Realmhome was relentlessly flooded by a record-breaking torrent of water. The sewage systems were flooded and homes that were unprepared were also flooded. The underground was sealed from the outside, with entering and exiting being completely restricted lest the cave systems flash-flood. Even that couldn't stop the river in the underground from overflowing and filling the lowest-tier houses with water.
Communications were down. People were dying. The Realmguard's activities were completely restricted and cut-off amidst the weather. It was complete and total chaos the likes of which few had ever seen in the Void. Most importantly, it was the perfect distraction for escaping fugitives.
"Fuck…" Lex muttered. He was lying on a couch and sprawled out like a dead possum.
"Quit complaining," Frost grumbled, "I can't take it anymore." He kicked his feet up on the table without a care in the world for manners. Besides, who really knew what the rules of etiquette were in the Void? Maybe on Dune, this kind of thing was a sign of respect. He glanced out the window to his right which was being struck so intensely with water that it was impossible to see anything at all on the other side.
"Remind me to kick you the next time you're down," Lex muttered. And sure, Frost had to admit that his teasing was unnecessary. The man's arm was nigh unusable and his Void energy pathways were aching with pain from overuse. This translated to sharp pains all over his entire body combined with the pain in his arm. Lex was having it rough, to say the least.
It was pretty lucky that they'd even made it to the safehouse in the first place. Ariella had felt the commotion from up top and came down to open the door for escapees. When Frost had arrived, there were a few people waiting. Brode – the barkeep from Clay's bar – was there, as well as a few of the rebel affiliates who'd correctly judged the time to run. The rest of them, possibly even Clay, had been killed or arrested.
Not a great situation all things considered.
And now they'd ended up at this safehouse in Riot Town, a district of the city named that for exactly the reason one might expect. It was rife with criminals, rebels, and riots. The riots had taken a break for now due to the torrential weather outside, but Frost was informed that they would soon resume afterwards. The riots this time were the result of Realmguard overreach, and a growing history of searching without warrants.
Hearing all of that made Frost more than a little worried about hiding out in a place like that, but it was the best they had for now.
He looked around the quaint apartment. The kitchen and the living room were essentially merged into one. A shabby rug covered the floor and a clock ticked the minutes by quite loudly on the wall. Lana was sitting lazily across from him and looking surprisingly cheerful, with the second healing card having largely fixed her bullet-hole related problems. Brode, who had tagged along because of his medical knowledge, was in the bathroom washing up at the moment. Frost could hear the water running through the paper-thin walls.
"I'm bored," Lana declared. "We should play cards."
"Do we have cards?" Frost asked.
"There's usually a pack in every safehouse. It's a rebel staple," Lex said from the couch. "Check the cupboards or something."
[Checkpointer20: Card games are a big deal in the Void. Board games like you know them back home basically don't exist here.]
[TheConquerer356: My soldiers often neglected their duties over silly games.]
Things never change, regardless of the era, Frost thought to himself as he searched the cupboards. Eventually he found something that looked a little like a pack of cards, though none that he'd ever seen. "What is this?" He asked, setting it on the countertop.
"I recognize this," Lana hit a profound thinking pose as she stepped up beside Frost. She studied the design on the small box, which featured two dragons intertwining like snakes. The box didn't have a name on it. "Farka," Lana said finally. "It's a popular game on Dragonsfold."
"Dragonsfold, huh…" Frost held up the box. "I have no idea how to play this." He recalled the name, of course. He remembered it being played more than a few times back at the mine. It was a memory he'd rather not recall. In that instant, Frost decided that he hated this card game with every inch of his mind and body available.
"Me neither," Lana said sadly.
They both looked at Lex, who seemed to sense their eyes beaming into him.
"Don't look at me. My knowledge extends exclusively to history and books."
"Useless," Frost said.
"Useless," Lana agreed.
Brode returned from the washroom at that point and moved to Lex's side, drying his hands off with a towel as he went. "Are you alright?" He asked. "I've put in a request for one of the healers or even a skill card, but it's silent I'm afraid."
Lex nodded his head, but was clearly in pain. "Can you blame them? Dammit all… We were sold out."
"Sold out?" Frost asked, suddenly interested in the conversation. "You think we were sold out?"
Brode just continued tending to Lex's arm with a sad nod.
Lex closed his eyes and relaxed as he spoke. "William Fletcher arrived on a contract to kill me and only me. Whoever ordered it somehow knew that I was alive, and also the location of the Liberation Front hideout. They couldn't have done it without some sort of inside information." He paused and bit his lip. "It probably means they know about our plan to steal the books, too."
"What?" Lana said, stepping past Frost. "So what now?"
"Nothing," Lex said sadly. "If they know about it, there's nothing we can do. We'll be like lambs to the slaughter. The move would be to return home as soon as possible and pray we don't get caught."
"And if they don't know about our plan?" Frost asked with a hopeful tone. "We don't know for sure that we're done in!"
Lex opened his eyes and focused sharply on Frost. "If they don't know, and that's a big if… I suppose the plan could still go ahead in this state. Even then, we've just lost a majority of the participants. The only ones left are us and the men in the room next door."
Frost was feeling stubborn as ever. "It's not over until it's over, Lex. You said that this means everything to you, right? You intend to give up so easily, even so?"
"Do you intend to die?" Lex asked him in response. "With so few men… No, it's not possible. It's just not. You'd have a better chance throwing yourself into a meat grinder."
Brode coughed loudly. "Sir, if I may."
They all looked at him. "You may," Lex said, confused.
"Well, I had a similar thought earlier in fact about just how they found our location." The older man seemed proud of his declaration. "My brain isn't as slow as you might think, eh?" He bragged. "Anyhow, I had the mind to ask for an updated report on the whereabouts of Belleram Medeara."
Lex sat up excitedly and then groaned loudly before flopping back into the couch. "A-and?" He asked.
"Still away on her mission, it would seem," Brode said.
"What!?" Lex boomed. "So you mean…?"
"It would seem that the Realmguard is only anticipating an attack during the event of the transfer," Brode said. "Your preliminary operation is secure."
"Really?" Lex had a complicated expression. This revelation created more questions than answers for everyone involved.
"It's too early to give in," Frost said, feeling vindicated. "We can still win."
"Sure," Lex said. "But if what Brode said is true–"
"It is," the old man said.
"Right. Since it's true, then who is the leak exactly?"
Frost lamented upon that for a moment. If the leak came from the upper echelon of the rebels, then the preliminary raid would've been leaked. For example, if Frost or Lana were the leak, they'd know everything. Now it would be possible to pinpoint the source even closer. Who could have found out about Lex's intention to return to the Void, as well as the goal to raid the archive without knowing about the rest? It obviously meant that they learned of this before they'd entered the Void in the first place.
An image appeared in Frost's mind of the note that Lex passed to him. "Archive transfer" and then a date. Everything the leak knew was everything Frost knew at that time. He also remembered each and every mention of a certain individual whose identity was still unknown. The phantom on the university campus who Lex and Lana had been searching for, and who was apparently present within the distortion area.
A chill ran up his spine. Potent. Arctic. It couldn't be, could it?
"Lex," Frost said, determined, "tell me everything you know about the fourth Voidhunter."