Chapter 46: Team
Chapter 46: Team
They came to a room that was dimly lit. In it, there were some people playing cards and talking to each other while a couple of them smoked.
Everyone seemed to notice William and Cesimir's entrance.
"Oh, Captain, everything seems to have gone smoothly." William recognized the same man who had brought them from Tingen to Backlund, Alastor Brown. He wore a brown vest and had disheveled hair, a good indicator of his personality if their short time together was any indication of it.
"Certainly, there was no problem. I have brought him to introduce himself." The deacon gestured for him to speak.
William gave him a nod and stepped forward.
"My name is William Hastur, I come from the Tingen branch of the Nighthawks, I look forward to working with everyone." He stood tall almost as if he was giving a military salute.
"Heh, you were right, Alastor, looks like we've got another Edward." One of the men who had been playing cards chuckled a little. He was wearing a gray shirt and looked rough.
There was a throat clearing from across the room and William turned to see the only member who had been separated from the others. He had a book in his hand and was wearing glasses, altogether giving him an aristocratic look.
"There are many people in this world who understand the basic forms of behavior, it's you who is strange, Alfred." The man adjusted his glasses and stood up. He then walked over to William and held out his hand. "My name is Edward Cavendish, nice to meet you. I've heard of you, William Hastur."
William shook his hand, feeling a little uncomfortable with the man's pomposity.
The one who spoke earlier laughed again.
"For a moment I thought he looked like you, but now that I've heard you again, I seem to have underestimated you again, Edward." He leaned back in the chair, seeming to enjoy watching the show.
"Come on guys, acting like this when we finally get a new member is inappropriate. The poor boy seems to want the earth to swallow him." Alastor scolded them with a smile. "Anyway, you know me, my name is Alastor Brown. You can count on me if you need me to explain something about mysticism."
William smiled bitterly at the eccentricity of these guys, though he thanked Alastor for his words.
"This grumpy guy is called Alfred Jones, both our names start the same so we're best friends. He may seem short-tempered but he's as good as gold, if you get to know him." The aforementioned Alfred grunted at Alastor's introduction of him, though he didn't deny anything.
The last man had also stood up to greet him.
"My name is Henri Nour, I'm glad you joined our group, we were starting to get bored of each other with nothing out of the ordinary." The man had tanned skin, very untypical of the Loen kingdom, reminding William of Azik Eggers, the Angel he had met the day Klein was resurrected.
"And you know me from before, I am Crestet Cesimir, the Captain of this group of Red Gloves." The deacon of the Church acted as dignified as ever in presenting him. "Normally we would explain our respective Beyonder powers to you before anything else. However, we just happened to have received a mission, which will help us to take a more practical approach to the matter."
"But sir, my sword was broken during the incident in Tingen." William had hoped that he could also show his abilities on a mission so that his companions would understand his weaknesses and that they could take him into account in future plans.
Cesmir agreed.
"I know, that's why tomorrow you will accompany me to Chanis Gate to get you a replacement." He explained. "As a member of this squad, you are part of the elite within the Church, so a suitable Sealed Artifact will be given to you."
"A Sealed Artifact? But I thought they were kept at Chanis Gate because of the danger they pose." He questioned the new Red Glove.
Edward nodded.
"While it's true that all Sealed Artifacts carry danger, most are actually not too difficult to control if one is careful." He explained. "Of course, the more powerful the Artifact, the more dangerous its secondary effect will be. Still, even a weak Artifact will be much better than a common sword."
Crestet Cesimir nodded at Edward's explanation.
'I see, I guess it makes sense that Red Gloves make use of Sealed Artifacts much more frequently than regular Nighthawks. After all, the dangers I will face from now on will be much greater than what I went through in Tingen.' William pondered the matter, though he somehow doubted that anything approached the danger of a possible descent of the True Creator.
"I will conclude this introductory meeting. Come with me, William, while you are looking for a more suitable house you can stay in the free rooms of the Church." With these words from the Captain, William said goodbye to his new companions.
Now he was a Red Glove, this was a sign of his growth. He unconsciously touched the silver cross in his pocket, and his thoughts drifted to the cathedral of bones that Adam had summoned.
'Someday, someday I'll get to that level, I just have to keep working hard like I've been doing until now.'
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone