Nero got out of the car, leaving his melancholy behind. Did it make his emotions cheap that all it took for his mood to improve was a slab of wood? But then again, wood was the most expensive material around. It wasn't exactly cheap.
Nero had to keep himself from smiling as he walked to his school. It wouldn't be appropriate to be caught grinning right after he learned they were at war. In his defence, how cool was the wooden plaque?
But Nero controlled himself and quickly made his way to school. Unfortunately, he had no time to waste, or to stop by class and show everyone.
School was, well, school. There were countless kids crammed in classes, with a few of them roaming the halls. He was not sure how exactly, but he was certain that school would also undergo some changes. Combat classes might become a bigger part of it, or emergency drills.
Nero quickly found out where Ms. Zim was, and was completely unsurprised to learn that she was sitting in the library, perusing her own notes. Normally, he would wait for her to finish, or at least pause before interrupting her. But that could take a long while, and today was not the day for that.
"Ms. Zim," he whispered, since he didn't want to be too loud in the library. His ordinarily very chatty teacher was stunned at being interrupted, and quickly looked up to find Nero.
"Oh dear, I hope you weren't waiting too long. I completely lost track of time. Did we have a class scheduled today? Funny, I don't remember that. What did we cover last time? Had we begun-"
"Ms. Zim, I have something urgent to report," Nero was forced to interrupt. Before she could start up again, he quickly and briefly shared the details of what happened that morning. Oddly enough, she showed less reaction upon hearing of war than she did at being interrupted from her notes.
Nero was reminded of Footers' comment on how the members of Whisper Guards were… a little different.
"Oh dear, I suppose I'll have to pause all my research," she said, positively disappointed. "Chances are that our classes will also be cancelled. In that case, it's a good thing you came to find me. If our time together is to come to an end, then I have something for you. I was going to give it once you finally crafted your own card, but I suppose…"
She trailed off as she opened her grimoire and pulled out a certain card, before presenting it to Nero.
Name: Words of wisdom
Image: A pair of lips speaking
Type: Diminution
Star rank: 0
Ability: [Hypnotise target using your words]
Flavour text: "Just say the word, and I'll die for you," - a dead man
"Don't show that to anyone," Ms. Zim said as she began to pack her notes. "I have been expressly forbidden from making those."
"It wouldn't have anything to do with the quote, would it?" Nero asked. Chaty though she may be, he never took her for a jokester.
"Oh that. You don't need to worry about that. The court cleared me of all charges, otherwise I'd be at the front lines."
Nero was beginning to think Footer may have not exaggerated nearly as much as he had assumed initially about Whisper Guard. But, Nero couldn't exactly claim that he wasn't growing fond of them. Heck, if they continued to deliver him restricted papers and cards like this, he'd become their biggest fan.
"Good luck, young man. Don't give up on your studies. You'd be surprised, but the battlefield is an excellent place to continue to learn. Always remember, loot your enemies for their cards, but never actually use them. They're good to study, but they may also be traps. Oh, actually, here, take this…"
Ms. Zim paused and took out her Grimoire once more, pulling out another card that she handed to Nero.
Name: Second Life
Image: A corpse coming back to life
Type: Healing
Star rank: 1
Ability: [Deliver a massive burst of healing!]
Flavour text: "Welcome to your second life," - Zim Burton
"See, enemies can lay traps like this. This looks like a very powerful healing card. Instead, depending on the level of the user, it'll give them a heart attack, or straight up pop their heart. I made it by altering a healing recipe, which is why the type-symbol on it is still technically healing. I thought the name was quite clever.
Should an enemy ever loot your corpse and use it, they'll think the second life refers to them coming back to life from the verge of death, whereas actually, it's ending their current life and leading them to the next."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I hope I don't need it," Nero said, somewhat stunned. He had never heard of trap cards before! This was actually quite dangerous!
"Is there… is there any way to determine if a card is a trap card? You know, in case of an emergency, I really need to use an enemy's cards."
"None that are available at your level, I'm afraid. But if you're a really good artisan, you can identify the recipe used on a card. That could give you some hints. In your case, I'd just recommend using enemy cards as the very last resource."
Nero nodded. Eccentric though she may be, their last interaction ended up being extremely informative, and potentially lifesaving. As for Second Life, he hoped he would never need it. In case he did, he'd try to put it to use while he was still alive. The concept of trap cards gave him much to think about.
Nero turned to exit, but from the corner of his eye caught sight of a figure that was familiar. Though she had cut her hair short, Vanessa was still easily identifiable, even if he were looking at her from behind.
Unable to restrain himself, Nero took out his plaque and jaunted forward. He really needed to show someone.