Chemdrugs.
After finishing the deliveries in the northern Sump level with nothing notable happening, nothing to note outside of men quickly approaching to unload the goods, I instructed the men to return the wagon back to the guild.
Right before my departure, however, I saw one of the receivers open a box and I recognized the goods immediately by their film bags and unpleasant silhouettes.
Fucking of course he does. He controls the freight moving in and out of Piltover and controls the drug distribution. Thus, he knows the dirt on whoever might be purchasing it.
It was a thought I shoved to the back of my mind as I raced home.
When I barged through the door, Relia jumped up from the table and raised a scalpel. She breathed out in relief when she saw it was me.
"For crying out—" Relia ran a hand through her hair, visibly shaken by my sudden intrusion. "What's going on?"
"When were Lucian's men here?" I demanded. "They were here. When?"
She froze for a second before sighing and putting the scalpel back down. "Yeah… they were."
"Why didn't you tell me?" I snapped.
"I was going to, but… not immediately." When she saw me glaring, fists clenched, her hands lifted in a helpless, 'what-do-you-want-from-me' gesture. "You were hurt and stressed. I was going to hold off for a few days until everything calmed down."
Controlling my breathing, I looked around the house. Everything was intact. No damage. No signs of a struggle. Still, I couldn't help but ask through clenched teeth, "How many were there?"
"Only the one man came inside but there were more outside…"
"Captain Orson?" I pressed, gesturing to the back of my head. "Bald, ponytail, shiny badge?"
"Yeah…" She hesitated. "He—"
And in just a few words, she described what he nearly succeeded in doing and the weekly report he demanded afterward.
"FUCK!"
A red haze washed over me and I slammed my hands onto the table.
I pointed at Relia then violently toward the Riverside Docks.
"I should've fucking— I had him! He was there! If I fucking knew—! If you didn't fucking hide— FUCK!"
The words tangled and fell apart. My hands shook as I tried to keep my rage from spilling over. Every sound, every attempt she made to calm me, felt like a hammer striking an anvil inside my skull.
"Varyn, I'm sorry," Relia said quickly. "There will be more chances. It won't end—"
She stepped toward me but I raised a hand. She stopped. I lifted a finger instead, breathing in sharply, then exhaling slowly.
"Don't be sorry," I said quietly. "None of this was your fault. It was mine... because of my decisions and where I chose to work."
I swallowed hard.
"And I'm sorry for getting angry."
Relia sniffled with tears in her eyes before closing the distance and pulling me into a hug. My anger drained away, replaced by guilt. I'd forgotten, in that moment, that she was still my mom.
But even as we stood there, one question refused to leave my mind.
"Why did he leave?"
Breaking away, she wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head. "One of his men barged in and warned him that some fissure folk found out they were down here."
"Do you know who?"
Relia shook her head. "I didn't see anyone. I haven't heard anything either from people around us. Folks were only talking about what happened at Guildwright."
That would be the main talk. There should've been some talk about a wandering crew of Topsiders though. They stand out like a sore thumb in the fissures. Especially Orson. Which means...
"Someone knows and it wasn't stray fissure folk," I muttered. "Someone was tracking them."
Turning back toward the door, our home was honestly decent in comparison to the surrounding shacks and homeless tents. The closest sturdy structure that could even be remotely called a shop or home was a medical shack run by sharp-toothed fish-folk. It looked much like the one Caitlyn bought medicine from to save Vi in Arcane. Maybe it was the same one. It had been so long since I'd watched it.
But with such an unobstructed view, outside of the gray or green smog depending on the time of day, more people should've seen them. More people should've been aware of the Topsiders.
Taking a deep breath, I said slowly, "We need to move. Karvyq's place should be vacant… or maybe it falls under rule of conquest and we own it now. I need to check Guildwright's books again."
"Now that you're a Chembaron, Varyn," Relia began and I twitched as the realization started to set in with her words acting as confirmation. "No place you or I live will be safe. We can't blend into the crowd anymore."
"It's why…" Relia slowed. "It's why I wanted your father to step away from the Revolution back then. When you have a child in that position…"
"You were scared," I finished and exhaled tiredly. "Taking and moving into Karvyq's home isn't about safety. It's symbolism at this point. A Chembaron living down here will be seen as easy pickings by even the lowest."
She nodded, biting her lip before shaking her head bitterly. "What I tried to shield you from came to pass. I shouldn't have pushed him away back then. He could be helping you now."
There wasn't a right or wrong response to her bitterness. Her words were both right and wrong, with dangers either way.
Still, I glanced back at her, pressing the question that I hoped to finally have an answer to.
"So? Who was he?"
Relia paused, taking a deep breath, and finally answered.
"His name was Silco."
...