The Book Keeper
By TimeAndLife21
Chapter 11
It wasn't for a few days that Stephen would be going to the Library again. He took the advice that was given to him by heart and meditated and rested to be able to go there again to be able to study more spells and the like. Which means that her need to take out books again. He went across the grounds as the morning was about to come up and entered the library.
He went down the halls and turned into the room that most of the older books were and he was hearing a conversation. He went down the rows trying to see where they were.
"That isn't the point, Hertz. Just because this is experimental doesn't mean that it won't blow up in my face." He heard her voice.
"Ja, Ja, little chicky, it isn't as if you haven't injured yourself before with experimenting. Not to mention looking for older magic that predates even the old times." He heard a deep and heavily accented german voice.
Stephen turned a corner and saw Anaiah bending over a large scroll that was on a table and a huge giant of a man (he swore that he was seven feet tall…)wearing red and gold robes. He looked like an army sergeant, muscular with a strong set jaw and steel grey eyes, he completed the look with a military style buzz cut. Anaiah looked tiny beside the man.
"If I can imbue the magics into the shield, I wonder if it would produce an electric shock…" She murmured out loud.
"That would be dangerous." The man deadpanned.
"Life is full of dangers." She replied back.
"Yes, just like when you put up a shield to keep a demonic entity out of Kamar-Taj. Really Anaiah, you are a magnet for trouble sometimes." The German chuckled.
"I'm not as bad as Aries, how is the rich kid anyways?" She asked.
"Eh, he threw fit about not coming here due to his duties, wanted to see his 'sweetheart' again." He chuckled.
"I'm not his anything." She snapped back.
"Oh course you are not. He just likes to tease you, little chicky." He chuckled.
"Tch, how are things in London by the way? You don't usually come here...unless you are avoiding a certain sorceress?" She smirked up at the man.
The German flushed a deep red.
"Kahlesy is rather adamant to take me clubbing. I came here to avoid her. You won't say anything right?" He looked down at her with a scared look on his face.
"Really Hertz? You've yet to take her up on her offer?" She elbowed him in the solar plexus.
"I prefer drinking at bars. Especially around Oktoberfest." He turned his head away and rubbing where she elbowed him. "Anyways, London and the surrounding areas are good. Nothing too much out of the ordinary, unless you count Aries' family driving him up the wall." He snickered.
"I don't doubt that...given his heritage of a long line of Sorcerers and Sorceresses, he has a lot to own up to. Anything else going on?" She asked as she poured over the scroll again.
"Francesco found a girl. Her name is Elena. She is a mutant apparently. Her powers include photokinesis, manipulation of light. Rather shy for Francesco but she balances him out." Hertz smiled speaking fondly of the man.
"Good for him, I've been wondering when he was going to find a girl. He had a poor string of dates lately." She said as she took a quill dipped it in ink and started to write on a piece of parchment beside the scroll.
"Yes, and the Twins, Ben and Alex, are as annoying as ever. Of course they have been reinforcing the Sacntum lately. From what has happened, it seemed like a good idea at the time and they have been going crazy with the shield spells that you seem to be coming up with." Hertz looked down at her playfully.
"Don't shoot the messenger Hertz, Besides, these shield spells will save someone's life one day." She chuckled as she looked up.
Stephen just kept quiet as he saw the interaction between her and the large man. He honestly didn't think that she had friends outside of Kamar-Taj, but never let anyone say that he admits he was wrong.
"Hello Doctor Strange." She smiled at him.
"Hello Anaiah, my ban has been lifted." He spoke as he walked over to her.
"Yes, I received the note from the Ancient One. Have you been meditating like you are supposed to?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, I'm putting in my hours for meditation." He replied back to her.
"Just making sure. I don't want to have to kick you forcefully out of my library again. I'm sure the first time was rough wasn't it?" She chuckled at him.
"No, I find weapons pressed against my throat something that i don't want happening to me often." Stephen deadpanned.
Hertz laughed in turn making Anaiah turn her nose up and humphed.
"Is this the upstart apprentice that has everyone shocked and awed? Doctor Stephen Strange. I have heard of you." Hertz spoke as he held out a large hand.
Stephen hesitantly reached out and shook the man's hand.
"I hope good things." He replied awkwardly.
Hertz laughed and shook his head.
"No, I have read magazines about you. I have a sister who is an Army Doctor. She often reads about you." Hertz chuckled. "But you are much smaller in person."
"Smaller? Compared to this guy!?" Stephen paled a little bit.
"Of course, I have heard of your incident," He nodded towards his hands, in which Stephen hid them behind his back, "I truly wish you find recovery here." He said sincerely.
Well that was...unexpected. The big guy was a gentle giant perhaps?
"If he does, color me surprised." Anaiah spoke up before she cracked her fingers. "Okay, I made some adjustments to this spell...Hopefully I made a stronger shield spell. It's a variantion on The Ancient One's shields, but it just might work..."
"If you did, please find someone else to be your lab rat. I distinctly recall the summoning spell that you improved and I ended up with a buffalo on my head." Hertz gave a stink eye to Anaiah.
"That...that was a flop I admit, but I was aiming for a corporeal spirit animal not a physical one. I can do that now." She smiled up at him innocently.
"Yes...tell that to my head. I'm lucky that I didn't get trampled." He crossed his arms.
"You are never going to let that go, ne?" She pouted at Hertz.
"Hehe, even the greatest has their faults." Herts chuckled loudly.
Stephen looked at the scroll Anaiah had and he piped up.
"I can try it." He said as he walked up to her and looked over her shoulder to see what she was working on.
The patterns of the Mandela shield looked complex. If he is deciphering right, it could even stop certain physical weapons in its tracks. He was looking for the gestures for the spell, only to find nothing.
"How do you perform this spell?" He asked.
Anaiah turned around and backed up from him. Giving him and her a bit of space.
"It's just a simple shield spell gesture, though i'm drawing more magic into this spell than previous ones…" She furrowed her brow and she crossed her wrists in front of her then twisted them outward and then forcefully tore them away from each other, both her hands in a fist, he saw a faint spark of the Mandela Shield, but it lasted for only a second before she dropped her hands.
"I'm trying to make this spell stronger, so that it could last as long as you need to. But It's still in the process of being remade." She said before she sighed and shook her head.
"It's possible to improve spells like this?" He asked looking down at the scroll and the parchment beside said scroll with Anaiah's comments and improvements.
Hertz took that moment to speak up, rather hesitantly, he might add.
"Eh, some are more easier to improve than others. Some basic spells to intermediate spells are always changing and we can improve them, knowing that it won't backfire on us, it's one of our ways to be able to use them in our everyday lives, but spells that are older and much more difficult to perform, we leave alone. Only the Sorcerer Supreme can alter such spells and recreate them to their needs. "Hertz shrugged. "You should see the Ancient One and Anaiah spar sometimes, It's rather fascinating."
"Except that she always beats me...everytime, without fail." She sighed dramatically. "I'll get there eventually."
She then turned back to Stephen as she rolled up the scroll with the instructions and improvements that she made.
"If you don't mind things suddenly not working or blowing up in your face, you can try this spell. I already have it memorized and plan on working it out myself, but you can put your own spin on it." She smiled at him.
He took it gently and nodded.
"I will see that I can perform it." He smiled back at her.
"Don't get too cocky, Strange, You still have a lot to learn." She smiled back at him.
Not long after, Stephen, Anaiah and Hertz left the Library.
"Now I must take my leave, I've been gone long enough and I'm sure that Sol is wondering where I've been." Hertz sighed.
"Shame that we couldn't spar Hertz, I've been improving with Ebony." She smiled up at the large man.
"I don't doubt that. You are scary enough when you fight with that Scythe and cross, I don't need your image of fighting me in my mind." He replied shuddering.
Stephen wondered what her fighting style was. Many of the students here learn a range of martial arts to be able to defend themselves, but he wondered how she could fight with a Scythe (and the white cross of course).
"Tell Sol that I'll be stopping by later in the month. I'll be making inventory again." She sighed.
"The Ancient One must enjoy keeping you busy." Hertz smirked.
"Ugh, I'm already in charge of all of our books, but to keep track of our relics as well? I think she just wants me to keep myself busy because I can't do anything else for a while." She motioned to her side where he was still injured.
"Good Luck with that. I shall see you later then, Little Chicky." He spoke before he turned around and picked her up to give her a hug.
Stephen couldn't help but stare at the bizzare interaction. As tiny as Anaiah is, she was engulfed by the German's arms and she struggled to give him a hug back.
"I will also tell Aries how much you miss him with all your love." He mocked her.
"You do that, I will tell Kahlsey that you keep coming here to avoid her." She threatened.
"I hope not. I shall see you later then, Chicky." Hertz laughed before walking off the grounds.
She gave him a wave goodbye before she turned to Stephen. He had a look of contemplation on his face.
"I didn't know you had other friends besides Mordo and Wong." H asked out loud.
"Most of my friends whom I trained with, so to speak, are elsewhere in the world. There are many Sorcerers and Sorceresses out there. Maybe you walked by one on the street without even noticing." She smirked.
"Like Jonathan Pangborn?" He thought outloud.
She brightened at the name.
"Ah, I remember Johnny. I would definitely say that he was one of our best students even if he left just knowing how to use the mystic arts to walk again. I hope he has been enjoying his life since he left." She smiled tenderly.
"He is last I saw him…" Stephen thought back to Pangborn playing basketball with his teammates.
"Good. Now, I have to get going, I need to speak with the Ancient One about inventory, tell me how my improved version of the shield works out for you. You can keep that scroll for the time being to study it if you need to. When you finish, find Wong and look into more shielding spells, i think they might prove useful for you." She smiled up at him.
He nodded back at her. Maybe she might have the right idea for it. He bid her goodbye for the day and didn't see her till the next week...and that week was when things got…interesting to say the least.
TAL21: Okay Guys, Humor is going to be in the next couple of chapters I was inspired a bit by some of the other humor stories here in the Doctor Strange Archive but I'll be putting my own little spin on them. I know a summoning spell that will end in laughs, and a couple other ideas. But I wouldn't mind if you guys give me a few ideas as well. XD I also went to see Doctor Strange again last night and I'm gonna be fixing/adding somethings to future chapters. Also, I made a companion story for The Book Keeper. The Book Keeper is mostly (if not all) in Stephen Strange's point of view. The Sorcerer Supreme's Apprentice deals with Anaiah's POV. Eventually I will merge the two stories together... eventually. XD Now my friends, It's time for the SHOUT OUTS! :D
Sparky She-Demon: There will be a some pranks here and there that I will be making for the students and Even Stephen may get onboard for it (Though I don't know how), and I want to lighten things up before I finally make a transition to when Strange finally uses the Eye of Agamotto.
JinxWriter: Oh there's something going on between Stephen and Anaiah, though it won't be so sudden falling in love for the both of them. Both Stephen and Anaiah will be getting to know each other a bit more in future chapters before I hit the point when things go down in the movie. As for Kaecillius, I have an Idea of what may happen, but I'm still writing it out as we speak. XD
Hermione02: You are fine for not writing a review, some people just want to read the story and not leave anything, others (whom is shall not name XD) leave pretty awesome reviews that I can't help but do shout outs for them. It's enjoyable to me at least. :) Humor is fun, but I assure you there will be drama coming up. :)
GetLegsBish-Aiya: Because of Anaiah's unknown past, she didn't focus on herself but rather try her best to help others around her. Like Strange, she doesn't like pity. But He will accept help when she needs it, Which is where the Ancient One comes in. There's a bit of a Mother Daughter relationship between the Ancient one and Anaiah, and that is where Anaiah get's most of her morals, compassion, and empathy from. She was practically raised by the Ancient One, so it makes sense that she wouldn't focus on herself, but on people who needed help. And She will put Stephen in his place, old habits die hard, so if Stephen does fall out of Line, she'll be able to correct him and make sure his arrogence doesn't overtake him. As for her scars, I'll be elaborating on them in the Companion story The Sorcerer Supreme's Apprentice. As I've said in my Author's note, I'll be combining the two stories eventually, but for now they will run parallel with each other. I honestly;y wish I could make longer chapters, but It's not easy. It would take a lot of time for me to put aside to make even a 5,000 word chapter (if you have read my other stories, you will see that I have been on hiatus mostly to make those longer chapters i.e.: Black as the Blood In Our Names, Thieving Hearts etc.). So with Doctor Strange, Shorter chapters are easier on me because I can spend three hours writing and then post on here within those three hours. And thank you for the Praise of my Story, although I recommend the crossover Strange and Stranger that is a Harry Potter Crossover and I enjoy it a lot. XD Thank you for your review, it means a lot. :)
TAL21: Okay, that's it for the shout outs, please leave detailed reviews and criticisms as I enjoy talking and speaking with my readers and it's fun to see what you really think of my story. I'm also saying this again that I'm open to any ideas for humor chapter that I will be posting up here. Also give my companion piece The Sorcerer Supreme's Apprentice a read as well. Due to me watching the movie again for the second time, I'll be making parallels for that and here because I can. XD Have you noticed my obsession with Doctor Strange yet? XD See you guys in the next chapter.
Question Time!: For my humor chapters before we get into the meat of the story, what do you want to see in those chapters? I have a few ideas but I wonder what you want to see.
KEEP ON READING AND WRITING! :D