Andrew

He continued southwards as instructed. It did not take him too long to reach the pond. It was a large thing, stretching southwards (to the river, Andrew guessed) with a small flock of ducks swimming and washing along its surface. Andrew watched the ducks with an approved nod.

Ducks on the pond mean no demons under its depths... Most animals either fled from or outright attacked demons on sight. If things became too much to handle by the farmhouse and they needed a quick hiding place, then perhaps this would be a solid spot.

He had been scanning his surroundings carefully ever since he left Iris’ farmhouse. If this place was to become a battlefield, then he wanted to get a good feel of the surrounding area. Having walked around half of it in his time here, Andrew was starting to get a grasp of the land. It stretched out as far as the eyes could see with the farmhouse standing at its centre. Most of the land consisted of wheat, with a small patch of forest trees bleeding into its edges. Andrew recognised the place he ran through when escaping the wolves. Wheat fields and forested trees were not the only things that grew here. Over the slope, Andrew spotted a grove of apple and plum trees northward from the farmhouse. Flynn mentioned there was a grove of strawberries growing behind a large barn off to the south of the main farmhouse. For the amount of people who were tilting the land, the place was huge. It spoke of how hard these people worked, of perhaps it showed just how many of them had left the farm to help in taking care of the demon issue back at the village. Andrew's breath became laboured at the thought. Men and women, doing all they can to preserve their way of life and even still they have to face the possibility of it all being destroyed right under their noses.  

It took Andrew a half hour to exit Iris land and enter Lawrence’s. Upon it was an open field with a large fence that stretched on for miles. Andrew gathered that it must circle back around on itself because, in the distance, he saw the same fence running onward down the other side. As he walked closer, he saw the rest of the outstretched forest that he ran through to escape the wolves. Beyond the forest stood the great Mt.Karaki. The forest sloped onwards until it reached that great mountain miles eastward on the opposite side of Progmanfest village. The smell of the horses, cows, and sheep struck his nose before he saw them. Besides the barn, a man in a straw hat sat on a stool shaving the wool off a sheep. As he waved to him, Andrew returned the favour before he went back to his work. He was a very trusting man, Andrew thought, keeping his back to an approaching stranger out in the open like he did. 

“You’re another one of Colts’ guards?” Lawrence said. 

“That’s one way of putting it,” Andrew said, leaning on the fence that separated them. Lawrence nodded. 

“I’ve never seen you in the village before.” With a weathered face and great beard, the man simply glanced over his shoulder before continuing his work.

“I’m not a local here,” Andrew said. A cow mooed as it grazed on the open field just beyond the large barn. Lawrence’s huff drew Andrew’s attention back to the barn where he sat.

“Keep telling him not to pick’em so young,” the old man said.

“What?“ Andrew felt his head tilt to one side before he knew it.

“Young people lack focus. Can never commit fully to slow, honest work. Head too full of adventure and glory to ever want to watch crop grow,” Off in the distance, he noticed two people standing on the other side of the fence making their way over. “Too busy looking over the horizon, claiming that things will be better once they reach there. More adventurous, more fun. They seem to forget that beyond every horizon is just another horizon. Like a puppy chasing its tail. The thrill only lasts when you cannot reach it,”

“What are you getting at?” Andrew frowned.

“I’m saying that you're the adventurous type, boy. You got the look for it. Now I’m not sure what kind of trouble you’ve dragged back with ya when you chose to lie low here. But I’d give you three months before that tailwind of adventure catches ay again,” To the untrained eye, they did not seem to be in a rush but at a glance, Andrew knew that they were not ordinary people. 

“If this is about me being around here, then don’t worry, I’ll be gone by day’s end,” Andrew said, though he was just humouring him. He couldn’t take his eyes off the two people coming towards them. 

“You’re honest, at least, that’s got to count for something.” Lawrence nodded. Andrew was not really listening. The two approaching them had the poise and posture of well-trained hunters. They approach as if they happened to be walking this way, but Andrew could tell that even now they were carefully determining whether he was a threat. Lawrence went on about how young knights and hunters are a poor investment as guards on a farm. It was better to go for hunters with a bit more life experience on their belt.

"I respect the up-and-coming knights, but I prefer someone who’s been tried and tested a little more," just as he said that two knights arrived beside him. A man and woman, both in their mid to late thirties. They eyed him now with an outwardly relaxed demeanour. Hand on hips, arms folded. Andrew would have been more offended by their feigned lax approach had he not understood what this must look like to them. He was trespassing, and as far as Andrew knew, they could be thinking that he was lying to them about working on Colts’ farm. Hell, even Lawrence’s long speech could have really been a delay tactic to allow his guards to be ready before he-

“-So then, young man, what can I do for you?” Lawrence said as he finally turned on the stool to face him. His hunter knights standing on either side of him simply watched silently. Andrew sighed. Cursing himself as a fool for not realising this sooner, he leaned off the fence.  

“I got news from Progmanfest,” Andrew said. The three of them looked at each other before looking back at him, confused. 

“But it takes hours to reach the village from here,” the woman said.

“We have messengers, friends who’d-” 

“-The two ladies who took the main road, right?” The man said. Andrew nodded slowly. The man nodded back.

“They’ve not made it back, even if they had what news. How could they get it back here in such a short amount of time?” The woman asked. Fair point, but still annoying to hear. Taking in a calming breath, Andrew went on. 

“Iris just told me to relay a message,” he said. 

“What’s the message?” Lawrence asked, and so Andrew told them everything. Lawrence looked like he wanted to interject a few times until Andrew mentioned the council and the Wandering Willows’s involvement in the events. Seeing that this was not information outsiders would be privy to, they fell silent for a while as he talked. And although their faces were implacable, there were a few times when his words betrayed a show of emotion from them. The woman swallowed when he spoke about the incident with the Famine Fissure, and the man shifted off to one side as he mentioned the sentinel having still not returned. Most of this was old news to them except for what kind of demon it was that was causing the council so much trouble and their plan to counterattack it. They must have been to the village recently, but not recently enough, considering how fast things have escalated. Thanks to that, it made what he told them easier for them to accept. That still did not stop the three of them looking at him as if he’d grown another head. 

“How do you know all of this?” Lawrence asked.

“My friends at the village told us, if you don’t believe me, that’s fine but-”

“-at this point, it doesn’t matter what I believe. Fact is that rook or crook you got your hands on information only the council should know.” 

“What clan did you say you were from again?” the woman said. Different villages tend to have a quirky trick or two on how to use the power. That is intended to unearth people who can use their power in unique ways. Sometimes hunters would ask for pleasantries and exchange different ways to train and improve. Here, however, they were trying to work out how he could get such updated intel without even going to the village himself, maybe came from the old Esteran city or he had a skill that made it possible. Realising this, Andrew told them about Sophie and how she gave them the news. Seeing their surprise and awe at her title and prestige, Andrew wondered why he did not lead off with that to begin with. 

With appreciative thanks, he left. They’d taken in what he said with serious expressions, especially the stuff revolving around the potential assassin. They’d asked if Iris and Chase were safely under their protection, or whether one of them should come over and back them up. Andrew was a bit lost for words, which made Lawrence chuckle.  

“Kid, if you weren’t so green in the ears, then this would not come as a shock to you,” he said. 

“I may work for Mr.Lawrence here, but Colt and his wife are practically our neighbours. We look out for each other,” the male hunter said. 

“We will keep an eye out for trouble. If the worst comes to pass, we’ll clean up shop here and swing on over to check up on you,” the woman said. With an appreciative smile, Andrew nodded. He took one last look around the farmhouse to gain his bearings. To the east (Where they came running into the farm last night) was where most of the wheat field lay, but even those were tangled and mixed in with patches of carrots and potatoes. To the south lay wheat, lettuce, and some basil. But no matter where Andrew went, Mt. Karaki loomed off in the distance. All in all, it was a peaceful place, but peace left his mind to wonder and worry. Satisfied with his exploration, Andrew finally took a quick wash back at the pond. As he lay there in the lukewarm depths, he told his hurting ankle. It was fine, for the most part. Nowhere as bad as it felt the day before when he twisted it. It hardly bothered him as he walked and he was certain that he could manage fighting, but still, it was something to worry about on top of everything else.

Should I have let her go just like that?

His mind in a loop, Andrew plunged himself underwater, letting the muffled sounds drown out the concerns that threatened to boil overhead if he kept himself still too long. If he did not find some other task to distract him, he might go crazy. As he counted to five hundred under one breath, Andrew began to wonder if Natalie and Sophie were busy, if they were fearing any better. 

When Andrew dried up and started making his way back towards the main farmhouse, he was a little surprised to not only find Gracie no longer sitting on top of the roof, but to find Chase running towards him. He must have seen him through the window and ran after him the moment he came into view of the house. Holding two sickles in each hand, he ran up to him in a reckless sprint like hell was on his tail. Andrew thought they were under attack until he saw a placating smile on the boy’s face. That made Andrew’s eyes narrow in suspicion. 

“It’s a trade, okay? You help Gracie with the farm, then we can train together!”