The Traveler | The Promised Neverland

Artemis Minerva: Origin

(3rd POV) 

Smee was shocked by the way the group moved.  This girl, who couldn't have been older than fourteen, had such authority over all these kids, all of which she should've just met.  58194 was a cattle that had only ever been on the third floor and hadn't come into contact with any children.  Yet these kids hung on her every word, despite the fact that this must've been their first encounter.  

And she was William Minerva's successor?  Smee had never heard of Minerva having anything like that!  You would think that he would make her existence known to his followers, but... he hadn't.  

Well, maybe he was being careful.  After all, if the information leaked she would've been targeted.  He was betrayed by his right hand, his brother, after all.  And that air about her... It's not like she's isn't cut out to lead.  So, I guess her existence is totally plausible.

"Hey, are there any other Minerva followers around here?"  Sparrow asked, looking at him as if she could pull out answers with the power of her piercing eyes alone.  Smee held back a shudder.

"No, it's just me.  There are others, but I'm the only one currently on-site."  Smee replied.  Sparrow nodded.

They went to the pantry first, and raided all the food there was, prioritizing non-perishables.  They even broke a couple of vending machines to get its contents.  They also had gone into the locker room and stolen bags to have something to carry it all in, which caused Sparrow to quietly sigh in relief because she hadn't wanted to make faux bags out of clothing.

After that, they headed to the armory.  There were guns, spears, swords, bows, clubs, knives, etc.  Sparrow left the kids outside and went in with just herself, Vincent, Barbara, Cislo, Lily, and Smee.  

"Okay, I need you five to pick your weapon or weapons of choice.  You guys are going to be our backup attack force, so you'll mostly be defending.  Against wild demons, I will be the one to attack, but in a scenario I can't, you guys will.  Clear?"  Sparrow commanded. The group murmured their agreements and turned to start browsing.    

When Sparrow had learned of this room, she immediately began thinking about the effectiveness of one weapon versus another.  Sparrow figured that she should have the ability to fight without relying on her temperature power in case she had reached her limit in battle.  Though the chances of that happening would get slimmer with her ever-growing capacity, Sparrow needed to expect the unexpected and take every possible precaution.  

She also didn't know her abilities range.  Sparrow's bathroom wasn't very big, so she practiced against the wall opposite of the bathtub, which was only about a meter away, so until she could find it out and improve it, Sparrow was stuck with using other long-range weapons.  

After going over the available choices and researching ones that looked promising, Sparrow decided on two silver 9mm pistol with a silencer and a range of 1800 meters, and a set of dual black 25cm combat knives, along with a few smoke bombs.  She also got a utility belt to store the equipment plus extra magazines, and completed the look with leather gloves with spikes on the knuckles.

Sparrow completed her setup efficiently because she knew what to look for. It took a few minutes for the rest of the group to get armed.  Afterward, Barbara had a club, Cislo had an assault rifle, Vincent had a submachine gun, Smee had a spear, and Lily had a katana and throwing knives.  

Sparrow left the room, beckoning them to follow her. 

"Okay, listen up," Sparrow instructed when she left, and the room instantly silenced.  "That room is an armory, it has weapons.  Everyone, go in there and find your weapon of choice.  Don't choose something you can't handle.  The outside world's dangerous, and you need ways to defend yourself.  If you have any questions, ask Smee, Vincent, or Lily, and/or me.  But don't come to me unless the other three can't answer your question.  Got it?"