Scene 2 - Entrance

Master Mo’s ship had a bewildering formation placed upon it so that no one on the ground could see it, thus the siblings could say their goodbyes without worry.

After the siblings departed, Master Mo’s ship sped off to the sect, dropping Marley, who had changed her appearance into that of a beggar's, off along the way.

The siblings quickly walked out of the trees and traveled down a path where they met a group of travelers heading towards the city. The nine chatted as they walked, blending into the crowds as they looked forward to what the city had to offer.

With Qi backing them, the siblings managed to reach the city by the afternoon. The city’s jet black gates, though styled with lightning ember, weren't as large or as ornate as the sect’s, yet they held a charm of their own. The gates seemed to blend into the black stained white walls around them, but if one looked closely they would be able to tell that those black stains on the walls were actually dried blood!

The siblings were dazed by the scene as if they were country bumpkins... which they were. They actually stood outside the doors for so long one of the guards coughed to awaken them from their stupor. The guard then pointed behind them, and they turned around to see a line of grumpy people standing with scowls on their faces. Vince smiled helplessly and led his siblings towards the guard that coughed at them.

When close enough the guard opened his mouth, speaking lines he had probably said a million times before, “State your business, travelers.”

Vince took the lead and spoke with the man, “Sir, we are here to take the Sectless Sect's exam.”

The guard nodded and replied, “That’s a fine reason. I wish you good fortune! Actually, my younger brother, Yao Pendragon, is in the sect as well. If you see him when you pass the test, please tell him that his older brother misses him. Tell him to come back and visit sometime! It’s been almost a half a year and I haven’t heard hide nor hair from him. By the way, the fee for entering the city is two silver per individual.”

Vince gave a gold coin to the now stunned the guard, though he quickly recovered and gave Vince his change. Vince quickly counted it, not caring that the people waiting behind were starting to make a ruckus.

It was the correct change so Vince thanked the guard and added, “If we see your brother, Yao, we’ll tell him to come visit you.”

The guard nodded thankfully to the siblings as they entered the town.

The streets were clear and the smell of fresh bread floated through the air. Various other interesting smells stunned the siblings, with Sol, Luna, and Nena almost running out to visit the shops only to be stopped by Saren and Xue.

“Don’t run off anywhere! We have to find a place to stay at before can go visit the town,” Xue lectured.

The three pouted under the gazes of their older siblings as Vince led the way down the street. After buying some fresh bread from a nearby shop, he asked the shopkeeper for directions while handing the glazed honey loaves out to his siblings.

While they were talking, Sol noticed a short girl with tied up brown hair and amber eyes shyly hiding behind the large man who had given them the bread and peering out at him. She was covered in white flour and blushed intensely when Sol noticed her.

He gave a boyish grin and waved at her, causing her face to redden like an apple and hide behind the large man at the counter, not daring to peek another look at him. Sol scratched his head, wondering what happened.

‘Why was she being so shy? Did she make the yummy bread? Can she make me more?’ he thought.

While he was distracted, Vince and the large man had finished their talk. He followed after his siblings to leave, but turned back to wave at the girl, “Let’s play sometime! Thank you for the bread!”

The girl stuttered, “I-i-f my dad allows it!”

Laughing heartily, the large man and patted his daughter's head, “Come by tomorrow, in the afternoon, sonny! My little Dela needs to get some fresh air, ha-ha!”

Xue and Len chuckled inwardly, how could they not see that that girl, Dela, was smitten with Sol. It was love first sight! Alas, Vince gazed out distantly, thinking about the past and seeming to remember similar scene; when he met Rune for the first time. But just as quickly as those feelings of love arose, he buried those thoughts deep within unmoving ice.

Rune gazed at Vince’s back, her thoughts wandering after seeing the expression of a young girl in love. Would Sol be like their elder brother and become a rogue who ran away from love? The question of why someone so strong and so dependable hadn’t made a move on her yet riled her up almost as much as the thought of the person she wanted to kill.

With a small shake of her head, those thoughts were thrown away and the chest called her heart was once again covered in large chains and locks covered with thorns. She would have to wait for the day when he became ready to move forward.

After burying their feelings, the two led the way, side by side, to an inn the bread shop owner recommended. Although the siblings had been cultivating for a while and their bodies had been strengthened, they were still a little tired from all the walking.

The sun hung on the horizon when the siblings reached the inn. Vince took charge once again and asked the man at the counter, “Do you have a large room left? My siblings and I wish to stay here tonight.”

The man looked at them with a judging stare, snorting coldly inside, ‘These commoners what to rent a large room? Ha, these country bumpkins are all the same. Time to put them in their place!’

“Sir, it will be fifty silver for a night’s stay, two more silver for baths, and another three silver for dinner! Are you sure you have the money to pay? If not then stop wasting my time and get out!”

The man at the counter was sneering coldly, ready to strike out at these commoners. He was so caught up in his desire to berate and kick out these country bumpkins that he didn't even notice Vince set three shining gold coins and thirty shimmering silver coins on the counter.

“We’ll be staying here for six days, and will leave on the seventh. Here’s the money you requested. Can you have someone show us to our room?”

“Just as I th…” The man stopped midway and changed his tone of speech in a flash, yet Vince had already noticed the crappy nature the man hadn’t been bothering to hide and gave him a cold look.

“Is something wrong?” A man with gray hair and an extremely large build came out from the back, making the skinny counter man start sweating in terror.

The skinny man choked on his words, “N-n-nothing Boss I was just saying, just as I thought! This Sir would indeed be a man of great…”

The Boss cut him off with a smack to the head, “Enough bullshit!”

He then bowed to the siblings, “I’m sorry for my employee's actions. Because of that, please stay here for free of charge as long as you’re in town!”

Vince and the rest didn’t like the skinny man’s character, but admitted that this boss was a capable man when it came to dealing with a mess.

Vince smiled, “Thank you, Boss, for your kind words, but we should pay for our stay. Your apology is already enough. After all, we all have to eat.”

The boss nodded, instantly taking a liking to Vince; he had such a generous air around him.

“Very well then. Derk, take these guests up to their room before I beat some sense into you!”

Scared out of his wits, the skinny man named Derk quickly led the siblings to their room.

Before heading to bed, the siblings ordered a good meal to eat and all took a bath, having taken a liking to feeling clean.