In a worn-down makeshift hut that they called home, both Killian Creed and Abaddon Chrysos were trying to cover themselves from the ensuing storm. The two fifteen year old boys wore shabby and dirty clothing.

Killian Creed had pitch black parted hair with a blank expression on his face, while Abaddon Chrysos had a seemingly darkish auburn long hair that he wore with a ponytail. The boy was trembling in fear, unlike the seemingly calm boy beside him.

The two of them were just kids, nothing more.

"What did we manage to scavenge today?" Abaddon asked Killian.

"Nothing much, just a few pieces of leftover stale," Killian replied as he handed some of them to his friend.

They had just escaped from a cruel orphanage a few months ago and have been living as street urchins for quite some time now.

Abaddon ate the bread as tears started to flow down his sunken cheeks. "T-This is not the life meant for me. I am meant for greater things, not living like this…" he said.

Killian merely listened to him and stared at him. "If you really think so, then we have to earn a lot of money," Killian uttered.

"Money…yes, money. I see those mercenaries raking in tons of silver and gold coins. Just wasting them away at a pub," Abaddon replied as he wiped his tears.

And then, a loud booming sound as the roof was blown out due to the strong winds, inviting in the harsh cold. Not that you could even call it a roof. The two of them were drenched because of the downpour.

"Let's go, right now," Killian said as he took Abaddon's hand, dragging him out of that miserable place.

They walked towards a camp in the city belonging to a group of mercenaries. Sounds of cheerful laughter and playful fighting was heard from inside it.

As soon as Killian stepped in to the area, they all stopped whatever it was they were doing to stare at him.

"What do you want?" a rough man built like an absolute unit asked while having a gigantic war axe strapped on his back.

"We want to join your group. We wish to be mercenaries." Killian Creed said with such overflowing confidence.

But his words were only met with even more laughter. This time, it was directed straight at the two of them.

"Hah! Come on kid, a pipsqueak like you could not even lift a sword, what makes you think that you would survive ten whole seconds in the battlefield?!" the gigantic mercenary said as he squatted down to stare at the two of them.

Abaddon whimpered, obviously wanting to go outside of the tent already. "Come on, Killian! This was a mistake. They are not going to take us in. Let's just go," he whispered.

Killian stared at the mercenary and pulled out his knife. There was only a blur in the air. With a single swing, he cut the man's beard. Leaving him agape, his mouth nearly falling to the ground.

"Don't look down on us," Killian Creed uttered as he stared daggers right at the mercenary's very soul itself.

The gigantic mercenary lifted his hands and was about to teach the boy a lesson, but he was stopped abruptly by someone else stopping him midway through by catching his muscly arm.

It was a stubbled man with bronze-colored skin. He wore fine clothing, depicting him as someone who had high authority. He had a hilt on his hip with a rapier on it.

"Calm down," he said with a deep voice to the heavily built mercenary.

The man grunted in disappointment at the sudden interruption. "Gah. Come on, boss, why are you letting this kid get away with that?!" he roared.

"Because I like his guts." The one who stopped him, who was revealed to be the leader of the group, said. "Alright, kid. You and your friend over here can join, but only on one and one specific term."

Killian and Abaddon gulped for air in anticipation.

"We embark a couple of hours from now to take back a barn ransacked by bandits. If you do come with us, you have to kill one enemy. Give me their finger as proof," the boss said. "And do not lie, I will be watching you from afar, can't just steal some lifeless person's finger."

The two kids sat down somewhere in the tent after the boss gave them his unexpected approval. They were then ignored by everyone, almost like nothing had ever happened.

"I-I have never killed someone, Killian…" Abaddon said.

"Don't worry. We will manage somehow. These are scums, bandits. They ransack villages and towns, and it is up to us to put them in their place," Killian Creed said with such a cold demeanor.

"Are you prepared to do it?" Abaddon asked him with a pause. "Are you prepared to kill someone, I mean?"

"If it means us getting out of this hell hole of a life we currently live in, I'd do anything," Killian replied.

The hours passed and it was finally time for them to take back the barn. They were far too small to use steel and plated armor, so they were made to wear torn out pieces of leather armor meant for horses.

"Boss, I heard they have a few strong fighters within their group," a mercenary asked the boss.

"Indeed. They do. The most vile one is their leader, Hartman. He wears a wolf's head as a headgear, you can't miss him," he uttered.

"Attention, everyone! If you bring me back the lifeless remains of Hartman, the bandit leader, you will be given a pouch of gold coins!" the boss said which brought a surge of energy to the bandits.

They arrived at the barn after a short while. But it was far too late, the bandits were burning the barn down. But that does not mean that the ensuing battle was not going to happen, however.

"Earn your keep, boys!" the boss shouted as they hopped out of their horses and met the bandits in the battlefield.

Across this hellscape they had witnessed, Abaddon was shaking in fear. "I-I want to go back, Killian...it is not too late!"

"I mean, it is close to impossible for us to get someone and cut off their finger anyway," Killian said with a sly smile.

"Right?! We should just go back and forget we even came here in the first place!" Abaddon said with a resounding nod.

"That is why I am going to aim for their leader, Hartman," Killian said which made Abaddon turn pale as ash.

"O-Okay...tell me what to do, and I will help," Abaddon stammered as he slapped the fear out of his system after seeing how dedicated Killian was.

They made their way towards the inside of the barn, still burning and debris falling everywhere. There they saw the gigantic mercenary from earlier, duking it out and battling against a wolf helmet-wearing individual.

Killian pointed. "There he is, that is our target."

It looked like the mercenary was losing this one, however, Hartman was slowly chipping away at him with his dual falchions. "Is this really all ye got?!" he shouted at him.

Two other mercenaries came rushing to his aid.

"Follow me," Abaddon said as they snuck around and climbed up to the ledge, gambling that it would not fall from the smoldering flames.

"They can't see us here. This is a good vantage point to strike," Abaddon uttered.

The three mercenaries against the bandit leader was definitely a hard-fought battle, but Hartman emerged victorious. It was not like he did not sustain his fair share of wounds, however, as he was limping away to the exit.

When the opportunity presented itself, Killian knew it was time.

Killian jumped down from the ledge armed with his knife, and struck him right in the nape. Killian Creed killed him almost immediately. It was too easy.

Abaddon took the ladder down and was trembling from the dread that he felt during that instance. "I can't believe it. We got him."

"It was all because of that ledge plan of yours. Heh. Now, help me carry the body, Abaddon," Killian Creed said to him.

Together, the two of them held on to each leg and dragged the lifeless body of the bandit leader out of the burning barn.

The mercenaries outside could not believe their eyes as they saw the two children from earlier being the ones responsible for the bandit leader's demise.

They all made a path for them as they got out of the way. Killian and Abaddon dragged Hartman's body to the mercenary boss. The latter looked at the body and confirmed that it really was him.

"H-How…" He was speechless.

"The pouch of gold. Now." Killian thrust his upturned palms towards the boss.

He could not go back on his word. The boss had no choice but to up and give it to the two of them. "Here," he said as he begrudgingly dropped the pouch on Killian's hand.

Killian and Abaddon did not say a word, instead opting to just get out of there, turning their backs against the speechless mercenaries who doubted them at first.

"Wait! Join us! You are free to join us now, remember?!"

"Join you? Heh. No thanks. We will be starting our own mercenary group, and will become royals before you even know it." Killian smirked as he turned around.