Chapter 12. Axe throwing Game

CHAPTER 12.

AXE THROWING GAME. 

George glanced up at Luca, determination in his eyes. "You shouldn't go through with this,"

Giovanni chuckled mockingly. "What's the matter, George? Afraid Luca isn't good enough and will lose to me?"

"If he can't prove himself, how can I respect someone who's weakling?"

Frustrated, George rolled his eyes. "Giovanni, this isn't the appropriate time for all of this. We just located Lord Ercole, and there are many people searching for him. Can't you see the person who was just trailing him some moments ago?"

Giovanni hissed, dismissing George's words. All that mattered to him was giving Luca a chance to prove himself. It was the best way to determine if Luca could defend himself.

Giovanni whined, "That's even more reason for him to demonstrate his worth. A lord's life should never be in danger! Did you not see how he reacted at the sight of the guillotine? He shivered!"

George quickly glanced at Luca. Well, Luca hadn't exactly shivered at the sight of the guillotine; he was simply shocked. It was the first time he had encountered something as deadly as that. Growing up, he had never witnessed such a thing.

Luca smirked, fully aware of Giovanni's intentions.

Upon seeing Luca's expression, George quickly intervened. "Don't listen to him, Luca. He's trying to mess with your head!"

"No, George," Luca responded. "I actually think it's the right thing to do."

George wanted to protest further, but before he could, Luca cut in. "Where do we go to play the game?"

A smug smirk appeared on Giovanni's lips as he ushered Luca and George into his car, a Porsche 991 RSR worth over $3 million dollars. Luca glanced at the car's exterior and interior quickly, hoping to avoid any more jabs or criticisms from Gio about his appearance.

Though George's expression remained grim, he couldn't prevent the duel from taking place. As Gio revved the engine to life and sped away, George let out a defeated sigh, realizing that the duel was truly happening.

After a few hours, they arrived at a beautiful garden where the axe-throwing game would be held. It was one of the places Giovanni had acquired for himself, as he had developed an addiction to throwing axes.

George looked around to ensure there were no witnesses to the duel, except for himself.

Giovanni strolled over to where Luca was standing. "Are you scared now? Come on, boy, you can do this, okay?"

Don't be fooled; it was a subtle mockery aimed at Luca. However, Luca shrugged it off with a smile.

"How many throws, Gio?"

"Since you're a rookie in the game, maybe I'll let you throw seven or even ten, and then I'll throw five," he responded.

George grew increasingly frustrated with Gio's subtle jabs directed at Luca. Sitting between the two of them on a wooden chair, he couldn't wait for the game to be over. At that moment, if he were asked to place a bet, he wouldn't know whom to wager on. Giovanni was known to be a pro in axe-throwing, undefeated by anyone, but George knew nothing about Luca's abilities. Putting his money on Luca would be like investing in something uncertain.

Luca and Giovanni stood facing the wooden targets, thick logs with designated scoring areas, placed about 12-14 feet away from the throwing line where George was seated.

Giovanni removed his wristwatch and handed it to George with a challenge in his voice. "Give it your best shots, Luc. I won't be going easy on you."

Luca smiled. "Enough banter, Gio. Let's duel."

Giovanni turned to George. "Hey, man, who's your bet on?"

Even though George was inclined to bet on Giovanni, he still wanted to uplift Luca's spirits.

"Fine, I'll wager $1 million dollars on Luca. If he wins, you'll give him $10 million. Do we have a deal?"

Giovanni laughed. "Gerg, you're damn well going to regret it. Fine, I'm in on your bet. In fact, if he beats me, I'll give him $15 million!”

Giovanni couldn't contain his laughter as he walked back to his spot. To him, the idea of Luca beating him in an axe-throwing game was utterly hilarious. It was highly unlikely that Luca would excel in this particular challenge.

"Who's going first?" Luca asked.

"Maybe you should go first, as a rookie. Give us your best shot," Gio replied, his voice laced with mockery.

"What about a coin flip to decide who goes first?" George suggested. Both Luca and Giovanni agreed, and George swiftly produced a coin. After flipping it, it was determined that Giovanni would go first.

Giovanni positioned himself at the spot and surveyed the board for a moment. He then turned and glanced at Luca with a slight smirk, clearly indicating his confidence in outperforming him.

Giovanni gripped the axe with both hands, one at the bottom of the handle and the other higher up near the blade. Taking a moment to focus, he aligned his body, ensuring his dominant eye was in line with the target. Drawing the axe back behind his head, he shifted his weight onto his back foot. The tension in the air was palpable, and George felt a wave of nervousness wash over him.

With a swift motion, Giovanni swung his arm forward and released the axe toward the target. The axe spun end over end as it traveled through the air, aiming to hit the scoring areas on the wooden surface. However, it landed in the second ring from the center, the blue section of the board.

The blue section represented the second ring from the center, carrying a rating of 4, just one step away from the bullseye, which was rated 7.

As the axe made contact with the target, a thud resonated through the air, prompting George to leap to his feet and inspect the result. Seeing that it had landed in the blue section, he muttered, "Damn! That's a 4."

Now the question remained: Could Luca do any better?

Giovanni looked at Luca and taunted, "Are you starting to feel scared? That's just the calm before the storm." He laughed. "Go ahead and throw yours. Let's see if you can hit a two.”