World of Taroo

by Jimmy Eriksson

  He stopped talking and took in a long breath, and Gon saw the arrow sticking out from the back. He threw him down and ran into the other room. There was a shield made of gold with Prince Theran’s brand on, and Gon figured the man must had worked for the dead prince and grabbed the shield. He walked back in the room were two archers with crossbows had now appeared. Gon held the shield up and they shot at him, but with the shield there, the arrows were just bouncing off, and the men drew their swords and attacked.

  Gon blocked one of the swords and hit back with the staff, and when the other man tried to hit him, he quickly blocked and pushed the man away and spun around and hit the other man on the side of the chest and then used his whole body strength to slam the man over the head with the shield. The other soldier tried to stab him again, and Gon grabbed the sword by the blade and kicked the hand so he lost the grip. Gon then proceeded to strike at the man but hit a beam that went out from the wall and the man got a hold of the shield and brought it up. The shield was strong and could take a lot of strikes, but Gon only needed one because he was very strong and slammed the sword over the shield and the man dropped to the ground and while he was on the ground, Gon stepped on the shield and with a powerful stab, forced the sword through the shield and impaled the soldier in to the wooden floor.

  Gon looked outside the window and the rest of the soldiers were gathered outside surrounding the house. A soldier put a carriage up to seal off the entrance. It turned out there were five men left and another one must have been hiding outside the gates but were all standing outside the house now. Some of the villagers had come out and were watching the whole thing. One of the men lit a fire and brought a couple of torches to it. The old man that helped before told the men to stop and other villagers joined in too. The soldiers told the villagers that anyone caught helping a fugitive or resisting the king would be taken away and be forced to work in the work camps or die.

  The old man said he knew they were not working for the king and walked back into his house. The soldiers lit the torches and walked towards the house. Inside the house, Gon had to think fast and looked around for anything to help him and got the water going in the house by pumping it up and put a blanket under the water and wrapped it over himself. The soldiers lit the house on fire from different angles, and then stood ready for Gon to run out.

  There were three swords and two crossbows aimed at the house. Gon took the shield of the dead soldier and held it in front of him. He would need to get out before the house became too hot and hosed himself with another bucket of water. The door was sealed off but not the windows, however the guards were ready for him to come out there. He looked at the wall next to the door and saw it had several holes and could see the fire lights flashing in the small holes. There were a lot of them and it was possible the wall was brittle. Gon decided to go for it and took aim for the wall but still had to be careful with the guards outside. He heard a scream outside and looked at how a soldier went down and the old man stood with one of the dead archer’s crossbow. No time to waste and with the other soldiers distracted, Gon rushed towards the wall and it turned out that the wall was very weak because it crumbled and opened up.

  As fast as he was out, he ran towards the guards who stepped back first in confusion and then tried to hit Gon but three of the soldiers got Gon’s weight over them and another missed to strike at Gon and got himself a strike by the staff and then some of the villagers were running up and grabbed the remaining men and with knives, started to stab them. The whole fight was over, and the villagers quickly gathered up the soldiers that were dead or alive and brought them to the same place. The remaining soldiers were killed by some of the women who seemed not to be bothered by killing them. The old man said he used to know the previous village leader, but when he died, the man with the shield replaced him saying he used to work for Theran. He had come with several men claiming to be Theran’s old soldiers. He told Gon some of the women in the village had lost their sons and husbands to Theran’s army and his campaign in to the Grasoll land. He pointed at the soldier’s uniform and said it did not look right and more like someone had pieced it together from what they could find.

  When they asked for the men to prove they were from the leftover army of Theran, they became agitated and said because of the war, they would need money to continue. The old man said they didn’t allow anyone to leave the village nor visit without the men’s consent. When Gon came, they must have missed him and that was why they tried to kill him since they probably thought the villagers had said something. Gon listened and then said he hoped they would be left alone but he really should be leaving now. He told Gon that the best way to the kingdom was through the main gates and not by going through the mountain since it was full of soldiers and bandits, and Gon’s plan of trying to look like a soldier would not work since they had ways of identifying who you were as they did with the fake soldiers.

  The fire was put out, and the soldiers were dragged onto a wagon to be transported to a gravesite further away from the village where they would be buried as bandits with no name. Gon asked if the village would be aided if the war came to them, but the old man said he heard from one of the soldiers that the war might come within two weeks, and they offered anyone living in the land to seek shelter behind the wall. The man said he recognised Gon right away as soon as he came to the village. Gon looked surprised and wondered how. The old man said he had gone to the big tournament when Gon was there the first time as he was invited by the mayor who was an old friend and was inside one of the boxes as Gon knocked out the final opponent. He had also gone to the restaurant before the competition and tried the food and had liked it. He asked if he still cooked, but Gon said he used to but sold his restaurant after he got his children.

  Gon took off right away on one of the dead men’s horses. He thanked the old man again and headed off to the main gate where, hopefully, he could get in. He arrived a day later and saw the big gate in front of him where there were some people coming through the gate, but they all had to be searched. Gon only had a staff and left the horse further away so he looked like he was a traveller on foot. He entered the gate and was asked some questions. Gon answered them without problem and managed to convince them to let him through.

  On the other side, some soldiers were standing and looked at the people going through and one in particular was watching the group. Gon went with a group and followed them for an hour. There were many who had come to seek refuge behind the wall, and when Gon spoke to some of them, he found it strange that so many people believed the king to be in his right but from his perspective as well as of the Grasoll land, the king was evil. He had been told the people in the Darcolia kingdom hated their king but so far, he had seen nothing of such. He thought about it then decided it was not for him to decide, and the only thing he wanted was to kill the one responsible for his wife’s death.

  The kingdom was visible from far away and two day’s walk should be enough to get there. He decided to walk by himself since the group he was going with planned to camp for a couple of days. Gon saw the goal so close and walked alone. After he walked for three hours, he realised he was followed and saw in the side of his eye how some men was closing in on him. There was no point in trying to ignore them and there was too much open space to get away. The men were on horses and were getting close fast. Gon decided to try to talk his way out since fighting a lot of them inside the kingdom would be foolish. The men on horses stopped away from him and stayed there. One of the men asked who he was, and Gon continued the story that had brought him this far. But this time, things did not go well, and a man walked out behind and who looked like the one in charge said Gon was lying and was from the Grasoll lands.

  Gon denied being from there, but the man said he knew because Gon lived in the village next to the kingdom that was attacked. Gon gripped his staff and demanded to know how he knew that, but the man ordered the men to attack and capture him. The fight was short as one of the men threw a net over
Gon and several of the men jumped on him. Gon did get some hits in and broke one of the men’s arms off. The struggle was finally over and Gon was chained but not until another soldier got a leg broken by a well-placed kick. Gon was put in a wagon and was being moved to the kingdom. The wagon diverted after a while, and the man in charge said they were to go to the great cave and leave Gon to him. The soldiers did as they were told, and well at the cave, they knocked out Gon and placed him in a cage inside a room built up high in the cave.

  Revenge Is a Great Feeling

  Gon opened his eyes and found himself looking at a dog that was growling as Gon moved to a sitting position. He looked around and studied the room he then was in. He felt a little dizzy still, and when he tried to get up, he felt the room spin. Next to the cage was a table with water. He stretched out to it but was hesitant about drinking it and smelled it. The water seemed fine, but he still decided to put it back. He tried to relax and think about his situation and where he was. After a while, he slowly moved and felt around the cage for weaknesses and potential faults in it. The cage was old but very well done. The dog kept on growling every time Gon came close.

  Finally, some noises could be heard coming from down the hall. A woman came in and was holding his staff. He asked the lady who had come up for his staff back but she was standing silent. She said nothing and then hit the cage hard with the staff which made the noise from the old cage echo through the hallways. She screamed to him that he was a thief and a spy for the Grasoll lands. She spat at him and was going to hit again but someone said “stop” from the doorway. It was the man who told the guards to bring him there, and the woman took the staff and went out.

  The man told Gon he was sorry for the treatment but the woman had lost her family to the war that was going on between the lands. Gon was sitting silently and watching the man as he continued. He said Gon would be free to go as soon as he told him why he had come. The man said the king was surely going to take pity on anyone that confessed or supplied him with information. Gon said nothing, and the man looked at the cage. He said that his name was Sergeant Femil, and he was the head of security for the king.

  Gon finally spoke and asked why the man thought Gon was from the village. Femil said he knew and walked to the fireplace that was sparking. Femil said that it was his job to know everything, and Gon was located at his private interrogation room. Gon believed the sergeant must know who the last man was that had escaped out of the Grasoll lands after they attacked the village. Femil sat down next to the cage and asked why he had come to the kingdom. Gon asked how he knew he was from the village and ignored the question from Femil. The sergeant took a deep breath and leaned towards a lever that he revealed under a cloth. He looked at Gon and pulled the lever. Electricity went through the cage, and Gon shook as it went through him to. Femil let go of the lever and stood up. He shouted to Gon that he must talk and would stay in the cage until he did. He pulled the lever again and held it for a longer while. When the lever came back, Femil walked up to him and said he would die in the cage as a dog unless he talked.

  Femil then turned to a picture on the wall of a woman covered by dark clothes. He said Gon would speak at the end before dying and then he would return to his homeland of Besidil where he would tell his father about his work in the Darcolia kingdom. Gon felt the anger but tried to keep calm since any outburst would be in vain and looked at the door that was slammed after Femil left. The night became long since the woman came in every hour and woke him with the staff. This went on for two days, and Gon was very tired, but during this time, he also was watching the guards and their relieve times. He also noticed how the woman was coming with a bucket of yarn and figured she was making the flags for the castle.

  That day, Femil walked in and said he had heard the Grasoll lands army was gathering outside Darcolia and Kemi was at the border herself. Femil said Gon knew when they were planning to attack, and he must speak unless he wanted to die while being tortured. Gon said he would kill Femil and anyone in the castle himself if he got the chance. Femil told one of the guards to shoot, and Gon got a dart in the side of the body. He pulled it out but immediately got dizzy and fell down. He woke up and was tied to a table. Femil stood at the side and stroked Gon’s head and said he didn’t want to do him harm but he had to if Gon didn’t talk. Another guard held up a bucket of water and threw it at Gon.

  Femil brought up a rod that sparkled a bit. He said it was a new invention of his and he was eager to try it on Gon. Gon cursed at him, and Femil smiled and put the rod at him. The electricity was hurting a lot and Gon felt the pain get stronger as the rod was being held at the same spot. Femil took it away and said that the pain would stop as soon as he gave Femil what he wanted. Gon spit at Femil, and the guard punched him on the head and threw another bucket of water on him. Femil jammed the rod in the chest of Gon and laughed as he screamed. The torture went on for a while, and Gon had trouble thinking and could only hear the laugh from Femil and the guard. Gon tried to shut out the pain and looked around every time they take a break. He saw something that might help but from where he was, he wouldn’t be able to reach it. He was able to move his legs more and more. He was careful with how he moved his legs to not tip off the others and felt he could possibly change the situation.

  They started again, and Gon knew it was now or never. He tried to get loose from the arms, and the guard came up to him and held him down and gave another punch. With both the men concentrated on the top of the body, he slowly moved his legs free. In the middle of the torture, he suddenly opened his eyes towards the guard and smiled. The guard looked surprised and in a quick movement, Gon swung around and put the legs around the guard’s body. Femil was trying to put the rod on Gon but every time he did, his muscles tightened, and this time, Gon was adding on the power of his legs and the guard was getting the crushing feeling plus the electricity on his body. The guard screamed and a loud crack came from his body.

  Femil’s rod lost the power, and Gon let the man fall down. The guard screamed in pain and couldn’t move his legs. Femil laughed out loud and called some other guards in that took the fallen guard away. Some other guards brought Gon back to the cage. Femil came back later and said the guard had his back detached and won’t walk again. Gon looked at Femil and said it was nothing compared to what he would do to him. Femil laughed and left the room. Two days went by, and Femil was nowhere to be seen and only the woman came by and harassed him once in a while. He heard the canons roar outside and other weapons being tested and the day and nights came with soldiers talking about the oncoming battle.

  Gon was tired and finally was able to rest. After another five hours which Gon was able to sleep without interruption, he woke up and heard some of the guards talk about how Kemi and the army had entered the land and were advancing towards the castle. The kingdom was on the edge, and some of the army had left to check the status of the advancing army. They talked about the plan to let the army come in and used the traps laid out all over the country to lower the number of the army. They walked away and in came the woman that had been terrorising him for the past couple of days. She started telling him that the army was coming and when they were defeated, she would personally kill Gon. He tried to tell her he had nothing to do with the war and he had nothing to do with her family. She took the bucket and put it under herself. She peed in it, and then threw the bucket and the content over the cage and then left the room.

  Gon never stopped studying the place he was in and the people that were inside. There was a young man cleaning every day, and Gon figured he had mental problems and the man did anything he was told without question. He was hoping he would be coming by so he could ask him for some things, but he seemed to be moved to a different section. Gon was so hungry and thirsty and only got small meals to keep him like that. It was hard to see what time it was during the day but it must be night time since there were so few guards there. He was standing leaning over and looking around. He saw something interesting about one
of the chains and sat down hard with his heavy body while making it swing a little. He was lucky and the cage broke one of the chains from the floor. This was a great thing because all of a sudden, the cage was free to swing around, and Gon started immediately to make the cage move. He knew what to aim for and moved back and forward so the cage closing in on a rope and could reach it just enough to be able to grab it. He made a loop on the edge and threw the rope towards the wall and he tried to aim for a pillar in front of it but missed and he would have to try again.

  It took a couple of tries but finally, he got lucky and pulled himself towards the wall. He felt weak but the chance to change his position gave him new powers. He was higher in the air, and when he had the right point, he made the rope come off the pillar and he slammed into the wall of the other side of the room. The cage made a loud noise but had the desired effect because the cage had two of the bars come apart. He quickly squeezed out and hid behind a curtain next to the door, and he heard two guards coming closer to check on the noise. There were not too many guards around so the timing had been right. The guards entered with drawn sword and saw the cage empty. Before they could sound any alarm, Gon stepped out. They told him to lie down, but he came closer, and one of the men struck at Gon. The man fell dead faster than the other guard could realise it by pushing the sword away from him and then, with a heavy strike, hit him in the chest making his heart stop.

  The other man tried as well to strike, and Gon grabbed the man after he again pushed the sword away from him and kicked him on the knees so hard it dislocated and the man fell down. Gon grabbed the sword and struck it right through the throat. The guard struggled for a few seconds but died soon after. Gon wasted no time and left the room after he had checked out that the coast was clear. He moved quickly and came to another room further down the hallway and entered it since he heard some guards come close. He saw some food that had been left on the table and took the opportunity to eat. Bread and wine with some dried sausage. He cleaned the table out and checked out from the door again and was able to continue down the corridor. He heard a familiar voice and had to stop. It was the woman who had been tormenting him, and she had his staff.