9 Master McDove

"Do you know a man by the name of Kennith McDove?" Azuka remembered the words of the interrogator, David, as he was being dragged out of the car by his master. Kennith throws Azuka out of the car and right in the middle of the road. He then squats down and grins as Azuka lies down on the ground with his head up, staring at Kennith dead in the eyes.

"You scored a big one, boy, never would have thought you would get with the Mayor's daughter." Kennith says laughing afterward, "She has quite the nice body." He stands up and places his hand on his chin contemplating, "Ah yes, nice bust, nice butt, if she weren't a minor I would-" Azuka quickly gets up and attempts an uppercut but misses. "You almost got me there, did I strike a nerve boy?" Azuka looks over at the flipped over car and back at his master, he backs up a few feet, puts his hands up in a fighting stance and waits for his master's next move.

"Don't call me boy. I'm a God now." Azuka says while shivering in fear, Kennith finally loses his grin and slowly walks up to Azuka. He reaches him and looks down upon him, like a human to an ant. "When did you get the balls to talk back at me." Azuka avoids eye contact, as he slowly moves back away from Kennith. "Don't think about running, I have the whole thieves guild around here to stop anyone from interfering."

"What do you want!" Azuka screams with slight fear. Kennith stays silent as he quickly knees Azuka in the gut, making Azuka cough up blood and hold his stomach. "Just because you are a God, doesn't mean that you hold authority over me." Kennith then quickly delivers a right hook onto Azuka's chin. Forcing the young God to lie unconscious on the ground. "See, you are still a boy," Kennith says as he begins walking off the opposite direction of where Azuka fell.

"I'm not done," Azuka says as he barely picks himself up from the ground. He takes up a fighting stance once more and turns around to face Kennith, determination was written in his eyes. "Turn around Kennith!" Kennith stopped in his tracks, "Do you think-" before Azuka could even blink he had already appeared in front of him. "You can really use my first name," Kennith delivers another right hook onto Azuka's chin, this time he stumbles around, but eventually stands his ground.

Kennith smiles as he continues to look down at Azuka. From Azuka's perspective it was an ant looking up at a God. "This is your final lesson boy." Kennith and Azuka pause for a moment, Kennith launches a haymaker punch faster than any of his other punches causing Azuka to go crashing into the flipped car. He coughs up blood as he leaves a dent in the car as big as his body.

"Look at you boy," Kennith says as he walks up to the bloody Azuka, "Your nose is bleeding, you haven't landed a hit on me yet. Are you sure you are a God?" Kennith grabs Azuka's hair and brings his face closer to his own. "Well then boy, show me your power!" Kennith viciously punches Azuka's gut over and over again. "Isn't holiness supposed to improve everything about you? Why are you still as weak as ever!" Azuka coughs up even more blood as he is beaten down by the man who raised him.

"Azuka..." Emily had regained consciousness and was crawling out of the car, reaching out to him. "I didn't think she would come to this quick, hey boy do you think I could have fun with her instead of you?" Kennith says with lust in his eyes. "Don't you dare touch her!" Azuka explodes with anger as his fist becomes engulfed in flames. He attempts another uppercut with his flaming fist, this time connecting with Kennith's chin.

Kennith quickly lets go of Azuka and distances himself from him, rubbing his own chin. Azuka falls toward the ground, but he picks himself up, he once again takes up a fighting stance. This time with his right fist engulfed in flames. Kennith smiles, "I purposely never taught you magic, so this must be your God's power. Do you feel that boy? Feel that power boy? I want you to remember that power boy! Surpass that power boy! Raw talent is what you are feeling right now!" Kennith laughs, but quickly stops.

"Let me show you the difference between raw talent and effort," Kennith enters a boxing stance, "Boy!" He quickly jabs the air causing a massive shockwave of air to hit Azuka. As hard as he tried, Azuka could not stand his ground and fell to the ground hard. He was not unconscious, but he could not move. "Hey boy, you aren't dead are you?" Azuka grunts, "Good, you're alive. It's better to bring you down a peg now, instead of later. Now that that is over with I can now actually talk to you." Kennith sits down.

"Our time together is up, boy. I'm leaving with the guild to explore new places. You can't come with me, you are too weak. You might die if you come with us, actually you might die if you don't too. You have a bounty of one million cels." Kennith laughs, "Its not as much as my bounty, but you're finally moving up in the world." As Kennith spoke, Azuka was receiving treatment by Emily. After recovering enough to talk Azuka proudly states, "I will become stronger than you and I will be a better thief than you too!" Kennith stops laughing and stares at Azuka's fiery eyes of determination. Just like his father, he thought, a determined idiot.

"How will you be a better thief than me, I've stolen so much treasure that-" Azuka intervenes, "You may have stolen from Kings, but have you stolen from a God!" Kennith smirks and stands up, "Good luck with that boy."

Kennith walks away from Azuka, that was the last Azuka would have seen of Kennith for a while. The last memory of his master, was his back as he walks away from a defeated pupil, who could only land one hit on him.

"I will show him that I am better than him. Even if I die doing it," Azuka says while he gets healed by Emily who has a somewhat disappointed face. He notices and frowns, "Sorry, I'm not keeping my promise, am I?" Emily hits Azuka on the back of his head and heals it. "You idiot, you could have gotten killed with your attitude." Azuka rubs the back of his and smiles, "I'm sorry, I'm going to train and become so strong you won't even be able recognize me, Em." Emily becomes flustered, "Did you just call me Em?"

"Yeah isn't that what boyfriend and girlfriends do?" Azuka said.

"I guess so, then I guess I'll call you Azu." Emily said.

They both laughed for those were indeed stupid nicknames for each other.

"Hey, Azu,"

"What's up?"

"Can I come with you on your adventure. To steal from the Gods you said.."

Azuka pauses, "Yeah, sure."

To steal from the Gods and to become stronger than him, I'm going to have to leave this town, that thought stayed deep within Azuka's mind.

Following that day the police questioned Azuka and Emily about the incident, Emily's driver was unable to get questioned as he was hospitalized for some time, he will be able to live due to Emily's healing at the scene. Azuka and Emily were also hospitalized, but Azuka was able to heal faster than Emily. The day he got checked out he began his training. One hour of physical training and another hour of straight meditation! He would start doing this training every day, but would increase the intensity of his physical training every other day.

- A week later -

Emily wakes up in her room being completely healed up from the incident. She had spent the night before with Azuka and hoped to see him right next to her. He was not there instead a letter was left.

"Dear Emily, I'm sorry to have left so suddenly. I've started my adventure without you. Even though I promised to take you, it would be too dangerous for you, and I don't want to put you in that same danger you were in with Kennith. Don't look for me and don't follow me. I love you, Emily. Sincerely, Azu."