Just as Melvin was about to ask how he got into the city, Firrol was already expecting it and explained, "My parents and I were traveling for something urgent, I don't know what is it, but I just remember that it was important for them. But..."

His voice trailed off, carrying a somberness and depth that caught Melvin off guard, "We were chased after by our own clansmen, and they killed my father. My mother managed to escape and brought me close to here, but then..." A silence stretched out before, "A group of humans found her injured, and because she was stronger than them, they decided to take advantage of her situation to increase their level."

Suddenly, he asked, his voice choked with evident sorrow, "Do you know what I did?"

Melvin couldn't help but gulp, knowing that something even more serious was coming, and so he asked, "What?"

"I left her there and ran away when I saw them coming," Firrol said, his voice dripping with hate targeted at none other than himself, "When I finally calmed down, and I carefully came back, all that was left of her was some intestines and other discarded body parts from the battle."

"Do you know," He said, "How it must've felt to see such a sight?" He glanced at him, eyes bloodshot, "To see the person who gave you birth and cared for you without even an intact corpse after you left them to die?"

Melvin's eyes widened when he heard that, and he rushed to provide some comfort, "But you were very young, you know," He said, "You can't blame yourself for showing a very reasonable reaction for a child."

"It's not," Snapped Firrol impatiently, "You don't have to make it easier to digest, I know what I did, and I was aware of what I was doing. I knew she was injured, and then I saw how strong they were, and I just left her behind... Those were all thoughts that I had considered at the time, they're still very vivid in my mind."

A long silence ensued after that, and Melvin was unaware of how to proceed, so he finally asked, "Is that why you've been living here all this time, and you're still at Rank 6?" As for how Firrol got to the city, he could more or less discern from the fact that his mother was killed by humans that he was closer to the city, and so after a bit of walking, he could have randomly stumbled upon it.

"Something like that," Firrol said, his voice distant, cold, and detached, unlike what Melvin was used to.

Melvin's eyes suddenly lit up and said, "But at some point, you have to move on, or even better, redeem what you did so that you'll forgive yourself. Because whether you like it or not, your presence at that fight was pointless, and I am sure your mother would have preferred how things turned out."

"What?!" Firrol interjected, "Preferred that the child she birthed gave up on her and ran away? Imagine how she must've felt as she heard my steps slowly moving away, leaving her to die on her own without even a thank you or a goodbye."

"I don't know man," Melvin replied, "Unlike you, she would have given you much more grace and patience. Chances are, at her lowest moments at least you cooperated with her and managed to keep your life. How crushing it would have been for her to lose everything that day?"

Another silence ensued, and after a while, Firrol deeply sighed, and said, "Let's not talk about this."

Melvin sighed too and shook his head, feeling slightly helpless about the whole situation, but he obliged.

In an attempt to change the subject, he said, "It seems like we managed to leave those guards behind."

With that, he stood up, dusted all the clothes off, and began tying them to the clothing line once again. He didn't forget to change his clothes because the guards had seen him in them. After removing the long red cloak, he wore a black sweatshirt and a black bandana over his head. He wanted to distance himself from that previous look as much as possible. And from Firrol's light chuckle, he could tell that he pulled it off.

Once he was done with that task, the duo jumped to a nearby rooftop that had a lot of wood and sat down to roast that big piece of meat because they were starving.

Starting the fire was easy with the Firecaster Ring in hand, and all they had to do was create small circular platforms using some rocks, put the broken wood inside, and then light everything on fire.

Once the meat was cooked it was split between the two. After taking the first bite, Melvin complained, "It's rather bland." But what could they do, they had no spices, but it was edible.

"Do you think I should go see them?" Melvin suddenly asked. As for who "They" were, it was the group of boys who were no longer under the guard's hold.

On one hand, he wanted to know what happened to them when they were arrested, and on the other, he knew that if they were let go that easily it meant that something not so pleasant had transpired.

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Firrol shared his thoughts as well, he said, "They might try to ambush you as they did in the Inn, it's better not to go." Once he swallowed another mouthful, he asked, "You said there were two smaller boys with them right?"

Witnessing the man's nod, he continued, "And they saw you kill that man directly, so I think the small boys might have been scared by the whole thing. Murder, blood, running away, losing their home, guards, and so much more... They would just tell the guards whatever they wanted."

After another bite, he said shrugging his shoulders, "Or maybe these friends of yours just betrayed you and told the guards whatever they needed to gain their freedom."

"But," Melvin interjected, "Is it really betrayal? After all, I am indeed the one who killed those guys."

"It is," Firrol stressed, "Even though you don't remember them, it doesn't change the fact that they were your friends for years and years. To just leave you like that is rather cold."

Melvin's eyebrows shot up in astonishment, creating deep furrows on his forehead, "That's true!" He muttered, "How could I miss that? From my perspective, they were indeed just some strangers so it's to be expected for them to treat me as such. But from their perspective we've known each other for years, to just give me out out is indeed a form of betrayal."

He then continued, "But what could they have done really?"

Chuckling, Firrol replied, "Well they could have just kept their mouth shut and rejected everything. I don't know, I haven't seen anything. The leader of that group was a monk you said, so the guards would have known that they were uninvolved regardless." As if remembering something he said, "Well with the murder that is, they still helped you with the rest so some punishment is necessary. For them to just leave unscathed, means something really happened. They probably put the whole blame on you and got over it."

With a sigh, Melvin said, "Yeah, maybe... But it doesn't change much for me really, maybe it's better this way..." His voice trailed off, feeling slightly complicated. He was also looking for ways to distance himself from the group, and if he could do so in such a guilt-free manner then he couldn't have asked for a better alternative.

"Do you hear that?" Firrol suddenly asked.

Shaking his head, Melvin gestured that he wasn't hearing anything. After all, his senses weren't as sensitive as the cat.

Face morphing into a scowl, Firrol said with some uncertainty, "I hear like someone screaming."

"Screaming?" Melvin muttered back, and after giving it some thought he said, "Let's go check it out."

Firrol finished whatever remained of the steak and dashed for the rooftop's door. The duo had already discussed how to get out of there, and he was now just following the mentioned plan.

Above the door, there was a very short but wide empty opening that was used to let the sunlight in Melvin reasoned.

Firrol quickly climbed through the door with his sharp claws and jumped through that opening. After waiting a few seconds, the door swung inward, and Melvin stepped foot inside.

The duo quickly noticed that people were living in the house by the noise of a small toddler crying downstairs, so they made sure to keep quiet as they got down. Fortunately, as they climbed down step after step, nobody obstructed their way. Upon reaching the door leading outside, they gently pulled it open, got out, and closed it shut behind them.

"Alright, where is this noise?" Melvin asked in a still hushed voice.

Firrol didn't say anything but gestured for him to follow. And so, the duo zigzagged through the very narrow streets of this area, until they reached a dark close alleyway. How it was this dark with the sun overhead Melvin wasn't sure, but he reasoned it must be because it was positioned behind some taller buildings.

However, he didn't have the mind to deeply analyze that because his full attention was drawn by a shocking scene in front of him.

At the very end of the closed alleyway, there was a rough baldheaded man with some hair on the edges. In his hand was a thick and sturdy dark brown leather whip, and he was using it with his complete strength to lash a teen boy with every fiber of his being.

That was where the noise was coming from, the boy's wretched screams as the whip made contact with his exposed back leaving behind deep bleeding gashes.

"Stop!" Melvin shouted from afar after witnessing this sight, enraged by such a cold ruthless display as he advanced toward him.

The lashing stopped once the voice echoed through the alley, and the man turned around with a scowl, investigating who dared to speak to him in such a way.

"What do you want?" He growled, "This is my apprentice, and I am disciplining him."

"Discipline?" Melvin scoffed, as he glanced at the boy sprawled face down on the ground, "You're killing him, you nutjob."

The man's face contorted even further, and he whipped his weapon into the air, a blatant threat.

Melvin's eyebrows lifted in surprise, and a smile tugged at his lips, "So, that's how it's gonna be?" He said and kept walking in the man's direction, staring daggers into his furious eyes.

The man attacked, and Melvin easily caught the whip in his hand. Using his impressive strength, he pulled with everything that he had, subsequently pushing the man forward as he fell to his knees.

Witnessing this turn of events the man's eyes widened in terror, and just as Melvin was about to start lashing at him like he did to the boy, he thought of something very crucial, 'What would happen to him once I leave?'

His devilish smile quickly froze stiff, realizing the complexity of the matter. Glancing at the man below him, he pondered, 'If I attack him now he will sooner or later pay it back to the boy a hundredfold to vent his frustration...'

Suddenly, his eyes glistened with a radiant light, and he turned around and approached the boy groaning in pain. He crouched down beside him, and asked, "If I beat him up would you continue to work for him afterward?"

The boy although seemed to be dealing with a torrent of pain, was still lucid and witnessed everything that had happened, and so in a quiet whisper, he said, "Yes... I don't have anywhere else to go.. and... I wouldn't be able to find a job, he knows them all here..."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Melvin thought and asked again, "What if he died? Would you be able to take over the store?"

The boy's groaning stopped as a shocked expression appeared on his face, before he said, "His sons.."

Melvin quickly understood his point, and so he urged the boy to explain to him the situation so that he'd know how to navigate it.