World of Taroo

by Jimmy Eriksson

  Gervaso ran in to try to put pressure on Gon to defend himself and he was able to get a hard punch to the kidneys. He could after he hit him with an elbow over the nose but Gon got his arm around the neck. He moved forward so Gervaso had to bend back creating an opportunity again for Gon who kicked behind the knee so Gervaso fell down on the knees. Gon proceeded to unleash heavy punches to the face from above and Gervaso tried to block but the punches were fast as well as hard. Gervaso had to stop the block and instead put the arm around Gon’s neck. It was enough to stop Gon who had to move off to not get himself in trouble. Gon’s knee suddenly gave way as he stood up and Gervaso made it count his way. He may not have as much strength left but a chance like this could not be wasted. He was able to grab Gon with his arm over his throat and pulled him against him.

  Gon felt the pull and knew he was in big trouble. He tried to get loose, but he was very tired already from the fight. He began to see the white light that came before passing out and felt he might lose. He looked at the crowd, and they all cheered for what they saw. He could see several people and they felt like they were moving slower than usual. He wondered if it was because of him soon passing out that he felt everything go slow. His eyes was drawn to a man he couldn’t see but there was something familiar about him. He didn’t know where he had seen him, but the features seemed to remind him of something. He saw a cane and then he felt Gervaso moved his face the other side. He could then see his daughters and believed he saw the fear in their eyes as they wondered if this was the end of the fight.

  Gon closed his eyes and then used something that came from within him. He used so much strength that he was able to pull away the arm from his throat. The light vanished and a new energy came to him. He forced the arm away, and at the same time, grabbed the fingers of Gervaso who screamed out in pain. Gon twisted them and Gervaso had to let him go. Gon pushed him away and the defending champion fell down on the ground. Gervaso was fast up, but when he stood up, he could see Gon coming fast towards him. Gon jumped and kicked Gervaso in the chest so he had to move back a few steps. The last year’s champion used his final strength and grabbed a hold of Gon again but then the strength was not as much so Gon could get free. He hit Gon over the eye but then got a knee from Gon that landed on his nose.

  Gon used his arms and hit Gervaso another six times in a row on the face and body. Gervaso moved back, and he was hurting badly then, but looked at Gon with anger then shook the pain off. He looked at Gon who was standing still staring back at him. When Gervaso took aim and ran towards Gon, the crowd was happy to be a part of the intense fight that the tournament had provided. When the defending champion threw a punch to Gon, he could see it coming and blocked it then with the same hand he struck at the nose of Gervaso and then unleashed a hard kick. When it landed on the inner thigh, Gervaso went down on one knee. Gon kicked him in the stomach and then grabbed him from behind again. He held a tight grip on Gervaso, and he also kept punching him while Gervaso did a desperate attempt to block.

  Gon stopped when Gervaso could no longer could block, and he felt he was losing consciousness. He let go of him and stood up to hear the crowd cheer that also was shouting his name. The judge declared him the winner when Gervaso was unable to get up within a certain time. He looked up towards the box where his family was located on the side. They were cheering loud and the happiness could be seen in the eyes of his daughters. The crowd got calmed down after some time when Gon was ready to come up to the podium. The daughters had been allowed to come down to hug their father and said how proud they were of him. He got up on the podium, and the judges introduced him as the champion of champions. He received a round ball made of gold that had a strange jewel sitting in it. He had seen one before and knew it to be an Alumrylite stone.

  The students got many questions from the crowd about Gon, but they only answered a couple for respect of their master. The judges also gave Gon the 130,000 credits that were promised to the champion and a statue to be built in his honour to be placed at the arena. As soon as he relaxed, the immense pain from his shoulder came out and he had to ask for a bandage to help him with the support. The crowd was cheering all the way out from the arena, and Gon was transported with the others in a carriage to the house. He held a small speech of what it meant for him to come back and thanked the city of Shetana for making him feel welcome again. He would rest up for two days before they would travel back. He sat at the house in the bath and listened to Isabel read for him. He could hear the people outside having fun, and he felt happy. He was able to beat the last man to become champion. He felt he would not want to do this again and decided there and then to never fight in the arena again. He came out to the others and looked upon everyone in the room who had silenced as he came through the door. He thanked everyone for believing he could win and joined the others in celebrating.

  They continued late through the night and the city had many parties going on to celebrate the fight. On the day of the departure, he said good bye to Jay and Nami who would stay for one more day. He and the girls, together with the others, were leaving secretly out from the great city of Shetana to try not being seen and disturbed. The reward was a great one, and Gon had no intention to bring it with him then. He would risk having many bandits after him and had instead secured a carriage that was driven by one of Bianca’s brothers that would take it all the way to Gon’s house. It would be built in the carriage itself to be hidden away. The way home went great, and they had gotten a ride all the way to the kingdom on another wagon that was bringing wool to the seamstresses of Grasoll.

  The carriage they arrived with was being driven back by another man that offered to bring it and was riding with Jay and Nami. They arrived back at the kingdom and would walk back to the house but were met by Kemi who said she had heard about the win. She said the kingdom was proud of him and would escort him the last way. They got driven by the high guards all the way to the house where the other students were waiting for them. They had also heard about the win and wanted to hear everything that had happened. They all sat around on the battle ground as those who were travelling with Gon showed up the matches in form of fighting.

  Wame was the most graphic one and showed how their master beat up everyone in his way. Gon was happy but left to walk up to the house and sat in his room to look outside the window. He thought about his wife and how he wished she was with him then to celebrate the victory. He fell asleep on the bed, and in the dream, he could see himself walking around. He came to a small house, and as he came close, the door opened. Senji stood in the doorway and greeted him. He turned into the age and shape of when they first met, and she told him to come in. She hugged him and said she was very proud of him then said she was there to see him win. The sight of her made him fall down on his knees and sob quietly, but she took his chin to bring him up. She said he never had to cry as she would always be with him then hugged him. She told him it was time to go and he needed to protect the family because he would need to soon more than ever. He wondered what it was and she looked at him with worried eyes.

  The nice house they were just in turned dark and he then heard voices outside the window. He could see several men with swords standing around and a man in front of them. The men he couldn’t make out who they were killed the man in front of his wife and kids then they killed the woman too. More screams could be heard and other people were being chased or chopped down. A knock on the door was heard, and a man sounding like he had trouble speaking told whoever was inside to open. Gon tried to move but could not as he was stuck in a Black sludge-like substance and could not get loose. He asked Senji what was happening, and she told him the beginning of the greatest war was about to happen.

  When the door opened, the darkness returned to light and he was back with Senji. He asked what it was and she said a new force would rise soon to curse the lands once more. She said he must be ready to flee because there would be nothing he could do to stop it. Gon said he didn’t want to leave her ever again
, but Senji said they would meet again when the time had come then took Gon’s hands. She placed a flower in the hand and told him she liked the flowers he planted for her on her grave around the shrine. He tried to speak but she held her hand to his mouth then kissed him. He opened his eyes and he looked upon the room he slept in every day in the house.

  He sat up and when he looked out the window again, he saw a flower that was in the window. He could swear it was not there before when he came in. It waved in the wind and the laughs outside were sounding through the air. He sat quietly and wondered what future would be coming for his family.

  They Came

  Grasoll was once again threatened by others that had spread chaos and terror throughout the different lands. This was what Kemi informed those under her that feared for the future. The Domoro Land was joining forces with the Grasoll lands once more and together, there were over 10,000 soldiers ready to fight. Jay had risen in command after coming back and now had the main army under his control with Nami at his side as an advisor.

  In the Grasoll kingdom, Kemi now had collected the generals and high-ranking soldiers in the war room. They went through the defensive plans for the kingdom and the allies surrounding them. Stories of horror emerged from the different people in the room. The Darcolian kingdom had been under control by Redonia and kept the peace between them for the last years. But just recently, a sudden reinforcement of soldiers arrived and the peace vanished. She didn’t know what happened other than that the border had been completely shut off for everyone else. It had been so long then since the last war affected them that some were having doubts that the reports were right.

  In the beginning, many were afraid of the retaliation from General Amaya, the brother of Arobe who could bring the Redonian army with him. Nothing was ever heard from them, and at first, it didn’t seem like Redonia was going to do anything. They thought the agreement between them would hold but then many feared the worst. The people in the room had once again had the thought of retaliation since much of the information told them about Redonian flags being seen closer to the border. The new army that had, within a short time, assembled at the Darcolian kingdom, had several weapons pointed towards the different directions of entry to the land. The army that was growing in Darcolia had been coming from across the sea in many ships with Redonian flags. The armies had crossed over oceans and mountains to get to Darcolia. ‘They had caused much destruction in the villages and people they had met on the way,’ said one officer in the meeting.

  ‘Rubbish,’ said another man owning much land close to the border between the two kingdoms. He firmly believed the high officer wished to create something from nothing. He sat, however, a little silent after speaking, thinking for himself if it could be true, since he had not heard anything from his estate. Others swore they knew that the new soldiers that had come had brought some sort of magic with them and used it to gain favour on the battlefield. Kemi had also heard this but couldn’t truly believe in magic like such mentioned, even if she couldn’t deny its existence with themselves holding a magical stone. She wondered if there were other stones or something else that was used to wield magic. She said she had heard the new army also brought heavy weapons and had used them on some villages that were taken over after the last war close to the border to totally flatten them.

  The many small forts built to create a first line of defence just at the border had sustained heavy losses. They were now abandoned and vulnerable to further attack. Kemi had called in the best weapons manufacturers and wise men in the lands. She had asked them for advice and help in the battle that was growing all too close to them. The kingdom was using all its resources and would be spending a lot to be able to catch up to the new arrivals. Some of the mines that were owned by the kingdom had been all but dried out and taxes had been collected for the incoming war as well as recruiting new soldiers that were being trained.

  For a while, she truly believed there was not going to be a war since the Redonian kingdom had never made a single move throughout the many years since the war against Darcolia. In the room, loud voices were heard as some were fighting amongst themselves since they had different opinions about how to best help the situation. Some still didn’t believe in the rumour about any attack being made, but others insisted it was true. All the different land owners were there, and several private estates wished to have their voice heard. Kemi was tired of the many people in the room who could not agree and walked out on the balcony that was connected to the room. She watched over the land and had so much in her head.

  Being queen was not easy and compromises would have to be made many times. Her eyes wandered, and she looked at the mountains that were clearly visible from her balcony. She questioned what happened a few years ago in the mountains with her prized possession. She touched her lips and asked herself where did her little plaything go. She was interrupted by a servant of the Domoro Land’s Queen Lisaro. He asked her about the kingdom of Ocenia and their help. Kemi said they were still neutral and had decided to not be a part of any war. Kemi said she believed the new leaders of Darcolia from across the sea would take over the kingdom of Ocenia if they were successful with the assault and were only letting on them for then to take over at a later point.

  Kemi said that this war was different and the enemy now was much more dangerous and so much more different than anything they had met before. Hearing they used magic made her uneasy, even if she was not sure what kind it was, but suspected she would see it for herself if an attack was made. He asked her how she could be sure the Redonian army would even attack. ‘Perhaps, they just wished to be left alone for the time being,’ he said with hope that Kemi would agree. But she smiled and said that she knew, and considering how quickly the ships were arriving, they may have just a month or two at best before the border was crossed.

  When asked if the kingdom had enough soldiers to defend against Redonia, she pointed towards the side of them. The servant looked down and saw the massive camp that stretched over a wide range past the kingdom. There were so many soldiers there, and Kemi was happy to command such a large army. She told him it was not all of them, and when Domoro arrived with theirs, it would be enough. She returned to the room and told everyone to be quiet. She said they would have to be quick, and because of what the information said was that the army currently in Darcolia was extremely strong, she told the people inside the room that the time for disagreement was over, and the time for cooperation was now.

  She took over and started to delegate orders to the different people in the room. ‘The key to victory is to be smarter and more well prepared than the enemy,’ was one of the points she raised. They must concentrate on new inventions to bring up the army to be ahead of others in weapons technology. She told them that since they counted on this day to come, they had already created weapons that were more powerful than the ones used before. ‘But it is not enough,’ she said, and she urged them all to exchange ideas for how to proceed with the development of weapons. The preparations were on the way, and many ideas were proposed, others thrown away. Kemi was not the only one thinking they might fight again, and she learnt that Queen Lisaro had some really interesting inventions in her kingdom.

  The meeting had finished with that everyone would have to work fast and be ready to return if the time came for an assault. Both the kingdoms of Grasoll and Domoro pushed their inventors to try new things, and some breakthroughs happened during the course of just a month. The old wise men talked amongst each other and shared books. They found an old fire-making gel that was used 500 years ago that were forbidden by Kemi’s ancestors due to the destruction it caused. The queen had no problem issuing it to be made once more and luckily, it would be cheap to make. It was strong in power, but would lose the strength if dried up which it seemed to do quickly. An advisor suggested that perhaps they should look in the oldest temple which was outside of the kingdom. The structure was ancient, and most of the things in there were of little use, but they should look eve
rywhere. Others agreed that it was possible something could be of use in it even if it was just fire wood from old chairs.

  After searching through the temple, they found little they already knew, and no one was really surprised. But then something happened that none had foreseen. Everything changed when after accidently causing a wall to collapse, they found a hidden room inside the temple. The structure that was used only as a place of tranquillity, seemed suddenly to hold more secrets. After Kemi had been told, she made sure to give orders to seek out what was hidden behind the wall. It would be searched for any books that were forgotten, and from what Kemi had heard, it looked to hold something there. The closest advisor to Kemi ordered them to seek in every nook and cranny, because perhaps something of value could be in there.

  Kemi sent out her soldiers to keep any people away until they had fully searched the temple out. When they managed to dig out the hidden chamber in the old temple from the debris caused by the wall, they discovered old relics and scrolls. There was also a skeleton holding a book that was taken immediately. In the excitement of picking up scrolls or books, they first didn’t notice the shrine in the back of the room. Not until one of the wise men happened to hold a book up at the direction, he noticed the shrine. At first, he assumed it was just another place of prayer, but then he heard a very faint sound coming from it. He stared at the shrine and felt himself wanting to go towards it. Well at the shrine, he could see a hole next to it leading into the wall and looked inside it. The hole looked to have been once sealed, but whoever did it must not have done a great job because it had opened up. There was something in there, and he wondered what it could be that had been placed deep inside the old shrine.