“There is one thing. Do you still have Silva’s blade here?” Scott asked.

“Of course, I have kept it safe here since you asked me to store it.”

“Could you get it for me?”

“Sure thing, but like I said before. You better not do anything stupid.”

“I don’t plan on it.” Scott said as Monty started heading to the back and disappearing through a door in the back.

* * *

SIlva walked into the old pub with a young Scott tailing behind. Monty was talking with another customer so they sat down at a small table by a window. Scott wasn’t exactly keen on sitting across from the woman he had just witnessed kill several monsters in the blink of an eye but she promised him food so he went along with it.

“So Scott, how old are you?” Silva asked as she put her elbow on the table and her hand under her chin in an almost seductive way.

“Twelve… I think.” he answered.

“And why exactly were you out so late at night?”

“I was looking for somewhere to sleep.”

“Do you not have a home?”

“No, and no family either.”

“Well, would you like to be part of my family? You’ll always have a place to sleep and never have to worry about food.”

“That sounds too good to be true.”

“Well, there is a catch. You’ll have to train under me and help me with my work.”

“And does that work include killing monsters.”

“So you know about monsters?”

“Of course I do, once you’ve been on the streets all the time you can see what is hiding in plain sight.”

“That’s a good point, but what do you know about them?” she asked right as Monty walked over.

“Ah Ms.Silva what can I do for you today?”

“Two platters and some water.” she replied.

“And who might this be?”

“His name is Scott. He might be my apprentice.”

“Hey, I haven’t agreed to anything yet!” Scott shouted out.

“I would suggest learning to control your emotions, child. Your fear is showing.” Monty said to Scott with a smile before walking away.

“I guessed that you would have to think about it but I am pretty sure you’re going to take me up on my offer. Now, what do you know about monsters?”

“A lot of them live like normal people and aren’t scary at all, but there are plenty of them that make people disappear when they think no one is looking.”

“That’s pretty spot on but I wouldn’t call all those creatures monsters. A lot of people just call them the creatures of the night. What makes them a monster is if they decide that their wants are more important than someone's life. Those creatures you saw me kill earlier had been eating people because it tasted better than what they could find at any market. They didn’t deserve to continue living.”

“But how did you turn them to dust?”

“Silver, you can use silver to kill any creature of the night. My gloves are lined with it and my sword is made from it. However, a lot of monsters will die from conventional weapons but it’s a lot more difficult and some are basically immune to everything except silver. On top of that their body will still remain as a corpse unless killed with silver so it’s a lot easier to just use silver.”

“So if I become your apprentice, you’ll let me stay with you and have plenty to eat?”

“Of course.”

“One last question. How old are you?”

“I’m seventeen, but didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to ask a woman their age?”