Villain Transmigration: Author Transformation

From the far right, a loud crash came from the crates crashing and the choral curses of rowdy men blaring from the sudden commotion.

Nathalie snapped to the direction where the twins gazed, and it happened to be a man, who now slumped amongst the splinters and wooden debris. 

He got surrounded by a group of thugs. 

They wore baggy clothes with a couple of harnesses and straps wrapped around their bodies— wielding bludgeons and even spiky clubs with them.

The man, in honey-kissed skin on his face with bloodshot eyes and disheveled fringes and beard, stepped forward, and stomped on him as he snarled, "I'd give you within three more weeks, be prepared if you don't reach the mark."

He spat out a cough of blood as he winced in pain, but he was still able to mutter a few words, but considered inaudible.

This got them all upset and went for another round until Jonathan acted with swiftness. In a blink of an eye, he was in front of them, thrashing them all in one blow. 

Huge cracks and dents came from the wall they got rammed against, and they groaned in unison from such an impact before they slumped on the ground.

Despite their rounds of curses in the middle of coughing, they arched their necks only to see the deathly gaze weighed upon them from him. While they got rooted on the ground, his utterance to scurry away had them panicked and cried buckets out of fear.

The group of thugs stumbled on their way, but their rush of adrenaline never stopped them from pushing everyone to the side as they ran for their lives.

'So, is this the man we've been searching for? He seemed different, a lot better I guess, from what I've written of him.'

With Jonathan around, they all walked away, feared from his presence.

'I've never seen him this so upset… Apart from—' Nathalie ended up pondering, but got cut off right away as he noticed that the twins moved forward.

Upon closer look, apart from his masculine features so suave, his face was rather scruffy to point the least. Moreover, he had a protruding horn on either side of his forehead with a pair of fangs jutted out from his crusty lips.

Even the chic scar, ever-so-slightly away, from the end of the right eyebrow, suited him so well.

'These details, it really is him. Marcus Vaughn Magnus.'

After which, Jonathan trudged close to the man, who groaned in agony and kneaded the left side of his rib. He lowered himself as he reached out his hand.

"Marcus, get up," he said.

The wounded man, Marcus, jolted but then gleamed his brown eyes with such hostility. "You— why are you… here—?" A mouthful of blood came out, staining his fitted tunic that carved his lean torso even more than ever. 

Nathalie squinted her eyes, as she thought he's the other character that she would meet inevitably in the future— most especially in the sequel of the book. While she knew general information of this character, as what she wrote, there might be some alterations happening on the series of events, god forbid.

Regardless, Jonathan signaled the twins to give him a cure, even for a moment. 

Seeing them in such subtle tremors on the cloak draped on them, the twins might've been too wary of him, but Jonathan muttered once more with the firmness in his voice.

He was rather commanding, and they can't refuse.

Keith went in front of her, attempting to block her from his wave of anger that lingered in the air, causing everyone to move away. But Nathalie tapped his shoulder that she was beyond fine at this point.

"My Lady…"

Then, she mouthed at him with a gentle smile, "I'm alright. Thank you for protecting me."

Helpless, he stepped away for her to observe.

All of a sudden, the bustling alley became too desolate in a couple of seconds. 

With a breeze swishing through their ears as an attempt to break the eerie silence between them...

Marcus's gaze now shifted to such a horror-struck, and worse when it was the twins he was too familiar with; as much as his body wanted to refuse to get help, he had a hard time even making a nudge.

Unwillingly so, he let them do what they wanted as he leaned his head onto the dented stonewall.

When he was already getting better, he stood up from his position, and dusted off his tunic and trousers, sighing.

"You've even brought some new visitors," Marcus muttered, peering in Nathalie's direction. He then looked in Jonathan's direction, then jerked his head to the side where his pub was then. "Come in."

He walked past him; they were at the same height, gazing at each other eye to eye before he trudged towards the wooden door. 

Jonathan beckoned Nathalie, and they followed his lead. He then lowered his head, preventing him from thudding onto the frame. 

Contrary to her belief, as soon as she entered, the pub was no less than better than outside the alley— rather an ample shade from blazing heat and brightness, and also cool enough to cater several people inside the decent amount of space. 

There were stationary magical light bulbs, casting a golden glow near the corner, on several tables, and even on the beams inside the pub.

Her thuds weren't muffled under the stone-carved flooring; then went close to Jonathan as he pulled out one of the nearby wooden stool chairs, creaking, to sit.

In front of her was an array of bottles and vials— in different shelves displayed with a charm on its own, and stacks of barrels to the side.

Once they all took a seat, Marcus sighed as he went to the entryway of the front bar.

"It's been a long time since you've dropped by this 'Dewland Hive' of mine." He then peered at the twins after facing him, then to her. "Perhaps you're seeking a piece of information?"

'Wow, this man acted he didn't care at all. Even without giving regard to them, like they were no different from other customers.'

It went quiet all of a sudden, as Marcus was now wiping the main slab of the bar top before he grabbed a couple of mugs at the back row.

Jonathan only stared for a while, in which Nathalie thought that she needed to step up.

"Name your price," even though a whisper, her sultry voice seen him flinching his back as he turned around, astonished. 

"You…"