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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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“I don’t care what you think just tell me now!”
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Chapter 5: Mastermind
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“She knew she would get caught if she ran down stairs, so she went to the end of the hallway, opened the window, and jumped out. Before she goes down Sawad grabbed her leg and pulled her up but she resisted and pushed herself to the outside to drop herself down.
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Sawad didn’t allow it, he pulled a sharp dagger and stabbed her in the back twice and pulled her back inside. She was soaking in blood and her screams were echoing through the whole place.
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Shoraz was enraged at Sawad for stabbing her and they kept arguing as if no one was on the verge of death there!.
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I was waiting for a chance to go out and get a doctor, but there were four of them so I knew that if I went down I would be doomed.
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Moments later they all went downstairs and told Sawad to get rid of her and clean up the mess. She was lying there, her hair all red, and her body was hard as wood. she had already lost her breath at that point.
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I couldn’t stop my tears from flooding out, my memory flashed back remembering my mom on the floor soaked in blood, my knees shaking, and I’m frozen unable to help.”
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“No! You’re lying! This is all just a bunch of nonsense! Why... Why would these hoodlums do that to my... to my...” I choked on my words, tears streaming down my face.
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“Estora you’re not breathing, calm down and Stay strong. It's not the end of the world.” Fondo said.
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“No! You don’t understand!” I cried, my sobs growing louder. “She’s everything I have, everything I care about. She was always there with me. I don’t want to live without her!”
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“Estora calm do…”
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“Get away from me! Leave me alone!”
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“Listen to me carefully. You are not alone, we are here with you, your Father is on his way to be with you. I know you're going through a really tough time right now, and I want you to know that we are here for you. It's okay to feel what you're feeling, and you don't have to go through this alone. I am certain that you mean a lot to many people, and they care about you deeply and want to see you happy. Please remember that there is hope, and things can get better, even if it doesn't feel that way right now. Take it one day at a time, and don't be afraid to lean on me or others for support.
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You can weeb but remember if she died then she’s in a better place”
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“Hey kid I told you I didn’t get a clear look at the face, so take this story with a grain of salt, and I acquired a lead on H.D.O, so if you want to confirm what I told you, go and ask about her yourself”
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“What lead tell me now!”
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“ While I was trying to escape the house a maid saw me and thought that I was one of the prisoners. I begged her to not tell anyone but she said they would kill her if she lets anyone escape, she gave me a piece of bread and sent me to the farm storage where all the prisoners were kept .
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I went inside and everyone looked worn out like they hadn't eaten or slept in days, not much different than me . The children were crying and the women were barely alive. There were only two men there and they were getting whipped repeatedly, I saw a girl sitting alone in the corner looking like she’s on the verge of starvation. I felt bad for her and shared half of my piece of bread with her, after eating her pale face had immediately brightened and she looked at me with a big smile and thanked me.
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‘I asked her why are they hitting these men like that.’
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‘‘They are trying to force them to join the underdog fighting tournament in hala’s capital’ the girl answered.
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‘What are you talking about?’
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‘I don’t know the details but I heard them say it will start in two weeks, and there is a big prize for this tournament, and outlaw fighters will come from all over the country to fight for the prize. And they are forcing these strong men to fight for them in exchange of setting them free if they win’
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‘Why would they refuse this deal? If I was in their shoes I would go and crush everyone in that tournament. But enough talking about me, tell me about yourself, how did you end up here?’
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‘I’m from the south village of Anni, me and my family tried to escape the dragon’s attack so we came to Hali temporarily until things calm down there. But before we find somewhere to stay our village carriages were ambushed by a group of bandits who knew people from Anni were running away so they set traps along the routes to capture us.
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They chained everyone on board and killed anyone who didn’t listen, and then separated the kids from their parents and put them in a different carriage. While the bandits were looking away I jumped out and looked for my parents but couldn’t find them. And as I was sneaking around a bandit saw me and threw me in this carriage full of people that I don’t know, which at the end we were brought here.’’
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‘From what she said I knew that I could find big HDO leaders if I went to that tournament.”
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“ So is this where you think that I can find Shoraz or Sawad?” Estora asked.
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“Yes and that’s why I came back home to prepare for this tournament.”
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“No you will not go Nara! This tournament is not child’s play. It resembles more of a slaughter house than a mere contest. And tell me how did you escape from that farm?” Fondo asked.
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“Since my legs and arms were not chained it was easy for me to climb up and get out through a crack in the roof. And as I was hiding on the roof waiting for a chance to escape the farm. I saw the real mastermind behind this whole thing.
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Two armored knights accompanied an old man in his luxurious carriage, his attire elegantly designed and encrusted in jewels. He had a sharp jaw with a pointed beard. All the guards including the HDO members gathered forming a line welcoming him to the house. As he was entering and while all the guards were distracted I took off and escaped the farm for good.”
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“You don’t know how much I was worried about you, the whole city was looking for you, and I'm overjoyed to see you sitting with us here. So don’t ever leave again” Marato said.
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‘I’m sorry Mom, I’m not changing my mind”
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“I am going as well.” Estora said
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“ I won't let you two participate in the underdog tournament no matter what! And Estora you said you were waiting for your father to get here. I’m responsible for you until then” Fondo said
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“ I won’t sit here while my mother’s killer is roaming free , I will avenge her!”
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“Do you really want your father to lose both you and your mother at the same time”
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“He will know where to find me if he wants to see me.”
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“Enough! Speak no more about this, the discussion is done.”
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“Fine! I’m going to my room to rest” Narami said
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“Thank you for inviting me to dinner Mr. Fondo, and thank you for your support. But I will be leaving as well”
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“ You are welcome Estora, be careful out there and take care.”
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“ goodbye Estora” Misa and Lisa said
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“Goodbye”
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The next night I went to see Narami in his room.
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“Hey Narami, I didn’t mean to bother you but I need you to tell me exactly where this underdog Tournament is taking place.”
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“Why are you asking? Didn’t Fondo say that you have to wait for you Father”
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“I am not going to wait for him. After he hears what happened to Mom he will go by himself to rescue her and won’t let me go with him.
I think He should be arriving soon, so I want to leave before he gets here”
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“Well I asked many men about this event and most of them refused to tell me anything. But someone told me that the Tournament will start in a week. And a group of merchants are passing through our city Salara tomorrow morning and then going to Hali’s Capital. He said I can ride with them for cheap.”
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“Are you going without telling your parents?”
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“ That’s none of your business, I told you what I know, now leave.”
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I headed back to my room and prepared my bag for this journey. I kept my mom's belongings in the room and left my dad a letter informing him that I’m joining the underdog tournament to avenge mom and to question Sawad and Shoraz about what exactly happened to her.
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I got up early in the morning and waited for the traveling merchants to pass by but they never showed up. I waited and waited and waited but no one came. After some time I realized that Narami was lying to me and told me anything to get me out of his room.
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I went back to the tavern, but there was no one there. I had never seen the tavern empty before, but I didn’t suspect anything and went straight to my room. As I pushed open my bedroom door, a stinking stench shocked me violently with fear. My eyes widened in horror as I stepped inside. The floor, walls, and even my mom’s belongings were drenched in dark, sticky blood. Trying to grasp what had happened, I looked around and noticed that only one thing remained clean and unstained in the room: the letter I had left for my dad on the desk.
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TO BE CONTINUED…265Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAwHDExChz
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