Chapter 105
Golden First Market Plaza near Fremont Academy, City: Three Prongs Fork, Republic of Shantu, Continent: Barat, the Year 2036, Planet: Grimoire
In a nearby alleyway, the group was panting in frustration. They had to admit. Grifton Tinroy was light on his feet. None of them believed he'd used magic to accomplish the feat.
Damn dragon blood, one of them was displeased with that fact.
"It doesn't matter. We just have orders." The boss smacked the complainer. "You know what happens when we don't grab the target." He looked around. "I know he's around here somewhere."
One of the others panting heavily. "Why not just burn down the place Tinroy's supposed to deliver the pouches?" Came a suggestion. "Either way, we can nab him, get the pouches, and deliver him successfully to the boss."
The idea had merit, but the boss was wary. "No fires. We're restricted because of this awful heat." He shook his head. "As for why the loser...Dunno, guess some beef goes way back to the time they lived in the Flange Orphanage."
"So, he was one of those orphans." The others became more uneasy.
"Yeah, the client wants him more than anyone else."
That still didn't address the problem of getting their hands on him, though. "Well, we can wait for him out. We're in the shade. We have grub, water, and time on our hands."
The boss yawned. "Troy and Caleb go onto the nearby rooftops. Indeed, he'll stick out like a sore thumb with all these black roofs." He clearly wasn't all that pleased with having to do this. Nor was he earnest about chasing Tinroy, nor was he sure if the gang was paying attention to what was happening.
"We need to look sharp. I heard some Crows will be lurking around," Brier warned his group.
"Huh?"
"Say what?"
"Awesome, feathers will fly today!"
The hooting and hollering were rather boisterous for that area. Especially when there were some really nasty lowlives in the area.
"Keep it down, fools." Jameson snapped. "You want to bring down others on our heads?"
Chastened murmurs echoed right after. "Oh, right, sorry." The gang members dispersed and went about their duties.
~*~
The orders for lookouts might've worked if Grifton had been near the upper-level niche balconies he'd scouted earlier. I'm glad I found an alternative allowing me to be near them where they wouldn't think to find me. Fortunately, he'd found a better place to take time to rest and plan for an alternative route.
As he listened to what was being said, Grifton frowned as he considered his choices of alternative routes. He couldn't stick around there all day. If only they'd dropped the name of one or two clients. He grimaced and sighed inwardly. I might've been able to have a reasonable excuse for idling a bit longer.
In truth, he was tired of this unstable way of life. It had been a voluntary choice when he'd reached the age of thirteen to do it. That was three years ago.
However, as that gang boss mentioned, Grifton was on a deadline and was getting close to crunch time. Well, since they aren't going to say anything useful, I'd better be on my way.
Grifton wouldn't be under pressure if this happened at any other time of day. I gotta hand it to them. They'd planned this ambush rather well. He shook his head in admiration of their network information.
As for the mention of the Crow's Heights gang, Grifton winced. Yep, he'd figured out that those killers were after him. Hmm, that was a warning if he'd ever heard one. Grifton frowned in confusion when he registered that information.
Eh, so the Lifter gang had intentionally followed, but not with the intent to capture or kill, unlike the Locust Boys? What was up with that? Grifton shook his head. He didn't have the time to unravel the mystery enfolding him. Too bad for the Crow's Height gang members. I'd already been forewarned they had something planned.
Grifton sighed because he realized that he had eliminated one contender after his butt. Now, I have to make sure that neither of the two gangs manage to catch me. From what Grifton could ascertain, that would be the tricky part. I'll have to be triple-alert than usual if I don't want the killer Crow's Heights members to catch me.
All right, he'd rested up long enough. Times up. Grifton exhaled. At least I'm no longer subjected to the possibility of passing out because of heat exhaustion. That had been something of a concern earlier. He'd grabbed the opportunity to find a decently clean water source to cool off earlier. He was drying off in a partially shady back alley.
Now that he had a better idea of what he was up against, Grifton could assume there'd be no external assistance. Why did I agree to this stupid scheme of wandering the streets when I could've just entered that Academy? While he somewhat regretted that choice, he remembered why he'd chosen this method.
Attending the night school while wandering the streets allowed Grifton to pick up all kinds of exciting knowledge. It made for a risky type of work, running the errands, but it gave him street smarts that he wouldn't have gained while studying within academic walls. That made all this trouble worthwhile, or it had been the first two years.
Grifton sighed. In this last year, though, he'd come across traces of insidious activities that made his hair stand on end. Now, he was coming to the end of that type of work being worthwhile. It was proving more dangerous to his well-being than the pay he was getting. Not only that, but he suspected the artifacts he used were beginning to wear out. They'd actually lasted long beyond their original purpose.
While verifying the bits and pieces of gossip to determine whether it was trustworthy, Grifton ran errands for various vendors and grocers. Those men and women gave him free food and resting places throughout the day.
It was at nighttime that Grifton remained ever-alert and wary. After all, he'd been in that state of constant alertness long before he'd left the orphanage.
Nowadays, he would prefer something more stable. Grifton sighed with wistful longing. He was about to obtain that long-awaited graduate certificate, too. A faint smile curved his mouth.
Grifton acknowledged that it meant all he'd done was worth the effort, but only if he lived to receive it and move on. "Now I just need to make that last deadline." He allowed his senses to play out around him.
Sure enough, the Crow's Height rogues lurked around. Ugh, what a mess this would be if he showed his face anywhere along the apparent paths and three alternatives. They'd figured out his patterns too well after all this time.
Grifton sighed in aggravation. This would be worse than facing off with those fools, the Locusts. Hmm, well, what the hell. He'd just teleport there. That tactic they wouldn't even think of him doing.
Tired of running anyway, Grifton did precisely that. After all, if he wasn't mistaken, this was going to be his last mission. Why should he waste his strength fighting those assholes?
~*~
A very anxious vendor was tracking Grifton's whereabouts in another part of the central marketplace. He was sweating bullets because this was the last duty that Grifton needed. "Why hasn't he arrived yet?" Corley fretted. He needed to succeed.
"Chill out, Rufus." One of the enforcers frowned at him. "I won't break a limb if he doesn't up precisely on time." The stripes on his face and body denoted his feline background.
Corley regarded Janus with surprise. "This is the first time you've said that type of thing."
Janus drank a sip from his glass of water. "If you'd paid attention at all, you'd realize I'm not one of those damn enforcers." He sounded mildly insulted. "If you don't believe me, look to the left side of the building where the delivery door is located."
Hmm, Corley shot Janus a cold stare. He went to look and was finally reassured that Janus spoke the truth. The three enforcers, who'd been hassling him and other vendors. They'd been vicious lately and now were trussed up like roast birds.
Amused, Corley shook his head. He returned to the bar, where Janus sat. "So, what are you if not an enforcer?" Come to think of it, Corley did remember there were some movements to crack down on those nuisances. Of course, he hadn't expected to watch it happen at his business place.
Janus tapped his right sleeve. The insignia denoted the Lamberton merchant group. "I'm one of the guards with a merchant caravan." He shrugged. "It is time to bring him into the artisan sector."
Corley heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear that." He grimaced on recalling what he'd seen of Grifton's demeanor lately and shook his head unhappily. "I think Grifton's been slowly falling into despair."
Janus frowned. "Why?" He looked alarmed.
Corley could only make a guess. "I think it is because of what he's learned of foul nefarious plots brewing in the black market."
Janus' shoulders slumped. "If he's hearing rumors of that, it's because he's likely a target now."
Corley nodded. "He's become too noticeable." He shrugged. "I think he got badly hurt the last time he ran afoul of the Locust Boy's gang." In fact, Rufus had gone looking for him because Grifton had missed the time to meet him for a rare meal.
Janus grunted. "Well, I'll ensure he sees a proper medic upon completing this task."
Corley brightened on hearing that. "I think it would be wise to have him do so."
If he succeeded in this mission, Grifton could finally live a semi-normal life as a merchant artisan.
Right then, a loud clatter on the street caught their attention. Startled shouts and yells of fury indicated something unexpected on Corley's doorstep. When he would've gone out to look, Janus shook his head. "Check the window first." His eyes glinted with mischief. "A dragon showed up out of nowhere."
A DRAGON? Oh crap, Corley almost freaked out when he heard the news. This was bad. "We may need to call the medic here." It meant that Grifton had exhausted himself and couldn't control his shape-shifting.
Janus frowned. "That is bad." They both hurried outside.
They were just in time to watch as members of the Lifter gang surrounded Rufus, Janus, and the supine dragon, gasping for breath. Next to the dragon were small pouches of coins.
Corley and Janus yelled, "Mission completed!" and, with the help of the Lifter gang, dragged the dragon into Rufus' store.