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.
Nairn was a town that was filled with churches. Artemis was never too fond of the Church of Clover, but she made do. It did not help that the Priests and Nuns were sometimes cruel to criminals, reformed or otherwise. At least, those in the Forsaken Region. Artemis thought that it was most like them being stationed so far away from their homes. Artemis could not blame them. The life lived in the Forsaken Region was not something that could be called easy. It was a hard place. A cruel place. Unforgiving to the poor, and even more so for those unused to it. Artemis, herself, learned to live with it since she was a part of the Green Mantises, whose base of operations was within the Forsaken Region. [break][break]
Now in Nairn, she was reminded of why she had decided to travel so far: information.[break][break]
The Shattering, as some people have called it. She remembered everything about herself, unlike some people who might have forgotten some things. Others might have reported other happenings in their lives that they had not been aware of. One thing was for certain, and that was that something big had happened, something that she had been away for.[break][break]
Artemis cursed herself mentally as she continued her path down Nairn’s main road. She had not been there, and it had truly hurt her ego. There were whispers of a battle. Of a Daemon. Of an unknown magic that was so strong that it affected the world as we know it. It was so catastrophic that it had led to the deaths of some of the strongest Magic Knights, and even a Captain. Too much had happened and she had not been there. She had wished she had been there for it all.[break][break]
An adrenaline junkie, Artemis Somerset had always been a troublemaker. As a noblewoman, she was expected to be cool, calm, and collected. Artemis shattered all of those expectations and became who she wanted to be.[break][break]
Carefully patting her Green Mantis Magic Knight mantle, Artemis looked around the streets. She needed a sign that might point her to Azure Deer’s base. She had some friends there from her previous missions, which she hopes would have more information about all of these matters that she was trying to piece together. The Azure Deers, after all, were known to be specialized in information gathering. They would know more than her.[break][break]
Before she could turn around the corner, however, she stumbled for a moment. She had been so busy in her head that she failed to notice a person turning the corner at the same time. Or at least, she thought that he might be turning a corner. Artemis dusted herself off, before looking towards the man and raising her hand, “I apologize for that, I was not looking at all.” Artemis apologized, “Too lost in my thoughts, hm.” She whispered to herself as she straightened her outfit. Dusting off her Green Mantis Magic Knight’s mantle, she gave the man a nod, though it seemed he might just be the person she was looking for. [break][break]
[newclass=.polluximage]width:550px;height:200px;opacity:1;background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/jKVN5Qk.png);transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.polluximage:hover]background-image:url();opacity:1;transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
The day started out pretty normal as it did every morning that came along. Naxel rose up out of bed to stretch his arms, and drug himself into his own bathroom. He looked into the mirror to see that his bed head was a lot worse than it normally was. Pushing it down, lightly wetting it, and even combing it wouldn’t do much difference. It was an easy fix, though, and all he had to do was throw a good amount of water on it. So, he did just that and was able to get it looking somewhat of a nicer looking messy style. Afterwards, he went back into his bedroom to rumble through his closet to find his normal lazy day clothes. He didn’t really understand why he rumbled through it every morning due to the fact that he only has like three sets of clothes. One was his lazy clothing, one was his squad uniform, and the other was a formal elegant squad uniform. Most people would think that a noble would have a lot more clothing that he actually had. Though, it didn’t matter matter to him that he had this little of clothing. He would rather have what he wanted in a small bundle than a bigger bundle of nothing he really wanted. Anyway, he quickly grabbed his lazy day clothing, and mantle, to quickly get dressed. Once dressed he made his way out of his bedroom door to head for the common area.
It didn’t take long for the young nobleman to make his way downstairs to where he was going. But what he saw when he arrived was something that threw him off a little bit. There were a few different faces that he had not recognized before. He wondered if there was another recruitment day that happened, and he was left out by the Captain on purpose. This didn’t settle to well for him. Naxel would squint his eyes to the people before heading down the hall towards Captain Willows office. When he arrived he could easily tell that no one was here. Usually there would be a lot of commotion coming from his office, due to him always being messy. Naxel took it upon himself to just open the door to double check. Once the door was open it only confirmed his thought process. So, instead of waiting, Naxel would just wait at this point until he can figure out where in the world the Captain could be. He would then head towards the dining area to see if there was anything left for him to eat.
On his way to the dining area his curiosity continued to get worse and worse as time went by. There weren’t a lot of different faces around, but the fact that there were different faces is what worried him. With the Captain not around these could be people wanting to get revenge on the whole squad! But if they wanted revenge then they would of possibly killed everyone by now. By the time that he entered the dining area he saw a couple of unfamiliar faces sitting together. Naxel looked at then, then at the serving counter, and back at the people again. “Do I want food, or figure out who these people were...” That thought circulated through his mind for a few seconds before deciding to approach them. “Excuse me, but are you two members of the squad here?” Asking with a polite tone to try and not show his curiosity. They answered back with saying his name, and acting like they have known him for years. He would then quickly continue with basic small talk, and walking away to the serving counter when he was done. Sadly, there was no food left on the counter by the time he made it up there. Tears began to run down his face, for a split second, before he decided to just head into town for something to eat.
Nairn wasn’t far from the Squads base as most people thought it would be. In fact it just probably seemed far away due to some of the illusion mages playing pranks on people. That was one thing that was normal for him to see whenever leaving the base. Naxel would throw his hand up to show his friendliness towards his fellow squad members. Afterwards he would make his way down the path that led towards the amazing church town. When he arrived, the nobleman waved at a bunch of locals that he would see from time to time when he did come to town. A couple of them were kids kicking around a ball. Naxel would then get a funny idea, and then run in between then to play along with them for a second. He would steal the ball to kick it between his own feet. The two rushed him to see if they could take it back. It was funny because they were laughing a lot more than they were trying to get the ball back. So, Naxel would play for a second more before letting them have their ball back. He would then make his way towards a corner, and decided to make a turn. When he did he wound up bumping into someone. The first thing he noticed was that it was a woman from the sound of her voice. “No no, It was my fault. I cut the corner a little to quickly.” Speaking real quick before his dizziness ended. “Oh, a Green Mantis Knight. What brings you to our neck of the woods?” Saying with a kind and gentle towards the woman he bumped into.
Artemis took a better look at the person she had bumped into. It seems that Lady Fate had been looking out for her this time around. She can count on one hand the number of times she had gotten this lucky in her life-time, and it would not even go past three. Yet, here she was, standing in front of an Azure Deer Magic Knight. The blue Magic Knight’s Mantle that hung on his shoulder made him into a member. It was, after all, the prerogative of a Magic Knight to always represent their Magic Squad. Not only was it a morale booster for the people, especially with what had happened recently, and throughout the years, but it also made sure that Magic Knights can easily be called in times of trouble. But all of that aside, Artemis was glad that she was able to run into this man. Maybe he might be able to actually tell her some of the things that have been happening since her absence. Better yet, maybe the man might be able to point her to her friend.[break][break]
With a nod, Artemis started, “Ah, no harm done, hm?” She acknowledged the man’s apology, waving it away as she focused on the topic at hand. The Azure Deer mages were well known for their Sensory magic. In fact, they were the Magic Knights Squad that had the most concentration of Sensory mages. There were little other Magic Knights Squad as specialized as the Azure Deers. Artemis had once been invited to join the squad when she had first taken the exam. Her proficiency with illusions, as well as Sensory magics in general, made her a great candidate for the Azure Deers. However, the squad itself just did not feel right for her. They were good people, she was sure, but they were, however, just not right for her. Their ideals were too narrow, too straight-forward, and aligned itself too well with the Clover Kingdom’s Nobility. Underneath it all, Artemis knew that the squad was loyal first and foremost to the Kingdom, and by extension, to its Nobility. Artemis could never accept that fact.[break][break]
What was she doing here?[break][break]
She gave it a pause, unsure whether she should just blurt it out. If she were being honest with herself, she knew that she could not easily trust this person. They might look harmless, and definitely a member of the Azure Deers, but she was not sure whether the man was a new member, or a veteran. A new member would not have any information, and would be useless. Artemis preferred it if he were a veteran of some kind. At least, this way, he could actually help her in her self-proclaimed mission to find out what the hell happened in the past few months she had been gone. Questions that most of the Green Mantis members did not have answers to because they had been kept in the blind. It was one of the things that Artemis hated about the Clover Kingdom, its inherent bias against those who had a past that is not pristine. The Green Mantis were seen as untrustworthy because of their member composition of previous delinquents or troublemakers, criminals on the mend. This made the Squad notorious, and for the most part, were not called unless they were needed badly. [break][break]
Green Mantis was brushed aside, which was why Artemis found herself in this position of having to rely on outside sources.[break][break]
“I am unsure if you’re privy to the information that I am looking for.” Artemis paused, before shaking her head, “Sorry, let me rephrase that. I am searching for information on the events that had transpired in the previous months. It seems that Green Mantis was mostly kept in the dark, besides those who have not yet returned.” That was better, Artemis thought. She supposed it would be better for her to be more respectful. She was not on one of her official missions, after all. “I was hoping that the Azure Deer mages are able to provide some valuable intel on the matter, especially since your Squad is well-known for its intelligentsia, and cataloguing of information in general.” There, she should butter it up as well.[break][break]
She then looked around. While she may be a Magic Knight, she always kept her guard up. She had also made sure to speak in a lower tone of voice. She never knew who might be listening in on their conversation, after all. [break][break]
“If you do have the information, we might need to move this conversation to a more private setting.” She offered, her gaze sharp as steel, “Too many wandering eyes here.”
[newclass=.polluximage]width:550px;height:200px;opacity:1;background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/jKVN5Qk.png);transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.polluximage:hover]background-image:url();opacity:1;transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
After a few good seconds the dizziness had finally went away from the young noble. He had heard the woman, he bumped into, reply back with no harm done. That was a good thing to hear when accidentals happened like this. Most of the people you accidentally bump into would usually just brush it off, and go about their business in this town. Others would try to fight you for being “careless” just because you accidentally bumped them. That’s why this town was such a good place to go to whenever someone from the Azure Deers wanted to get away from the base for a while. What makes it better is that there is a small business that is usually open for just member of the Azure Deers. At certain times of the day it will be open to some regulars from the town, and the rest of the times its for the Magic Knights. The owner is a great little old lady who had a husband who was once a Magic Knights. So she knows the stress that can come with the job. In which, is why she opened up a business for Magic Knights to come and relax, or discuss things outside the base and public. Though, that place started to give Naxel a warm feeling inside for a place to go. Since the Base Cafeteria was all out of food for him to eat. He was sure that the little old lady would be able to whip him something up, so that his tummy would be all full for whatever it might be coming.
Whenever the woman gave her reply, Naxel gave a gentle smile back as his response to her. She then went on to ask a question that he did not really understand what she was asking. Then, she came back right after the question to rephrase it into something he could understand. The question was quite odd for him to hear coming from a fellow Magic Knight. She did say that the Green Mantis was usually kept in the dark on stuff, but Naxel actually almost forgot that the Green Mantis was a squad. It wasn’t a bad thing for him to forget about, due to his busy work with investigations and such. Naxel would then hear her go on about how she knew of the Azure Deers Specialties. Everyone within the Kingdom knows about who the Azure Deers are. This would be thanks to a previous Captain that he was unable to really serve under. He had always heard great things about the man that once served as Captain for his Squad. But the man he did get to serve under is the amazing Willow Omens. Captain Willow hasn’t really been seen around the base in a good while. Just like when Naxel went by his office to speak with him, but wasn’t able to locate him. He hoped that his Captain was doing alright despite being away from the people he cherished the most.
The question that the woman had asked was lingering out in his mind for a few seconds. He had no idea of who this person was, or what information that they know or don’t know. There was a lot of stuff that has happened in the few months, but, as far as he knew, that information wasn’t really out to a lot of people. Strange things did start happening though when the Wizard King, and King Clover, decided they wanted to create relations with the Witches of the Witch Forest. Since then there had been all kinds of weird stuff going on. Such as the new random people that were wandering around the Azure Deer Base in the Squads Uniform. Not just anyone was able to just casually stroll around the base itself. There is way too much sensitive information in too many rooms for people to be allowed to wander about. But the Young Noble knew that he was going to need to figure out who this person was before he would even give out any information. It did strike him a little weary whenever the woman in front of him was looking a little paranoid. She was looking over her should as if someone was hunting her down. As far as he knew, the Azure Deers don’t have any wanted information about her. Also, no one has mentioned anything about someone with her description on it. Naxel would then figure that he should take this woman into the Azure Deers hangout spot to figure her out some more.
“Hmm... There has been some stuff going on that had started a few months ago. Sadly, a good bit of information on certain things have been deemed sensitive. Though, I can spare some details on stuff that is commonly known to the Magic Knights at this point.” Replying back to the woman that he had bumped into. “Care to join me? I am heading to a Local Magic Knight hang out spot. Need to get some food inside my tummy, before I pass out from not getting food before them savages.” Speaking once again, and then started to walk across the street to where the hang out was located. Then, when he made it to the door, he opened it up to walk inside. He left the door open for the Lady that he hoped followed him here. Once inside he would wave at the little old lady, and throws up his hand with two fingers up. “The usual for me as well, please.” Another gentle tone escaped his lips when he said that aloud. The woman was so sweet that it was hard for anyone to be mean to. But do not let her looks fool you. One time she forced two grown men to their knees. It was a scary sight, because those guys were to big for anyone to just bring down. Nonetheless, Naxel took a seat at one of the tables in the corner. There wasn’t really anyone here, but a couple of his squad members at the bar. He thinks those are the two that worked a big case the previous night.
“Alright, so tell me who you are, and what you are wanting to know. Don’t mean to be hard, but you looked like someone was after you outside. Is there something that you need to lay out on the table before we get started?” Saying it all in a neutral tone following with a curious tone for the question he asked last. He really hoped that this woman wasn’t someone he needed to be cautious of. There has been too much stuff going on, personal and work wise, for him to be dealing with anything else. Sometimes the thought came across his mind that he needed a raise with the amount of stuff he had to deal with.
Artemis would listen to the man’s response. She was sure that the Azure Deer Magic Squad knew a lot about the comings and goings of the Clover Kingdom. They were not called the psuedo spies of the Crown for nothing, after all. Though, whether the man in front of him would willingly share the information he might know with her was another matter all together. And from what she garnered from the man’s response, he definitely knew quite a bit. Most likely more than the average Azure Deer Magic Knight. Which meant that maybe this person was higher in terms of his rank within the Magic Knights squad, for which Artemis was thankful for. Better get this over with as soon as possible, than try to find the friend she had within the Azure Deer. For all she knew, Ophelia was out on a mission, which would mean that Artemis would have to wait for a bit. No, maybe this way, it would be better. After all, information was information, no matter where it came from. Who was she to turn it away, especially since she came all this way. No, she would take whatever this man can give her in terms of what he knew, and then she would move on. Hopefully, the Captain would be back from wherever they had gone and she could beat the answer out of them. [break][break]
She was then invited to dine with the man.[break][break]
Artemis would have said no, normally. It would be a waste of time. Artemis believed that time itself was a commodity, and with her affinity to adrenaline, it fit her lifestyle. However, Artemis also knew that the man had the information she wanted. She supposed that this might be one of the best chances she had in terms of gathering information for her squad. Better yet, she could get a feel of the Azure Deers as a whole. Despite knowing Ophelia, a supposed Witch from the Witches’ Forest, she had never really gone on to detail about her squad. Artemis mulled the offer for a moment, trying to weigh the pros and cons of it, before nodding. Artemis supposed she had nothing to lose at this point. She might as well grab a bite to eat as well. After all, travelling so far out of Hage had drained her reserves. A proper meal would be appreciated by her body, and would be needed anyway since she had a long trip back to the Green Mantis base. So, without a word, Artemis followed the man.[break][break]
The local place for Magic Knights seemed really mundane for the most part. Something that can be seen in Hage too. An inn, or maybe just a tavern, that was simple in every sense of the word. The owner was an old lady, very quaint, though had a “do not mess with me” aura around her. Artemis gave the proprietor a small nod of thanks, before taking her seat across from the Azure Deer mage. The man had ordered quite normally, something about his usual. Artemis herself was unsure of what to get. The place seemed like a very usual spot that existed in every town. So, the best she could come up with was, “I would like stew please, if you have them?” Artemis thought for a moment, before continuing, “and a glass of water as well to wash it all down. Thank you.” She supposed that stews were fairly common, and the old woman gave her an acknowledging smile before turning away. It seems her observation was at least somewhat right.[break][break]
Then, she was questioned.[break][break]
Truth be told, Artemis could not care about what the man thought of her. Her Magic Knights Mantle should have given him the necessary clue that she was a Magic Knight, and that should be the end of the story. However, recent events might have shaken things just a little bit too much, and Artemis knew that for a fact. As well, Artemis also knew that her Magic Knights Squad, the Green Mantises, were known to be vicious and seen in a very negative light. Internally sighing, the woman could only mentally come up with a proper response. She supposed that the young man ought to be obliged with his question. It seems in poor taste that she would beat the information out of the poor lad. Most likely, she would be in trouble, nobility or not, and disregarding her Magic Knights status.[break][break]
“Artemis Somerset, current Head of the Somerset Family.” Artemis responded with a cool tone, “as well as a current Magic Knight of the Green Mantis.” She continued without breaking a sweat. “And if you must know, the reason I am coming to the Azure Deers for information is because both the Vice Captain and the Captain have not returned, and most of the members have been kept in the dark. As the most senior member of the squad, it is my duty to keep my squad mates informed. Which is why I am here, sitting across from you.” Artemis added before settling to look at the young man in the eye. She was not here to dilly dally, after all. She wanted information, and she wanted it before sunset.[break][break]
“The Azure Deers are a formidable Magic Knights Squad, known for its information gathering, as I have told you beforehand. It was my decision to come here to speak to your Vice Captain, or maybe even the Captain, for information concerning not only about our Vice Captain and Captain, but also about the events that occurred recently,” Artemis elaborated, keeping in mind not to raise her voice. “I had been on a long term mission before this, having to keep a low profile and out of grid. Returning recently, I found most of the Green Mantises running like chickens without a head. This is why I am here.”[break][break]
Artemis finished her spiel just as the food arrived. It smelled good, though she did not touch it just yet. Instead, she grabbed the glass of water, before taking a sip. She watched the man’s physical response to her answers, waiting for his verbal response.
[newclass=.polluximage]width:550px;height:200px;opacity:1;background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/jKVN5Qk.png);transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.polluximage:hover]background-image:url();opacity:1;transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
Everything seemed to be going alright as Naxel began to listen to Artemis’ response. She started out by introducing herself as the current head of the Noble Somerset Family. Naxel knew a lot about a huge variety of different Noble Families. Some held a higher position in the social status world of this country while some held a lower position. This family name that he heard didn’t really give him any insight of their social placement. It might be a curious topic for a little later on in this talk, but the young deer allowed for no interruptions for Artemis. So, the Green Mantis went on to state the seemingly obvious of what Squad she was serving under. Naxel didn’t know much about the Green Mantis’, but what he did hear wasn’t all sunshine’s and rainbows. There had been some very dangerous people to be allowed into that squad. What made them more worrisome was that they mainly kept a closer eye out on the more dangerous parts of the Kingdom. Which in that case would be called for some of the most dangerous people. To him, it really just depended on who was really looking at them. Some people didn’t care what they did, but others didn’t really want criminal like people in the Magic Knights. Though, it was thanks to the loveliness personality of our Wizard King that looked at even the roughest people with high hopes.
The next thing that Artemis spoke of was when his curiosity was struck. She had mentioned that both her Captain and Vice-Captain has gone missing. Captain Willow was also missing, and Naxel didn’t really know if the Azure Deer had a new Vice-Captain. But all in all it was still weird that two sets of Squad Leaders have gone missing. This information was not something that the young deer knew anything about. As far as he knew, his squad was also in the dark on the whereabouts of where their Captain was as well. Then, Naxel noticed that the woman had began looking into his eyes with what seemed to be seriousness. This didn’t phase him any, due to him not knowing anything about what was going on with the disappearances of squad leaderships. Naxel had figured that she was going to ask more on the topics of the Witch Forest, the creatures that are roaming around there, or just anything else that had happened in the previous few months. Naxel could even tell that his fellow squad members, that were across the room, were eaves dropping on their conversation. The peripheral vision he could see of them could see that they were curious about the missing of the Captains as well. They had the right to know this kind of information, so he allowed them to listen on if they wanted to.
Naxel was about to begin to respond to what she had said, but Artemis had begun to continue speaking. She went on to say again about how the Azure Deer squad was the squad with all the info. This statement was, and will always, be true, but only up to a certain extent. Despite being the Investigations and Recon squad, there was a lot of information that isn’t allowed to be handed over to the Squad. Some information was only allowed to be seen by the Wizard King, Clover King, and the Clover Kings Advisors. The Captains of the Magic Knight squads were even sometimes left out of the information circle as well. Naxel didn’t really ever think too much into why that was. There will always be information that the highest position, of anything, will have to keep to themselves. Because if you were to give out too much info, or even information people couldn’t handle, there would be a lot of panic to happen. Not even the Mages of the Magic Knights would be able to contain such a significant sized panic. So that was why he never really worried about not knowing everything. Nonetheless, Artemis continued on by saying that she came here to speak with his Captain or Vice-Captain. His never never flinched, or moved, whenever she said what she did. He continued to allow his face to be that of blunt, so that he could keep the upper hand with this conversation. Lastly, she had given a little more information that gave a little more insight of why she was kind of clueless about everything. But this did raised a little more suspicion on the woman in front of him. Whether it was good suspicion or bad, he didn’t know the answer to that himself.
Whenever she had finished speaking, once again, the old lady had brought out the food and drinks they ordered. Naxel could tell that she had actually finished whenever she took a sip of her drink, and then seemed as if she was awaiting a reply from him. He first looked down at his food to make sure that the old coot remembered his usual. Like always she was spot on with everything, and giving her a smile in response was his normal reaction. When he turned his head back towards Artemis he decided to close his hands over his food. Then, placing his face right on top of his closed together hands to think real quick before responding. “So you are a Green mantis Knight that is also the current head of the Somerset Family. You have been gone on a mission for a while in which has caused you to be left out.” He first said with his blunt face continuing to appear on his face. “You came here to speak with the Captain, or Vice-Captain, in hopes to obtain information on your ‘Missing’ Captain.” Speaking with time with a more understanding tone in his voice to show that he understood all of what she had said. “Sadly, I hate to inform you that our Captain has been missing for a little while now. Everyone else above me has been running around to make sure this squad doesn’t fall into shambles. So, really, I am about as close to the Captain as we can offer you right now, unfortunately.” Stopping for a brief second to lean back a little for his back to touch the back rest.
Once leaned back, Naxel reached for his drink and brought it in for a sip. “I can confidently inform you though is that no one at the Azure Deer Base has any information about your missing Captain. Maybe they were sent on a missing right before you came back. I honestly doubt they are dead, or missing, if anything. I say this due to a lot of Knights had been sent towards the Witch Forest for assistance. The Azure Deer has sent some members over there as well. I personally went during the first wave of people sent over there.” When those words came out of his mouth he realized he was out of breath. Sometimes when he starts to give information he will forget to breath. It doesn’t happen commonly, but very rarely it will happen. This might be due to him having to give briefings a few different times a day in a hurry. So, he took a quick breath before he began to speak again. “What I had witnessed was something that you’d hear in story’s mothers would tell their kids. The ones where they hope by telling them a story it would scare them into quit acting up. I never really got up close and personal with them, but they weren’t pretty to look at either. If i had to guess, these creatures I had seen might be somehow involved in all of this unfamiliarity that is going on.” This time, when he finished, was where he was going to stop. He figured he said enough information, and could tell that he gave her enough, at the moment, to keep her interested. So he took this moment to take a bite out of his own stew to await for her to respond.
Artemis listened to the young man’s spiel. She tuned out everyone else in the room save this Azure Deer mage. Truly, any information would be useful at this point, since everyone back at the Green Mantis squad base had literally no information what so ever. It seems that whatever the Captain and the Vice Captain had gotten themselves into was just a bit more secretive than what she had previously thought. More over, the Captain of the Azure Deer squad seemed to have gone missing as well. This definitely did not bode well for Artemis’ quest for information. Truly, what did the Wizard King order for the Magic Knights to do that caused this mess? It seemed to be beyond comprehension for those who were lower ranked, and Artemis could not help but feel just a little bad for the Green Mantises who got left behind. Clueless, and very much headless at this point, nobody had stepped up to take the reigns just yet. Hopefully their Captain returned soon, and the faster the better. She could only imagine the kind of things that might happen if the Green Mantises were allowed to run amok. While a Magic Knights squad, they still had some of the tougher criminals that were supposed to be reformed. Artemis knew that it only took one push for these reformed criminals to go back to their old ways. That must not happen. [break][break]
Her food arrived then, just after the Azure Deer’s food was served. It smelled divine, though not as good as Madame Cherie’s cooking back in Hage. However, from what Artemis could see from the presentation, it seems as though that the beef used was definitely of good quality, way better than the ones used in Hage. Artemis was not surprised about this little fact, especially since the Forsaken Region has always been neglected, and have historically been the poorest region within the Clover Kingdom. Madame Cherie’s beef stew, being as divine as it was, was a miracle as it is. How the woman was able to prepare that well of a dish without the need of high quality ingredients dumb-founded Artemis, though she never asked the old woman how she did it. Food magic was most likely the answer, though that did not bypass the need for the woman to have high quality ingredients in the first place. The woman was just a legend in her own right, and Artemis was glad that the woman decided to stay in Hage, taking care of its residents, instead of moving away. It was a saving grace of the Forsaken Region.[break][break]
As Artemis dug into her food, she continued to listen to the young man’s descriptions of what had happened. Well, at least, what he seemed to know or saw. Artemis was always the skeptic unless she saw it herself, though at this point, she would believe the unbelievable if Captains and Vice Captains were missing. There were few situations that could happen that could lead to such a conclusion, yet here they were. Artemis mulled everything over, however, not replying quickly. [break][break]
The Witches’ Forest was always a place where she never dared enter alone, nor did she ever deign to enter it without a good reason. And she supposed that was a good thing, since the Witches’ Forest seemed to be the focal point for these problems. Monsters, things that were never seen, or have yet to be heard, lived there. Of course, there were the witches themselves. Some were kind, some were malevolent, and some were just bored out of their minds. The problem had always been that those witches knew the forest inside and out, which was always an advantage to them. No, there was definitely a good reason why she tended to stay away from that place. [break][break] “Interesting.” She finally said, after mulling everything over. The beef stew she had was almost done at this point, and she washed it off with a sip of water. “It seems as though both of our squads find themselves in a predicament.” Artemis closed her eyes, unsure what to do next. If the young man had more information, then she would be willing to hear it out. Though, at this point, it seems that it did not matter. The only thing she could really do is wait for either the Vice Captain or the Captain to come back from wherever he was. [break][break]
Getting up slowly, Artemis nodded, “If you have nothing else, I think I might take my leave.” She supposed that the young man just might have something else to tell her. How important it was was yet to be seen. “The squad will at least like to hear about this specific info you told me.” It was true, they would be grateful for any information, truly. “So if you have anything to add, I’d like to know as soon as possible. The Green Mantises are waiting for my return, after all.”
[newclass=.polluximage]width:550px;height:200px;opacity:1;background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/jKVN5Qk.png);transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.polluximage:hover]background-image:url();opacity:1;transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
After Naxel had finished giving his first explanation he decided to begin eating his food. It was a delicate dish of chicken and beef stew that was cooked to perfection. The noble didn’t really know what all was put into making this dish every time. From what he could tell was that there were different herbs that the old lady used. There was only one time that he had ever witnessed her make this dish. Naxel was the only person in here that day, and she didn’t mind that he watched her cook. Most of the time she stood in front of the fire to prevent him from seeing her ingredients. The other times were where she stood to the side for him to see put the most obvious ones in. She would gently stir the entire pot of stew with such care. It was as if she wasn’t trying to hurt the food, but nurtured it like a sick calf. But, just like she cooked, Naxel lifted his spoon to lightly place it into the soup, and would then place it into his mouth. Each and every bite of the stew just felt like he was back at home with his parents. His mother was just as great of a cook as the old lady was here. The young noble figured that Artemis felt the same way about the woman’s cooking. She seemed to enjoy the food just as much as the Azure Deer Knight did his. He always liked bringing in people that has never been to this place before. Some people would think that this woman cooked way too great for being in a town like Nairn. Thankfully, she didn’t care what other people thought of her. She is a strong independent woman who didn’t take any orders from anyone but herself. That was one of the main reasons why Naxel always comes into this place.
In the meantime, Naxel noticed that Artemis found his explanation to be interesting. He also saw that she had basically finished the food she ordered, and washed it down with a sip of her drinks. She would then give another response of realizing that both squads were in an almost similar situation. It did start to bother the young noble whenever she first said that her Captain was missing also, though. Most people, within any of the squads, look up to their Captains as a highly respected role model, if not idol. These people are the ones who keep these squads running, organized, and working together as teams. Seeing that just one squad was missing a captain just made his heart feel like breaking into a million pieces. Naxel didn’t know much about the Green Mantis squad, as mentioned before, nor did he know anything about the Captain. For that squad, their leader had to be someone that they all could trust more than anyone in the world. Because most of the members of the squad are former criminals who want to do something good with their lives. Sadly, in a kingdom like this, most of the nobles would look down on each of the members due to their pasts. This person, sitting in front of him, was still a stranger to the young noble, but from the vibe she gives off tells him that she could be that figure, one day.
Anyway, She had closed her eyes after she stated that both squads were in the same predicament. Naxel would then watch as she slowly got up once she finished siping her drink. While getting up, Artemis stated that if there was nothing else that she would take her leave. With what he previously said he knew that she had to be a little more interested in the other stuff that went on. She would then go on to inform Naxel that she needed to, now, go inform her own squad of of the new information. It was nice to know that she wanted to get back to her squad so eagerly. With hearing that, it really started to make his weariness of the woman go away. Naxel would then give the woman a smile once he heard her ask if there was anything else that he would like to add. “Yes there is more. We have gotten reports that these creatures from the Forest can find their way through our border. I am not sure who all really knows this, but you need to keep this to yourself. Your main concern should be keeping an eye on all of the Citizens within the outer rim of the kingdom. We all know that most of them couldn’t careless about the kingdom, but they are still citizens of this country.” Taking a moment to eat another bit of his stew. ”As for the Captain situation. We have sent out a small team of Knights from our squad to search for Captain Willow. They were just sent out the other day by a few determined Knights. I can get word out to them to keep an eye out for your Captain as well. Though, I am sure that the Wizard King might just have your Captain on some secret mission. But if I hear anything I will be certain to contact you with whatever i find out. Would that be alright?” When those words escape his lips he made sure they were said with sincerity. Like the woman kept saying after all, the Azure Deers were the squad to know everything that goes on within the kingdom. The watchers if some people would rather say. So, whenever Naxel would make it back to the Base, he would get into contact with the recon team.
Naxel would then take another bite out of his stew once he finished his stew. Without even noticing it, he wound up taking the last bite of the bowl. It find of disappointing that he had wound up talking more than he did enjoying his friend. If he would tell that to the old lady she would beat him with a spoon. Anyway, Naxel decided to take both bowls, and stack them on top of one another. Cleaning up the spot where the two had just dined on their meal. Once cleaned, he would rise up out of his seat just like his new friend did. He looked at the woman in the eyes with a smile on his face. “Anyway, I hope your travels back to your base as safe. If you ever need anything, please feel free to contact me with whatever you need. Consider you having a friend within the Azure Deers.” Saying to Artemis as he reached his hand out to show respect before they parted ways.
Artemis paused for a moment. Beasts. That was something unexpected, though she should not have been surprised by them being mentioned at all. The Witches’ Forest was sprawling with mana beasts, and Artemis was very sure that there were mana beasts yet discovered that most likely lurked within the protected canopies of the Witches’ Forest. Too few have ventured out there in recent times, and even fewer have returned from any expedition that were sent to study the place. It was a fearsome area that not even the most seasoned Magic Knight would enter freely and without reason. The Witches of the Forest, after all, we’re not welcoming of outsiders and those who had no permission to enter. But even more so, the mana beasts that lurked without any semblance of order and sanity were rabid and rage fueled. Anything that they could get their claws and teeth sunk into, they would aggress. No, the Witches’ Forest will always be a place where nightmares came to life, and Artemis would never deign entertaining the thought to enter the place unless she needed or was ordered to. [break][break]
The man then mentioned those at the border who might want to cause trouble. Of course, the Green Mantis were responsible for such a task. It was why they were made up of criminals and undesirables, after all. Why would they be made up of anything else but the people they want to put a surveillance on. The men and women of the Green Mantis were chosen for one specific reason: their ability to keep an eye out on the criminal underworld without being caught on to. The unsavoury was never questioned when asking around about petty crimes, and those within the upper echelon of Green Mantis had themselves built a network that can and will tell them of any shifts within the criminal underworld. Their purpose, the dirty work of the Clover Kingdom, was seldom appreciated. [break][break]
But what the man said was true. If this gets out, there will be trouble. Chaos lets chaos thrive. Disorder fed discord. Artemis knew that the criminal underworld would act on this information without hesitation. Already, her contacts have informed her that the criminal underworld has started to stir as this event, know to some as the shattering, seems to have made their mark on the black market as well. The loss of Magic Knights has also affected the criminal rings, making them even more bold than ever. The Forsaken Region was just that, Forsaken, and the thugs and cutthroats were more inclined to run rampant in this specific region. It would only be to their advantage if they even got wind that the Witches’ Forest has now been more active than ever. Artemis knew that there were small villages in and around the area of the Witches’ Forest. Those villages who actually had some dealings with the witches at certain times, able to thrive though only barely. The criminal underworld would take advantage of the chaos and most likely take over those small villages. No, Artemis knew this information was for her ears only. [break][break]
“Thank you.” Artemis nodded, before taking the extended hand that the man had held in front of her. “This should be enough at least to satisfy the curiosity and allay the concerns of my squad mates.” Artemis would have to weave a narrative out of what was told to her. There were no useful information about their Captain or Vice Captain, but at least there were some information about where they might have gone and for what reason. Even as a Captain of a squad like the Green Mantis, Barron Castle was formidable. He should be able to take care of himself.[break][break]
“Until next time.” Artemis finally took her leave. She needed to get back, fast.
[newclass=.polluximage]width:550px;height:200px;opacity:1;background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/jKVN5Qk.png);transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.polluximage:hover]background-image:url();opacity:1;transition-duration:2s;transition-timing-function:ease-in-out;border-radius:20px 20px 0px 0px;[/newclass]
The day seemed to go a lot better than what Naxel originally thought. Artemis informed the young noble that his information was interesting to her. She would then extend her own hand out for it to meet with his. When their hands touched it showed Naxel that he has managed to find himself an ally, so to say, within the Green mantis Squad. Naxel would then listen to hear go on to say that the information she was given should be enough for her squad. It was hard for him when people word certain things in the way she did. The Azure Deer young man wasn’t one of the top ranking members of his squad, yet. Right now he is only one of the lower ranking members who only get told so much. Sometimes that little information wouldn’t be enough to tell someone when they really need to know certain things. One day Naxel will become the next Captain of the Azure Deer Squad. He will show the order what he could do, and make his own Captain proud of him. It is going to be a very hard task to be someone as great as Willow Omens, but having him as a role model would make it a little bit easier for him to be someone like him. Then, as Artemis took her leave, Naxel would watch her walk out of the building to head back for her base. He really did hope that she would make it back to wherever the Green mantis base was located. Times right now are hard enough as it was, and having more stronger knights disappear wouldn’t be good for the kingdom. And Naxel could easily tell that Artemis was strong enough to be considered one of the best within the Order.
After she had left, Naxel had picked up the dishes to take them over to the old lady. He would place them down on top of the counter right in front of her. The scariest part about doing that was when she would give that look of death in her eyes. She didn’t really like to clean up after a bunch of grown people. Even the younger Knights would have to clean up after themselves as well. Naxel just knew the woman enough to where he could easily tease her by placing the dishes in front of her. Then, he would pick them back up again just to walk them into the back. Majority of the time she would make it easy on the Knights who cleaned up after themselves for her. There would be a bucket type deal where dishes were to be placed. You must place them gently inside the bucket to make sure you didn’t break any of her dishes. That was also a big no no inside this tavern. But that was another story for another time. Though, once Naxel placed his dished into the bucket he would exit from the back to stop next to the old woman. He would give her a smile, and toss her a little sack of money for the service. Naxel wasn’t gonna let his new friends good go without being paid for. He honestly would hate to see the old woman chase her down for some money. It would be kind of funny, but she was in a hurry for her squad. So, he just gave her this solid once, and hope that she would scratch his back next time. Lastly, Naxel would make his way over to the main door to the building, and then exit out to head back for his Squads base. “Well at least that the day is still beautiful. I can still enough the amazing views on the way back. If i do say so myself.” Speaking to himself due to him not being around anyone anymore. He would then head along the path, and enjoy the beautiful scenery that was along the way back to the base. There were also people wondering up and down the path like they would every day. Everything about today just seemed like it was a perfect day. He wasn’t able to completely help someone that came all this way, but he was managed to get her information that would get her by, for now. Hopefully the next time she comes he will have enough information for her to where she wont leave empty handed.
[exit]
5250 words = 7 stat points in Sensory due to Squad perk with the Azure Deers. Also 5 Spell points.
