"I wouldn't be so sure." Phloria shrugged.
"Why, exactly?" Lith asked.
"Well, this safe is really old. I've seen a lot of them in the army. Heck, I even have one in my own office and none of them is a hybrid between Warden and Forgemaster magic. Maybe this was cutting edge technology centuries ago, but magic never stopped evolving."
Phloria went to call the Professors while Lith examined the safe with Invigoration. Solus had already slipped back to his finger, helping him to sort that mess.
'Dammit, if it wasn't for the Odi's obsession with explosions, there are a lot of things I could try. To make matters worse, I need what's inside this safe, so I can't risk getting it damaged.' He thought.
'Consider this a learning experience.' Solus said. 'Phloria is right, we've never met a safe before, so they must have weak points that dimensional items do not have. Otherwise everyone would use them.'
"Nice work getting here so fast." Yondra said, quickly followed by her peers. "What do we have here? A Nightmare Safe! It's the first time I see one outside of books."
"Can you open it?" Lith asked.
"Of course we can." Neshal laughed like a madwoman at the sight of the ancient relic. "It's just like Kulah's door, an unbeatable conundrum unless you know the trick."
"Do you know why no one uses safes nowadays?" Yondra asked, making both the youths shake their heads.
"First, their ungodly price. Having one Forgemastered or array protected would cost much more than a dimensional item and it would be much less safe. Second, any Forgemaster can crack a safe if they have enough time, the same stands for arrays. But this? This is just idiotic."
Yondra's laughs forced Neshal to continue.
"You see, the safe is password protected, which means that the arrays must also recognize it as well, correct?" More nodding ensued.
"Hence, if you use a very simple array detecting spell…" Neshal made the full form of the array appear, revealing its runes.
"Here says that the array must trigger unless the number 3 is pressed." She deciphered the runes for them. "Then, that it must trigger unless the number 9 is pressed within one second…"
"Are you saying that the password is written on the array and cannot be changed?" Phloria's mouth was agape.
"Yes. Unless you redo everything from scratch, the password cannot be changed and it would still be written as clear as day for any Warden worthy of their title."
Yondra pressed the numbers in quick succession, opening the safe.
"Wait, what about the combination for the door locks in the labs?" Lith asked.
"It was different. The arrays and a holographic pad were two distinct protections, in fact we safely deactivated the array first and then worked on the pad. Heck, the password would have been inconsequential if we could have reached the arrays on the other side of the door." Neshal explained.
Inside the safe, there were several folders that were given to Gaakhu and Ellkas, a metal key, and what looked like a keycard to Lith.
While the linguists deciphered the papers from both the safe and the secretary's desk, Yondra worked on the commander's desk, opening all of its drawers. Countless reports were orderly disposed, making the linguists moan at the idea of having to read them all.
Since their presence was no longer necessary, Lith and Phloria left the commander's office and moved to another building. Life Vision didn't spot any more hidden areas and just to decipher so many papers, it would take the linguists quite some time.
By the time dinner was ready, Lith had cleared three more buildings without finding anything interesting. The Professors were still working on the folders found inside the safe, so after finishing his meal, he decided to give his handler a call.
Lith hadn't heard from Kamila in over a week and he was starting to get worried about her. She replied almost immediately, but the vision he saw sent shivers down his spine. Kamila looked terribly pale and had huge bags under her eyes.
Her skin was stretched, like she had lost too much weight too fast, making her almost unrecognizable.
"Thank the gods you are alright. I was starting to get really worried. Wait for a second, please." Only her radiant smile was still the same. The contrast between her joyous expression and her physical appearance made Lith feel as his heart had been caught in a frozen vise.
A familiar voice in the background snapped him out of his reverie.
"Of course, dear. Royal override. Identification: Archon Jirni Ernas. Password of the day: Abomination, Balkor, Die, Manohar."
"Thanks, Jirni. Now you can talk with both your handler and your girlfriend." She giggled.
"Kami, are you alright? You look terrible. Did something happen?" Lith blurted out the second they were alone again.
Those weren't the first words she had hoped to hear from Lith after such a long separation, but the honest worry in his voice more than made up for it.
"Physically, I'm fine. The rest, not so much. It's a long story, do you have time for it?" Lith nodded for her to continue and Kamila told him all that had happened after Fallmug's attempt on her life.
"That bastard!" Lith yelled when her story was over, slamming his fist against the ground with such strength to crack it. "I told you we should have dealt with him the hard way."
Kamila flinched, quivering like a puppy and making Lith feel terrible.
"Oh gods, I'm so sorry. I'm not angry at you, I just wish I was there to rip him apart, limb from limb."
"That's exactly my problem." She said. "Right after the attack, I was so enraged that I had him arrested and asked for the maximum sentence. Now, however, knowing that he is still alive, getting tortured every day, I feel terrible."
Kamila started to sob.
"I can't sleep, I can't eat. I'm barely functional. Why did I take this job? Everything was much easier before."
Lith let her vent her pain, whispering her sweet words from time to time, before saying anything.
"I would like that Fallmug died a horrible death, but if it's affecting you so badly, then ask for mercy and have him executed. He's not worth a single hair on your head, let alone one of your tears."
"After so long, would it even matter? I helped Constable Ernas capture many people, but it's the first time that my job and my personal life get mixed. I never realized the pain I bring to those who get arrested." She replied.
"First, you didn't do anything wrong. He attacked you, and no matter your role in the army, his sentence would have been the same. Second, what about Zinya? What about all the victims? Why are you worrying for the culprits instead that for yourself?
"If you didn't stop those people, a lot of innocents would have got hurt. Your job is as necessary as mine. As for Fallmug, yes, his death matters. It will give you closure. Kami, you are not a bad person and his fate was never in your hands, but his own.
"What do you think would have happened to your sister and her children if you didn't step up? Nothing you did was meant to hurt him, only to have justice for them, so please stop torturing yourself over such a dirtbag."
