The place was an old wood building, only one story high and it looked like it had around three or four rooms. They walked to the door and knocked on it, then heard a man's voice from inside.
"I'm coming."
They heard some footsteps from inside and then the door opened up. A man in his 30s opened the door. He had sunburnt skin, short hair and long beard. He was smaller then Joseph, but had a more muscular build.
"Good day! What can I help you two with?"
Joseph pulled out the paper they got for the job.
"We took the quest to eliminate the rats you have problems with."
He looked at both of them.
"Only the two of you?"
Catherine was annoyed.
"We are more then enough!
The farmer was unfazed by her.
"If you say so. Come in!"
They went into the house. the first room was a small room with an oven, which had a bread in it. Then the man lead them to the room on the right of it. This one had a few beds, cupboards and a table with chairs around it. This was the only room this way from the entrance.
They sit down at the table. Joseph gave the man the paper they got. He looked at it and then grabbed a charcoal from one of the cupboards and wrote two X on the part he should've written his name.
"Alright. So the rats you want to kill are problematic. They always show up after the sun is set and eat the grains near the forest. First I saw what they have done, I've went there myself, but when I saw them I turned around. These nasty creatures cause a lot of problems and pain to me. I would be happy if you would get rid of them. I don't care if you kill them, or just drive them away."
Catherine was puzzled.
"So this is the first time they came to the fields?"
"Not the first time, but this is the first time there were this much. I saw around 30-40 of them. Usually it's only 3-4."
"That is a lot. Do you know any good tips against them?"
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
He thought about it for a little while.
"Fire was the most effective. They are afraid of it, but I don't want you to burn my crops, so please don't use too much of it."
"Got it!"
"Alright. So... It's only a few hours until the sun sets. Do you want to wait here?"
"We would actually see the place, maybe set up some traps for them."
"Understandable. Follow me!"
They stood up and walked outside. The farmer locked the house, while they went back to the driver and payed him five more silvers, so he would come back the next day. The farmer was waiting for them at the edge of the crops, on the other end of the house.
They walked through the field and found themselves on the edge of a forest, where all the crops were decimated. The farmer turned to them.
"This is the place. They came from the forest and left the same way they came from."
"Thank you for showing it. We'll take it from now on. You can go back to the house, so you'll be safe."
"I wasn't planning on staying here don't worry!"
He walked away. Catherine was investigating the place while Joseph sent the farmer away.
"This is strange."
"What?"
"There are too many of the rats. This is unnatural to begin with. The rats usually stay in the forest, because they fear the people living here."
"Maybe there is an overpopulation here?"
"I doubt it. I think something drove them out."
"How so?"
"I feel something strange in the forest."
"So what? We kill that thing?"
"Definetly not. We won't get payed for it. We'll kill these rats and then report back to the guild. They will make a quest to scout it and if it's possible destroy it."
"I see. Maybe we can take that quest!"
"Exactly!"
"I like that thinking! Nice!"
"Thank you!"
They laughed together at the idea. Catherine walked to one of the trees.
"Now I'll teach you how to make trap spells! Listen closely!"
They preapered different traps. They wrote magical circles with runes on it on the ground and burned them into the trees. Then they poured mana in it, so it will be active.
"These runes only activate if a small thing moves over it. But only if it is a living thing, so branches and leaves won't activate it."
"I see. Pretty usefull."
"Now we wait."
The sun was already setting when they finished with the traps. They waited until the sun set and used a spell to sense any creatures coming out from the forest.
After waiting for an another hour they had visitors. A lot of rats, at least 50 of them charged out from the forest. They looked like normal ones, except for their seize. They were bigger then a chicken and had really long fangs.
As the first ones reached the edge of the forest, the first traps sprung. The trees blow up and fell on them crushing quiet a few rats. They did not stop though. They climbed over the trees and an on the edge of the field.
The second lane of the traps sprung. When a rat stepped on it, they blew up and a lot of rats blew to pieces with the ones which stepped on it.
After all the traps activated there were less then 20 rats left. They actually turned around and tried to run. Seemed like they had enough of this.
Joseph and Catherine cast multiple magical arrows and as Catherine taught him Joseph imagined the arrows following the rats and hitting them. All the arrows they shot skevered a rat, except for the first 3-4 that Joseph shot, because he wasn't used to making them follow the opponents.
After they were don Joseph sit on the ground. Catherine walked to him and petted his head.
"Good job. Let's take a brake and then go back to the farm."
"Alright."
They took a few minutes off.