Problematic Sealed Artifacts
Chapter 12: Problematic Sealed Artifacts
William was quietly drinking black tea at Blackthorn Security Company. It was a day like any other. At least, that was until Dunn showed up next to Klein. The Captain was as serious as ever, and William had a sudden need to snap to attention as if he were in the army.
"William, come with us to Chanis Gate. You will help in the new mission." He ordered.
Not wanting to waste any time William nodded and followed Dunn along with Klein. He wanted to ask about what kind of mission it was going to be, but he figured the Captain would explain it to him when the time was right.
They walked a little, and when Chanis Gate was in sight, Dunn stopped before turning to both of them.
After going straight at the intersection, Dunn suddenly stopped and turned his head, saying sternly:
"Do this action together with me. Keep doing it, and absolutely do not stop. Remember, absolutely do not stop. This is for your own safety!" While speaking, Dunn bent his arm followed by extending it. He repeated this action without stopping.
Both rookie Nighthawks looked at him in confusion, but Klein seemed to understand something.
"Is this because of the Sealed Artifact?" His question seemed to make William understand.
'I see, so we're going to use a powerful Sealed Artifact for the mission.' As soon as these thoughts entered his head, he felt that it was going to be a difficult day. 'If we need to use external factors even when the Captain plans to get involved, the enemy is not simple.'
Dunn nodded, and William and Klein asked no further questions, following the instructions.
'This should be a way to detect if the Sealed Artifact is affecting us. I suppose if one of us stops, we'll know there's something wrong with him, and that will allow us to act to save that person.' William pondered, though he wasn't sure if his thoughts were correct.
At Chanis Gate, Klein's actions suddenly seemed to slow down. He went still and the movement of his arm slowed down. William noticed it and was about to call the Captain to ask him what was going on. However, Dunn had already noticed the anomaly and moved closer to Klein before giving him a light push on the shoulder.
Rationality seemed to return to Klein.
"What happened?" He managed to ask, his tone being a mixture of fear and confusion.
William was also a little worried. It all happened too quietly. Fortunately, they had followed Dunn's instructions and noticed Klein's anomaly in time, allowing her to corroborate his earlier hypothesis.
"Observe carefully." They were the only words that came out of the Captain's mouth.
Finally, they entered the Keeper's room. There were four other people in the room, and they were all doing the extending and bending arm "exercise" with utmost seriousness.
"Klein Moretti has a miraculous connection with the Antigonus family's notebook. William Hastur has a fairly high close-range combat ability." Dunn gave a brief introduction.
Then, he pointed to the other three strangers and said, "These lady and gentlemen are colleagues from the Backlund diocese. They escorted Sealed Artifact 2-049 here. This is Madam Lorotta, Sequence 8 Gravedigger. She is a master sharpshooter."
The woman nodded in a friendly manner at them.
Dunn pointed to a man seated behind the desk.
"Aiur Harson, someone just like me."
Before he finished his sentence, Klein and William saw Mr. Aiur Harson in his gray windbreaker turn sluggish with his arm motion.
At that moment, William hurried over to him and did the same thing he had seen Dunn do with Klein. Mr. Harson came back to his senses.
Lorotta then rubbed her chin.
"Wow, he has quick reflexes."
Dunn nodded with satisfaction.
"Okay, let's hurry up. We don't have much time."
"Borgia," Dunn said as he pointed to the last Nighthawk.
Borgia was a cold man with a knife scar on the side of his face. His sharp brown eyes were like an eagle's. He was constantly observing everyone in the room.
"Let's set off. The faster we end this, the faster we can seal 2-049." Aiur Harson said as he stood, his eyes revealing some wrinkles.
Dunn nodded again. He pointed to the last remaining person in the room.
"This is Leonard Mitchell. Klein already knows him. He's part of the Tingen Nighthawks."
Leonard had black sideburns and green pupils. He was good-looking and had a poet's romantic temperament. The man happily greeted William, and William returned it with a smile.
"Alright." Dunn turned and looked at Leonard Mitchell. "You will be in charge of driving."
"No problem." Leonard stopped acting flippant and nodded seriously.
Aiur bent over and picked up a black metal chest that William hadn't previously seen due to the table.
Thump!
Thump! Thump!
Violent knocking sounds suddenly erupted from the black chest. Even the surface of the chest bulged time and time again.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
'Is the Sealed Artifact alive?' William thought, though the question wasn't for himself.
"It seems to have a bit of a conscience, be careful, Darling." Debris replied, receiving a mental nod from William. "Luckily, it seems like it's only able to affect one person at a time."
William adjusted his hat with one hand while he went through the exercise with the other. He wondered if being able to affect just one person would stay the same forever.
He could be a bit carefree and forgetful normally, but he was always serious about something that could be dangerous. He didn't want to leave anything to chance, so he was prepared to act at a moment's notice if necessary.
They went through the tunnel and up the stairs to the second floor of the Blackthorn Security Company.
Leonard had gone ahead and notified everyone in the front of the buildings, so Rozanne and the rest had all made their way to the third level. These incidents rarely involved them, but they were not completely alien to them. Another Nighthawk, Kenley, had replaced Dunn in his watch over Chanis Gate.
Klein heaved a sigh of relief when he reached the carriage. He looked suspiciously out the window and said, "Won't 2-049 affect the ordinary people on the streets?"
From their journey underground to the carriage, Sealed Artifact 2-049 had already caused six sluggish incidents, two of which were targeted at him. The rate of the sluggish effect was rather alarming!
"No worries, 2-049 will target humanoid creatures within five meters of it first. The closer you are to it, the easier it is for you to be chosen. As long as three people are surrounding it, people who happen to be around when the carriage steers past will not be affected," Lorotta explained with a lazy tone.
'This Sealed Artifact sure has some strange pet peeves.' William felt that the extraordinary items were all too much trouble. A voice of indignation came from his sword at those thoughts.