A wide open space in contrast to the dense Tengel jungle, the Sekudui Farmlands are open to all farmers and ranchers! There is much space available and plenty of resources to help raise some fine Tuskow or Roosken. (+3 Endurance, +2 Speed)

Moderator: Retired Staff

Return to Sekudui Farmlands

One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 2:20 AM

ImageImage


After the run-in they'd had in the mountains, Mercury thought she would be glad for the change of place. In fact, she'd been downright eager when Li had tentatively opted for somewhere settled. Generally she preferred to explore more rugged areas; the more people there were, the greater the likelihood she was going to run into some jerk who thought she was only a dumb beast. Alas, she wasn't allowed to kick all of them, much as she would have loved to.

This, however... This was not what she had in mind.

"How many more corn fields are we going to pass?! I'm sick of corn already!"
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 2:25 AM

She had half a mind to tear up all these corn fields, really. She didn't mind walking, and the roads here were nice enough as far as roads go, but why all this blasted corn?! Couldn't they at least plant something else for variety's sake? Who even was going to eat all this nonsense?

"Whoa, hey," said Li, from astride her back. Of course, he was no help at all, having clearly fallen asleep. He wouldn't admit it if she asked, but she had heard him snoring back there.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 2:27 AM

At least he was good and awake now. Mercury stamped her feet. "Why the heck are we here? You didn't have a hankering for corn, did you? Because I think I've seen enough corn to last me the rest of my life, thanks very much!" She'd had corn before too, and it wasn't even good. It didn't taste like anything. At the time, Li had said it was because this was the wrong type of corn, and they hadn't put anything on it, but he hadn't eaten very much either. The memory of it didn't make her very charitable towards the stuff now.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 2:29 AM

Li sat up a little straighter and scratched his head. His thoughts at the moment mainly revolved around finding an inn of some sort to hole up, or at least a creek or something. He hadn't washed in a while, and was starting to feel it, especially with the sun bearing down on them like it was. His straw hat could only do so much about that, after all. It really was too bad that people had to sweat.

"It was on the way out from the mountains. We wanted to get out of there, didn't we?" he said.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 2:31 AM

Mercury fell silent for a moment at that. Okay, he wasn't wrong, they really did have to leave in a hurry. Something had been amiss in those hills, and the locals had muttered about some sort of demon entity. Neither of them had suffered more than stolen things--- and Mercury would dearly miss the loss of her brushes--- but they hadn't wanted to stick around to find out if there was more harm to be had.

It had landed them straight in cornrow hell. "Are you sure we couldn't have come down at a place with even a little less corn?" she asked, a slight whine creeping into her voice.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 2:32 AM

Li gave a shrug. "Hey, I didn't know either. No one's sold us a map in a while, remember?" Mercury didn't, in fact, remember anything of the sort, but she wasn't the one who kept track of things like that. She would take his word for it.

She heaved a dramatic sigh. "How long do you think this is going to go on for?" she asked. Looking down the road, she couldn't see an end in sight. There were barely hills, merely gentle rises and falls in the road, almost too imperceptible to notice.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 2:35 AM

It made for easy walking, but after days and days of this, she would have given it up for a little variety. Any kind of variety at all. And it also offered her a fine view of the horizon, all corn, with no reprieve in sight.

"Hmm. There's a house right up there," said Li, standing up a little in the saddle and pointing out a speck in the distance. "Think they'd put us up for the night if we paid them?"

"They'd better," muttered Mercury. "I don't know where we're going to stay otherwise. I don't see another house for miles."
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 3:46 AM

It was just as well that it was only early afternoon. They'd be going a while before they even came up to the house that they'd spotted. Distances were strange in such a flat place. You could see for miles and miles, but you never seemed to get much closer, even though you'd been walking for hours.

Mercury supposed she could have tried to start running, but what use would that be? They would get there sooner or later, and there was no point overheating herself and getting tired without due cause.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 3:48 AM

It took them another several hours' walking before they reached the house. By that point Li had fallen asleep again, despite his best efforts. At first he had been a good sport and tried to strike up games of "I Spy" and other such nonsense, but several days in, and he was understandably opting to sleep through the day instead. Mercury might not have minded it so much, if only she had the same option. Alas, she was carrying him, and had to stay awake.

"I don't see why it can't be the other way around, once in a while," she muttered under her breath. Not that he heard her.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 3:50 AM

She took her little satisfaction in jostling him awake with a neat, short jump as soon as they closed in on their destination. "Ack! Wha?" said her ever-eloquent rider, snapping awake with a start.

"We're here," Mercury sing-songed. "I figured you'd want to be awake for this." He would have to deal with the people, of course. People tended to attribute speech, any kind of speech, to the human of the duo. It was mighty tiring, but sometimes it was for the best too. They didn't always encounter the nicest or most upstanding of sorts.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 3:53 AM

It was safer for Li, with all the sympathy he could elicit from his fellow man, to test the waters first. Some folks had rather... unpleasant reactions to Mercury. She never could fathom why, but people weren't stupid for a reason.

The house itself was nothing to write home about. It was just a house, a quaint two-storey little thing, painted white. As they drew nearer, it became apparent that the paint was peeling. There was a barn too, half hidden by the bulk of the house, which interestingly enough looked to be in better repair.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 3:55 AM

"So they like animals," said Li, having noted the same things that Mercury had seen. "That's good for you, innit? Maybe they'll have something tasty in the manger."

"Please," said Mercury, rolling her eyes. "Does anyone ever know what to feed me?" They saw a human riding a thing, and automatically assumed herbivore. "Besides, who puts good fresh meat in a manger? That's not sanitary at all."
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 4:30 AM

Li did sigh a little. Ironically, Mercury's meals were harder to procure as they moved closer to civilization. In the wild they could just hunt and trap, but here they'd have to pay for it, and with nothing else around for miles, a money-hungry farmer might charge a premium. Not that they would ever resort to stealing, of course, but Li wasn't rich. Travelling was a way to lose money, not make it.

"Ho there!" he said, when they came within earshot. No one had come out to greet them or see what they were about, so he had to assume they hadn't spotted him just yet.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 4:33 AM

He didn't want anyone accusing him of being some sort of sneaking bandit, taking them by surprise. How anyone travelling on the open road would sneak, he'd like to know, but he'd heard even less sensible things before. It was best to just anticipate the worst, and be happy that things had turned out otherwise.

A small girl peered out from behind the barn. Li frowned, waiting a few moments to see if anyone else would join her. No one did. She stared at them openly, without hostility, but that wasn't necessarily reassuring. The children might have a different attitude than their caretakers.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Re: One Night, Two Days

Postby crow » 06/18/2016 4:55 AM

No one else showed up, however, by the time that Li and Mercury reached the house. Puzzled, Li dismounted and walked up to the door. Maybe they hadn't heard him, or they were busy. He reached up to knock, but the little girl said, "No one's in there. What are you doing here anyway?"

Both Mercury and Li turned to stare at her. "Are... Are you the only one who lives here then?" he asked uncertainly. If that was the case, then there was definitely something amiss here.
User avatar
crow
Globetrotter
Globetrotter
Pets | Items
Keystones: 3874
Donate
Joined: 09/04/2007 11:54 AM

Next

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


cron