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As expected, there were plenty of reports about the Rainlords conducting rescue operations after Hurricane Deva, but there was just something peculiar about the way they were being written. They were different in tone, compared to the reports that had been coming in before.

For one thing, they were extremely terse. Minimal details. And they were always requesting more scouting information from the other teams abroad, despite there not being a clear, operational need for such intel.

Garovel had advised Hector to take extra precautions and not fulfill said requests.

‘What if they get mad?’ Hector had asked.

‘Let them,’ the reaper had told him. ‘There are times when you have to put your foot down, Hector, and this is one of them. Operational security is not some silly thing that we only worry about when it won’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Sharing information that the other teams have gathered could put those teams in jeopardy. We don’t know the full extent of what’s going on in Vantalay, and the Rainlords there don’t need the distraction, either. We can fill them in once they’ve returned. For now, it’s better if they stay focused on their objectives.’

That seemed like yet another difficult conversation that was brewing, but Hector did find himself agreeing with the reaper.

And besides, there was just some... inexplicable feeling that he was getting from these reports. Something he couldn’t quite pinpoint or articulate.

Regardless, he was glad that Garovel had asked the reapers here to organize the received intel into written reports for him to look over. They hadn’t seemed too pleased about the added responsibility, but it was definitely helpful when trying to gain a grander view of everything going on.

That, and Joana Cortes seemed to have taken a liking to the task. Apparently, she had a real thing about being organized. She even had some of the kids helping her as personal assistants.

Apart from Vantalay, however, the news out of Intar was increasingly concerning. Vito Sebolt was reporting a case of mass hysteria gripping the capital city of Andeyal. While it apparently wasn’t affecting everyone, it was affecting enough of them to make travel a real problem.

According to Vito, people were roaming the streets aimlessly, forgetting where they were, and even leaving their jobs in the middle of the day without a word to anyone. A toll booth operator, for example, might just walk out and not come back, letting traffic pile up for miles and miles before anyone realized.