Once again, one of the men came running, and Gon turned and blocked a kick. He then released a combination of punches and with the spoon still in hand, both men then lay on the floor struggling to get back up. Gon went up to Mr Chien who was backing up against the wall. Gon said he should go then and never come back. Chien and the other two men were leaving with the two men supporting themselves on each other. Before they disappeared, Chien said he would be back. The chef thanked Gon, and they all started to clean up. The other workers in the restaurant had seen everything, and Gon could feel he had gained a lot of respect from the night’s events.
Earlier in the day when Senji woke up, it was a little after Gon had left and Jay was sleeping loudly. She was very excited to be headed back to work with the girls and collected her own herbs. She then headed off to the markets for some more that she hoped to find. When she was there, she had breakfast from some of the stands and found other herbs that were rare and a bit more pricy. But they could enhance the abilities of the elixirs, and she had been thinking of some new potions that might work. A good thing was that she didn’t have to spend her own money as the young women had given her some money.
She was not due to arrive yet at the house so she had time to have a look around. She walked around the markets, and there were so many things that she never had seen that were from all corners of the world. She came to a tent that sold vintage books, and she took up one she thought looked good. It was about the Shamo Desert and the small town that used to be there. It had, according to the book, been destroyed by underground eruptions that still made geysers of sand mixed with water erupt every day. It also said that there were dangerous worm-like creatures lurking in the sand with a picture of one. She saw another book that look very old and it had a beautiful cover on the front.
She read a little and thought it must be a children’s tale. In the book, there were several Alumrylite stones that had power so great that they could change the land itself. She could tell right away they were of Alumrylite because of the features which no other material had. She looked at the pictures and saw seven Alumrylite stones with the elements of earth, fire, wind, water, light and darkness but not what the last Alumrylite stone would be. According to the book much of the land had been changed with the help of the Alumrylite stones and many years ago, there was a big war across the sea involving some of the Alumrylite stones. It didn’t say where the war was fought, but there were also some pages that had broken off from the old book. There were many words that she didn’t recognised but she knew the book was old so it was to be expected. One of them was a word called Sabor and was mentioned several times but not knowing what it meant, she didn’t think about it more.
She asked the seller who wrote the children’s book and the man said he was not sure. He told her it was recently acquired by his wife who travelled from Redonia. He said that the one that sold it to her was an old man and insisted it was all true. The merchant told Senji that the old man was definitely crazy as no such Alumrylite stones had ever been seen. He continued with that the crazy man said he was once a soldier in the Redonian army working close to the king who had a few of the magic stones. She asked if it was possible the Redonian kingdom held such magic. He laughed and said it was not true because he had been there many times, and he had never seen anything like it there. No one had even mentioned it to him but added that the Redonian people did keep silent about what went on in their land. He smiled funny then began to laugh and said it was just a child’s book.
Senji decided to buy the book despite it being a child’s book since it looked like an interesting story. Because of some missing pages, she did get a good deal. She arrived at the nice house and got let in by Luan. They went in to a room where a lot of equipment for mixology was laid on the table. It was a separate room and the girls worked all day to clean out the things that were in the room and replace them with equipment for mixing. She was asked to make a potion that would increase their fighting stamina. Senji had already made a potion and made the first mixture that would add an increase in the adrenalin in their body. Senji also knew about a potion that could heal cuts and bruises 10 times faster by adding the element she found in the market to the mixture. She was so lucky to find it as it didn’t grow anywhere near where she used to live. But when she saw it, she instantly recognised it from dried samples she had seen when she studied.
Senji began with the girls leaving her alone but peeking inside at times to see what she was doing. When she was done, she met the girls that were training in the yard. To show the potions’ reaction, she asked Alivia earlier to get as tired as possible before she came out. The girls trained harder than ever and were fighting each other, but Alivia gave it her all. When the movements had become soft and slow, Senji gave Alivia the potion and told her to drink and fight the other two. She was already tired and the other two had only warmed up. She didn’t think she would have much chance, but she did what Senji said and got ready. She put the glass down and got an immediate boost of strength. Alivia got very energetic and told the others to get ready. She then rushed in on the others that had to work hard to defend themselves. Since the other girls were only warmed up, they could defend against her but it became clear that Alivia, who had the potion, was then fighting against them both at the same time despite being so tired before.
Luan also wanted to try it and Thura was right behind her. They all got to try the potion, and during the training, they got a lot of bruises and small cuts to their bodies. When they were done, Senji gave the other mixture to them. And as they rubbed on the places of pain, they saw how the skin went back to almost normal. Very impressed with what Senji could do, they gave her the first pay. The girls were generous and thanked her for her help. Senji realised she didn’t have a clue of how they were going to fight. She just assumed they were going in one at a time but she had seen how they worked together. She asked them how they would fight since they entered the competition more than once. Thura told her the fights they were going for were a little rougher than the others and teams had signed in for the fight. They would only need to fight twice to win that part of the tournament, but they had to fight three other teams at the same time first. And if they were one of the two teams still standing, they would need to fight with three teams again in the next fight.
Senji was not sure as to how dangerous it was but it sounded tough. Thura said it sounded worse than it was because usually, they chose the closest team to fight against. Senji was worried about them, but since the sisters seemed so sure about themselves, it made her feel better. Glad to have helped the girls, she got back to the camp were Jay was reading from a newspaper he had gotten from the bar the night before. It said a lot about the tournament and about the challengers that had been fighting previous years. There was a picture of the winning trophy for the group fighting.
Senji told him the girls were fighting in it and he really wanted to see them fight. They talked for a while about their day and were joined by Gon who was just returning from the restaurant. At the camp, Gon told his friends what happened and Senji became worried for him. He calmed her down and said he was going to be fine, but she punched him on the shoulder. They asked if she found something interesting in the market and Senji said it was some funny things. She hid the book as she felt embarrassed about the child tale. Gon believed they might be able to stay if they make enough of money and asked if the others would want to stay for a while. The three friends decided to hang around for the big tournament, and then head off to a new place depending on how it went later. As Gon saw Jay leave for work, he thought about the men that came earlier and believed he had not seen them for the last time.
Big Fight at the Restaurant
The days came and went, and the friends were busy every day. Jay was doing great and was beginning to be very popular as his honesty and pretty face was a refreshing change for the players since a lot of the people working there were older or sleazy. Senji was trying to fine tune different potions and el
ixirs which had resulted in some really good ones. Thura had a bad reaction to one of the potions, and she had to eliminate one of the ingredients. As luck had it, the potion resulted in becoming stronger. Not all were made to help the young women with the tournament, and some were experimental. Because of the girls giving her access to so many different herbs, she was able to conduct samples that she placed inside a box. Some of which she had no idea if they would work but hoped to bring with her after it was all done.
Gon was enjoying the work in the restaurant for every day that went. He was worried about Mr Chien coming back and making trouble but he never came back, and he had all but forgotten about him. On the 5th day of working, he had made a new recipe that was greatly appreciated by the customers. The restaurant had a steady flow of guest and at times, had a big line of people waiting for food. To work in a kitchen was the most fun Gon had had for long time and loved the praise he got from the customers. During the break and before he started working, he practised his skills in fighting. He got a potion from Senji that he would take if he got injured and wondered what it would do but hopefully, he won’t have to use it.
Kuun was so happy that so many people were coming and when the time for closing drew near, there was another bunch of customers coming in. They were ten in the group, and they sat down and ordered different foods. The people then were not as many in the restaurant, and Kuun put the closed sign outside the door. Soon, most people had finished, and there was only the group of ten with some other ones scattered around still eating. The door opened and when Kuun turned around to tell whoever was there that they had closed, he saw someone he did not expect. In came Mr Chien and stood in the doorway smiling. He continued in, and Kuun finally said something. He told Mr Chien they were closed and they didn’t want any trouble. Chien said he was hurt that Kuun would think that he would make trouble. He only wanted to make an offer to him.
From the kitchen, Gon looked on and wondered what Chien was up to. Chien said his employer wanted to make an offer to buy the restaurant. Kuun said he was not willing to give up his restaurant for any money. Chien continued with saying they, of course, would let him stay. He would just get a salary instead of owning it and get the money from the sale. Kuun declined again, and Chien got annoyed and grabbed him and with an angry voice told him he had no choice in the matter and they would take it if they needed to.
Gon stepped out from the kitchen and said that the owner was not interested and unless Chien would like to be thrown out, he should leave quickly and not come back. Chien smiled and let Kuun go. He said to Gon it would be better for both of them if they agreed to work for his employer. Gon told him again to leave but Chien was not alone, it seemed. From the table of ten, a bowl was dropped on the floor. The eyes were drawn towards the table that then had all the ten people looking at the owner and Gon who were standing next to each other.
Chien asked if Gon was sure and told the ten men to show them what it meant to say no to an offer so good. The ten men were sitting on several tables and one of the men flipped one table and kicked a chair to the side. The rest pushed the tables away, and at that point, everyone still left in the restaurant was quickly gone. Kuun became afraid but was told by Gon to leave and hide in the kitchen which was something he was happy to do. Gon stood in front of all the men and pulled his sleeves up. Chien said he should be scared of them, but Gon smiled and told the men in the restaurant to leave now or get carried out.
As he finished, he picked up a clay cup from a table next to him and drank from it. Chien pointed to him and gave the order to teach him a lesson. One of the men ran up and struck at Gon. Gon grabbed the hand and with the other hand, smashed the clay cup across his chin. He fell down and held his face in pain. The other men looked at him and then back at Gon. They all started to move towards him, and another one lunged towards him. Gon kicked him in the face and then the fight was in full swing. He intercepted another punch but twisted the arm of the man and struck him in the stomach. Another man came close and holding a knife that Gon took down by kicking him right in the knee to dislocate it.
Then, all at once came against him and Gon grabbed a chair, kicked another man in the head then smashed the chair over another one. From the kitchen, Kuun could see how Gon grabbed a hold of one of the men. He kneed him in the groin and flipped him over the table so it broke. One of the other men got lucky as a punch landed on the side of Gon but got grabbed and punched in the stomach. Gon then lifted him in the air and threw him with back first onto the floor. The fight continued with two men grabbing a table and throwing it at Gon. He kicked the table so it stopped and hit the floor in front of him then ran towards two men. He grabbed them both and pushed their heads to each other to fall onto the floor unconscious. A kick hit him in the back and he rolled on the floor. There stood then seven men who were left after three were totally out and a couple of the men who were still standing had some pains and broken arm.
The men continued to advance around the tables while some were pushed to the side. They attacked, and with a quick throw, Gon hit one of the men with a soup bowl in the head and the man fell down. He followed with a punch and kick that was blocked by one of them even if it surely hurt. Over in the corner, Chien screamed to his men to seize and to bring him down. The man hit by the bowl got a hard kick in the side while trying to get back up. The fight continued with two of the men letting off combinations of kicks and punches but a well-placed elbow to the head on one of them took him out.
Gon continued with a kick to the chest on the other man then with a side sweep of the leg, causing him to fall. He followed up with a heel to the stomach that resulted in another one of them out of action. With only four men left, and Gon not looking the slightest tired, the men looked at each other and seemed worried. Mr Chien was telling them to take weapons and threw to one of the men a knife he had with him. Another man grabbed a chair, and the two remaining other men grabbed porcelain bowls from the tables. Gon laughed and reached out for a broom. He spun the broom around him and told them to come. The men closed in, and the man with the chair swung it over his head which Gon avoided by stepping to the side so it missed. He slammed the broom over the head so he fell. Before waiting to be attacked, Gon hit another one of the intruders over the head with the broom. The man tried to block with the bowl but it smashed and he got hit by the broomstick. Then, he got kicked in the side of the ribs and side-swiped onto the floor.
The man with the knife tried to stab Gon on the side but was blocked and received a heavy hit from the broom on his hand causing him to drop the knife. Gon then pushed him towards the last man with the other bowl. The two men fell, on to the floor and Gon jumped up on to the wall and kicked himself up and towards the two men on the floor. He landed with a heavy sound and took the men out of action. Mr Chien shouted at the men to get up, but they were hurt and when one of them stood, he got pushed over by Gon who was walking towards Chien. They stood against each other and Chien was trying to sweet-talk his way out of being hit while walking backwards. He tried to grab a broken sharp plate close to him that broke earlier, but Gon put the broom to the side and kept pushing Chien to the corner.
Chien suddenly brought a smaller knife out and tried to stab but missed. He then threw the knife at Gon to then try to run out. Gon caught the knife, and in a quick move, threw it back at the then scared Chien running towards the exit. The knife hit the door where the door handle was making it hard to move. Chien looked behind him after being unsuccessful in opening the door and looked upon Gon who was standing very close. Chien said Gon would surely never hurt him and it was clear what a coward he was. Gon grabbed him and brought him outside and then he lifted him up to throw him in the rubbish left after the day of cooking. Chien flew into the rubbish that made a lot of noise as he landed in it.
When Chien was lifting his head out of the rubbish, he got a smelly fish in the head that the owner threw at him. They all laughed at him, and the other workers were dragging out the ten men from the resta
urant. The attackers left, but from the side, another couple of men came out, and this time, they were accompanied by a well-known man. Kuun ran back in and Chien turned his head to tell Gon he was in trouble then. The man walked up and introduced himself as Mr Pan. Gon knew who he was because of what the owner told him about the previous chef that left to work for Pan. Gon said they didn’t want any more trouble, and he only wished to work as a chef for the restaurant. Chien told Mr Pan what happened and wanted revenge for what Gon did. Mr Pan told Chien to be quiet and was angry. He could be heard saying he never agreed for Chien to attack the restaurant and told him to get cleaned up. He then sent him away with the rest of the men causing trouble.
Mr Pan then turned to Gon and apologised for how Chien had acted. He said his restaurant was the biggest in Shetana and wondered if he would want to work for him and he would pay him well. Gon thought to himself that this situation could become dangerous and create more trouble for the owner. He said to Pan that he liked it at the restaurant but if they agreed to never come back here then Gon would work a couple of hours for him. Mr Pan was a great business man and thought to himself. He said no, and Gon prepared for the possibility of another fight. Pan asked Kuun to come out and listen to a proposition. When he was out, Pan told them that with the big tournament coming up, there would be a great many people coming to the city, and there would be enough business for all of them. ‘Maybe we could partner up,’ he said. Because the reason Mr Pan was going past to see what was going on with them was because he was in the neighbourhood. And Chien had not said he was using violence to get what he wanted.
World of Taroo Page 7