I didn't wait for the muscley thug to make the first move since I was still between a boulder and an animal. I rushed forward with a yell to release all my anger. I was moving fast, probably faster than either of us expected, but the distance was too great.

My new assailant had plenty of time to prepare for my charge. I could see his arm rise up, and as I came within distance, it fell with more speed than I thought it would. His attack was a straightforward swing. Even though it was fast, I could dodge to the side.

My dodge put me next to him, but I was at a weird angle. I slammed my baton into his knee with a backhanded swing. He yelled in pain, but he didn't fall. The back of his upper arm slammed into my forehead. I stumbled back at the force of the blow until my back struck the alley's wall.

The strike hurt, and I was lucky that his aim was off. He was clearly trying to elbow me in the nose, but he was too close and missed my nose. Had he been more precise, the fight would have been over with me a lump on the ground like Jimmy John.

I bounced off the wall and used the momentum to duck under his club that was hurtling at my head. While ducking, I struck his other knee; he let out another yell of pain. I spun to face him and brought my stick around to end the fight with a strike across his head.

My assailant managed to bring his club up in time to block the hit. He lurched forward and slammed his shoulder into my chest. The air rushed from my lungs, and I dropped to a knee to alleviate the pain.

The DTA screamed at me, and I looked up just in time to see a knee flying at my face. I brought my arm up to block the attack and succeeded. The force of the bulky man's knee threw me on my ass. I kept rolling with the momentum and used it to get back to my feet.

The man was a good fighter. He was much better than me, and there wasn't much I could do about it. I made it back to my feet, but even as I did, he was looming over me. He brought his club down in a vicious swing. I barely managed to bring my baton up to stop the attack.

Instead of trying another vertical attack aimed at my head, he reared further and swung his club right at my baton. My comparatively small, broken mop handle flew from my grasp. It spun through the air for a moment before crashing into the wall and falling down with a clatter.

I was without a weapon, but the thug made a major mistake. He used far too much force to disarm me. His swing pulled his arm too far over, and he was exposed. I jumped up and swung with a left hook toward his jaw.

My weight and momentum rocked his head to the side and staggered him, but I could tell it was only a momentary reprieve. Even though only sixteen, I actually wasn't that small. I always considered my father a mountain of a man, and the thug was about the same size. However, I was my father's son. I wasn't small, and I still had room to grow. Still, I was forced to jump on the man to wrap my arms around his head and neck.

My left arm snaked under his neck. I supported it in the crook of my right arm while holding on to the back of his head. This was a move my father always had me do to him while we were wrestling when I was young. If I didn't put him in that hold, then he wouldn't go down.

I knew on a deep level that I had no idea if it was effective since I never actually, or at least successfully, did it on my father. The action was so ingrained that I didn't have any other choice but to commit with all my strength.

It must have been working because the large brute started to spin and thrash around. I tightened my hold every chance I got, even when he slammed me against the alley wall multiple times. I feared I wasn't doing it right until my mount fell to his knees. I used the extra leverage to crank my arm even tighter until his arms stopped trying to pry mine free and fell limply, quickly followed by his body and me on top.

After an extra few seconds to ensure he was really down, I slid my arm out from underneath the hulking brute. Releasing my grip caused an intense cramp to shoot through my arms as if I hadn't gone through enough and needed to be further punished. After a minute of being hunkered over in pain, the cramp subsided to an intensive weakness that barely allowed me to use my limbs.

I rolled the large thug over to his side, and I could see the rise and fall of his chest. With what strength I could muster, I rose from the ground, claimed his club as my own, and then went to check on Jimmy. The way his face seemed to explode when my knee hit him had me worried.

When I got close, I could hear a ragged snore coming from the still-unconscious thief. I sighed in relief, then set about to find my property. While searching, I also found two silver, which I thought about leaving to be the better person, but he owed me more than that.

I didn't want to stay in the alley any longer, so I left and tried to get back to where my bag was. Luckily, the path was relatively easy. It only took me a few minutes to find the small street where it was discarded, although I didn't feel lucky that it was there.

To my utter delight, it was still lying on the ground. At that point, I realized I was still in Symbiotic Mode. I changed to Companion Mode and then moved to secure my bag. When I picked it up, it was significantly lighter than it had been. I looked through it and found that the only items left were my rations. I guess whoever took my stuff didn't trust the food.

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I put my newly acquired club in the bag, checked my map and headed to the place indicated as the Monster Hunter's Guild. While traveling, I stayed on the larger roads with people. However, with how people looked away from the minor street as I was getting robbed, I couldn't trust that nothing would happen. I kept my eyes open and watched out from then on.

I was still close to the guild, so it only took about fifteen minutes to reach the entrance. Before I made it to the guild, I imagined it as large and extravagant as the bank and the train depot. However, the building was surprisingly bland and non-assuming. It actually made me much more comfortable walking into the building.

The guild was still made out of the same stone-like material as everything else, but it didn't have giant steps leading up to the doors, nor did it have pillars to hold up and overhang above the steps. The doors, which were large, wooden, and undecorated, were only a few paces away from the street. The most extravagant aspect of the guild, which also helped me ensure I was in the right place, was the sizeable sign hanging above the door.

There was the occasional person who walked in or out of the building. I stood across the street, watching and getting fleeting glimpses of what was inside. Not seeing much, but what I thought was a staircase, I finally decided to go in. I wasn't feeling very confident after my escapade in the alley, but standing around when work needed to get done didn't sit well with me, which was a remnant of my father's lessons.

I walked in, and sure enough, there was a large wooden staircase about ten paces from the front door. To the right of the entrance, I could see a bar with a smattering of tables in the area. A few of the tables had people, but for the most part, the area was largely subdued.

To the left of the entrance, all the way against the far wall, was a long desk. Standing behind the desk was a female clerk. There was currently a four-person long line waiting to talk to her. I also looked up the stairs, but I could only see a few doors that were closed at the top, so I decided to just wait in line.

While standing in line, I noticed a bulletin board to the left. It took up the inside of the front wall of the building. One notice tacked to the board was large enough for me to read. It was a work request for a Rock Beetle infestation. It paid twenty silver for the service and indicated the town where it was located and who to talk to when reaching the area.

It was difficult to determine what was on any other slip of paper, but I assumed they were all similar. I thought about looking through a few more to see what I was getting myself into, but I didn't want to get out of the line, so I focused on the attendant standing behind the desk.

She wasn't old, but she was certainly older than me. She was perhaps in her mid-twenties and was attractive, especially when she smiled at the people she was helping. Her hair was black and cut short to her ears while slightly styled. She was wearing a white button-down shirt covered with a red vest…and she caught me staring.

I could feel my cheeks redden, and I looked away while awaiting my turn in line. When it was finally my turn, I tried to not make it awkward, but I wasn't sure if I had succeeded.

"Good morning. How may I help you…young man?" she said with a smile coupled with a pointed look.

"Um, I would like to apply to the guild," I said, scratching my head before adding, "I heard this is a good way to make money."

"Oh? Do you even have a robot?" She looked over the counter curiously.

I pointed to my goggles. "This is my robot."

"Well," she said with a high-pitched harrumph. "I'm unsure what type of robot that is, but it doesn't look like the typical class we usually get.

Fighting monsters is hard. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I'm sure. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here." I was getting upset at her attitude. It was making it difficult to hold my tongue.

"Ok, if you think you're capable. You won't be coddled here." She laid a few papers on the desk more forcefully than I thought she needed. "These are general waivers and information sheets for what is expected, which includes your annual dues. You'll need to read through them, fill out all the information, and sign them."

Before I could ask what the dues were or anything else, she placed another piece of paper on the table. "I'll also need you to fill out this form. This is for payment of funds from missions; here at the Monster Hunter's Guild, we don't deal with physical transactions of money. Everything here is handled through the back, so our members must have a bank account."

"I don't have a bank account. Is there no other way?"

"Aww," the woman frowned with what I thought was a facetious smile. "I'm sorry. I recommend you get one first, then head back, and we can get you signed up. Now, I need to help the next person in line if there isn't anything else."

I secured the papers in my bag to look over them later. Without another choice, I headed out of the guild. I managed to make it back to the bank on the other side of the city much faster than it took me to get to the train and guild side. When I walked into the bank's steps, a different person was waiting at the stand and greeting customers.

"Good afternoon, sir. How can I assist you?" It was nice to talk to someone pleasant.

"I need to open an account," I stated.

"Well, we can certainly help with that. Are you here for the martial tournament? All fees are waived if you are participating in it."

"No, I'm not, but if I could ask, what fees are you talking about?"

"Well, while there is no actual fee to open an account, there is a minimum amount that must be kept in one for it to be open. That amount is ten silver. Additionally, an annual fee is assessed for accounts unless a minimum of two gold is kept in there."

"Damn," I said under my breath. I didn't even have the money to open an account. If I couldn't open an account, I couldn't sign up for the Monster Hunter's Guild, meaning I would have to find another method of making money. That could take me a long time to get the money to buy a ticket to the capital.

"However," the attendant cut into my thoughts. "If you were here for the martial tournament, with our promotion we are running, the starting amount needed is waived.

I smiled with an idea. "I am here for the martial tournament."

The attendant smiled as well. "Well then, in that case, we can set you up with an account and waive the fee. We will just need your official writ of participation."

I closed my eyes and seethed. Of course, I would need proof. "Unfortunately, I didn't bring it with me," I managed to say. "I will be back shortly."

"Not a problem, sir. I hope your room isn't near the arena, as that is far away. It would be extra unfortunate since it would have been much closer if you came from the tournament sign-up location at the city hall."

After my continued look of confusion, the attendant was friendly enough to show me how to quickly get to the area I needed. It wasn't city hall, but a small office next to it.