Arc 2, Chapter 55: Unravel

They shifted through files and documents, now the more crucial ones as minutes ticked by in the windowless room.

When was sunrise? Who were all involved? How long did they have?

Detailed maps of Kria and 'safe' points of entry through ports for presumably infiltrators. Using Cravoltan identification papers and cards to make their way into borders; some as refugees.

Codenames and entry passwords that interchanged every five days, so that they could communicate without tipping people off…

"This is…" Kor picked up opened envelopes, the familiar seal of the Ordinate on them… He read through the words—another letter paperclipped to the back of it, alongside carbon paper.

The impression of the writing, following the cursive letters, "These are my letters to Legisvia… and these," he picked up another set, "Are Legisvia's replies… The handwriting is indistinguishable, but the messages…"

Fumeko peered over, "The chief, what did she actually say?"

Kor skipped to a line, "While I wish I can come assist myself, the Luxinorian Ordinate still requires my complete attention till the issue is resolved.

Though, from the progress you are currently making I only wish the best in your endeavours. I have faith that you can handle these matter swiftly.

The current news escaping Kria seems to be in good light as well. The Velatos Case coming to an end is certainly great news, though the recent weather anomalies seem a tad off.

I hear Kria now has an excess export of thundering blitzes which is good, the funding for the Ordinate should increase as well," he left the rest out.

"I sent a report last week about the worsening of the case… And I've already told her of the Thundering Blade- I've kept her up with every single detail, but they've been providing her with false information and me as well," Kor placed the letters aside with a huff.

"They've been monitoring the Kria Daily papers that distribute outside of Kria," Fumeko pointed to the clippings, "It's like they had a whole other printing company."

"The world outside of Kria is kept in the dark…" he held the bridge of his nose, "How, how could this all just happen. This threat is far greater than anyone presumed."

"Keep it together, there's still tons of shit here. All of this is evidence. This entire case is unravelling to us and we need to get any information we can; who knows if they know we're here or not," Fumeko dug through the papers.

A name she recognized, "Baregout… Baregout, Baregout? The magic shop guy…" she read through a report file, "Baregout's incredibly nervous, we've increased the sum of his payment.

The information he has is trivial; threat, low. His shop is in prime to be used. Velatos to be used should be miniscule. Commence self-destruct upon contact of the 'anomaly'."

Fumeko fiddled with the paper, "Baregout's in on it… Not too in, but… He said he slept well that night, while we were on a commission there; he knew his shop was being used to host velatos!"

Kor exhaled, "Alright, keep digging; we need to get this to the Krialin as soon as possible."

"These are all payment records and… THAT'S A FREAKING LOT!" Fumeko's eyes bubbled as she scanned through. "This writing, the reports… they look similar… The clerk at the guild!

These payments are made by Moren Mataya, to, these names… Kor, we might not wanna go to the Krialin…"

Kor folded and stacked the open folders, "And why's that?"

"On my first day here I looked through a bunch of Krialin papers—officers, rankings. I was trying to see who I needed to surpass as detective… There're tons of Krialin being paid off to keep silent and, well shit…"

"I get that this is stressful, but carefully on your cursing young lady."

"I don't give a damn, Wellers is in on it! The Commissioner is in on it! Who the hell do we go to with this!?" Fumeko shuffled through more and more.

People, names, citizens, how many? 'Low threat', 'Low threat', 'Low threat', repeating on each profile. "Galfree Mesin, Medium threat, suspects more. If unable to be persuaded to keep silent, terminate…

Anyone who gets too close is either paid off or… conveniently killed in 'accidents' involving velatos. The higher their threat level, the more they were willing to pay," Fumeko paused, as if her eyes were not already wide enough…

"Regardless of which authority we bring this too, this evidence must leave this room. I hate that our hands are so tied but-"

"Kor…" Fumeko gulped cutting him off. Several papers down, reports dating longer and longer. She pulled up a report, "High threat, target found discrepancies in false reports.

Negotiation may be extremely difficult and target's current position is not desirable. May break operation; terminate immediately… Anastasia Princely."

The folders he held dropped immediately, like his heart just stopped. "Jotou said, she said it couldn't be a mugging… Wellers—the Krialin covered it up.

The funeral home in Eastern Kria was in on it too… All the people who were, 'terminated'…" Fumeko let go of the paper as Kor grabbed it out of her hands.

It was connecting—the pieces, the puzzle in her head. However, the next few names was not something she wanted to see. Scattered across another table, almost as if dedicating this entirely to one issue.

Countless bits of info, summaries and often long written reports.

"Asobi. Potent elf, strong affinity. Unaware to most events. Able to pass light through eyes and blind 'controller'.

Anomaly, must gauge. Unable to be affected by velatos for termination after unexpected revival. Self-destruct upon contact, Layla Princely mission failed.

Keep anomaly and secondary target under close watch, keep all activity able to be deemed 'suspicious' low around guild.

Operation Snowy Day. Attempt termination after retrieving any possible information from interrogation of anomaly. Contact the Frosting Wind in case of emergency.

Mission failure. Anomaly is able to terminate velatos. Operation Snowy Day unsuccessful. Keep the Frosting Wind on standby till further instruction," as Fumeko read along Kor approached.

Sensing his approach, "Does this 'operation' or The Frosting Wind mean anything to you?" Fumeko turned.

Kor wiped the drops from his puffed up eyes, "No. Though, it sounds like a title; similar to the Thundering Blade, ahem. Sorry. Keeping someone on standby like that, possible backup," he rubbed his chest.

"Moren quickly brought us to the guild… He made sure everything seemed fine. That argument the next day… If they were both in on it. It was an act to make us more comfortable in the guild…

Are you okay? I'm not taking this well either," her heart was ready to jump out of her chest.

"By all means continue."

"I wasn't gonna stop, I just didn't need you crying on the evidence," as if she was not already panicking trying to piece it together herself. Kor sifted through files, never letting go of that one report.

"Continue to gauge anomaly, current alias Thundering Blade. Uncontrolled velatos only. Kowalski heads new velatos; location, Kria Beach; Velatos, keep under control…

What's Kowalski's affinity? Could he make undead and possibly velatos? There's still no sign of HOW they make them," Fumeko read through.

"Kowalski? He has a summoning affinity; water I believe."

"The water babies…"

"The what?"

"Never mind, it means the entire department is in on it. That's why everyone was so quiet that day…"

"I found false identities and papers. It seems their origin relates back to the Trailon Regimes and how they entered Kria.

Now that you mention it, Stella Leng's true name is Jiana Kirk. The ginger woman with goggles who answered your query that day; Asobi's query I should say.

It seems like… She's been the 'controller' of many of the velatos. I'm unsure of her affinity, but it seems like she is required during all the velatos formations…

Keep reading, maybe I can find something to tell us how the velatos are made."

"Right, finding her affinity might give us the exact answer. Blinding the controller… Asobi's blinding light went through the eyes and blinded the controller; whoever's behind it…

Kor, check any reports on the eyes. They must be able to see what's happening through them and 'control the velatos'."

"Understood."

"Alright Meko, keep going," she shifted through the reports, "Thundering Blade has found known flaw in velatos. Threat level increasing.

Joel Keel, threat level, medium. Possibly allied with Thundering Blade. If unable to persuade, commence termination.

Thundering Blade inaction, send velatos closer to creamery, see if Thundering Blade will respond. Thundering Blade seen in vicinity of The Split. Thundering Blade, Jotou Howllett, threat level, very high.

Possible contact to, the Swivelling Blade. Ichiro Tensuo, no affinity, known information on current operation, low; threat level, very low. No action required."

Fumeko looked at the next name, "Hotaru Kinoshita, threat level, extreme. Why though?"

She searched for one more name. Her hands shifted and shifted, "Where the hell am I?" she could see the desk, sweat going down her temple.

Right beside it, another desk, "Lexokodac," she began rummaging. "Okod Parnell, threat level, very high. Zach Melodus, threat level, very high… Where's Lexi?" she threw papers around.

"I may have found that…" Kor finally finished reading through, "She's one of the originators of the velatos…"

"WHAT!?" Fumeko blinked over to him, "What all did you get?"

"The woman I mentioned earlier was from the Regime's infiltration mission into Kria. Jiana Kirk was given a false identity, family and education.

She made her way into the Ordinate before I was ever made vice-chief. This entire operation was a sitting landmine ready to go into action on command.

Her affinity is necromancy, shadow-based. The initial plan was to create a problem in Kria. Moren Mataya was paid off by the Regime to oversee and make sure everything went smoothly.

Lexi Frennes caught on to the case when they were testing out the animation of dead bodies. She is the one who added onto the undead to make them 'velatos'.

Making shadows and smoke to make it seem like a scarier threat so there would be less suspicion of something as simple as undead."

"Okay, but how can they just do that, anywhere? Layla Princely was in a damn grave and what about fears creating velatos, like the bunny case?"

"I'm unsure about any bunny case, but the 'manufactured from fears' part was part of the plan. It was to make velatos scarier than your typical undead.

As for accessibility, that's where these came in," Kor handed her one of the ruby red gems.

"The eyes?"

"It's as you predicted, they used this to view what a velatos is fighting. The 'controller' is whoever was in charge of commanding said velatos.

Jiana causing undead to rise through these gems is what gives the ruby red eyes that glow; it's an effect of the resurrecting spell.

Theoretically, anyone can cast a spell through these; they were using the mana around the velatos to cast it from the location of said velatos. Lexi would have one of this gems, creating shadow and smoke.

Unfortunately, the creation of these involved what funding this department received. And it was made using Jiana's own magic after marking any dead she wished to raise.

Which means, she was in close proximity to Layla Princely to mark her, and then raise her from the dead once she was away. Only once any of these gems were activated through Jiana's magic, was anyone else able to cast through them.

If there was no 'controller' then the instinct of a velatos would be to attack anything living that has the highest adrenaline. If something were to attack the velatos, that command was overridden and it would attack the living thing that attacked.

Jiana must be present to take control, Kowalski was likely a one-time commander. It's also created through master level magic."

"Which is why only master level spells can affect it…"

Kor checked his watch, then checked it again, steadying his wrist, "It's six thirty, office hours are soon, we need to go."

"Jotou, Hotaru, Asobi… They're all targets," the brunette clasped her mouth shut, "Shit, shit, shit, I can't lose them, I can't lose them!" she blinked out to the other room.

Her eyes darting around before turning back to Kor, "Where do we go? What do we do? If they know we found this place out-!"

"Then our time is limited before they act. With how much cunning they've shown, to have no security in such a room, it does not add up.

Go! Get your friends and get back here. If anyone attempts to step foot in here, I will block them off. We can't call the Krialin… Tenner. We'll have to get Jack and the mayor involved.

Once you're back here, I'll have some sort of plan ready. From here we'll go to my home, get my family first."

"What if this place gets swarmed!?"

"Then I'll have to stand my ground. You and Jotou may have to, well, put an end to a few spies," Kor jerked his brows. "Get one of the bicycles from outside and-"

"I already brought a bike!" Fumeko blinked out, dashing to the platform to get out.

"-get… there faster because they're enchanted…"