"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Polliver threw up his hands and shouted at the group of fierce-looking men. "Don't scare the kid."
The arrogant soldiers immediately lost their swagger and stopped in their tracks, though their eyes still shot angry warnings at Gendry.
Bang!
Gendry swung his hammer again, striking the iron blank with practiced precision.
That was his answer to Polliver and the others.
"Heh heh heh, little brother, what will it take for you to stop?" Polliver's tone was oily, his smile dripping with false charm.
Bang!
Another flawless strike.
"Hey, kid, that's not the way to solve this." Polliver lowered his voice. "I'm a reasonable guy, and have a good heart, but if my lord shows up here in person, he'll tear this place apart." He spoke like he was sharing a secret, glancing around nervously as if afraid someone might overhear.
A chill ran down Gendry's spine.
Why did this guy always lean in so close when he talked?
Once more, Gendry swung his hammer in a wide arc.
Clang!
The iron blank took the hit squarely. The twitchy man nimbly dodged the hammer's arc, then slid back in close, his eyes fixed on Gendry's muscles like a cat eyeing a meal. He licked his lips occasionally, as if savoring something.
Gendry's skin prickled with unease.
He stopped swinging and muttered, "Only my master can tell me to stop."
Whoosh!
The hammer swung again.
Bang!
Another heavy strike made the iron blank vibrate.
"Oh, I get it." Polliver said with a polite smile, then turned to his men. "What are you standing around for? Go get his master out here."
"Yes, Ser!"
Like wolves, the soldiers rushed through a door.
Bang!
The lead soldier kicked the door open.
Thud thud bang bang!
They stormed up the stairs in a flurry of footsteps.
The building had three floors.
The forge was on the first floor, Tobho's living quarters were on the second, and Gendry's small attic bedroom was on the third.
"What are you doing?!" Gendry shouted in shock.
He'd faced plenty of ruthless mercenaries, but never anyone daring enough to barge into Tob's second floor.
This was King's Landing, no matter who these guys worked for, it was rare to see troublemakers in Street of Steel. Tob was no pushover, and if anything went wrong, the drunken king wouldn't take it lightly. Despite his flaws, the king truly cared for his people.
"Hey!" Polliver grinned, "Little brother, what weapons do you know?"
Whoosh!
Polliver drew a dagger from his waist.
The blade gleamed, reflecting the red glow of the forges. It was clearly a fine-quality blade, forged from good steel.
"What do you want?" Gendry's biceps bulged as he raised his hammer.
"Your weapon's a hammer, huh?" Polliver licked his lips. "Perfect. Come on, if you hit me even once, I'll let you go tonight."
Whoosh!
Polliver's dagger flashed, slicing a shallow cut across Gendry's arm.
The sharp blade grazed his skin, sparking a fiery rage inside him.
Huff!
Gendry swung the hammer with all his might toward Polliver's waist.
Polliver was tall, so a horizontal strike was the easiest way to hit him.
It was hard for Polliver to dodge low, and the hammer's wide arc covered a large area.
But Gendry's furious strike missed, Polliver's reflexes were far quicker than expected.
He leapt back like a wolf, the hammer just grazing his body by a hair's breadth.
Gendry's hammer was still mid-swing, the weapon was heavy with strong momentum and couldn't be stopped halfway.
Polliver nimbly slipped past the hammer and was suddenly face to face with Gendry. Calmly, he stabbed the dagger again at Gendry's arm, grazing him without breaking a bone.
"Kid, let's make a bet." Polliver said. "If you miss me ten times in a row, you come with me."
Gendry, burning with frustration, swung the hammer in a wide arc and slammed it toward Polliver's chest.
He knew the man was skilled, agile and dangerous. He dared not hold back, attacking with all his strength.
Polliver watched with amusement, grinning as the hammer missed again when he sidestepped.
"One!" Polliver chuckled.
He saw that this stubborn kid was strong, coordinated, and quick on his feet, but clearly had never learned real combat.
Polliver turned and slashed at Gendry's chest without looking.
Every time his blade touched flesh, he held back to avoid serious injury.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Three hammer strikes flew past Polliver, each dodged with ease, but Gendry's body was marked with fresh bloody cuts.
When Polliver called out "Six!" Gendry suddenly shouted, "Wait!"
Both were straightforward fighters. Polliver stopped, and Gendry dropped his hammer, grabbing a battle axe from the wall.
Polliver's eyes gleamed with approval.
"Not bad, not bad. The axe is lighter than the hammer, so you're faster now. Its longer handle means I have to keep more distance to dodge. It'll be even harder to hit you."
With two quick swings, Gendry charged at Polliver, who struggled to keep up.
The axe clashed against Polliver's dagger, sending the smaller blade flying.
Gendry's brute strength was no joke.
Polliver laughed heartily.
Gendry's stubbornness flared, swinging the axe wildly.
Polliver dodged behind a pillar.
Crash!
The forge's pillar shook, creaking ominously.
"Knight, what are you still playing at? Let's go." a gruff voice said impatiently.
These soldiers had no formal ranks or polite manners, just a bunch of rough desperados.
Polliver glanced back at his men, who looked battered and bruised.
They were holding a large man who was equally bloodied and gagged with torn black cloth, his eyes full of fear.
Gendry was stunned.
"Let go of Master Tobho!" he yelled, charging toward the soldiers.
Suddenly, a heavy blow struck the back of his head.
One hit was enough to knock him out.
His battle axe clattered to the floor as he staggered, collapsing into someone's arms.
Polliver grinned.
"Little brother, you've got great strength, but poor skills! Well, now I can teach you. Got the bags ready?"
"Ready."
"Carry him out!"
"Yes, Ser."
They hurried out, shut and locked the door, then taped a note to it: Closed for business!
"Knight, about tomorrow's matter, tell Ser Gregor I'm coming too."
"Alright."
"Ser, do you know if the lady Ser Gregor has chosen is a virgin or a widow?"
"I don't know. All I know is, just like today, we're going to snatch her."
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