World of Taroo

by Jimmy Eriksson

  There were more people then and he was lucky because the man that had the stable offered him to stay for free as long as he didn’t make trouble for him. Gon didn’t mind the cold, and for some reason, the floor felt warm inside the stable. The man owning it told him the stable was right under where they melt some of the material they brought out from the mountain. Happy to now have somewhere to stay, he had to hope for a solution to come. During the days, he walked around the town during the day but not in the night when all the people came back. A woman had been kind enough to offer him a meal that he ate, and she told him there were some men walking around collecting taxes from everyone. If unable to pay, they threatened with violence, and for people going through could end up in a cell if they not had money to pay. Gon definitely wished to avoid any confrontation and kept his presence low.

  A few days passed without anything happening but then a breakthrough came. He overheard one of the soldiers say they were to leave, then Gon saw the soldiers that blocked off the road suddenly riding away towards the Darcolian land. Only one of them remained, but he seemed to prepare to leave as well. This was the chance Gon would take advantage of and packed up all his things. The soldier could be heard speaking to one of the men Gon believed would be the one collecting taxes. The soldier said he would leave as soon as darkness came to join the others which was just what Gon wanted to hear. He had no reason to keep a low profile and intended to eat a large meal that night before leaving. There was a tavern he could see was popular and would enter it shortly to eat some well-deserved food. It was known to those even below the mountain for its delicious food. It was snowing outside and it had not let up for hours.

  Inside, sitting at one of the tables was Gon, eating some soup. He had been drinking a lot as well ever since he entered the tavern. He felt so bad for his wife dying and for leaving his two daughters, he felt he needed to stop thinking for a while. He had started to drink more ever since his wife, Senji, was killed a while back. He used to drink but never this much in one go. The tavern would be the last stop on the way before crossing the mountain. If he could cross, he’ll be on the land of Darcolia and could take revenge.

  As he ate, another man came into the tavern. The man was large and the snow seemed to have avoided him entirely. He was covered by fabric and it was not possible to see his face. The man was well-known in the mountain and felt he was called there by something. He was not sure what but since he lived on the mountain, he thought he better follow the feeling. The people around him knew all too well who he was and stayed away from him. He asked for a drink and sat down in the corner. He looked over the people in the tavern but no one stuck out, and he started to wonder if his senses were off. There were some men off duty that usually guarded the big mines from people at night. A few regular people, some travellers and the lonesome drunk man eating soup as well as general people living in the close town. It felt like all was normal but something drew him there so he would sit and watch to hopefully figure out what it was.

  The door opened up again, and in came a couple of men known to the village and it was the people that were the law men there, but they were the most corrupt men. They closed the door, and it became less noisy. The judge, as he was called for delivering fast convictions, walked slowly in and watched over the crowd. He went to the bar and got served a drink that he swept quickly. As he stood looking over the crowd, his eyes caught Gon eating and drinking. He thought the man that seemed like he was a little fat and drunk would surely have some coins on him. He asked about him to the other men, and they told the judge Gon had been sleeping in the stable. The judge said they must inform him about the taxes. They walked up to the man eating the soup, and as they did, others moved away.

  At the table, the judge leaned over the table and asked Gon where he was going. The eyes watching across the room listened to what was going on. There was no answer, and the man eating the soup was not even looking at the judge he could see. The men looked at each other, and the judge pulled a chair out to sit down. He said if he wished to cross the mountain, he must pay a toll. Gon stopped eating and grabbed his glass of alcohol and finished it still not saying a word. Then he started again and kept eating to the amusement of the man watching across the room. The judge would never dare ask him for money but there was a reason for that. The judge got angry, and first slammed his fist on the table then said that he had to pay. He grabbed the bowl and told Gon to stop eating.

  Gon then stopped moving and looked at the man that was standing before him. He rose himself and stood at the table in front of the judge. The other two men had their hands on their swords just in case, since Gon, despite being a little on the heavy side, was looking strong. The judge repeated that he had to pay unless he wanted to stay in a jail cell for a week. Gon grabbed his bag and staff off the floor and started to move towards the judge who thought he must have scared him then. But Gon told him to move or he would move him out of his way. The judge, then furious, swung his arm towards the disrespectful man aiming for his face.

  Gon grabbed the judge’s hand as it was coming towards him and broke his arm like it would be a twig. From the back of the restaurant, the man who was drawn to the tavern then looked intrigued by what was happening. The judge fell to the ground screaming, and Gon took the last of the soup to swallow it all in one go. Then he cracked the bowl over the head of the judge. The two other men had their swords drawn, and the people in the tavern had all backed up. Even the off duty guards did not want anything with the fight, besides they held no love for the judge. Gon who was a little tipsy from the alcoholic drinks had started walking towards the door.

  The two men walked towards him, and one of the men swung his blade. Gon grabbed a chair and blocked the strike. Then, as he turned the sword away from him using the chair, he kicked the man in the side so the man crunched together and then grabbed him on the head. He swiped his legs and slammed him on the floor so hard he broke a couple of ribs. He passed out instantly from the pain and lay on the floor not moving. The other man then went for a stab, and Gon moved to the side to grab then pulled the sword against him so the man came closer. He then elbowed him so one tooth fell out while he fell down unconscious. Gon kept walking to the door when, from behind, the judge was running towards him with a knife in the other hand.

  When the judge was close to him, he raised the knife and tried to stab Gon in the heart. Gon had met many foes during his life, and without any problem, slapped the knife out of the judge’s hand, then proceeded to grab him. He kneed the judge hard in the stomach then kicked his knee so hard it dislocated. The judge screamed, but got silent as Gon went behind him and with a grab to the neck, broke it. The judge lay dead on the floor which did not make many people upset in the tavern. Gon grabbed his staff and bag then walked towards the door that he soon had behind him.

  The people inside started to talk, and some tried to help the men lying on the floor. The man who had been watching the whole thing rose from his chair and walked towards the door. Outside, the man saw the travelling man who looked so harmless in the tavern and was now walking away to the inner mountain. Gon had been walking for a while, and the tavern was not visible anymore. The snow was falling slowly down and there was no wind. Despite killing the judge, he felt nothing for him and continued on as nothing happened. The soldier who was left had disappeared, and he then had a clear path to go. He did feel something else was out in the mountain with him, but even if the moon lit up the road, he couldn’t see anyone. He walked for a while, and then he saw something coming towards him, and he took his staff and stopped the snowball that someone had thrown at him by hitting it so it spread all over the ground. He looked over the path and open space around it but saw nothing.

  Gon prepared himself for battle and shouted out to whoever was out there to show themselves. It was still quiet and the only movement was made from the snow. He looked over the road in front of him, and then he finally saw something moving but it was a little higher up over the big rocks on th
e side of the road. The shadow came closer, and he followed it as it disappeared behind a big rock. His eyes were glued to the rocks on the side, and with a lightning fast defensive move, blocked a strike from a spear looking weapon. The strikes became many, but he was able to block them all, and when he himself attacked the man who he couldn’t get a good look at before, jumped back and was now standing in front of him. He never saw him in the tavern and asked what he wanted. The man said he saw what happened in the tavern, and he was looking to test Gon’s strength.

  Gon said that unless he was working with the Darcolia army, he had best to leave. The man stood quietly, and then let his robe fall and got his weapon ready for combat. Gon smiled and had then awakened fully from his drinks earlier. Gon told him he did not wish to kill him, but if he wanted to die, he could grant him that wish. The man had his mouth covered so Gon could not see his face but noticed immediately when the man started the attack and followed with blocking the strike with his own weapon. The next few strikes were looking like they were testing each other, and then the really hard blows came. The man was fast, and no matter how well Gon was defending himself, the man kept coming at him. The attacker seemed to pick up the difficulty of the strikes with many combos of his own. He finally got in a punch on Gon which hit him in the side of the ribs and then a kick over the knee. The pain was there but, with the adrenaline pumping, Gon felt almost nothing when it hit. He thought the man was really good with his weapon and took a step forward to see if that would change the man’s technique. The man changed to other combos, and Gon made a choice to close in to test him.

  As he got closer, he saw the man that was taller would have to move back to get the same combos in. But when he tried to move back, Gon stepped closer and then Gon let the man get a hit on the side of him. It hurt but also since Gon let the man hit him there, he could control the pain. He then got the chance for a strike himself and hit the man on the outside of the knee so he lost his balance. Straight after that, he gave a push making the man fall backwards. Gon did not let the attack wait and went in for several hits and managed to get the upper hand for the moment. He unleashed heavy hits and kept himself close the whole time. All of a sudden, the masked man let off a kick in the side of Gon that was powerful and he had to back off for a moment.

  They stood watching each other and instead of the strikes being fast, they then became harder. This worked well for Gon who blocked and closed in for a kick over the leg, and on the next strike against him, he blocked and elbowed him in the stomach. This elbow attack did get returned with a knee in the side of the ribs on Gon. The next punch was delivered by the masked man and hit Gon over the chin. He managed to come behind Gon and was able to trip him over and around so he landed on his back. He struck at Gon but was blocked fast, and as the man struck, Gon was able to force the man to the side. Gon got a lucky opportunity when the man missed to strike the weapon on him and went to the side instead. He could grab it then he turned his leg to force himself towards him. The man landed on to the side of him and he lost his spear but was fast on his feet again.

  Gon was then holding the other man’s weapon and looked at it thinking it was a really good looking one. The man could not believe what happened and got an even more surprise when Gon said the man had a great weapon and was good using it but there was no way he could be beaten with it. He then threw the staff back to the man that looked at it. Gon was ready to attack again, but the man stood silently and when he took a step, the man said it was enough. Gon didn’t know what he was planning but would not chance it that the man was going to trick him and kept his guard.

  The man said he wondered what called him to the tavern, and then he knew it was for Gon. The man introduced himself as Master Tiger and let his mask fall. Master Tiger was a well-known warrior that had been famous for his wins over the years in great battles and even had the standing record of most men beaten in the arena tournament in the great city of Shetana. Gon remembered seeing his statue in the arena and then looked upon the great warrior. Gon still didn’t know why the great warrior wanted to fight him, but felt a little proud anyway. Master Tiger said he had looked for someone that deserved something he was given long ago and if Gon showed he deserved it, he would give it to him. Gon said that he had no interest to fight him unless he was with the Darcolia army. Master Tiger smiled and threw away his staff far away from him and then stood in a fighting position and told Gon he had no choice and added that to leave, he must either win or lose.

  Gon realised he had no choice and understood the rules. He knew he would win if he attacked with his weapon, but at this point, it would be very disrespectful to any fighter and he was no coward so he lunged his staff away from him and got ready. The snow was still slowly falling, and with the moon light shining, it was possible to see the steam coming from both the fighters. Master Tiger started to attack, and Gon cracked his knuckles as he tightened them and went in. Tiger let a high kick go, and as he missed, he also blocked an uppercut from Gon. There were several kicks and punches and Gon got the first punch in on Tiger’s chest but got a low kick back and straight after a punch that hit the nose. They tested each other again and some of the kicks hit, but a lot was blocked and when Gon got a kick in the side then Tiger was fast to throw an elbow and managed to swipe the other leg on Gon who fell down but stopped the oncoming kick to the chest with his hands and let a kick go that hit Tiger on the hip and got himself up in the same move.

  Gon tried again to stay close, but without a weapon, Tiger was really good up close and it turned dangerous when Tiger got a knee in the stomach of Gon, and then quickly was able to grab a hold and spin Gon around. Tiger then stood behind Gon choking him. Gon understood he must act quickly and let off some elbow attacks but Tiger was in an all too good position and didn’t let go. With no air coming in, he started to feel he would lose and went down on one knee. He saw Senji in front of him, and his children waving next to her. He got a tear in his eyes and also saw the evil king laugh and the village burning with Senji lying over his lap dead.

  With a change of colour in his eyes, the rage took over. He rose again and Tiger felt the man he was just about to beat got new power. Gon grabbed Tigers arm tightly, and with a heavy stomp on Tiger’s foot followed by a powerful elbow hitting his kidneys, he, for an instant, was unable to keep his strength in the arms, so Gon was able to twist the arm really hard and got loose, and at the same time turned around to let off a hard punch that went in the stomach causing Tiger to bend over slightly. With the new found strength, Gon then grabbed Tiger as he was bent over, and despite Tiger being a very big and muscular man, Gon lifted him easily and slammed him down hitting his upper back hard and then moved away.

  Master Tiger lay for no more than a second and got up quick. The intense pain from the body slam went through him, and he looked surprised at what happened. His arm hurt a lot after being twisted, and when Gon rushed in for an attack and he tried to block it, his arm hurt intensely. He lost concentration for a moment, but Gon saw that and elbowed Tiger over the chin and as he fell, stumbled backwards he also got a swipe hitting the legs causing him to fall and as he fell, he received an elbow to the chest accelerating his decent to the ground.

  As Gon backed off and got ready for the next assault. He saw Tiger holding his chest as he came up, he would use that to his advantage. The powerful Master Tiger stood and in a surprised look, found himself, for the first time in his life, being beaten and looked upon the man he first thought was just a traveller that he could beat easily. Tiger checked himself for injury and the possibility of continuing, but as he took a step forward, his insides hurt and blood was running from his mouth. His eyesight was slightly off as well and he knew he had no choice. As Gon got ready for attack, Tiger had to take the decision he never thought he would have to make. He held up his hand and said enough then went down on one knee trying to breathe.

  Gon saw the great champion finally succumbing to his injuries and could start to relax. He walked up to his bag
and staff to pick them up. He also grabbed Master Tiger’s spear and handed it over to him so he was able to lean on something when he stood. Gon had much respect for him and only said it had been an honour to fight the great master. Tiger gave a smile and reached for a small bag hidden in the cloak that Gon also gave back to him. He gave Gon the small bag and said the contents of the bag would help Gon if he ever would get in a situation that required more than normal strength. He said he had been given it from an old man with a strange cane he met on his travels that told him he had to give it to the first man who beat him.

  At first, Tiger said no, but after the old man with the cane challenged him to a game, he said he would do it if he lost. The old man was clever and tricked Tiger who said he never had a chance. He thought it was a strange request but he agreed to it after losing. Tiger said he didn’t know what it did, but the old man had said that it would help in a situation that was otherwise impossible. The bag was then in the hands of Gon who felt it from outside for its contents. He was asked to pass it on to someone worthy and not use it himself. Master Tiger then thanked Gon for the chance to feel like he finally had the chance to fight for real after so many years. Gon asked what game he lost in, and Tiger said, embarrassed, it was frog catching. Tiger said the old man used his cane to scare the frogs up and caught double than himself. Gon smiled and said maybe next time they met, he would give him a chance to redeem himself in the game of frog catching. Tiger laughed and said he would surely win against him.