Melvin quickly brought out the Firecaster Ring from his bag and returned to the center, 'It's been a long time since I last smoked,' he thought, but then smiling, he continued, 'But I am a superhuman now, I bet my lungs are pretty indestructible.'
The rush of strength he felt yesterday after consuming the runes had subtly started changing the way he viewed himself and the world, and noticing how tough the bones of that person who was only at Rank 7 he figured he would smoke.
He always loved the process involved, it felt almost therapeutic, like a soothing ritual for the mind. He gently carried the rolled emberleaf to his eye level and began observing it from up close.
The external layer was a rough dark brown paper, and in the middle was a twisted dark green leaf. The filter wasn't as advanced as the one from his previous world, it was merely a thick paper rolled up filling up that side.
He put the filter end in his mouth, put his fingers in the Firecaster Ring, and raised his palm as mana moved through his body swiftly reached his finger and generated a smile fire.
He noticed how shaky his hands were as a result of everything that had happened so far. The two boys were also watching him, which made him feel slightly irritated at his displayed weakness. His hands swiftly let go of the cigarette as they rested by the side, leaving it perched between his lips.
He gently inhaled, and he could feel the warm smoke filling up his mouth. He followed it with an extra inhale, and deep it went, into his lungs. Holding that for two or three seconds, he let out a long breath using his nose, and all the smoke followed.
Melvin felt calmer and more relaxed after that. He didn't know whether it was the absence of the bloody smell as smoke coursed through his nostrils or just because he always found smoking to be a calming activity.
The other two also felt the urge to do the same after the smell of the smoke wafted toward them, so with nothing better to do, they did.
Soon, the three's continuous effort managed to kick off a cloud of smoke that completely dominated the metallic tang of fresh blood.
Before they could even finish the rolled ember-leaves in their hands, the two small boys soon arrived and opened the door.
Melvin put down the little bit that remained of his and stopped the two at the door. He was already feeling guilty enough and didn't want to mentally scar the two any more than he already had.
"Just wait there." He said to the two after he took all of the bottles, and though he wanted them to shoo them off so that they could forget about what happened, he couldn't. George had already explained to them the plan of how they would get rid of the bodies, and the two boys' assistance was necessary.
Henry and George quickly got naked and he gave them bottle after the other from the side to wash the blood of their bodies, and soon they were once again pristine clear. However, another issue presented itself after that.
The blood that came off of them colored the running water red, and because of the poor quality of the shack, all of that water had begun dripping down from its sides into the street.
Fortunately, out of the three he was the one who needed the least amount of water because only his face, hair, and upper shirt were tainted and so they managed to throw the rest of the water to further lessen the red coloring, coupled with the already earthen dark color of the ground outside of the shack, the blood soon became impossible to notice.
Melvin's hair was wet and dangled to the side of his face as he put on the cloak, and the other two soon followed and wore some pieces of clothing.
Then, the group began filling the four bags full of body parts, and already taking the blood into consideration they had already drained most of it using the sponge. As for the rest, it pooled down at the bottom of the bottom, unable to pass through due to the bag's thickness and leathery quality.
Once the four bags were completely full with two bodies, George and Henry carried them, and then all of them got out.
The moment he walked out, Melvin felt a shiver run down his spine due to how cold it was, especially now that his hair, face, and most of his red shirt were wet. Glancing up, he noticed that the sky was full of clouds, and the sun that had already slightly risen in the east was barely able to pierce through them.
The group marched in the stables' direction, and from the distance, two small boys followed as they gradually made their way around their shack heading for the stables.
Close to the entrance, Melvin quickly spotted an elderly figure adorned in flowing coarse light brown robes that brushed the ground with each step. His weathered face bore a stubbled chin and a distinguished grey mustache, contrasting against his tanned complexion. In his hand, he gripped a sturdy wooden staff.
As per their agreement, Melvin was tasked with diverting the stable's guard attention allowing the other to enter into its depth and carry on the operation.
He quickly took a brief glance at his stats.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
***
Name: Melvin Miller(Jacob)
Age: 25(19)
Class: Rune Mythomancer(Legendary)
Class: None.
Tier: Initate Tier
Rank: 2(6%)
Titles: [The Heretic] | [The Storyteller's Charm]
Health Points, HP: 140/140
Mana Points, MP: 50/50
Stamina Points, SP: 66/66
Mental Energy, ME: 60/60
Vitality: 14
Strength: 15
Agility: 18
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 5
Available Stats Points: 0
Skills: [Storyweaver, Lv1]
Ongoing Quest: [Jacob The Snake's Death]
Resistances: 20% Basic Poison Resistance.
***
Then, his title.
[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 he made a slight calculation, '6.5 Of Charisma, should be enough to take care of this old man?' He pondered, he then looked at the two's eyes and nodded before he steadily approached with a sunshine smile.
"Oh, hello, beautiful morning Elder!" Melvin shouted when he noticed that the guard had noticed him for a distance and became slightly wary of his approach.
"It stinks." The guard shouted back with eyes furrowed, one hand in his pocket, and the other moving his staff around.
'Eh, what with his attitude?' Melvin thought on the way, 'I don't know how easy this is gonna be.'
When he was close enough and was about to say something, the guard deeply looked at him and said, "Are you crazy boy? Why are you going out with your hair still wet, you'll catch a cold."
Finding a way in, Melvin explained with an awkward smile, "I just wanted to wake up early, you know to get started on the day earlier and make something of it!"
Before he could even finish what he wanted to say, the guard interjected once again whilst shaking his head in disappointment, "How are you gonna make something of yourself if the first thing you did is smoke? You reek of that smell. That stuff is no good for you, but you youngsters don't like to listen."
Feeling caught off guard by the barrage of comments, Melvin defended himself, "I don't do it often, It's just from time to time."
The guard looked at him, almost glaring, and said, "Who are you lying to brat? Do you think I live in the North Sprios, I see you out here smoking and wasting your time around every day with all of these braindead hoodlums."
"No, no, I swear, by the gods. I don't even drink anymore, I am trying to gather money to get a class in the church and become an adventurer." Melvin clarified, feeling greatly offended by the old man's unending jabs at him.
"Heeh, who are you lying to brat?" The guard commented with a faint mocking smile, "If you really wanted to do something, you'd have joined the army, and they would have given a free class and a respectable salary. But you need to be a real man to feel pride over your race, and not waste your time with petty crimes all year long." Shaking his head once again he turned around to leave.
Melvin who was feeling a mixture of amusement, confusion, offense, and urgency because he had to keep his attention on him, quickly followed, "Wait, Elder. I don't know much about the dangers our race is facing, enlighten me." He said.
The guard beckoned for Melvin to follow, and then continued towards the left. There was a very tiny wooden house with the words, "Night Guard" on it.
The group who was watching from afar, stealthily made their way toward the stables. When they reached the entrance George turned to Big Mouse and said, "You stay here."
The remaining trio continued deep into the stables, one intersection after the other, they kept walking until they reached the last fourth one, and he then said the same thing to William.
George and Henry briskly walked along the left stables, their senses overwhelmed by the strong smell of feces and urine as the sounds of beasts echoed, and when they reached a specific stable, their steps paused.
Beyond the one-meter-and-a-half door, they could see a dark space inside with four monsters in it, all of whom were shackled by chains from their legs.
There was a Horse, lion, bear, and a Deer. Needless to say, all of these monsters had some slight differences from normal animals.
The tall golden horse had hooves that glimmered with a subtle, silvery sheen, catching the light in a mesmerizing way as it moved. The lion's mane seemed to ripple with a golden hue, and its tail ended in a thick cluster of spikes.
The bear's black fur bore intricate patterns reminiscent of ancient runes, and its ears were uncharacteristically long. Finally, the brown Deer's white antlers had a faint glow to them, but unlike his innocent appearance, his teeth were dagger-like.
The two put down their bags in front of the stable as Henry hesitantly asked, "Are you sure?", he questioned, "You know how beasts become dangerous when they taste human meat, and these are all civilian beasts."
The duo knew that most of the beasts in the stables had different jobs in the city, all of which were very close to humans. From drawing carriages to helping with the heavy lifting in several manufacturing hubs.
"I know." George solemnly replied, "But we can't care about that right now, we can only save ourselves."
Henry sighed and continued on his own to guard the other end as people could come from there as well.
George composed himself, he breathed in and out and started grabbing up body parts and throwing them close to the beasts.
Soon, the previously calm stable turned chaotic as the erratic movement of beasts made clinging sounds due to their chains, and their loud growls could even be heard from a distance.
Noticing all of this, he increased his speed, his goal was to give them so much food that they wouldn't fight or loudly growl. His effort soon proved to be successful, and what he had in mind was playing out in front of him. However, he quickly noticed a mistake as his face contorted into a grimace of unwillingness.
One of the body parts, a hand specifically, hadn't reached the bear to the right, and because of that, the beast was unable to get it.
'I need to push it in...' He thought with some trepidation in his heart watching those beasts tearing apart everything he gave them, he glanced at Henry and William who were both watching him with anxiety.
He then approached the wall that was just slightly shorter than his already short stature and began trying hard to climb, and with much difficulty, a thud echoed as he landed beyond it.
The moment he landed, all of the beasts growled at him, especially the bear closest to him. Their eating speed also proved to be too fast because the meat that he was using to shut down was already eaten, and their roars and loud clinging noise increased even more.
Gritting his teeth, George began approaching the small hand with steady steps.