When the two of the boys saw that Melvin didn't take the right turn to the narrow street and continued walking out of the gate they were shocked and pleaded, "Big brother, Henry and George are surrounded and those guys seem dangerous. We need to go there now otherwise, you know how impulsive big brother George is, he will do something dangerous."

Melvin quickly comforted, "Don't worry, this will help with that, and it's necessary."

Although Melvin couldn't see any guard when he walked out of the gate, he wasn't worried, he continued walking towards the opened chamber in the stoned archway. However, to his absolute shock, when he arrived there he wasn't able to see the goatee captain from before, and even the familiar guards weren't there.

"What are ya doing boy?!" Shouted a guard who was sitting on a wooden chair in the corner of the stone chamber.

Melvin wanted to answer but felt as if his tongue was stuck in his throat due to the implication of what his absence meant, but he quickly composed himself and answered with a hopeful tone, "Where is the captain?"

"Which captain?", asked one of the other guards who stood up and towered over the trio.

Feeling the heartbeat of his beat increasing after being stared down by such fierce and unfriendly eyes, Melvin began murmuring, "He was here just a while ago, he had a goatee, thick eyebrows, and short brown hair..."

The tall guard didn't say much but just kept staring down at him, prompting Melvin to take a few steps back audibly gulping. He had no idea about the guards of this world, so he was afraid that there was some etiquette he wasn't aware of.

The still-sitting guard laughed and said, "Don't worry, he is just messing with you. Captain Cedric went to the royal Plaza, as things tend to become hectic with such a vast number of people."

After saying that he continued muttering with a low voice as if talking to himself with a big sigh, "But at least they get to enjoy the ceremony unlike us here..."

Melvin's mind on the other had already stopped working when he heard that the captain was no longer there, and even the scary guard who was enjoying intimidating him became small and unfocused in his eyes as he stared blankly in his direction.

The tall guard was caught off guard by such an unexpected turn of events and hurriedly comforted with a hesitant voice, "Kid, kid. Get a hold of yourself, I was just joking with you."

On the other hand, Melvin didn't even register what was said as he turned around and began to run leaving the tall guard bewildered and apologetic.

Melvin's mind quickly reached a terrifying conclusion after his initial shock, the only way that remained for him to get his hands on some money was to ask the people who seemed closest to Jacob. These little kids, and the other ones who were caught in some trouble.

At the same time, he knew full well that even the chances of that working were very slim, the clothing of the small boys was the biggest indication of that.

However, in the face of the gradually looming death, Melvin could only hope for the best and run!

Although his body was aching all over, and his state seemed to worsen a lot after the remaining time drew close, he ran and ran with everything that he got, along the narrow street behind the wall.

'25 minutes left...' Melvin contemplated as he ran after the two boys who were guiding the way as he had no idea where they lived.

The alchemy shopkeeper would wait for him for 20 minutes, meaning he still had 15 minutes left...

He passed by several houses to his right, and from time to time he would see another narrow street stretching out where the houses faced one another.

Several families spilled out from the stone houses all of whom were wearing various red pieces of clothing, some of them were filled with excitement, whereas others appeared irksome and bickered amongst themselves.

Fortunately, almost all of them followed the narrow streets in front of their houses to the north, and the long path along the walls that the boys ran in remained mostly unobstructed.

To their left loomed the rough, tall wall that encircled the city.

As they continued running, Melvin noticed a slight and gradual turn to the right, and when they passed by it Melvin noticed a vast clearing ahead to his left, devoid of stone houses.

Instead, a rough-bricked path led the way seemingly splitting two areas in two. To the left, a new area filled with makeshift shacks and shanties, where poverty was palpable in the air as mountains of trash piled into the skies, and to the right various open clearings seemed vacant without much use, but beyond them were the rest of the stone houses.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Melvin continued chasing after the boys who ran along the right edges of the poor area, and from time to time he would ask where are they, and all he would get in response was, 'Home', which only increased his impatience as he no idea where home was and he just wanted to know how much this would take.

Understanding that time was ticking away and this was his last chance, he was even more anxious, but for some strange reason, there was also a deep fury within him.

He could feel a bubbling anger at everything, and it was precisely this anger that allowed him to keep all of his fears and anxieties in check and not be completely consumed by them.

This was his reaction to protect himself against the onslaught of disorienting pains and sensations he was feeling at every second, his mind couldn't help but latch onto that anger to retain a stronger grip on reality.

As the group trudged along, their pace slowed considerably, especially Melvin.

He gasped for breath with every step, sweat streaming down his face, as he laboriously dragged his feet along the parched and dusty road. Each step stirred up clouds of fine dust, coating his once-clean pants in a layer of grime.

Soon, amidst the oppressive heat and swirling dust, the air crackled with intense shouts and curses, hinting at an altercation very close by.

The bigger blonde-haired boy of the two had a fearful look when he heard and said, "Big brother quick.. what is wrong with you, George is about to start fighting."

He couldn't understand how big brother, The Snake, who was always the strongest out of all of them, seemed so weak that he couldn't even follow after them, which only made the boy worry even more as they were counting on him to resolve the issue.

When Melvin reached one of the shacks at the corner, and he could hear the sounds of shouting becoming increasingly loud, he knew that whatever was happening was exactly to their left, and so he momentarily stopped to catch his breath.

As he was right now he appeared too weak, that much he understood, and wouldn't do any favors to what he had in mind, and thus he started calming down his heart that beat like a drum after the intense run.

"Only 9 minutes left," he lamented, feeling a seed of despair take root and begin to bloom in his mind.

Although the two boys kept asking him to go save something, he just ignored them and focused on one of his titles.

Melvin wasn't unaware of how he suddenly became slightly more articulate which seemed to lend a newfound depth to the stories he spun for the guards, the old man, Karl, and even the bald shopkeeper. This enhanced eloquence and flow of energy drew them in, sparking a greater engagement with the stories.

Thus, when he was running after the boys he suddenly remembered that one of his Titles might have something to do with it, and so he immediately started reading its information.

[Title: The Storyteller's Charm

Description: The Storyteller's Charm enhances its bearer's Charisma by 30% when recounting tales, captivating listeners and drawing them into the narrative with ease. It makes storytelling more engaging, leaving audiences spellbound and eager for more. (Upgradable)]

"As I thought," Melvin murmured to himself scaring the two boys who were waiting for him.

As magical as this ability was, it didn't make him feel better, in fact just the opposite.

It made him feel even more aggrieved and scared of his seemingly unavoidable demise. Melvin dreaded the prospect of his own story ending in such an anticlimactic and humiliating manner.

After his heartbeat slowly calmed down, he composed himself as his eyes turned cold and resolute, and with steady steps, he walked to the left.

The first sight that greeted him was the backs of several robust, towering men clad in a variety of attire, ranging from vests and robes to simple shirts encircling two teenage boys.

One of the teenagers was short, with short brown hair and a tanned complexion. He wore shabby clothing that hung loosely on his frame. The other teenager, taller and clad mostly in black, boasted shoulder-length luscious hair that framed his face.

Both of the boys had solemn expressions on their faces, but though they were outnumbered by the sturdy well-built men they didn't show the slightest bit of fear in their faces, there was only boiling fury.

Melvin noticed how some of the men had long knives sticking out from the waistbands of their pants, snugly wedged between the fabric and their skin which made him feel a bit apprehensive.

Their loud growly shouts and voices that echoed with anger and fury didn't do much to help in that aspect.

One of the men to the left seemed to notice something and turned around to look. His face was tanned and he gave out a crooked smile saying, "Here is the boss."

His voice managed to put a stop to everything that had been transpiring thus far, and behind the men, two young men emerged from behind them with stupefied expressions as they looked at him.

In the shorter guy's hand was a big and thick long knife with a white handle. The two quickly got out of the encirclement of the group of men and approached him briskly as they began shouting at him as well, "Jacob, where the hell have you been, we thought you were dead we've been looking all day for you."

Seeing his new clothes, and the faint fragrance emitting out of his freshly bathed body made the two of them stare daggers at him thinking they had been suffering this whole time whereas he was busy enjoying his time.

"I'll explain later," Melvin replied with an air of nonchalance, catching the two by surprise. Although he knew that they were both called George and Henry, he didn't know which was which so he avoided using names altogether, he turned towards the shorter one and said, "Give me that", pointing towards the long knife.

The boy obliged and gave it to him with an excited expression, he of all people knew how ruthless Jacob was, after all the nickname The Snake wasn't just for show.

Melvin then slowly commanded the two in a hushed voice, "Follow my lead."

Seeing the both of them nod, he hid the knife in the back of his waistband and steadily walked towards the group of men with an emotionless face staring at each one of them dead in the eyes without the slightest bit of fear.

In a beeline, he made his way towards the man who was shouting the most out of all them, understanding that he was the main instigator.

The man stood out as the shortest among the group, clad in a black, thin vest layered over a white shirt and paired with trousers. His build leaned toward the chubbier side, with a considerable belly protruding, and his face lacked the sharp, defined features one might expect.