"This is the door to his office, just the same since I was last here," whispered Cindy, carefully knocking on a wooden door in a narrow hallway a floor up from the entrance. Each step they took to get there made a loud creaking noise from the old, worn-out floorboards. Nothing here was "brand new" but was beaten up by years of use.

  "Matus!" screamed Cindy. "It's me, Cindy! I'm back!" She continued, knocking in a melody rhythm.

  After a few knocks, the door began to unlock and creaked open. Inside was a well-lit room filled with lanterns and torches. A man stood in the doorway, wearing a black coat and smoking a cigar. Bandages wrapped around his arms, and the shadows obscured any exposed skin on his body and his face.

  "Cindy? It's been too long.." Matus muttered, reaching forward and hugging Cindy, barely able to stand up without her crunches.

  "Not too hard, please—" Cindy struggled, her voice muffled as she fell into his arms. Within a few seconds, he eventually let go of her. He stood her up straight and moved his eyes to Senshi.

  "And who is the guest?" He questioned, nervousness taking over his emotions.

  "This is my best friend, Senshi!" Cindy exclaimed with a broad smile on her face. She looked up at Senshi's tall figure opposed to her being around five foot four.

  Her words cut through Senshi like a knife, irritating him.

  "I'm not your friend; I'm here for money," Senshi muttered before Cindy hit him on the arm, not moving it by an inch.

  "I see; come on in then!" Matus said with excitement, opening the door fully.

  He's much more jolly than I expected for an assassin company boss.

  ***

  "So, are you coming out of prison too, Senshi?" Matus asked, drinking the cup of tea he had just freshly brewed. He had given Senshi and Cindy cups of tea while getting the two chairs. The room was illuminated by candles and featured a few chairs and a desk, with a large window covered by maroon curtains positioned behind Senshi and Cindy. Dust particles floated in the sunlight, highlighting the darker areas of the room.

  Senshi took a sip of his tea, experiencing its fantastic taste. His face visually became scrunched from how good it was, and he immediately smiled.

  "Senshi's been in prison his entire life; I don't think he's ever tried your famous leaf tea!" Cindy said, laughing.

  "Well, I'm glad you like it, Senshi. Now, about the job. I hope you realize that you get rid of people for money, right?" Matus said before sipping his tea, sitting eagerly for Senshi's response.

  "Yeah, cool. How much is the pay for each kill?" Answered Senshi before chugging down the warm tea.

  Both Cindy and Matus looked at each other in shock. The fact that he didn't care was new; most people would hesitate.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Uh, well, it depends on the job. The minimum is one hundred Marcs for each job," Matus responded.

  "That's good enough for me; when do I start?" Senshi added, standing up and placing his tea down on his chair.

  "Well-not now, Senshi. But you'll be notified when you're needed." Matus replied, standing up and placing his tea on his desk.

  "But, there IS an initiation." He said.

  "Initiation-" Senshi was cut off before he was tackled into the window behind him, landing in an open field surrounded by steep, giant jungle trees with bushes strapping around them.

  Senshi's body slammed against the dirt, dust clouds forming around him. Matus stood above him untouched. The air was knocked entirely out of Senshi, who was silent. He couldn't breathe momentarily, and his hands were in place.

  "What was that for?" Senshi said, his voice barely creeping out. The sun shone on Shini's face, his eyes barely able to widen fully.

  "Initiation. Now fight back!" Matus yelled as he grabbed Senshi's shirt and threw him into a nearby bush. Senshi could barely feel his body after falling many feet, and now he was thrown into a bush.

  "I'm tired of this Mr. Nice Boss crap; beat me in a fight to continue this job!" Matus yelled, rushing towards where he threw Senshi.

  He was gone.

  The bush was wide open, with no sight of Senshi.

  "I like how you think, Boss," Senshi whispered, leaping from a foreign bush. Senshi attempted to punch him on Matus's right cheek. Matus reacted quickly, slapping the punch away and striking Senshi square in the chest. Senshi was launched back, sliding across the dirt with his shoes.

  "Boss, what are you doing!?" Cindy yelled from the destroyed wall, still inside of the room they were previously in.

  "I've decided I want to test this guy. I can see it in his eyes; you brought me an Aestari clan member!" Matus yelled from the ground, keeping his eyes steady on Senshi.

  Matus rushed forward, launching a flurry of multiple punches in different areas, trying to cover any spots Senshi could dodge.

  Senshi easily dodged each punch individually and leaped away from him, readying his next attack.

  Matus rushed in again without stopping, but Senshi could see it coming this time.

  His eyes began racing, foreseeing the attack Matus was about to throw.

  I see it coming.

  In a split second, Senshi ducked to the left and threw an uppercut at Matus's neck, propelling him into the air and backward.

  Matus landed back onto his feet, coughing up blood and holding his neck in agony. It felt like a gunshot to him, but it was lasting pain instead of instant death.

  "Oh yeah, I love that stuff right there." Matus let go of his neck and pulled his coat off, revealing an entire bandaged body.

  "I've received way more powerful attacks than that one. I don't trust an Aestari, but you could be a valuable asset. Don't let me kill ya, got it?" Matus yelled with a large smile on his face, blood repeatedly gushing from his mouth.

  This guy is completely insane… What if I kill him by accident? Wait, he's gone?

  Senshi felt a sharp pain in his stomach, almost like a stab.

  A fist struck his stomach, delivered by Matus. He was thrown backward into a patch of bushes but quickly rolled back onto his feet.

  Matus continued, running up to him and punching him once again in the face.

  Once again, Senshi felt the sensation return. The next punch resonated in Senshi's bones, almost like an intuition.

  He ducked his head under the next jab, landing a punch directly into Matus' gut.

  Matus slid back, looking up to Senshi, who was attempting to land a kick right onto his cheek.

  You aren't fast enough for this one, chump.

  Senshi's foot struck Matus directly in the cheek, sending him crashing into a tree. The impact released a large cloud of bark dust, momentarily obscuring the area.

  "That kick was devastating; I'll give ya that, kid!" Matus yelled before pulling himself off the tree and rushing forward once again.

  The area was densely packed with bushes and trees, making it difficult to navigate.

  Suddenly, Matus was struck on the nose, sending him flying backward.

  "Behind a tree, that's awesome!" Matus yelled, watching Senshi move between the cover of tree logs.

  Hold on. This is kind of fun. I like fighting others. Maybe I'd enjoy killing them, too.