I don't know how to describe Tate civilian clothes, so imagine them however you like because i can't draw anything.
Enjoy.
xxXxx
"So, how does watching duels help you fight again?"
"It helps me analyze different fighting styles from different types of magic so i can counter them better, Mir (Meer)" said Tate calmly as he watched a duel on his crystal ball
"For the last time, my name isn't Mir!" Said the decapitated head of the old beast tamer that was on Tate's bookshelf on a platform that was made to keep him from moving.
"It is, now. So you might as well deal with it." Said Tate focusing on the duel before turning it off and flopping onto his bed "*sigh*"
Mir stared at Tate with a frown. He was confused as to how the person that turned him into a mere head looked so pitiful.
"Why did you let me live?" Asked Mir narrowing his eyes
"Would've left a bad taste in my mouth. Plus,...i thought you could be useful. You have experience that could help with my situation." Said Tate dejectedly as he stared at the ceiling "but maybe i was wrong."
Tate paused before standing up and picking up a sword off the wall.
"The truth is my magic is unstable. Most spells i do-" said Tate before drawing a magic circle only for it to cause an explosion "-end up like that. So i began channeling my magic through my body to fix some stuff like my eyesight and weapons. I thought that maybe i could eventually fire arcs of magic through my sword or something. But nope, i failed...miserably."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"You would've heard about it sooner or later" said Tate dejectedly before flopping onto his bed "she'd loves to rub it in my face after all."
Mir tried hard not to feel bad for Tate, he was the enemy after all, but something about the boy looking so miserable and wanting to prove himself didn't allow him to. Perhaps, something that reminded him of himself. So, against his better judgment, he decided to help the boy even if by a tiny amount.
"...go to the Bonesborough library."
Tate's ears perked upon hearing that. He turned to Mir to listen further.
"Look for a book about magical charms like the concealment stone. That's all I'll say" said Mir with a frown
"Okay, that's something" Said Tate curiously before taking a dagger and leaving without his costume.
One second after Tate left did Mir remember something very important.
"WAIT! YOU FORGOT MY MEALS!" Mir yelled at the top of his lungs-...throat?
Tate, thankfully, heard him and came back quickly.
"Sorry, wasn't paying attention." Said Tate clutching the back of his head before pulling out 3 cups of decapitated head digestive system friendly nutrient-filled drinks with covers and straws and putting them in front of Mir "your head controls the bookshelf because i managed to have it replace your body and there's a wooden arm for you to use. Now you have food and books. Gotta go."
With that, Tate left to the library in a hurry and Mir was left alone with his thoughts on the boy.
"Ironic, isn't it? A beast tamer becoming someone else's pet."
xxXxx
"Charms...charms..." Tate looked through the library's collection of books before finding an peculiar book "they have books about palismen in this section too, huh?"
Tate put the book back where it belongs with a sigh before continuing his search.
The only good thing about this search was that tonight was time for the wailing star to appear. Meaning, the protagonist and her future girlfriend were with him at the library as well.
Though, he couldn't get distracted no matter how much he wanted to see them. He HAD to find that book.
"Found it!" Said Tate as he pulled a book from the shelf "'Magical charms and trinkets, tools for every use.' Yes!"
"Tate?" Tate heard a familiar voice causing his eyes to widen.
"Grandpa Dell?" Asked Tate in surprise. He turned around to see the the scarred figure of his grandfather.
"It's still surprising to hear that." Said Dell with a happy smile as he greeted his grandson with a book in hand
Tate tilted his head curiously "What are you doing here?...sorry that was a stupid question. We're in a library." He said before facepalming at his own question.
"Oh, it's fine. Are you curious about what I'm reading?" Asked Dell with a smile and Tate nodded "it's a book about palismen, brings back the old days. What about you?"
"I was looking for a way to get stronger and i someone recommend me this book." Said Tate showing his grandfather the charms book. "I still don't know how it's supposed to help, though."
"Hmm" Dell stroked his beard "i think i have an idea"
xxXxx
There were many charms that caught Tate's eyes in the book. Like concealment stones, a gem that allows telepathy and one that can store a weak spell for indefinite use. The last one REALLY caught Tate's eyes.
But the one that Dell showed was different.
"An inhibition stone?" Asked Tate curiously as he stared at the open charms book with Dell
"It acts as a resistance to the magic of those who put it on, weakening it in the process." Said Dell calmly "by overcoming it's resistance through rigorous training, witches strengthened their magic and honed their skills."
"Woah...that sounds like training straight out of an anime." Said Tate as he stared at the page
"Anime?" Asked Dell curiously, causing Tate to sweatdrop.
"Uhh, it's a human thing...i looked into" said Tate sheepishly after realizing he messed up by saying that
"Perhaps you could tell me more later" said Dell, making Tate cringe at his mistake.
"Uhh, so! Why is this stone not used at all? And it sounds like something Belos would use to detain witches." Asked Tate half curious, half wanting to change the subject
"It's not exactly perfect. It is neither fast nor easy and it's even possible to move your magic around its resistance; not to mention dangerous in your line of work, so i hope you never use it on the job."
Tate understood Dell's worries about the stone and agreed. All his work wouldn't be worth anything should he just die.
"I promise to never use it in a real fight." Said Tate with a determined look causing a smile to appear on Dell's face
Dell nodded and stood up and urged his grandson to follow.
"We should get going if we want it done by today" he said with a smile prompting Tate to tilt his head "we're going to our home, witchlet."
And on the way, they accidentally caused a book to fall from its shelf without knowing it.
A small detail that could've been catastrophic.
xxXxx
Tate was, admittedly, nervous about going to his grandparents' house. He didn't even know why, but as Dell opened the front door he felt a sense of anxiety not even Belos could give.
He just hoped his grandmother wasn't there. Sadly, life is never that kind.
"Dell! You're back!" Said Gwendolyn, his grandmother, cheerfully from the kitchen before heading towards them with a tray of food. "was your trip-"
She froze the moment she saw Tate. The uncanny resemblance shocked her so much that she thought she was looking at Lilith aged down even without the glasses.
"-Sweet Flea?"
"No, he's not Lilith's." Dell stepped up to explain "he's her son, Tate."
Gwendolyn gasped before putting away the tray of food and heading straight to hug her grandson.
"No no, i think I'm fine. No need for a hu-" said Tate before Gwendolyn forcibly hugged him so hard Tate swore he heard something snap. "-ow"
"Oh, but you're so light. Is Lilith even feeding you?" Said Gwen adoring her grandson
"Well, it's kinda...not her job" said Tate sheepishly
"Not her job? She's your mother!" Said Gwen before pulling Tate with her to the kitchen "c'mon, I'll give you a nice meal"
Tate stared at his grandfather, silently begging for help as Gwen dragged him away.
"Don't worry, I can make you the stone myself. You two can bond together." Said Dell happily as he waved
'Traitor!' Thought Tate as Gwen dragged him inside.
xxXxx
"C'mon tell me all about your life" said Gwen with an eager look
"O-okay, but can you please take away all this food. Just looking at it is hurting my stomach" said Tate as he stared at enormous quantity of food layed in front of him with disgust
"But you need to eat, you're still growing after all" said Gwen worriedly
"I'm not here to eat, I'm here to make that inhibition stone with Grandpa Dell to get stronger and that's it." Said Tate with a frown as he crossed his arms
"Stronger? You're still so young, you shouldn't be thinking about things like that!"
Tate went silent and turned around, trying to hide how uncomfortable he was talking about this.
"My magic is broken, so i need to get stronger to make up for it. Like it or not, it's what i have to do."
Gwendolyn paused for a minute before her expression suddenly brightened as she got an idea.
"Hmm, i think i can help you with your little problem" said Gwendolyn joyfully
"I don't like the sound of that."
"Oh, nonsense. It'll be alright." Said Gwen disregarding Tate's feelings about the matter and already moving towards him "c'mon, let's get going."
"But-"
"Just relax and leave it to your grandmother, she knows what she's doing."
Tate, unable to say no to his grandma, decided to go along with her idea.
And so, she pulled him into some nearby woods and declared it the start of the Bootcamp.
xxXxx
Tate really didn't know what to expect. He knew Gwen was not the most...sane witch before "Keeping Up Affearances"
But he didn't expect it to be this bad. Gwendolyn was trying to use some tricks from a book from a guy scamming her.
Those tricks ranged from being assaulted by firebees to nearly getting stabbed...multiple times and with every new "trick", Tate grew more and more agitated.
Until he couldn't keep it in anymore.
"Hmm, that one didn't work. Next, we should try-"
"No!" Tate yelled angrily "I've had it with your stupid solutions!"
"Tate!"
"They're not working! They never will!" Tate snapped
"They will! You just have to be patient!" Gwen countered
"I'm dealing with bigger problems than you think!" Said Tate angrily before pulling out his dagger and swinging it at the open air "they're not going to disappear if i swing a stick in a certain way 80 times a day or something!" He said not noticing his dagger glowing more and more with every word
Gwen, however, did notice the glowing. But before she could point it out, he yelled and swung his dagger at the open air-
"Just STOP!"
-letting out an arc of energy in the process. The arc of energy hit a tree in front of Tate who noticed his new attack.
"What?" He asked in a whisper as he approached the tree silently while ignoring everything.
"Hah! Kids these days and their- Tate?" Said Gwen before noticing her grandson's odd behavior.
Tate stared at the effect his attack had. It wasn't much compared to what a swing from his weapon could actually do, but it was a start.
He spent a good while just happily firing arcs at tree, so much so that Gwen was a little worried. But she stayed silent until Dell arrived.
"He's been doing that for a while now and I'm getting worried." Said Gwent as she gestured towards Tate still firing arcs of energy from his dagger at a tree.
"I think he's just happy to do something new" said Dell before approaching Tate.
Tate noticed Dell and looked at him with the brightest smile possible.
"Grandpa Dell, did you see that? I actually made something that resembles a normal spell! And it didn't explode! Yes yes yes yes yeees!" Tate could almost explode from excitement before remembering. "Oh! The inhibition stone!"
"Uh, well, looks like my hands aren't like they used to be." Said Dell dejectedly as he showed Tate a red stone that crumbled to dust in his hands.
Tate stared at it before shrugging. "It's fine. I don't need it anymore. But thanks." Said Tate before hugging Dell spreading a smile on both their faces.
Gwen watched the whole thing with a satisfied smile on her face.
And on the way back, Tate was curious about one thing.
"Hey, Grandpa Dell?" Tate called Dell "why aren't you just using magic to stabilize your arm?"
Dell looked at him in confusion before Tate approached him.
"I'm constantly using it on my eyes to fix my eyesight so i wouldn't need glasses. It's slightly hard to pull off, but it helps in a lot of situations." Said Tate before putting his hand on Dell's shoulder, the shoulder of his scarred arm. "Here, let me show you."
Tate began running his magic through Dell's shoulder and arm and effect was immediate. Dell's hand no longer shook, it was as if it had never been damaged. Even Gwendolyn gasped in shock.
But the moment Tate took his hand off Dell's shoulder, it was back to how it was before.
"...if only i was a bit younger. It's alright, witchlet. I'm-"
Tate didn't let him finish before he pulled out the charms and trinkets book they brought from the library.
"Wait." Said Tate before as he looked for a specific page before finding it and putting it right in front of Dell's eyes "how about this?"
It was the charm that caught his eye back at the library. A charm that stores one weak spell for indefinite use.
Gwen immediately knew what to do "I'll go get everything ready, there's enough time to make it before Tate has to leave."
And they did.
xxXxx
Gwendolyn and Tate managed to quickly cook up one bracelet for Dell. It wasn't the best out there since it was made in a hurry, but it stabilized Dell's arm by a decent amount. Not enough to get him back into palisman carving again, but it was a start.
"I know it's not enough, but i swear that one day I'll make one that works perfectly. I'll get you back into palisman carving even if it's the last thing i do!" Tate declaredas he stood at the door ready to leave
Dell chuckled "it's okay, you can take your time."
Tate nodded with a smile before Gwendolyn suddenly entered the scene at high speed.
"Hold on! I have a small gift for you!" Said Gwen cheerfully before showing Tate a pair of glasses "we still have a few pairs from when your mother lived with us, your should have one so you wouldn't use magic on your eyes all the time."
Tate took the glasses and put them on, he was a split image of Lilith in her younger years except for the hair length of course.
And so, with a smile and a wave, Tate headed back to the castle. But, on the way, he saw the Bonesborough library and decided to return the charms and trinkets book a bit early to see a part of an episode. So, after writing down the pages for the charm he made for Dell, he picked up a silver scout costume he hid near the library in case he needed to use his authority and he headed inside.
A decision that saved an otherwise fatal situation.
xxXxx
Luz and Amity had just defeated Otabin and turned him back to how he was supposed to be.
Everything ended up okay...until the second monster appeared.
They didn't even know why its book was open. It was a book about beasts or something similar since it was unaltered.
It was the same book that Tate and Dell caused to fall onto the ground.
The beast was fast and they were exhausted from fighting Otabin. So naturally, they could neither win nor escape.
They shut their eyes anticipating their end. It was all over as the beast was about to slash them down...then they heard a slice and a voice.
"Now where did this thing come from?" The voice said calmly and Luz and Amity opened their eyes to see the silver scout standing in front of the beast that was now sliced in half.
"Woah! Magic knight!" Luz whispered to herself as she saw the sword wielder
"The Silver Scout?" Said Amity in surprise as the beast disintegrated into light and the silver scout shut the book
"You know him?" Asked Luz curiously
"He works for the emperor's coven, he's quite well-known in Bonesborough. But why are you here?"
"I'm here to return a book early." He said as he gave Amity a charms and trinkets book "give it directly to Malphas if you will."
"That's it?" Asked Amity in confusion
"Not everything has to have a glamorous purpose." He said calmly as he began walking away "farewell, Blight...you too, human."
And with that, Tate left to put the monster's book back where it belonged and only then did he remember that this book shelf was the one he knocked into before.
He returned to the castle that day feeling horrified at what he could've done.
At least he learned a new spell, right?
xxXxx
Tell me how i did. Leave a review or anything funny.
Toodles.