Chapter 88
Flange Orphanage, City: Three Prongs Fork, Republic of Shantu, Continent: Barat, the Year 2030, Planet: Grimoire
The fact that the commander was actually wandering through the crowds of participants and happened to find them made Grifton extremely skittish. This type of thing only occurred if the commander had a target of whom he was guarding. So, who'd been assigned as his charge? That question niggled in his brain as he watched the commander warily. Not only that, but he also realized they were surrounded by other guards. When had that happened?
Commander Darmono glanced at the drawing and scanned it into his device. Seconds later, there were startled shouts and infuriated arguments. Darmono glanced at Grifton. "Thanks to you, we've discovered several leaks in our security and intel. We're now plugging all of the holes." He rose to his feet, dusting off his pants as he did so.
The commander exhaled slowly. This type of thing seemed normal for him if not the competitors. "Let Officer Brinton know if you've got other ideas of where rats are hiding." He smiled at all four of them. "Congrats on toppling the entire tier and ranking system."
They bowed politely in acknowledgment of his words.
Another bleep from his device made the commander frown and sigh with irritation. Evidently, he'd wanted to converse with them longer, but duties called him away. "I'm looking forward to future performances from all of you." With that, he strolled away without saying another word.
The four of them watched him leave in varying stages of shock. They exchanged dubious stares before shaking their heads in confusion. The shock seemed to have left them able to speak clearly, much to Grifton's mild amusement.
At last, Amberlyn exhaled slowly and stared at Grifton, baffled. "Uh, just how well do you know him?"
Now, they were asking about stuff that he, too, was confused about. This wasn't a normal thing that he dealt with very often. When it did occur, the circumstances were never ones he'd recommend getting too close to the commander.
Grifton shrugged uncomfortably. "Honestly?" When they nodded, he grunted and ran a hand through his hair.
Bah, it was getting too long. Grifton absently pulled out a small string and tied his hair out of his face. "I've only ever encountered him whenever there were near catastrophic or disastrous occurrences taking place." He shook his head when they gaped at his revelation.
Grifton sighed. "Otherwise, I've never spoken to him informally that I can recall." He rubbed his arms uneasily. "I'm not sure, but I think he has some connection to Director Moline and the merchant Lamberton."
Grifton hadn't tried investigating further simply because he'd been too focused on surviving daily life to care.
His cousins rubbed their jaws but finally nodded in wryness. Calico smiled. "Well, now that that section has been cleared, all we have to be wary of are the other directions." He observed, though in glancing around, Calico winced. "Or not because the sun is so bright."
"That isn't normal either," Marlayne noted.
Here we go again. "Get down," Grifton said, shifting to his side and dropping flat. He and his cousins had hit the ground as flat as they could. Harsh flares of blazing light swept over where they'd crouched.
"Damn, that was too close." Amberlyn raised her head slightly.
"Get back down." Grifton hissed. "Which direction did you look last time, Cal?"
Calico grunted. "West, which is typically where the sun goes down; at least, I had thought so."
"That was more of someone reflecting artificial light through a mirror," Marlayne growled.
"This is getting beyond aggravating," Grifton agreed. "It would be nice if, for once, we could just get through one event without something targeting us."
They'd nearly been burnt to ashes that time.
"You all can get up now," said a different officer. He waited for them to rise to their feet. "Your reflexes are something else." He looked at all four of them carefully.
Grifton looked at him, and his eyes widened. "Abel Desmond?"
Desmond glanced at him and smirked. "Yep," He motioned for them to get to a safe burrow. "Stay in there for now."
Marlayne looked from the officer to Grifton. "You know him?"
Grifton nodded. "Didn't know that someone who once backstabbed me would turn out like this." He remembered Desmond being one of the older foundlings who'd disappeared after supposedly dying in a combat exam. How many others would turn up in this place?
Desmond glanced at him. "Yeah, I was just that stupid, furious, and hopeless when I did that." He offered some small objects to the four of them. "Here, I made some protective amulets."
Grifton was speechless with anger. He immediately recognized them, and his face darkened as he eyed Desmond.
Desmond recoiled from the angry glint in Grifton's eyes. "They were prototypes that I swiped from Grifton," he admitted, much to Grifton's shock. "I didn't even bother to sell them because they were the only things keeping me alive then."
Oh, that's right, Grifton remembered that he'd left them at Desmond's side by accident. "So, he didn't steal them, I dropped them."
"No, I could've sent them back a long time ago and didn't." Desmond shook his head at Grifton. "I kept them hoping that I could return the originals to him personally." He sighed. "I'm part of Lamberton's merchants." He rubbed his jaw. "I'm hoping that now I've fulfilled that expectation, I can join one of the frost-ranked merchant caravans."
Grifton's eyebrows rose. "I remember hearing about them. They're the suppliers to the military units under Commander Darmono, correct?"
Desmond nodded. "I would have to say that if you want to get combat and work experience in equal abundance, which is the rank you want to enter." He smiled and bowed. "I'll be lurking around."
Grifton glanced at his cousins. "It was recommended that I join them as a support type because of all the items I produce." He folded his arms. "I think you three should look into that as well if you want a shot at independence." He knew they didn't want to remain tied to the Orphanage for much longer.
His cousins glanced at each other. "Yeah, we were going to see about transferring to Lamberton merchants," Amberlyn confirmed.
Marlayne added. "Once we finished our internships with the Grace, Winter, and Rogan merchant groups."
Grifton had an unpleasant notion of what was coming next.
"The only reason we were working with them is simple." Calico grimaced. "Those three are the only ones officially affiliated with the orphanage and would take us on as interns."
Grifton exhaled. "I would double-check those affiliations if I were you." He didn't remember hearing that anywhere. "I've heard a few things I didn't like about them."
If Grifton wasn't mistaken, those were sham groups designed to scam the foundlings. When his cousins nodded, a sigh escaped him. "Well, I'm unsure how long we should remain here." He looked around.
"You're safe to come out," Desmond told him when he saw Grifton peering out. "The culprits were caught and promptly dragged away." Desmond updated them with the information of what happened. "Someone else removed the confiscated illegally obtained artifacts that someone had smuggled in."
Grifton nodded wearily. "Thanks, and to think this is only the first of seven days." He no longer was sure he wanted to continue with this messed-up competition.
His cousins cleared their throats and glowered at him. "Just remember that we're here."
Desmond sighed. "Not only that but several others that you saved and advised to get restarts elsewhere have returned to lend support." Hatred gleamed in his eyes when he added very sourly, "We're all in the security details and will be replacing certain medical and healer teams as well." The hatred vanished to be replaced with smug satisfaction, which also laced his words.
Well, that was reassuring and interesting to hear, especially coming from Abel Desmond. A smile tugged at Grifton's mouth. "I feel more reassured now that I've heard all of this from you all." On the other hand, this time, he wasn't alone, either, So that was an advantage Grifton had that wasn't the same as all the other prior exams.