Chapter 42: Reinforcement 2

Elania squinted against the dawn light.

Her favorite mornings were the lazy ones, where she woke up with her arm around Yolani, the other girl spooned against her to form a warm ball.

This was not one of those mornings.

She stumbled along the cobblestone street, her hand firmly clasped in Yolani’s as the other girl practically dragged her through the quiet city. The few early risers they passed gave them curious glances, but she was too groggy to care.

“Yolani, slow down,” Elania grumbled. “What’s the big rush?”

Yolani glanced back at her. “You’ll see when we get there!”

Elania sighed, resigning herself to the mystery. She knew better than to try and pry information out of Yolani when she was in this mood. The girl could be as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be.

As they wove through the streets, Elania’s mind drifted to the events of the past month: the destruction of Neftasu, their arrival in Contia, the challenges of establishing a new life for everyone—it all felt like a distant dream.

“We’re almost there,” Yolani said.

Elania looked up and realized they were approaching the Neftasu Guards’ barracks. She couldn’t imagine what could have Yolani so eager to come here at this ungodly hour.

The guard on duty barely had time to approve them as Yolani burst through the entrance, pulling Elania along. The few men nursing morning drinks among the tables glanced up from their mugs, bleary-eyed and resembling Elania’s tired state.

Yolani’s grip on her hand tightened as she veered toward the back of the room, her steps purposeful. They reached a sealed door, and Yolani pushed it open. A short hallway and another door later, they found themselves in a sprawling fire range with a large skylight, allowing the soft light of dawn into the chamber.

Elania blinked. “Did we seriously get up at the crack of dawn to shoot bullets?”

Yolani’s laughter rang out, clear and bright. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

She led Elania to a nearby bench and set her pack down on the table. Elania slumped into a seat, her head falling to rest on the cool wood. She let her eyes drift shut, wondering if she could catch a few more minutes of sleep like this.

The sound of Yolani rummaging through her pack, metal clinking against metal, and fabric rustling was soft enough for her to doze. She was content to let Yolani prepare whatever surprise she had been so excited about.

So… it was possible. Sort of.

After a few moments, Yolani’s hand gently shook her shoulder. “Elania, wake up.”

“I’m awake,” Elania mumbled, sitting back up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, blinking to bring the world back into focus.

Cradled in Yolani’s hands was the most enormous revolver she’d ever seen. Including on TV. Its bronze-hued surface gleamed, and its barrel was huge, easily nine or ten inches long.

Her mind began to whir, the fog of sleep evaporating as realization filled her. “Oh,” Elania breathed.

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It was the design she had chosen for her [Regalia].

And Yolani had brought it to life.

She leaned forward to take in the hundreds of little intricate details and runes worked into the surface. She reached out, her fingers hovering just above the metal.

“Is this a prototype for the [Regalia]?” she asked.

Yolani shook her head. “Were you even listening to me last night?”

She vaguely remembered Yolani chattering excitedly about something, but the details were lost in a haze of exhaustion. She had fallen asleep against Yolani’s shoulder, lulled by the warmth of her body and the steady rhythm of her voice.

“I might have been a little sleepy,” Elania admitted, a sheepish grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Yolani rolled her eyes. “This is the final version, Elania. But before you consider bonding with it, you need to try it out first. Get a feel for it, acclimate yourself to it. Otherwise, you won’t have a strong connection when you bond, and the [Regalia] will be weaker.”

Elania’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “How do you know so much about this?”

Yolani’s expression darkened, and for a moment, Elania thought she might actually get yelled at. But then Yolani sighed, her shoulders slumping.

“Ember sent an information packet for us to read,” she said. “And I know you haven’t done that.”

Elania winced. She had meant to read the packet—really, she had! But between the endless meetings and the constant demands, she simply hadn’t found the time. It had probably got buried under a load of other documents.

“I’ve been so caught up in everything lately,” she admitted. “I’m not sure what I would do without you.”

Yolani’s expression softened. “I know you’ve been busy, Elania. But you really need to read that information packet before you can bond with the [Regalia]. And you’ll probably have some questions for Ember or Arlois, too. It wasn’t entirely clear on everything.”

Elania nodded. “I promise I’ll read it as soon as we get back.”

Yolani nodded, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. She held out the revolver, and Elania took it gingerly. The weight of it was surprising.

The metal was cool against her skin, the grip molded perfectly to her palm. She ran her thumb along the barrel, trying to decipher the elaborate designs etched into the surface.

She glanced back at Yolani, a sheepish grin tugging at her lips. “It feels pretty sturdy and well made.”

Yolani’s smile widened, and she reached back into her pack. “Good. Now, let’s look at the bracer.”

Elania blinked in confusion. “Bracer? I thought the [Regalia] would be morphable?”

Yolani pulled a gleaming bronze bracer from her pack, the metal matching the same color as the revolver. “That’s only after you bond them into a [Regalia]. Standard artifice can’t handle that kind of transformation. All I can do is lay the groundwork and create the pathways for your [Divine Power] to take over during the bonding process.”

The bracer’s surface was etched with the same intricate designs as the revolver.

“This is incredible,” Elania murmured.

Yolani shrugged, but there was no mistaking the pride in her eyes. “I just want to make sure it’s perfect for you.”

Elania nodded, her expression turning serious as she met Yolani’s gaze. “We came to the range for a reason, right? To test this beauty out?”

Yolani’s face split into a grin. “Exactly. You’ll need to practice with it before bonding. We’ll be using ‘light’ ammo for now, without any of the specials I have planned.”

“Specials?” Elania asked.

Yolani laughed and launched into an explanation of her ideas for boosting the revolver’s power, but Elania found herself captivated by the way her lips moved, the passion in her voice.

Without thinking, she reached out and pulled Yolani close, silencing her with a kiss.

Yolani blinked in surprise, train of thought completely derailed.

Elania laughed. “We’re here for target practice, remember?”

“S… sorry,” Yolani mumbled before a sheepish grin appeared. She gestured to the ammo on the table, and Elania picked up one of the bullets.

Holding it up toward the light, Elania blinked. For the first time, she realized just how… large the ammunition was.

Actually, the cylinder on the gun was massive as well. It was just hidden by the overall size of the weapon.

“Just how much have you stuffed in these? They aren’t going to explode, are they?” she asked, turning the bullet over in her hand.

Yolani chuckled, plucking the bullet from Elania’s fingers. “It’s not all about size. The material, compression, and what you put in the cartridge along with the bullet—that’s what matters.”

Elania watched as Yolani picked up a ring and slid it toward the revolver.

With a press of a switch and flick of her wrist, the cylinder slid out on a spring, and Yolani shoved the speed loader into place, loading all six chambers at once. Another flick, and the cylinder snapped back into position.

Elania couldn’t help the stupid grin that spread across her face. “How many times did you practice that?”

Yolani’s cheeks flushed pink. “Shush, you.”