Chapter 175:

"So, I guess you have killed, huh?", Fayina said, and Ace winced, nodding. It was not something he was particularly proud of, but it was an unwelcome necessity.

"Good, and I see that you have been punched in the face quite a bit, so you are not scared of a beating and don't flinch - that is wonderful. Now, I assume you know what it is you are missing?", she asked, and Ace nodded, "Yeah, it's something I should be able to fix by the end of next year."

"Wonderful, although if you have any issues finding some good opponents, call me, I will find you the best of the best, after a few rounds with them, I assure you you will feel like dying."

Ace grinned a bloodthirsty smile, already excited about what was to come, "Nice, I might just have to take you up on that offer."

They spent the whole day working out, and messing about in the outdoors, and only came back once it was time for dinner. They were all extremely tired, even Fayina had gotten a full workout in once Ace had gone fully serious when fighting her. She was still able to get the best of him a few times, her experience and the unorthodox moves she had gained from it catching even Ace unaware at times. Regardless, Ace had gained the most from the session, and he felt it. The improvement was palpable, and by the end of the lesson, considering he had analysed pretty much all of her patterns, it would be a surprise if Fayina was ever able to beat him again.

***

As they got back, they were greeted by Igor's parents, who were now going to have dinner at one of the restaurants on the outside of the Tower. They were dressed up semi-formally, and jokingly laughed at them as they went past, holding their hands to cover their noses, mocking them for their smell.

They all had a good laugh about that, but they soon went their own ways, the kids were eager to take a shower, since they truly did smell, and the parents - as shown by the rumbling of Igor's father's stomach, were getting hungrier by the second.

'Ahh,, I guess no one would be able to guess his reputation, if they knew the actual man. Or well, I guess it's more that this is one of the facets to him, the one he shows to family and close friends. Although it is a bit more different with her…', by 'her', Ace meant the mother, she had a truly fearsome reputation. Unlike many others, she was not known for her savagery or her brutality, but more, for her fairness. In fact, if you ever asked Ace, the question as to which general to follow, he would always give you her name.

If you planned to dedicate your life to the mob, you would flourish, she was fair with everyone, you showed promise and accomplished what was asked about you, you could expect handsome rewards, now,if she caught you doing something you were not meant to - and she always did and would, then…

Funnily enough, however, she always seemed like that, as if she was assessing everyone, and making a decision as to whether they deserved her good treatment or not. To Ace at least, she appeared to be doing this every time, which for some may be nerve-wracking, but Ace found it quite fascinating, as well as memorable. To be able to always be impartial about a subject, required a certain amount of willpower not many had, and yet she did. Ace found that commendable, and he believed he let that show in his actions.

Times where he had gone to Igor's house for one event or another, especially when his family was there, everything ended up becoming a tournament of some sort, whether it be a drinking or chess one, simply depending on the circumstances. Most of the time, though, it ended being quite a bit of both.

In fact, while Ace did not see her drink much, he knew she had a high tolerance, since Igor's father had recounted stories of her drinking people three times her size under, which Ace thought to be a miracle, considering her frame. In addition to that, Ace did not see her play chess much either, but he knew that she was good. One time, a family member, one of her cousins, had gotten so drunk he challenged her to a game. At that point, everyone seemed to sober up, and get excited for some reason.

They quickly set up a table, and he sat in front of her, downing two shots of vodka, before he moved first, since he played whites. She won in 5 moves. Now, this was a man that was very drunk, but from what Ace could see, his moves were still solid, even if his reasoning may not have been. And by solid, that meant he was playing at least on an International Master's level. What did this mean? Well, a few things, for one, she was a top tier Grandmaster, for another, she was simply great at analysing people, and considering the various moves people could do, Ace felt it was the second.

Regardless though, she seemed quite skilled in everything, which only seemed to add to her mystique.

***

Ace put on some loose linen pants and a simple shirt, before walking out to the 42nd floor of the Tower, where he waited for about five minutes for the others to come. Then, they went to have dinner in a burger restaurant, a place that specialised on placing godly patties between heavenly bread.

It was a wonderful meal, just what they needed after a day of highly intensity exercise. They spent about two hours in the restaurant, just talking about the day while enjoying their food, and discussing their future plans.

Both Amy and Sophie planned on beginning their internships about halfway through next year, while Igor would begin a shadowing program. This was basically where he would follow a specific person throughout a period of time, he would see how they worked, what it was like, and so on. It was an invaluable lesson, if the person you shadowed was a master in their relative fields, and the person he would be shadowing most certainly was.

His nickname was the 'Gentlemanly Giant', and he was what you would expect, a behemoth of a human. His real name was Muteba Gazenga, a massive, muscular man who looked more like an enforcer for the mafia than anything else. However, the giant of a man had an interesting story behind him: he was of African descent, but had moved to Russia since he was small. At first, he had been bullied for his appearance, but that had only lasted until he became tired of it at eight years old, and joined a martial arts gym. There, he met a young Igorovich, a son of a middle-class man, who had also found a passion for fighting.

From there, it was all history, Igorovich had become his first and best friend, the one who pulled him out of the gutter, and together, they became the most infamous duo of enforcers, this lasted for a long while. Then, they were both invited to become generals for the mob, and while it took some time for them to agree, instead of doing so, they came up with a plan. A young Muteba, who had found another passion within the field of law, in bending it just as he had cartilages and muscles for years before, decided to study international law at Harvard, and that was what he did. He became Igorovich's security, the latter became the general, whilst Muteba simply ensured that he was well protected on the legal front. Thus, one of the most infamous partnerships hit the big leagues, and they wrecked just as much as they had done on the streets.

Muteba, had become an impenetrable wall no one could get through, and a young Igor, who was now closer to his 'Uncle' than ever, had decided he wanted to follow in his footsteps, both figuratively and literally.

'I am sure that will be good for all of them, but I do have to say, I am quite jealous of Igor, it is not every day one can shadow the famous Muteba, his work is just as impeccable as his fashion sense.'