Eiden stared in awe at the system, the sword that was earlier in his hand was now a little framed picture in his system.
He didn't think It'd be possible to do that. It was fascinating.
The system said he could summon it, what if..... The sudden sound of heavy footsteps and shuffling caused Eiden to turn sharply,
His senses alerted him, the guards were on their way.
He quickly ran towards the gate, "it's the intruder!" He heard someone yell but he didn't look behind.
He ran out, his eyes searching left and right. He couldn't see any of his friends and the guards were after him. He made an attempt to move but was suddenly pulled into a dark space.
He blinked a few times, Gabbie held her finger to her lips telling him to keep quiet.
The poorly lit place made it that he could barely see anyone.
They sat silently listening to the ruffling sounds made by the guards.
Half an hour later, Gabbie peeked out of their dim hiding spot. She sighed in relief when she saw no one.
"The coast is clear. What do we do now?" She asked.
Derrick and Eiden struggled out of the tight armory. It was hot and stuffy inside. Their clothes were left hidden in DoHyun's room so they sat shirtless, relishing the cold night's breeze.
"Are we going to sleep out?" Asked Jason, they didn't have any money and all they possessed were DoHyun's books and some of her clothing.
"I'm not sure what we should do from now on, I thought I had prepared for the outside world," said DoHyun halfheartedly.
"We'll find a way," Eiden assured.
They sat in a serene silence, it was so quiet that if one listened hard enough they might hear a heartbeat.
"Eiden?" DoHyun broke the silence,
He looked up at her.
"I never knew you had such sword skills" she said
Eiden reached out to the back of his head and laughed nervously before mumbling "me neither".
Only when gaming, his character holds a sword, in reality, it was actually his first time.
Her eyes lit up "The guards at the garden are painfully experienced and you took him down easily. I'm impressed!'' She added
"You are huh" said Eiden and she nodded with a smile.
Her admiration for him grew. "At this rate, we're certainly going to make the Upper ten" her voice was raw with hope and confidence.
Leaning against the wall, her expression saddened.
"What's wrong?" Gabbie asked after noticing her sudden change in mood.
She sighed out "I can't believe I actually did it, I escaped", many times ago it seemed impossible, but now that she has finally done it, it felt unreal.
None of them said anything to this, they couldn't understand what she went through and all the terrible things she had to hear as a Kisaeng.
" I couldn't have done it without you guys," She added, after all, they took heavy risks to help her out.
"Don't thank us flame princess" said Derrick, "friends do stuff like this for each other all the time"
DoHyun smiled, she was grateful.
"We'll need a place to sleep for the night" Jason recollected his words
DoHyun nodded, "that is true, we could stay at an inn but we have no money right now"
"Plus we need to find food as well, I'm kinda hungry now" Derrick added with a sour frown.
"Without money, how are we supposed to get either?" Eiden asked
"Ah yes!" Gabbie smiled, "maybe I could use my powers to—"
"Not an option" Jason cut in
"Excuse me?" She looked at him
"You already overwhelmed yourself earlier while controlling that guard and you're suggesting this? You keep forgetting your limitation" he said
"Limitation?" DoHyun inquired, she looked at Gabbie
"It's nothing Kora, just Jason being a father figure no one asked for" Gabbie responded with a grunt. Why was he always so protective of her?She didn't like it.
"I think Jason's right, who knows what might happen if you go extreme like that again? He's just looking out for you, no need to rash" Eiden added
Gabbie stood, fed up with their nonsense. She didn't need them worrying about her, she already knows that she can't exceed using her power five times in 24 hours. They didn't have to keep reminding her.
"I don't need anyone to look out for me, I can't do that myself. This will only be the second time, I think everyone is just worried for nothing. What? You think I can't handle a simple nose bleed?" She sounded pissed
"We aren't belittling you Gabbie, friends have each other's backs right?" Said Eiden
She looked away, "humph! Why am I even still here, Kora and I will find an inn ourselves, we don't need guys worrying over us" she looked at DoHyun who was seated
"Let's leave them, see if they can survive without our powers"
"What? No! You guys can't leave on your own" Jason objected
Gabbie was deterred, "try and stop me"
"I—"
Annoyed, Derrick yelled "okay enough!Watching you guys squabble is just making me hungrier, can we just make a decision already?" He groaned.
"Okay okay" said Eiden, he stood up and so did the rest.
They agreed to let Gabbie secretly manipulate the targeted inn owner to let them stay in for free.
The alleyway was wide, long and dim. The crickets and croaking frogs made it seem uncanny. They were going to pass through it nevertheless.
With a single thought in mind, DoHyun stretched her palm out. A delicate flame, no larger than a thumb flickered to life on her outstretched hand.
The movement of the fire was mesmerizing. As it burned, it took on an ethereal quality, casting a warm soft glow to its surrounding.
The bright fire caused DoHyun's skin to glow faintly, almost like it awakened a hidden radiance within her
They stared astonished, it looked like magic. She giggled softly at their reactions before taking the lead.
Her little light show illuminated the path they walked in, and they could see better.
Coming out of the alleyway, on the right was an inn. Luckily, it was just a regular inn and not one for important people like nobles or the imperial family.
To Eiden, it looked like a big apartment house, except it's wide and not tall.
The wooden sign hung above which was adorned with intricate carvings of plum blossoms and auspicious clouds, creaked gently in the breeze.
The bold name greeted them in a warm manner 'Jade Harmony inn'. Unlike inns for important people, the place was noisy and a bit rough but manageable.
Upon stepping through the threshold, the scent of sandalwood, wine and tea filled the area. Scented candles and lanterns were the source of light, throwing a sense of serenity.
Although, the sound of clashing ceramics and laughter constantly tore through the said serenity.
Just like in an office, there was a front desk. Wasn't it awkward tho?Five teenagers walking into a busy inn at midnight, two girls and three boys, two are shirtless.
"Welcome to Jade harmony inn" the woman smiled widely, her business wasn't their age or motive, she would take the money and assign them rooms.
They all exchanged looks, Gabbie stepped forward. "We would like to see your manager" she said politely
The woman was thrown aback by her request but she smiled still "discuss your problem with me"
Gabbie nodded, "we want to see your manager" Gabbie repeated, this time with a faint green glow in her eyes.