Melvin's steady, calm, and collected steps and demeanor seemed to take all of them by surprise, not just the short man in front of him. Their previous incoherent shouts and curses had already disappeared leaving way for a more mindful approach to the situation.
"What is the reason for your visit?" He questioned calmly, looking deep into the instigator's eyes.
Not wanting to be outdone by such a small brat, the man was quick to reply, "Jacob The Snake. You're quite infamous around these streets, but you're still a little brat, you know that right?"
Facing such a direct confrontation Melvin was slightly caught off guard and he couldn't help but tense a bit, but he immediately pushed back and said with a faint smile, "A little brat who can kick all of your asses, you think that just because you came here in a group it'd be enough to scare me?"
In an attempt to take advantage of some of his abilities, he continued, "I've lived and fought in these streets for years now, and my reputation isn't just for show. I think you're way over your head...coachmen." As he said the last word, he made sure to enunciate every sound as he looked at all of them.
For some reason all of them could feel in their hearts the terror and brutality that came with living in the slums that were filled with gangs and criminals, more so they caught a glimpse of what it took for someone to survive there and make a name for themselves.
Still, they were all grown men, and to be spoken to as such by a brat was a great humiliation.
Melvin understood that very much, and thus, he knew that he had to take a step back in this power dynamic, otherwise, if he pressed on too much then these strong men would jump at him, and he was just a paper tiger. All talk with no substance. "But we are still neighbors, and all of you are just doing your best to survive, so just tell me. What is it that you want?"
True enough, the boys behind him were shocked by such a weak display but after they promised they'd follow his lead, they could only bury that grievance deep into their hearts and continue watching as things unfolded.
The men who were all riled up and on the verge of fighting with him, also managed to calm down after understanding the veiled show of weakness underneath, and so the fat man got straight to the point, "What happened was just an accident. If you report it to the guards, they will take out my horse and cut off my work. How about I compensate you, and we'll be even?"
A pin-drop silence ensued once he finished speaking, and Melvin could feel that the boys behind him were beyond infuriated when they heard that. However, to him, this couldn't have come at a better time.
Still, he understood all of the psychological factors underlying this issue, and he knew that if he accepted this offer the boys behind him would lose their minds.
"How much?" He asked, straight and to the point, and using his hands he squeezed the shorter boy's shoulder who seemed to be the most impulsive of them all, and flashed him a meaningful look.
Fortunately, getting his cue, he stopped but his eyes still held intense hatred as he looked at the men in front of him.
"One gold coin," confidently uttered the fat man.
"What?!" The previously calm and collected Melvin shouted, "Are you kidding me? There is no way I'd accept anything less than five gold coins."
This time, it was the group's turn to audibly gasp hearing the shocking price and the fat man bellowed with laughter as if unable to believe what he had just heard, "5 gold coins for a disgusting small slum runt? Who are you trying to scam here?"
Hearing the words, 'Disgusting slum runt', the shorter boy pushed Melvin's hand away and jumped at the fat man punching him squarely in the face and shouting, "Son of a bitch! I'll show you who's disgusting, you fat pig."
Melvin immediately sprang into action when he saw that, darting forward to intervene before the situation escalated further. However, before he could reach them, the men behind the fat man had already leaped into action, joining the fray with kicks aimed at the shorter boy's stomach.
Seeing this, Melvin quickened his pace, pushing through the crowd to reach them.
"Enough!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. The men who were still wary of Melvin made way and he moved to help the shorter boy stand, who by that time learned was called George from the other boys' shouts.
George pushed Melvin's hands away with a disappointed look on his face and said, "What is wrong with you? They killed little mouse..."
"Get a hold of yourself, why are you so impulsive," Melvin shouted at this guy who was making things unnecessarily difficult for him, moreover, time was ticking away and that was precisely the thing he had the least of in the world.
"Listen, you little fat shit." He turned towards the group of men, especially the fat man, and yelled, "Do you know where I was this whole day?"
Not waiting for them to say anything else, he continued, "I was on a mission out of the city with Captain Cedric, and I know him very well." He then pointed towards his incomparably fine clothes relative to theirs and said, "See, do you know how much these clothes cost? 2 Gold Coins!"
The group easily believed what he was saying for some reason, but most importantly the fact that clothes were of very high quality couldn't be hidden away.
Melvin continued, "Don't you think that just because we live here I don't have any connections, I can assure you that I can make your life a living hell. Or you can give what I told you to give, and then we'll both be happy. How about that?"
Unfortunately for him, as much as the fat man was indeed intimidated by what he said five gold coins were still too much for him, and so with gritted teeth, he said, "All I can do is two, take it or leave it."
'Shit!' Melvin thought, this seemed to be the limit of what he was able to get out of them, he turned towards the group of boys who were all staring at him hatefully and quickly approached them.
In a hushed voice he said, "Look guys, you're making this difficult. I'll assure you, we'll revenge little mouse, but now isn't the time." Seeing their still nonchalant faces as they avoided his eyes, he lifted his shirt and said, "Look you little shits. Someone tried to kill me yesterday, see these green lines all over my wound? That's poison if I don't treat it in less than half an hour, I will die. Now do we have some money? I need five gold coins."
This time, the evidence proved to be so strong that it shocked them, and all of them immediately understood why he was acting so differently and why he seemed too pale and out of breath.
The usually silent and tall Henry, quietly murmured towards the bigger one of the two small boys, the blonde one, "William go see how much is there in the toolbox."
Nodding, the boy swiftly ran towards one of the nearby shacks as the group of men kept scrutinizing them from a small distance.
George and Henry also started going through their pockets bringing out several silver and copper coins in their palms and started counting. The boy called William quickly brought out from the shack a rectangular dark dirty wooden box to the two and they all started counting how much they had.
Seeing them taking so long Melvin's heartbeat quickened once again as he slowly went to check the time that he had been dreading to look at, and when saw it, his legs felt limp as he staggered backward several steps weakly.
12 minutes, or in other words 2 minutes, and the bald shopkeeper would no longer wait for him.
'How can I do all of that in 2 minutes? There is... just no way.' Melvin thought with despair, and suddenly a voice woke up from his contemplation of his unavoidable death, '122 Silver coins, 2345 copper coins, and some valuable items...'
The voice trailed off and said finally, "But we can't sell them, the ceremony is going to start soon and there won't be any opened shops."
Turning around he saw that George had more or less the same expression as his, and he understood that their relationship must've been close.
He decisively nodded towards the two and walked towards the group of men once again.
With a cold look in his eyes, he demanded, "You will either give me three gold coins, or you'll face the consequences of what you did by a thousandfold. Your call."
The man was so angry that the fat on his face began shaking as veins bulged on his forehead. As much as he wanted to kill all of this slum trash, he knew that he couldn't.
Killing one small boy was different than making a whole group of them disappear, and if the guards investigated he was certain he would be caught before the night ended.
Words had already spread that there was some problem between Jacob the snake and the coachmen around the street, and so if they were to disappear then the prime suspect was clear as day.
Gritting his day, he reached into his pocket and grabbed three thick and lustrous gold coins that he managed to fill with the sweat of his palms and put them in Melvin's hands, throughout the whole process he didn't forget to give a him deathful stare that had indeed scared even Melvin who was on the verge death.
With that, he turned around and left with the rest of his group, all of whom gave Melvin deep looks as if trying to etch his face into their minds.
Melvin didn't pay much attention to the group but turned towards the boys who were still counting money.
In George's hand was a small brown pouch that was filled to the brim with coins, there were also some other items like rings, watches, a monocle, some small daggers, and knives.
Glancing down at the pouch, George calculated, "With those three gold coins, this is worth more than five gold coins in total. But..."
Melvin naturally understood what he was talking about, but they were still unsold, and he couldn't help but think with some hope, "Would the shopkeeper accept them?"
That, he will have to find out. He turned towards the two boys, and said, "You two stay at home, you can't come." Then his eyes shifted at the tall Henry, and said, "You as well."
However, they all vehemently resisted his decision, but then he explained to them that someone wanted him dead, so he had to remain unnoticed and not make a lot of big waves, and a big group running down the street would alert others.
Still, regardless of how much he explained, they all just said that they would follow from a distance.
Not wanting to waste any more time, he started running along the same path they took toward the alchemy shop followed by George who carried the big pouch. The other three waited for a long while before they trailed after them for a distance.
Turning towards George, he asked, "Is there a shortcut to where I told you that shop is?"
Melvin's steady, calm, and collected steps and demeanor seemed to take all of them by surprise, not just the short man in front of him. Their previous incoherent shouts and curses had already disappeared leaving way for a more mindful approach to the situation.
"What is the reason for your visit?" He questioned calmly, looking deep into the instigator's eyes.
Not wanting to be outdone by such a small brat, the man was quick to reply, "Jacob The Snake. You're quite infamous around these streets, but you're still a little brat, you know that right?"
Facing such a direct confrontation Melvin was slightly caught off guard and he couldn't help but tense a bit, but he immediately pushed back and said with a faint smile, "A little brat who can kick all of your asses, you think that just because you came here in a group it'd be enough to scare me?"
In an attempt to take advantage of some of his abilities, he continued, "I've lived and fought in these streets for years now, and my reputation isn't just for show. I think you're way over your head...coachmen." As he said the last word, he made sure to enunciate every sound as he looked at all of them.
For some reason all of them could feel in their hearts the terror and brutality that came with living in the slums that were filled with gangs and criminals, more so they caught a glimpse of what it took for someone to survive there and make a name for themselves.
Still, they were all grown men, and to be spoken to as such by a brat was a great humiliation.
Melvin understood that very much, and thus, he knew that he had to take a step back in this power dynamic, otherwise, if he pressed on too much then these strong men would jump at him, and he was just a paper tiger. All talk with no substance. "But we are still neighbors, and all of you are just doing your best to survive, so just tell me. What is it that you want?"
True enough, the boys behind him were shocked by such a weak display but after they promised they'd follow his lead, they could only bury that grievance deep into their hearts and continue watching as things unfolded.
The men who were all riled up and on the verge of fighting with him, also managed to calm down after understanding the veiled show of weakness underneath, and so the fat man got straight to the point, "What happened was just an accident. If you report it to the guards, they will take out my horse and cut off my work. How about I compensate you, and we'll be even?"
A pin-drop silence ensued once he finished speaking, and Melvin could feel that the boys behind him were beyond infuriated when they heard that. However, to him, this couldn't have come at a better time.
Still, he understood all of the psychological factors underlying this issue, and he knew that if he accepted this offer the boys behind him would lose their minds.
"How much?" He asked, straight and to the point, and using his hands he squeezed the shorter boy's shoulder who seemed to be the most impulsive of them all, and flashed him a meaningful look.
Fortunately, getting his cue, he stopped but his eyes still held intense hatred as he looked at the men in front of him.
"One gold coin," confidently uttered the fat man.
"What?!" The previously calm and collected Melvin shouted, "Are you kidding me? There is no way I'd accept anything less than five gold coins."
This time, it was the group's turn to audibly gasp hearing the shocking price and the fat man bellowed with laughter as if unable to believe what he had just heard, "5 gold coins for a disgusting small slum runt? Who are you trying to scam here?"
Hearing the words, 'Disgusting slum runt', the shorter boy pushed Melvin's hand away and jumped at the fat man punching him squarely in the face and shouting, "Son of a bitch! I'll show you who's disgusting, you fat pig."
Melvin immediately sprang into action when he saw that, darting forward to intervene before the situation escalated further. However, before he could reach them, the men behind the fat man had already leaped into action, joining the fray with kicks aimed at the shorter boy's stomach.
Seeing this, Melvin quickened his pace, pushing through the crowd to reach them.
"Enough!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. The men who were still wary of Melvin made way and he moved to help the shorter boy stand, who by that time learned was called George from the other boys' shouts.
George pushed Melvin's hands away with a disappointed look on his face and said, "What is wrong with you? They killed little mouse..."
"Get a hold of yourself, why are you so impulsive," Melvin shouted at this guy who was making things unnecessarily difficult for him, moreover, time was ticking away and that was precisely the thing he had the least of in the world.
"Listen, you little fat shit." He turned towards the group of men, especially the fat man, and yelled, "Do you know where I was this whole day?"
Not waiting for them to say anything else, he continued, "I was on a mission out of the city with Captain Cedric, and I know him very well." He then pointed towards his incomparably fine clothes relative to theirs and said, "See, do you know how much these clothes cost? 2 Gold Coins!"
The group easily believed what he was saying for some reason, but most importantly the fact that clothes were of very high quality couldn't be hidden away.
Melvin continued, "Don't you think that just because we live here I don't have any connections, I can assure you that I can make your life a living hell. Or you can give what I told you to give, and then we'll both be happy. How about that?"
Unfortunately for him, as much as the fat man was indeed intimidated by what he said five gold coins were still too much for him, and so with gritted teeth, he said, "All I can do is two, take it or leave it."
'Shit!' Melvin thought, this seemed to be the limit of what he was able to get out of them, he turned towards the group of boys who were all staring at him hatefully and quickly approached them.
In a hushed voice he said, "Look guys, you're making this difficult. I'll assure you, we'll revenge little mouse, but now isn't the time." Seeing their still nonchalant faces as they avoided his eyes, he lifted his shirt and said, "Look you little shits. Someone tried to kill me yesterday, see these green lines all over my wound? That's poison if I don't treat it in less than half an hour, I will die. Now do we have some money? I need five gold coins."
This time, the evidence proved to be so strong that it shocked them, and all of them immediately understood why he was acting so differently and why he seemed too pale and out of breath.
The usually silent and tall Henry, quietly murmured towards the bigger one of the two small boys, the blonde one, "William go see how much is there in the toolbox."
Nodding, the boy swiftly ran towards one of the nearby shacks as the group of men kept scrutinizing them from a small distance.
George and Henry also started going through their pockets bringing out several silver and copper coins in their palms and started counting. The boy called William quickly brought out from the shack a rectangular dark dirty wooden box to the two and they all started counting how much they had.
Seeing them taking so long Melvin's heartbeat quickened once again as he slowly went to check the time that he had been dreading to look at, and when saw it, his legs felt limp as he staggered backward several steps weakly.
12 minutes, or in other words 2 minutes, and the bald shopkeeper would no longer wait for him.
'How can I do all of that in 2 minutes? There is... just no way.' Melvin thought with despair, and suddenly a voice woke up from his contemplation of his unavoidable death, '122 Silver coins, 2345 copper coins, and some valuable items...'
The voice trailed off and said finally, "But we can't sell them, the ceremony is going to start soon and there won't be any opened shops."
Turning around he saw that George had more or less the same expression as his, and he understood that their relationship must've been close.
He decisively nodded towards the two and walked towards the group of men once again.
With a cold look in his eyes, he demanded, "You will either give me three gold coins, or you'll face the consequences of what you did by a thousandfold. Your call."
The man was so angry that the fat on his face began shaking as veins bulged on his forehead. As much as he wanted to kill all of this slum trash, he knew that he couldn't.
Killing one small boy was different than making a whole group of them disappear, and if the guards investigated he was certain he would be caught before the night ended.
Words had already spread that there was some problem between Jacob the snake and the coachmen around the street, and so if they were to disappear then the prime suspect was clear as day.
Gritting his day, he reached into his pocket and grabbed three thick and lustrous gold coins that he managed to fill with the sweat of his palms and put them in Melvin's hands, throughout the whole process he didn't forget to give a him deathful stare that had indeed scared even Melvin who was on the verge death.
With that, he turned around and left with the rest of his group, all of whom gave Melvin deep looks as if trying to etch his face into their minds.
Melvin didn't pay much attention to the group but turned towards the boys who were still counting money.
In George's hand was a small brown pouch that was filled to the brim with coins, there were also some other items like rings, watches, a monocle, some small daggers, and knives.
Glancing down at the pouch, George calculated, "With those three gold coins, this is worth more than five gold coins in total. But..."
Melvin naturally understood what he was talking about, but they were still unsold, and he couldn't help but think with some hope, "Would the shopkeeper accept them?"
That, he will have to find out. He turned towards the two boys, and said, "You two stay at home, you can't come." Then his eyes shifted at the tall Henry, and said, "You as well."
However, they all vehemently resisted his decision, but then he explained to them that someone wanted him dead, so he had to remain unnoticed and not make a lot of big waves, and a big group running down the street would alert others.
Still, regardless of how much he explained, they all just said that they would follow from a distance.
Not wanting to waste any more time, he started running along the same path they took toward the alchemy shop followed by George who carried the big pouch. The other three waited for a long while before they trailed after them for a distance.
Turning towards George, he asked, "Is there a shortcut to where I told you that shop is?"
