The Burnsey, it turns out, had a small farm just a bit out from the outskirts of Turn. You had to cross a quarter of a mile of woods, passing through a narrow path, just large enough for a small cart alone to pass without many issues. There weren't predators, beasts or night spawns in that stretch of the forest, thanks to the Numens and their holy protection. The wind whistled through the leaves, giving the passage a calming feeling. At the end of the path, the farm could be seen: it was in the middle of a large clearing, made up of multiple sections.
There was a main house, made of wood and stone, which seemed solid, new, and almost out of place since all the other structures seemed… older. More worn out. And they were all wooden, from the stables to a couple small warehouses to the side of the big house.
They had some animals roaming around inside a tall fence, and the pillar of that same fence had some runic script on them. There were chickens, sheeps, goats, pigs and cows roaming gently and sometimes stopping to frolic on the green tinted grass or on one of the hay bales purposely put there for them. Unfortunately for Liliane, there were also a couple horses.
“Very rustic, don’t you think, dear?” said Lazar to Liliane,who was now following with her eyes the horses moving around, a bit pale in the face.
“Yes dear, very… very rustic indeed. I think we should be quick to find someone to speak to, take the oxen and be on our merry way. As soon as possible. Please.”
“Look away dear! They won’t harm you, and you have me as your protector, you know that, right?”
“That doesn’t make it better in the slightest, dear. One of those… night spawns ate your hat once. Your hat! An entire hat! Smiling!”
Lazar barked a small laugh.
“Horses, like every other animal that the Numens saved from the Night, don’t smile, dear. He was only eating. They are very gentle souls, I still can’t comprehend why you hate them so much.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Stop asking me.”
She frowned.
“Case in point. Come on,let’s stop dilly dallying and look around for the homeowners.”
The old couple slowly got near the complex, trying to find someone they could speak to.
There seemed to be a man working in a small orchard next to the smaller building, with high working boots, a dirty overall and a shovel in his hand. A large wicker hat completed his countryside look.
“Ho, hello, good sir!” bellowed Lazar, walking towards the farmer.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“Uhm, hello to you, too, sir!” he said, raising his hat towards Liliane. He was tall, with broad shoulders, an obvious tan and at least a third of their age. “And you too, ma’am. What brings you here to my farm?”
“We spoke with Gino, the cart maker, who told us you were willing to part with a couple of oxen”, said Liliane, watching the man attentively, “can we see them? Oh, and I don’t think we ever had the pleasure of meeting before.” She extended her hand in greeting. “I am called Liliane, and this old coot here is my dear husband, Lazar.”
The young man seemed a bit taken aback.
“Oh, uhm, I am Joseph. Joseph Burnsey. Please call me Joseph, not mr. Burnsey. Mr Burnsey was my father, Philip. It was him that, Numen protect his new body, told me about you. Still, I know you by fame alone. I would be delighted to show them to you two”.
“Wasn’t Philip the one who-ugh” muttered Lazar, before a sharp elbow to the side stopped him from finishing. Liliane started speaking again.
“Oh, I hope he told you only good things about us!” she smirked, and both men felt a shiver down their backs. “Tell us then, Joseph, do you have other animals to sell? Maybe a chicken? That could be useful on a long journey.”
“I am afraid we can’t, ma’am. We hate to sell our animals. They are family to us, they give us everything they need to pass the season without too much worry. But we need to recoup some losses, after the horrible fire that burned our house to the ground.” He started to move towards a shed, under which two oxen were resting or eating, placidly. “Thankfully we had some savings, and the fire didn’t spread to the warehouse and the workshop, but we’re still a bit out of money right now. Every lyreling counts. We may sell you a couple bottles of fire water, still!”
“Then, good man, what pushed you to sell them?”
“To tell you the truth… These two oxen are pretty weird. Well, one of them, actually, but every time I tried to separate the two, Poppy” he gestured towards one of the oxen, a black one with three white spots between the eyes “cried so hard it broke my heart to do it. He seemed inconsolable. He can’t be convinced to leave his brother Peony’s side.” The seemingly sensitive ox came closer, to get a pet out of Joseph. The man ruffled his fur, then tried to caress the head of the other ox, a brown one with four small spots on the snout, but he avoided the hand and mooed, displeased. Joseph chuckled. “Even though he is always hazing him in some way. Even some unusual ones. I once saw him put a bench upside down so Poppy, or other animals, would trip on it and fall. Peony actually seemed to smile watching his brother stumble. As I said: he’s pretty weird”
Lazar regarded the two animals. They seemed pretty robust, and had a weird glint in their eyes, a sign of intelligence that should not be discounted when choosing the animal that will drive your cart. It may be useful in the future. And there was also something else…
“Sorry to interrupt you, I know you may probably be in a hurry, but could I invite you two to lunch? It’s almost time to eat and I’d hate to send you back on an empty stomach. My wife is making a mushroom pie today and I can assure you, it will be the best you have ever eaten.”
“What do you say, my dear? Do you think we should run or could we spare an hour with this lovely gentleman?” asked Liliane to her husband, smiling.
“I think we should-” his belly gurgled loudly. They did forget to eat, and in that moment he realized he was famished. “I think we should accept his gracious invitation. Numens know how much I love pies.”
“Perfect then! Let me go check on my wife and tell her we’re having guests, I’ll be back soon!”
The man walked hurriedly toward the main building, disappearing behind the door. Lazar looked at Liliane, a bit pensive.
“So”, he started, while twirling his ring finger in the air in strange patterns that were creating a sort of invisible cocoon around the two of them, which was isolating all the sounds from within and without “do you think we should tell Joseph that the oxen are possessed?”