Luke returned to his shop, excited to enact his new business strategy. He couldn’t imagine the relief on the customer’s face when he tells him the price was lower.
However, his mood changed when he saw three intruders outside his shop.
The man on the left wore a purple jacket, leaning against the shop as if he owned it.
The man on the right wore a brown coat and a hat that shadowed his face as he tossed a coin in the air.
Lastly, the man in the center wore a checkered coat with a smoking cigar between his grin.
Luke didn’t know who they were, but he assumed they were eccentric clients seeking his services.
"What kind of armor are you looking to have for your beast companions?" Luke asked.
The man in purple laughed at the question, while the one in brown caught his spinning coin out of the air.
Ting! Whoosh!
"How pathetic," he remarked. "To think the high-and-mighty Kingsleys have their own heir running a filth."
"Who are you and what do you want?" Luke asked bluntly.
The leader in the black and white slowly tilted his hat up, showing Luke his mechanical eye. Puff! A cloud of smoke left his cigar.
"Say hello to the Victorian Guild, kid. The one you want to put out of business."
***********
Meanwhile, Adrian’s group was yards away, stalking Luke. His shop was a mystery to them, but the arrival of the three men was an even bigger surprise, especially since their original plan was to ambush Luke.
"Look at their crests," Jax pointed out. "Those are Gold-rank hunters from the Victorian Guild! What are they doing here?"
"I knew it!" Chloe said. "A loser like Luke couldn’t get this strong out of nowhere. He must be running an underground business with the syndicate to afford his sudden level-up!"
Miquelon rolled his eyes at Chloe’s theory.
"Let’s not get conspiratorial. Can’t you see it’s clearly not a friendly meeting? They look like they’re about to tear Luke to pieces for something he did."
Adrian listened to his friends while staring attentively at the workshop. When he heard the leader mention "put out of business," he pieced the clues together and realized the truth.
"You all overestimate my brother. All he’s been doing is forging beast armor right here to survive. Look at the sign on the door, it’s a blacksmith shop."
So, that’s why the Victorian Guild was here?
"The Victorian Guild holds a monopoly on beast armor. So, Luke running this business means he’s stealing their customers..."
"Pfft–"
"Ha haha haha!"
Adrian’s group was no longer shocked. They were now amused and enthusiastic for the worst.
"He really thought he could mess with a whole guild? The idiot just bit off way more than he could chew. He’s done for."
Adrian was grinning wickedly. Time to savor the moment. Time for the Victorian Guild to teach his brother a lesson without him having to lift a finger.
"Wow. Is this really how a big guild handles a little healthy competition?" Luke asked, refusing to back down. "Sending three grown men to shake down one shop? Business must be really hurting if you’re this desperate."
"Hey, don’t joke with us!" the man in brown barked. "We know you’re fencing stolen armor on the black market. We could just drop a dime to the Bureau and have them shut you down. But we’re being nice. Consider this a rare courtesy, kid."
"What? I am not stealing anything from any—"
"Pack up your toys and close shop yourself while you still can... or we will make you."
Tick tick.
Silence fell over the shop, so quiet you could hear the hands of a wristwatch.
The Victorian Guild had threatened Luke, and Luke didn’t like threats.
A face-off commenced, and that’s when the Guild realized Luke wasn’t going to be an easy pushover.
"Don’t be so stubborn, kid," the leader whispered. "I don’t think your father, the Duke, would be very happy to hear about your little side hustle either."
Luke’s defiance shattered at the mention of his father.
"Yeah, that’s exactly what we thought!" one mocked, knowing they had him backed into a corner.
Luke chose not to push back for now, but the Guild went too far, shoving him so hard that he smashed into the back of his shop. The trio then strutted away down the street, laughing at his expense.
Luke slowly got back up from the ground and dusted himself off, realizing he was in a bad spot.
Being a lone wolf could only take him so far. He needed allies if he wanted to survive. But who could help him? Everyone in the city was obligated to obey his father, leaving the Trump family as the only independent group.
For now, he had no choice but to temporarily close the shop.
Luke waited until his customers came to pick up their gear.
When the customer who ordered the Vine Bear Helmet arrived, Luke told the old man that the price was only 300.
"Son, are you sure?" the old man asked. "Why is it so cheap this time?"
"I used lighter materials to craft this one," Luke answered. "It offers great flexibility, but the durability isn’t as high as the standard model. If you prefer the standard, I can forge it for you right now."
"No, no, I’ll take this one. I barely have enough money left for food," the old miner said gratefully, and Luke wished him a good day.
Once the man left, Luke locked up the shop and departed the area, still unaware of his classmates’ presence. They approached his empty workshop as soon as he disappeared down the street.
"Look at this dump! Aren’t refugee camps cleaner than this?"
"Ugh, the smell is disgusting," Chloe muttered.
"Should we keep following Luke?" Leo asked.
"I am not wasting any more time stalking a peasant around the slums," Miquelon replied, turning to leave.
However, Adrian ignored his friends. Luke’s shop was more important. He stared at it with interest.
"You think you can just build a new life out here, Luke? You think you can find a way to survive? I won’t allow it. I will destroy everything you try to build. Everything you try to put together, I will tear it down."
Adrian summoned his beast, the Golden Griffin.
"Burn it down," he said.
Soon, golden flames erupted, reflecting in his eyes.
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