Grendel walked over to Sharon, tilting his head to the side as he tried to make out her expression. She was a young girl, if he had to guess, no older than sixteen. And going off that and her devotion to rebuilding the empire, she had probably been part of the Braxian youth.
Poor girl. She probably doesn't even know how to tie her shoelaces without the emperor's guidance, he thought.
Grendel kicked a loose stone and cleared his throat, stopping before Sharon. The ginger-haired girl glanced up at him, her green eyes sparkling in the sunlight as she fidgeted with her chipped nails. "Is there something I can help you with?" she said with a frown.
He chuckled and crossed his arms. Her anger was misplaced. He had saved her life, yet she still held hostility towards him for not wanting to re-establish a dead empire. It was sad but expected from a Braxian youth.
"I don't want anything from you. I'm not a head scout," Grendel said, glancing at his CI orb. "I'm only checking up. So how are you?"
"I'm fine," she said with a frown. Sharon gestured towards the growing research facility, a structure of pure light. "What is that, and is it dangerous?"
Grendel tilted his head toward the sky as if to think for a moment. The research facility wasn't dangerous, but in its current state, he wondered what would happen if someone touched it. "I wouldn't go near it," he said, glancing at her with a playful smile.
"What's that meant to mean?"
"It means what I said. Anyway, what are you going to do?"
She paused, frowning as she played with her nails. "I want to find more Braxians, true Braxians." She looked up at him, fire in her eyes. "I want to make the emperor proud and rebuild what he's lost."
"What about your parents? Would they want you to rebuild the empire?" Grendel said, dusting off a leaf on his shoulder.
"Wherever my parents are, I'm sure they would want me to build back the empire," Sharon said, turning towards the research facility. "If they don't, then they are nothing but traitors."
"You have no plans to go and find them?"
She scowled at him, her eyes narrowing as if looking at an idiot. "I have looked for them within the chat log, but anytime I put their name or my name, all that comes up is a blank. The system does not want us to find each other. Surely it is a test from the emperor himself."
Grendel shook his head and sighed. The girl was a blind fool, that much was clear, and he had a hunch that her devotion to the empire would get her killed in these new lands. But was it his job to save her?
"You want to find more Braxians? I won't stop you. Instead, I'll offer you some help," he said, raising an eyebrow. "If you can find someone in the chat log willing to take you in, I will have one of my husks guide you to them."
Sharon frowned and fell silent, seeming to consider his offer. The chirps of birds and the low whistle of the wind were all that could be heard. In Grendel's opinion, his proposal was a good one. If appreciated—good, if not, good. All that mattered was that he had given her a choice.
"Well," he said, frowning. "What do you want to do?"
"Can I have some time to think?"
Grendel chuckled. He wasn't in a rush and had other priorities that could occupy his time. The girl could think. "Okay," he said. "But then you'll have to come with me. It's not safe out here yet and we should check on your friend."
Sharon flicked her ginger hair and scowled. "I don't even know his name."
---
Grendel stood over the man and watched as he breathed weakly. The man had yet to wake up, and it wasn't clear if he ever would. At this point, his life would be in his hands; Grendel had done all he could—if there was more he could do, he wasn't aware of it.
"Are you going to attack the goblin camp with all these guys?" Sharon said.
Grendel turned and found her walking up and down the row of husks that the vat had finished growing. Each one was white and pristine, their face plates without a blemish. Each twitch of their arm accented the golden spiral running down them.
The hidden claws of my death dealers, he thought.
"Yes, I plan to send those five and one more to assault the goblin camp." Grendel walked over and joined Sharon, before glancing off at the stage to where Lucy sat. "How is your sister and Guss doing?"
"They're both still alive," Lucy said, not looking back. "They even managed to find a small stream. Guss suggested having one of the husks hollow out a tree log and fill it with water."
Grendel smiled. The plan wasn't half bad; the husk's claws were exceptional for cutting. What else could they make? When Gus got back, he'd have to talk to the man. Perhaps he'd have some more ideas. The wooden bucket was a good start.
"Seems we found fresh water," Sharon said, looking up at the stage.
The girl had probably not noticed, but she had said 'we'. Grendel found that funny for someone so eager to leave and find true Braxians. "I guess that solves the problem of having a water source."
He made his way over to his chair and slumped down. The map formed before him, and he selected six husks. "Let's get this show on the road," he said. He commanded the five husks to leave the base and meet with the other outside. He then instructed the group to march into the forest and head to the goblin camp. It was time to complete that mission.
"CI, can you notify me once the research facility is complete and the husks are close to the destination?"
"USER ID: 2244. The request has been logged."
Grendel glanced behind him and gestured at Sharon. "Now would probably be a good time to look at the chat log. I'll be there trying to make connections myself."
The girl nodded, but her green eyes were pained. He couldn't blame her; she would be taking a risk leaving. There was no guarantee that anyone would join her cause, and her safety might not be as secure as it was here. And perhaps she even felt ungrateful.
"So, she's leaving," Lucy said, a small smile adorning her lips. "Can't say I blame her. I'm not sure if the emperor's light would protect a base like this."
"Lucy, please," Grendel said. He didn't want the girl antagonized. It would be one thing if she left on her own accord, but another entirely if she felt forced out.
Sharon fixed Lucy with a glare, but in the end, focused on what she needed to do. Grendel turned to his screen and opened the chat log. As usual, the chat was active with people talking about meeting up and surviving the second day. Some complained about hunger, while others the lack of sleep. He noticed in all this that 8464 had been absent for several hours.
I have a hunch that he's doing something big, Grendel thought. Perhaps he's found a dungeon. Not that it mattered to him; he was here to get some wood sold.
---
Several minutes later, after getting into a back-and-forth with a few groups, Grendel agreed to sell his wood to a group that had called themselves Willows Brush. They had told him to meet them near the lake; it had become a meeting place of sorts. The police officer was doing well for himself.
The only problem was Grendel had never had time to actually locate it, but he figured that he would find it soon enough—especially once he got more units on the field.
He turned to the chair behind him, meeting Sharon's green eyes as she looked up. "So, did you manage to find anyone in the end?"
The girl toyed with her ginger hair as she frowned. "No, they are all useless. Most haven't gotten past sleeping in caves and trees. And quite a few have had people they've known taken by goblins," Sharon sighed. Grendel could see the disappointment in her eyes. It was the slow realization that she would not find what she was looking for.
He turned back to his screen, a soft smile on his lips as he scratched the side of his neck. "So, you are sticking with me, then?"
He heard what sounded like a huff of indignation from her, followed by a sigh. "I don't care if you don't help me rebuild the empire. I'll do it on my own, once I'm strong enough, but until then I'll need your help."
The hum of the vat was all that was heard in the room as Grendel took a moment to process what she had said. But after a moment, he smiled. The girl was naïve—most Braxian youth were, but she wore her heart on her sleeve, and he could appreciate that.