Brutus...

Brutus...

Brutus...Clovis just burned your coworker alive five feet from you!

Oh damn... Brutus is going to die now.

Fare well Brutus! You will be missed.

I have a bad feeling about this

So..Clovis might actually care about someone other then himself....that is very suspicious...

That character arc tho

223rem said:
That character arc tho

Maybe i'm wrong, dumb, or both, but didn't clovis and Brutus character arc basically happen in the patreon sketches and not really in the comic itself?

Clovis, I swear, if you hurt Brutus...

thefoxwolf1 said:

Brutus...

Brutus...

Brutus...Clovis just burned your coworker alive five feet from you!

Doesn't matter, Clovis likes Brutus above all.

In page 1122 it is made clear he only entered the manor to get his right hand wolf back.

And from that I recall he mentioned that he trusts Brutus because he is too dumb to betray him (or at least that's the excuse). Seeing this page sheds a different light, implying he actually has feelings for Brutus.

tsukiyomaruzero said:
Doesn't matter, Clovis likes Brutus above all.

In page 1122 it is made clear he only entered the manor to get his right hand wolf back.

And from that I recall he mentioned that he trusts Brutus because he is too dumb to betray him (or at least that's the excuse). Seeing this page sheds a different light, implying he actually has feelings for Brutus.

Clovis likes himself above all with his right-hand wolf being second. Although you are right about what Clovis said earlier in the chapter, I don't interpret what he said in the last panel of this strip as a grantee of Brutus's safety. If Clovis has the slightest intention to remove his 'weakness', it will likely happen soon.

This definitely has a Kylo Ren vibe to it...

Considering he did comment in the previous page about 'letting the other guy enjoy having udders', I think it's fair to say that fem-clovis is very canon. And that what Clovis feels for Brutus now might be a bit more than platonic friendship.

lucarian said:
Maybe i'm wrong, dumb, or both, but didn't clovis and Brutus character arc basically happen in the patreon sketches and not really in the comic itself?

Yhea and this ad to this arc.... It make this relationship unhealthy.....
And the masquerade, CLovis was a little bastard but this was O.K.
Here he is jsut damn right sadistic and psycopathic. What a son of bitch.

Immagine a daemonic gardian angel that fry eveyrone and everything that is mean to you because your the bitch of daemonic entity.
Someone jealous of you he go fried... Liiiiiiiikkkkkkkkkke... I would not like such a friend.

On the otehr hand it make Clovis a damn scary opponent for Natani and Zen..... Ho boy... IOf I were them.......................................

"And from that I recall he mentioned that he trusts Brutus because he is too dumb to betray him (or at least that's the excuse). Seeing this page sheds a different light, implying he actually has feelings for Brutus."

Look more like a platonnic love like the kind that were between Grifith and guts from berserk.... Except well I prefer teh berserk version. Grif did dirty things but he wasn't that psychopatic.

If your villain boss starts remarking that they "wouldn't kill you that way", then starts talking about how you've become an emotional liability for him, find a new job, immediately.

Brutus gon die.

lucarian said:
Maybe i'm wrong, dumb, or both, but didn't clovis and Brutus character arc basically happen in the patreon sketches and not really in the comic itself?

Things from the non-canon side-comics tend to trickle over to the canon comic. Could be Tom uses them to test how popular an idea would be before he introduces it officially.

Yep he's dead, that whole speech has "You're too much of an emotional liability to me to live" written all over it.

I'm pretty sure Brutus is the only person that gives Clovis the feeling of belonging in her career so she'd be pretty hard pressed to pass up a himbo such as him

This is so adorable between them that something bad has to happen. As much as I hate it.

I know Clovis is a generally heartless, selfish, and morally depraved character... but I really hope this is a 'weakness' he's going to continue to tolerate.

I've seen this kind of dialogue before...he's gonna kill the big fuzzy guy, isn't he?

vigorouslyvibing said:
I know Clovis is a generally heartless, selfish, and morally depraved character... but I really hope this is a 'weakness' he's going to continue to tolerate.

First he says "I'm never going to kill you this way" instead of just "I'm never going to kill you". This very much implies he's open to killing him another way.

Then he finishes with "You're a weakness I've allowed myself to tolerate" (implied: but no longer). Yep, he's dead, this is him saying goodbye.

mad_dok said:
Considering he did comment in the previous page about 'letting the other guy enjoy having udders', I think it's fair to say that fem-clovis is very canon. And that what Clovis feels for Brutus now might be a bit more than platonic friendship.

Fem-Clovis was always canon. The stuff in the sketches however was not.... Until now

Best bad boy Brutus is in imminent danger. While Clovis is "nice" enough not to burn him to death a swift stabbing or euthanizing spell isn't out of the question. I don't like it but he might not see the end of the next chapter.

rando said:
Oh damn... Brutus is going to die now.

Fare well Brutus! You will be missed.

I think so too! I've read the comic on the official site, and it seems likely. A hard-hearted bastard like Clovis would want to kill any possible thing that might get in his way. Even if it's a treasured, trusted servant like poor Brutus...

Im legit scared for brutus when i first saw this page i just found it adorable but reading the comment made me realise in how much danger brutus could be... i dont want to see him die... especially not by the hand of clovis i think it would be heartbreaking for both of them..

Sooo..., Clovis does have a heart.

Perhaps that will come in handy as the other’s deal with Rose, the house, and Trace’s magical abomination.

From the dialogue, I'm thinking the embrace in the last panel is primarily to get into a position to literally and figuratively stab Brutus in the back.

Going to wage there will be a redemption arc for Clovis that will involve "taking the bullet" for Brutus or going on a frenzy when Brutus is wounded badly before his eyes.

sir-dct said:
So..Clovis might actually care about someone other then himself....that is very suspicious...

"I would never kill you that way." Clovis' own words... My guess is she's going to knife or poison him. I can't see her not doing something, here.

clekomuvuk01 said:
"I would never kill you that way." Clovis' own words... My guess is she's going to knife or poison him. I can't see her not doing something, here.

No.

From the way it's being implied Clovis would want to do it quickly and as painlessly as possible.

So those might be options if Brutus were asleep or something but magic IS an option here.

That said I think it would be more likely Clovis is doing this and might not be ABLE to bring himself to kill Brutus.

That'd be an interesting twist. The one person Clovis despite all efforts cannot bring themselves to kill.

I just reread it..."I assumed you'd been killed" followed by "it was meant to be. A tidy end to a rotten era." There's no way that can be read as anything but Brutus is going to die. He knows enough about Fem Clovis that other people could figure it out and use it against him. Clovis won't let that slide.

Clovis would kill him quickly.

Which I have a very strong feeling is gonna happen.

Uh Clovis I was mad at you for torching that guy i liked him thought he was funny but now I can’t even be mad at you your hitting the feels and it’s not fair. #best villain of the year

cironnu said:
I just reread it..."I assumed you'd been killed" followed by "it was meant to be. A tidy end to a rotten era." There's no way that can be read as anything but Brutus is going to die. He knows enough about Fem Clovis that other people could figure it out and use it against him. Clovis won't let that slide.

That's kind of why I'm wondering if maybe Clovis will hit a hitch and be unable to bring themselves to kill Brutus.

Like here's the question: why is he even saying all this? To explain things to Brutus or to explain it to himself and reinforce his decision?

Cause it seems to me like maybe Clovis might be having second thoughts. Or is struggling to justify it.

Edit: just reread it. Clovis admitted to being sad about Brutus dying. Clovis. The guy who JUST casually torched a lackie for getting caught.

I'm doubling down on Clovis struggling to do this.

Please don't hurt the good boy. >_<

rukaisho said:
Why is everybody saying this? Am I the only one here who believes the contrary?
Why would Clovis risk his "own powdered ass" breaking into the Grand Templar's mansion if he's just going to kill him anyway? It's just not logical.

btw, I totally ship these two...

Exactly. He could have just sent people to hunt and kill Brutus if he wanted him erased, but rather Clovis led the rescue personally, which means he is willing to risk his life just to get Brutus back.

So is no one else noticing how ominous those opening lines are.

"I know how you feel about being burned. It's a painful way to go. I would never kill you that way."

"Oh that's a relief."

So Brutus is actively willing to let his boss kill him whenever as long as it isn't with fire.

Is no one else a bit perturbed?

I mean it's a gold mine of background info.

1 it tells us that Brutus has some kind of history with fire. Possibly family members or other close ones burning to death around him.

2 Brutus may have already consented to dying by his boss's hand at a prior point in time.

I mean Brutus can be pretty dense to. Might be overanalyzing again but something about that opening exchange just kind of disturbs me.

Also

"I told myself it was meant to be. A tidy end to a rotten era."

"You've always been my most loyal friend. A weakness I've allowed myself to tolerate."

I think it sounds like Clovis did, maybe still does, have a desire ro silence Brutus to keep the secret safe. But it also sounds like he's struggling with the idea.

rukaisho said:
Why is everybody saying this? Am I the only one here who believes the contrary?
Why would Clovis risk his "own powdered ass" breaking into the Grand Templar's mansion if he's just going to kill him anyway? It's just not logical.

btw, I totally ship these two...

tsukiyomaruzero said:
Exactly. He could have just sent people to hunt and kill Brutus if he wanted him erased, but rather Clovis led the rescue personally, which means he is willing to risk his life just to get Brutus back.

Clovis is a cold individual and single handedly erased a lackey that was caught because he found them no longer useful because of it.

That being said valid points are being made. But sometimes a deed is important enough to warrant doing it yourself.

Especially if the idea is less than pleasant.

Keep in mind it's also fairly common knowledge among the schmucks Brutus typically gets special treatment. Sending others to kill or retrieve Brutus could potentially backfire. That said there WAS an attempt made at infiltration and we all know how well that went.

In many ways Clovis is the only one who can do this. The amulet grants a measure of protection against foreign spells, and that actually leads me to a thought.

What does the amulet use as a power source?

I ask this because we've seen that lasting magic of any sort requires fuel in the form of mana to continue functioning. Or some sort of resource.

And keidran cannot use magic naturally, yet Clovis cast a fire spell with no apparent mana crystals.

I'm betting the amulet doesn't just suppress the transformation but doubles as a mana battery. And if so how does it get recharged? And what happens when the battery runs out of juice?

Back on the original topic though Clovis is capable of many awful things. But killing Brutus may not be one of them.

An attempt may very well be made, but I highly doubt this is the end of our favorite good boy.

Also a lot of Tom's sketches somehow end up tying back into the comic in some way. Especially ones without some kind of holiday theme.

rukaisho said:
Why is everybody saying this? Am I the only one here who believes the contrary?
Why would Clovis risk his "own powdered ass" breaking into the Grand Templar's mansion if he's just going to kill him anyway? It's just not logical.

btw, I totally ship these two...

I'm pretty sure Clovis is there to kill the assassin brothers, and rescuing Brutus is just an aside. Clovis HATES Zen and Natani, remember? The plan is probably to A-kill Roan for screwing up his mission AND to cut that link from the attack on the estate to himself, B-rescue Brutus and use him to help-C-Kill Zen and kidnap/kill Natani, then probably kill Brutus.

rukaisho said:
I really think you're overanalyzing all this.

Clovis is clearly not used to being a compassionate Keidran. So his "I would never kill you that way" line was his own pitiful attempt at trying to calm the perturbed wolf who just literally watched one of his comrades get flambéed right in front of him. I can't imagine it's easy for a total sadist to show a soft side for anyone.

Every other line shows that Clovis has deep, if not confused feelings for Brutus. Not once in that exchange did I get the impression that he intends on killing him. Why would he go to such effort if he wanted him dead? There's nothing really stopping him from finishing the job while he's literally backed into the corner, naked and defenseless.

All I gleaned from this is that the Clovis x Brutus ship from the Patreon sketches is now canon.

All fair.

I'm honestly really bad about over analyzing. A lot of implications were made about Brutus dying so I thought it was a common understanding and was making arguments that he might TRY so he could sever the last potential connection to his cursed state, but would ultimately fail.

softporn_only_nodirt said:
Yhea and this ad to this arc.... It make this relationship unhealthy.....
And the masquerade, CLovis was a little bastard but this was O.K.
Here he is jsut damn right sadistic and psycopathic. What a son of bitch.

Immagine a daemonic gardian angel that fry eveyrone and everything that is mean to you because your the bitch of daemonic entity.
Someone jealous of you he go fried... Liiiiiiiikkkkkkkkkke... I would not like such a friend.

On the otehr hand it make Clovis a damn scary opponent for Natani and Zen..... Ho boy... IOf I were them.......................................

"And from that I recall he mentioned that he trusts Brutus because he is too dumb to betray him (or at least that's the excuse). Seeing this page sheds a different light, implying he actually has feelings for Brutus."

Look more like a platonnic love like the kind that were between Grifith and guts from berserk.... Except well I prefer teh berserk version. Grif did dirty things but he wasn't that psychopatic.

Wasn't... at first. Then Femto happened, and he went like...5-1000 in a heartbeat

Personally, I hope that this closeness to Brutus ends with this arc turning out to be Clovis’s redemption, we see a spark of hope that Clovis can become a better person, after all, there would be no point to doing all of this just to kill him, if Clovis were to kill him to avoid Brutus becoming his downfall, it would have been just as easy to just let him rot in the dungeon

Well.

Fuck.

ottovonbismarck2643 said:
Personally, I hope that this closeness to Brutus ends with this arc turning out to be Clovis’s redemption, we see a spark of hope that Clovis can become a better person, after all, there would be no point to doing all of this just to kill him, if Clovis were to kill him to avoid Brutus becoming his downfall, it would have been just as easy to just let him rot in the dungeon

Unless this is a big brain bait and switch I think this may be Tom's Jojo/Araki: Kicking the Dog moment- cementing him as abhorrently evil so we can see him get cathartically demolished later.

Fair warning. YOU WILL NOT WANT TO READ THE NEXT PAGE!!