First Job
I guess it has been about 30 to one hour since I started following the girl. The road I followed was long and exhausting, to say honestly. Right now, we're standing before a house. Or at least, because this house is made of stone, in the middle of a plain.
It has a square size. The house seems to be quite old, but doesn't have a trace of downgrade, it looks so nice. Not just close to nature, it also has something odd in my eyes, to be honest. As if I had never... experienced this kind of construction in my life.
"Here we are". - Elena's words suddenly woke me up from thinking
"Oh, you're full of sweat, brother". - She noticed my face full of sweat. "Just an hour of walking and you're that weak...? Oh my Goddess". - She approached me and wiped out my sweat
"Please wait for me". - Then Elena rushed to the house's front door
She knocks on the door twice and then steps aside to wait for the housekeeper. She sighs and returns to see me, smiling and then the door is opened. The figure that opened half of the door heads their face out to look at the girl. Somehow that turns out to be a woman.
"Hi, sis...". "Sorry for asking you a favor, please let me in". - Elena begged the girl
"Who's he?". - That adult woman nodded, but she asked Elena in a whisper
I stand a bit away from the two women. I try to eavesdrop but the results are nothing, I achieve nothing. After speaking to the woman, Elena glances at me as if to tell me to come. I slowly approach both of them.
"My name's Ryva, come inside and we'll talk". - The woman opened the door widely, she later stood there holding the door to wait for me
Elena comfortably walks inside, I nod to thank the woman before setting my foot inside the house. The interior of the house seems to be fine. The furniture is set nicely, which means the house's owner is a clean person. I can see Elena sitting on a wooden chair, before a wide wooden table.
I hear the creak of the door closing slowly. I turn around and see Ryva approaches me. She looks at me carefully with her sharp eyes. She notices my face to my feet, she doesn't miss anything, she sees all.
Ryva turns out to be a black adult woman. She wears a sturdy purple tunic, her left side belt is... a short sword. She looks so strong, her black skin looks thick. Somehow she looks a bit seductive to me.
Ryva has short white hair, she has white eyes. Her sharp eyes keep looking at me. Somehow I sense that she is suspecting me. But I can't read people, I don't know what she is thinking, she just... looks.
She approaches me with her tall height. She looks intimidating, but I stand still while staring into her eyes.
"Hmmmm...". "Please sit...".
I nod. I later take a seat and somehow I sit beside Elena.
"Sis, I'm sorry if I have to stay here a little longer". "My task was about to finish but I m-".
"It's alright, Elena". - Ryva replied to the young girl. "Take your time". - Done saying, she returned to look at me
"You must be hungry...?".
"Yes, sis". - Elena replied
"Wait for me". - Done saying, Ryva walked away
"Ryva is very kind, she'll surely help you, brother". - I was about to focus on Ryva, but Elena distracted me
Elena moves closer to me, she taps my thighs while smiling very purely. I keep my face cold and calm, I look at her. My mouth gulps, I try to stay calm slowly. Hmmm... maybe I should look around the house, to see if something here is interesting, huh?
"I haven't introduced myself fully to you so...". - Elena spoke to me sweetly, smiling. "I'm Elena, I'm an adventurer who came here to do a task, taking stuff". - She introduced herself to me, she smiled, tapping her chest proudly
"I was tasked to collect some plants, and I got lucky by finding them". "I saw you when I was collecting them". "Well...". - She stopped saying, she sighed. "I left one behind because I came to see you". "It's not your fault, brother". - Elena smiled at me, waving her legs while sitting
"Oh, thank you, sis!". - Elena thanked Ryva as she gave her a wooden plate
I peek and see the plate carrying dishes. The food on the plate doesn't have so much. Just has some pieces of bread and soups. I mean, the food seems to be very poor.
"Ahhh... thank you, sis...". - Elena controlled her drool from draining down, she held the little amount of soup bowl to feel its warmness
"You have some too, brother, you must be hungry". - Elena gave me a bowl of soup and some pieces of bread
I nod and receive the food from Elena. At the same time, Ryva sits right opposes me. She puts her hands on the table's surface. She tilts her head to the right, then looks at me with a serious look.
"What's the matter...? You see it is not much for you?". - Ryva asked me when I didn't eat the food
Hmmmm... I won't erase the theory that she is suspecting my intentions. I must keep my mouth shut all the time, I think. Must play the role well, I can't let myself be exposed. I will enhance my listening skills to gather information, at least that's what I have to do right now.
Speaking to them may cause more trouble suspicions. Elena will let it pass freely, but Ryva is a problem I have to deal with. She won't trust me even if I say the truth. I got myself trapped in the role from the beginning, so have to play it well to the last.
"Lemme introduce myself again, I'm Ryva, patrol guard of the border of Cal Kingdom". - Done saying, she looked at me seriously. "I don't know who you are, I don't know where you came from... but I'll consider letting you stay here, if that is her wish...".
I nod.
"Where did you find him, Elena?". - Suddenly, she asked the girl Elena
"Ummm... right at the river that cuts the border between Legta Kingdom and Cal Kingdom, sis". - Elena answered after a short time thinking while eating. "Brother must be someone from Legta, sis". "You see, people there don't have lives better than us, it's so sad". "Oh...". - Elena returned to eat, but she realized that her meal only remained a bowl of a small amount of soup
Ryva doesn't say anything, she focuses on me, especially my black hoodie. She sighs a bit as if she is sleepy, but she tries to keep her eyes working. Hmmmm... I can sense that she is suspecting me, but she won't know what I am thinking about.
"I've never seen anyone wear things like you". - Ryva said
"He must be a refugee, sis, please save him". - Elena spoke up
"If the people were running away from there, more guards like me would have been ordered to guard the border, Elena". - Ryva turned to look at Elena, saying to her. "No way the refugees only have one guy, he's suspicious, very suspicious". - I guess I will eat some while listening
Hmmm... I can end my meal very fast, honestly. Food is not so much, it even has a poor taste, not so tasty to eat.
"I used to be a Legtanian, Elena, listen". "That Kingdom only has blacks, there's no way a white boy like him is a citizen there". "He must be a slave who arrived there from another Kingdom, or a running convict". - I see that not much advantage I am having right now
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"But he doesn't look like t-".
"Legta these days doesn't experience anything bad". "That country's peaceful, no starvation or any calamities there yet". - Elena tried to defend me, but seemed like she couldn't do anything against Ryva's words
"You understand what I am saying, stranger?". - Suddenly, Ryva looked at me
I nod.
"If you're a citizen of Legta Kingdom, at least you must show me your citizen card". - Hmmmm... no
"That's your answer, huh?". - She approached me
"Don't pressure him, s-".
Elena immediately looks away as Ryva glares at the young girl so scarily. I sit there, eating my meal like usual. Hmmmm, I can't blame her for suspecting me. But I hope Elena can protect me...
Or at least, I can do something to gain trust of Ryva.
"If you cross the border without a citizen card, you must pay 3 Gads for passing". "That's the case if you lost your paper... but...". - Ryva stopped speaking for a while. "If you can't show me your citizen card or you can't pay me money, I'll have to jail you here, stranger...". - C'mon, then just do it already
"I'll pay for him in-".
"Two Gads for the meal price, save your money, little girl". - Ryva replied. "You don't have much money, save it for yourself, youngster, not him".
Elena shuts her mouth off, she hands things that look like coins over to Ryva. Ending their conversation, The woman returns to focus on me with her cautiousness. Hmmmm, I won't open my mouth till the end. I just need to play dumb, that's the plan.
"I don't know who you are... but I will let you stay here...". - She started walking around, looking at me. "If you dare to do anything bad here, keep yourself out of my sight...". - She got to me, she looked down to show me her intimidating-looking
I nod.
"Hey, hey... everything is fine, alright...". - Elena got up, she got between us to ask Ryva to calm down
Ryva doesn't say anything anymore. She slowly walks away and enters a door that leads to another room. Hmmmm... at least, now I have time to relax a bit with the young girl. My meal has already been finished, at least I filled my stomach a bit.
"Brother, I know you can't talk, but...". - Elena came to me, she looked at me cutely. "At least... you must know how to...I mean... well, you must be educated?". "I mean do you know how to read?".
I nod.
"Oh, that's good". - She smiled. "At least I will know what's your name when you write it out, brother". - She tried to caress my hair, but she just ended up smiling as if she was too shy to touch me
"Oh, please wait here, brother".
Elena later sets the bowls on the wooden plate. As if she is going to clean up the dishes. When I reach my hand out with the intention to help her, she just smiles. But she gently rejects me, though I just really want to help the young girl.
"I'll take care of them, brother, please stay there".
I just know to sit there and watch her work. Elena puts the plate in the kitchen, maybe she will put them there, not washing them yet.
"I won't be here long, brother, I'll return to the town when I finish my task". - Elena slowly turned around to talk to me. "Well... you can join me... in case they don't accept you". - She slowly got to me
"Do the chores, girl, free stay, free jobs to do". - Suddenly, Ryva came out and then spoke to Elena
"One more minute, sis".
"Alright, alright, you win...". - She soon gave up when Ryva approached her with those intimidating eyes
Later, the sound of Ryva taking her seat catches my eyes' attention. She sits opposite me, she shows me a fur paper sheet on the table. Not yet, she also holds something in her right hand, like a letter. The thing is a scrolled paper, tied with a line of rope, just like... a letter.
"Listen, stranger". "I'm not willing to hold strangers, especially suspicious guys like you here, but this time... it is an exception, understand?".
I nod.
"To stay here, very simple". "Work for me, I pay you, you can stay". "Unless you commit something bad here, but if that's the case, your head wouldn't be here no more".
I nod.
"Good". - She suddenly slid the fur paper sheet to me. "You... you can't talk but at least you must know how to write and read, right?".
Ummmm... the woman just gives me a black thing that looks like a pen.
But what should I write here? My name? But I don't even remember who I am...
"Why are you so silent...?". - She tilted her head. "Are you... illiterated? Seriously?". - She was pissed off a bit. "Even farmers must know how to write their names though they're not educated, most Kingdoms here use the same writings". - She stayed silent after speaking to me
"Please don't be so h-". "Alright, sis". - Elena returned to wash the dishes because she couldn't do anything to defend me
"Let's skip this part, I don't expect you to write anything, you can't speak, you can't learn anything, that's it". - She glared, she took the paper away from my hand
"Now I'll go straight". - Ryva looked at me
"Two buddies of mine are doing their patrol shifts, one's in the west, one's in the south". "Pempa, the one working in the west, gone there on foot, unlike Telly in the south". "I was supposed to be picking up Pempa now, however, I'm a bit insecure". "There are two horses in the backyard of the house, take one and pick up Pempa here safely, alright?".
I nod.
"If you don't know where the west is, follow the instructions of the Sonia, she must be ready for it now...". - Sonia, huh? I wonder if that word means something
"Give him this before he gets on the horse". - She put the letter before my face, I slowly grabbed the thing
I nod and get off my chair.
"Don't try to run away, don't try to steal our horse, you have nowhere to go". - Hmmm, I will stay silent to listen to her words more
"Don't expect to survive in this forest, this Kingdom's in starvation, so obey or die".
"Are you listening?". - She reminded me when I was about to go outside
I nod.
"Good". "Work as I ordered, then I'll consider giving you a proper place to sleep overnight...".
I close the door. I mumble: "Bitch, you're fucked".
Right now, I have to rely on the others. When time goes by, I will have more choices. Now I don't know anything, so I have to remember who I am and why I am here first before doing something else.
Hmmm... she said the horses are in the backyard...
I had never ridden a horse before. Though I have a huge gap in my mind and I have no memories, my body can still sense that I'm inexperienced with riding a horse.
Hmmm... I have to solve the thing myself, shit.
"Sonia...". - I whispered
Follow the Sonia's instructions...
Did she mean the sun?
...
...
...
It has been about 10 minutes since I started using the horse to do my mission. I followed the sun, which I assumed to be the "Sonia", how strange. The direction there also led me to a forest. I'm on my horse, passing the trees while hoping to find someone.
Earlier I got into some trouble when I tried to ride this horse. She, I mean this horse, kept resisting me. But I managed to get on top of this horse and learned some things valuable.
The horse doesn't seem to be too annoying. I just have not gotten used to controlling a horse yet, so this process takes time.
"You there, who are ya?". - Suddenly, someone called me
I look around. I see nobody, but footsteps from nowhere are approaching me slowly. When I divert my horse, I turn around to check and see a man's figure. He wears a thick metal armor, his right hand is holding something very long like a spear.
His chest seems to be having a bow strapped there. His right side belt has a bag of arrows. The man wears a metal helmet that has a round hole on his forehead. The helmet's design covers his eyes, only leaves two round holes like eyes on that body's position.
"Tell me who you are, boy". - The guy got to my horse faster than I expected. "That's Ryva's horse, how could you have it, huh...?". "Answer me". - He held his spear tightly, I don't feel safe here
I remember the letter that Ryva handed to me. I pull it out from my pants pocket. Then I quickly drop it right on the man to let him read the whole letter. The guy removes the rope, then starts reading the letter with his eyes on it.
"Oh, I see, she hired you here, huh?". - He closed the letter. "I've done my task here, so now you drive". - He mounted on the horse, he sat behind me, the guy looks a bit heavy
"I'm Pemba, call me Pemba". "Now go, mute boy". - The guy sat tight on the horse
I start riding the horse away from the forest. The route to go back to the house only takes me 10 minutes, I will be there soon, so I must focus. Hmmmm... I notice that Pemba doesn't say anything to me at all. Maybe he doesn't want to waste his saliva to speak to someone who can't communicate verbally.
"In the letter, she says you're a stranger". - Suddenly, the guy said to me. "Mute, huh? Become useful to us and maybe we'll let you stay".
I ignore the guy. I ride the horse and just in a blink of an eye, I have reached the house. Ryva can be seen standing in the backyard. She stands before the house to keep horses, before the empty slot.
I reach the house. Pemba gets down from the horse and he slowly approaches Ryva. Hmmmm... I will ignore them from now on. I move the horse inside the house and then get my feet off the saddles to touch the ground.
"Good job of what you've done to me, stranger...". - Ryva said to me. "I will consider later, so you need to wait". - She later returned to chat with Pemba
"Oh, don't get inside if you want to see Elena, she's gone back there to pick up plants". - When I was about to open the house's front door, she reminded me
Hmmmm...
...
...
...
...
...
I guess an hour has passed since that task. I'm now standing by a small wooden bookshelf, this house has one right inside the living room. While waiting for Elena to return, I've tried to read books here. To be honest, somehow I find it weird.
The characters in the book don't look like the characters I ever used to know about. Although I am in amnesia, I can somehow sense which is familiar to me, which is not.
Despite all the oddness, I can still understand the meanings of those words. I just need to imitate this kind of writing.
Right now, Ryva isn't in the stone house. According to what I heard from the conversation between her and the guard named Pemba, Ryva is now on her shift. That's why she isn't home, but Pemba instead. For no reason, I can sense the guy peeking at me sometimes, as if he just wants to make sure that I am harmless to everybody.
Hmmmm... oh, I hear the door opening.
"Oh... hi, brother Pemba...". - That was Elena's voice. "Where's sis?". - I glanced at the girl and saw her looking around in curiosity
"She's out for the job". - Pemba replied
"That's so? Alright". - She stepped inside the house
"I'm sorry, brother". - Elena approached me and apologized. "It's my first mission so I had to finish it on time, I've done it now". "Please forgive me, brother, I hope you didn't find anything trouble when I wasn't here".
I nod to her.
"Thank you...". - She smiled
"I want to go back to the town right now, but I guess I'll do it tomorrow". - She got closer to me, she smiled while talking. "It's not far from here, but it's about to get dark, seniors say I shouldn't go at night".
"Hmmmm...". - For no reason, Elena seemed disappointed. "It's bad when I can't do anything further to communicate with you, I just wonder where you come from and if you're lost, brother".
Should I start opening my mouth to speak to her when I follow her to the town?
"Haizz...". - She sighed a bit. "Tomorrow, would you be willing to follow me to town, brother?".
I nod.
"Alright... ummm". - She stopped as if she was trying to think what she should say. "You don't have anything like money, citizen card and... nevermind, brother". - She felt so powerless when trying to communicate with a mute
"Ahhh...". - She cringed, she pulled out a small bag. "Well, 4 Gads for dinner and next day's breakfast, about 5 to 10 for pick ride from travelers, prices for my inn and his, then the Adventurer's Guild...". - She went silent when she looked at the coins inside the small bag
"30 Gads for this task's reward, they couldn't pay more...". - She scratched her hair with visible confusion
"Don't worry, brother, I'll take care of it all". - She looked up, smiling to tell me to calm down. "Uhhhh... did she, I mean, did sis reward you with some chumbs, brother? Even a bit? Just a little bit?".
"No, girl". "She only gave him the basement as a free-use bedroom, that's the reward". - Pemba replied
"No way...". - Elena was so disappointed. "No money...". "What's about...?".
"Same price, girl".
"One Gad for sleeping overnight in bed again? Why do you guys trade everything with money? I'll wash dishes or do something to trade for another night in bed".
"We never give it free, Elena, we trade with nice services".
"Alright...". - She sighed
"Don't worry, brother, I will try to get you somewhere to stay in and a job for you too". - This girl looks so kind, maybe I can use her for benefits
"You're new here, so I will try to spend time with you to tell you basic things about my homeland, brother".
I nod.