"So, you care to explain why you're late…and why does the pendant look like this?"
In front of me stood Crawley; a young man in his late twenties, just a few years older than me, decked out in his signature yellow-tinted shades and golden rings. Honestly, I would respect his style more if he had golden hair instead of peach; perhaps he should get rose-gold jewelry and shades instead. Heh, since when have I cared this much about fashion?
It is now early morning, the day after my mission. I was supposed to report to Crawley's treasure shop last night, but I postponed it. Who could blame me? My clothes were covered in slime and dirt and had the stench of a rotten corpse. Not to mention that the peridot pendant was covered in the girl's half-digested lunch and saliva; I cringe when I think about the time I spent holding on to that thing before I could arrive home to wash it. It's understandable why he is looking at the now tainted, slightly off-color pendant with a dissatisfied expression, but I worked my butt off for this!
"I had to get my hands dirty when I was dealing with the girl. I tried to reason with her, but you know how that goes. I had to extract it from the dumb brat after she swallowed it. Or perhaps you would have rather me bring a filthy item that would have left a stench lasting for days? It was all for the sake of your business, you see.", I said using my slightly sarcastic tone.
"I see, I see…"
Crawley shook his head in disappointment while still looking at the pendant. He finally looked at me.
"Here's your payment, as promised."
He placed four golden coins on the table in a haphazard manner.
"Only four coins?! I thought we agreed on 9!"
"We did, but that was assuming you would execute the job properly. The value of the peridot pendant is surely lower now. Looks like that girl thief got the last laugh after all."
"I went the extra mile to recover the pendant from her gut, got puked on, and cleaned it for your convenience. Surely that's worth something extra?"
"Fine, 3 silver coins. Take it or leave it."
I would normally protest until I get what I worked for, but I can't afford not to take anything at this point. This is the life of a Dark Mercenary; we do the "dirty work" that clients are unwilling to do, but willing to pay for–usually black-market dealings. Crawley here is my highest-paying client, so I can't afford to wreck our deals. I begrudgingly take the coins and put them in my pouch.
"What's so valuable about that pendant anyway? Doesn't seem particularly important to me."
Crawley's eyes lit up so brightly that his magenta irises were easily visible through his shades. When it comes to finding and appraising treasurable valuables, no one I know does it better than Crawley. He's a total geek.
"Of course, to the naked eye this pendant may not seem worth pursuing, but to people with skills such as myself, we can see the true value!"
"Skills? You mean your curse?"
"Same thing; my curse is my skill! My eyes can detect valuable goods no matter what they are, even if hidden from plain sight. Sure, it's at the cost of being blind wherever there's light, but that's what these special shades are for."
Crawley flexes his shades with pride. I'm sure that what he said is mostly true, but there's no way that he's not trying to pass off as cool.
"Anyway, it appears that this pendant is from a noble family, perhaps from the Achans?
"Man, you're really good at this, huh?", I said half-heartedly.
Ignoring my lack of interest, he continues.
"I wonder how something like this left the palace. I mean, the nobles here rarely come out, if at all."
"Doubt that those guys would notice something as small as this has gone 'missing'; I bet they have bathrooms made of this kind of stuff."
"Heh, I suppose you're right. Sorry, but when it comes to treasures, I can't help but to analyze them; I was born this way, I swear."
"Cursed to be a treasure nerd?"
We both chuckle for a bit, bringing a micro dose of relief for me. There's not too much to be happy about in Avarice, so I try to cherish the small moments sometimes despite being the pessimist I am.
"I have a theory that this is related to the recent rumors. Have you heard of them?"
"Nope. If it doesn't pay, I have no interest."
I only mind business that matters to me, no time for pointless gossip.
"Whelp, the word on the street is that some people who visit the Achans tend to never return. Maybe someone managed to sneak this out, but fell victim to a curse?"
"Who knows? If the rumors are true, then perhaps that's a good thing; fewer scumbags to deal with."
Despite how ridiculous these rumors sound, I can't easily dismiss them. Odds are, it's related to the nobles' curses. Nobody knows for sure what kind of abilities they have; they are really secretive about that information. To be honest, Lord Olan hardly tells us anything anyway; we are mostly left to fend for ourselves.
"A curse, huh…", I say under my breath.
As if part of our genetics, every person is born with a curse. A curse inconveniences the host and potentially others. I still don't fully understand how curses work, let alone how mine works exactly, but I do know one thing for sure–I absolutely despise it.
Crawley takes a glance at his pocket watch.
"Oh, would you look at the time; gotta open up shop soon. Better stay on top of things around here, 'else my missus will scold me again."
"Heh, at least you have someone who actually cares about you."
"Haha, that's what I tell myself every day!"
Crawley laughs as he slaps my back.
"I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but I may have another gig for you soon; it's gonna be a real special one, it seems. You in?"
"Not if you short-change me again."
"I don't think that'll be a problem with this mission. Anyway, enough of that. Now get out of here already before my wife sees ya!"
"Okay then, peace."
I turn towards the exit, looking at the beams of daylight peeking through the cracks. Right before I could step out the door–
"One more thing before you go."
"...?"
"I appreciate you, Vex."