Nae and Orwell stood as still as statues, Jim grinned with eyes glittering like sapphires, and Laurence stood there with a very slight smirk on his face. Jim had told them that they might have to impress the leaders before they were allowed to take the initiation test, so that's what Laurence aimed to do. He judged that it had worked, by the fact that the two leaders of the group had not moved a muscle since he summoned his hammer.

“That was incredible, Law!” Jim said, barely able to hold back his awe. “Did you see that?” He turned to look at the two leaders of the gang, frozen in shock.

“Well.” Orwell swore. Then he swore again. “I guess Nae was wrong on this one. You guys really are special. What can you do?” He said, looking at Yun.

“I don't do tricks,” the stoic wolf-boy replied.

“Take my word for it, he's as strong as me,” said Laurence.

“I believe you,” said Nae, finally releasing herself from her statuesque stupor. “Though if you said you were the son of Bloody Gus, or the reincarnation of the Grand Wild, I would probably believe you.”

“Well actually...”

“Shut up Jim,” Orwell and Nae said simultaneously.

“No, Jim is right. My father is Bloody Gus, or at least according to another golden child I know. Apparently Angus Absolution is not a very common name anymore.”

“I think I'm numb to shocking news,” Nae said in a pained voice. “Jim, you're the luckiest brat I have ever seen in my life. If all three of them pass the initiation trial then you get first access to the fence this week.”

Jim whooped with joy at Nae’s promise. Getting first chance to talk to the fence was a massive boon to anyone in the gang. There was barely one fence between three gangs in the city, so they were always in high demand to buy and sell stolen goods. The person who was first allowed to go to peruse a fence’s wares would be able to get the best things from the other gangs and make the most money off their sales. Being first was the simplest prize that all the leaders used to keep their crews or gangs in line, while being the last was often the punishment for bringing in the least money, or just doing the worst that week.

Orwell and Nae ushered the four inside the building, Louisa shrank back into the form she found most comfortable and Laurence dismissed Jormugand. The show they had put on was more for the leaders of the gang than anyone else.

“From this point on,” Jim said, “You should never be afraid of standing up for yourself in this place, but never go all out. If you do then people will get a measure of you and play you if they can.”

“Play you?” Said Louisa.

“Yeah, Try and work out what makes you tick, then get what they can from you. Often through exploiting your weaknesses or playing to your ego. Many of the younger gang members have gotten in a lot of trouble and a lot of debt by relying too much on their elders.” He looked left and right, as if to make sure that no one could overhear him. “ We’re all in it for ourselves, but I always pay my debts. Law likely saved my life, so as far as I’m concerned I’m his friend for the rest of eternity.”

“Thanks,” said Laurence. There was very little else he felt that he needed to say in response to that. Jim was a rogue, and seemed a little too smart for his own good, but he was loyal, and that was something that Laurence liked in a person.

“No problem. Just remember that everyone here is in the gang to survive. Sure, we’re stronger together, but everyone still looks out for number one.”

“The pack leader?” Said Yun.

“No, themself,” said Jim. “Look, just be careful okay? Just because you are strong doesn’t mean you can’t make enemies. The person you offend might not be able to kill you, but they can still make life way more difficult for you than it needs to be.”

As Jim finished talking, they walked down a set of stairs and into a large, open cavern. In the middle of the cavern there was a ring, as well as a strange dummy and a pair of pathways that curved off, out of sight. Those three sections of the cavern were the three trials of the gang.

Jim walked his three friends down into the middle of the cavern, before taking a few steps back. As he did the room began to fill up. Rings of seats around the room slowly began to become populated until there were three or four hundred people between the age of five and twenty in three rings around the room. Orwell walked out of the large hallway that Laurence had walked out of; following him was another ten people. The ten other people trying out lined up next to Laurence, Yun and Louisa quietly, and apprehensively stood waiting.

“Good day ladies and gentlemen of Spring Street,” he began. “We are here today for the daily tryouts within the gang.” Orwell turned and looked at the thirteen young people lined up behind him. “For those of you who don’t know, my name is Orwell, and I am the night manager of the Spring Street Bashers. We of Spring Street pride ourselves on at least one of two things, physical strength and courage. We go where no one else will, either because we are stronger, or because we are fearless! We are the bravest and best thieves in this damn city and we intend to keep it that way!” There was a loud cheer at that statement. Orwell’s pride in his voice, combined with his avid, but precise gesticulation made him an incredible speaker to watch. “We will test you in one of three ways, each testing the two facets of the gang and the three main skills of the thief. If you pass any single one then you are in.” There was a collective sigh amongst the candidates. “Do not get complacent. We of the gang all know the difficulty that you have to face within this set of tests, but do not worry, you get once chance at each.

“The first test is the test of skill. You must walk up to the dummy in the middle of the room and take one of the ten coins placed on it without disturbing any of the bells within the dummy.” Orwell walked over to the dummy and tapped it lightly, letting out a cascading tinkling of bells that echoed throughout the cavern. “You hear that sound and you fail. Nice and simple. Next is the arena, this one is pretty obviously a test of strength. Today we have Damien as our resident wall. If you can simply stay in the ring for four minutes without him knocking you out, or just out of the ring, then you pass.” He walked up to the ring and patted the shoulder of a large man with a sallow face who stood just out of the centre of the cavern. The man frowned as he looked at the group in front of him, he obviously did not feel comfortable with the fact that there were young children in the group of entrants.

“The final test is the most complicated, but the one that people pass most often. It’s a pathway filled with traps. If you can make it through the trapped path within five minutes then you succeed. The issue with this path is that it is pitch black inside, so you will be going in blind. If you have no questions then I will take my leave and enjoy the show.” Orwell bowed and walked off the stage and let the thirteen candidates choose their trial.