Chapter 4: Pyromancy Spell Tome

"Welcome! I am the Head Librarian's new assistant. Betty Morgan! Is this your first time in the library?" A young female librarian asks Nero as he enters the reception.

"Yes, it is... Madame Teresa told me to come here to bond with a Pyromancy Spell Tome."

"I see... well, there is a procedure to everything. Take the request form and get Madame Teresa's request in writing along with a drop of her blood on the dotted circle at the bottom."

"Umm... she is waiting for me at the Headmaster's office, and I am already late. Can I bring it back later?"

"Later, you say? In a hurry, you say? Don't care about the rules, you say?"

 "I didn't say any of that! I need the Spell Tome to help me upgrade my White Magical Core."

"Oh... you poor thing! Why didn't you say that first? I will just set aside the rules for you."

"Thank you."

"I was being... Argh! Calm down, Betty... it's your first day on the job. No need to lose it all for this brat."

"So you will help or not?"

"Go ahead and pick the one that is right for you from the Elemental Tome section while I draft a document about taking ownership of it."

Nero looks towards the recommended section and spots over twenty Spell Tomes belonging to the Pyromancy arranged in several rows on one bookshelf resting against the wall.

"Right for me? Aren't all Pyromancy Spell Tomes the same?"

"Spell Tomes are not mass-produced weapons from a no-name smithy. Each of the Pyromancy Spell Tomes was copied and inherited by a long line of Mages that go back to the Age of Legends. Over the millennia, some have developed unique spells or effects that reflect the legacy of their previous owners. You should pick the one that feels right for you because once the bond is established, you cannot break it until death."

"I see... give me a few minutes to check them."

Nero goes over to the wall of Spell Tomes and picks a Pyromancy Tome that is in the best condition out of all of them. The book feels light, but something about it caused his forehead to sweat. He opened the Tome and saw pages of spells written in an ancient dead language.

"Umm.. how do I know which one has the right spells if I cannot read them?" Nero asks Betty after checking there isn't anyone else in the library.

"Trust your gut or instincts or heart or your peepee. Once you bind with the Tome, it will translate the words for you." Betty answers back while she works on a document.

"Uhh, thank you!"

Nero places the Tome back on the shelf and strokes the covers of the rest of the Pyromancy Tomes with his fingers to find out if they all give him bad vibes. Most of them do, except one that gives him a wave of goosebumps on his skin. At first, Nero thought it was a bad sign, but his forehead stopped sweating, and he felt like he had met an old friend.

The Spell Tome is covered in a thick layer of dust, and the hardcover is dark Maroon instead of Orange or Red like the rest. The pages are ancient, the writing a bit different from the others, and it has paintings of different colored flames on each page. This was a Spell Tome that was older than the others. Nero decided this was the one that he wanted. 

"I chose this one. Mind if I ask if you know how old it is?"

Betty Morgan inspected it to find a serial number glued on the back and then opened a ledger that recorded all the details of each Spell Tome in the collection. 

"Huh? This one belonged to a Mage that had been killed for using Necromancy during the Age of Conquest. Even the Librarian who recorded this book had estimated it originated at the end of the Age of Legends."

"Why hasn't it been claimed by anyone for so long?"

"Sometimes Spell Tomes pick their Mage and not the other way around."

"If it is so old... would it mean the spells inside are more powerful?"

"That usually depends on the Mage. A tool is only as good as the one who wields it."

"Make sense. So do I drop some blood on it?"

"No, it needs to extract your blood from a paper cut."

"Really?"

"It's that simple. Here is the document that states that you have claimed this Spell Tome. For this one, you must give blood at the Dotted circle at the bottom. Get Madame Teresa to do the same on the other document and submit it here tomorrow."

"Got it! Thank you, Madame Betty."

"Aww... now bugger off!"

Nero smiles at her as he leaves the library and finds a spot outside to sit down to bind the Spell Tome. There is a wooden bench surrounded by flowers. It is shaded by an old Oak tree that must have been planted at least a century before.

Nero sits on the bench and slides his fingers at the edges of the pages until he bleeds from a paper cut. The Spell Tome absorbs the blood, and the pages begin to glow. A flood of information related to the translations of the Ancient dead language enters his mind with instructions on the Spell Tree it contained. But the Spell Tome began blurring out most of the spells when it adjusted to the White Magical Core. Leaving only one Spell visible for Nero to use at Lv 1. 

Plasma Blade Ballet Lv 1 (Offensive Spell)

MP Cost: 100 MP

Spell Duration: 100 Seconds

Description:

Plasma in the shape of a Pata sword on each hand. Can slice, pierce and burn through almost every material except the following.

Graphite, Tungsten, and Pyromancy nullification spells.

Length - 44-inch/112 cm

Blade Type - Double-Edged Straight

Hilt Type - Gauntlet Type  

The binding is complete, and the pages lose their glow. The Ancient Pyromancy Spell Tome snapped shut and fell to the ground before disintegrating into fine powder. A copy of the Spell Tome appears in Nero's Mind eye. It feels like a part of him.

"Summon Pyromancy Spell Tome!"

The Spell Tome rematerializes and hovers in front of Nero once more.

"Plasma Blade Ballet!"

Nero clenches his fists, and gauntlets made of solid Maroon flames appear over them. Two Double-Edged Straight blades made of Plasma rise out of the Gauntlets to create a Pata Sword. The heat they generate is intense, but his body seems immune to flames. The Plasma takes the same Dark Maroon color as the Spell Tome. 

Nero swings them around to test them and doesn't feel any weight. He accidently cuts through the wooden bench and burns the flowers around it. He was not used to wielding this kind of weapon. Nero had assumed the Spell would give him the knowledge to wield it because he saw Madame Teresa wield her four tridents like a master warrior. Now he realized that she must have learned it on her own.

Nero walked over to the Oak tree to test how far the Plasma Blades would cut. He performed a horizontal double slash and a cross slash in quick succession. Flames and smoke rise from the tree trunk. It now has a deep horizontal cut inside an X-shaped cut. They weren't long enough to go through the century-old Tree trunk, but it felt like he didn't meet any resistance. 

After hundred seconds passed, the Plasma Blades disappeared, and the Spell Tome dematerialized. Nero felt like the air went out of his lungs, and his heart ached as if he had just run a marathon. His mouth felt dry, and the need to drink water or something that could refill the Mana in his body became overwhelming and slowed down his movements.

"Note to self... My Mana limit is 100 MP... should buy some Mana Potions." Nero spoke to himself before heading to the Academy to find the Headmaster's office. On the way, he came across Alexander admiring the flowers in the courtyard surrounding the main building. Several girls are gathered behind a tree nearby. They were gossiping about Alexandre. 

Nero came up with an idea when he recalled Alexander's skills.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

"Dahlias, Pansy, Hibiscus, Marigold, Zinnia and Jasmines. Quite the collection of exotic flowers. I plan to take a few and make some potions out of them."

"Speaking of potions, I wanted to ask if you have some Mana Potions on you that you would be willing to spare."

"Spare? I need compensation for my products and services unless I have been commanded by the faculty.

"Can they completely restore my Mana?"

"How much is your capacity?"

"100 MP."

"Oh... mine is 200. Guess it has to do with the Grade of our Magical Core."

 "If White Core = 100 and Red Core = 200... does that mean we get an additional 100 MP with every upgrade?"

"Maximum being 800 at Violet. Though I doubt there are many with that kind of monstrous Mana Pool. As long as we level up our spells, the Mana cost will lessen, and the effects will increase."

"Thanks for the reminder. So do you have Potions that can refill 100 MP?"

"Of course I do. But my products are far superior to what you will find in the market. So I will charge a minimum of 1 Gold per Mana bottle."

"I don't have that kind of Gold on me. Would you accept a trade?

"Trade? What do you have to offer that is worth 1 Gold coin?"

Nero pulled out a pound of white fur from his white cloak pockets. 

"This is Albino Fur from a Mountain Wolf from the Wildlands."

Alexander's eyes widened in surprise before grabbing the pound of the fluffy hair to examine it more closely.

"Why are you carrying this around so casually? 

"I made a Magical Contract with Mountain Wolf. He sheds a lot of fur in the warmer climate of the Heartlands. My room is full of it, and I have been trying to find a way to dispose of it. Unless you are interested in it."

"Do you know how much rare Wolf fur costs? This material is primarily used for scarves and the trimmings of women's garments. They are occasionally used for jackets, short capes, coats, mukluks, and rugs. Being an Albino makes it even more prized."

"Interesting... so worth at least a few Gold coins?"

"I know what you are trying to do... I will give you 1 Mana Bottle for 500 grams of this fur.

"How about we make a long-term deal? I give you all my Summon's extra fur, and you give me a steady supply of Mana Potions. Starting with 2 Mana Bottles right now."

"Deal!"

End of Chapter 4