Free Web NovelChapter 108: Franky, the lizardman
The icy wind blew across Naeross Island, carrying with it the scent of rough seas and the danger that surrounded this pirate-infested place. After moving away from the area of the coast where the Traveling Mermaid was anchored, Victor walked along the beach until he finally saw the harbor.
It was definitely a wise decision not to dock right away. Victor concluded as he saw several huge pirate ships occupying every corner of the dock.
Given that pirates didn’t have a reputation for being very tolerable and tended to have huge egos, they would probably be offended and irritated by a wrecked ship docking so close to their ships. In this case, if the crew of the "Traveling Mermaid" were lucky, they would be thrown overboard and the ship’s goods looted, or, in a realistic scenario, the crew would be killed before the pirates could do all that. Knowing all this, Victor realized that the best way to stay out of trouble was to have very little interaction with the pirates on this island.
As Victor entered the city, he found narrow, winding streets lined with dilapidated buildings, most of them abandoned. However, in the heart of the city, Victor could see the true essence of how pirates used to live on this island.
Smoky taverns housed sailors from all over the world, their voices mixed in a jumble of laughter and shouts.
At one point, a second after Victor passed one of these taverns, the window of a tavern shattered and a man went through it and fell to the street. Then three men came out of the same tavern and began beating the first man without giving him a chance to react.
"Arh! Wait, wait, wait! Hey, somebody help me!" The man being beaten yelled.
None of the passersby took more than a quick glance at the situation before returning to their destinations. So this was the cruel reality of Naeross Island.
As he walked through the crowded streets, Victor felt the suspicious looks of the pirates on him. Of course, being so tall, he didn’t go unnoticed, even with a hood over his head and a long black cloak. However, most of the pirates weren’t stupid enough to just attack a man with an obviously huge physique wrapped in a cloak, because they couldn’t tell who he was, so they left him alone.
In addition to the many taverns, the pirate town was full of suspicious shops, especially in the narrow alleys, and brothels, many brothels. The harlots even looked at Victor, tempted to invite him into their establishments, but his cold look under the hood was more than enough to make them run into the arms of the drunken pirates. Victor didn’t mind, he was never one for that kind of fun.
Finally, after a few discreet inquiries to local shopkeepers about the address the captain had given him, Victor found the establishment of Franky, the ship’s carpenter who had been recommended to him.
Victor Shieldman looked at the front of the carpenter’s shop and was surprised. It wasn’t a workshop or a house by the sea, but an apparently empty tavern with a rusty sign over the door that read "The Barrel".
Had it been any other situation or person, Victor would have been suspicious of being in the right place, but the smell of fresh wood mixed with cigarettes told him that this was certainly the place he was looking for.
Victor glanced back at the piece of paper, tucked it into a pocket of his pants and decided to take a step forward.
"I think this really is it..."
As he pushed open the door to the tavern, the first thing Victor noticed was how poorly lit the interior was. There were only a few dim candles, and several empty tables and chairs filled the room. In the background, behind a dusty bar, stood Franky.
The ship’s carpenter was a man of, shall we say, surprising appearance. He was robust like Victor, had piercing eyes and... scales?
Franky was a lizardman, a rather rare non-human species to be found anywhere in the world. This meant that although he had the build of a human, with two arms, legs and a head, he also had a thick tail and a jaw a hundred times stronger, like that of a crocodile.
Franky looked up as he heard the door open. His eyes met Victor’s and for a brief moment, a mixture of surprise and suspicion crossed his lizard face.
Victor noticed that Franky didn’t look very happy to see him there, and the tone of Franky’s voice confirmed that impression.
"Victor Shieldman," Franky murmured as he slowly rose from behind the counter. "How long has it been..."
"Franky," Victor replied, trying not to show that he too was surprised by the coincidence of meeting an old friend.
Victor then quickly planned some words to say to comfort Franky, but suddenly a chopper flew past his right ear and took a lock of his hair.
Franky crossed his arms and studied Victor with a piercing stare. "You disappear for years and still have the nerve to show up like this?" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"I know I made a mistake, Franky," Victor admitted, lowering the hood of his cloak a little to reveal his tired face. "But things are different now. I’m back on the road."
"And why are you here? And how did you hear of me?"
"Well, I was out hunting and things happened. Now I’m stuck here in Naeross and... well, I’ve been asked to enlist the help of a ship’s carpenter, who happens to be you. I’m as surprised as you are to find you."
"In other words, you weren’t even looking for me... At least this time you didn’t tell a lie." The lizardman let out a heavy sigh, seeming to ponder Victor’s words. The silence lasted for a few moments and finally Franky said, pointing to a table near the bar: "All right, come in. Let’s talk."
Victor nodded his thanks. As soon as he closed the tavern door, Franky sniffed the air and asked:
"And what’s happened to you? You stink too much. Was it a school of sardines you were hunting?"
"It’s a long story..."
