World of Taroo

by Jimmy Eriksson

  Gon tried to cut open the tent where he was standing and managed to get a hole cut big enough for him to sneak out. From outside, he could see the people standing around, looking at what was going on and a lot of injured people were being treated. Gon believed he might cause harm to Bianca if he came in behind them and they managed to see him. He looked around and saw a crane which was used to build up the mini-restaurant that hadn’t been taken away yet. He climbed up on it and grabbed one of the ropes and attached it to the top. The crane could be moved over the tent and the outset point of it was just over Chien and the rest of the men.

  In the tent, Chien’s men had managed to get to him since no one wanted to escalate the situation. So the people could only stand and watch as Mr Pan agreed to whatever Chien said so his daughter didn’t get hurt. They collected all the money earned that day and gave it to Chien’s men and Chien said he expected more money from Mr Pan the next day to get Bianca released. She was crying, and Mr Pan didn’t hesitate for a second since his daughter was more precious to him than anything else, and Chien knew this. Chien said not to follow him unless they wanted her to die and started to walk outside followed by his gang.

  Well outside, the sun was starting to go down and the people outside saw what was going on. From above them, Gon looked for an opening and got one not too long after the men left the entry. Chien released the knife and pushed the girl to one of the men that grabbed her tight. With no knife at her throat, she was not in as much danger and a fast move was made by Gon. He jumped from the crane and swung really fast towards the men and with a correct calculation. He grabbed the man and Bianca to land on top of a fruit stand that broke from the weight of the three.

  Chien looked surprised but demanded of his men that they grab her again. With Bianca safe from the knife, the fight started again by Chien’s men being attacked by the bodyguards of Pan. Chien ordered his men to attack and retrieve Bianca as she was the key to their profit. Gon got on his feet and lifted the man that was previously holding Bianca. He threw him at the men coming to grab her again. Gon told her to hide and as the men came close, he was able to hold them off with taking the first man out with a hard punch.

  The people were standing to the sides so it made like a path for Gon which made it easier for him since he was not attacked from the side. The second man fell down with a kick to the head and the third, by blocking a strike of the wooden club that came, then giving a fast uppercut. In a matter of 20 seconds, seven of the men lay passed out and then the crowd joined in and took care of the rest. Chien was watching what was happening and thought he should leave quickly. He and four others tried to flee but were stopped by the workers that had surrounded them. Chien cut several of them before managing to get away but by then Mr Pan’s bodyguards were standing in front of him. As he tried to get through, he was easily taken down and held down by them. They beat him down hard, and none of them stopped until he bled from several places.

  Calm came and the men were rounded up and taken away. Gon came with Bianca and Mr Pan thanked Gon. He asked him to come to his office after this to go through what had happened. Senji had just arrived and ran up to Gon to ask if he was hurt. He was not, and both Gon and Senji left for home to go to the office later. At the tent, Mr Pan hugged his daughter and told the men to bring Chien to the tent. They all walked inside and before the order, men took him away. Mr Pan beat him over the head a few times hard and he would have to be carried out again. He got told by Mr Pan that he would spend the next two years in the holdings of a cell.

  The Chance to Gain Fame

  Gon and Senji arrived to the office of Mr Pan and were led in by the bodyguards. Mr Pan greeted them as they stepped in to the office. Senji got a gift from Mr Pan, and he shook Gon’s hand. They all sat down with a drink being served for them both. Mr Pan asked one of his men to come out with a gift. The man gave a letter to his employer and left. Mr Pan asked Gon the reason he came to Shetana. He had heard a little bit from Kuun but wanted to hear it from Gon himself. Gon told his story about how he left the farm with Jay and met Senji. The tournament came up and how they wanted to test their strength in one of the two arenas each. He said he was too late and could only make the smaller fights and the first one was in 6 days.

  Mr Pan listened to the story, and when Gon had finished telling it, he stood and looked outside the window. He told them about how he started his business and how he later met his wife and how he lost her to sickness. He was then left to raise a five-year-old girl on his own which had not been easy. He cared more for his daughter than his entire business. She had a child of her own, he said and waved out the window. Bianca and her son who he said she named after him could be seen and the boy was waving back. Mr Pan said he then had them under stricter surveillance and would have his best men following her everywhere. It was not easy for Bianca, he said because she had always had to be careful. But perhaps now, with Chien out of the picture, she won’t need it for long.

  He then said he couldn’t thank Gon enough for what he had done. But Gon said he did it because it was the right thing to do and didn’t need a reward for it. Mr Pan smiled and said he didn’t meet people like Gon that often. He always met corrupt people or businessmen only thinking about money. He sat on his desk and asked Gon if he was happy coming to Shetana. Gon said of course and told Mr Pan how he used to dream about coming to the big city. Senji asked if Mr Pan was happy living in such a big city and he replied that he sure was. He then said his life could had been much worse if it hadn’t been for his great grandfather who brought the family from across the sea.

  When Gon asked from what island, Mr Pan said to the men inside to leave them for a moment. Gon looked at the men leaving and wondered why they were sent out. Pan asked if they knew much about the history about Taroo. Gon said, a little embarrassed, that he was born on a simple farm and then grew up with his uncle that didn’t do much to help him. Senji said she was schooled well but she knew much of what she knew was interpretations from others which were not written down in respected books. Pan reached for something on the desk and held it in front of them. He asked if they knew what it was but none of them could tell what it was other than it being of gold.

  Pan said it was once part of the wealth of the great warlord Uldar who ruled the entire island of Tarika. Gon did not know who Uldar was but Senji did and said to Gon the warlord died a few hundred years ago. ‘Correct,’ said Pan and said his great grandfather was a Tarikan that left his homeland for somewhere he could keep his family safe. Tarika was no good place then either as it once was when Uldar was alive. Gon felt a little stupid to not know anything about this but Pan told him not to worry about it.

  Senji asked if it was true that the warlord was tricked and then executed in front of those he trusted. Pan nodded and told her that those who killed him did so because they thought Uldar was a coward who didn’t wish to fight with other kingdoms across the sea. They took over and tried to gather an army big enough to fight, but what they didn’t realise was that many were still loyal to the dead warlord. Instead of a land uniting, it got split up and many wars killed a lot of their own people.

  Senji told Gon that the Tarikan people were excellent sailors and had many ships that they brought across the sea. Pan said that when the warlord no longer commanded them, there were a lot of ships that began to spread terror. ‘Pirates?’ asked Gon and Pan said most pirates descend from Tarika and caused much trouble even for him in the city far from the sea. He said the Redoli he got from Redonia had, at times, been stolen from him. He looked out the window and said he was lucky to have been born there but not many people know about his past as he tried to hide it.

  He told them there were surely people that would try to get rid of him if they found out about his history. For some reason, it would anger people who had been engaged with the pirates. Both Gon and Senji said they won’t tell and Pan told them he believed them. Mr Pan walked back from the window and handed Gon the letter. Mr Pan said he had lived in the grea
t city of Shetana all his life and knew a lot of people with power and asked Gon to open the letter. Gon opened it up and looked upon an official invitation to the master tournament to compete as one of the fighters. Gon shook and dropped his drink and the glass shattered on the floor.

  The door opened and one of the men asked if everything was as it should be. Mr Pan laughed and asked one of the men to fetch a shovel to clean up the mess. Gon apologised but Mr Pan calmed him down saying it was fine and said he could afford more. Senji, who also had seen what it was, asked how he was able to get a space since the match was full. Mr Pan said he was one of the managers for the arena and decided they would sell one of the places in the big fight to one of the other big bosses as a favour. The other spot was to be given to the highest price offered but he would gladly give it to Gon. He would have to give up his space in the smaller fights, of course but that was an easy decision for Gon. He was originally going to fight in the small hand to hand combat room, and then he all of a sudden, would be able to fight in the big tournament.

  Mr Pan offered another drink to Gon who was sweeping it in one go. He couldn’t stop shaking and as soon as Mr Pan reached out his hand, Gon shook it too hard and had to apologise. Pan laughed and said he would keep an eye on him from his box in the arena. He asked them to stay for dinner, and soon, they sat to enjoy the good food Mr Pan had had prepared. He asked one of his men to bring out a bottle of Redoli that he offered to Gon. After having just one taste of the Redonian-made alcohol, he decided it was the best thing he ever tasted. Mr Pan told him to have as much as he wanted and also offered to Senji who tried it. She liked it as well but usually never drank much.

  The rest of the evening was a very joyful time for them all with much laughter. Senji and Gon came home and Gon went in to wash himself, and when he came out, he met Senji who was waiting for him. He looked her in the eyes, and for the first time, felt shy and confused in front of her. Senji had grown close to him and with all the time they had spent together, was making him want to see her more. Senji came closer and with Gon’s head spinning from confusion and the alcohol, he could only stand still. She put her hand on his cheek and said congratulations and leant in. They kissed for the first time and the world seemed to disappear around them.

  First Fight of Opening Night

  Jay had been waiting for this moment for a long time and it had finally come. The day of the pre-matches of the big tournament was starting this day. Jay was so happy Gon got the chance to enter the biggest fight and hoped he did well. He was a little jealous but more happy for his friend. Jay had trained every day before work and the last two days had done so for 6 hours a day. Gon and Senji were helping Jay get ready and had a last meal before they went to the arena. Jay was so excited, he dropped some of the food onto the ground below. Gon calmed him down and reminded him of how good he was and they would cheer on him every match. Sounded nice but did little to help Jay who was thinking a lot of what he was about to do.

  They arrived at the stadium, and the 3 friends went to Jay’s room where others had already arrived. In the room, there was family or friends to almost all the contenders. They looked around and Senji whispered to the boys that the other warriors won’t stand a chance. Her aim was to try to give Jay more confidence since he was a little nervous. Gon walked around the room to check out the competition. He recognised some fighters as they had been eating at the outside restaurant during the past week and said hello to some of them. He began speaking to some of them and also, they seemed to have some nerves going in and out of control.

  An older man with many scars entered through the door and had a few papers with him. Jay and the others got called to enter the hallway that led to the arena. Gon and Senji left and got to their seats as they were not allowed to stay longer. Before they left, however, they told Jay to breathe slowly, something that Jay was having problem with at the moment. Gon struggled to find the correct way up to the small combat circle but eventually, they located it. As they came out, they could see the state of this room to be less than great. It was not a small room and there were already many people ready to see the pre-fights leading up to the main events. A big round platform was in the middle of the fighting pit that Gon told Senji would be used for the fight. The seats were filthy but Senji already predicted this and brought something for them to sit on.

  There were a couple of announcements and then the fighters all came out. With this being the first match of the tournament, it made the crowd go wild, and the noise of the people inside was heard well beyond the arena. Jay looked around and saw people who had different bands of colour and armour that had markings on them. Some of them were introduced as coming from a school or kingdom. The matches were being drawn and a total of 64 fighters would battle in 8 groups of 8 in them. Gon said he was not worried about his friend but it would be hard to fight twice with such short breaks in between.

  Jay ended up in the third group and would meet fighters from mostly private schools. There were one from a large private land owner who pushed some of the others to try and make them unfocused. He looked at all of his opponents and some of them would pose a challenge. On the opposite side of where Gon and Senji sat, there was a massive board. It had names of the fighters and people were betting money for who they thought might win. The competition started, and every group had to fight until only two remained in each group and they would be put in the final round. The rules were spoken and the weapons were given out to the fighters in the first group. As soon as some of them swung their weapons, there were those that looked like they had been born with a sword next to them. The 1 against 1 fight was held on top of a round platform, and outside it was a pit where the fighters would lose the fight if they fell down on it.

  If the judges deemed the strike to have been lethal, the fight was also blown off. The other fighters got to watch when the tournament started on a circular stand that went behind the whole pit. Jay looked at the direction of his friends and they waved back. The fight began, and some were winning faster than others and a couple of the competitors either knocked out or pushed out the others over the pit. After some good struggles, the two last fighters stood to advance to the final. The following group were faster and also had the two biggest fighters in the weapons tournament. They stood as victors after the second group’s fights were complete. Jay looked again towards his friends, and Senji made the victory sign that the judges made when a match was won. Jay smiled and started to walk down to get ready for the first match that the group started.

  When it was his turn, he could feel the butterflies fill up fast inside of him. He was almost nauseous and felt a little sick. He was matched with a man who was the same size. They greeted each other, but as soon as the judge gave the command, the pleasantries seized. Jay initialised the fight by attacking right away aggressively. His opponent blocked and struck back, but Jay kicked his leg to bring him off balance. Jay took the opportunity that opened up and used his body to push his opponent so he fell.

  When he went down, Jay was able to strike the wooden sword over the side of the man more than once. A few clear hits like that and the judges gave the win to Jay right away. His opponent walked angrily off the platform, not able to continue due to the loss and threw the weapon down the pit while the crowd booed him. Gon and Senji cheered for the first win, and Jay suddenly had no more butterflies in his stomach. The others in his group fought, and soon, it was Jay’s turn again. He met another man with similar size, but this time, the man attacked first, and Jay found he was defending against some fast hits and had to move back. Jay did not have to fight for long though because while the man thought he had Jay corned close to the edge of the platform, what happened was that Jay made a side move and at the same time, grabbed the man towards him.

  Jay used the momentum to throw the fighter off the platform to land below. His opponent found himself on the ground of the pit that surrounded the platform. Jay stood victorious together with another fighter, and they walked to the side ag
ain. Gon and Senji were very vocal and cheered him on at all times. Most of the other groups went pretty quickly except for the very last one. When the final group ended, it was clear that none of those that left from that group would pose any danger to anyone of the remaining fighters. They were injured, and it was only by chance that both of the fighters from the group could even be victorious. A longer break was then called, which was just what Jay wanted.

  The friends met down in the room, and Gon congratulated Jay on the victories. Jay saw the rest of the fighters and thought the final group really had some great fighters. The break was over, and the fighters all ascended to the platform. The people watching the fight knew it was just the pre-fighting games but they still acted like it would be the final of the main event. They were again introduced and the matches were drawn once more. With sixteen fighters left, Jay knew he had to fight four more times if he was to take home the prize. Jay had to fight one of the winners from group two and would have a much bigger opponent to deal with. With all the first matches drawn, there was a lot of activity going on at the betting board.

  The first fight started and went for a while. There were some good strikes and it turned out to be a good battle. Next were Jay and the bigger man. They started as soon as the signal went, and Jay found himself defending more than advancing. Jay had watched this fighter and knew he only struck with force and not with skill. Jay moved around and made sure he stayed away from the edge of the platform to not give his opponent any chance to push him over it. The man struck hard, but Jay was fast and the strikes missed almost all the time. This made his opponent very angry and he tried to advance faster. A mistake from the man decided the match as he tried to strike hard but became clumsy. Jay took the chance that opened up as the man took a wrong step and opened up his guard so Jay could strike him over the neck. He hoped that the judges would blow off the fight, but when they didn’t, it was clear they wanted the fight to be more aggressive.