Levias woke to the sound of someone clearing their throat…Loudly.
He opened one eye. His head was still on the hotel bed, and Niva was sleeping at his side.
Standing at the door was Motti…
Motti was the kind of man who walked around as if the entire building were a stage set just for him.
His coat was always shining, he would always polish his shoes until they glared.
He loved his hair slicked back with enough oil to fry a chicken, and his nose was always upward as if the air itself wasn't worthy of him.
He crossed his arms and sneered. "Well, well, Levias. Caught napping on the job again. How very typical."
Levias groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "I wasn't napping. I was… inspecting the mattress. For softness. Very important work."
Motti raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? You inspect with your eyes closed and your mouth open?"
"The best inspectors do. It's called experience."
Motti sniffed. "Experience? You've barely managed to survive here without tripping over your own shoelaces. And yet, somehow, I'm expected to tolerate your incompetence."
Levias spread his arms. "And you're doing such a fine job of it. Truly, your patience deserves an award. Maybe even a wife."
Motti's eyes twitched. "Careful with your tongue, boy. You're on thin ice as it is. One more mistake and you'll be gone from this hotel. Fired!!! For good."
Levias forced a laugh, though his chest felt like something was crashing inside.
Fired meant broke… Fired meant homeless…Fired meant… well, probably dying faster than rubble could manage. "You've been saying that for months, Motti. If you were going to fire me, you'd have done it already."
Motti stepped closer, forcing his shadow fall over Levias. "Do not test me. Go back to your post immediately, or I will see to it that you never work in this city again."
Levias moved his head to the side, smiling thinly. "You're right, I should. But you see, I was… testing the guest room. Making sure it's safe. Imagine if a ceiling fell. That would be tragic."
The words were more sarcastic than intended, hiding his real fear.
Motti narrowed his eyes. "Enough excuses. Move."
When Levias didn't get up quickly enough, Motti reached out and pinched the back of his neck-hard.
Pain came down Levias's spine. He jerked forward with a hiss. "Hey! Don't touch me!"
Something snapped inside him.
Niva's ears twitched. She rose from the bed, tails lashed, lavender eyes glowed, and a low growl rumbled from her throat.
Motti stepped back, startled. "What-what is that thing?"
Before Levias could answer, Niva aggressively jumped at him. Her sharp teeth sank into Motti's coat.
Motti screamed. "Get it off me!" And grabbed Niva's head.
After seeing this, Levias stood up immediately, and swung his fist, landing it against Motti's jaw. The man stumbled back.
"Oh, this feels good," Levias muttered, throwing another punch.
Niva darted around his legs, snapping at Motti's ankles. Together, man and fox moved, beating the arrogant manager into the ground.
Finally, Motti collapsed, groaning. His face was swollen, and his pride was left in darkness. He tried to crawl, but Levias kicked him lightly in the ribs.
"Stay down," Levias said. "Trust me, it's safer for both of us."
An awkward silence filled the room.
And then something odd caught Levias's eye.
The bed frame. One corner had been nudged out of place during the fight. Beneath it, half-hidden was a shape.
Levias slowly crouched and peeked underneath it.
And there he saw another body.
Not Motti' or the assassin's. It was someone else entirely.
"This hotel," he whispered, "is a nightmare."
Before he could react, a colleague stepped inside, another receptionist. He was a quiet man, named Tarrin.
To Levias, he always smelled like ink.
His eyes widened when he saw Motti being unconscious. Levias, standing over him, and a white fox perched on the bed.
His lips pressed into one line after his eyes detected a dead body under it too.
Tarrin opened his mouth.
Levias shot a hand up. "Wait. Before you say anything, let me explain."
Tarrin blinked. "This… this looks very bad."
"It's not what it looks like," Levias insisted. "Okay, it's exactly what it looks like, but with more context."
Niva barked like a dog, wagging her tails as if proud of the mess they just caused.
Levias's lips started temnling. "Look, Tarrin. You can run and tell the others. Or…" He hesitated, his brain was trying to come up with the next explanation.
The answer eventually came…
"This hotel is a graveyard…"
Levias had stumbled into one by accident with the assassin's orb. Now there was another body here, another mystery.
Levias straightened, and fixed his tone. "Actually, you know what? Don't tell anyone. Because this…" He gestured at the scene, at the fox, at the body. "This is mine. My job. My… side quest?"
Tarrin's mouth dropped open. "Side… what?"
"You heard me," Levias nodded. "The hotel gives them to me to clear out. Maybe they were supposed to die by my hands."
Tarrin swallowed hard. "You're insane."
"Maybe," Levias admitted. "But at least I'm not useless anymore."
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Levias…"
He glanced at Tarrin. "And if anyone tries to get in the way, they'll end up like Motti here."
Motti groaned again on the floor, proving he was still alive, though very sorry.
Levias smirked. "See? Still breathing. I'm merciful."
Tarrin backed away slowly, shaking his head. "You're out of your mind, Levias."
"Probably," Levias agreed. "But for once, it feels like my mind's the only one that knows what's going on."
He looked down at the unconscious manager, then at the hidden body under the bed, then at the fox perched proudly on his shoulder.
[Welcome Levias, Your First Side Quest is Completed: Got an avatar. The future looks a little better.]
"It's a similar system like the one-"
[New Side Quest: Remove the dead bodies from the hotel. Complete it if you want to stay alive.]
"I can live…if I'd continue doing side quests?"