The flight back proved to be a little more exhausting this time around as the adrenaline of the street battle had finally started to fade away, leaving Vance in a state of weariness. If not for the harness keeping him on Magic's back, he'd likely feel as though he were close to slipping off. Thankfully, the speed at which a Wyvern flew allowed some respite as they passed through the magic mountain face and towards the Mountain Jewel once more. Though, instead of heading for the stables, Magic instead carried him to the palace itself.

Smiling more to himself at how quickly he had formed a bond with the Wyvern, Vance gave a few affectionate pats, "Thanks, Magic... this helps a lot." He said before undoing his harness.

As the last strap came loose and his leg was over the side, Richard, Lara, Estrid, and William came rushing out to greet him.

"I knew I shouldn't have left you alone!" Richard grumbled as he helped Vance down.

Shaking his head, "No, it's fine, I told you it was only a quick trip, and besides, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"Damn that courage of yours, Vance!" Chimed Estrid, who looked as upset as Richard, if not a little more so.

Vance looked a little perplexed at how everyone was worried for his safety and well being; it was utterly new to him to get so many outside of family worried about him. An uncomfortable pang of guilt soon began to make itself known in the pit of his stomach, prompting him to bow his head in apology.

"I'm sorry... all of you, I am, I didn't mean to make you worry, but I'm fine! When I said it wasn't anything I couldn't handle, I meant it." Vance would say while patting the dust off his pants.

"Fuck that!" Richard cursed, "You're covered in blood and can barely stand. There's no way you're fine, and I'm not leaving you alone like that again. Not when there's so much riding on you..." He stated, his voice becoming a whisper near the end.

Vance glanced towards Richard for a moment, frowning somewhat, "Fine, never again. If I go anywhere, I'll make sure one of you or a troop of Marines follow me. Sound good?" He asked those assembled around him.

Each replied in acceptance, with Richard and Estrid seemingly being the only ones begrudgingly approving the idea. "If possible, I'd like it if one of us wherewith you no matter what, but... so long as you have some sort of escort, then... fine. That'll do for now."

"Good." With a curt nod, Vance motioned for them to head back inside, "Moving onto the next order of business, I'd like you all to meet me in my office in an hour... I know Richard showed you the way, so you two head there first; I have to talk with my horned friend and Lara here."

William shrugged, "Fine, but don't wait too long, me and Estrid might just build a whole army while you're gone." Estrid rolled her eyes in response.

"Come on, Captain, best leave the Colonel to his little mysteries." Estrid teased, shooting Vance a wink before she and William walked off towards the area Vance called his office... which was really just that massive room of his.

As the two left, Lara turned to look at Vance, "So... uh... um... what happens now?" She asked.

Vance watched the two vanish behind a door before turning to face Lara, "Now? Now we show you why I wanted you down here in the first place." Vance smiled.

Lara, for her part, looked confused as Vance just walked off towards the 'Tower of Bob' with Richard following close behind in silence, merely keeping his golden eyes fixated on Vance, still feeling a tad miffed at how he had faced such a dangerous situation alone. Lara, seeing no other options, quickly chased after the two, her own mind still a tad overwhelmed by the appearance of the Mountain Jewel to process what was happening-- or going to happen.

Climbing up the spire, Vance and Richard eventually had to help carry Lara the last few flights as she found herself quickly overcome with exhaustion due to the sheer height of the climb.

"H-how?..." She found herself asking through tired breaths.

With a shrug, Richard answered, "Vance is a High Human, and I'm a Dragon." He said bluntly.

Vance shot the redhead a glare before adding, "There's... well, there's a lot you'll soon come to learn about not only us but yourself as well once we reach the top level."

"H-ah.. okay..." Lara said, "A-a little cryptic, though?" She started until it finally dawned on her what Richard said, "Wait! What?!"

"Stop fussing, or I'll drop you," Richard growled, which promptly earned him another pointed glare from Vance. "What? She's heavy, okay!"

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"Excuse me? I'm not-"

"-Shut up, we're here." Richard dropped Lara on her ass as they emerged into the first four floors on the top level.

Standing while rubbing her sore bottom, Lara looked around, noting the master level craftsmanship of the furnishings, despite their appearance. She wanted to say something, but before she could even breathe a word, Vance was already treading up the next flight of stairs, Lara up and over his shoulder. She didn't complain this time, as she felt somehow secure around Vance and felt he could be trusted.

Vance, meanwhile, had no knowledge or thought process other than wanting to speed things along due to their time constraints. "Here we are," Vance announced as they came to the forge.

Just as Lara entered the space with Vance, the hammer on the far end began to glow and give off the same feeling as the sabre hanging at his side. Gently putting Lara down, he nodded towards the hammer, though he didn't need to say or do anything as she was already heading straight for it.

It seemed her mind was clear of all thoughts; all emotions faded away as she stepped forward, callused hands reaching out to grab the mundane rusted hammer. As her fingers wrapped themselves around the aged leather handle, a brilliant bright light illuminated the space, much like it had when Vance grabbed his sword.

"Well done, Vance~" Whispered Julia, her voice only being heard by Vance, who slowly peered over his shoulder to see the same beautiful visage of the Sky Goddess smiling lovingly towards him, this time, she was not alone.

Standing beside her was the God of Crafting, who looked the very image one might expect a dwarf to look like with a barrel-chested build, powerfully built arms and legs, all to go with the mighty brown beard that ended near where his bellybutton would be. His head was bare, showing a cleanshaven scalp covered in a wide array of scars that had seemingly faded with time and age, although what stood out above all that were the tattoos that adorned his head. Each one apparently told a tale, each a work of art unique in design and story. He wore the trappings of a blacksmith, with a leather apron protecting his front, and steel-toed boots safeguard his feet.

Slowly, he spoke up, "Thank you for finding my child, Wolfram. I feared every day for her safety... but her desire to improve and better herself despite her timid nature make it hard to stop her. Watch over her, and please, tell her I've bestowed upon her the surname of Mountainhelm, the same name I've given all my children. Do this for me, and the boon I've blessed you with shall be released." His voice was gruff but kind, and his wish would be carried out.

Bowing his head, Vance made it known he'd give her the name in his place until such a time she was ready to meet the deity who blessed her. Slowly Mountainhelm faded away into the mist that surrounded the two gods, leaving Vance and Julia to look at each other for a while longer. Shooting her a knowing smile, the Goddess silently mouthed the words 'good luck' before she too vanished as the light faded. Peering back towards Lara, he noted how the once mundane hammer had taken the shape of a more decorative version of what it once was, even appearing to have taken the form of a hammer rather than its previous form of a warhammer. It seemed she wasn't meant for combat, and that was fine.

Stepping forward, Vance cleared his throat, prompting Lara, who was lost in awe as she examined her new tool, to snap her head towards Vance. "Lara... as of this moment, you are to be regarded as Lara Mountainhelm, daughter of the God of Craftsmanship and the Forge. You've been blessed as one of the Ten chosen Champions to carry the banner of Tavaria alongside Richard and me. You are the second Champion, and as such, this spire shall be your home, and this mountain your mine. This palace is yours as much as it is my own, welcome... Sister." Vance smiled.

Lara stood in stunned silence as she could hear Bob's voice whisper in her ear, telling her what she heard was all true, and the one she stood before was the one she'd call her Lord, the chosen of Julia. Without a second thought or hint of hesitation, she took a knee bowing before Vance, bringing the hammer to her chest.

"I swear my undying loyalty to you, the Patheon, and to Tavaria."

Vance stepped forward, reaching down, offering her a hand up, "Let that be the last time you bow before me, Lara. As I said before, you are my Sister, as Richard is my brother, and I shall see you as an equal, no matter the title I hold."

For the first time in her life, she felt purpose and understood why she felt so comfortable around Vance, looking up at him; hot tears soon began to well up. "I... yes!" Reaching out, she grabbed Vance's hand and was pulled up to stand before him, an equal.

Richard too smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder, welcoming her in his own moody way. She was now part of the grand plan and could finally do all she wanted and more. Vance smiled, looking down at her. He could see the joy in her eyes, and now that she held her 'sword' in her hands, he had the first of nine other Champions on his side and the absolute master blacksmith, craftsperson, and engineer. There was nothing she couldn't craft, and there was nothing that could limit her imagination, and with his help, he'd be sure to provide her with all she needed and more.

As she wiped the tears away, Vance dug into his coat pocket, producing the exact schematics from before. "Now, onto the first grand creation our lead Engineer shall create is a weapon that'll revolutionize the face of warfare forever."

Grabbing the schematics, her mind was already quickly able to form up how she'd go about making the weapon in question, prompting her to hum in approval. "I remember this!" She started, bringing the rough schematic to her drawing table that was nearby the forge itself.

"I'd hope so since it was only two days ago." Vance laughed as he walked up to watch her work.

If she heard the quip, she showed no reaction to it, merely grabbing a pencil from seemingly out of nowhere and drawing up a complete version of what Vance had drawn up. Watching with some amazement, he could say he was rather impressed with how quickly she could spot several design flaws, drawing up her variant that would allow for a particular type of ammunition required to use the weapon. Vance had utterly forgotten about the chemical composition and such needed to produce the cartridges that would be loaded into the breech loader, as a ball and powder wouldn't suffice.

"Wait... is that magic?" Vance found himself saying as she drew up the cartridge.

"Yup! I figured, since we don't have the means to go out and grab all the materials necessary to fire the lead round, we'd substitute the powder and flint with a simple rune that would provide more power behind the gunshot while also preventing a misfire." She stated, her eyes not leaving the sheet of paper.

"Oh?"

"Mhm! While your designs are genius, I found there would be far too much work involved for little gain. Instead, I think this should make our Regiment or ANY Regiment you found unique in that only those chosen and trained by us can use them." Her voice was sounding more energic and confident than before, her excitement seemingly overtaking her.

Vance smiled, shaking his head with a slight chuckle. "Well, I suppose I'll leave the project to your capable hands."

Lara just nodded her head, too absorbed in her work to focus on anything else. Seeing how absorbed she was in getting started, Vance turned to Richard, who was already walking down the steps but not before beckoning Vance to follow. A perplexed expression came over his face as he left Lara to her work, wondering why Richard was so keen to leave.

"What's up?" Vance asked as he stepped in unison with Richard.

"The boon. You've yet to claim it."

"Oh... I suppose? I was told it would be after I bestowed the surname Mountainhelm onto Lara that the seal holding back whatever power Bob gave me would break." Vance noted.

Nodding his head, Richard added, "Partly. The other is me."

"Wait, what? You?"

"Yes, me. Like with the First Emperor, my grandfather, Vilkmar, was the being that acted as a key of sorts. Essentially, I'll be the one to undo the seal holding you back. The power is unsealed; it was when you took Lara's hand, but to actually use it? I'll have to create a connection between you and Julia." Richard explained.

Vance glanced down at the floor in contemplation, "I see..."

"It won't involve any large ceremony or unique tool to do; we just need to be in the chapel. Once there, I'll be able to open a connection, one more powerful than the one the Swords create..." It was then he paused, looking at Vance's sabre, "Though, we will require your sword to actually open the connection, as it's the one divine item that has Julia's essence within it allowing the portal."

Vance nodded, "Alright... I... right, yeah, let's do it."

"Good, follow me."

"Thought I already was?"