The target wasn't that hard to find. Klein wasn't a careful person.
A distortion came and went. Ren and company observed at least three separate Voidhunters fighting inside of it, one of which was their man. Klein then hauled a woman back to his residence and supposedly enjoyed himself a little bit. The next morning, the three of them met in a park, and then they all departed for some unknown location. All of them were geared up subtly, as if expecting a fight.
They'd spent the last two days tailing Klein around and watching his every move. They'd found out where he lived and who he associated with. He'd become entangled with Swapper's target at the precise moment they'd arrived in the area, and so it was difficult to make a move. The last while had been used waiting for an opportunity that never came, and then finally to this moment. Ren watched in disappointment as the group of enemies departed to who knows where.
They were all sitting a decent bit away from each other. Parsh was in a nearby cafe, enjoying the local coffee. Drask was on a bench reading a newspaper. Savra and Ren were sitting at a picnic table and playing cards on this beautiful sunny and windless day. A dark-skinned woman with the look of a student shuffled in and sat next to Ren soon after Klein and his friends had departed.
"Swapper? Or maybe just a stupid kid?" Ren asked, setting his card down.
"It's me, and we've got a problem if you didn't notice," the girl said.
"Problem is that your perp's mixed up with ours," Ren said, feeling the persona of a detective recently.
Swapper leaned into the table, not bothering to be subtle. "Our problems have become one problem, and I've got information you need."
"That so?" Ren turned his body to acknowledge the newcomer properly. "Something tells me it won't be free."
"Nothing's free, Ren," Savra added. "So name your price, freak."
"Your cooperation. That's all. I'm not much of a haggler." Swapper looked over Ren's hand and then pointed to a card. "Play this one, for sure."
Ren looked suspicious, but then placed the card. "Not bad," he remarked. "You play?"
"You play a bit of everything when your life is that of an actor." Swapper explained something that sounded miserable with a flair that made it sound amazing.
"Huh." Ren gestured to Savra. "We're packing up anyway. Pass me that."
"Gah. I was going to win, too," Savra complained, handing over the cards.
"Were not," Ren snarked. He tossed the cards into his Void storage, not caring to check if anyone witnessed it. "The information?" He asked.
"Archive transfer. Realmguard Headquarters. That's Lex Aitsuko's target," Swapper explained. "I've already reported that much to my superiors. But we don't know anything about his accomplices. I'm sure you of all people know that a wildcard in a Voidhunter fight can mean life or death for our own." She spun around in the chair and sprung to her feet with youthful zeal that Ren was envious of.
Ren stood up to follow. "Sure. So you want us to find info about Klein and the other girl." He gave a low whistle, signalling Drask and Parsh to give up their positions. "We can do that. Still, I'm more inclined to just chase after them directly. Why not just take them by surprise?"
"Because they're about to lead us to the Liberation Front's Realmhome base, my friend." Swapper set a hand on Ren's shoulder and squeezed tightly. "That, and you don't have a choice. You played a good con, but I know you're ex Special Ops. Lucky for you, you're a useful idiot, and we happen to be after the same person. Unlucky for you, you now report to me. I've instructed a bounty to be put on your head if any insubordination occurs before my next report. We clear?"
Bastard. "Crystal," Ren replied with a smile. "So long as I can get to Klein, there won't be an issue." He lied. Ren was a member of the Liberation Front since his departure from the Realmguard. The game of allegiances was only getting more difficult if the famous Lex Aitsuko – someone who was supposed to be his ally – was buddy-buddy with this target.
"Good. I doubt your loyalty, but luckily I don't doubt your skill. You know where he lives?"
Ren nodded.
"Get to it. I'm going to pursue the target. We'll rendezvous near the door on the other side." Swapper stepped past Ren, switching into a completely different person as she did so.
Ren didn't look back in fear of showing his anger. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides, already plotting his revenge on that shapeshifting bastard.
Savra set his hand on Ren's shoulder in consolation. "He got you good, kid. Not much we can do about it now."
Parsh and Drask sauntered up carefully, reading the situation wasn't good based purely on Ren's posture. "What are we doing?" Parsh asked. "Klein's getting away."
"Slight detour," Ren growled. "We've got to dig up some information on Klein first."
And so they set off to do what they were told, which was something they were usually pretty bad at. Parsh used a crystal to knock out the desk lady, and then they used the manual release button on the desk to let themselves into Klein's dormitory. Luckily, there was no one around to witness the spectacle except for the security camera that Ren put a bullet in upon stepping through the door.
They retraced steps that they'd become familiar with over the last two days, making their way deeper into the dormitory and carefully up the staircase. Ren had always insisted that the stairs were superior to the elevator. Less places to get caught and more places to run. Also much more flexible for killing somebody. The rest of them complained idly behind him as they topped the staircase and pressed the door into a completely vacant hallway.
"Parsh? Room…?" Ren asked, looking left and right.
"Room three-fifty-two, left side," Parsh replied. He'd been on reconnaissance in the dorms, with him and Savra being the only two that Klein hadn't seen directly on that day.
Ren drew his pistol, flicked the safety, and pivoted left. He felt the Spec Ops training taking control. "Behind me," he said. "I'm taking point." And when he heard no objections, he recalled the rules in his head. First, don't focus on what your teammates are doing, and trust them to do the right thing. Second, if a man gets shot down don't let it take your attention away from the enemy. Third, hesitation means death. Never hesitate.
Even a moment of hesitation against a Voidhunter could mean death.
Ren came up to the door. Klein's roommate would probably be home, but he was someone they knew nothing about. He might be dangerous, but it was still best to hold off on Voidhunter abilities in the event that he really was a regular person. With any luck, he'd only need to use soul to open the door, and it would be smooth going from there. Ren was thinking this as he slammed the door with his foot and nearly sent it off the hinge.
"Clear," he said, entering the room and immediately sweeping it with his weapon.
"You damned kids are so eccentric about killing people," Savra swept in behind Ren. "Ain't nothing fun about it," he added.
"Depends on the person," Parsh replied as he came in behind.
Drask remained quiet and focused as usual.
"I'll take this room," Ren gestured straight ahead. As he moved to the door, he glanced around the dorm. The living area was empty, with two beanbags and a gaming console. The table had a half-empty coffee cup that was still smoking. He gestured to it so his teammates were aware someone was here recently, and then shouldered his way into the unlocked door and stopped to look around.
The bedroom was bland. There was a bathroom to his left, an unmade bed, a desk, and a window sporting a surprisingly lavish view. Where Ren came from, this kind of dormitory view was an upcharge. He moved further in to investigate. On the corkboard to his left was a singular paper thumbtacked tightly to it. It seemed to be a grade report. He ripped it off and examined it closely.
Ren didn't understand English, but he comprehended the name at the top of the page due to the sheer ridiculousness of it. Frost Direshard? He thought. Could this be the true identity of our 'Klein'? Direshard… If that's the case, we're in deeper shit than we thought. That also explains how he escaped the slave mines and evaded the Realmguard.
He set the paper on the bed and checked the closet, finding only clothes. After that, he checked the only other plausible storage space under the bed. There was a duffle bag, and so he dragged it out and opened it with little fear. His eyes widened at the sight. The thing was filled with weapons. A crowbar, a taser, but also money. A ridiculous amount of money. This kid is a university student? For real? A shiver ran up his spine at that moment.
Could it be that this Frost Direshard was some sort of sadistic killer like a certain someone with the same name? Pieces were put together in Ren's head. For him to have such a powerful item in his possession… Who had he been fighting before falling through the door? Had Ren really just captured him by a stroke of dumb luck? If Frost Direshard really was as powerful as the puzzle pieces painted him, then he'd be coming for them sooner or later.
Shit. This also meant that the Realmguard was in serious trouble! Ren suddenly felt that he'd dug himself too deep into a problem that should have had nothing to do with him!
"Guys…?" He asked haphazardly, turning to inform his friends of the situation.
"I won't let you have him!" An unfamiliar voice shouted out from the other room.
"Gah!" Someone cried out in pain.
Three gunshots were fired.
Ren, who was in disbelief that they seemed to be under attack, remained in shock for a moment before grabbing his pistol off of the bed and rushing to help.