30 Second Visit II

"Hey, don't waste our time. We've got a lot to do." Luke kept speaking but the gang members stood in the same spot with wet feet. They were sweating badly.

One of them finally opened his mouth. "W… we saw the old man going to the base."

"Ah, I see. That's helpful information." Luke breathed deeply.

"Is grandpa safe? What's going to happen now? What's going to happen to the old man?" Seth couldn't stay calm and kept asking question after question.

"Relax. Nothing's going to happen to him. I'll be paying Khar a visit since we still have to settle last time. Just watch over the store as the old man requested." Luke calmed Seth down.

"Thank you but are you going to be alright?" Although he was now calm, Seth was still not totally convinced that all was fine.

"I don't look like it, but from the looks of how these guys are sweating and shaking, you can tell they're afraid of me right?" Like asked.

"Yes, that's true." Seth answered Luke.

"That's because I've taken care of the entire gang before." Luke said with pride written all over his face.

"Ah, I see. Then I'll leave the old man in your hands. I'll pray for your safe return." Seth said to Luke.

"Well, thank you. We'll make sure to return safely then." Luke said to Seth. Then he turned towards the others too. "Well, lead the way. I do not know your base. And I'm aching to see Khar."

They hurriedly walked out of the store and headed left. Luke just lazily walked behind them.

As they walked, their eyes moved around the street looking for things Luke had no idea of.

"Increase the pace. I've got something to do after this so it'll be better if we end this soon." Luke urged them.

They walked till they arrived at an abandoned factory.

"This is the base." One of them pointed out.

"I figured as much when you stopped here. Keep going." Luke replied to them.

They walked into the factory and when the first member saw Luke, he tried to scream, to notify everyone but Luke placed his hands on his lip.

"Shhh. I'm not here for a fight but if it turns into a fight, the only ones leaving here unscathed are me, the old man and those three." Luke warned him as he pointed to the three people who had brought him here.

'We're saved.' All three of them cried in their hearts.

"Now, just carry on with your duty. You never saw me." Luke advised him.

He nodded, and Luke and the other three continued their journey.

Very quickly, they arrived at the spot their leader chose for himself.

Luke found the old man on the floor kneeling with his head on the floor and when he looked opposite him, he found Khar, sitting on a chair. Two guards stood on either side of him.

He had a mocking expression toward the old man. He just stood behind the other three and didn't utter a single word.

"I'll do whatever I can to repay the debt but leave him out of this." Old man Jarod spoke first, raising his head.

"Oh, that's a great offer. Then how about?" Khar lifted two fingers.

"Two hundred golds? I can do that within a month if you allow me." The old man seemed happy.

"Who's joking with you? It's two thousand golds and I'll be expecting it next week." Khar replied with a wicked smile on his face.

"But that's a lot of money. I could probably get it in six months if I sell the store. You're basically asking me to give up the store for a small squabble." Old man Jarod was getting angry.

"I haven't touched you because you are old and seem smart. Don't misuse the privilege and make me do something we'll both regret." Khar scolded the old man.

Luke couldn't bear it anymore. "How about I pay instead?"

One of the gang members beside Khar shouted back. "Who dares?"

"Sorry, my bad. I should've introduced myself first. It's me, the store worker, Luke. I'm the old man's last child." Luke walked toward both Khar and the old man.

The guards got tense immediately. They had once challenged him in groups and he beat them senseless. They only had four of them this time. If they tried anything stupid, they wouldn't be complete the next day.

Even Khar was visibly shaken. They thought he had died after the fight but here he was. Completely fine like nothing had happened.

"I was only here to take my old man and walk away but seeing you humiliate him like that, I'm pained beyond comfort," Luke said, holding his chest as if in pain.

"Attack!" Khar yelled and about thirty people all ran at Luke from all directions. Luke didn't even know where they appeared from.

Bang! Crack! Bang!

"Ahhhhh."

"My neck!"

"My knee!"

Screams escaped from the mouths of those that had gotten too close to Luke.

He left the encirclement and arrived close to Khar who was now standing. He couldn't sit while Luke was in here.

Luke slowly and lazily walked to him and then tapped his shoulder.

Khar had expected his guards to attack once Luke got close enough but when he looked at his sides, they had vanished. They had bolted away at the slightest chance.

"Okay, let's talk business. You made an old man kneel before you. You'll pay a compensation fee of two thousand golds. You threatened an old man, another two thousand golds. You humiliated my old man, an extra two thousand. Spreading false rumors about my death, a small fee of two thousand golds. As an appreciation for leaving your gang in one piece, a token of two thousand golds. That sums it up to ten thousand. Time's ticking." Luke just called figures and Khar was so angry but he couldn't do a thing.

"I don't have ten thousand gold coins and I was only messing with the old man when I asked for two thousand." Khar replied to Luke coldly but fearfully.

"I was only joking when I asked for ten thousand too. But before I leave here, you're paying two thousand. You have at least that much right?" Luke told Khar.

"That's too…"

"Three thousand then." Luke cut Khar before he could explain.

"We'll pay the two thousand." Khar was frustrated.

"No! Now I want three thousand." Luke refused to accept the previous amount.

"We can't…" Khar noticed Luke was going to speak again.

"...but we can pay up to two thousand five hundred." He completed his sentence.

"Fine. We need it now. I've got somewhere to be right now." Luke answered as if he wasn't satisfied.

Of course, he was. He had just made a huge sum of free money from a full gang.

About two minutes later, a member of the gang came with a card and handed it to Luke who coldly received it.

He looked at it and only when he saw the figure on the card did he speak again. "Thank you for this favor. I'll be sure to repay you later. Oh, and you guys better reduce the fee you keep asking about. Reduce it by seventy percent and then, you better start doing what you claim to be doing. Offering security. Because the next time I come visiting this place, I won't simply leave with just money."

He held the old man by his hand and they both walked out of the factory.