Author note:
My birthday passed, I enjoyed it.
My mother bought me a pair of warm gloves, my younger brother a new computer mouse and my father new reading glasses, all the gifts have been useful.
After cutting the cake, my brother and I played Yu-Gi-Oh. I won big with my Deck Railway.
Talking about this chapter, I expected to write a long fight scene and bring up a character that provides tech support.
Instead I surprised myself, wrote the first round of a battle and a love scene.
For the sensitive, I haven't written anything obscene or adult material.
XXX
Story Arc: Welcome to a Nevermore
Episode 2: The First Day of School (V)
Chapter 10: What happens in the library, stays in the library
Plot: Scáthach, the immortal witch, attacked her disciple, Bruce Bahamut Belmont.
Unfortunately, Bruce does not wish to fight by the rules of Scáthach.
When Scáthach finds a way to motivate Bruce, things take an unexpected turn.
Then, at the end of the fight, Carmen the Crow, proving to be much more than a guard dog (bird).
The library is partially destroyed, but there is room for a little moment of love.
XXX
POV Narrator
Gáe Bolg is a cursed spear that acts as Cú Chulainn's main weapon. It is also one of the weapons stored in Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon.
It was carved from the remains of Curruid's skull by Cú Chulainn's mentor Scáthach.
Its name is derived from the term for "serrated throwing weapon", ga bool'ga, evoking an image of lightning.
The spear was only given to Scáthach's greatest students.
At the moment, this cursed spear is trying to pierce the heart of a young sorcerer with a pretty messed up life.
Bruce instead of focusing on dodging Gáe Bolg, is staring at the woman who threw the cursed weapon at him.
This woman is a fierce warrior, a goddess of death, an immortal god-killer.
She is Scáthach, Queen of the Shadowlands.
Scáthach is physically a young woman, 168 cm tall and weighs 55 kg.
Scáthach is an extremely beautiful woman, with her body proportions being described by many man/women as being "just about perfect".
She has long purple hair and red eyes, and wears a full-body outfit that highlights her curvaceous body, with metallic shoulder pads.
She wears a black veil over her head and a short cloak over her shoulders, joined by shoulder pads
In fact, her dress is a black body suit that highlights her breasts, and apart from her chest and the area between her legs, her dress is see-through. She also has two copper colored shoulder pads, stitching is on all ends of the arms, legs and chest. She wears steel boots.
' Shishou Scáthach is undoubtedly one of the five most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. The only female warrior who can compare to Scáthach is Altera.' Bruce thinks, apparently losing concentration.
To an outside observer, Bruce was mesmerized by the beauty of Scáthach and certain thoughts related to a certain woman, dubbed the Great King of Destruction.
The cursed weapon has pierced through Bruce's chest, hitting where his heart should be, black blood begins to ooze from the wound.
In an instant, the young detective dropped to his knees, clutching his hands to his chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
A glint of something has passed in Scáthach's eyes and he begins to move closer to Bruce.
"Bruce you disappoint me deeply. After everything I've taught you, you let yourself be defeated so easily." Said Scáthach, expecting much more from his disciple.
"I'm sorry I'm not able to seriously fight against you. Raising my sword or wand against my Shishou seems wrong to me." Bruce mumbles, breathing hard and erratic.
Scáthach grabs the cursed spear, preparing to pull it out of Bruce and make one final attack.
"We haven't seen each other for 15 months and when we meet again, you try to kill me! Why, did I do something wrong!?" Bruce asks, in a desperate tone. It seems that he has only a few moments left to live.
"Your tricks can't fool me!" Scáthach raised his voice, jerking his spear away, then gave a powerful kick to Bruce's head.
For a few seconds nothing happened, Bruce stood still like a corpse while a constant flow of black blood came out of the wound on his chest.
Scáthach has not moved to rescue her disciple, instead she stands as still as a statue, spear in hand, letting the black puddle of blood reach her boots.
"Stop teasing me!" Scáthach said, in an angry tone, impaling his spear into Bruce's back.
"If what you wish, Shishou." Said a familiar voice, coming from behind the immortal witch.
Before he turned away, a gleam of joy and relief appeared in Scáthach's eyes.
Bruce Bahamut Belmont stands five meters away, arms folded, completely unharmed.
"Your illusions have improved, I was seriously starting to think that I had killed you with one blow." Declares Scáthach, noting the enormous improvement in the illusory arts of his disciple.
Of course, moments before being shot by Gáe Bolg. Bruce replaced himself with an illusory construct.
Surely he wanted to fake his defeat and gain insight into Scáthach's intentions.
"It was not an illusion, but an abomination." Bruce said, with a mischievous grin, slamming his foot against the floor, activating the second part of his game plan.
The black blood on the floor and on Scáthach's boots takes on a slimy consistency, even the false corpse has become a pile of slime.
The immortal witch swings her cursed spear, wanting to slay the slime-lowing construct.
Unfortunately an abomination aka slime golems, they have no vital organs or a vital core, making Scáthach's attack futile.
"I've learned a lot since we last met." Bruce said, in a calm tone as he watches as Scáthach is pinned down by the abomination.
The Boiling Isles magic is quite versatile, with great combination potential.
Example, Illusions of Asgard and the Blight's Art of Abomination, they make a great match." Bruce said, quite happy to have learned to combine the spells of two different magical systems.
Of course, it wasn't Amity Blight or the twins who told Bruce secrets about the abominations.
This position belongs to Amelia Blight, Amity's cousin, adopted and raised by Odalia, when Amelia's parents died in a mysterious accident.
"Have you learned anything else?" Scáthach asks, as he tries to free himself from the slime creature that has expanded throughout his body.
"I learned so much about the Bahamut lineage and my ancestors, I could talk about it for hours." Bruce said, not joking at all.
In terms of Bahamut history and facts, they make the Morgan and Belmont dynasty look like they're newbies.
"But I've learned a lot about myself. For example, I've realized that I have two rather contradictory desires. I feel immense pleasure and immense displeasure in getting blood on my hands." Bruce said, seeming conflicted about what he wants.
" I like fighting, I love facing opponents who have reached the pinnacle of sword and/or magic." He declares Bruce, with a manic smile, showing a more brutal side of his personality.
"Let me choose between a night of passion with seven witches dressed in erotic cosplays or face a worthy opponent.
There is a 50% chance that I choose the worthy opponent. And I'm talking from his own experience." Bruce said, indifferently, having no problem confirming that he prefers a fight to the death, instead of the company of women.
" Too bad I've become quite picky and selective with my opponents.
Getting my sword dirty or wasting my magical energy against a weak opponent disgusts me.
I've started making use of Familiar and similar beings to deal with most of the unworthy." Bruce explains, having decided to deal with the rabble in a roundabout way, one of the few ways to make it fun to face weaker opponents.
"Are you insinuating that you see me as a weak woman?!" Scáthach asks, in a tone with an irritated frown that does not bode well.
Based on Bruce's response, Scáthach may decide to disregard collateral damage in this battle.
"I would never dare to tell such a lie. Shishou is one of the best female warriors in the history of this world." Bruce said, in a sincere tone, strongly believing in Scáthach's abilities.
'The rumors that my disciple has gone mad seem to be just unfounded rumors.' Thinks Scáthach, appreciating that Bruce shows him the proper respect he deserves.
After all, Scáthach was the first teacher who earned Bruce's sincere respect and vice versa.
"But I've grown stronger than you, so I treat you accordingly. On the battlefield, I can't treat you special.
If you want me to get my hands dirty, you have to prove yourself worthy of my full potential." Bruce declares, in a serious tone, fully convinced in his own words.
Scáthach was silent for a second, not knowing whether to get angry or not.
His disciple believes that she has grown stronger than his Shishou, treating her as one of many challengers.
On the other hand, Bruce doesn't want to offer any kind of preferential treatment in battle.
"You have become arrogant. He must teach you again what humility is." Declares Scáthach, closing his eyes, thinking of his options on how to treat his disciple.
"You, you are the one imprisoned and listen to my interminable monologue. If you want to prove me wrong, do it." Bruce said, urging his Shishou to come out of his prison and attack.
Scáthach has opened his eyes, showing sheer determination and concentration, in achieving his current goal, which is to bring some common sense and humility into the head of his disciple.
' A look of a goddess of death, if this is not worthy of a painting, then I will cut off my hands.' Bruce thinks, feeling a strange joy in being watched like this by his Shishou.
The immortal witch's body released a powerful magical aura, melting the abomination, reducing it to a puddle of slime.
"Get ready I'm coming!" Declares Scáthach, darting forward, her cursed spear, ready to see what her disciple has become capable of.
"I'm waiting for you with open arms, Shishou. You just have to go through my little monsters." She said "Bruce", they spread their arms wide, like he wanted a hug.
"Bruce's" arms turned silver, transforming into a pair of large silver wings with feathers comparable to swords.
Flapping their wings, a shower of metal feathers flew towards Scáthach.
Such a blow could hurt a beginner, but against a thousand-year-old warrior there is no pomace.
Scáthach swinging her crimson spear managed to deflect all the silver feathers.
"Who says you can't two variations of the same trick?" Said a familiar voice, sounding rather pleased.
Lifting his head, Scáthach sees Bruce sitting cross-legged on top of a bookcase.
" First you faced an abomination with a drop of illusions, a small appetizer.
Now, he gets the main course, Liquid Shadow, a liquid metal puppet remotely controlled by my brain.
If you can do a good job, he gets a great desert, me ! "Bruce said, with a big smile, pointing a finger at himself. Treating the whole situation like a fun game.
Liquid Shadow attacks again using his silver feathers, taking advantage of the little distraction Bruce offers.
Scáthach once again deflected the attack, this time causing the silver feathers to fly at Bruce.
Big surprise, Liquid Shadow's deflected attack passed through Bruce, revealing it to be a mere illusory projection.
"I'm starting to get tired of your tricks." Said Scáthach, wishing he could kill the person who taught such an irritating magical art to his disciple.
Liquid Shadow changed his shape, transforming his arms into a pair of large grotesque-looking blades.
The liquid metal puppet lashes out at Scáthach, thinking only of the attack.
"Take me seriously." Scáthach said as he parried Liquid Shadow's attack with ease.
"I'll be honest with you, Shishou. I've been bored out of my mind for the past two weeks." Said the projection of Bruce, lying down on top of the shelf, as if he were in a psychologist's chair.
Liquid Shadow has changed shape, growing a scorpion tail, to put pressure on the immortal witch.
Scáthach moving fast dodges the attack and swings his spear, cutting off Liquid Shadow's scorpion tail.
"The only cool things that have ever happened to me are meeting Wednesday Addams, coming to Nevermore Academy, and Friday again." He said Bruce's throw, moving his head in the direction of the fight.
The immortal witch has begun to engage in her fight.
Liquid Shadow became defensive, transforming his arms into massive shields to resist Scáthach's ferocious attacks.
" Watching you fight is an unparalleled spectacle, so I want to extend this fight as long as possible.
I have enough disposable toys to keep me busy for hours." Bruce said, admitting he wanted to be a spectator and watch as Scáthach deals with his many little monsters.
Bruce's words illuminated a dark corner of Scáthach's head.
'How did I forget one of my disciple's greatest faults.' Thinks Scáthach, realizing he's taken the wrong approach in getting what he wants from Bruce.
Attacking out of the blue doesn't work.
Obviously Bruce is so used to being attacked by the witches that are part of his life, to the point of treating the situation as a strange game.
Especially, now that he's facing an unusual period, devoid of adventures or cases to solve.
'He's a very talented student and dedicated to his work, but he's quite childish and weird.
Sometimes he needs to be stimulated or rewarded or he starts to lose interest.' thinks Scáthach, recalling that during his teachings he had to take several "breaks" to reinvigorate Bruce's interest.
These "breaks" were composed through practical applications of Rune combat, stories of his millennial life or rather savage duels in the traditional style.
The immortal witch concentrated her magical energy into her spear, making it glow red.
Performing a vertical snub, Scáthach to vertically bisect Liquid Shadow, using the cursed properties of Gáe Bolg to prevent any healing.
" I have a proposal for you." Scáthach said, slamming his spear against the floor.
Bruce stands up, gesturing to continue speaking, wanting to hear Scáthach's proposition.
" I want you to fight me seriously, I can't waste the whole day playing with you and your pets." Scáthach said, not wanting to waste the entire afternoon dealing with all sorts of monsters Bruce created with his magic and/or science.
"If you can defeat me or at least last ten minutes against me at full strength, I will give you Curruid's corpse." Scáthach said, throwing a deal that Bruce can't refuse.
Curruid, called the Beast of Billows, is a Phantasmal Species in Celtic mythology.
Inhabiting the Red Sea, Curriuid was a sea monster. It was the origin of the spear Gáe Bolg, its bones, in particular its skull, being used to forge the spear.
Bruce is a sorcerer, sorcerer and blacksmith, always looking for a subject of study or project to carry out.
If Bruce could get his hands on Curruid, the raw material from which Gáe Bolg was created, he could create a weapon beyond compare.
" Shishou, I accept the terms of this pact!" Shouts Bruce's projection, sounding like he just drank the equivalent of a hundred energy drinks.
The miracles of getting the right stimulus.
Bruce will not commit 100% without a clear goal, a goal to achieve or a reward to obtain.
" Shishou Scáthach, you are about to understand why I have been referred to by my scientific enemies as the Ultimate Life Form !" He proclaims Bruce's projection, before disappearing into thin air.
'Perhaps there is a drop of truth in the rumors of Bruce's insanity?' Thinks Scáthach, having never heard of anyone mentally healthy, calling themselves the Ultimate Life Form.
Suddenly, as if by magic, Bruce appeared via a flash of light, right in front of Scáthach, in an attacking position.
Bruce's good eye is glowing a ferocious green/purple, his body is releasing bolts of purple electricity, and in his hands he is holding a huge hammer.
The hammer is two meters large, a silver shaft reinforced with metal rods, the hammer head is made of obsidian, decorated to recall the head of a crow, having as decoration two sapphire spheres on both sides.
Oddly, this warhammer appears to have been created with the intent of looking like Carmen.
The young sorcerer swung his hammer with all the strength in his body.
SMASH!
The immortal witch uses her cursed spear to defend herself, but a thin metal bar can hardly block a warhammer.
Especially when the hammer is wielded by a driven and focused Bruce.
CRAK!
The cursed spear did not break, but Scáthach was thrown through numerous library shelves.
"I'm sorry to hurt so many books and damage a nice library. But Curruid's corpse and the ability to create a monstrosity cannot be lost." Bruce mutters, holding his hammer tightly, preparing for his next move.
XXX
The immortal witch after passing through seven bookcases thrusts her spear into the floor to stop.
' How did he move so fast and since when does my disciple use a war hammer ?
I didn't teach him anything like that.' Thinks Scáthach, needing a moment to recover from the blow.
The kinetic force of the blow passed through Gáe Bolg, ending up throughout the immortal witch's body.
Too bad that among the first teachings of Scáthach is not to give the enemy a second's rest.
The war hammer flew through the air, aiming squarely at Scáthach's head.
The immortal witch moves her head slightly, eventually dodging the war hammer that destroyed another bookcase, scattering books on the floor.
Seconds later, a streak of lightning came from the same direction as the hammer.
"You've improved, I can't deny that fact. But I know you too well, when you fight hand-to-hand, you always start the move with a left punch." Scáthach said, raising his right arm, managing to parry Bruce's punch perfectly.
Anticipating his disciple's moves, Scáthach managed to grab him and throw him against the floor, with such force as to create a web of cracks.
Scáthach placed his foot over Bruce's chest, holding the cursed spear close to his throat.
" In the past, such a blow was supposed to break your bones and activate your healing factor. Instead, you are complementary unharmed." Scáthach said, in a cold tone, keeping an eye on his disciple, noting each new discovery.
"It's a long story, intertwined with my journey to Amphibia and the fight with Gemini." Bruce said, in a bittersweet tone, remembering an equally good and bad time in his life.
" Long story short, I imitated Sigurd and Siegfried.
I have managed to slay a dragon, by eating its roasted heart, bathe in the blood and drink it.
Completing this challenge made me invulnerable to normal weapons and purely physical attacks." Bruce explains why he didn't receive a wound from Scáthach's attack or bleed from Wednesday's sword blows here.
" I understand where your newborn arrogance and overconfidence come from.
Becoming invulnerable and possessing a powerful regeneration factor, must make you feel unbeatable." Scáthach said, believing he had found the source of Bruce's delusions of grandeur.
"No one is unbeatable, there are means to bypass your invulnerability for example magic, unique abilities or special weapons like Gáe Bolg." said Scáthach, proving the truth of his words, using the point of her spear to inflict a long, shallow cut.
The cut went from Bruce's neck to his navel, revealing a diamond-shaped tattoo and pouring black blood.
Scáthach expected to see his pupil's illusions shattered.
Instead of worrying, Bruce starts laughing like crazy, if that wasn't enough to make the scene scary.
Bruce's good eye begins to flash wild green, crimson red and an ominous purple, as if it were a traffic light gone mad.
" Shishou, you're making me laugh." Bruce said, in a joyful tone, as a dark look appears on his face.
The immortal witch unintentionally insulted her disciple, making him angry.
" You seriously think I'm not aware of my weaknesses !
My body is full of scars from worthy adversaries capable of making me bleed and kill me! " Bruce declares, in a voice full of anger, grabbing his opponent by the ankle.
" Scáthach your greatest flaw is believing you have such a long life makes you omniscient!
You're a great teacher and magical warrior, but you can't predict the changes and the emergence of new techniques!" Bruce declares, making his eye rest on the bright purple.
Before the immortal witch could respond to her disciple's outburst.
Something unexpected happened, a wave of black-purple flames poured out of Bruce's mouth and wound.
Scáthach bolted back, partially dodging the surprise fire-based attack.
Unfortunately, his right leg was damaged by the flames, receiving a bad burn.
Scáthach decided that the best defense is offense.
Unfortunately for the immortal witch, Bruce is a paranoid lunatic full of all sorts of tricks.
Without Bruce lifting a finger or casting a spell, the warhammer flew towards Scáthach.
The immortal witch obviously dodged the flying hammer with ease.
" Checkmate." He declares Bruce, wasting no time getting to his feet or making another move, having already won the first round.
The war hammer hits the floor, creating a small earthquake, blowing up all the books on the ground.
"Welcome to the wonderland of books!" Bruce said, with a victorious smile, closing his eyes already knowing what was about to happen.
A book on the history of Rome flew by Scáthach, opening in the middle, showing a picture of the famous Colosseum.
The ancient history book begins to glow and act as if it were a black hole.
Scáthach listening to his instincts inserted his crimson spear into the floor to avoid being caught by the book.
" Don't you dare underestimate the Ultimate Life Form let alone its ace!" He declares Bruce loudly, delivering a signal to his secret ace.
The immortal witch surprised by such magic and distracted by the words of her disciple, did not see Carmen arrive.
The warhammer glows for a second, transforming into a certain blue-eyed female crow.
Carmen is not only Bruce's Prima Familiar, but also his most used weapon, together they have defeated a large number of enemies.
The young sorcerer having never demonstrated Carmen's transformative power, during his tutelage under the immortal witch. Therefore, Scáthach could not foresee such a move.
Carmen flying like a cannonball hit Scáthach, causing her to lose her grip on Gáe Bolg.
Without any anchorage, Scáthach was sucked into the book.
After which the book closes and falls to the floor, right in front of Bruce's feet.
" First time using this skill in combat.
That weird 'double date' night, Luz with Amity and Amelia and I, came in handy." Bruce mumbles, nostalgic for one of his favorite moments on the Boiling Isles.
XXX
About 14 months ago, Luz was invited by the Blight twins, Edric and Emira, to have fun in the library at night.
This encounter took place when a comet with bizarre powers passed in the sky.
Amelia loving the library more than her own house and not wanting her cousins troublemakers, make trouble for Luz.
Amelia enlisted Bruce's help and on the way they met Amity who had the same goal as them.
Many things happened that night:
Luz and Amity became friends, taking the first step towards becoming girlfriends and forming Lumity.
Amelia has become more courageous, solving some problems with her cousins. But she above all, she realized she was in love with Bruce.
Bruce was conquered by the magic of the books that night, the idea of being able to replicate the comet's powers became one of his main research objectives.
The pinnacle of his project was reached during the beginning of this summer.
When Dipper was attacked by a video game character, Bruce was able to pull the protagonist out of a manga based on one of Marcy's favorite video games.
Rumble McSkirmish didn't know who he was about to be beaten against, the heroes of Vagabond Chronicles (this dimension's version of Final Fantasy) are on a whole different level.
Bruce was able to pull characters out of the books as "summons" and even step into them to get to know his fictional heroes in person.
Thus, Bruce's occasional pastime appeared, entering the world of books and having a little adventure with nothing to lose.
Bruce has kept secret the power to travel in the books, not wanting to be forced by Luz to visit Good Witch Azura; or take Marcy to explore the setting of her favorite comics.
XXX
Returning to the present.
"Shishou Scáthach had no hope of defeating me, facing me in the library is the worst case scenario for my opponents.
It would be like fighting Aquaman at the bottom of the sea or a fire dragon inside a volcano." Bruce said, having had part of an immense stroke of luck, to face his mistress on such advantageous ground for himself.
"Cra Cra!" Carmen the Crow, lets out a cry full of disapproval and concern.
'Here we go again, three seconds until Carmen's next anxiety attack and scolding.' Bruce thinks, sighing slightly, knowing full well what's going to happen in the next few seconds
Carmen the Crow wrapped herself in a cocoon formed by her wings, her body glowing for a second, then transformed into an unarguably beautiful woman.
Carmen's human form appears to be in her 20s and of Norwegian or Scandinavian descent. Her height is 190cm and her three sizes are B96 / W63 / H90.
In this form Carmen's skin is quite pale, but completely healthy and free from blemishes.
Big blue eyes perfectly human except for the narrow pupil typical of birds.
Oddly, his ears are shaped like wings.
Her jet black hair is kept straight and reaches down to her hips.
On the left side of her hair are a pair of feathers, a black raven feather and a white owl feather, held together by a flower-shaped accessory.
Carmen wears a dress designed for a ball party of the social elite or a princess ball.
The dress is translucent/sheer black in color, with a plunging Y-shaped neckline that highlights the son-in-law chest and midriff.
If that wasn't enough the dress has a noticeable slit that shows off her left leg.
The dress itself is decorated with feathers and silver jewels. Large feather-like strands of fabric can also be seen extending from the gown.
There are floral ornaments, designed as flowers, around her breasts and in her hair, which are made of a mysterious white material.
Gold jewels adorn her neck, shoulders and torso.
Finally, Carmen's feet are covered in beautiful silver heels.
In short, Carmen looks like a magnificent princess, straight out of a fairy tale book or a protagonist of a light novel for teenagers.
Unfortunately, there are two things that mar Carmen's princess or noblewoman look.
Number one, the raven beauty wears a pink wool shawl, which is a complementary garment that is placed over the shoulders and closed on the chest.
This piece of clothing spoils her noblewoman look, but it surely protects her modesty and prevents her from catching a cold.
Number two, his tattoos. Carmen's flawless skin is tainted by a couple of tattoos.
A tattoo on his right forearm, an exact copy of Bruce's tattoo.
The last tattoo is located on the chest in the middle of the neckline. The tattoo appears to be a complex glyph, a diamond combined with a dragon.
" Meister Bruce, let me inspect your wound!" She declares Carmen, sitting on Bruce's lap, to closely inspect the wound.
The current position of Bruce and Carmen can easily be misunderstood.
"That wicked witch's weapon made a shallow cut. Nothing dangerous for your precious life, Meister Bruce." Carmen said, gently touching Bruce's wound, moving her hand up and down.
Again, Carmen makes gestures that can be misunderstood.
Under normal circumstances, such a wound would have healed in moments.
But Gáe Bolg's anti-regeneration properties and the presence of a God-Slayer slowed the process.
I'd say she'll be completely healed in about ten minutes, an eternity for someone with your healing skills." Carmen said, her tone full of relief, finishing diagnosing the wound.
"If you're done playing nurse, could you get up, my illusory construct informed that Enid, Wednesday and Luz have remembered to get their school uniforms?" Bruce asks, wanting to stop lying on the floor, having to walk out of the library and swap places with his illusory construct.
"No, Meister Bruce, we will stay here, not moving, until your wound is healed. So, if a new adversity appears, you will find yourself at your best." Carmen said, in a tone that doesn't allow to disagree as she puts her hands on her Master's chest.
Bruce rolls his eyes, knowing he's wasting his energy challenging his Prima Familiar's decision.
"Carmen, I'll listen to your advice, I'll stay in the library until the wound heals. Ten minutes more or less, it doesn't make a big difference to me." Bruce said, having no problem doing as Carmen wishes, so she'll be less anxious.
'Moreover, knowing the slow bureaucracy process and taking into account the average working hours of the school secretariat.
It will probably take some time to collect the school uniforms of three new students.
Enough time to heal the wound and replace itself with the illusory construct before one of the girls discovers something.' Bruce thinks, wanting to avoid explaining to Luz or her mothers that he's met Scáthach.
Or having to admit that you have again used the illusory arts to deceive them.
"Thank you very much, Meister Bruce, for complying with my wishes." Carmen said, smiling so kindly that her master's heart beat faster.
Carmen is so happy that she starts drawing small circles with her fingers ... on Bruce's chest.
"Carmen, can you answer a question?" Bruce asks, not knowing if he's getting signals from Carmen or he's imagining things.
As smart as Bruce may be, women are an ever changing mystery, yesterday's solution may not work today.
" Meister Bruce, ask me anything you want, I'm an open book to you." Carmen replies, sincerely, having nothing to hide from her master and vice versa.
The two of them are together 24 hours a day, he never moved more than a few tens of meters apart, except in exceptional circumstances. With such a relationship, there can hardly be any secrets.
"You seem to be touchier than normal and I can see that you want to stay on top of me while we're in a secluded room.
By any chance, do you subconsciously want to have sex with me?" Bruce asks, not taking any secondary roads, wanting to know what Carmen wants.
Carmen the Crow's heart begins to beat wildly, the feathers on her dress and ears begin to beat in an agitated way.
A vet might liken this scene to a mating ritual.
A bird showing its wings to its potential mate, with the intent of attracting his attention and courting him.
" Meister Bruce, what I want is not important, my purpose in life is to serve you and make you happy." Carmen replies, in a solemn tone, not joking at all.
Carmen the Crow, believes that her destiny in life is to stand by Bruce's side and help him in any way she can.
The First Familiar, NO!
The first woman to unite under the banner of Bruce, she decided to open her heart and tell again how she feels.
"If you need a compass to find your way, I'll turn into a crow and my eyes will be at your disposal to provide the best possible directions."
Carmen's eyes have begun to shine, for many it would be an intimidating sight, but for Bruce it is a pleasant sight.
"If you need a weapon, I will become any tool you could wish for, a war hammer, a scythe or a sword. Anything that will help you."
Carmen's nails and feathers have gained a metallic look.
The common man might get scared, on the contrary, Bruce appreciates the presence of sharp metal.
"If you need kindness or a good tip, my lips will say the words you need."
Carmen brushes her lips softly, catching Bruce's attention.
"If you want to feel the touch of a woman, my body belongs to you."
Carmen, with simple but enchanting movements, took off her red shawl, then lowered her dress, showing the upper half of her divine body.
"If you want unconditional love, my heart belongs to you, from the first moment I met you."
Carmen takes Bruce's face between her six hands, leans forward and kisses him.
Bruce's brain forgets everything else for a moment, except Carmen.
XXX
Carmen the Crow or Carmen Caesar, for when you have to interact with people as a human being.
Carmen appeared in Bruce's life, exactly seven days after Bruce's first paranormal case was solved in Gravesfield, when only Bruce and Luz were in the Mystery Gang.
Familiars are usually simple servants and/or pets of magic users. But Carmen does not belong to this common category of Familiar.
Carmen belongs to an incredibly rare species of Familiar. Her kind seek out and choose their own "witch", rather than the other way around.
Once chosen, it seems they cannot leave their master and find another.
All Carmen-like familiars have their own free will and personalities, but still cannot disobey a direct order from their chosen master.
This rare type of supernatural creature can shift between the form of a single animal and that of a human being.
Not all magic users have familiars of Carmen's race, but those lucky enough to be chosen benefit from a special bond and can communicate telepathically if the master so desires.
While it is technically taboo for witches and familiars to have an intimate relationship, such affairs remain quite common.
Carmen weaponized and wielded by Bruce, began to taste the blood and souls of a long line of enemies.
If that wasn't enough to start a process of evolution into Carmen, there was a magical ritual to bond more closely with Bruce.
Allowing Carmen to tap into all the powers that Bruce possesses, albeit in a weakened form.
Making Carmen Bruce's secret ace, capable of turning the tide of any "game".
For this reason and many others, hardly anyone knows the existence of Carmen's human form.
Eda, Camila, and Lilith would definitely have trouble letting Carmen Caesar follow Bruce around at any time of day.
It's one thing to let the dog (bird) on watch do his duty to an exaggerated degree.
It's another thing to allow a woman to be a bodyguard, 24/7, without the slightest bit of privacy.
Not to mention that Carmen has been trying for some time to be seen as more of a woman than a Familiar, with odd results.
XXX
Returning to the present.
Carmen's kiss is finally gone, leaving a sweet taste in Bruce's mouth.
" Carmen, as always, I can do nothing but appreciate your dedication, your loyalty, your friendship and your love.
But you know I'm not capable of loving you exactly like you love me." Bruce said, not even being able to imagine loving Carmen on the same level as her.
In the end, a servant is a servant, while a king is a king. They are closely related beings, but are found in different complementary roles.
"I'm not asking you to do the way I do with you. I just want you to understand and accept my feelings.
You can love me however you want, I don't dream of changing you into something you're not, Meister Bruce." Carmen declares, fully aware that Bruce can't dedicate himself exclusively to her.
His Meister has too many responsibilities, duties and ambitions to focus on a single point.
"Carmen, I don't think we can do it, the moment isn't the best." Bruce said, grimacing, not wanting to ruin Carmen's moment.
"I understand, your heart was recently wounded." Murmurs Carmen, in a sad voice that hides a lot of repressed anger.
" Those Awful Witches: Mira Yamana, Lilith Azazel, Levi Kazama, Akio Fudo, Arin Kannazuki, Yui Kurata, Lieselotte Sherlock.
They have decided to go to the other side of the world to train in their magical arts.
If that wasn't enough, they didn't even have the decency to tell you in person, instead each of them sent an email!" Carmen said, with a murderous look, surely if the Trinity Seven were within reach, it would be life threatening.
The departure of the seven witches was the main reason for Bruce's bad mood, along with the weakening of power and the birth of a strange voice in his head.
"But you don't have to worry about me, I'll be by your side until death do us part." Carmen said, trying to offer Bruce comfort and security.
" Actually I was referring that ten minutes is not enough to do what you want." Bruce said, more worried about the lack of time than wounded in the heart by the lack of the Trinity Seven.
"My mistake, sometimes I can be too melodramatic." Carmen said, embarrassed for bringing up such a sensitive subject, probably ruining her chance.
"Meister Bruce, can a lot of things happen in ten minutes?" asks Carmen, trying to see if she can save the day.
' This first day at Nevermore Academy was quite lively. Would it be bad to add something more?' Bruce thinks, not knowing how to accept Carmen's proposal or not.
Bruce when it comes to love affairs has always been the one reactive or passive.
When it comes to Bruce, usually the woman makes the first move and he reacts to her actions.
This applies to both dates and moments of physical intimacy.
Making things difficult for Carmen, she too is a passive person who waits for orders or a provocation before acting.
"Solving an ancient mystery, saving the world, governing a nation, are easy matters compared to games of the heart." Bruce mutters, feeling pressured, which doesn't even happen when he's half dead.
Carmen seeing that her desire
is clearly messing with his Master's head, he decided to do his job is to help him.
" Meister Bruce, I remind you that you are a rather lucky person. Why not let chance decide for us" Proposes Carmen, putting her hand down Bruce's trousers and ... takes out a gold coin of the Roman Empire.
"If it comes up with heads, this sexual encounter will be postponed later, maybe after I've cleaned up my room.
If it comes tails, what happens in the library, stays in the library." Bruce said, communicating the results of this coin toss.
Carmen tosses the coin in the air.
'A king goes on, always. He accepts the consequences and never looks back.' Thinks Bruce, reciting one of the first lessons I learn about what a king should be like.
The coin hits the floor, the result is…
XXX
End of Episode 2: The First Day of School
Next installment: Mysterious warnings