Meanwhile.
"This is the place…"
There stood three men, outside of a lavishing apartment building. They were tasked with a hit job and planned on accomplishing their goals tonight. "So, who is the target?"
"Yuko Ozawa. Head of the Black company just down the street. Took over six other companies and has since acquired more through various transactions, takes overs as well as mutual agreements and mergers."
"I heard she's nothing more than a teenager"
"She is nothing more than a teenager, however, orders are orders. We take her out, and there's a bonus if we get the kid too. We can't this pass on to the next generation."
"So who wants the first crack? I say we take the opposite building and wait for our shot."
"I'll take north,"
"I'll take the east."
"I'll take west. Whoever gets the shot, gets the money!"
Despite the fact that only one of them would cash in on the hit, there was a sense of honor among hit men. First and foremost, this target wasn't their usual ones. Second, rumor has it, they sent others ahead of them. None have ever returned. Lastly, there are those who have tried a daylight attack, only to be defeated instantly by her butler of all people.
However, tonight, they will be sure to succeed!
#
He went by the name Ace, a tall, slender gentleman who always wore a black suit. His hairstyle was rather professional, as if he were a CEO if someone were to look at him. It made it all the easier to blend into a crowd after a job.
His name was a happy accident of course, people have called him their 'Ace in the hole' when they needed a job done where others have failed. Since after all, he has never missed, he has never lost a contract and all those who have been assigned to him… always come up dead the next day. Yet this job was making him uncertain.
The other two, Mackie and Stunner were some of his top rivals. Yet when the men who hired them explained the situation, they wanted to make certain this young woman and child are dead. "It doesn't matter how you do it, just make sure that she's on the front cover the next day of the paper!"
"What has a teenage girl done to you?" Ace asked.
They sneered and refused to speak of it. "Hold it. I heard you sent a squad ahead of us. What became of them?" asked Mackie.
"We have not received contact from them… that was a month ago." One of the men explained. "Now, we want this done fast and right. She is taking over more companies… and the more she does, the more we LOSE! So… take her out,"
It wouldn't be his first contract on someone so young either. He was paid not too long ago by a politician to take out his pregnant lover carrying his child. This would be a piece of cake to say the least.
Ace took the North side of the apartment, the wind was rough, but he worked in worst. It took a small bit of time to set up his gun, yet as he was about to put the scope on it, he heard something behind him. Slowly, he turned and saw ten young men, just lingering there!
"Who… When did you get here?!" he demanded as he snapped to his feet in shock.
The biggest of them all was over six feet, his skin black as night as he peered over him oddly. "Hmmm, this one does have potential, does he not brothers?" he asked aloud.
Ace began to reach to his back pocket, he always kept at least two weapons there. Yet, as his hand grasped for the handle, he found the holster was empty.
The dark skinned man smirked as he held a gun and knife in his hands. "Looking for these?"
He was stunned, never has anyone been able to pick something off of him! "Who… what are you?" he demanded.
He smiled. "Wes," he simply stated. "My name… is Wes"
His back was up, how did these ten young men come up behind him without him noticing? He even put a trap on the door to alert him if someone came. Yet they made no sound. Wes continued to look him over, before turning to the others. Despite the fact he called them brothers, none of them looked alike, let alone shared any family characteristics. "Hmmm, I don't know Wes, I mean we have seen more talented humans…"
Humans…
Ace began to feel his blood run cold as they uttered such a thing so casually. "Humans? Wait, you're not?" he demanded.
Wes snickered. "We'll tell you more… depending on how this night goes. We have observed your talents, despite that weapon you were intending on using, you have other skills. The knife I have here… you must have been quite skilled to use it as a defensive weapon… curious still… how are you hand to hand combat skills?"
This was weirding him out. "What is this a job interview? Look I already got one and a client! So how about you let me do my job… and you do yours!" he decreed.
"If you insist…" Wes said as his eyes began to glow a golden color…
#
Mackie has seen it all in his career as a hit man.
In fact, this was one of his more normal jobs. Normally he is taking out higher profile people yet has the ability to make it look like an accident. After all, no one knows how Mackie works, let alone the partners he has to do his bidding. "I wouldn't if I were you…"
"Shut up!" he snapped back.
Lingering on the rooftop with him on the East side was one of his many partners to say the least. He came from a family known as divine users, they always wanted him to be someone important and to make his life meaningful. "We have great power and it must be used properly," his mother would lecture.
Mackie saw it differently. With the summons he has, they are able to allow him to get in and out of places without much trouble. His current partner right now was the best at his job. "I am serious about this, don't go through with it!"
"Why do you care? Also you never speak out about any of my other jobs."
The satyrs was oddly chatty today. Formerly a summons of his father, he had decided to watch out over Mackie after he passed. He hasn't judged him on his line of work, and until now, he hasn't spoken out against it. The Satyrs peered over the rooftop to the apartment they were staking out, he shook his head once more to the notion. "Walk away," he warned. "This is not a job you should be doing… nor is it worth your riches to say the least…"
Mackie sighed and listened. "What do you know about this?"
The Satyrs sighed aloud. "Look, I am not even suppose to TALK about this, let among mention it, but I will say this… if something happens to that girl and her kid… you are going to wish you were dead."
Curious.
"So… you know this woman? Is she a divine user like me?"
He shook his head. "No, not in the least bit. I know she can see curse spirits and now divine creatures, but that's because of who is around her…" suddenly, his goat ears twitched. "Shit, you're in trouble now."
"What do you mean?" he turned and peered behind him. There stood a legion of ten young men, smiling with great anticipation. "Ooo, here's another one, what say you brothers? Do we test him?"
"Wait… how the hell…"
The Satyrs sighed. "Hey Loki" he muttered.
"Wait, you know him!?"
"Of course I do," the Satyrs muttered. "You should know too if you paid attention to the lessons your parents were giving you. That guy there is third in command of the daemon fox legion. Best assassins in the divine realm if you can believe that."
"Assassins…" he glared at them. "You're here to take my job!"
The one named Loki smirked. He was a tall young man with long red hair, his eyes shined a haunting yellow in the moonlight and yet part of his hair was oddly spiked like ears at the top of his head. "Not exactly, if anything… we may have a new one for you… But that's going to depend on the others…"
Mackie began to prepare himself. He was a big man, he knows that, just over 300 pounds, yet he is remarkably swift and strong. "Like I am going to go down without a fight!" Yet before he could take a stance, he was struck in the back by a powerful blow, his vision faded as he heard the Satyrs sigh aloud. "I hate to do it to him, but at least he won't die right away…"
#
They woke in an odd field.
The three assassins stood and yet were stunned as foxes of all things surrounded them. "What the hell is this?" whispered Ace.
Suddenly, there was a parting. Someone tall came out from the darkness, a young man with flowing black hair and odd red highlights in it. But they remembered, he's the butler to their target!
"Good, everyone is here, so the test can begin," he said with an odd smile.
"Test, what test!" demanded Stunner. "Where the hell are my weapons!"
"Ah, this isn't a weapons battle, but more like an assessment. The name is Tenko, and I will be observing you."
"Wait, assessment? What are you…"
"You're being tested!"
The three hit men paused as they Satyrs spoke. "Mackie, they can see me now. But let me explain here. The three of you are going to fight to the death." He stated bluntly. "Winner survives, but that also depends on your judge there."
"Wait, we're to fight to the death!?" demanded Ace. "For what?!"
"Your lives," Tenko stated bluntly. "We will see who has the better survival skills, and from there. We see who uses them properly. So, gentlemen, without farther ado. I suggest you begin your battle… if there is no winner by sunrise, well, all three of you will die!"
There was some hesitation, until Mackie grabbed Stunner and Ace and bashed their heads together. Of course it wasn't enough to stop either one, but it got the blood flowing and the fight started!
#
Three hours.
They fought each other for three hours. Yet left standing was Ace. Stunner was the first to die in battle, for a hitman, he depended far too much on the devices he made to use on the job. He barely had any combat skills, yet his strength was something to be admired.
Mackie was the last to go down. Even now, he still breaths, but cannot move his body. His face is a bloody mess, his arms broken as his left leg was shattered. Ace knew he had to do it. He finished the job by taking Stunner's body and using it to cover Mackie's face. Smothering him against human flesh until he could not longer gasp for air. When the body went limp, Ace was still standing.
Battered, bloodied and tried, he glared at the butler oddly. "I… can go?" he asked in a tried tone.
Tenko turned to the foxes that gathered around him, they cackled and laughed by the sound of it, but he didn't know if they were mocking him or speaking to each other. When they finally fell silent, there appeared to be a nod coming from them. Tenko agreed by the looks of it. "I think this one will do." He began to stand and approach Ace. "Welcome Ace, to our little skulk!"
"What the fuck are you talking about!?" Ace snapped back. "I want to leave!"
"You will… once we finish with you, and then. You will assist us from this moment on, as a fellow sibling…"
"Wait… What did you just…"
"You're going to be turned into a fox, jackass!" shouted the Satyrs.
Ace froze, he shook his head, trembling at the idea. "You… you can't do this!"
"Please, I've been doing this for a few thousand years. I like to find those with great skills and abilities and add them to our legions. Many of my brothers before you have similar paths, some even share the one you have walked on. But now, those skills are use for us and the betterment of our masters. We're not slaves, no, we are respected helpers and assistance to great beings. Like the young master we serve, and the one you were hired to kill."
He froze to the discovery, this legion is protecting one woman!?
"Why… why are you doing this?" he stammered.
Tenko merely smiled as his hand went on Ace's shoulder. "You will be informed, once the training is complete…"
Ace felt his body shrink, he tried to scream for help but only a strange gibberish came out of him, until he started to talk like the foxes that surrounded him. He was on all fours now, peering down, he found his hands turned into small paws, his whole body had been rendered into a fox!
Tenko leaned down and smiled to him. "Wes will be training you along with Loki from this moment on." He said. "When you are done with the training, I will inform you of everything… and you join the guard."
