Free Web NovelChapter 203: _Raining Chaos
Rumours have such a funny way of spreading. A whisper here and there and before you know it, your entire life history is blowing up on the internet.
Or, at the very least—information about your employment status.
The days after Ambrose sent his resignation email to Magnus Ferguson, people at the Guild HQ put two and two together when they realised he’d moved out.
Although Devon moved out as well, he still came to the Guild for meetings and whatnot. So—
"Most scandalous C-Rank Guide in the world laid off from S-Rank Guild?" Ambrose blinked speechlessly at the first headline on his phone.
It was the weekend and he was lounging outside the house under the soft morning sunlight. He nearly fell off his chair as he adjusted his sitting position to continue scrolling.
"A C-Rank Guide, Ambrose Hale, who’s been part of much online discourse in recent weeks may have finally gotten laid off by the prestigious Phoenix Flight Guild."
"This comes days after videos began circulating where he survived a car explosion alongside Devon Ferguson and an unnamed child with a striking resemblance to both men."
Each sentence he skimmed through made him feel like something was being hammered into his chest. Although he had a bath minutes ago, his forehead trickled with sweat as he went to related posts.
"Hey, Ambrose?" Viktor’s abrupt call momentarily pulled his attention off his phone. "I saw a post about you on the Daily Mail. You—oh. You’ve already seen them."
"Yes, I have, Viktor." Ambrose angled his gaze back. "And they aren’t fucking good."
Viktor wore a simple icy blue night robe that exposed his chiselled torso, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other.
He stood beside Ambrose’s chair, brushing his fingers through his snow-white hair. "They’re simply rumours. You know how Americans are with stuff like this."
"It negates the point of my leaving to begin with." Ambrose face-palmed. "Because what do you mean the fucking Daily Mail knows about it?"
"They’re probably running out of actual news to report."
"There’s a damn beast deleting cities on the loose." The Guide got on his feet. "Several newsworthy items. What’s so special about a random C-Rank?"
This was a freaking nightmare in his books.
These past couple of days after moving out, he’s been very relaxed, taking his time in his search for a new Guild. It wasn’t like there weren’t options—he just had to carefully consider certain things before deciding.
News like this circulating meant he had to speed-run things before another full-blown target gets set on his back. That’s if it wasn’t there already.
"Rose?! Viktor?!" Devon’s thundering voice from inside cracked through the brief quiet. "Come inside. Breakfast’s ready."
Viktor was the first to move toward the main entrance, but not before glancing over his shoulder. "Relax, little bird. In a couple more days the internet will be searching for a new Hunter’s secrets to dig up. No one’s going to think much about this by then."
As the ice Prince disappeared into the house, Ambrose let out a short exhale.
He wanted to believe Viktor was right. He really did.
But if there’s anything he’s learnt about scandals like this it’s that just like they have the capability of being swept under the rug—they also had equal capacity to spiral into something dangerous.
Not to mention the warning from his future self was still fresh in the back of his head.
’I’ve got to look through those Guild applications and make a decision already. I’m not levelling nearly as fast enough if I want to stand a chance against whatever causes an apocalypse in the future.’
With that, he crossed the lawn to the main entrance, letting his shoulders relax when he caught a whiff of what Devon had prepared.
Unaware that the headlines about him were already stirring problems.
★★★★★
Phoenix Flight HQ
"I knew it." Augustus sniggered to himself right after he finished his morning training session.
He was in the Guild’s S-Rank training hall, wearing nothing but a short pair of dark grey pants. He took a bottle of water from his assistant before his eyes fell on his phone again.
"The so-called C-Rank quit not so long after being interrogated as a prime suspect." His eyes darkened. "Hmph. Not suspicious at all."
These past few days he’s been busy in his own way. Uprooting any information he could find on Ambrose Hale.
So far he hadn’t found anything suspicious from the CCTV footage logs around his suite—other than how he’s been frequently visited by powerful Espers.
Even Valentine fucking Lockwood.
He just couldn’t begin to wrap his head around what these gods among men saw in the Guide. That confusion bled into curiosity. Which in turn was shaping up into something far less unpredictable.
It was no longer about protecting the Guild’s peace or fishing out a possible threat. It was about proving a hunch that only grew with each passing day.
He wiped off sweat from his face and chest with a small towel before heading for the exit—his assistant trailing silently behind.
"I don’t trust him one bit." He murmured. "The Guild master might not see it or is choosing to ignore it but I KNOW something is off here."
Once he got in front of the elevator, he cut his assistant a look. "I’ll be in my suite till the afternoon. Clear my schedule in the meantime."
The assistant nodded. "Understood, sir."
Augustus walked into the lift and watched the metal doors shut.
However, the second he was out of sight, his assistant straightened. For a fraction of a second the calm, ’normal’ face of the man who’s worked with Augustus for years warped into someone else.
A gorgeous androgynous face that anyone would sell their soul for.
"Golly," Loki chuckled. "The drama in this Guild would be enough for a new hot reality TV show."
Their eyes wandered to the cameras in the hallway. They weren’t afraid of being discovered. Not when reality literally reset itself around their appearance, making CCTV useless.
"I’m almost tempted to head back to the others already," they drawled with a sigh. "But this Ambrose fella is proving so interesting that I might just have to pay him a little visit myself."
A mischievous grin curved their lips as they scurried down the hallway, ready to continue with what they do best.
Raining chaos.
