It was a great sight to behold.
There were 14 or so Wielders bowing down to the Prince in fear. The immense pressure caused by Veritas' Eye of the Kraken, made it seem like the room itself was shaking in fear.
Veritas did not know that it was this potent! Especially when he himself was only an Impure rank. However, it occurred to him that the entire troupe of Wielders here were of the same rank as himself.
Nevertheless, the aura released by Veritas shook the entire Agency to its core. Even the mundane receptionist, Elisia, was shaking in fear.
'This is necessary..'
He could just remove his mask and show his status as the Prince. However, Veritas had to show the scale of what to expect in the enemy. If he, an individual that caused immense pressure to 14 Wielders, ran from an unknown figure, then the Wielders would realize the true danger that awaited them.
Veritas didn't even know if he was being followed or not, he made sure to use the Winds in order to feel if there were any pursuits of him.
He did not feel anything but Veritas had to be extra careful.
Now that every wielder in the Agency was here, Veritas deactivated Eye of the Kraken and explained to them carefully what he encountered.
"I am Prince Veritas of Elrod, and I seek everyone's help. A few hours back, I have been attacked by an unknown figure attuned by the Strings."
"As I stayed late into the night due to the business that I had attended to, I planned to stay at an inn in order to rest my tired body."
Thinking back, Veritas had not acknowledged the fact that the clerk from the inn knew of his real identity. Most of the people that know his identity as a black-haired, and red-eyed individual were the people from Beast Master Den.
The inn was very far from that place, so there should be no way that the clerk knew!
"Upon resting, I encountered 17 eerie individuals outside of my respective room. Thus, I broke a window to escape and head to this Agency. Yet I did not know that I was being pursued by a Puppeteer at that."
"The Puppeteer used strings in order to control my body. Luckily, it did not know of my Path and Attunement, so I got out relatively easily."
The people inside the Agency looked serious and alarmed by Veritas' words. They were listening attentively at the new danger that arose within Copper Borough.
"So, I arrived here and I need help to take care of that figure before it gets loose and causes any more trouble."
The atmosphere was tense because of the Prince's encounter. They were all on guard as they could get attacked at any second.
After the plea for help, Veritas informed them of what he believed to be the figure's skills.
It was only hypothesized though, they did not have an entirely accurate representation of the enemy.
Elisia, the black haired girl with glasses, listened carefully to the Prince's words and gathered all the data that she knew.
Then, a sudden realization hit her!
"Uhm- your majesty?"
Everyone in the room suddenly turned and stared at the normal girl.
She was appalled by the immediate gazes but she steeled her resolve and continued with her words.
"I have an extra piece of information that might be useful."
"Please do tell.."
"It's about the disappearance case of a remote town near Dragalia..."
She continued and told the details of the case, although the Wielders knew that it was caused by the beastly spider, they found the hypothesis of Elisia to be quite interesting.
She told them about the disappearance being caused by a potentially dangerous individual. She told them the details about the spider and the autopsy reports. She told them the peculiarity of the situation and the weird feeling that was existing inside of her.
"So you're saying that the individual that his majesty encountered is somehow related to the disappearances?". A girl with red hair asked.
"I-it is only speculation and I lack evidence to prove it.. But yes.."
While the details of the case were being told, Veritas pondered about the similarities and mystery of the situation.
He felt the feelings of the puppets from outside of his room, they seemed to be alive yet their entire being was being controlled.
Coming into this conclusion of his own.. Veritas opened his mouth and retorted back at the girl.
"With that information that you have given, this will surely help us in knowing the sheer strength of the unknown figure. Even if the case was not related to the figure, we should stay vigilant for a sudden attack."
Thus, the troupe inside the Agency talked about plans on what to do.
It was simple, the total count of individuals inside the agency amounted to 16 people. Naturally, the Wielders, including Elisia and Veritas, were split into groups of 4.
The acting-leader of the Wielders, Lino, led the forces and grouped the Wielders based on their strength, utility, and usefulness.
Lino was wearing a white uniform that was similar to every Wielder in the Agency. The difference was.. the badges on his left chest. Almost every Wielder in the Agency had a grayish sword-like badge, but Lino had a silver-sword badge that signified his higher rank.
So, Lino was in charge of acting as a leader and grouping the troupe.
The first group consisted of the vanguards that were tasked to scout the empty streets outside. The people of this group were Lino, the leader of the troupe, Jacque, a young man with blazing blue eyes and light blue hair, Ali, the red-haired girl that asked Elisia what the problem was, and lastly.. Eros, the dark-skinned man with a large stature who was pressing Veritas before.
The group was well-rounded in terms of attack power and supports. Ali acted as a utility and scout, Eros and Lino served as the main frontline, while Jacque provided long-ranged attacks and observation.
Although Veritas himself was a great attacker and utility, he had not been put in the first group as per his request. His mind was strained due to the constant usage of Will of the Winds, so he requested to rest first.
That said, the 2nd and 3rd groups were almost the same as the first one, being well-rounded and balanced. They served as the backline support for the 1st group, and their purpose was to immediately notify everyone when they find something peculiar.
Veritas and Elisia belonged to the 4th group, tasked to stay at the Agency and provide intel for the patrolling groups. Veritas could be brought into the front-lines but his mind was still resting so he chose to stay back.
Meanwhile, Elisia was perfect for the job. She could finally use her intelligence and wits to guide the attack groups of the Agency.
Along Elisia and Veritas, were two other Wielders that possessed a utility Path. They were perfect for staying back as they could defend the place with their uniqueness.
The 1st Wielder was a small-girl that looked to have a hot temper, she revealed to Veritas and the others that her Path was Enchantment, and it could be used to augment the physical properties of objects. She was attuned as the Enchantress of Winds.
As for the 2nd Wielder, he looked like a bespectacled young man with his silky black hair pushed back. He seemed stoic and taciturn as he looked to be unfazed by the dire situation. His Path is Stillness, which could help directly in conjuring an almost invisible veil around them. This was very useful in hiding the Agency from any attacks. He was attuned as the Dancer of the Winds.
Veritas asked the three of them their respective names to make addressing one another easier. The small-girl is named as Calida and the stoic young man is named Szeno. Lastly, the normal girl with glasses and silky black hair was named Elisia.
"Pleased to be working with you three.."
Veritas greeted them warmly, showing his elegance and grace towards them.
"L-likewise.." Elisia replied, while the other two only nodded towards him.
After getting to know one another, Lino ordered for all of them to plan their assault on the conference room.
Inside, Lino stood in front and gave everyone a run-through on what to do next. The charismatic leader seemed to have everyone's focus and attention.
"This is a hard ordeal! Based on the descriptions given by his majesty, it seems that we are dealing with a Pathbearer that is of Pure Rank or higher! According to the information given by Elisia, 89 people vanished from a remote town in a span of one night."
Lino then gave the roles and purpose of each group, reminding them of the importance of every single one.
"1st Group will be led by me, we are tasked as vanguards that will seek out the enemy! 2nd Group, Tyrn will be the leader, acting as the support and eyes from behind. The 3rd Group will be led by Philip, similar role to that of the 2nd group. You two will stay a near each other but still a distance apart."
"As for the 4th Group, you will be led by his Majesty, Prince Veritas. You are all tasked with protecting the agency and giving us information."
After that, Lino gave a brief rundown of the formation of each group, where to search, and many more...
It only took a couple of minutes but it was very plentiful for the Wielders.
So, they prepared and steeled their resolves of what's to come. The 1st group prepared to set off, along the 2nd and 3rd groups. Veritas was tasked to stay behind and watch over them.
In the lounge, many Wielders that wore white uniforms could be seen, amidst the crowd Veritas was chatting and guiding Lino about the specific details of where he last saw the unknown figure.
In a couple of moments, it was now time to go.
"Good luck to all of you.." Veritas cheered for all of them.
"Stay safe here your majesty.." Lino replied charismatically.
Thus, with the opening of the door, every Wielder in the troupe did not expect a gruesome sight.
Their confident smiles soon faded into thin air, replaced by a great terror.
The once empty streets of Elrod, were filled with countless bodies that were hanging from a thread.
Bodies upon bodies, lay unconcious on the sky and their powerlessness to escape was traumatizing to see. Every Wielder's eyes widened at this terrifying situation.
And amidst the hanged bodies, beholds the figure with the weeping mask.
"Welcome to my Soliloquy, dear Wielders.."