The Rise of The Barbaric

05: Sickening Selfishness

Barrett knew where his brother wanted to talk decently. Bobby did not have the hobby of reading. For some reason, however, he liked collecting books. Because of that, Bobby has a small library in his house.

It was in that place that Bobby liked to talk serious stuff.

He went into the library and sat on the nearest couch. It did not take long for the woman and Bobby to arrive.

The woman served Barrett some tea, to which he drank casually. He glanced at Bobby and saw him leaning at the door with arms crossed over his chest.

Bobby was looking at Barrett with displeasure, but not so bad as earlier. After all, Bobby would never do anything that might cause his collection to be destroyed.

Who knows how long they were in that position? Bobby just looked at him in deep thought while Barrett waited. 

“Brother… How long are you going to think?” Barrett asked finally.

He was glad that his brother was not hitting him anymore, but he did not have the whole day waiting for him to decide if he would talk to him or not.

Bobby glared at him. He sighed deeply before asking, “So, the girl is really sick?”

Barrett nodded, his expression grave. He cleared his throat before speaking, “Yes, she is very sick. I need to get money for her treatment—”

“So you came here to borrow money from me?” Bobby asked, interrupting him.

Barrett forced out a smile and then responded, “Honestly, I don’t care at this point if I have to steal it from you.”

He snorted before mockingly smiling and said, “You haven’t changed at all... always thinking of you.”

Barrett shook his head. “No, this isn’t about me,” he said before sighing deeply. “It’s about her. She deserves to live!”

“I bet so... and believe it or not, I would give you the money, but coming here was a mistake...” Bobby said as he walked towards the vacant chair in front of Barrett.

“Why’s that?” Barrett dryly asked. He looked at Booby with utmost seriousness.

Just then, the woman arrived. She gave Barrett something to eat before she sat next to Bobby.

“Meet my wife, Yumeko,” Bobby said. “That reminds me, I never met your wife.”

There was sarcasm in Bobby’s tone. Of course, he could not blame him. Claudia did not want to meet Bobby. She said she was afraid of him.

“Nice to meet you….” Barrett said. It was a good thing that his brother got married.

“Your brother said many things about you,” she replied with a knowing smile. Bobby snickered.

“I could guess….” Barrett muttered. Bobby, being Bobby, must have said many not-so-good stuff about him.

 “The cameras in residence are connected to the closed circuit of the union… the moment you entered here, they found you,” Yumeko said seriously.

Barrett looked in the direction of the camera with a strange smile.

Bobby groaned. He said, “Yumeko, darling. You are being kind to him. Also, Barrett doesn’t forget anything. Most of the time, he knew what he was doing. If he doesn’t involve his dick, he is quite smart.”

“Bobby… Can we just have a decent conversation?” Barrett asked, feeling stressed.   

“What? Isn’t this decent enough?” Bobby questioned. “Am I wrong? Don’t fool me. You want to be found because you want to fight again to earn money for your daughter. I can’t lend you anything. You know that!”

Barrett pursed his lips. He looked at Yumeko and stiffly nodded. It’s not that Bobby did not have the money to lend him, but he couldn’t cause his money was easily tracked by the Union.

Fighting was his last resort.

Still, a part of Barrett hoped that he did not have to.

“Look, Barrett’s world works like this. The things he wants to do and the things he doesn’t want to do. What he wants to do, he does, and what he doesn’t, well, he doesn’t do it. Things as consequences, sacrifice, or responsibility that don’t exist in his mind,” Bobby continued ranting.

“What would you do in my place!?” Barrett questioned as he glared at Bobby.

Bobby angrily got up. While looking at Barrett with this disdain, he said, “That’s the thing, little brother, I can’t be in your place. I don’t go through life thinking that I can do whatever I want without consequences. When you left, buying your freedom from another patron, our patron took it out on me! I had to do a hundred damn fights for you, a hundred!”

“Do I force you to do the challenge of a hundred victories?” Barrett asked, trying to stand his ground.

Bobby stared at him for a while, which made Barrett feel uncomfortable.

“Of course not,” Bobby spoke, slow and cold. He looked at Barrett blankly, “I’m not the great Barrett. Nobody can make a hundred victories like the Barbaric.”

Bobby shook his head, “No, I lost my undefeated in the seventh, but that didn’t stop Abdul from making me fight another ninety-three. My record was positive. Fifty-three wins and forty-seven losses. Just stop winning in fight number eighty. From then on, there were twenty consecutive beatings, little brother. For your sake.”

Barrett felt a lump in his throat. He looked down, as he could not look Bobby in the eye. His actions had consequences, but since he didn’t see them. When he was so happy with his freedom, he didn’t have time to think about it.

However, now, guilt was eating him slowly, but he could not give up.

Barrett could almost laugh out when it was drawn to him how selfish he was. It was sickening. Disgusting.

“How did you manage to do all this then?” Barrett asked slowly, still not able to look at his brother.

Bobby replied, “After those beatings, you start to understand something about the fight Barrett. I became a Dottore. I trained many fighters who are now champions, and that gave me some money and stability….”

Barrett looked at his brother. With unshed tears in his eyes, he approached Bobby and said, “I’m so sorry, brother...”

Bobby looked at him and, letting himself be controlled by anger, closed his fist and punched Barrett very hard in the face. The man fell to the ground, stunned.

With his back on the floor, he looked at his brother with a complicated expression. His face hurt, but he knew that was not enough.

“You’re sorry!? Really!? Are you sorry!? To hell with your apologies Barrett, and to hell with your daughter!”

Hearing his daughter, Barrett saw red. He got up angrily, and his eyes shot with anger advancing toward Bobby.

At that moment, Bobby stood frozen. It was like a Deja Vu. He saw a flash of what Barrett used to be.

Barrett would not stop, but when he was a few centimeters from his brother, there was a loud of a door.  

Barrett and Bobby hurriedly went out of the library, and they look looked towards the front door.

A man with a cane accompanied by three men in black suits entered the courtyard.

Yumeko held her breath. She was noticeably worried.

Bobby noticed this. He made a signal for her to calm down, and then he went out to the yard.

“You came much faster than Sahid expected,” Bobby said with a welcoming smile.

The man with the cane nodded. Sahid shrugged and said, “I could pretend I don’t give a shit about what you have to say, Bobby. I don’t feel like it. It’s too late, and I want someone to massage my balls tonight. So I’m going to cut down to the cheese.”

Bobby looked at him with anger, and next to him, Barrett stood.

Sahid smiled at Barrett and casually said, “The cheese, Barrett. You came back after five long years. You look just as stupid but less strong….”

“Sahid, someone left you cripple. Finally, you look the same, inside and out,” Barrett replied, grinning.

“The sharp tongue of the Barbaric, the winner, the undefeated, the man of the records. The traitor who bought his freedom from another damn Danyio when it was my father who fed you, taught you how to fight, and gave you everything you had, you damn ungrateful cunt,” Sahid responded with a kind smile. Completely different from his words.

Barrett frowned, “I also gave a lot to your father...”

“And you will give him more. Boys, catch him!” Sahid ordered, grinning.

“I came looking for you. Why do you think I won’t go with you...” Barrett said with raised hands.

Sahid snorted and replied, “You have a tendency to run away like a little whore!”

“I just need to make a deal! Talk to Danyio! talk to Abdul!” Barrett screamed hurriedly.

“There is no deal for you, tadpole. You have no trust or word. You have nothing. Not even your fucking freedom!” Sahid said with disdain.

“I am undefeated, the only one who has ever achieved a hundred wins in a row. You must give me something!” Barrett insisted through clenched teeth.

At that moment, he was really itching to hit Sahid’s face, but he knew he couldn’t do that.

Sahid snickered, “Sure. I’ll beat the hell out of you!”