"Look," One of the Deep Sea Adventurers spoke, and Melvin could tell that it wasn't the short-haired guy with whom he had fought before. "What is this beggar doing here?"
"I don't know? Begging?" Another one answered, confusion evident in his voice.
"Yes," The original speaker said, "But it ruins the street, we have spoken to the guards before, and they no longer allow them to stay here."
'Oh shit!' Melvin thought when he heard that, and knowing that if he didn't act in this very instant he would be caught, he immediately moved.
He acted as if he had a hunched back, and quickly grabbed the mortar filled with coins and threw it inside of his bag. Standing up with difficulty, he waved his hand in apology and spoke with the deepest, hoarsest voice he could muster, still keeping his back hunched, "Sorry youngster, don't mind me, I will leave." With a bag in hand, he limped his way to the right, Firrol following cautiously behind.
Fortunately, after he only took a few steps, he heard their movements picking up once again, much to his relief. "Fuck," He mumbled to his right, "That was close." Firrol quickly agreed with a nod, his body language stiff, and he seemed even more nervous than him.
In the next intersection to the right, leading deep into the Southern East side of the city, the duo stood at the corner, peeking at the building from afar.
"Now we wait again," Melvin said, his heart filled with both brutality and excitement.
He found that this whole thing they were doing was completely enthralling. He loved every moment of waiting there, and now that the effort of hours appeared before him, he was even more delighted.
There was something very primal about the whole affair. Like a hunter watching his prey. But even from a more psychological perspective, he very much enjoyed this feeling of being in the dark, whereas those who wronged him continue their lives unaware of his approach.
That was precisely why he knew that the class he was going to get was Thief, and then do his best to upgrade it to the Uncommon grade Assassin, and go from there.
This was the class he felt more aligned with who he was as a person, an average Joe from Earth who didn't like fighting too much and would rather remain hidden awaiting his chances to sneak attack. Some would call it a coward's way to fight, but Melvin didn't care. He just wanted minimal exposure, and no pain if possible.
The sky had gradually moved from light blue to dark blue, to finally black as they waited. But Melvin knew that only an hour or so had passed, and so finally, they were able to see the short-haired swordsman and the short-haired archer exiting the building, busy jovially conversing with one another heading for the street directly in front of the building.
Although Melvin didn't see the tall bald man with them, he knew that just these two would do for now. Thus, the duo just continued south on the same sidewalk they were standing in, and when they reached the end of it, they saw the two coming in their direction from that street.
They stood there unmoving until the two people passed in front of them and continued on that same street, and once they saw that there was a satisfying distance between them, the mand and cat quietly followed after them.
The man and the woman continued advancing street after street until in the end they reached a neighborhood just like where Karl lived. In fact, Melvin had even suspected that it might be the exact same street, but he wasn't entirely sure.
The two approached one of the houses, climbed the small four steps before it, turned their keys, and entered, leaving Melvin and Firrol looking at one another, unaware of how to proceed.
"So," Melvin asked, trying to glean some valuable insight from the cat, "What should we do now?"
"I don't know." Said he, seemingly even more nervous and agitated than the man was.
Sighing deeply to himself, Melvin began studying the row of houses, especially the one the adventureres went to, trying to think of something. His eyes randomly glanced up, and to his joy, he noticed that these houses were of the open-roof kinds.
There were two different houses in the city. One of them had chimneys and closed roofs, whereas the others had no chimneys and open roofs.
However, there was something very interesting about the houses with no roofs, they had lightwells. Just like the one Melvin previously fell from. In other words, if they could reach the roof of any house in this row, it was possible for them to continue jumping until they reached their desired home and then climb down the lightwell.
As for why Melvin didn't consider the most simple and easy way of knocking on their doors and charging in? There were a lot of people in this lively neighborhood, and he knew that they were always quick to call the guards.
Firrol also explained to him that such calls get noted down and could be used maliciously by those with ulterior motives. He reasoned that the previous assassin might have used the same thing, to track him down. After all, his face could be said to be well known amongst the guards, and so when those guards at the Plaza at night went back they'd have probably reported that they encountered him in that area.
After explaining his plan to Firrol, he seemed to agree with it, but he was still apprehensive and seemed unsure. He knew that if this plan were to be put into action, he would be the one to spearhead it, being the nimble small feline and all.
Standing on the opposite side of the street in front of a building, Melvin comforted, "Look you don't have to worry, you're pretty strong yourself, and they won't pose that much threat to you." But of course, he was lying. If he could guess then those two were around the Rank 7 to 9, and so not much difference between the two groups.
Melvin was able to overpower an old Rank 8 with both his Agility and Strength, and though he lost in the end due to the stark difference in their experiences, he still considered himself around that range. He learned that Firrol was Rank 6, but he was much stronger than an average human of that Rank.
Firrol nervously walked back and forth in front of him, and suddenly he stopped, just as he was about to say something he noticed an older woman briskly walking on the same sidewalk prompting him to pause, afraid she might witness a talking cat.
After she passed them, he said, "And how can we do that? All the houses are closed."
"Don't worry about that," Melvin smiled and explained, "I just have to knock on someone's door, and when they open I will distract them giving you a way to enter stealthily. Then all you have to do is reach those two's lightwell, climb down, and silently open their door for me."
Firrol audibly gulped and asked, "And?"
"Well," Melvin replied, scratching his head, "The rest is simple just take them by surprise, and in one shot they're dead. After that we'll ransack the place and leave."
Firrol continued nervously walking back and forth on the sidewalk, his expression stiff and anxiety written all over his face. Even Melvin was slightly anxious, but for some reason seeing someone more afraid than he was made him less nervous about the whole plan.
Suddenly! The door he was glancing at from time to time, jolted open with two well-dressed figures emerging out of it.
"Shit," Melvin mumbled a curse, knowing that they had waited for too long and now they were out. He quickly turned his body, afraid that they might notice him. And Firrol kept watching them.
"Let's go, they're leaving." He said after a while, and so they once again chased after them. The man and the woman, took one street after the other, heading for the north this time.
With Melvin and Firrol following closely behind, they continued advancing until a particular street in the periphery northeast side of the city.
There, the two adventurers entered a big tavern from where bustling laughter and music echoed. In front of the tavern was a long line of men and women dressed in a way that left very little to the imagination stood before it, awaiting their chance to enter as a tall strong man stood before the door.
Their two targets didn't have to wait in line and immediately entered.
Witnessing this sight, a faint smile tugged at Melvin's lips, and he thought, "This feels weirdly nostalgic."
"What should we do now?" Firrol asked, clearly puzzled.
"This is our chance," Melvin smiled and said. Noticing the feline's confusion, he said, "We can't enter the tavern, but we can wait for them inside the house."
Hearing the plan, Firrol was shocked. But he couldn't help but agree that it was better than the previous one. Reaching that conclusion, the two of them pivoted back and arrived at the old street once again.
"Alright, you're ready?" Melvin asked rather worriedly. Firrol was very important to the whole plan, and if he was too afraid to follow through, they might die.
Gritting his teeth, Firrol quickly nodded, his stomach quickly rising up and down, a testament to his nervousness as his breath quickened.
Witnessing that, Melvin walked toward one of the houses in the same row as the one where the two adventurers lived, and started knocking.
Firrol was glued to the edge of the house to the right, awaiting his chance.
Soon, Melvin could hear the faint steps of someone approaching behind the door. Quickly composing himself, he built up a sunshine smile as he psyched himself.
With a low creak, the door opened revealing a teenage girl with a wary look on her face upon witnessing the knocker.
"Ah, sorry for bothering you." Melvin apologized, then removed his hood and asked, "Could you please ask your mother if she has any clothes to spare?"
When she witnessed a boy around her age, the girl's worries were slightly eased. Mirroring the same smile, she nodded and said, "Wait, I'll ask her." She quickly walked back, leaving the door open.
Clicking his two fingers together, Melvin gave the signal. Firrol quickly dashed from his place into the door and climbed the stairs to the left silently.
After a while, the girl came back, and said, "Sorry, she had already given all of the unused clothes the day before the festival. But here," She stretched out her palm, and in it were two silver coins.
"I see," Melvin said, genuinely smiling, "Thank you very much, sorry for the trouble. Have a good day!" Saying that he picked up the two coins and put them in his pocket as she gave him one last smile and closed the door.
He walked back to the opposite side of the street, and with legs thumping the ground in nervousness, he awaited the feline's results.
After a few minutes, he noticed the targeted building's door, slowly parted open, and through that small gap he saw Firrol's golden eyes.
"Yes!" He mumbled under his breath, and doing his best non-suspicious impression, he walked toward it. Throwing another quick glance in opposite directions, he climbed the small steps, pushed the door, and stepped inside.
With a thud, the door closed shut behind as he leaned his back against it, his smile wide, teetering on the edge of the evil. "We really did it!" He said to the cat in front of him, "Did you encounter any obstacle?"
"No," Firrol said, "But I broke a small window of that house from where I entered."
"Look," One of the Deep Sea Adventurers spoke, and Melvin could tell that it wasn't the short-haired guy with whom he had fought before. "What is this beggar doing here?"
"I don't know? Begging?" Another one answered, confusion evident in his voice.
"Yes," The original speaker said, "But it ruins the street, we have spoken to the guards before, and they no longer allow them to stay here."
'Oh shit!' Melvin thought when he heard that, and knowing that if he didn't act in this very instant he would be caught, he immediately moved.
He acted as if he had a hunched back, and quickly grabbed the mortar filled with coins and threw it inside of his bag. Standing up with difficulty, he waved his hand in apology and spoke with the deepest, hoarsest voice he could muster, still keeping his back hunched, "Sorry youngster, don't mind me, I will leave." With a bag in hand, he limped his way to the right, Firrol following cautiously behind.
Fortunately, after he only took a few steps, he heard their movements picking up once again, much to his relief. "Fuck," He mumbled to his right, "That was close." Firrol quickly agreed with a nod, his body language stiff, and he seemed even more nervous than him.
In the next intersection to the right, leading deep into the Southern East side of the city, the duo stood at the corner, peeking at the building from afar.
"Now we wait again," Melvin said, his heart filled with both brutality and excitement.
He found that this whole thing they were doing was completely enthralling. He loved every moment of waiting there, and now that the effort of hours appeared before him, he was even more delighted.
There was something very primal about the whole affair. Like a hunter watching his prey. But even from a more psychological perspective, he very much enjoyed this feeling of being in the dark, whereas those who wronged him continue their lives unaware of his approach.
That was precisely why he knew that the class he was going to get was Thief, and then do his best to upgrade it to the Uncommon grade Assassin, and go from there.
This was the class he felt more aligned with who he was as a person, an average Joe from Earth who didn't like fighting too much and would rather remain hidden awaiting his chances to sneak attack. Some would call it a coward's way to fight, but Melvin didn't care. He just wanted minimal exposure, and no pain if possible.
The sky had gradually moved from light blue to dark blue, to finally black as they waited. But Melvin knew that only an hour or so had passed, and so finally, they were able to see the short-haired swordsman and the short-haired archer exiting the building, busy jovially conversing with one another heading for the street directly in front of the building.
Although Melvin didn't see the tall bald man with them, he knew that just these two would do for now. Thus, the duo just continued south on the same sidewalk they were standing in, and when they reached the end of it, they saw the two coming in their direction from that street.
They stood there unmoving until the two people passed in front of them and continued on that same street, and once they saw that there was a satisfying distance between them, the mand and cat quietly followed after them.
The man and the woman continued advancing street after street until in the end they reached a neighborhood just like where Karl lived. In fact, Melvin had even suspected that it might be the exact same street, but he wasn't entirely sure.
The two approached one of the houses, climbed the small four steps before it, turned their keys, and entered, leaving Melvin and Firrol looking at one another, unaware of how to proceed.
"So," Melvin asked, trying to glean some valuable insight from the cat, "What should we do now?"
"I don't know." Said he, seemingly even more nervous and agitated than the man was.
Sighing deeply to himself, Melvin began studying the row of houses, especially the one the adventureres went to, trying to think of something. His eyes randomly glanced up, and to his joy, he noticed that these houses were of the open-roof kinds.
There were two different houses in the city. One of them had chimneys and closed roofs, whereas the others had no chimneys and open roofs.
However, there was something very interesting about the houses with no roofs, they had lightwells. Just like the one Melvin previously fell from. In other words, if they could reach the roof of any house in this row, it was possible for them to continue jumping until they reached their desired home and then climb down the lightwell.
As for why Melvin didn't consider the most simple and easy way of knocking on their doors and charging in? There were a lot of people in this lively neighborhood, and he knew that they were always quick to call the guards.
Firrol also explained to him that such calls get noted down and could be used maliciously by those with ulterior motives. He reasoned that the previous assassin might have used the same thing, to track him down. After all, his face could be said to be well known amongst the guards, and so when those guards at the Plaza at night went back they'd have probably reported that they encountered him in that area.
After explaining his plan to Firrol, he seemed to agree with it, but he was still apprehensive and seemed unsure. He knew that if this plan were to be put into action, he would be the one to spearhead it, being the nimble small feline and all.
Standing on the opposite side of the street in front of a building, Melvin comforted, "Look you don't have to worry, you're pretty strong yourself, and they won't pose that much threat to you." But of course, he was lying. If he could guess then those two were around the Rank 7 to 9, and so not much difference between the two groups.
Melvin was able to overpower an old Rank 8 with both his Agility and Strength, and though he lost in the end due to the stark difference in their experiences, he still considered himself around that range. He learned that Firrol was Rank 6, but he was much stronger than an average human of that Rank.
Firrol nervously walked back and forth in front of him, and suddenly he stopped, just as he was about to say something he noticed an older woman briskly walking on the same sidewalk prompting him to pause, afraid she might witness a talking cat.
After she passed them, he said, "And how can we do that? All the houses are closed."
"Don't worry about that," Melvin smiled and explained, "I just have to knock on someone's door, and when they open I will distract them giving you a way to enter stealthily. Then all you have to do is reach those two's lightwell, climb down, and silently open their door for me."
Firrol audibly gulped and asked, "And?"
"Well," Melvin replied, scratching his head, "The rest is simple just take them by surprise, and in one shot they're dead. After that we'll ransack the place and leave."
Firrol continued nervously walking back and forth on the sidewalk, his expression stiff and anxiety written all over his face. Even Melvin was slightly anxious, but for some reason seeing someone more afraid than he was made him less nervous about the whole plan.
Suddenly! The door he was glancing at from time to time, jolted open with two well-dressed figures emerging out of it.
"Shit," Melvin mumbled a curse, knowing that they had waited for too long and now they were out. He quickly turned his body, afraid that they might notice him. And Firrol kept watching them.
"Let's go, they're leaving." He said after a while, and so they once again chased after them. The man and the woman, took one street after the other, heading for the north this time.
With Melvin and Firrol following closely behind, they continued advancing until a particular street in the periphery northeast side of the city.
There, the two adventurers entered a big tavern from where bustling laughter and music echoed. In front of the tavern was a long line of men and women dressed in a way that left very little to the imagination stood before it, awaiting their chance to enter as a tall strong man stood before the door.
Their two targets didn't have to wait in line and immediately entered.
Witnessing this sight, a faint smile tugged at Melvin's lips, and he thought, "This feels weirdly nostalgic."
"What should we do now?" Firrol asked, clearly puzzled.
"This is our chance," Melvin smiled and said. Noticing the feline's confusion, he said, "We can't enter the tavern, but we can wait for them inside the house."
Hearing the plan, Firrol was shocked. But he couldn't help but agree that it was better than the previous one. Reaching that conclusion, the two of them pivoted back and arrived at the old street once again.
"Alright, you're ready?" Melvin asked rather worriedly. Firrol was very important to the whole plan, and if he was too afraid to follow through, they might die.
Gritting his teeth, Firrol quickly nodded, his stomach quickly rising up and down, a testament to his nervousness as his breath quickened.
Witnessing that, Melvin walked toward one of the houses in the same row as the one where the two adventurers lived, and started knocking.
Firrol was glued to the edge of the house to the right, awaiting his chance.
Soon, Melvin could hear the faint steps of someone approaching behind the door. Quickly composing himself, he built up a sunshine smile as he psyched himself.
With a low creak, the door opened revealing a teenage girl with a wary look on her face upon witnessing the knocker.
"Ah, sorry for bothering you." Melvin apologized, then removed his hood and asked, "Could you please ask your mother if she has any clothes to spare?"
When she witnessed a boy around her age, the girl's worries were slightly eased. Mirroring the same smile, she nodded and said, "Wait, I'll ask her." She quickly walked back, leaving the door open.
Clicking his two fingers together, Melvin gave the signal. Firrol quickly dashed from his place into the door and climbed the stairs to the left silently.
After a while, the girl came back, and said, "Sorry, she had already given all of the unused clothes the day before the festival. But here," She stretched out her palm, and in it were two silver coins.
"I see," Melvin said, genuinely smiling, "Thank you very much, sorry for the trouble. Have a good day!" Saying that he picked up the two coins and put them in his pocket as she gave him one last smile and closed the door.
He walked back to the opposite side of the street, and with legs thumping the ground in nervousness, he awaited the feline's results.
After a few minutes, he noticed the targeted building's door, slowly parted open, and through that small gap he saw Firrol's golden eyes.
"Yes!" He mumbled under his breath, and doing his best non-suspicious impression, he walked toward it. Throwing another quick glance in opposite directions, he climbed the small steps, pushed the door, and stepped inside.
With a thud, the door closed shut behind as he leaned his back against it, his smile wide, teetering on the edge of the evil. "We really did it!" He said to the cat in front of him, "Did you encounter any obstacle?"
"No," Firrol said, "But I broke a small window of that house from where I entered."
