"Come again?"

"It's simple, I want you to join my army." Eleonora said one more time while the assassin named Kurai nodded.

"I see, now let me answer that with another question. Are you stupid? Did you forget I killed over a majority of your men, and that you're my target."

Eleonora wasn't offended at all and simply smirked. "Not at all, in fact I want to kill you for it. However, your regenerative ability has peaked my interest you could say. I'll make you a lieutenant. As well as-"

"Let me make this clear, I'm an assassin, not a fucking mercenary! The only reason I haven't raped and killed you is because you have something I want!"

Eleonora gave an evil smirk and pulled a necklace from her pocket twirling the black string around her fingers. "You mean this? Got to say, I don't know why you keep such junk."

"You little bitch." If she was trying to provoke him, she exceeded hundreds of times over as Kurai was at the utmost limits of what very little patience he had and had to grip his right hand tight to stop him from desperately killing her. Calling his most prized possession junk was like pushing him over the edge, and he held on to keep from falling. To her surprise, he began to grin. "You're just as cold hearted as I am. I'm actually beginning to like you."

Smiling, Eleonora tossed him his necklace and he caught it, placing it on over his head and around his neck. "You do know my services aren't free, and they sure as hell ain't cheap."

His rate for assassinations varied depending on the target and the difficulty of the job, which for him wasn't much. Factors such as the mood he's in or what little sympathy he carried towards the client was what determined whether the price would be worth half a town's revenue, or three times the taxes within a kingdom.

"Alright then, how does 500 gold coins sound?"

The client who hired him to kill Eleonora offered him three times that amount, the highest he's ever heard of, but to give his service towards someone was worth a whole lot more than killing a monarch. "Why don't you go fu-"

"A month?" Eleonora interrupted and added that little part on there

His eye's widened in shock and surprised. Eleonora crossed her arms loving the dumbstruck look on his face.

His shock turned into a wide grinned smile. "You sure know how to speak my language." He scratched the back of his head. "However, if you want my service, there is one and only one condition that is absolutely non negotiable."

Eleonora crossed her arms. "If it's in my power."
"You saw it didn't you, my regenerative ability. Don't go asking questions, and when it comes to my business, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. I decide whether or not to tell you."

Eleonora clicked her tongue. She was hoping to ask questions on how he was able to survive despite the horrifying injuries he received from her. At the same time, she could make use of his strength and sighed. "Fine. Now then, what weapons are you good with?"

Kurai racked his brain and counted with his fingers. "Let's see, other than my bare hands, I'm pretty handy with about anything I can get my hands on."

"Really now. Than let's just see about that."

Outside on the courtyard, Eleonora took her newest recruit to the training grounds to assess his skills in different types of armed and unarmed combat.

First it was martial arts and hand to hand, which lasted in a second when Eleonora found herself flipped on her back and a finger right at her throat. She was grateful that he wasn't her enemy at the moment or else she would've been killed.

It was because of that and her previous experience witnessing his swordsmanship that she skipped practicing his skills with a sword.

Last came a bow and arrow. He told her how he could hit a man's head from several hundred meters away, maybe even farther as long as he had a good visual.

She set him up with a practice target and a range of one-hundred meters which even to an amatuer was child's play.

One of the soldiers brought a bow and four arrows. The man had delicate features and beautiful, shiny black hair reached down to his shoulders. If his memory served, his name was Rurick.
After Kurai received the bow and arrow from him, he sighed seeing both the man's look of utter hatred and disgust, as well as the bow he was given.
"What a piece of crap..."
The material was hardly suitable, the wood it was made from was in the process of rotting and the condition of the grip was poor. The stringing, too, was poorly done. There was also some warping. It was clear what his intention was.

Despite its "craftsmanship", Kurai could work with it. He has certainly used much worse in the past.

He turned to Eleonora and yelled out pointing to Rurick. "Do you mind if he stands in front of there? I can't shoot unless the target's breathing."

Rurick cringed while Eleonora chuckled. Lim merely sighed. "Request denied."

He clicked his tongue and readied himself.

Nocking the first arrow with the string and pulling it tight, taking aim, he released the first arrow and hit the target off the mark. The second shot flew and never hit the target. The third one was too short and never even made it.

His ears could pick up the laughter from those watching. He could feel their judge filled gazes pricking his skin. However, none of that mattered to him. One arrow left.

He pulled it ready to shoot. However, he picked up rapid footsteps. East of his position, above him. He looked up and saw a shadow running on the rooftop of the castle like structure, ducking and hiding behind the stone statues as he ran.

"Another assassin?" He muttered to himself. He focused his eyes and got a closer look. He could see just a glimpse in his hands was his weapon, an arbalest. They were mechanized bows that could be shot through a trigger. Although they weren't accurate, they could be shot with enough force to pierce armor and shields. In his years, he only knew one place that manufactured those weapons. "It can't be."

Wit his arrow already nocked, he took aim just as the other assassin took aim of his target, who was sitting with her blade, her white hair swishing in the breeze.

He only had one shot, it was to either save her or kill him. He could predict where the arrow would go using its trajectory and shoot it down at the cost of his own, leaving nothing to strike down the assassin.

Thinking it through, he aimed his arrow at the assassin.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lim yelled as she and Ellen noticed his change of aim and looked where he was pointing. As they saw the assassin, he released his own arrow towards her.

Ellen simply remained calm. "Now Arifal."

It was like before facing him, the wind acted as a shield and protected her and Lim from the armor piercing arrow, the wood splintered and shattered while the arrowhead dented and bent to where it was no longer lethal.

The commotion caused the rampart guards to finally notice the assailant's presence and give chase. "I want that man captured alive." Lim ordered.

Confirming her safety, Kurai readied his arrow as the assassin made his escape, keeping his eye on him. "Hey, do you want me to kill him?"

"Do you really think you should be-"

"Bitch, was I talking to you, or your boss?" Kurai rudely cut her off while keeping his eye on the target, Lim grinded her teeth in hatred.

Eleonora sighed. "I'd prefer alive for questioning."

Kurai clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Fine, just the Achilles."

He took aim, and they all noticed he was pointing away from the target.

"You dumbass! It's not even in his range!" Rurick yelled out.

"Wanna bet? Loser treats the winner to food and drinks, as much as they want."

Rurick smirked and laughed. "Fine! If I win, you have to buy for all the men here! We'll bleed you dry!"

"500...600...700...now."

Kurai simply smirked. He released his arrow and all of them watched as it aimed a good distance behind his target. Lim scowled while Eleonora simply watched with interest. Rurick was grinning at the thought of free drinks.

"3...2...1…" Kurai holding his bow in his left hand raised his right finger and pointed it west of his direction.

The arrow flew high into the arrow. It was then that everyone saw it form an arc in the air and fly westward at a blinding speed towards the target as if a supernatural force made it change directions. When the arrow disappeared. the cloaked assassin tumbled on the ground, a loud yell of pain echoed across the ground.

Shock and disbelief spread across the ground. Lim and Rurick's eyes were wide. "Impossible, that had to be at least six hundred meters. And with that crappy bow"

"No, it was more like seven hundred."

"Didn't I already say, if the targets breathing, kill or capture, there's nothing I can't shoot."

"Lady Eleonora.." Lim said to her. She had mixed emotions regarding their latest recruit. She hated him for obvious reasons.

"I know Lim," She looked down and noticed Eleonora's hands were shaking. She just witnessed another reason why she didn't want him as her enemy.

"Hey Eleonora, that assassin, I have a few questions for him. Once I'm done, I'm taking the night off, your buddy here owes me drinks." He gave Rurick an evil grin. "If I remember, it's as much as I can handle."

Another short chapter, but hey, what can you do. I'm hoping to update this and Demon of the Black Dragon pretty soon.