"What is this?" My boss asks with a look of disgust as if he just found an ancient shithole.

"As you can see, it's an urn. Not just any urn, it's the urn of Pharaoh." I say, hoping to make a good impression.

"Except that it's unrecognizable."

"Of course. It's over three thousand years old. It's a rare artifact, I must admit."

"Jasper, do you have any idea what you have just done?" He shouts at me.

"I retrieved the most valuable artifact from the Mount Blight."

"Yes, you did but you have failed to bring it in one piece."

"Well, I did it better."

"How?"

"I have brought it in many pieces, which is better than just one."

He points a bony finger at me. "Mr. Reardon, you do understand the seriousness of the situation. It was a great opportunity for our archeological research company to shine and get more funds. You ruined it. We could have sent other agents for that mission."

"Look, it just exploded itself. How is this my fault?"

"Try scamming someone else. Perhaps, open a business that depends on scamming. This is not the right place for you. I am sorry, Mr. Reardon. You are fired."

"What? Excuse me? I'm not... no, I mean... what about the dig? I can explain! I can get it all back..."

My boss is waving his arms around like a madman. His face is red with fury. He has a strange accent. It sounds like broken English.

"Explain. EXPLAIN! I think you owe the world an explanation, Mr. Reardon."

"It's not my fault! The pieces just... exploded. It's the first time anything like this has happened. I'm sure I had the situation under control!"

"Did you? Please tell me the situation is under control."

"Well... no, but..."

"Is this the work of a demon? Is this a curse? Is this hell?"

I sit there, dumbfounded, while I decide how to answer. Should I tell the whole truth? Or stretch the truth? How far am I willing to go to save my job?

"Well, technically, yea..."

"Don't worry. I won't hold you to anything. I am not God. Here. You can go." He motions to the door.

I tried convincing my boss but he won't listen. I leave and I never return.

As soon as I step outside the building, I see a message from the system floating in front of my eyes.

Quest Become a Private Investigator. Penalty: One hour of extreme pain. Reward(s) : 1. two items 2. two skills.

It's not as easy as it may seem. Becoming a PI requires licensing. To obtain license, I must attend classes, undergo firearms and non-weapons self-defense training, and then pass the exam for licensing. It will take at least a year. It will cost me money and I am not even sure if I want to invest in it. "I decline."

When I said no, an excruciating amount of pain engulfed my nerves and muscles like venom. I could handle it if it was only for a few minutes, but I don't believe I could tolerate it for an hour.

"Alright. I accept, you prick."

*****

The sun hangs in the sky, an ominous red ball whose rays bathe the Necrofrost Gloom city in a blood orange glow. Soon, it will cast its final long, baleful gaze over the city, heralding the end of the day's remaining light, and the beginning of the long, dark night.

The city stretches out before me. Skyscrapers and office buildings dominate the landscape, their windows glowing with artificial sunlight. The streets are packed with cars, their headlights on, as if the drivers are waiting for the sun to set. The sky is slowly turning dark, but the city is still alive.

The Necrofrost Gloom city, a mass of twisting, winding alleys and narrow streets, is a place of danger.

People flocks to the streets, as they do at every minute. Except on rare occasions when something succeeds to kill all of the city's people, the city is never silent. The stillness comes after that, and only then.

Whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, ill, and venal beasts all emerge at night. At some point, a proper downpour will wash away all of this muck.

[An emergency quest has been generated]

"What?"

Emergency Quest: Prevent the rape Details :

A woman in a near dark alley is about to be raped by a dangerous criminal. Defeat the criminal and save the lady from the potential rape.

Penalty :

none.

Reward (s) :

Two skills.

In general, if someone was being mugged, I wouldn't get involved because it wasn't my concern. However, it’s a different scenario.

I abhor rape and the rapists. Besides, the rewards seem good too. Furthermore, it will improve my reputation, allowing me to obtain the license more quickly.

Therefore, I will gladly accept this quest.

I walk down the nearest alley. It's a dark, grimy place. Graffiti covers the walls, and trash and empty bottles clutter the ground. A faint light shines from one of the buildings. As I walk, I try to look through windows, but the buildings all have their blinds or shutters closed. I can't see anything.

I continue walking down the grimy alley. Trash cans and piles of old newspapers litter the ground. I can't help but to step in a pile of trash. The stench is overpowering.

I see a shadow shift from the corner of my eye. Something is lurking in the alley. If my guess is right, it's a ruffian. This means it's probably the target that I must punish. I hear a muffled voice of a woman screaming. It sounds like she's being grappled.

I glance over towards the source of the noise. I see a woman in a red dress being grappled by a ruffian. The man that is holding her is wearing black clothing, and his face is covered by a black bandanna or cloth. The woman is flailing and struggling, and her screams are echoing in the alley.

I have to act now.

Do I save the woman from the potential rapist? Or do I let the villain take his prey?

They are still too far away from me.

I grab a steel pipe from a nearby trashcan, and run towards the alley. I have to make this quick, as I don't want to be caught out in the open with a thug like this. While he is occupied with his prey, I will sneak up on him and strike him from behind.

It is, without a doubt, pretty thrilling. I'm having a great time with this.

The woman is wearing red clothing. All I can see is her face. She's screaming, and the man is holding her.

"Stop struggling, or I'll kill you!" the man threatens. He sounds as if he has an accent.

'I see an opening.'

I run up to the man, and swing the pipe at him, striking him straight in the back of his head. He lets go of the woman, and falls to the ground.

I give a quick search to the goon's body and see a 0.38 caliber revolver hidden in the clothing. Sneakily, I take it for myself.

I run over to the woman. She's breathing heavily. I kneel down beside her, and try to check if she's alright. Her eyes are wide open, and she's staring at me. I can see that she's alright.

"Don't make any sudden movements. Stay calm."

"I'm fine."

"Let me see."

I lift up the woman's skirt and check her legs. They are both cut and bleeding.

I help her to her feet.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes, I can."

"Come on." I help her out of the alley. She's in no shape.

I help her into a nearby hospital building. I can hear the screams and cries of other denizens of the city. I don't like the fact that this woman is alone.

I walk over to a nearby police precinct and tell the officer on duty the situation. He says they'll send out a patrol to the area.

I go back to the woman.

She has long, dark hair that reaches her waist, and dirty blond hair at the roots. She has green eyes that are set deep into her head, and a strong forehead. She has a medium build, but her face looks as if it has been chiseled out of stone. She is thin, yet she seems fit. I wouldn't mind seeing more of her. She's wearing a red dress.

I ask her where she's from.

"I'm from a small village to the south."

"What's your name?"

"Sarah."

"How you got here?"

"I was coming to the city to visit my sister when a ruffian attacked me."

"How did he get you into a secluded alley?" I ask.

"He was standing outside the entrance to the alley, and he lured me in with the lies that my sister was being held against her will by a man with a black mask. I had to save her."

She appears to be fairly trusting, which is to be expected of a country girl.

"You were coming to rescue your sister. That's quite the heroic story."

"I do what I must to protect those I love."

After some talking, I took her contact info and left when I made sure everything is under control.

The rewards from the quest are floating in front of me.

Rewards (s): Skill 1. Inventory. Details : Any item granted by the system can be stored in the inventory. 2. Grappling mastery level 1. Details: Level 1 grappling mastery provides low level proficiency in all form of grappling techniques including Takedowns, Clinching, Throws, Sprawling, Submission holds, Pinning, Escapes, Sweeps, Turnovers.

'Hah! That's groovy.'

I can already feel all the skills as if I have always knew how to execute them ever since I was young.

It will make my life quite easier during the training classes for licensing.

The "inventory" seems like pocket dimension where I can store anything without carrying them with me and I can take them out whenever and wherever I want.

I tried stashing the revolver in the inventory, but it declines it. Then, after reading the details again, I realized that the inventory only works for the items that were given to me by the system as rewards.

I stuff my hands in my pockets, bare my teeth and exhale. I am out of job, I gotta head to the licensing office and talk with them, and I must enroll in an authorized academy to get training and classes. Also, I must find a way to earn livelihood until I become a PI. Even if I manage to become a PI, it does not guarantee a stable income. There's a lot to do.

But the night is wearing on. I start back to home with the intention of getting some sleep and a fresh start in the morning. I go two blocks before realizing that someone is following me.

The small hairs at the back of my neck stand on end, and goosebumps tiptoe up my forearms on fairy feet. It's hard to

say what tipped me off. Maybe it was the sound of a shoe heel on pavement that only my subconscious picked up. Maybe it's just something that comes with experience. Or maybe it's a sixth sense, something I

can't explain. Something primal. Maybe it doesn't matter. Someone is dogging my footsteps.

At the corner, I stop, and, under the guise of looking both ways before crossing the street, I steal a glance over one shoulder.

Half a block back there is a short

hunchback in a long coat with a fedora pulled low. I cant see a face; I can't even see hands, which are buried in his coat pockets. He stops on the sidewalk, and I can feel his eyes on me. He watches me from beneath the brim of the grey fedora.