World of Taroo

by Jimmy Eriksson

  Growing Wealth

  Prince Theran’s castle that he had named Kiwen, was given to him by his father, to learn how to successfully run it. It was grand and could withstand a great force of men that could attack. Inside the walls, there was a small village that housed the guards and other workers. No ordinary people lived here, and the whole castle worked for the prince. The prince showed the earth stone to his men who praised and showed love for the prince. For some in the castle, the words came unfounded since they hated the prince but had the loyalty to his father living in Darcolia.

  Prince Theran brought the Alumrylite stone to the engineers who looked at and tested it but could not make it work despite clearing off the tar. Theran was told by one of the engineers that the Alumrylite was more pure than what could be made usually but Theran already suspected that. They knew who would be best to consult about the Alumrylite stone, but Theran did not like the old knowledge master who would be the one to ask. The prince became agitated and ordered Hun to be brought before him. When Hun was thrown on the floor in front of the prince, it was easy to tell he had been beaten during his capture.

  Prince Theran told the villager to expose the secrets. The leader refused and said he would rather die than disclose the secrets. Theran threatened with torture and death to the other villagers but Hun spit on the floor in front of the prince. The prince ordered another villager up, and when the forest person entered the room, the room also had several devices for torture ready. The screams from the room could be heard throughout the castle.

  After several hours, Theran left the room angrier than before and ordered the villager to be thrown back together with Hun in the dungeon. Under the night, the light from the engineer’s room shone bright and would do so for a further six days. Without being allowed to ask those who already knew, they brought up every book found in the library that had anything to do with the village and Alumrylite. Theran had been clear about not wanting the Redonian kingdom to find out that he had acquired one of the Alumrylite stones. They looked through the books and scripts cessed before the village was burnt. The first five days were met with admiration for the forest people, and a new book that was filled with the facts about them.

  On the sixth day, the engineers hit a lucky streak when they read one of the many songs about the forest. It said that if a connection could not be established, then other ways could make the earth stone activate. They quickly ran to the prince and told him about the discovery. He listened to them and heard about a possibility to use other substances to force the stone to wake up. He ordered the engineers to immediately try what they could, and with the help of the book, they made great progress. They would try what they believed was the right formula and left for an open plain that used to be full of trees. It was then only empty of life since the prince chopped them all down to build his castle and all the houses around it.

  In the middle of it, three engineers buried the earth stone under the ground and poured water all over it mixed with the seeds they wanted to grow as well as other additives. They moved away, and not too long, the ground start to shake. Theran’s horse rose then backed off, and in a matter of minutes, a few small trees started to show themselves in front of them. They all moved back more, and their eyes witnessed something never seen before by anyone there other than the forest people. Theran was happy but wanted the engineers to continue the search for answers since he wanted to find out how the magic stone would work as a weapon. He had informed them about how the villager held up the earth stone with his hands and created tremors with its power.

  The engineers were told by Theran about the tar before leaving for the forest and knew he had knowledge about the Alumrylite stones. When asked again about contacting the Redonian kingdom for help, he became angry and told them to find out the answer without them involved. They continued to search, and for the next couple of days, the open and flat grounds then had trees the size of a man. From the dungeon, the villagers saw what was happening and had lost their spirits. The prince ordered some of the guards to leave towards Darcolia and tell his father what had happened.

  As the guards rode away, the small forest was growing to be a very large one in front of him. He woke up one night and believed he heard someone speaking to him. He was alone, and he couldn’t hear it anymore, but as soon as he was about to fall asleep again, the faint voice of a woman entered his head. Again, he looked up but there was no one there. The voice stayed away for the rest of the night, but for several nights to come, he heard the voice again that was too faint to understand. During the days, he was busy and made everyone work harder than usual. The soldiers who were loyal to Theran saw a bright future for the castle and were happy to take any orders the prince gave. At times, Theran made the people from the forest come up and see what he had done just to spite them. He enjoyed seeing them suffer of what they had lost.

  Revenge for the Villagers

  Two weeks had gone by, and the imprisoned villagers were then outside on the newly grown forest. They were chained together and were chopping down trees and pulling them back to a factory ready to sell to anyone paying for it. The word had come out that the grounds were plentiful of trees and didn’t seem to stop producing them no matter how many they brought down. Theran had hoped that he could possibly use the earth stone to attack his enemies, but it was still unclear how it worked. For now, he was happy to know he would make a lot of money which was great.

  The guards had come back from Darcolia with news that his father was coming as well to see the progress of his son. The prince was overjoyed about the news and made the slaves, that he had acquired through other battles and conquering of this land, work harder. The total number of guards in this castle were over 800, and with the slaves surrounded by well-paid guards, there was little chance of escape. There was a small lake by the side of the castle and it was the one giving water to the troops and other people living in the castle. Now that the prince had more trees to sell, he got requests of purchase from the near villagers and towns. The guards also told the prince that the king needed a lot for the new weapons he was building.

  Theran knew if he made his father happy, he could count on more soldiers coming to the castle and with the new money rolling in, he would expand the ground around the castle with a town as big as his father’s. The king of the Darcolia would arrive within the next thirty days. The mind of the prince wondered, and he believed if this went well, there was a possibility that they could hire more soldiers and invade the land of the king of the Grasoll lands. He walked away happily, and for the next ten days, the workers were pushed to the limit with the trees growing in ever more speedy pace and filling up the storage as well as shipping them off to the neighbouring towns and villages.

  The forest people were being pressed hard but were a tough kind. With the way they were able to spend time together in the dungeon, they had been able to plan an escape. The villagers had, every day, been planning for where to go and how to navigate through the castle. The villagers were not allowed to bring tools back with them, and they would be too big anyway to hide. However, the hard and rigorous work was wearing the tools down and once in a while, they broke. The villagers were fast to pick up the pieces, and with some of the tools being still sharp, they were sure to be of use for the forest people. The guards were too busy celebrating the great success the last weeks had been. But down in the dungeon, a villager had successfully managed to pick a lock of one of the doors and sneaked out. A missing villager would not be noticed, and with the castle being less full, the villager could sneak around without problem. He used the big drapes as camouflage but the guards were so busy with the feast that they did not see him regardless.

  He had a specific goal in sight and was able to sneak out of the castle and out the grounds. The earth stone was always being surrounded by 100 well-equipped men taking turns guarding the new addition to the prince. The tents were spread around in the still growing forest. There was no way it could be grabbed but the villager had
other plans. Not all stories were put in books, and the Alumrylite stone had other powers rather than just growing trees. With the help of Hun, who had given him the task, the escaped villager went to the water and left a bottle he stole from the hall outside the dining area of the castle. When the forest people had gone to the forest a few days ago to chop more trees, one of them were ordered to bring water to the man in charge of the guards. When he was down at the lake, his smile grew to fill his whole face. In the water, under some leaves, some of the other forest people were hiding and asked for information about the others. The villager told as much as possible but soon had to get back to the guard in charge wondering where his water was. Every day after that, they had been down to the lake to give and receive information about their next move.

  On this night, the lone villager gave the bottle to the other one in the water that disappeared. The lone villager ran back to the castle, and with the help of the stacked logs of wood, he was able to reach one of the windows leading up to the engineer’s room. In the room, the lone villager grabbed some long metal nails, and he exited the room. He could see no one and was able to sneak down to the dungeon. The metal gate was locked behind him, and he and the other forest people gathered to talk about the escape. In the morning, the villagers were in good spirit because they now, for the first time, enjoyed the fact they were going to the trees for chopping. As always, a villager went down to the lake to fetch water. This time, he slipped a bottle of a certain elixir made of plants inside his clothes.

  The forest people, together with other slaves, were working as usual when Hun gave the signal. One of the villagers started a fight with another slave and they went at each other. The guards had no intention to stop the fight, and more villagers and slaves joined the fight. The guards had not seen any action for a long time and were rushing to cheer and watch the show. While the guards had left their post and only some were left at the earth stone, the remaining villagers started to make their way towards the guards standing watch. The villagers ran towards the guards throwing smaller rocks and jumping from behind to push them down. The guards tried to fight them off but the villagers made room for the person with the bottle, and when he threw the bottle containing the elixir on top of the magic stone sticking out from the ground, it made a sound from the earth with intense shaking. The villagers disappeared quickly and ran back to the others that had stopped fighting. The guards, slaves and villagers saw the ground rise in front of them. The landscape started to shake even more, and the earth seemed to transform in front of them.

  Prince Theran was in the throne room and got told what was happening. From the window, he saw the landscape change, and the people there running back to the castle. At the magical stone, the men had abandoned the site, and with all the guards running away, the villagers got to work and picked off the lock from their chains. When they had all got loose, they ran towards the earth stone. The prince was seeing what was going on and ordered the villager’s dead and magical stone secured. The villagers were close but soon, the arrows from the guards started to rain down, and they had to take cover behind fallen trees to not get hit. The ground rose and got closer to the castle. The thick wall around the castle was shaking and parts of it were falling down on to the ground. Several houses started to shake, and the prince ordered the guards to leave the castle. The guards shooting arrows had to take cover themselves when the forest people hiding in the lake came up and were shooting arrows as well.

  With the ground raised and violently changing, it was easy to hide behind the hills that were forming. With the arrows being less effective, the villagers were able to get to the earth stone and grabbed it as they headed for the water. Hun that had lost a fair bit of weight had no problem keeping up, but there was a fair bit to the water and when the guards started firing again after having gotten reinforcements, one of the villagers got hit in the arm and another in the back. The villager that got hit in the back fell down and rolled down the slope. The others went to get him, but the guards were fast and the villager got stabbed and died. The forest people in the lake also suffered casualties, and two of them went down immediately after the other two villagers running with the earth stone. A full retreat was then happening, and the villagers jumped into the lake and dived down. The shaking was continuing, and half the houses in the village next to the castle were destroyed. The guards were chasing the forest people in the lake but heavy armour was no good in water. Some of the guards were shooting arrows into the lake, and when the forest people came up for air, they had to be careful. One of the forest people got hit in the neck as he ascended and filled the water with blood. The Alumrylite stone was fairly hot even in the water and became hard to carry, but with the determination of the villagers and some sore fingers, it became easier after some time.

  There were no longer arrows over them, and they swam to the other side. The guards would have had an easy way of getting them on horse but where there was a bridge that would carry them over. The bridge had been destroyed by the other villagers and lay in rubble. As soon as the forest people came out of the water, they ran towards the nearby carriages waiting for them. With the earth stone’s knowledge uncovered, the forest people had little choice but to seek help from king Lenchi of the Grasoll lands. Back at the castle, Theran was furious and brought two forest people that were injured during the fight and brought his sword up to them. He asked where they were headed but when they both refused to say and were insulting the prince. He ordered them to be surrounded, and ten guards drew their swords. The forest people died after being stabbed multiple times and blood covered the ground that had stopped shaking.

  Angry about what happened, he ordered fifty of the fastest guards to find and bring back the Alumrylite stone, and as he walked towards the castle, half of it had fallen and was then filled with dust. The forest people were splitting up at the edge of the forest they came from, and the rest continued off to the Grasoll lands. Hun went with five other forest people and the remaining took cover of the forest. There had been many injured and killed but the magical stone needed to be protected. They left, and for days, they rode without sleep. The prince had no idea where they were going but figured they would come back to the forest.

  A couple of trackers had joined the army, and they picked up the track from the villagers close to the forest. They departed towards the Grasoll lands but were one day behind. The soldiers were fast, and horses travelled faster than carriage. On the afternoon of the last day, the forest people finally reached the Grasoll lands, and in the distance, they could see the great castle. The rain had started and they continued on. They met other inhabitants and came across small houses on the way; many of the villagers had never seen this part of the world. With an hour left on the trip, one of the villagers spotted the guards from far away and panic set in. The guards were many and with the goal of obtaining the earth stone, they rode straight into the Grasoll lands.

  The forest people rode as fast as possible but their horse was tired and the rain made the wagon heavy on the then muddy road. Some of the villagers started to bring their weapons up and got ready for defence. The guards shot arrows at the wagon, and some of them hit. The forest people returned but were very out numbered. A couple of guards ran to the side of the wagon and shot at the horse. The horse got hit and the villager steering tried to turn towards a house. They jumped out at the house and let the horse keep going with the wagon while they took cover in the barn. The forest people barricaded the barn with wooden boards and other tools making the door stay shut. The ruckus outside had drawn attention, and the man living in the house came out and saw what was going on. One of the guards shot an arrow towards him, and he got hit in the shoulder. With a quick decision, he ran back to his house, and in the house heard a loud noise like from a horn. The guards knew what this meant and ran to the house to try to stop the horn. The men broke in, and with swords drawn, they killed the man.

  The barn door was being slashed and small cracks started to appear. Th
e door finally broke, and the men rushed in. They quickly searched and surrounded the barn. Up in the ceiling, the villagers were hiding but with no way out. There would be certain death for them. The men shot arrows at them and the beam gave a small protection, but when the men started to climb the walls, the realisation that the magic stone once again would get taken from them went through many heads of the forest people. With a sound of thunder, the ground started to shake, and the room filled of distressed guards. Outside, through a small window in the ceiling, one of the villagers could see a lot of men on horses and they were headed at their direction. The guards knew who was coming and made a sudden retreat out the barn and up the horses. Some of the men were still getting ready to leave and had not yet got on to their horses when 200 soldiers came riding.

  The new soldiers were wearing gold plated armour and withdrawn swords. They attacked the remaining men around the barn. The few soldiers unlucky to have been last got killed fast, and the ones that got away fast got chased until they reached the border. When the rain cleared, twelve of the guards lay dead, and the forest people were welcomed by the officer in charge that took them to see the king. In the castle, Kemi had just been introduced to a man named Chalse with ties to the throne in the kingdom of Ocenia and was the nephew to King Tambo. They had found some common interest and walked the palace together. She saw the soldiers come back and understood something had happened. They went together, and she got introduced to the leader of the forest people. When they were all assembled in the throne room, King Lenchi listened to Hun and was amazed about the magic stone he never knew even existed. Hun said the prince would do anything to get it back and asked for help. The king said he would send out a squadron of soldiers to the forest and help rebuild the village. Hun was grateful but said the Alumrylite stone was worth a lot, and the kingdom would then have to be careful.