Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

The farmer eyed them suspiciously. When the two strangers stepped off the road and onto his land, he abruptly ended his chores and intercepted them. He held a pitch fork loosely in one hand. He was big, but agile enough to use the tool effectively as a weapon. With more defiance than curiosity, he demanded the reason for the trespass.

"You need something?"

Holli nodded.

"Information," she said quickly. She appeared confused, as if they were lost. "We were out surveying the hills to the southwest for potential logging fields and we lost track of time… and our position. We saw some creatures that we decided to avoid, so we came down into the valley."

The farmer appeared to respect their caution, but then decided to question what they might have seen.

"The glowing ones or the big spiders?"

Holli and Ryson had located the presence of bloat spiders, so the farmer's inquiry was not a surprise.

"Actually, both," she replied.

The farmer expected as much, but then considered how common the appearance of such dark creatures had become around the foothills that bordered the valley. He could see the inferns every night. They were impossible to miss.

"And they surprised you?"

"Yes."

"You been around here long?"

"No, we are not from the valley." Holli answered with absolute honesty that rang clear in her voice.

"Where do you come from?"

Here, the elf was forced to bend the truth. She did not wish to lie, but her directive and intentions called for a level of secrecy.

"We usually stay in the logging camps in the woods. We just took this surveying job…" She let her voice trail off, as if to reveal the decision was a mistake.

It seemed a simple enough explanation, but the farmer remained cautious. Just because the two loggers got separated from their camp, that was no excuse for them to come on to his property. He had enough problems without worrying about lost loggers.

"So what information do you need? The hills are that way." The farmer pointed to the west, away from his land.

Ryson decided to enter the conversation and added more than a hint of confusion to his tone. He spoke with guarded apprehension, as if to convince the farmer they were truly unnerved by the appearance of so many dark creatures.

"If you don't mind, we'd like to know what's going on here. I mean, I've seen my fair share of strange things in the woods, but not like this. Is it like this all over the valley or is it just near the foothills?"

Ryson already knew the answer to that question. During their reconnaissance of the surrounding lands, they had already spotted the unmistakable signs of goblin parties. He knew the dark creatures were running wild through the area, he just wanted to hear the farmers viewpoint.

The farmer eyed Ryson and then Holli. He saw what he believed was genuine concern etched on their faces, and so, decided to speak openly.

"It's goin' on all over the place. And none of us are too happy about it. We got those little creepy things… what do they call them? Yeah, goblins. They've been taken over farms. I got 'em for neighbors now. Unbelievable."

The farmer's disclosure was no surprise to either Ryson or Holli. They spotted goblins occupying several farmhouses. The next revelation, however, was a surprise.

"Were many lives lost?" Holli asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When the goblins attacked the farms, were many hurt?"

"They didn't attack."

"How did they get inside the farmhouses, how did they gain control of the land?"

The farmer frowned. Holli could tell the subject did more than annoy him.

"It was given to them," he finally grumbled.

"By the previous owners?"

"No, most of the owners just abandon the land, and that's what I don't understand. My neighbors, they just up and left, and they didn't want to talk about it. I thought they could have sold their farm, but they just wanted to get out… as quickly as possible."

"So your neighbors abandon their land, but you said it was given to the goblins."

"It was," the man replied, as if he was spitting out a bad taste.

"Who gave them the land?"

"Land councils in the town that keeps track of ownership."

"You're kidding?" Ryson said, his shock apparent. He would have expected the goblins were nothing more than squatters. That he could understand, but land councils willingly handing over valuable farms to goblins was beyond lunacy.

"You think I'd kid about that?" the farmer shot back. "I would have taken over the land myself, but I never got the chance."

"Why in the name of Godson would the land councils hand over farms to goblins?"

"'Cause they're jackasses!"

"There has to be more to it than that," Holli pressed.

"Oh, they give a lot of reasons, all of 'em garbage. They say we should try to work with the goblins, give 'em a chance, let them farm the land instead of tryin' to steal from us. It's a joke."

"The goblins are farming?!" Holli's level of surprise leapt to near staggering proportions.

"I don't call it farming. It's pathetic. They have no idea what they're doing. They don't prepare the land. I don't think they know what a plow is, let alone how to use one. I've seen them just throw seeds in fields that have been fallow for three or four growing seasons. And when I say throw, I mean throw. They scatter seeds around like they're having snowball fights. It's ridiculous."

"Does anything ever grow?"

"Some of it does, but they're not getting close to a quarter of what their fields should yield. It's a waste. A waste of seed, a waste of land… I'd say it's a waste of their time, but they don't seem to do anything productive. They're about the most disgusting things I've ever seen. Thankfully, the farmers that left either took their animals or turned them over to neighbors. These goblins just took over empty land… and the barns and houses. I wouldn't want to see how they care for livestock."

Holli considered the farmer's answers. She compared the information to what they had obtained from questioning settlers that arrived in Connel as well as from their scouts of the surrounding lands. A few questions were answered about what they had heard and seen, but more mysteries arose.

"And you have no idea why the original farmers just abandon their lands?"

"They said they didn't want to keep their families around so many monsters. That's the only answer they'd give."

"And what about you?"

The farmer stiffened, as if being challenged.

"You mean why am I staying?"

"Yes."

"This is my land. I'm not just going to give it up. Yeah, those things worry me, but I can't just walk away."

Holli saw strength and defiance in the man's eyes, but she wondered how long that would last if the man's farm came under siege by a horde of goblins. Then again, it seemed as if the goblins didn't need to take the lands by force. Someone was handing it over to them freely.

There was still the question of why some of the farmers were abandoning their lands. Even when Enin questioned many of those that reached Connel, he never got them to give a clear response. Many did indeed state it was for the safety of their families, but others spoke of strange rumblings from the land itself-not tremors, but almost groans of dismay. The escaping settlers couldn't explain what it was, but it unnerved them, left them feeling the land had become their enemy, and that was the worst feeling a farmer could have.

Holli believed there was little else she could learn from the farmer. It was time to turn her attention to the towns and look in on the land councils. Answers might be found there.

"Well, thank you for your time," she bowed her head slightly to the farmer. "We will be on our way."

"Good luck to you, and stay safe."

The farmer didn't go directly back to his chores. He remained at the edge of his property as he watched the two strangers turn around and apparently head back to the western hills. Not knowing that Holli and Ryson had no intention of leaving the valleys, he believed they were returning to their logging camp. He wondered if they would make it through. To his knowledge, the strange creatures stalking the rim of the valley had not attacked anyone… yet, but he knew they were there for some reason. Whatever that reason was, he didn't believe it was compassionate or benign.