I returned to the tavern where I was staying, and as I was entering my room Fondo approached me.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uexnQMVkH
“Hey Estora, I have something important to tell you. Come have dinner at my house this evening and we will talk all about it.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdQLAaXXDZ
“Okay, I will be there.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCwRn3ieu9
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEhRhlpqVO
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPr3z6DcvGY
Chapter 4: Farmhouse
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TWJg6t6zl
"I knocked on Mr. Fondo's front door, and a young girl swung it open, a warm smile stretching across her face.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVdOEvPcDa
'Hey, you must be Estora. Come on in; I'm Lisa.'
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMC1nbC4jr8
'Hello, Lisa. Is Mister Fondo around? He invited me to join him for dinner,' Estora said.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA57ar54Obs
'Yeah, Dad's been looking forward to it. Follow me.'
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBo17PVIYr
"Oh, my bad. I didn't realize you were his daughter. You two look so... well, never mind,"
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9oTzQ39bn
'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.'"
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRGRxDSukc
We walked down the big shiny hallway and entered the dining room where Mister Fondo was.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPVkrfrpUe
“Hello Mr. Fondo, thank you for inviting me.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAUfg5wqQS
“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”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SSXXkgyMm
“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.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEUddUDHaT
“ 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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLnF4TKUwQ
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.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MHHxdSzKZ
“All of that happened while I was sleeping. I wish I had stayed there to see for myself how strong this beast actually is.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzU0jfaghv
“This matter is not a joke Estora, we have to be careful in these dangerous times”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauGGCBXqgP
I talked to Mr. Fondo for a bit. And he introduced me to his wife Marato, and their two daughters Lisa and Misa.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61YnycMQo7
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFbMxKHblQ
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9ZurhedOq
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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUwBK0UJFk
“What did you bring me here to talk about Mr. Fondo”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhe8geypPo
“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”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡol22IPdSBX
“ I will go tell him Dad, I’m faster.” Lisa said
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbmpMxwVw6
“Wait! Did Narami come back already? Why didn’t you tell me?”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgaxOLzGDm
“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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUlD4B9CdV
“That’s absurd! Why is he trying that hard to save my mom”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCpiWgAiTN
‘It’s not just about your mom kid, he has an old grudge against every member of the Hundred Dragons organization” Marato explained
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Cl1F8aqRc
“What is this organization? and what made Narami have this kind of grudge against them?”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToQ3tG6z2x
“ 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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsk2JmaTAj
And the reason Nara hates them goes all the way back to when he was a child.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNh0q9041Wy
“Enough of your chatter Fondo, don’t go spreading my business to every stranger you meet.” Narami said.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7ZxEQMHaY
“Nanami I told you many times, don't talk to your father this way!” Marato said.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1noaA4Xs0
“ 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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl06EdHEsIp
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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1qeTGjPxU
Once Narami finished eating his food Mr. Fondo asked him
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEDScIxi2a
“ Where have you been for the last three days Nara? and tell us what happened to Estora’s mom that day”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPUsY3kdaL
“ I didn’t come here to be questioned, I’m going back to my room!,” Nara shouted
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNUfatIXqx
“No you won’t, come back here I want to know where my mom is “
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QSEaXYvu3
“I don’t know where your mom is kid. go look for her yourself”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaKkfAQ019
I grabbed Narami’s arm tightly and stopped him from leaving the room and shouted;
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDvDR8frJE
“I won’t let you go until you tell me everything you know!”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0itrXmT3i
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;
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLnIcExRJo
“Both of you stop immediately before I put you both to sleep!”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsv5jxegF9s
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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEEljDjUWm
"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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡym22hLMfUv
“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.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKS3IGvqwqN
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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8RWzm0eJs
“Narami how did you know that she died! Tell me now!” Fondo yelled.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlylsxbQOR
“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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPJX58NaU4
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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQfT59EppJ
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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVXHtVVSQO
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!.”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GOInuohjB
“Who is that woman!? Did you see her?” Estora exclaimed.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XWTUsjxHW
“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.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpncj2vgM2F
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”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXzx2v8hR0
“Yes! That’s my mom, did she escape?”
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3J4DpML1af
“I don’t think you want to hear what happens next“ Narami said.
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4iDEMangt
“I don’t care what you think just tell me now!”346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlnTvd5GS5
346Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFozuFRaps
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.