While Nero was having a conversation with Vanessa, the others on his new team also found numerous things to busy themselves with. With their departure to Perilith imminent, the final preparations were of the utmost importance.
That was the very reason why Noman, the 13-year-old kid who had been acting as the de facto leader of the group, was in his private room swinging a lightweight, practice spear around, making 'swish' and 'whoosh' sounds, alongside the equally important 'bang' and 'kapow' whenever he struck his imaginary enemies.
He was not recreating Nero's fight in his mind. No, the prodigy that he was, he was imagining an even more perilous fight where he fought off the entire team of Neophytes himself after they had been mind-controlled by an evil curse, with the only way to save them to defeat them in combat.
Bael, similarly, had returned to his own private room as well - a room devoid of any furniture, containing only various workout equipment, and a simple blanket on the floor in case he needed to sleep.
By minimising his innate ability, he would work out to exhaustion, and then maximise the ability until he healed completely and recovered in full. This was his shortcut to making gains at an unbelievable pace. He could now do in a single night what would have taken him over a week to do previously.
His recent defeat at the hands of Nero had only reinforced his will to keep working out. He would, of course, rest as well, but that would only come before their actual deployment. Since they had another day now, he basically had another day to train.
Clarissa returned to her barracks. She did not have a private room, but a shared room with one other private which was actually the norm. Unlike the rest, however, she was incredibly frustrated with her defeat. That was actually the first time she had lost to someone at her own level, as even Bael had not won from her.
Losing in itself would not be the issue. The issue was the ease with which Nero beat her. It was the first time she had gone from being hunter to prey. Frustration alone would not allow her to become stronger, but before she could make any progress, she needed to contain herself and regain control of her emotions.
Daisy went to her room and instead of sleeping, started to write in her notebook, listing all of her recent observations and her ideas for her future. She was not resigned to a future where she would hide behind a line of allies protecting her. No, she was a warrior through and through, and she would come up with a way to become an excellent fighter.
Prior to this, she had a few different ideas of how she could realise that, but today watching Nero fight had given her a little more insight into what her future might hold.
The others on the team also occupied themselves with various things, but there was one person on Nero's new team who was a little more agitated by what they had seen than the others.
This person, upon retreating to their personal room, used a number of cards to ward the room and ensured no one could secretly observe or listen in on what was happening. Due to the various restrictions around the place, it was impossible to contact someone outside the base, but that did not mean they could not contact someone inside of it.
The person used another card, allowing a vague, illusory figure to appear before them.
"We have a very serious problem," the Neophyte said angrily. "This Nero guy is a freaking monster, and I have no confidence in taking him down in a direct confrontation! I'm pretty sure that freak has like two innate abilities or something!"
"Do not act hysterical," the figure responded calmly. "It is impossible for someone to have two innate abilities. I have already watched a playback of the recordings from the fight, and I can confirm that his physical prowess is not impossible to reach through means besides Eldrim cards.
"Though most of the time, people don't have the actual finesse and sufficient control over their aether to use his means properly in combat. In fact, most people who fight like him end up crippling themselves which is why his means are not taught widely. Though I admit, he is a remarkable specimen."
"That doesn't change the fact that there is no way I can go on with the plan with that monster there on the team. Even when he was fighting, I could
feel
him observing me and the others. His attention was practically prickling my skin. I didn't even dare to breathe heavily lest I catch his attention. He was looking for something - I'm sure of it!"
"Calm down," the vague figure said, a hint of dissatisfaction leaking into the voice. "I have already looked into Nero. Almost everything in his official file is doctored, but fortunately he was recently in the middle of a very big scandal, so there's still a lot of information about him I can dig up.
"Preparations are already being made for any potential fallout from his death. What you need to do now is to find a way to administer a poison that I will have delivered to you. It's the first part of a two-part poison that will only come into effect when you administer the second part within Perilith. Don't worry, we're making preparations to make it look like Bael was the perpetrator after all this is over. He seems to have a bad history with Nero, after all."
The Neophyte finally calmed down a bit, though he was still clearly nervous.
"What about the others?"
"Tampering with the gear has proven to be more challenging than expected. Instead, cards have been prepared that will help you disable the gas masks yourself. Now let's go over everything one more time…"
As the night deepened, more than one person was finalising their preparations for the upcoming excursion. Of course, Nero himself was unaware of all of this.
He was still in his meeting with Vanessa - which had been promptly discovered as soon as it began. Of course, since they were not doing anything illegal, the soldiers simply observed the obvious barrier around the two kids and made bets amongst themselves about what the two teenagers were doing.
As long as they finished before the curfew, no one would particularly care about the fact that they chose to have a private conversation out in the open.
Within the illusionscape, Nero studied Vanessa as she took in everything he had said. While it appeared that Nero had been taken by a moment of passion, revealing his inner thoughts, in reality, all of this was a calculated move on Nero's behalf.
After Gabriel had told Nero that Vanessa was from a prestigious background, he tried to imagine what motivations she could possibly have to make her undertake so much danger. For all intents and purposes, her path forward in life was set. She needed to only follow it, and she would eventually become an important political figure, and perhaps even leader of Nova.
Sure, being sent to Kolar could have been a part of that plan, but the amount of dedication and commitment required to sneak into Lumina was not something that could be faked. Secret bodyguards and political agreements could protect her in Kolar, but within the basement of the research centre she was exposing herself to real and genuine danger. A single accident could claim her life.
But Nero never saw a hint of fear or hesitation in her actions. There were too many explanations for that, but Nero opted to choose the one his instincts told him was correct. That she was a highly driven, highly focused individual and would not hesitate from facing great danger to meet her goals. In fact, the level of drive she showed resonated with Nero, and he had a sneaking suspicion that her motivations might be closer to his than anyone could suspect. After all, Nero had scarcely encountered a motivator as effective as hate and the desire for revenge.
Regardless, the point was that in her he saw highly motivated and ambitious traits. She did not appear to be someone who could accept mediocrity, or a path picked out for her by someone else. She likely had her own highly unrealistic goals, which required her to undertake massive personal risks.
So the act that he put on specifically catered to that side of her. That was not to say that anything Nero said was a lie. It just meant that while everyone kept suspecting that as a warrior, the greatest thing he had to offer was his combat prowess, they constantly overlooked his meticulous mind.
The silence between them continued, and Nero no longer spoke, and just waited for her to respond. Vanessa, on the other hand, really was going over various considerations in her mind.
Of all the things he said, one was more true than anything else. Working with him would come at great risk. But whether it was her objective mind, or less objective personal feelings, they both agreed that Nero had proven himself worth a little risk.
Vanessa moved her fingers as if casting a spell, and a card appeared within her hand - one that Nero recognised all too well. It was Fair Weather.
"I'll admit, you have me intrigued," she said with a smile. "What exactly do you have in mind?"