Scene 5 - A simple dream of a swordsman

Walking down the hallway Fatty led Ren to one of the side rooms nearby. Ren expected the room wouldn't be that big only to be blown away from the size. The training room was a hundred meters long and made out of a crisp redwood that smelled like apples. Various wooden weapons lined the weapon’s rack, ranging from light to heavy weapons.

Fatty grinned heading over to the sword part of the wall picking up two wooden swords, throwing one to Ren. On instinct Ren caught the sword and took his fighting stance, readying himself for a fight.

With a stern expression, the black-robed Fatty pulled out a stick of incense and stuck it in the middle of the room. With a snap of his fingers, a black-robed maiden appeared from outside waiting on his command.

Fatty moved to the other side of the room, holding onto his sword causally.

“You have until this stick of incense burns away to impress me! Understood?”

Ren nodded vigorously, “I understand Lord Fatty! Please be on guard, I wish not to injure you too much!”

Fatty’s face flushed with anger, “What! You, little brat, think you're stronger than me? Fine! Let's see your ability. Begin!”

With the snap of his fingers, the black-robed woman lit the stick of incense. Right off the bat, Ren charged forward placing his killing intent into the sword.

Eyes gleaming he yelled, “Let’s FIGHT!”

Fatty stood there unfazed, ready to receive Ren’s sword. With his guard up and eyes shining, Fatty dodged backward with ease.

Cut. Slash. Hack. Stab.

No matter what he tried, Ren couldn’t land a hit on Fatty despite the man’s large size. Despite his large girth Fatty turned out to be agiler than a fish in water… A fat fish at that. Yet Ren wouldn't be discouraged in the slightest as he was still testing out the waters!

He thought to himself, ‘I need to move Faster. Even Faster than this. FASTER!!!’’

Banishing his sword all distracting thoughts faded away. Thoughts about his fate, the fate of his siblings, and even thoughts of his mother's death. He let it all go in furry becoming one with the sword.

Eyes streaking with enlightenment, Ren’s sword became faster and more dominating. The new intensity of Ren's sword pushed Fatty to actually start defending with his blade.

Although Fatty's face displayed a calm appearance he praised Ren’s swordsmanship.

‘He’s just a mortal and yet his swordsmanship is so rhythmic and natural to the eye. Even I, who has trained in the sword for ten years, admire this youth’s level of insight.’

*Wack!*

In the mists of Fatty’s thoughts, Ren had found an opening and landed a hit on Fatty’s arm! Fatty became angry at himself for his carelessness in being distracted in a fight.

Raising his sword in embarrassment, he slashed towards Ren's gut! Startled, Ren hurried to block, he didn’t think the Fatty would attack back!

Ren took a sword blast to the gut, pushing him back a few meters and taking the air out of his lungs for a moment. The two began to start fighting seriously, hitting each other with no regard to safety. Blocking blows when needed and dodging when things grew too hairy.

The bruises and welts built upon their bodies, for the rest of the stick of incense the fight went on as such. That is until the black-robed maiden broke up the fight after they kept going when the stick burned out.

The two kept standing not willing to admit defeat! Still, they were somewhat tired and wanted to sit on the ground. Both nodded at each other, as if a manly bond united them, and fell heavily on the floor.

Sweat covered their bodies as the welts started swelling. They were both sore and didn’t want to move as much as an inch from the pain. Fatty turned to the back robed and politely asked, whilst breathing heavily.

“Junior sister! Bring us some wine to ease the pain!”

The black-robed women hesitated for a bit, making Fatty’s face turn dark. Terrified, the women quickly left and in a few minutes had brought two jugs of wine. Fatty smiled as he took the jugs from her and gave one to Ren.

Ren took it and weirdly asked, “This is wine? Why do we need to drink it?” Fatty, who had the jug at his lips about to take a drink, looked at Ren shock as if he was a strange creature.

“You haven’t drunk wine boy? Were you born under a rock?”

Ren nodded, his family was poor and every penny was used to buy food, wine was a luxury good they couldn’t afford. With such reasons, he had never tasted such a drink. When he told fatty this Fatty looked pained as if he thought of him as something pitiful.

“I’m not that pitiful!”, said Ren.

Fatty held his shoulder, “Enough! A man who hasn’t tasted wine is no man at all! Come, let us drink!”

...

*Hiccup*

Ren never knew wine was so good! And brother Fatty said to him that there is even better wine than this! He must try them! Face red and Ren waved back and forth clenching his fist to the sky he swore an oath.

“I will one day search for the greatest wine in the entire world and taste it!”

Fatty laughed, “If you do, I wish for a taste lad haha!”

Embarrassed for saying that out loud Ren kept drinking the wine in silence...

Scene 6 - Apprentices

After Ren and Fatty left, Master Mo laughed and glanced at the other eight, “Which of you also wish to become my disciple?”

Without hesitation, Rune bowed, “Disciple greets master! Only Disciple has a few requests!”

Master Mo looked at Rune then the children around her, “Let me guess you wish to take the rest of them as well? And what else?”

Rune bowed even deeper than before, “Please, they are my Family! And I must pay back someone's kindness”

Master Mo looked at her, his eyes suddenly turning sharp, “Even if that means you have to work six times as hard or harder? Who is this other person that showed such kindness with you?”

Rune bowed her head deeply to the floor, “I know this is selfish to ask for you to take care of my family and others. But they have always been with me and my father used his life to save mine! I can’t let his family suffer here in the evil city!"

Vince didn’t feel odd about what Master Mo had said and bowed deeply as well, “I shall take half, no… all the burden from my sister and for her father's family! I wish to become your disciple!”

Master Mo stared deeply into Vince’s eyes, trying to see if he was serious.

Vince saw this and rose to his feet, yelling to the heavens, “If you let me become your disciple and take in my younger brothers and sisters in. I swear to the heavens to never betray you! And I and will become your most loyal disciple or may the heavens strike me down!”

Master Mo looked at him with surprise, ‘This brat knows how much a promise to heavens means… good. Good! He is worthy of becoming my disciple. Even if that mysteries which is forcing me to take them in.’

Master Mo nodded gently, “Such resolution at such a young age. No need to swear to the heavens, you are too young and too weak to do so. I'll take you nine in as my disciples.

And I shall take care of those you spoke about beforehand. Now kowtow to me children, and we will enter a bond between master and disciples.”

Vince was happy that he made the right choice, nodding to his brothers and sisters, they began to kowtow.

With a kowtow from both Master Mo and the eight, they became master and disciples.

After a half hour, later Fatty and Ren walked in.

Both of them were beaten black and blue. But they were smiling and laughing while drinking from bottles of wine.

Master Mo, surprised at the scene questioned Fatty and his response was, “A genius, an absolute genius! If I used my cultivation base in the fight I would have no doubt won, alas even then he would give me half a fight haha!”

Ren chuckled with a red face, clearly drunk.

Rune was not happy about that and neither was Master Mo.

Veins popping from his head Master Mo yelled, “WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DRINK WHEN IT’S NOT EVEN YOUR BREAK TIME!”

“Eh?” Fatty turned pale from fright; they had such a great fight that he had forgotten he was still on guard duty!

Despite his size, Fatty moved faster than a three-tailed cheetah and bowed his head, “Master Mo, please forgive Fatty for drinking on the job. Ren is a genius swordsman and after a great battle, Fatty had forgotten he was on duty! Please spare Fatty from punishment!”

Skinny snickered at the sight of Fatty getting a severe tongue lashing. Only he dare not utter a sound unless he wanted Master Mo’s wrath centered on him.

Master Mo calmed himself and sighed, “Is that so… Your name is Ren is that correct? Since you’ve passed, kowtow and we shall become master and disciple.”

Ren instantly sobered up with a slap across the back of the head from Rune and kowtowed to Master Mo. Fatty was sentenced to spend a week in the punishment room, with no food to eat for three days. The nine could only hear the Fatty’s mournful cries as he was dragged away by some other black-clothed men.

Master Mo sat there thoughtfully, eyes glinting fiercely, “Now that I have taken you as my disciples, your master shall take care of the pests outside!”