20 Forging Artifacts (1/2)
”These are the records on the supernatural activity in the area around Tobacco Yard.” Alice didn't even wait for Garett to recover from the hellish training before she dropped a thick file on a nearby table. ”There are twenty-three recorded cases during the last month, with only four of them being of unknown cause.”
Twenty-three? That's a very high quantity for only one district, no? I mean, I don't know the average number of cases in other areas... Garett breathed in calmy while listening to the specifics. He refused to get up for the time being!
”Twenty-three seems like a very high number, Alice...” Garett limply remarked, letting his thoughts be known.
”The average number of occurrences per district is around twenty-two a month. So yes, Tobacco Yard has a very high number this month, and as the month is not over, we expect more cases. Topping up at around twenty-seven cases.” Alice tensely acknowledged, her face expressing the gravity of the circumstances. ”Every case dealt by the curch is recorded and attributed a cause, the most common being the presence of marked.”
”That means there are other things that can attract supernatural phenomena?” Garett questioned her choice of words.
”Yes, even if it's not common, there are other circumstances. There are cases where Marked attempt rituals behind the church's backs, being possessed by some unknown entity in the process.” Alice started to list a few causes that she had previous experience with. ”There were also cases in which an inexperienced artisan forged an artifact that could connect directly to the spiritual world, resulting in chaos, and we needed a full team of hunters to destroy the artifact.”
A full team of hunters!? Isn't that as dangerous as a B-rank Mutant!? And you want to investigate things like those... Garett felt his confidence crumbling into pieces as he listened to the huntress's experiences.
”Don't look at me like that. It was a special case, only happening once or twice in the last couple of years.” Alice recomforted the young recruit, hoping to lessen his worries.
It seems very frequent for me! Are you sure you should not send an entire team of experienced hunters to investigate?... Garett was having bad premonitions. He was almost a hundred percent sure the situation would not be so simple as an unmonitored marked!
”May the Goddess protect me...” He mumbled in desperate prayer, his previous confidence vanishing. He almost wanted to punch himself for being so positive in front of the captain.
”May the Goddess bless us all.” Alice echoed in sequence, almost like an instinctive reflex!
You're not helping, Alice... Garett felt his lips twitching.
”Anyway, you should study the area and prepare for any circumstances.” Alice stopped for a second before adding in a reminder. ”You can request money for your expenditures from the church, and you can also request a weapon... just in case.”
Just in case, huh... Garett felt more and more that he would meet with trouble in this assignment.
...
Garett knocked at the large doors of the Keeper's library, finally having finished his training and possessing some free time, Garett decided to visit the old Keeper and continue to research artifacts as to prepare himself better for his upcoming assignment.
And the Keeper is also responsible for giving me an artifact I can use in my mission... Garett endured the urge to rest; every fiber of his screaming for rest, but he couldn't relax his mind for some unknown reason.
”It just feels wrong...” He mumbled to himself.
Sounds of clanking steel and screeching wood reverberated in the darkness while the door opened. A weird combination of sulfur and formalin dizzied his senses, with the strong odors almost making him turn and leave on the spot.
”Please forgive the tardiness, Sir Keeper.” Garett bowed while keeping one arm to his chest, every movement demonstrating utmost deference and respect.
I wonder what is he doing in there, what can possibly need the combination of sulfur and formalin?! Is he creating cadaver bombs? Actually, that's not a bad idea... Garett felt amused by this idea, a few applications of such a trap suddenly popping upon his mind.
”Oh, the young hunter came to pay me a visit.” The elder nodded in remembrance before turning around after opening the door. ”Come in. Remember to close the door after entering.”
”Yes, Keeper.” Garett refrained from asking about the Keeper's experiments, as it was a great taboo on the academic society to pry into another's research.
”You were rummaging through the old schematics in the deposit, yes?” The elder noted while looking for some books in a corner. It was apparent that he knew the location of every book in the place. ”No good will come from researching old and faulty goods.”
”I was only trying to understand the inner workings of firearms... I wasn't thinking of copying those schematics.” Garett tersely clarified, hoping that he Keeper wouldn't misunderstand him.
”You could just study the blueprints of normal firearms then. There's no need to study artifacts.” The keeper retorted, only half believing the young hunter's words. ”These are my books on the subject, or at least the books with the more basic knowledge relating to it.”