In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
Artemis made her way back towards the mess hall of the Green Mantis base. It was still early afternoon, and most of the members were gone out on missions or on their own errands. It would be sparsely crowded, and those who knew Artemis would nod and keep distance from her. It was not that they were afraid of the woman, it was the fact that Artemis was known to like her own space. She sat with nobody during meals, and was constantly deep in thought regardless. Her own friends would sit around her when they were present, yet they usually conversed with her only inputting her own thoughts once in a while. A woman of thought; of her own world. [break][break]
And yet, Artemis found herself with few friends. Fewer than when she had first started as a Magic Knight, at least. Some had perished, while others had hung up their mantle. Her past, her beginnings, were now just a shadow. They would be her memories, precious little, yet there nonetheless. Of simpler times. Of her first few steps into the world of the Magic Knights.[break][break]
But she was different now, was she not? She had surpassed her peers. Artemis Somerset, Vice Captain of the Green Mantis Magic Knights Squad. It had taken her this long to prove to her superiors that she was a worthy candidate. Yet, it was only the first step to her plan. [break][break] “To be the Captain…” She would whisper to herself, soft enough that nobody else could have heard her. That was her goal, after all. She would take the Captain’s position, and finally revitalize the Green Mantis into the Magic Knights Squad that it was meant to be.[break][break]
For now, however, she would content herself by training and empowering herself. Artemis knew she needed to be able to beat Barron, and he was not a man who she could easily trifle with without consequences.[break][break]
She shook her head. Artemis would gesture for the chef to bring her a cheesecake, before sitting down in her customary corner table. There was a pause, before she found herself wondering if Fuu would follow her in stride. After all, there was only one entrance from the specific training field they had just been sparring at, and it led towards the Mess Hall. If the young woman entered, Artemis would gesture towards her and say, “Over here.”[break][break]
The young Wilhelm will need to be debriefed. Better now when the lesson was fresh, than later when it might be forgotten.
Slowly Fuu made her way back into the base. That spring she once had in her step was gone, replaced with cautious steps. She was mostly lost in thought about what the vice captain told her not too long ago. She thought more about how she kept rushing at the water mage during the spar in a futile effort to attack. It reminded the dwarf of the other times she has rushed headfirst into danger. She always managed to make it out alive so the teen never thought anything was wrong with it. Back when she traversed that eldritch house with that other magic knight a while back, Fuu had to put a little brain power in to get through it, but other than that, she just went with gut instinct.
It took that spar, and the words her superior uttered to actually see that rushing into danger isn't always a good idea...and right now, she's not sure how to feel about this. She just wants to become better.
Entering into the mess hall, Fuu looked up and around the place. It wasn't as packed as usual which made sense due to the time of day. Thanks to that she was easily able to see Artemis gesturing for her to come over. With a tiny forced smile, Fuu started to make her way over, but stopped as she overheard two squad mates whispering among each other. "Oh look, Fuu's here..." one of them said. "Geez, look at the holes on her clothes. Have you heard about how reckless she is? Hell, she's a bit much even for this squad's standards." the second claimed. "Why is an Upper Noble here anyway?" "Hah, I know right. She might end up getting us killed one day." the two snickered among each other, but as they noticed the dwarf glancing in their direction, they immediately stopped and looked the other way.
Fuu balled her fists, ready to send those two to pound town...but she couldn't muster the energy to do so and actually wanted to keep up her composure. With her fists loosening, the young noble turned to face Artemis again, but then her attention went to the area where they were serving food. The girl gestured back at the water mage, wanting her to give her a second as she walked over to grab something to eat since the spar did work up her appetite. Fuu picked up a cheesecake, curious about how it tastes since she has seen the woman eating it so much and brought it back to the table.
"Alright, I'm here." the girl announced almost absentmindedly as she sat down. She played a bit with the cheesecake using her fork before actually breaking a piece off, and the moment she took a bite....it was obvious that she wanted to spit it back out but decided to force it down. "Eh..."
Artemis would listen to the whispers sent at the young woman. Instead of letting it go, Artemis would release all of her mana presence. Heavy, and very malevolent, Artemis’ mana levels were constantly held together so that it was not as oppressive as it was. Those who were sensory mages would feel just how much the woman had grown from when she had first stepped foot into the Green Mantis base- now their Vice Captain. And those who did not have any type of sensory inclinations would still feel the large mana presence, unlike they had ever felt. Truly, the only few who could match it were the other Captains and some of the Vice Captains. Even Barron Castle had acknowledged Artemis’ own strength; and that would have taken quite a lot. The man, after all, was not easily impressed.[break][break]
“Noble. Commoner. Those who speak ill of people are usually the weakest link.” She would stare at the few who were mumbling about Fuu’s heritage. “I suggest you do the same as this young woman, and train yourself. If not, I don’t expect you to be alive by the end of the year.” The harsh reality of the Magic Knights was the fact that there are fatality rates. Most people tend to forget that, and focus on the glory that can be earned through the organization. It was a mistake, something that truly culled the weakest link. [break][break]
She would then welcome Fuu to her table, watching as she took a bit of her own cheesecake. Artemis sensed that the young woman was not as much of a fan as herself, which was fine. More for her in the long run.[break][break] “That spar was not to humiliate you, do not misunderstand me.” She would start, folding her hands over themselves and placing it on her chin in a thinking position. “It was a test. I needed to see your capabilities, to push you to your limits.” Artemis continued, her eyes never leaving the young woman’s. “And I found myself successful, in a way.”[break][break]
Artemis paused now, searching for the proper words. [break][break]
“To be stronger; that is something that you Wilhelm’s always pride in- no, that is what all nobility strive for. To be stronger.” She nodded, “Yet, strength is not something you aimlessly chase after.” Artemis gave the woman a chance to respond, to see if she could glean something from what Artemis was trying to tell her. Fuu was a smart woman, not book smarts, but smart in her own way. Artemis had faith in the young woman.
The two mumbling mages were trembling in in their boots at the vice captain. Even without her words, her mana alone would've been enough to render them afraid and speechless. "W-W-We're sorry, Vice Captain!" The to immediately got up and bowed as if they were pleading for their lives before running off, some of the other members laughing at them. Fuu would've been among the people laughing their asses off if she weren't feeling a bit down.
Pushing her plate of cheesecake to the side, Fuu glared at it as if it crossed her or something. She couldn't understand why the water mage liked it so much, but that didn't matter now. As soon as Artemis started talking, Fuu looked up at her briefly before glancing over at her barely eaten food. "I wasn't humiliated..." she mumbled while lifting the fork from her plate and started to idly play with it.
Fuu continued to avert her eyes but listened to Artemis' every word. The dwarf was aware of this being a test, a simple spar, but that didn't stop her from getting worked up as usual. At the beginning of that spar, Fuu was calm but as it progressed, she found herself helplessly losing focus and gave in to her temper. There are times where she welcomes this rage, but then there are times where she dislikes it. She winced a bit at the mention of her noble family and stopped fiddling with the fork.
Even though she does not have any issues with being a Wilhelm, and other Wilhelms, hearing about them sometimes reminds Fuu of her parents. They want her to be strong as well...but they wanted her to go about it differently than the way she is now....one of the reasons why they are disappointed in her. Dropping the fork to the table, Fuu inhaled then exhaled heavily from her nose with eyes closed. "Well, what am I suppose to do, huh?" she kept her voice low, but her tone held hints of frustration. "I'm not exactly like other Wilhelms..." she claimed. The Wilhelms are known for their influence in the Clover Kingdom's trades, owning the most land, and their impressive supportive abilities among other things. But Fuu was just some wannabe brute...How is she suppose to live up to all of that, and how is she suppose to live up to this squad's standards if she doesn't even know what to do with herself.
“Who cares if you are unlike your relatives.” [break][break]
Artemis would start as she turned her attention away from the young woman, closing her eyes as she saw her own childhood. There was a point in time where most would ask themselves whether the young heiress of the Somerset family was truly of that bloodline. Beauty was one thing, and she had been showered with praise on that matter. But it had been her antics as a child. She was not one to sit still, always running, always stealing. Anything that pumped blood into her system, getting that small rush of excitement and thrill, she would do. Breaking the rules. Breaking the law. Artemis Somerset had been outed as a petty thief. [break][break]
Yet, it did not stop her. [break][break]
Well, it almost did. [break][break]
Artemis was one who would not admit her faults outright. At least, for a time. She had pride. The pride of the noble blood within her. While her family had not been traditionally of nobility, they had earned their way. And for centuries, they had married their way into social circles and their current position. Now, Artemis’ blood is of a mixture of old and new nobility. Rife with pride and ambition. [break][break]
“Why try to be something you are not.” She would continue, now turning her attention back towards the young woman. “Why try to be something that you know you are not meant to be. Strength comes from within and without, and both need to be fully understood.” She paused, before continuing at a much more even tone. “To be able to train yourself more efficiently, you must understand the type of fighter that you are first. And then, you must tailor your training to enhance your strengths, but at the same time, making sure to cover any weaknesses you might have.” Artemis then shook her head, “Do not, however, get hung up on your weaknesses. Nobody is perfect. Which is why we most usually do missions and dungeons with teammates. Your team is there to cover your back, while you cover theirs.” She nodded, “This is what makes the Magic Knights such an indomitable force to be reckoned with. There is no one, but all of us work together for a better and brighter future for the Clover Kingdom. It is just that, each and every single one of us has a different role to play. The trick is finding what yours is.” [break][break]
Artemis stopped then, letting the young woman digest what she had said. Hopefully it made sense.
As if on some sort of command, Fuu's eyes shot open at Artemis' first comment. The way she reacted, it was like the water mage had said something that was completely taboo. Sure, Fuu has been mostly living her life the way she wants to, not following a lot of her families customs, but there was always that feeling in the back of her mind, that worry of her potentially giving the Wilhelms a bad name.
She was honestly not expecting Artemis of all people to say something like this. The vice captain is a noble as well, so Fuu assumed she'd think otherwise...then again, there's still so much that the earth mage does not know about her.
Fuu listened closely, giving the elf her undivided attention. Every word Artemis had said rang true to Fuu. Why should she care about what the other Wilhelms think? She just needs to keep continuing to be her, and if her family can't approve of it, then screw them.
Even though she was feeling a little pumped from this, Fuu's confidence sank back down a little at the mention of weakness. Her weakness now pointed out felt like something she had no real control over, that once she starts thinking with her fists or gets too caught up in the moment, there's just no stopping it. Then the subject of teammates were brought up. It is a good way of being able to cover one's weakness...but Fuu doesn't think she'll be good in a team. Her self doubt was far from true however as she once teamed up with that blue elf and...Charles to take down a mana beast then their was that buff chick she stormed that creepy mansion with. Still, those thoughts get quickly drowned out from her recent team battle against the vice captain's significant other...
"Yeah well..." The girl picked her fork back up and started to gently tap it on the table. "What if I already found my role, huh? Bumbling hothead whose only good at breaking her legs and letting her squadmates do all the work?" She let out a dry chuckle. "Maybe there isn't more to me than this...." The girl closed her eyes. A few seconds later, Fuu let out an annoyed groan before abruptly standing from her seat, catching the attention of some close by squad members. "Agh, this whole "talking" thing is stupid! I wanna go break something, loot some poor oaf's wallet, get rowdy!" the dwarf rambled, trying to hide her feelings.
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Artemis would listen to the young woman talking in front of her. She shared her doubts and fears. There was, at the very core of Artemis’ existence, that feeling of inadequacy. How could it not be present. Artemis was one of the nobles, though lesser, to have been talked about negatively throughout her teenage years. The delinquent noble, they called her. The problem child, they would sneer and mock her when she was not looking. She knew all of their insults, and it fed her feeling of inadequacy, of her self-image.[break][break]
“Sit down.” Artemis commanded. The Wilhelm could listen, but she did not have to. The Vice Captain's commanding voice would permeate through the room, and silence any sort of chatter. Coupled with her presence, Artemis was not one that most could say no to when she got serious. She supposed it was through the culmination of her repertoire and her accumulated achievements that made her more intimidating.[break][break]
“Do you honestly think that you were only meant to be mediocre?” She would ask, her eyes trained towards the young woman’s own. “Do you believe that this is all you are? A piece of fodder that is meant to be just that for the rest of your life?” Artemis shook her head. “There is no place for you within the Magic Knights, nor in the nobility, if that is how you think.” She sigh, "Stop being a defeatist, only a commoner think like that."[break][break]
Artemis paused, “To be strong. To achieve your goals and your dreams. Those are not readily easy.” She would shake her head now. “The path is a long one. It is a dangerous one. It is trodden only by those who have found their will.” Artemis’ own had been a long and hard road. She had been alone for most of it. No friends to lean on. No comrades to share her successes with. She had left everything behind as she climbed the ranks of the Magic Knights. She was standing where she was now today because of those sacrifices. “Are you, then, telling me that you, Fuu Wilhelm, have a will of a shattered stone? Where is the young woman who proclaimed that she wanted to be the pillar that the citizens can rely on, hm?”[break][break]
Artemis would slam her hand on the table, breaking it into two with the force. “Fighting. Bleeding. Broken. Scarred. Those are the medals that we hold up and show to the world as we face each and every single obstacle in our path without fear. No matter how much we might lose, nor the amount of times we retreat, it is by not surrendering that we achieve. You would do well to remember that.”
Fuu was just about to up and leave, until she heard her vice captain's commanding tone. It was far different from the woman's usual calm demeanor and it was enough to not just grab the dwarf's attention, but the attention of everyone else in the mess hall. Without a word, Fuu looked at Artemis and slowly sat back down. There was a tense feeling running through the teen's body that could only be chalked up as fear and obedience.
The earth mage watched Artemis as she spoke. She appeared to show hints of frustration of having to sit and listen to this, but dare not to speak up on it.
“There is no place for you within the Magic Knights, nor in the nobility, if that is how you think.”
Those words right there had cut deep. The dwarf scratched the surface of the table and bit her lower lip. She couldn't hold eye contact with Artemis no longer, but still didn't move from her spot and listened. "I..." she opened her mouth and hesitated at the water mage's questions. She wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what it would be. Her mouth closed back up, and a few seconds later, she winced as the table before her was broken in two by the water mage's raw strength! It was enough to cause some of the other squad members to either sneak out or back as far away as they could from those two.
Once Artemis finished, Fuu remained quiet, and didn't take her eyes off of the broken table while she rested her hands on her lap. "You really are a vice captain...huh?" she muttered, referring to all she had just said and did, how she managed to silence the entirety of this area through her presence alone. A pained smile surfaced on Fuu's features as she squeezed her lap. "You're so cool...so strong...and confident..." The young Wilhelm then lifted her hands up and placed them on each end of her mantle to lift it up a little so she could look at the mantis symbol. "I've always act like...that I'm those things, hoping that others will see me as such....But I'm weak...and difficult for others to be around." Her grip on the mantle tightened as streams of tears started to slowly fall. "Before the exams...people use to give up on me a lot, talk bad about me because I wanted to be different, but I never gave a shit, or...at least I acted like I didn't." the dwarf let out a dry chuckle.
"There was one person...who didn't think I was a disappointment." She smiled lightly, her cheeks a bit flushed once more as she lowered her mantle. "He was a super cool Crimson Lion, just like Lydia. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be out there now, presenting myself as some common thief." With her eyes shifting to the side, Fuu's smile faltered as she thought of something. "After he died, I thought I would be back at square one...surrounded by people who look down on me. But being here...it showed me that he wasn't the only one..." She finally found the courage to look at Artemis once again. At first, the young Wilhelm wasn't thrilled about being in this squad, but after her mission with Artemis, meeting those two green mantis boys, and now these talks with the vice captain, it was showing her that there are others that don't think less of her, and actually sees real potential in her despite how much of a pain she can be.
"Ya know what...you're right, I can become more! Plus, who knows what will happen to Valo or Alex if I'm not around to keep em on track with my womanly intuition, or whatever!" the girl grinned as she stood up before punching her palm. "Take a good look at these tears while you can, Arty, cuz after this, you won't be seeing em anymore!"
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Artemis would listen to the young Wilhelm. [break][break]
She knew that there were things that needed to be said. The young woman was stubborn, and would more than likely not listen to anybody save those she respected. Yet, it was clear that she needed the guidance. How could she not when she had strutted all over the place thinking she was something that she was not. Fuu Wilhelm had potential, but she was not there just yet. Just like so many of those in the Magic Knights, there was always room to improve. Even Artemis herself knew that she was just not there yet. She still had limits that she could surpass, and she was going to keep pushing herself until she could no longer do it, and push even further. The sky is the limit, and beyond is where Artemis was aiming towards.[break][break]
“They are your comrades,” She would now start, speaking about both Valo and Alexander. “They will need you as much as you will need them. At the end of the day, when you are out there, fighting against the enemies of the Clover Kingdom, it is your comrades that you will rely on to watch your back.” Artemis would shake her head. She had only a few of those left, comrades that could compliment her style of fighting. One of them was Lydia.[break][break]
“Never lose yourself to defeatism. Chin up. Look forward and up.” Artemis now stood from her seat. The table, broken, now forgotten as she turned her attention away. She had done her job, and she felt as though it was adequate enough. She hoped that it would motivate the young woman to finally find herself in her sea of thoughts and emotions. [break][break]
“When you are ready to begin some form of training, seek me out.” She would glance at the young woman, before walking out of the room. There were things to be had, and paperwork to be filed. The life of a Vice Captain is never over, it seems.
When it comes to teamwork just like many other things, Fuu still needed to work on that. She has come to respect Valo and Alexander even if she doesn't act like she does most of the time, and wishes to not disappoint them as well. Fuu noded in agreement. Maybe she could actually give this teamwork thing a try.
Fuu watched Artemis get up from her seat. The elf had a way with words, and was so inspirational. The dwarf no longer appeared depressed or even angry. She was pumped to actually become what she yearns to be, and that is someone who is capable, strong enough to defend the kingdom.
"Heh, I'll hold ya to that, vice cap." She nodded once again as she watched Artemis take her leave. To have someone this strong acknowledge her...Fuu felt like she could really do this!