"Kill him," the dagger whispered inside his head. 

   "Not a chance, shut up," Mathew replied silently.  

He nodded at the large, sharply dressed man behind the massive mahogany desk and sat in the chair Mr Blackthorne had indicated.  

   "Listen, son, I have read your CV and I must say, I am impressed. I think you might be just the person we are looking for." 

   Mathew could not suppress a broad smile. It had been a hard few months after college. Hundreds of application letters, several CV updates and the regular burning of rejection letters had started to take their toll. Not to mention the monster hunting. But Mathew had done this since second grade.  

   "You have experience with Microsoft Excel?" 

   "Yes." 

   "Have worked with CRM systems" 

   "During my last internship, yes." 

   "And you would be willing to agree to the terms of a standard non-disclosure agreement, yes?"  

   Mathew hesitated for a moment. He could feel the dagger on his right leg getting warmer.  

   "It's not what you think, these things are normal. Now shut up and let me negotiate," he thought. 

   "If the compensation makes it worthwhile, I would be happy to, Mr Blackthorne," Mathew said, emphasising the third word softly.  

   The large man laughed aloud. 

   "A man after my own taste I must say. Let us hash out the details. I am sure we can make you an offer that will benefit us both." 

   They spent the next thirty minutes discussing the conditions of Mathew's new position at Blackthorne capital Ltd. Mathew had not really dared to hope that his application at this incredibly successful wealth management firm would even be considered. The company's fame and fortune were even more impressive considering it had not existed four years ago. They filled in the details of the contract then and there. After reading the document carefully, Mathew signed it on the spot. It was more than he could ever have expected or hoped for.  

   "Great, we are looking forward to having you on board," Mr Blackthorne said. He put his own signature on the contract as well and handed it over to Mathew with a large, toothy smile.  

   Ten minutes later, Mathew was walking past the reception desk, clutching his first real contract of employment tightly in his left hand. In his right, he was still holding the pen he had used to sign the document.  

   Balls, I cannot start my time here by stealing something. 

Mathew turned around and marched back towards the heavy oaken door. It was still open and he could hear strange voices coming through from the other side.  

   "You'll have to kill him, wait and see," the dagger's voice said almost gleefully inside Mathew's head. The ancient family heirloom did not take kindly to being ignored and could be downright petty sometimes.  

   Mathew put his hand on the door. 

   "Screw you, don't ruin this for me. I have earned that and you know it," he thought. 

   "It's too good to be true," the voice answered inside his head. 

   Mathew shook his head and pushed the door open. Inside the room, Mr Blackthorne was standing with his back towards him, but Mathew could see his front reflected in the large window. He was holding something in both hands and was speaking softly to it.  

   Mathew immediately recognised the language he spoke. Ancient Sumerian was used to communicate with enchanted objects. 

   Fuck. 

   Then, with one sudden movement, Mr Blackthorn turned around. His face had changed drastically from only five minutes ago. It looked as if it was melting and a small amount of smoke streamed out of both his nostrils. Clutched in hands that were even larger than before, the tall man was holding a glittering golden hand.  

   Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why does everything good turn to shit? 

   "Told you so," said the dagger. 

   "Screw you," Mathew said while he pulled the small blade from its sheath and closed the door behind himself.  

   The signed contract that had promised the perfect start into a good career fluttered to the ground while Mathew jumped forward to slay a dragon.
Again.