I returned to the tavern where I was staying, and as I was entering my room Fondo approached me.
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“Hey Estora, I have something important to tell you. Come have dinner at my house this evening and we will talk all about it.”
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“Okay, I will be there.”
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Chapter 4: Farmhouse
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"I knocked on Mr. Fondo's front door, and a young girl swung it open, a warm smile stretching across her face.
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'Hey, you must be Estora. Come on in; I'm Lisa.'
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'Hello, Lisa. Is Mister Fondo around? He invited me to join him for dinner,' Estora said.
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'Yeah, Dad's been looking forward to it. Follow me.'
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"Oh, my bad. I didn't realize you were his daughter. You two look so... well, never mind,"
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'Different,' Lisa continued with a chuckle. 'I get it. My dad's on the shorter side, a bit round just like my sister, and here I am, tall and slim. I take after my mom.'"
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We walked down the big shiny hallway and entered the dining room where Mister Fondo was.
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“Hello Mr. Fondo, thank you for inviting me.”
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“Of course, I wanted to invite you for a long time but you were in bad shape so I waited for you to get better first. I have known you Father Nashami for a long time, we were an invincible team back in the day”
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“Wow really! You fought along Dad, that’s Awesome, he rarely talked to me about his adventures. And also did you get any recent news about the dragon attack on Anni.”
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“ I heard that the Anni army defeated the dragon and forced him to flee out of the region. But people claim that it’s a lie created by the Leader of Anni to get the merchants and people to come back to his region since a lot of them flew after the dragon Nifeir attacked.
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And the real story is that the army intercepted Nifeir and fought him for three long days which cost the life of many soldiers including the army’s general who pierced a hole with his spear in the dragon's chest before getting eaten. And after that the dragon screamed of pain and left the region and hasn’t come back yet.”
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“All of that happened while I was sleeping. I wish I had stayed there to see for myself how strong this beast actually is.”
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“This matter is not a joke Estora, we have to be careful in these dangerous times”
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I talked to Mr. Fondo for a bit. And he introduced me to his wife Marato, and their two daughters Lisa and Misa.
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After we finished our food and talked for a while, I was eager to know what Mr. Fondo wanted to tell me, so I asked.
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“What did you bring me here to talk about Mr. Fondo”
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“We finally found Nara yesterday morning and was on the verge of death due to dehydration and starvation. We luckily saved him just in time and treated him. Misa! go wake Nara up and tell him to come down here”
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“ I will go tell him Dad, I’m faster.” Lisa said
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“Wait! Did Narami come back already? Why didn’t you tell me?”
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“He came back yesterday night and was very tired so he took a deep sleep. I think he wasn’t taken by the hoodlum Shoraz but was rather surprisingly the one chasing him for the last three days,” Fondo said.
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“That’s absurd! Why is he trying that hard to save my mom”
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‘It’s not just about your mom kid, he has an old grudge against every member of the Hundred Dragons organization” Marato explained
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“What is this organization? and what made Narami have this kind of grudge against them?”
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“ I can’t believe there’s still someone who doesn’t know about the Hundred Dragons organization, HDO for short. It’s the biggest gang group in the region Hali, it consists of the best assassins, criminals, bounty hunters, and more.
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And the reason Nara hates them goes all the way back to when he was a child.”
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“Enough of your chatter Fondo, don’t go spreading my business to every stranger you meet.” Narami said.
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“Nanami I told you many times, don't talk to your father this way!” Marato said.
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“ It’s okay dear don’t yell at him. Come here my son have dinner with us and tell us where you were all this time” Fondo replied.
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As Narami started eating the food I noticed how exhausted he looked, it was like he hadn’t eaten at all in the last three days. His feet were burned and full of bruises and blood, His cheeks were hollow, evidence of days without nourishment. The clothes that clung to his body hung loosely, a reminder of the weight lost during this painful journey. Yet, a glimmer of determination was still apparent in his gaze.
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Once Narami finished eating his food Mr. Fondo asked him
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“ Where have you been for the last three days Nara? and tell us what happened to Estora’s mom that day”
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“ I didn’t come here to be questioned, I’m going back to my room!,” Nara shouted
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“No you won’t, come back here I want to know where my mom is “
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“I don’t know where your mom is kid. go look for her yourself”
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I grabbed Narami’s arm tightly and stopped him from leaving the room and shouted;
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“I won’t let you go until you tell me everything you know!”
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Narami got furious and tried to head-butt me, so I let him go and went for a quick back kick. But Fondo swiftly stopped me before I reached him. He held us both in a neck hold position and yelled;
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“Both of you stop immediately before I put you both to sleep!”
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At that moment I realized how much power Mr. Fondo possesses, and that we can’t force ourselves out of his impossible grip. So we both calmed down and sat back on the table.
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"I apologize, Narami, for trying to kick you. I realize I crossed a line when I tried to force you to talk while you were in this state. But I would do anything to save my mom, no matter the cost." Estora said.
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“Heh! I don’t care about your apologies. And you think your weak kick would have affected me? And if you want to save your mom, it’s too late. She’s already dead.”
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My heart sank like an anchor into the depths of despair, Narami’s ruthless words echoing in my ears. I felt a mix of disbelief, anger, and overwhelming grief. but all of these feelings were quickly overshadowed by the devastating realization of my mother's Death. The world seemed to blur my chest tightened, and a hollow emptiness settled within me, leaving me feeling lost. knowing it was all my fault for not protecting her.
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“Narami how did you know that she died! Tell me now!” Fondo yelled.
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“I won’t say it again so listen. While I was tracking Shoraz, waiting for an opportunity to strike, he had taken your mother far south of Hali, to the edge of a town called Glooming Rope, where He stayed at a farmhouse. Late at night, as I sneaked into the farmhouse, three carriages arrived so I hid behind the bushes.
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The carriages were full of women and children who were dressed in tattered clothes and showed signs of suffering, terror, and torture. A group of men came from inside the farm and dragged them from their chains to the farm storage.
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After everything calmed down, Shoraz came out of the house and talked with the three armed men who brought the carriages. I didn’t hear what he said but the men were visibly shocked and ran immediately into the house.
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Curiosity killed me, so I followed them inside, and Shoraz took them to a room on the second floor. I heard a man yelling and screaming. I felt that I would discover an incredible secret about the Hundred Dragons organization, so I got closer to the door and listened in. One of the armed men was questioning a woman, I couldn’t hear much other than the woman swearing that she told them the truth about something. And then he hits her with a whip and accuses her of lying!.”
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“Who is that woman!? Did you see her?” Estora exclaimed.
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“Just keep listening I will tell you. From what I heard the man who was doing the questioning was named Sawad, another leader of HDO just like Shoraz. The woman cried and begged them to believe her. But regardless of what she said the whipping sound only went louder.
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After a few more minutes she ran at the door and tried to open the lock, and that startled me so I immediately tried to enter the next room but it was locked, so I climbed quickly to the top of the hallway and stuck to the ceiling where they couldn't see me. She opened the door and sprinted down the hallway. I couldn’t get a clear look at her face from above but she had a vibrant yellow ponytail,pale white skin, and was wearing an oversized brown coat”
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“Yes! That’s my mom, did she escape?”
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“I don’t think you want to hear what happens next“ Narami said.
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