Lex froze hearing Frost's words. He thought about it for a long while as the room hung in silence. "You might be right, but if that were true… This person has a freakish amount of skill."
"Explain," Frost said.
"I live in an apartment slightly off campus in a room with a ritual seal constructed around it," he explained proudly. "If our leak is really the Voidhunter from the university, then he somehow found a way to bypass the barrier and get into my things. Unless, of course, we were spied on while we met, which I highly doubt."
Frost wasn't so confident in himself. Would he have noticed someone watching if there was someone? At that time, his Voidhunter senses weren't as sharp as they'd come to be. "Are you sure?" He asked. "You're confident we weren't watched?" After all, this alternative seemed more straightforward than assuming the assailant broke through an impenetrable magic barrier.
Lex grunted. "If he was close by, then I would've noticed. If he was far, he'd have been using Void energy to enhance his hearing. In that case, we all would've noticed, no doubt."
I also have pretty good intuition from my time on the street. Come to think of it, I did feel eyes on my back way back then when we met outside of the cafe. Could it have been the Voidhunter in question?Surely not. I couldn't tell where the gaze was coming from, which means it was probably far. In that case, it loops back around to Lex's second point. At the very least, I think I can be certain we weren't spied on at that time. Frost fell deep into his thoughts.
[Checkpointer20: Was the individual watching you that day the Voidhunter, or another unaffiliated party? Either way, it's getting even more complicated.]
[GreatGadfly30: Work through this logically. The Voidhunter was in the distortion area that day, no? Who did you see?]
Krista was inside of the distortion area. Frost hadn't bothered to check if he'd turned into an object. That would've been a little sad to look at. Other than that, he didn't see anyone at all. No one except the desk lady in the engineering building. He recalled running through the door, glancing at her with her head down and looking uninterested. He'd been in such a rush that he didn't even consider the implications of this.
Had he ran right past the Voidhunter they'd been looking for all of this time?
"There was a desk lady in the engineering building that wasn't an object," Frost recalled aloud. "I glossed over it since I was rushing for the flag."
Brode finished on Lex's arm, and Lex said up while mumbling his thanks. "A desk lady?"
"You think Mrs. Heather is a Voidhunter?" Lana added. She'd largely bowed out of the conversation and was now snacking on crackers in the kitchen. "Don't be ridiculous. She wasn't even there when I came in."
"Well she was there when I came in, and she was moving!" Frost promised. "I'm not crazy, I know what I saw."
Lex dismissed Frost's words, but not because of their lack of truth. "We've got bigger fish to fry, as they say on Earth." He stood up, twisting his arm around to check for pain. "If our leak was from Earth, then we still have a chance, but not if we let this rain cycle end. It'll cover our approach."
"I'm ready," Frost said. He'd been granted a few precious hours to recover his energy, and was feeling close to one-hundred percent all things considered. Of course, there were still fourteen hours remaining on the recharge for 'Will of the People' which meant that he'd have no second lives if they left immediately.
"How long until the cycle ends?" Lana had taken quite a bit of damage in the fight, and it was clear she would've appreciated more time to rest.
"Brode?" Lex asked.
Brode made a complicated expression like his work on restoring Lex would be wasted if he just charged in again. "About a day, sir. If you wish to make your approach while it's still in the peak of the storm, I would recommend not waiting any longer than twelve or thirteen hours."
"That's not nearly enough time–" Lex said, concerned. He looked at his arm like it was a burden. "I don't think I'll be of much help, but I can definitely use the book for support."
"You really shouldn't, sir," Brode noted carefully. "Your energy pathways took damage in your previous battle. Excessive use of your abilities now could mean…"
You'll lose them entirely. The words that were left unsaid hung over the room. Frost gulped down his words. Lana appeared terrified at the revelation. Of course, it was Lex's decision to make. Brode already seemed to know what he'd say.
"This," Lex started, "is more important than my abilities. If I can help in any capacity at all, it will have been worth it."
"Sir–" Brode seemed disappointed, but nodded along with Lex's wishes.
"We'll depart in twelve hours," Lex declared. "In eleven we'll gear up in the armoury. In thirteen, lord of storms willing, we'll have arrived. Go get some rest."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Lana said. She was quick to retire to one of the two bedrooms in the apartment.
Brode obeyed Lex's orders and went into the bedroom across the hall from Lana's.
Only Frost remained, hovering over Lex who snuggled back into the couch. Lex pointedly tried to ignore him for a little while.
"What is it?" He eventually asked.
"You're doing something stupid," Frost replied. "You're supposed to be the clever one. I've got the stubbornness covered."
Lex rolled over to look at Frost as he spoke. The man looked haggard, his glasses resting on the table in front of him. "No," he replied. "I'd be stubborn to protect myself in a scenario like this."
"Tell me what it really is."
Lex seemed shocked, but closed his eyes in resignation. "You're sharper than you act. Listen. It's nothing, don't worry about it."
"We're teammates now," Frost said. The words felt strange leaving his mouth. "Whatever affects you affects me, if that wasn't clear from the bullet I took to the head."
"Damnit," Lex mumbled. "You're right. I owe you this much. It's stupid, though. I have this feeling that I can't quite shake… I think my time is coming soon."
"Don't be ridiculous," Frost said. "That's not the type of thing you can feel. You're just anxious as anyone would be." Hell, Frost had felt his impending death a few times now and even experienced it first hand, yet he was standing tall all the same.
"Not you," Lex replied.
Lex had made a strong impression of an infallible bastion of strength the first time he met Frost. It felt strange to see that man showing weakness and doubt before him. Frost wasn't used to this kind of thing. "You're not me," he replied. "You don't want to be."
Lex had read it all. Perhaps he'd never considered what that kind of history did to a person until that very moment. He looked into Frost's eyes with a new found respect. Frost was no doubt a psychopath, but he was a product of his environment. His whole life was a trial by fire. This scenario was nothing to him because he'd already been through the worst of it. Battle, pain, and even death only brought him enjoyment. Frost had nothing to lose but himself. Lex had too much to lose.
"I came so close to it. To death," he said. "And at the beginning of the battle I was so terrified of him that I nearly got you both killed."
"It's water under the bridge," Frost replied. "You overcame it. You saved us with your little trick."
"William will come for me. Last time it was different. He thought he fulfilled the contract. Now, he won't stop until I'm dead," Lex said. "If I'm going to die… I want to be out there fighting the Realmguard, not in here cowering." He cupped his head in his hands. "But it doesn't mean I'm any less terrified of it."
"You're being too morbid." Frost clapped him on the shoulder. "If that bastard shows up, you can just stand back. I'll kill him myself. He shot me in the fucking head, after all."
Lex chuckled. "You're really something."
"Sleep well," Frost disappeared into the hallway beside the living room. He took a few steps, running his hand along the wall, and then ducked left into the shared bedroom. It had a bed and a dresser against the left and right walls.
Lana was sitting on her bed in nothing but a bra and pants, adjusting her stomach bandages and preparing to sleep. She cowered away as Frost entered, blushing profusely.
"I promise you your body is of no interest to me," Frost said. And what the hell do you think you're doing anyways? My bed is in this room too, you know. He turned away and leaned into the dresser on the other side of the room, inspecting himself in the mirror. He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. Happy eyes, he thought, annoying. Despite his efforts, though, he couldn't help his eyes from wandering to Lana's reflection.
The girl had resumed her process after Frost's remark. He didn't find any arousal in the sight, but felt curiosity instead. A scar that appeared to be from a blade ran from her upper stomach, under her bra and presumably between her breasts before coming to a stop just before her neck on the left side, likely stopped by her collarbone. Ouch, he thought. It must've been a deep cut to leave a scar as pronounced and red as it was.
"How'd you get the scar?" He couldn't help himself asking.
Lana looked up and made eye contact with him through the mirror. "Pervert–"
"Will you tell me about the scar or not?" Frost asked. He removed his shirt and set it on the dresser. Before the mines on Dragonsfold his abs hadn't been as pronounced. Now – frankly – he looked ripped. His arms especially looked like he'd been benching for ten years. It's incredible what pickaxe swinging can do for a man. He still felt the dull ache of it in his muscles.
Lana pointedly examined the muscles, and then frowned. "My sister," she said, resigned. "She killed our parents and–"
"Tried to kill you, too," Frost finished, unfazed by the backstory. "Unlucky for her. Don't miss your chance to finish it."
"I won't," Lana said, determined.
"Great. Get your sleep, or you might end up with another scar." Frost plopped onto the bed and rolled over, burying himself under the blankets.
Lana scoffed. "You know, you're not so bad when you try." Frost heard the sound of her snuggling into her own bed.
"Don't know if I should say thank you," Frost said. "Now leave me alone."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
And like that, the room fell into silence. The duo went to sleep in preparation of a job that would change the Void as they knew it.