As Jin walked through the city with Fang, he noticed men wearing black shirts and trousers with blue overalls - the standard uniform of the royal guards - standing all around the street. The men were not his, so that meant guests were coming to see him.
Or perhaps they were already here.
A noise growing from a crowd in the middle of the street drew him closer. He pushed his way through the crowd and saw there was a male elf kneeling in the middle with a guard standing over him
"Who do you think you are to ask me for money? Don't you know who I am!!?" The guard shouted. He held the elf by his shirt and had a large blush on his face. Evidence of his drunkenness.
"I was simply asking you to pay for what you bought. You guards can't always abuse your position like this. We citizens have lives to live too!" The man said back. He had a handprint on his face, showing the guard had slapped him before.
"We don't have to do anything your animal, you owe us your lives!!"
The guard reared his hand back to hit him again, but Jin caught the hand.
"What do you think you're doing in my city?" He said in a cold voice.
"Huh, who do you think you are filth? Get your hands off me"
The guard tried to kick Jin to the ground. But Jin dodged his leg and squeezed down on his arm, breaking it. "Ahhhh, My hand!!"
"I won't ask again. What do you think you're doing in my city?"
"Do you know who you're touching? I could arrest you for this!" The guard warned; still trying to get out of his grip.
Jin kicked the guard in the back of his legs, forcing him to his knees. He put his hand into his cloak, equipped one of his daggers, and placed it at the guard's throat.
"I don't care who you are. And all you need to know is that I don't take kindly to people misbehaving in my city" He said to the guard. He dug the dagger deeper into his neck. "Now tell me whose orders you follow"
"Lord Ming, I follow Lord Ming's orders!!!"
At hearing the name, Jin recalled Lord Ming. He was the Lord of the neighboring city, Gaia. And he was also Jin's uncle.
"Hey, you, what do you think you're doing!!" Some guards who were making their way through the crowd shouted. They immediately drew their swords and one of them swung down on Jin's hand, ready to cut it off.
Jin used his dagger to block it and then kicked the guard away from him. He blocked the swing of a second guard and then pulled him into the path of a third one; making him stab his ally in the shoulder. The other guards drew back a bit, suddenly weary of him.
The guard he initially interrogated saw he wasn't being watched and drew his sword to attack Jin. But Fang bit down on his broken hand and dragged him back to the ground making him cry out in pain.
Jin walked up to the guard and kicked him in the head to make sure he stayed down. He then knelt to pat Fang on the head after he let go of the hand.
"My name is Jin Xiao." He said to the guards while pulling down his hood, "The Lord of this city. If you do not wish to die, I suggest you leave."
The guards immediately drew back and sheathed their swords. They were shocked at his skill. They heard from their own Lord that he was supposed to be sick in bed, probably even dying. He didn't look to be sick at all. One of them came forward to carry away his comrade but Jin instructed him to leave him there, "I'll handle him" he said.
They immediately bowed and left. They were wise enough not to question a Lord.
The crowd immediately began to cheer for Jin, an old man even coming forward to shake his hands. Jin knew that this was the first time the crowd saw him fighting anybody. It was also the first time he spoke up against the royal guards' injustice in the city so he decided to indulge them for some time.
Then an elderly elf came towards him and bowed down in front of him. "Thank you...Thank you so much for protecting my son" he said "That guard decided to drink at our bar without paying us anything. If not for you, I'm sure he would have killed him."
Jin smiled and placed his hand on the shoulder of the elf, "You don't need to thank me. It is my job as your Lord to protect you" He said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Don't hesitate to come to me should you face any more trouble. My doors will always be open to my people."
He bid goodbye to them after forcing the guard to pay double the required amount to the elf and then walked to his mansion.
Jin didn't care that these weren't his people. He ruled them now, so he would take care of them. And if anyone wanted to hurt them, then he would protect them.
Add his mansion came into view, he saw his uncle's carriage in his courtyard. It was unnecessarily huge with four white horses drawing it. Jin scowled as he passed by it. His royal guards bowing, but not daring to look at him as he passed them by.
He walked into his mansion and saw his uncle - an obese man who wore expensive clothes and Jewelry - sitting on a couch in the large downstairs living room. He had his feet placed on a stool and was drinking a cup of tea they served him.
Jin hoped for him to choke on it.
"Ah, Jin. I was wondering where you ran off to"Ming said. He placed his hand on his big belly when he said this and Jin knew he was trying to show off the multitude of rings on his hand.
"Uncle. I wasn't expecting you today" Jin tried to sound civil but was finding it especially difficult. He turned his head to instead focus on Lynne who was standing by the stairway.
"Well, I heard about your illness and just had to come to see how you were doing. You are my nephew after all"
Jin squeezed his hand into a fist, trying to hold himself back from strangling his uncle then and there. Killing a Lord was considered treason in the country. He would have to wait and bide his time.
"Well as you can see uncle, I am fine," Jin replied
"Yes, I can see that," His uncle said. A slight frown appeared on his face, but Jin saw it. "That is rather.... fortunate"
"Well uncle, if that is all then I must be going now. I am very busy"
Jin started moving towards the stairway to reach his room, but he heard his uncle speak again.
"Oh, but I have important information for you, nephew. Won't you like to hear it?"
Jin didn't bother turning to face his uncle again. he simply stood by the stairways beside Lynne. Not caring enough to show any form of respect.
"Just spit it out, uncle. I have a lot of work to do."
"It seems you have been summoned to the Royal Castle," Ming said to the back of his nephew. "By the King himself"
Jin felt his heart stop