A Mysterious New World
Episode 4: Tales of a Fighter
By Chessrook44
Chesrook: If anyone says anything about how long it's been since my last
story, I'll hit him with this katana I'm holding in my hand!
Lister/Sakura: [Silence]
Chesrook: Good! Now we'll just get on with the story, ok?
Lister/Sakura: Mmf! Mmmff!
Chesrook: Sorry, what was that? [Removes socks]
Lister/Sakura: P-tooie! We said, "Fine, fine!"
Chesrook: O-kay then! On with the fanfic!
"We're almost there, guys. Not much further."
Sakura, Kero, Madison, Meilin, and Li had been walking with Lotagor for a while. Since dawn, they had been wondering when they were going to reach Lotagor's home city of Remo.
"Are you sure, Lotagor? How can you tell?" asked Madison.
"2 ways, Madison. 1: the traffic on the path has increased, and 2: that sign over there that reads 'Remo- just ahead'."
"Oh, yeah."
"It should be just around this bend, actually."
They walked around the bend and a large wall came into view. "That wall forms the border of Remo," Lotagor said. A line of people was down the road. Everyone got on it. "What's this line for?" Madison asked. "It's the line to get into the city," Lotagor answered. "If you don't have the right papers or enough money, you can't go in! Important people can go in for free." Indeed, several people were walking in the other direction, dejected looks on their faces.
They walked up to the gate and the soldier there said, "Papers or payment, please." Lotagor simply clenched his right fist and showed it to the soldier. Madison noticed a golden ring on his finger. The guard looked at it. "They're with me," Lotagor said. "Very well. You may proceed," the guard replied.
They walked through. "Excuse me, Lotagor?" Madison asked.
"Yes, Madison?"
"What was that ring on your finger?"
"Oh, this? It has the symbol of TAGOR on it. Members of TAGOR can get in for free. It's one of those fringe benefits."
"I see. There aren't many buildings here, are there?"
Lotagor looked around them. "Oh, that was just the outer gate. This is the inner gate!"
Everyone stared at the large, pearl white wall in front of them. "And this is the City of Remo!" Lotagor announced as they walked through the gate.
Everyone's eyes grew wide and their mouths hung open. The city they were seeing was huge! Just to the north were a few wooden buildings, shops, from the signs they saw. To the south was a small brick building with a guard outside at the door.
But this wasn't what amazed them. Directly in front of them to the west was a gigantic marble-white structure. Columns supported an overhanging roof, which shadowed dozens of stairs. Compared to all they saw, that building must have cost a fortune! "That is the palace of Chezrok, Emperor of Remo. And it's not the biggest building in the city," Lotagor explained. "It's not?!" everyone said.
"Nope. The biggest building is the Temple of Jurita, our goddess. It's nearly twice the size of the palace. You can see it another time. Right now, I need to take you to TAGOR."
Everyone followed as Lotagor led them through the streets, pointing out the fire department and the Cosolem on the way. The Cosolem was a large round structure with arched windows and doorways all around it.
"We're here," Lotagor said, bringing them back to Earth (or whatever this place was called!). The building in front of them wasn't very impressive. It was about the size of a large 3-story house with a stable on the side. It was made of wood and brick, and written above the door in shimmering gold letters was written "The Adventurer's Guild of Remo".
They entered the building. The entry hall was not very large either. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and a desk with a bell stood at the back. A door at the side read, "Stable" and another door next to the desk led to the rest of the building. A table and a few chairs completed the set. Lotagor walked up to the desk and rang the bell. Almost at once, a young thin woman with blue-green eyes and elf-like ears walked in. "Yes, yes, hello," she said as she came to the counter. "Hello to you and welcome to the Advent-" She stopped and looked at Lotagor. "Could it be? Could he have come back?" Lotagor smiled. "Yes, Laramie, it's me."
"How do I know it's really you and not an imposter?"
Lotagor sighed and moved his cloak revealing his golden armor.
"IT IS YOU!" Laramie shouted as a grin shot across her face. "Lister, you've finally returned!"
The others got confused. "Lister?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"Oh, and you have friends?" Laramie said.
Lotagor sighed deeply. "Yes, Laramie. I'll explain in a bit. And yes Sakura, Lister. That's my real name. Lotagor is simply another name I go by. A title, actually. LOTAGOR stands for Leader of the Adventurer's Guild of Remo."
"LEADER?!?!" Sakura, Meilin, Li, Kero, and Madison shouted.
"Yes, leader. Now, Laramie, could you come with me for a minute? I need to talk to you."
Lister and Laramie walked through a door, leaving the others in shock. Leader? Him? It was incredible. And yet.
They sat around, waiting for him to finish, when they came out. "OK, I've told Laramie a little about what's going on," Lister said. "She's to take care of you for a while and make sure you're comfortable. You're to stay here tonight and we'll see what happens tomorrow. Right now I need to go see if I can get an audience with Emperor Chezrok. I will talk to you later. Goodbye!" With that, he left.
"Very well," Laramie spoke up. "If you're going to stay here, I'm going to need your full names and races, if you don't mind." With that, she took a large book from under the desk. The book rose dust when she set it down. She opened it up and took out a quill. "You first," she said, pointing to Sakura.
"Um, er, Sakura Avalon, elf," she said. The others also repeated their names and races the same way. Kero, however, was put down as Kero Beros, in order to avoid any problems with the fact that he had no last name.
"Very good," Laramie said, closing the book and putting it away. "Before I show you to your rooms, perhaps you would like to relax in the Common Room for a bit?"
"Oh, yes, please. We would like that," Sakura replied.
"And would you like anything to drink? Imported tea from Tajikra, perhaps? Or maybe Remo's own brand of wine?"
"Um, tea would be fine."
"Saka or cerrak?"
"Excuse me?"
"Tajikra tea comes in two forms. Saka and cerrak."
"Er, ah, well."
"You've never had either?"
"Well. no."
"OK then, I'll bring a pot of each for you. Follow me to the Commons."
They walked through the door and down a long hall. At the end of the hall was another door labeled, "Commons". Laramie led them in here. The Common Room looked very cozy. A burning fire sat in a fireplace directly opposite, and a balcony hung above their heads. A chandelier also hung from the ceiling, with candles burning. Sitting on a red carpet was a round oak table, a short wooden table, and several chairs. The short table, near the fireplace, was surrounded with red cloth chairs and a white sofa. The oak table was surrounded with cushioned wooden chairs. Light shone in from a stained-glass window above and to the left, and there were other, smaller windows on the other sides. A stairway led up to the second floor on the right and another stairway led downstairs to the basement, they thought. They all took seats around the short table, Sakura and Madison leaving a spot in the middle of the sofa for Laramie.
Laramie returned a short while later carrying a silver tray with 6 small teacups and 2 teapots. She sat down in the middle of the sofa, laying the tray on the table. "Which would you like to try first?" She asked. Everyone decided on the saka. It tasted very good, however Li and Madison preferred the cerrak. Madison spoke up. "Lotagor- sorry, Lister is very nice, isn't he Laramie?"
"Oh, yes he is. He's also a very interesting person. Oh, the stories I could tell!"
"Oh, we have time," Sakura said.
"Really?" said Laramie. "Well, if you insist.
"Well, Lister, as he probably told you, is half-elf. He was raised in Remo- In this very house, actually- and almost at once showed a love for combat. He whittled himself a wooden sword and always play-fought with his friends. As he grew, he began to show a real talent for fighting. He always said that his dream was to become a Glator. However, he didn't have the money, so instead he enrolled in the military. Unfortunately, he was thrown in the dungeons shortly after for accidentally killing another soldier. On the day he was to be killed in the Arena, they brought him out and gave him but a single dagger, as is the custom for all condemned prisoners. They put him up against a liger, a cat-like beast with black stripes on yellow fur and a thick mane. Anyway, to the amazement of everybody there, he killed the liger with out so much as a scratch! In his anger, the Emperor threw him back in the dungeons and sentenced him to an execution the next day. The next day came, and this time Lister had to fight 2 ligers with nothing more than a dagger. He did, and he got a little hurt, but still killed both of the beasts. The sentence was repeated, but the next day, when Lister had to kill 2 ligers with nothing at all, he survived again. That day, it's said, had the most sales to that day. The day after, the Cosolem was at capacity and people still wanted to get in! Everyone wanted to see the Prisoner who Survived. By this time, that emperor had died and his son, the current emperor, had taken charge. Emperor Chezrok saw Lister's potential and after another week or so made him a Glator. As time passed, Lister became so good that he was ranked number 3 in the top 5 Glators! However, this also brought sadness for him. The fights were getting too easy! He longed for a challenge. Then, one day, a displacer beast escaped into the arena. Lister was in there at the time, and ran to fight. He escaped badly injured, but with a smile on his face. Killing the beast had finally given him the challenge he longed for! The next day, he resigned from the GAOR and a short while after formed TAGOR with what money he had. The rest is, well, history!"
Laramie ended the story to open mouths. "So. so Lister is the greatest fighter this town had?" Madison said, breaking the silence.
"Not quite," Laramie replied. "Remember, he only became number 3. He never got any higher than that. The golden armor he wears is what the third-ranked Glator always wears. The second-ranked wears steel, and the number 1 ranked Glator wears mithril. The top Glator is Glaroa, a very strong elven woman."
"But, Laramie," Sakura said. "How do you know all this about Lister?"
Laramie smiled. "Well, that's because he's my big brother!"
"You're his sister?"
"Yep. And proud of it!"
"He sounds like a very amazing person," Madison said. "And very brave too."
"Oh, he is. He always says that he will take on a dragon with nothing but a sword and a shield!"
"Amazing!"
Chesrook: And that's it for this episode! So the secret's finally out. Lotagor is really Lister!
Lister: So how many of you guessed that?
Chesrook: Um, Lister, we can't see them so.
Lister: Oh yeah.
Chesrook: So what did you two think of the episode?
Lister: Well, I like the fact that my story has finally been told.
Sakura: Yes. It was very interesting!
Chesrook: And what do you think of Lister's sister, Laramie?
Sakura: She's very nice. I like her.
Chesrook: That's good. OK, we're done for now! Seeya next time!
"We're almost there, guys. Not much further."
Sakura, Kero, Madison, Meilin, and Li had been walking with Lotagor for a while. Since dawn, they had been wondering when they were going to reach Lotagor's home city of Remo.
"Are you sure, Lotagor? How can you tell?" asked Madison.
"2 ways, Madison. 1: the traffic on the path has increased, and 2: that sign over there that reads 'Remo- just ahead'."
"Oh, yeah."
"It should be just around this bend, actually."
They walked around the bend and a large wall came into view. "That wall forms the border of Remo," Lotagor said. A line of people was down the road. Everyone got on it. "What's this line for?" Madison asked. "It's the line to get into the city," Lotagor answered. "If you don't have the right papers or enough money, you can't go in! Important people can go in for free." Indeed, several people were walking in the other direction, dejected looks on their faces.
They walked up to the gate and the soldier there said, "Papers or payment, please." Lotagor simply clenched his right fist and showed it to the soldier. Madison noticed a golden ring on his finger. The guard looked at it. "They're with me," Lotagor said. "Very well. You may proceed," the guard replied.
They walked through. "Excuse me, Lotagor?" Madison asked.
"Yes, Madison?"
"What was that ring on your finger?"
"Oh, this? It has the symbol of TAGOR on it. Members of TAGOR can get in for free. It's one of those fringe benefits."
"I see. There aren't many buildings here, are there?"
Lotagor looked around them. "Oh, that was just the outer gate. This is the inner gate!"
Everyone stared at the large, pearl white wall in front of them. "And this is the City of Remo!" Lotagor announced as they walked through the gate.
Everyone's eyes grew wide and their mouths hung open. The city they were seeing was huge! Just to the north were a few wooden buildings, shops, from the signs they saw. To the south was a small brick building with a guard outside at the door.
But this wasn't what amazed them. Directly in front of them to the west was a gigantic marble-white structure. Columns supported an overhanging roof, which shadowed dozens of stairs. Compared to all they saw, that building must have cost a fortune! "That is the palace of Chezrok, Emperor of Remo. And it's not the biggest building in the city," Lotagor explained. "It's not?!" everyone said.
"Nope. The biggest building is the Temple of Jurita, our goddess. It's nearly twice the size of the palace. You can see it another time. Right now, I need to take you to TAGOR."
Everyone followed as Lotagor led them through the streets, pointing out the fire department and the Cosolem on the way. The Cosolem was a large round structure with arched windows and doorways all around it.
"We're here," Lotagor said, bringing them back to Earth (or whatever this place was called!). The building in front of them wasn't very impressive. It was about the size of a large 3-story house with a stable on the side. It was made of wood and brick, and written above the door in shimmering gold letters was written "The Adventurer's Guild of Remo".
They entered the building. The entry hall was not very large either. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and a desk with a bell stood at the back. A door at the side read, "Stable" and another door next to the desk led to the rest of the building. A table and a few chairs completed the set. Lotagor walked up to the desk and rang the bell. Almost at once, a young thin woman with blue-green eyes and elf-like ears walked in. "Yes, yes, hello," she said as she came to the counter. "Hello to you and welcome to the Advent-" She stopped and looked at Lotagor. "Could it be? Could he have come back?" Lotagor smiled. "Yes, Laramie, it's me."
"How do I know it's really you and not an imposter?"
Lotagor sighed and moved his cloak revealing his golden armor.
"IT IS YOU!" Laramie shouted as a grin shot across her face. "Lister, you've finally returned!"
The others got confused. "Lister?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
"Oh, and you have friends?" Laramie said.
Lotagor sighed deeply. "Yes, Laramie. I'll explain in a bit. And yes Sakura, Lister. That's my real name. Lotagor is simply another name I go by. A title, actually. LOTAGOR stands for Leader of the Adventurer's Guild of Remo."
"LEADER?!?!" Sakura, Meilin, Li, Kero, and Madison shouted.
"Yes, leader. Now, Laramie, could you come with me for a minute? I need to talk to you."
Lister and Laramie walked through a door, leaving the others in shock. Leader? Him? It was incredible. And yet.
They sat around, waiting for him to finish, when they came out. "OK, I've told Laramie a little about what's going on," Lister said. "She's to take care of you for a while and make sure you're comfortable. You're to stay here tonight and we'll see what happens tomorrow. Right now I need to go see if I can get an audience with Emperor Chezrok. I will talk to you later. Goodbye!" With that, he left.
"Very well," Laramie spoke up. "If you're going to stay here, I'm going to need your full names and races, if you don't mind." With that, she took a large book from under the desk. The book rose dust when she set it down. She opened it up and took out a quill. "You first," she said, pointing to Sakura.
"Um, er, Sakura Avalon, elf," she said. The others also repeated their names and races the same way. Kero, however, was put down as Kero Beros, in order to avoid any problems with the fact that he had no last name.
"Very good," Laramie said, closing the book and putting it away. "Before I show you to your rooms, perhaps you would like to relax in the Common Room for a bit?"
"Oh, yes, please. We would like that," Sakura replied.
"And would you like anything to drink? Imported tea from Tajikra, perhaps? Or maybe Remo's own brand of wine?"
"Um, tea would be fine."
"Saka or cerrak?"
"Excuse me?"
"Tajikra tea comes in two forms. Saka and cerrak."
"Er, ah, well."
"You've never had either?"
"Well. no."
"OK then, I'll bring a pot of each for you. Follow me to the Commons."
They walked through the door and down a long hall. At the end of the hall was another door labeled, "Commons". Laramie led them in here. The Common Room looked very cozy. A burning fire sat in a fireplace directly opposite, and a balcony hung above their heads. A chandelier also hung from the ceiling, with candles burning. Sitting on a red carpet was a round oak table, a short wooden table, and several chairs. The short table, near the fireplace, was surrounded with red cloth chairs and a white sofa. The oak table was surrounded with cushioned wooden chairs. Light shone in from a stained-glass window above and to the left, and there were other, smaller windows on the other sides. A stairway led up to the second floor on the right and another stairway led downstairs to the basement, they thought. They all took seats around the short table, Sakura and Madison leaving a spot in the middle of the sofa for Laramie.
Laramie returned a short while later carrying a silver tray with 6 small teacups and 2 teapots. She sat down in the middle of the sofa, laying the tray on the table. "Which would you like to try first?" She asked. Everyone decided on the saka. It tasted very good, however Li and Madison preferred the cerrak. Madison spoke up. "Lotagor- sorry, Lister is very nice, isn't he Laramie?"
"Oh, yes he is. He's also a very interesting person. Oh, the stories I could tell!"
"Oh, we have time," Sakura said.
"Really?" said Laramie. "Well, if you insist.
"Well, Lister, as he probably told you, is half-elf. He was raised in Remo- In this very house, actually- and almost at once showed a love for combat. He whittled himself a wooden sword and always play-fought with his friends. As he grew, he began to show a real talent for fighting. He always said that his dream was to become a Glator. However, he didn't have the money, so instead he enrolled in the military. Unfortunately, he was thrown in the dungeons shortly after for accidentally killing another soldier. On the day he was to be killed in the Arena, they brought him out and gave him but a single dagger, as is the custom for all condemned prisoners. They put him up against a liger, a cat-like beast with black stripes on yellow fur and a thick mane. Anyway, to the amazement of everybody there, he killed the liger with out so much as a scratch! In his anger, the Emperor threw him back in the dungeons and sentenced him to an execution the next day. The next day came, and this time Lister had to fight 2 ligers with nothing more than a dagger. He did, and he got a little hurt, but still killed both of the beasts. The sentence was repeated, but the next day, when Lister had to kill 2 ligers with nothing at all, he survived again. That day, it's said, had the most sales to that day. The day after, the Cosolem was at capacity and people still wanted to get in! Everyone wanted to see the Prisoner who Survived. By this time, that emperor had died and his son, the current emperor, had taken charge. Emperor Chezrok saw Lister's potential and after another week or so made him a Glator. As time passed, Lister became so good that he was ranked number 3 in the top 5 Glators! However, this also brought sadness for him. The fights were getting too easy! He longed for a challenge. Then, one day, a displacer beast escaped into the arena. Lister was in there at the time, and ran to fight. He escaped badly injured, but with a smile on his face. Killing the beast had finally given him the challenge he longed for! The next day, he resigned from the GAOR and a short while after formed TAGOR with what money he had. The rest is, well, history!"
Laramie ended the story to open mouths. "So. so Lister is the greatest fighter this town had?" Madison said, breaking the silence.
"Not quite," Laramie replied. "Remember, he only became number 3. He never got any higher than that. The golden armor he wears is what the third-ranked Glator always wears. The second-ranked wears steel, and the number 1 ranked Glator wears mithril. The top Glator is Glaroa, a very strong elven woman."
"But, Laramie," Sakura said. "How do you know all this about Lister?"
Laramie smiled. "Well, that's because he's my big brother!"
"You're his sister?"
"Yep. And proud of it!"
"He sounds like a very amazing person," Madison said. "And very brave too."
"Oh, he is. He always says that he will take on a dragon with nothing but a sword and a shield!"
"Amazing!"
Chesrook: And that's it for this episode! So the secret's finally out. Lotagor is really Lister!
Lister: So how many of you guessed that?
Chesrook: Um, Lister, we can't see them so.
Lister: Oh yeah.
Chesrook: So what did you two think of the episode?
Lister: Well, I like the fact that my story has finally been told.
Sakura: Yes. It was very interesting!
Chesrook: And what do you think of Lister's sister, Laramie?
Sakura: She's very nice. I like her.
Chesrook: That's good. OK, we're done for now! Seeya next time!