“Haha and then you glared at Paul like nothing had happened,” Anne said, spilling some of her drink as she laughed heartily.

“Yeah seriously what do I even think of most of the time,” Vice said in a drunken slur. His brown cheeks were tinted red. “This drink really has a kick to it, doesn’t it, Anne… Hey Anne, don’t fall asleep on me, come on,” Vice urged as the girl slumped back into the couch, snoring.

Vice tried to shove the girl awake, yet it was futile. She rested her head against his shoulder, a content smile plastered on her face. A whiff of a sweet vanilla fragrance hit Vice’s nose as he tried to move the girl however her hair just pushed itself onto his face instead.

“Ahh, why are you like this, Anne?” Vice said and he breathed out a heavy sigh. He then picked her up with ease, after which she pressed her arms around his shoulders tightly.

Vice walked up the stairs of her house carefully, until he reached the pink door he recognized was to the bedroom. He swiftly opened the door, and put Anne on her bed, tucking her tightly into her blanket.

‘Doesn’t she look adorable, Vice? Why don’t you go snuggle there with her? I doubt she’d be angry,’ Favian mocked. ‘Oops, I didn’t say anything.’

‘Shut up. She’s already asleep. I don’t wanna wake her up. Ahh just be quiet already, you’re giving me a headache,’ Vice replied.

‘Okay, okay, no need to get so defensive,’ Favian said.

Vice walked back down the stairs and went to the couch, slumping down into it. Vice’s head swirled around as he lay on the couch in his drunken state. The soft texture of the couch brought him to sleep better than any lullaby could. Twice throughout the night did he wake up, thinking that he was going to vomit. Fortunately for him, he was able to keep the contents of his stomach intact.

“Ahhh, my head,” Vice said when he woke up from his sleep. He clutched his head with his hand because it felt like his brain would explode at any moment. ‘What’s this?’ he thought as he noticed a warm, plump sensation on his chest. Vice rubbed at his eyes, trying to make sense of what was on top of him. When he opened his eyes he could see Anne laying comfortably on him, with drool falling off her lips, onto his clothes.

“Seriously, Anne, not again,” Vice muttered. He tried to move the petite girl off him, but she clung onto him and coiled around him like as he tried to get up.

“Good morning, Vice. Did you sleep well, cos I did?” Anne giggled. Unlike Vice who looked sluggish from the night before, she was booming with vitality, as if the alcohol had had no effect on her whatsoever. Vice noticed that her natural brown complexion was perfectly complimenting her yellow eyes as he stared at her intensely. His eyes were plastered onto hers completely.

“What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?” Anne asked whilst jumping away from Vice.

“Huh? Oh sorry. I spaced out,” Vice replied. A notification from Vice’s system caused him to flinch, and he accidentally kicked the living room’s table, causing it to fall over. “Ahh sorry, don’t mind me,” Vice said before Anne could get a word in. He went to the kitchen table and put it back on all fours before turning his attention to the system.

[DING! Would the host like to accept the quest ‘Widow Maker’? Experience reward of 1000 experience and a random reward.]

‘Is there any more information available on the quest? Like what do I have to do?’ he thought.

[DING! The system cannot give you any information on the quest until the host accepts it.]

Vice’s face contorted into a scowl as he looked at Anne.“Wh- what? Is there something on my face?” she asked.

Vice shook his head and said, “Sorry, I was thinking about something less pleasant.” ‘Fine, I accept the quest. I can just not do it if it’s too difficult,’ Vice thought.

[DING! The host has accepted the quest ‘Widow Maker’. A mysterious figure is tormenting the families of Restok and killing off the husbands of various women. Your objective is to find out who or what is causing this tragedy, and put a stop to it by any means necessary. You will be rewarded for appropriate completion of the quest.]

‘Where do I even begin with that? What am I talking about? I don’t want to help those toxic humans from Restok who made my life a hell. No way system, forfeit the quest immediately,’ Vice thought.

‘Haha I don’t think it’s as simple as saying you forfeit the quest, Vice,’ Favian said.

[DING! The host has accepted the quest and forfeiting will impose a 95% reduction of rewards earned for the next ten quests the host receives. If the host forfeits any further quests, the amount will be increased gradually.]

‘Told you,’ Favian chuckled.

Vice slouched back onto the couch before taking in a slow, deep breath. It was only then that he saw Anne had been looking at him the whole time. “Sorry, I’m back now. I just had to reclaim my thoughts. The alcohol has given me a pretty big hangover. Anyways, I’ve gotta leave now, send me a message when you’re done with your end of the job,” Vice said with a weak smile.

“For sure. See you later. Oh say hi to Angeline for me,” she replied. Anne walked him to the door before giving him a long hug. She rubbed at his back for what felt like an eternity until allowing Vice to escape her heavy clutch.

‘She’s strong for somebody that’s so small,’ Vice noted.

Vice walked through the sunny streets with his hood across his head, despite his horns piercing through it. Many stares came his way as he walked around, but he ignored each and every one of them, instead focusing on his walk to his temporary lodgings. It didn’t take too long for him to reach the villa. As he stood outside his new home, he looked about the area, sensing something watching him. After spending a couple of minutes trying to pinpoint the foreboding feeling, he decided to enter the villa.

“Mom, I’m back. Are you okay?” he asked loudly. Vice took off his shoes and left them by the front door before walking through the new house. The whole area was what could be described as clean and elegant. The villa was mainly painted a light turquoise and the sleek silver metal counters that were ever-present in the building added to the modern feel. The living room was surrounded completely by glass doors that opened into a balcony that overlooked the pool.

“Yes, I’m in the kitchen,” Angeline replied. When Vice walked into the kitchen he could see her cooking on the stove.

“Huh? Mum, you don’t need to cook, you can order some food from the kitchen,” Vice said. His mother simply looked back at him and gave a warm smile. It was only then that he smelled what she was cooking, and he salivated in anticipation. “I- Is that your salmon pasta? You haven’t made it in years…” Vice mumbled as he stared at the pan his mother was holding onto.

“Yes, honey. I found some inspiration after I woke up today. Here eat up, I know how much you love this dish,” she replied. She turned off the stove and then handed Vice a porcelain plate on which she placed pasta and a tender, pink salmon that was covered in a red tomato sauce. To the side of the dish, there was a small dollop of a white tartar sauce along with a wedge of lemon.

Vice took the plate and chowed down the contents, leaving not a single particle on it. The plate looked as clean, if not cleaner than it had been before the food had been put on it. Vice was even able to see his reflection on it perfectly, smiling wildly at himself as he held onto his stomach.

“Thanks, Mom, I needed that. I’ve got some work to do so just take it easy here. I put your medication next to your bedside table, make sure to take it,” Vice said. He gave his mother a kiss on the forehead before he hurried out of the villa.

‘Ahh, I hate being out here during the day. But there’s nothing else I can do, I guess? I need to find some widows, first of all,’he thought to himself. The sun was high up in the sky, and it was close to noon. Despite the bright sun, the weather was deceptively cold where Vice was, and he wore a wool scarf around his neck as a result.

‘Time to see what new information Jack can give me. He’s been such a dependable person so far, I wonder if he’ll be able to help with this ridiculous quest that I’ve been able to get myself,’ he thought as he sped through the wide streets.

….

A small shabby building made completely out of wood stood in front of Vice. Its windows were tinted black, stopping any light from entering through. The rest of the street was desolate, with not a single building near where Vice was. Barely any people walked past despite it being the busiest time of the day. Some planks of wood from the building were lodged out of place, and it looked more like an abandoned shed. However, Vice knew that one of the best information brokers used this place for business, despite being a rich person.

‘Awfully quiet don’t you think? Guess Jack’s got no new business as usual,’ Favian thought. ‘At this rate do I not just pay his wage since I’m his only customer? I mean, it’s not like he needs any more money, I wonder what he spends it all on though,’ he wondered with his hands rubbing his chin. ‘It must suck to be a dwarf in such a marginalized city like Restok, he should just up and leave to the Maloi Kingdom where he won’t get discriminated because of his race.’

Vice walked through the fragile door with a confident stride. A bell rang as he opened the door, and a high-pitched voice called out to him. “Who’s there? Just give me one second I’m in the back.”

Vice waited by a small counter, which only reached up to his hips. The interior lighting was extremely dim, with only a few candles placed on the walls adding brightness to the room. After a while, a small dwarf walked through the door behind the counter, bells jingling with every step. His nose protruded out pretty far, and red dots were sprinkled across the dwarf’s snow-white skin. The dwarf opened his mouth wide in a smile when he saw Vice stood there.

“Oh, Vice, you’re back already? What brings you here?” Jack asked. He rummaged through some metal pieces behind the counter as he spoke.

“I need some information, apparently there’s been an influx of widows in Restok,” Vice said.

“Hmm, widows?” Jack looked up at the boy towering him with a glint in his eyes. “Now that you mention it, I remember hearing some rumors about some weird things happening recently. Now if only I could remember…” He rubbed at his head.

CLANG!

A heavy bag filled to the brim with gold pieces was thrown onto the table, which Jack immediately grabbed. “Eight, Nine, Ten. Ten gold pieces seems like it’s all in order. Okay, so I’ve heard recently that in the old residential district, more specifically in the Gwabu area, there have been sightings of a mysterious apparition at night. Every week without end one man will die there, and the cause of death is never known,” Jack said.