Free Web NovelChapter 90: Wendell & Walrick
The twins were angry enough with Victor to still have the motivation to fight even after they fell.
Wendell tried to get up, leaning on a rack of fabrics, but a wave of pain ran through his body, making him groan softly and stop for a moment. freёwebnovel.com
For his part, Walrick managed to get up, keeping one hand on his sore stomach. Despite this, he was still dazed after having his brother thrown at him. When his vision cleared a little, he saw how Victor remained unharmed and his eyes burned with anger. So he raised his guard and began to approach Victor, throwing his shoulders to the side and threatening to feint. As someone from the streets, he also knew how to fight with his fists.
Victor almost laughed. It was like watching a drunk trying to imitate a boxer.
With a grunt of effort, Walrick propelled himself forward, trying to reach Victor with a punch from his left hand. His fist extended towards his opponent’s face, but Victor dodged Walrick’s blow, moving only the slightest bit, as if he were practicing against a child. It was enough to show off his dodging skills. His body tilted to the side, avoiding the contact of the man’s fingers.
At the same time, Wendell, realizing the gap created by his brother’s move, decided to act on his own. With a painful impulse, he tried to grab Victor to knock him down. His movements were clumsy, as he was dizzy, but full of determination.
Victor was paying attention. The moment Wendell advanced, Victor took just one step back and dodged out of reach of the grab, which caused Wendell to receive a direct punch from Walrick, who intended to punch Victor.
Walrick immediately pulled his hand back and Wendell tried to stand up again, but his muscles protested, and he gave up with a sigh of frustration. Walrick was strong, so he managed to lift his brother, but they couldn’t go on fighting like this, with one leaning on the other.
Seeing that both opponents were finished, Victor took a deep breath, stepped out of their way towards the entrance door and said, "Go, before I change my mind."
Wendell and Walrick looked at each other, sharing a moment of mutual understanding that it was best for them to accept this clemency.
Quickly, they dragged themselves to the store door, one helping the other to balance as they walked.
Victor remained where he was, watching the twins until they finally left.
The sound of the door closing echoed in the empty store, and Aron Simple’s tailor store regained its usual calm.
Aron, the old tailor, stood up from behind the counter with a still frightened expression. "Have they gone?"
Victor nodded in response, his rigid expression softening a little. "Yes, and they won’t be back, at least not any time soon."
"They will, I know how things work around here. It’s not the first time I’ve faced problems of this kind. Anyway, thanks, Victor. You always seem to turn up at the right time to help me."
"So, are you going to tell me why these men are after you? Or are we going to pretend that I didn’t save your ass?" Victor asked.
Aron sighed deeply, his slim figure looking more fragile than ever. He took a silk cloth from his pocket and wiped the sweat running down his forehead. "I don’t know if I should tell you, Victor. I don’t wish to involve you in my problems."
"Aron, you’ve always been a good friend to me, I can’t ignore the fact that these men came to you for a reason. Come on, tell me what’s going on. Maybe I can help."
Arom, his shoulders bowed under the weight of his worries, approached the counter, where a pile of fabrics was waiting patiently to be transformed into elegant clothes. With a weary gesture, he stroked the soft cloth, as if seeking comfort in the familiarity of his craft.
"I don’t want you to get involved in this, Victor, but since you scared off the twins Wendell and Walrick, I think I owe you an explanation," said Aron. "It all started two years ago... My grandson, Kai, became seriously ill. I took him to doctors and healers in town, but he had a rare disease, something the doctors couldn’t understand, but a local magician could. However, I didn’t have enough money to pay for the necessary treatment."
Victor saw Aron lower his head and take another deep breath, showing that he was tired.
"I’d do anything for him, Victor. Anything."
As he listened to Aron tell the story, the white-haired hunter walked slowly over to where the knife Walrick had dropped had ended up.
"There was no time to lose. I had to save my grandson," Aron continued with a nod as he relived the harrowing memories. "By chance, a client of mine knew someone who could help, a man. This man said that he could help me cure my grandson, offering me a loan of a significant amount with interest that I knew was exorbitant. But I had no choice, Victor. Not when my beloved grandson’s life was at stake."
Victor bent down and picked up the knife from the floor. "This person who helped you, he’s not exactly known for him honesty in Klento, is he? To send such... convincing collectors, it must be someone of questionable character at the very least."
Aron had a shadow of shame weighing on his eyes. "Yes, they come regularly, demanding payment that I can’t give. My business isn’t doing as well as it used to. People prefer to buy clothes from the factories in Komotini now, which arrive easily by ship. Tailors’ and craftsmen’s businesses are not doing well in Klento, as mine is in trouble. To make matters worse, it seems that no matter how much I pay, they always want more."
Aron was a man of about seventy, few men in this cruel world reach that age. It was more than admirable that Aron continued to work with love. Even so, he looked exhausted, the worry lines marked on his aged face.
"Do you know this man’s name?" Victor asked.
Aron stared at the floor, hesitant, only to reply. "His name is Garret Darksoul. One of the most dangerous men in this city, involved in shady business such as murder, smuggling and extortion. He has many rental properties, he also sends Wendell and Walrick to collect these rents."
’So, is Garret still active around here?’ Victor thought, turned to Aron and said while holding Walrick’s knife: "Aron, you don’t have to face this alone. I’ll help you resolve this situation. However, first I need to change my clothes, I’m starting to feel the cold. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you for the service so you can give your son a present this New Year’s Eve."
A sincere smile appeared on Aron’s face. "Thank you very much for trusting my work after all these years, Victor."
At the same time, in one of Klento’s dark, wet alleys, Wendell and Walrick were walking, arguing in whispers about what had happened at the tailor shop. They were clearly irritated by their defeat at Victor’s hands.
"I can’t believe we lost to that guy! Who was he?" Wendell muttered, frowning.
"I don’t know, but he was strong and had a cold look in his eyes, like he’d seen a lot." Walrick scratched his chin and admitted, although he was extremely proud.
"What are we going to do now? The boss won’t be happy with our failure."
"We’ll have to think of something. Maybe we can convince him that there’s no point in just continuing to extort Aron, we have to teach him a good lesson so that he pays everything he owes."
"I don’t know, what if that man is there when we go again?"
"Don’t worry, we won’t go back alone and we won’t be unprepared next time."
