Chapter 253 Reaching Fordham
Nero focused on the decagon shaped, shaved pine cone piece in his hand. Although he himself had been unable to produce an altered spell model even after days of trying, his mother showed him exactly how it was done, which produced this exact piece as a result.
Or, to be more specific, it produced the ten-sided spell model which was contained within the pine cone. Surprisingly enough, after fusing, the spell model became smaller rather than bigger, though only by a few millimetres Still, it was enough to shave the pinecone into its new shape.
Nero observed the spell model for a while, before Marilyn took it back from him, and then used it to complete the recipe. It was not exactly the same, but it was similar enough to Earth's Boon that a majority of the ingredients overlapped.
Once she was done, Marilyn handed Nero the produced card.
Name: Earth's Haven
Image: A light shining down on a small patch of grass
Type: Augmentation/Defensive
Star rank: 0
Ability: [Increase the fertility of a small patch of land, and grant all plants that sprout there more resilience]
Flavour text: "From the earth you shall rise, and from the earth you shall grow strong," -???
"This is one of the best spell models to learn on," Marilyn said as she picked up all of the bags and put them back in the van. "Although you're having a tough time now, this is actually one of the easier spell models to alter, and its base resources are available in abundance. I literally brought hundreds of these cones for you."
"So how do I use this to alter my innate abilities spell model?" Nero asked.
He'd already seen how to change spell models that existed in other objects, but there was no way he could do it with the spell model inside his innate card.
"That's actually a lot harder, and something you'll learn much later down the line," Marilyn said. "You have to do it in one go, and you have to fuse your spell model inside another spell model that you've stabilised externally. This way, the new spell model will exist in the object that held the other spell model. But you have to make sure that the element of the object containing the spell model doesn't clash with that of your innate element, or it'll never work.
"I have some books for you on card crafting I want you to read. Of course, reading them with Luminalink will be more effective."
Her meaning was clear. While on the surface they seemed to be ordinary books, hidden within those pages were lessons from the Soren family heritage.
Nero nodded as he sat in the van and reviewed everything he had learned. Spell model alteration was no easy task, and it would take practice and persistence. He couldn't afford to get impatient or hasty.
But, for now at least, their practice had come to an end. Marilyn started the van and they started to drive towards Fordham base, where for the next six months Nero was supposed to carry out his military service as sentenced by the court.
That in itself was fine. Actually, it was more than fine since he had reason to believe that something very exciting was going on at Fordham. But the thing that had most of his attention was the fact that Vanessa was there.
He couldn't help but wonder if his recruitment to Fordham had something to do with her. If she was a big shot, as Gabriel claimed she was, then it would be possible. It would also give them an opportunity to discuss some of the things that were left unsaid during the research facility escape. Much more importantly, Nero was looking forward to seeing if he could spot her when she used her ability.
In the beginning, whenever he spotted her, he could tell that she was highly trained but had no experience - though technically speaking, back then, Nero himself was quite inexperienced.
Yet every time he spotted her, she learned from her mistakes, until it got harder and harder to find her. It reached the point till it became a genuine challenge, and that's when Nero started to enjoy himself.
She was clearly a very capable person, and whatever her affiliations or intentions were, the frustration she felt at being caught was genuine. He could not understand why he enjoyed teasing her so much - he'd never bothered any other girl like that.
All he knew was that he was looking forward to seeing her again, or rather, spotting her spying again. This time, it would be a genuine test of his skill.
"Mom, you got any advice for the service?" Nero asked, filling the silence of their car ride. It would take them about half an hour to reach the base.
"Yes," Marilyn said in an even voice. "Don't leave any enemies alive for any reason. If you need to bring anyone in for questioning, kill them after. Always tie up loose ends. It'll be the one you let get away that comes back to haunt you in the end."
"Got it. Kill enemies, take no prisoner," Nero repeated. If any other teenager had done so, it might have been out of sarcasm. But Nero repeated the words quite seriously, as if learning a mantra. Marilyn, the cold hearted, strong headed woman who cut her way through cursed monsters and enemies alike without a single change in her expression, looked at Nero with a hint of hesitation in her eyes. After a few moments of deliberation, she continued speaking.
"Also, if you like a woman, you need to make your move and let her know, alright? If she plays hard to get, you have to convince her. But if it's a hard no, then back off. There's a difference between playing hard to get, and being disinterested."
Nero looked at his mother with eyebrows raised.
"Where did that come from?" he asked in surprise.
"Well, you know, it's pretty common for kids to start dating at your age. I already had eyes on your father when I was around your age."
"Mom, ew, stop. Go back to talking about killing enemies and taking no prisoners. I don't have time to waste on these things."
"You can't blame me for trying. I always thought you had a thing for that Wendy girl, but it turns out she has a boyfriend. You're a good talented boy - it's not a bad thing for you to think about family. You know most people get married by the age of 20, but for that you need to at least find someone first."
Nero groaned and looked out the window instead.
Marilyn, who herself was feeling quite awkward, didn't continue the conversation. Instead, she started cursing Edward in her mind. He was the one who put it in her head that she should talk to Nero. Now, she just wanted to hide her head under a pillow, or maybe go hunt an entire horde of curses.
The short drive ended up stretching to eternity, but they eventually arrived at the gates of Fordham and stopped the car when a number of soldiers surrounded their car with spears drawn.
"Declare yourselves," one of the soldiers yelled, keeping a distance from the van. Marilyn only rolled down the window and showed her person ID as well as Neros.
"I've brought Nero Grant here for service," she reported, and waited for the soldier to reach out for her card and check it out. Instead of responding, he handed the cards to another soldier and whispered something to him before the second soldier ran off into the base.
"Turn the van off, unlock the doors, and place your hands on the wheel in front of you. The boy too - hands on the dashboard."
Nero and Marilyn complied while the soldiers checked the van in great detail, going through all of the bags and boxes before declaring it safe. They spent a few minutes in silence before a soldier ran outside from within the base and whispered something into the ear of the guy incharge.
"Your identities have been confirmed. I'm sorry Mystic Marilyn, but unfortunately you do not have clearance to enter. Private Nero will have to continue on his own."
Marilyn scrunched her nose, but just nodded.
"Take care kid, and make me proud," was all Marilyn said before Nero got off.
"Thanks mom. You too, take care."
Nero picked out his own bags, as well as the ones which contained pine cones and stepped back from the van as Marilyn drove away. Their farewell was short and succinct, but in public that is all they could do. Being overly affectionate, especially in military settings, was not going to do Nero's reputation any favours.
"Private Nero, follow me," said the soldier incharge. "You're a day early, but that's fine. I'll take you to your lodging before taking you to get signed in. Since you're a day early, you can start your service now."