered it to the village head. I wonder what it was all about. It was very rare to have a visiting adventure in this village, more so a letter from the Lord of Gartner Town.

Lately, problems were cropping up one after another, especially about the planting fields. The amount of harvest during the past fall seasons is dwindling. The village food stock could barely last this winter, but how about the next one? The village head had been thinking and worrying about the next harvest.

It started about three years ago. I, Old man Gazz, was actually the first to see the changes. Don’t belittle this old man’s 73 years of experience in the field. I discovered that the yield during our harvest was getting noticeably smaller and smaller. At first, we suspected it was just because of some soil pests. So, we searched the fields and took out bugs and other crop pests.

Later, we dismissed the notion. After two more harvests of crops, there was no change aside from the farm soil looking more rigid and dull. We tried to water the lands, but there was still no change.

So the elders and the chief also looked into the nearby village and towns, but to no avail. Sadly, it was only our fields who suffered from such a situation. In my 73- years of this was the first time I encounter this thing.

It seems like problems on how we would pay the taxes for Lord Baron would arise in the upcoming village meeting. I think that was what the letter is all about. If there was a letter coming from the town, it would be mostly about taxes for the kingdom and the barony nearby. They’ll as this and that, so on and so forth.

The old cheapskate is definitely scheming to milk us from our personal savings. This Old Gazz thinks that the old chief might think to shift our tax payments from grains to copper coins.

“Gramps! We gotta get goin’ to the plaza. It looks like some’uns new is arrivin’, you comin'?”

“Wait, you brat ain't goin’ nowhere without this old man!

Thus, I immediately followed my snotty grandson. This little kid had been a real pain in the ass. He loved to babble and gossip everywhere, bringing this old man wherever he goes. I wonder where this kid got his itchy feet. Well, it’s not from me anyway… I think?

As I walk towards the plaza, I overheard gossips that a new lord would arrive today to manage this village as a fief. It seems like it’s the truth. Well, I leave the thinkin’ job to the village head.

Clackk..clacckk..clacck.

Halt! Shouted a fierce burly man. He had covered himself with shiny armor.

Guessing by their looks and mannerisms, it seems like a lot of things will change from now on. My aged eyes tell me so.

Thus, I carefully appraised the eyes of the man who shouted. Perhaps others could not tell, but there was something was different. There was a strange ember of fire in the eyes of the man. It was not fierceness or brashness. It was the first time I saw it.

His very presence instilled unexplainable joy, excitement, and pressure on me.

Suddenly, I felt a glance scanning me. Eh? The big guy was also looking at me. He grinned. Bah! Maybe it wasn’t me. Thus, I slowly lowered my head in distress. There was too much force and emotion coming from the big dud’s gaze. It was flickering with embers of passion.

Eh? Embers? Passion?!

My eyes circled around the whole village plaza. Maybe it was for some else. Thinking a little more, this old man’s spine shivered, a chill crept up to my old sickly spine. It made the old hairs on my arms stand on their toes. Then, revolting nausea slowly crept up from the abyss of my guts. I felt horrified. Such an incorrigible bastard. You, you, you dare!?

Though old, these bones only like cute and tender girls. I hate big men!

A burst of loud laughter suddenly boomed out from the armored man.

“Haha! At last, the week-long wearisome and boring journey has ended. We have arrived at this new fief of mine. “See this darling, this land is ours as promised by the Lord Baron.”

Ah, he looked at me again. It seemed like it wasn’t a coincidence indeed. Thus, instead of looking, I slowly looked up and prayed for the first time in years.

Oh, goddess and esprites! Help this old man’s withered bones. This Old Gazz from now on promises to not peek anymore at bathing ladies near the river, nor the bathing ladies on the nearby wells. Just help me this once! This old man refuses to be ravaged and toyed by a bearlike muscled bro!

I looked at him again.

The embers in his eyes were provokingly examining something in my body. Those beastly eyes’ interest lies solely on this edgy old man’s visage. What can he get from these old bones?! Damn it!

Hmn.

….

Oh boy. Oh, boy.

My palms sweated as his beast-like eyes ravaged my body. Please don’t look at me. Please don’t look at this old man. My withered body could not handle the stress.

And… My bones are not tasty.

Shoo. Shoo. Shoo. I couldn’t help but roar in my mind.

Bah! Don’t look here, you burly man. I reserved this body for ladies!

“…”

This old man’s eyes rarely fail me.

The big dud wants my body.