The sun pierced through the thin window curtains covering the balcony doors, spilling warm light across the man lying on top of the sheets in a worn-out suit, his feet dangling off the edge of the bed.
"knock. knock. knock" A gentle tapping came from the door.
"Haa.." Vance yawned, slowly opening his weary eyes.
"Hello," Jennifer's sweet voice greeted him from the other side of the door. "I'm about to make breakfast. Is there anything you'd like?"
"Anything is fine," He replied, rubbing his eyes.
"I'll let you know when it's ready." Her footsteps faded down the hallway.
''Crack... crack.." His joints popped as he stretched.
"That was a good nap." He stood beside the bed with a smile.
'I really slept with my clothes.' Removed his shoes, he walked toward the narrow doorway besides the headboard.
The bathroom was simple yet elegant, a polished basin, dark countertop, mirror, shower, and a deep bathtub tucked beside the walls.
Turning toward the mirror, he frowned.
His pitch black hair was messy enough to cover his eyes. "I'm such a mess."
He sorted through the bottles on the counter, grabbing shampoo and a bar of soap before stepping into the tub.
After a while, steam drifted through the room as he stepped out with a refreshing smile. 'Nothing beats being clean.'
He grabbed a towel from the counter and dried himself. 'I should look for a library today, I need a deeper understanding of skills and gifts.'
Running conditioner through his hair, he stepped back into the bedroom and walked toward the wardrobe across the bed. 'Since Roxy said my growth is limited, the best choice right now is to focus on Jennifer's growth.'
'I have her ask Roxy how to get stronger.' he pulled out a black shirt, matching vest and fitted pants.
'She has good taste,' A faint smirk appeared on his face as he dressed.
Once done, he draped a long black coat with a golden trim over his shoulder.
''Good as always,'' he commented while looking at his reflection.
"Knock... knock..." Another knock echoed from the door.
"...greedy human... food ready..." Skritch's voice called out from the hallway.
Vence walked toward the door.
'Should I take it with me?' His hands paused on the handle as he glanced at ledger resting on the nightstand.
'There's no need.' He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
Skritch's head disappeared down the staircase as Vance followed after him.
The scent of bacon drifted through the house as he passed the brown leather couch in the living room.
He entered the dining room just as Jennifer removed removed her flower patterned apron.
"Good morning," Vance greeted them, taking a seat at the head of the table.
"Good morning to you too" Jennifer replied, Skritch had already dived into the food.
Jennifer sat beside Vance and quietly closed her eyes in prayer.
"Skritch," Vance said, stabbing his fork into a strip of bacon. "Show Jennifer your den."
Skritch's eyes narrowed as he spoke through a mouthful of food. "..why... greed hum...an?"
Vance calmly chewed through his eggs, bacon, and bread before replying. "She'll be holding all the money you have."
"THUD!" Skritch fist slammed against the table. "...No..."
Vance eyes narrowed. "What?"
Instantly, the ledger materialised beside his hand. A faint golden light flowed from the book into his body as a single word echoed through his mind 'Extract'
"You're going to do it." Vance said flatly, "I wasn't asking for your opinion."
"...No..." Skritch repeated through clenched teeth.
Vance's eyes turned gold as stared down the goblin. The word echoed louder in mind. 'Extract!'
Vance's lips parted, "[Extract]."
'What?' His eyes widened slightly as the wrong word slipped out naturally then.
"KURK!" Skritch coughed blood across the table.
Jennifer jerked upright from the chair, horror flashing across her face.
Vance remained expressionless.
'I see.' He watched the blood spill over the plates. 'When they disobey, all I need to do is say extract,'
Jennifer shoved her chair back and stormed out of the dining room, leaving her food untouched.
''..Sor...krrk...sorry..." Skritch struggled to speak as blood poured from his lips.
Vance returned to his meal. The scrambled eggs surprisingly good, especially with the warm bread. He barely touched the blood tainted bacon.
"...ye...yes.." Skritch gasped while clutching his chest, "...I... do it.."
Vance continued eating. 'I should figure out who Tooka superior is'
'But Derrick probably won't tell me directly.' he sighed and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"...Huff... huff..." Skritch struggled to breathe while wiping blood from his mouth.
"Show Jennifer to your den." Vance repeated as he stood up. "And make sure she takes every coin."
Taking the ledger with him, he walked toward the front door.
Behind him, Skritch's grip tightened around the fork.
Vance grabbed the handle and stepped outside. The fresh air greeted him on the veranda.
'This is nice neighbourhood,' A smirk appeared on his face as he watched horses pulling carriages along the stone road.
Across the street, the ogre officer pretending to read a newspaper glanced toward him.
Vance casually waved. 'The bright side is that I get free security.'
The ogre waved back. 'At least until they decide to kill me.'
Without understanding this world properly, forming a reliable plan was difficult.
He stepped back inside the house and was immediately met by Jennifer's cold stare as she stood near the stairs.
"Do you remember the vendor lady with cat ears?" Vance asked.
"Yeah."
"Once you're done with Skritch, give her ten thousand gold," he said. "And ask her how to get strong or anything you think will be useful."
"Yeah"
"Give me the ID."
His eyes narrowed slightly as Jennifer crouched down and reached into her shadow.
"Swoosh." The identification card flew through the air toward him.
Vance caught it, though a thin cut opened on one of his fingers.
'I should make a contingency plan in case someone figures out how to break contracts.' He smiled faintly. "Thank you."
Then he stepped out of the house once more. 'Time to explore the city.'