"So really what you're trying to build is something of a cannon," Grant clarified. That made more sense than the sketches had. And he had to admit, it wasn't a bad idea. He was pretty sure that nobody from the Varstradt forces would think that they would be facing a mage-powered cannon in such a remote area.

"Yeah, that's essentially it," Robyn replied, nodding. "The most difficult part of the concept is making it work for different mages. I mean, I've heard of things being enchanted to work for one specific person, but never for them to work for more than one."

"It's possible," Grant said. "The spell is tricky, but it's possible to do. What does the design have to act as a reservoir?"

"That's part of why we wanted the guild's input for," Robyn said. "We wanted to use crystals for it, one in the base of each barrel of the cannon." Grant nodded.

"That would make sense," he said. "You'll have to point all this out to me when we get to the guild. If you want, I can escort you into the mines and you can choose the crystals you want there." It wouldn't be hard. Even apprentices were allowed into the mines for crystals, although they needed to be escorted by a more experienced mage. Grant didn't mind escorting Robyn into the mines, though.

Kazan didn't know how could interject into their conversation. They seemed to have the impression that they'd need to make it work for all mages when in fact it was more a case of showing mages how to work with it. If they didn't know how to actually use it, what was the point? He'd have to make his own when it came to the demonstration, for now he followed along quietly, hands still rested firmly in his pockets. At least he'd gotten Robyn to step forward a bit and talk to Grant, which was fine by him, he simply smiled to himself as they talked, it gave him an opportunity to relax while he looked about.

The further they got from the damaged sections of town the more normal things seemed to be, braver faces could be seen, people who were prepared for the next big strike. They knew it wouldn't be long before Varstradt attacked again, and this would be the biggest attack yet, but what they didn't know was that there was a hidden hope. And like animals, they would learn it hurts to stick their nose where its not wanted..

He looked down an alley for a moment and stopped. There was a cloaked figure there. He couldn't make out the face, but it was almost as if it was staring at him. He wanted to investigate, but as soon as he blinked, it was gone. How bizarre.. Was that normal? Or was he seeing things? Or even imagining them..? He stared at the alleyway a little longer, thinking maybe the figure would show up again, but nothing happened, so he continued on forward, looking to Robyn and Grant and smiling a little,
"I'm sorry.. I got lost in thought.." He mentioned, so as not to bother with them.

It was probably nothing..

Robyn was so wrapped up in talking to Grant that she hadn't realized that Kazan had stopped walking until she realized that he wasn't with them anymore. She stopped and looked around for a moment before she saw him a ways back.

"Is everything alright?" she asked when he caught up with them again. She hadn't meant to exclude him from their conversation, but she'd gotten so caught up in talking to Grant that she hadn't realized it. She had actually been learning a lot; it had been a while since she'd had anyone talk to her as a mage rather than as a mechanic. It felt good to learn a bit more about that half of her talent.

Grant also waited up for Kazan to catch up to them, although it was a bit more because his attention was diverted when Robyn broke off the conversation. He was a bit surprised at how poor her education in magic seemed to be, but it wasn't completely shocking. She'd been without a teacher for a while, apparently, so it was really a miracle that she knew what she did.

"Anything interesting in the alley?" he asked. It was really just to say something, though. It seemed more awkward not to speak at all.

He stared at Robyn for a little while, almost as if he were half awake before smiling as he replied,
"Yeah.." He nodded gently, it was probably only a question aimed at his curious behavior, but he felt like he was answering for a lot of things at once. The man walked a little closer to Robyn, though looked towards Grant with a slight smile, shaking his head,
"Not really. I don't think I was looking at the alley at all.." He replied. It was a little cryptic in itself, he could admit that, but he was telling the truth at least.

Kazan walked with the two of them but looked between the two alternatively for a couple of seconds,
"So.. There are more crystals like the ones Varstradt have..?" He questioned, trying to get the conversation back on track. He hadn't seen the guild hall approaching at all, it was built quite magnificently, arched spires and smooth stone, almost as if it had all been carved on the spot, but then, magic could do a lot of interesting things..
Besides it would be nice to gather some more information.

He stopped for a moment then looked to Grant,
"I know I have magic power of my own, could I learn to develop it a little..?" He asked, it would be nice to know he could get more control than he already had, perhaps do more than he was already capable of.. He'd always wondered if he could reach a greater pinnacle than he'd reached..

Robyn looked a little concerned, but didn't question him.

"The guild hall was built in front of the entrance to a crystal mine," Grant replied as they went through the gates. "It's the biggest active mine around. I've never gotten a chance to study Varstradt crystals, but I'd imagine the function is the same." He wasn't a stone mage or anything, but he was sure that there was a stone mage who had gotten the chance to study the crystals from the enemy guns. He paused when Kazan mentioned that he had magic. It was unusual for someone his age to be untrained, but it wasn't completely unheard of.

"I'm sure one of the senior mages would be able to help you," he said. "I mean, it's unusual for someone to be completely untrained for so long, but it's happened before. I'm sure there's someone who can help you." He was sure that Kazan wasn't a green mage. Like called to like, and Grant would have known if there was another green mage in the immediate area around him, untrained or not. "If you'd like, I could take you to see the senior mages who are in residence at the moment. You could talk to them while I escort Robyn into the mines."

"I thought Kazan would come with us into the mine," Robyn broke in. She wanted to have Kazan choose his own crystals for the project she was working on, even if he didn't know it at the time. "Besides... It would probably be a good thing for me to see the senior mages, as well... Maybe there's someone who could take me on as an apprentice."

Grant shrugged.

"I suppose it's up to Kazan," he replied. "I don't mind either way."

Kazan looked around, rather impressed by the stone structures and the gates, it was odd but he felt a strange.. Buzzing within his mind. He supposed it was excitement.. He'd never, ever imagined being inside an actual Mage guild.. Even when he knew it was where he was going, the feeling was almost strong enough to describe, but whatever word he wanted to use sat upon the tip of his tongue. At the same time there was an odd sort of familiarity behind it.. Like he'd felt it before.. But then, he could just be imagining things..

His attention turned to Grant when he replied. The advice to see the senior mages made sense, but he looked at one of his hands as he walked.. He had a very odd feeling about it.. A sort of nagging that for one reason or another.. They couldn't help him, or wouldn't, either or, it didn't matter.. He simply smiled at Grant and nodded calmly. But then Robyn mentioned that she wanted him in the mine.. Well she hadn't put it in those words, but she wanted him there so he'd prefer to oblige, he smiled at them both, quite calm and resolute, as though life were passing him by and he was simply amused by it,
"Its a certain quality of mine that says I should follow Robyn.." He replied, "The matters of me and my own magic are secondary, this is important to the primary reason for our visit."

The man drew his hands out of his pockets completely, resting them at his sides, he knew walking about in such a casual manner might look disrespectful, so it was best to be more formal, and he actually managed a rather straight posture, very disciplined, strong. Just as he was when he was a soldier.

Robyn blushed slightly, although she tried to hide it. She hadn't realized that Kazan was so totally focused on her. At least, it seemed that way to her. It was completely new to her, she wasn't used to someone putting her above themselves.

"You're important too," she protested. It seemed like the proper thing to say. "You shouldn't neglect your own magic just for me..." Even though she wanted him to stay with her so she could get the right crystals for his guns, it was just as important that he talk to someone and figure things out about getting his magic under control.

"How about this?" Grant broke in. "We go into the mines first, get whatever you and Robyn need for this cannon, and then we go and talk to the senior mages?" He was trying to reach a compromise between the two. "You both need to see the senior mages, right? And if you're both going to do both things, then it's easy enough to do one first and then the other." It seemed simple enough to him, and he looked between them both.

Robyn nodded.

"Sounds good to me," she replied. That way, Kazan could go into the mines with them, and then they could both go and talk to the senior mages afterwards.

"I have enough magic knowledge to make the cannon work, that's about as much as the importance goes." Kazan replied, smiling in Robyn's direction, making a motion to her, "You're much more important, to me." He stated, to realizing just exactly what he'd said, nor just how easily it could be confused as he changed to Grant for a moment,
"Though I have been wondering.. Is it not a little presumptuous to get the crystals then ask permission for them from the seniors..? After all, these crystals are precious, yes? It would feel almost like.. A hand caught in the cookie jar, if you understand.."

He pulled something of a grim face and looked forward,
"If they refuse us, then would we not need to return the crystals and just work with what we have?" He didn't like to be the voice of a little negativity, but it had to be asked, he was not sure how all of this worked. If the seniors didn't like the plan they could easily deny them, right? What's more, he was worried in general that they would figure out exactly what he was and that would be the end of him. A lowly soldier in guild full of mages, no-win situation for him, that was for sure..
As they finally entered into the foyer of the guild, he couldn't help but look up on a balcony for a moment, and once again the hooded figure, it caused him to freeze as her face was revealed this time, the woman smiled down at the trio, focusing on Kazan at first, slight tan or perhaps just slightly darker skin than average, brown hair, the hard look of a soldier, trained body and the way he walked.. Oh she knew exactly what that man was.
And he was accompanied by Grant, curious.. Grant was a sharp young man in her eyes.. After all she was Naraya States, a highly respected member of the senior mages who dabbled in ancient runes and scroll magic, she was rumored to be an Oracle and it was common knowledge that she was the mother of Grant, perhaps thats why she held him in high regard, being her son, but she also trusted his judgment. Naraya leaned forward gently on the railings,
"Welcome home, Grant, be a dear and bring your guests to the council chambers." She spoke in a calm, commanding tone. Not at all acting the mother at this time, after all there was business and there was family.
Kazan stared at her and she only smiled back before disappearing from the balcony,
".. Well.. I'd have only one word for this;.. Busted.."

"It would take them a little while to dig out any crystals you might need," Grant pointed out as they approached the main foyer. "If you managed to find the ones you wanted, then we could go to the senior mages and see what can be done." He paused when he heard the soft, commanding voice from up on the balcony. Looking up, he saw the person who spoke, and nodded in response.

"Of course," he replied. Subtly, he steered the other two towards the council chambers. Nobody ever refused Naraya anything, and nobody really ever wanted to, and Grant even less so. He was still something of a mama's boy, although he would steadfastly refuse to admit it.

Robyn was a little unnerved by the woman on the balcony. She'd been to the guild hall a few times before, but she'd never come across that person before. And she definitely would have remembered coming across someone like that before. As much as she wanted to ask who the woman was, though, she stayed quiet and followed Grant. Where before she was starting to get comfortable being around another mage, now she was back to feeling like a little apprentice that nobody would listen to or pay attention to, and really, that wasn't all that bad to her. She was used to staying in the background, away from the attention of others.

The way to the council room was a lot more grim looking than the rest of the majesty that the mages guild seemed to show, the path to it littered with soft purple flames, wisps that moved out of the way, sat within the mouths of rather grotesque statues carved in the form of half human creatures. The Doors seemed heavy, carefully plated with metal and rather impressive locking mechanisms kept it all completely sealed, at least until they approached. The mechanics within it clicked, whirred, clunked and clattered, a circular plate in the center retrieving iron bars from the left and right door then turning before it creaked open outwards, slowly, but ominously.

It was interesting to note that on the edge of the door, originally concealed while it was closed, rested an insignia that Robyn may have recognized. It read, still clearly, O'Brien, the name plate obviously cleaned and taken care of for a long time.
The circular room behind the doors was actually a lot nicer than the hallway. It acted as a representation that even in darkness there was a light, waiting to be seen. Several doors lead away from the room, to personal quarters, to the upper balconies, places normal intruders couldn't just walk when they weren't welcomed.

The woman that had called them sat just off the center chair, and several older mages were present. The center chair was reserved for the country's Grand Mage, however since the days of the old Lastdvell Kingdom, it had remained an empty seat. But tradition demanded it was left there, reserved for the next to take it up, even if there no longer was a king to serve.
As the trio entered the room the doors shut behind them, slowly and calmly, however perhaps the slowness was due to other issues, the mechanics were old, and though well taken care of, they ultimately were no longer in their prime. Even magic, with capabilities so nearly unlimited, could only do so much.

"The Mages guild welcomes our two guests." The woman stated, interlacing her fingers on her lap as she looked between the two of them, now looking at the girl with more scrutiny before smiling, "Ah..! You are O'brien's protegée.. He spoke fondly of you," She mentioned quite suddenly, "May his soul rest in piece.. But this certainly is.. Unusual.. Grant, I am curious-" She stated, changing her gaze to her son,
"While I understand the young woman's presence here.. Why have you brought this man here..?" She asked, seemingly confused, though frankly she probably already knew the technical details, she was asking about him as something else entirely.

Even the fellow senior mage's seemed confused but not because of Kazan, but because Naraya had never asked something like this. People were welcome here, what did she know about Kazan that they couldn't see for themselves? She kept her gaze on the Varstradt soldier, and he shifted a little uncomfortably, but kept a straight stance, not willing to show he was actually afraid,
"I mean, truly, do you understand who this man is..?"

Robyn watched the doors in awe as they opened. The craftsmanship was amazing, there was no doubt about that. The doors seemed old, but they were well-taken care of, and the mechanisms still moved smoothly. She wanted to stop and look at them, but Grant went right past them, so she didn't get the chance. As she went by, though, she saw the craftsman's mark on the inside of the door. That made her pause. She recognized it, alright. It was on every piece that left O'Brien's hands to go through the doors of the workshop.

She was surprised when she was actually recognized as O'Brien's apprentice. She hadn't realized that anyone remembered her. She didn't see herself as really important enough to be remembered by anyone who was important themselves. What she didn't like much was how the woman questioned Kazan's presence.

The way the question was phrased made Grant pause, but he stayed firm. Clearly, his mother knew something he didn't, which was typical, but he didn't waver.

"What I understand is that this man wants to help protect the people against more invasions," he said carefully. His response was borderline insolent, but he worked to keep his tone even. "I brought him here because I felt that the council should hear what he has to say. It has also been recently discovered that he has untrained magic, and it would be advantageous to apprentice him to the appropriate person." He kept his tone and his gaze steady, glancing every so often at each person on the council before looking back at his mother.

Robyn, on the other hand, had a bit of a hard time staying still. She fidgeted, since she wasn't naturally a very still person, but she tried her best to stand still. It didn't help that she wasn't comfortable with so many people watching them.

The woman sat forward with that same curious look on her face as she stared at Kazan. He had the wounds to prove it under that shirt, she could see the fine outlines of the bandages that showed he was still recovering. Yet she raised her thumb to her lips in thought as she focused, raising one brow before continuing,
"Why did you come here?" She asked, Kazan shifting unsteadily,
"As Grant said, to help-"
"No not here to the guild, to this town." The woman interjected. She could see the guilty look on the mans face, more so as he lowered his head. The other mage's looked at her strangely, then back to the man, "I see.." Naraya stated, standing calmly folding her arms, "You're a very strange person.. I am surprised you did what you did.. You went to extraordinary lengths for people you've only known for a week.."
The woman began to circle the three of them quietly, examining the soldier and the apprentice alternatively.

Kazan looked up suddenly, a little stunned, how did she know-
"In fact, I was surprised you saw me in that alleyway, I've never been seen so quickly. Either I am getting senile or you actually were that fast." Naraya smirked a little, but then shook her head, "I'll admit, you've surprised me to end.. And I wouldn't even have trusted you, if it weren't for my own son bringing you forward. Alongside O'Brien's protegée, this means a great deal to me. O'Brien was a good friend," She nodded her head to Grant gently. Kazan looked back at the redhead, a little surprised at this slight revelation, not shocked that he had family, but perhaps that the two were related, they looked rather different, so he supposed the mans looks came from his father..
"Untrained magic did you say..? I'll have a look at him later.." She asked, returning to her seat and sitting down, then looked at Robyn again with a slight smile,
"Please.. Introduce yourselves," She stated gently, motioning with one hand towards Kazan, who responded calmly,
"I am Kazan Leinfauld. I currently work as a smith's assistant as well as aid in reconstruction."
"Greetings, Mr. Leinfauld," Naraya greeted in return, looking then to Robyn, "And you, miss? For the benefit of my colleagues, please, introduce yourself, then present what you have brought to us."

"I'm Robyn Carpenter," Robyn said. She'd hesitated a moment, but ended up introducing herself like she was asked. She figured she didn't need to say she was O'Brien's apprentice, apparently everyone knew that by now. "I do what I can to act as the mechanic for the town." Her fingers subconsciously pulled and twisted the hem of her shirt nervously. She always felt like she was being judged when she had to interact with the council, and it definitely made her nervous. After a moment, she opened a pocket of her tool belt and pulled out the concept sketches of the turret. "This is our idea." She hesitated for a moment, and then did her best to explain what the turret would be for and how it could be used.

Grant didn't interfere in Robyn's explanation. It was her project to explain, and Kazan's, if he felt so inclined to speak about it. He did listen, though. There were a few details he heard now that Robyn must have forgotten or glossed over earlier. He could hear her stutter a bit, and hesitate here or there, but as she spoke, he could tell she was getting slightly more comfortable.

"We need access to the crystal mines for this, though," Robyn finished. She paused, and then added, "and I need a pair of crystals for a side-project that I've started." After she finished speaking, she waited to hear what the council would say. There was every chance that they would refuse all together, and she really hoped that wouldn't happen.

"You say.. The cannon will use crystals.. Yes.. to fire magic directly at the target?" Naraya asked, she'd actually watched with some interest, even the other senior mages were stunned at what they were seeing, and perhaps just as curious about it all as the woman,
"Why not simply use the crystals themselves..?" She wondered, leaning forward a little, it was then that Kazan stepped forward, patting Robyn on the hsoulder but then looking towards Grant and nodding to him as he finally claimed the gun back,
"Because the magic is half of the damage equation," Kazan stated, kneeling down and placing the towelled item ont he ground before opening it up to reveal the handgun, some of the Mages gasped slightly, about to protest at such a weapon being in the chamber but Naraya held her hand up in a silencing motion, they kept their mouths shut, even as Kazan loaded the weapon up and pulled the slide to ready it.

"I shall need a target to demonstrate.." Kazan mentioned calmly, standing up but holding the gun pointed downwards. On this request Naraya nodded to one of the seniors who got up and made his way to one side of the room, placing his hands together for a moment before putting them face down on the ground and lifting what appeared to be a solid stone wall. He eventually reappeared form behind it and sat down.
They watched as Kazan aimed at the wall calmly,
"This gun has a crystal embedded in the underside of the barrel, hidden in the casing. This is what happens when I fire normally," He pulled the trigger and a thunder crack was heard as the shot hit the stone wall, sinking into it but not going very far. "If I use magic.."

There was a spark, the red energy from before.. Kazan could feel it.. but he needed to focus, he pointed it all towards the crystal within the gun, emptied the magazine and pulled the slide so the last bullet would fly out of the breach. He fired and a red streak of light shot forth from the weapon, scorching a great mark in the stone. This stunned a good few of the Mages, even getting a surprised look from Naraya.
Kazan forced the magazine back in and pulled the slide, preparing the gun for the third time,
"Now if I fire and use magic at the same time.." He stated, he focused, the red lightning wrapped around the weapon and he pulled the trigger, it latched on to the bullet. The shot streaked thorugh the air and impacted against the stone, the center of it being demolished entirely while the rest of it began to crumble under the sheer force.

Kazan ejected the magazine and placed it on the ground, making sure nothing was left in the breach before he also put the gun down and stepped back, bowing to the mages before he looked up.
"Varstradt has men who can use the guns in the same way, however they don't tread water in terms of magic power, which is why you, Lastdvell I mean, having a weapon like this is an advantage. You're more experienced with magic and you have better control over it." Kazan stated, bowing again.

Even Naraya seemed a little speechless at what she'd just witnessed. If a handgun could do that alone, just what kind of power would the entire completed weapon harness? And what was that strand red lightning of his? She'd never seen it act in such a way..
She looked at them a while, but then to the other mages,
"We will need to confer on this matter I believe. Would you leave the plans for us to look at and that gun?" She asked, looking over at Grant, "You can take them where they like, we need to debate on this matter."

Grant nodded.

"Of course," he said. He gave a small bow to the council and started to usher Robyn and Kazan back towards the impressive mechanical doors. "Come on," he said. "It's best to leave them to their thinking at this point. They'll send someone if they need to talk to you about something else."

"Oooh, I hate being on the spot like that," Robyn said. She shuddered slightly and rubbed her arms. The weight of her tool belt on her hips was familiar, and comforting. She'd replaced the old tools on it with the bright, shiny new set that Bear had made for her. "It's like they're judging me, and I can't imagine I measure up to whatever it is they want to see." She looked back longingly at the doors as they closed and slowly locked again. She would give a lot to be able to go through the mechanisms of the doors and locks. Her old master's mark was on them, that meant that he had at least partially put them together, and she wanted to be able to go through and see how he had done it.

"I find my mother gives that impression, sometimes," Grant replied. "I don't think she can help it."

Kazan followed along with the other two for a while, but although he seemed to keep his confident stride he stopped in his tracks eventually. The realization had hit him during the conversation, but only now did he stop to think about it as he looked dully between Robyn and Grant, then lowered his head, seemingly stuck in place. He took in a deep breath then sighed. He guessed it wold factor into things soon, so what was the point of hiding it anymore,
"Grant.. There's something she might knows about me, that you might not.. In fact I am sure she knows." He looked up after a moment,
"I was a soldier in the Varstradt Empire.. I was one of them. Until Robyn saved me and opened my eyes to the truth of what they are now."

Kazan wasn't sure why he'd told it to the man, but he felt Grant deserved to know just who and what he was dealing with, it wasn't fair to deceive him on the matter, though he was sure he would probably regret it soon enough. He wondered how much it would invalidate his chances of succeeding in his venture, but he couldn't let that stop him. He was determined to protect lastdvell at any cost, even if it meant that ultimately friends and trust had to be sacrificed.

He waited for Grants reaction, his response, truthfully Kazan didn't want this to end badly, but he couldn't blame anyone for being angry. He represented the greatest threat to Lastdvell of this age.

((Sorry for taking so long, I just didn't have it in me last night, none of my RPs got replies. I'm catching myself up now.))

Robyn put a hand on Kazan's arm. She didn't like it when he got down on himself like that.

"It's alright," she said softly. She looked over at Grant to see what he would say.

To be honest, it didn't surprise Grant all that much. He hadn't known exactly what Kazan was, but he had a vague idea. Civilians typically didn't know so much about tactical plans or about how to build guns to fend off the enemy. Still, it made him pause. He wasn't quite sure how he should react, so he settled on a neutral expression. From what he'd seen of Kazan so far, he knew the man wasn't a bad person. He didn't have any concrete reason to distrust him.

"You're probably right in assuming my mother knows already," he agreed. "She tends to know such things."

[Don't worry about it so much xP]

Kazan smiled when Robyn touched him, her comfort made him feel better about it all. It really was a good idea to have Robyn her, she kept his mind off the worse things he could be thinking of. Though as he looked at Grant he could also see the mans expression certainly hadn't become one of dislike or distaste. In fact he seemed quite calm about it, his response reflecting this. Kazan rubbed the back of his head softly,
"Yes.. I get the impression that she's hard to fool.. I told you because you trusted me enough to bring me here, so it is only fair that I extend you that same trust."

Kazan looked forward through the halls they were passing, things seemed rather quiet here, though the odd mage could be seen going to and fro form various rooms. They obviously were going deeper in so he supposed the inner areas would be less populated for one reason or the other. Could be that there was storage space and not a lot of much else, or it could simply be that certain areas were off limits, maybe there were bedrooms. Kazan couldn't be entirely sure, he'd never been in a mages guild so he couldn't assume anyhting of them.
What he had noticed for certain was that the deeper they went, the cooler it seemed. After all they were going underground into a cave, and caves had no sunshine to speak of, even the warm halls of the guild couldn't heat an entire cavern. It could certainly make for good cold storage at least.

Grant led them down into an open cavern. It was spacious, moreso than one would have initially thought. The cavern was lit with large quartz crystals, carved into ovals and polished smooth. The crystals seemed to be filled with white fire, although they didn't give off any heat, and they lit the area beautifully. Robyn looked around in interest and a bit of awe. The walls seemed to sparkle in places, and a closer look revealed small crystals of nearly every color poking out of the rock. They truly were small, though, so perhaps they were not worth the effort it would take to dig them out?

"What is this place?" Robyn asked, examining a small crystal more closely. She tapped a finger against it, and it gave an odd but pretty chime. The chime rang in both her ears and her magic; it felt like it went straight through her and she shuddered a bit.

"This is the entrance to the mines," Grant replied. He pointed to where the cavern tapered off into a tunnel. The polished crystal 'lamps' lined the tunnel, providing light. "Down that way is the most active mine shaft, where the stone mages tend to find the purest crystals. That's where we'll be going. It's your best chance of finding those crystals you want for that side-project you mentioned." He didn't say anything about crystals for the turret, since the council hadn't decided yet. He could always bring them back.

Kazan couldn't help but stare in wonder too, he'd never seen anything this magnificent in his life, and looking back to when he first saw the entire steel battalion assembled he thought he'd never see anything that strangely breathtaking.. Lined up to perfection, every one, the tanks, the soldiers, weapons gleaming, coats clean and tidy, absolute, perfect order, although the soldiers were of many shapes and sizes they were all trained and ready for battle. And seeing the Emperor from his high standing, looking down upon them and rallying them, sure his words of victory and peace all seemed far too hollow now for him to believe, but it didn't mean it was uninspiring then.

This too inspired him, the gleaming stones of the cavern, the soft ringing that announced itself when Robyn touched the first stone, it made him tingle too, even from that distance. Though when he heard it, he wondered, it made a specific sound, what if the other crystals made different sounds at different volumes? He'd heard of people making strange instruments form stranger items, crystals ha d away of giving off clear chime-like tones that, if used properly could produce perfect notes..

When Grant spoke of a side project, Kazan's face became a little dull and confused as he gave Robyn a curious look. A side project..? He wondered what exactly it was, but didn't ask, knowing Robyn as he hoped he did, it would be something good. He couldn't see it as something for a toy though, not for Ridley, and so far he only knew about the combat applications of crystals, so perhaps she was planning some kind of weapon..? For some reason he didn't know if he could peg that as being the first thing Robyn had in mind.

It was just now that he began to think of the boy again, wondering if he was alright.. He would have to go see for himself sometime..
"So these crystals.. Just how many are there..?"

"Not even the stone mages are really sure how far the crystal vein extends," Grant said as he led them further into the mine. He didn't insist that they put on any sort of protection at all, which Robyn thought was a little strange. Then again, she could feel a faint hum of magic throughout the tunnel, maybe there was some sort of spell keeping loose rock from falling on anyone. Grant didn't seem worried about it, so Robyn didn't say anything.

The tunnel opened up into an open space. It was still lit with polished oval-shaped stones on the walls, and there were a couple of other people around. It wasn't noisy in the mine, though. There were soft murmurings from the other people (mages, Robyn assumed), and quiet rumbling as crystals were pulled from the stone walls. None of the work seemed fast-paced at all, and none of it seemed intrusive or harsh. Looking around, Robyn could see faint sparkles in the walls. She figured they must have been crystals, still buried in the walls.

Grant nudged her forward.

"Go on," he said. "You said you needed to choose a pair of crystals, right? They can help you."

"Just like that?" Robyn asked. She was a little hesitant of just walking up and interrupting the stone mages' work.

"They've known that we're here," Grant replied. "They probably knew the moment we walked into the mine."

"And I can just... go ask?"

"Pretty much. Stone mages are usually pretty nice, as long as you're polite. They don't really get angry, kind of like stones themselves."

Robyn still looked a bit apprehensive, and glanced at Kazan.

Kazan followed after Grant and Robyn, the silence of the mage's carefully extracting the crystals was an amazing contrast, Varstradt wasn't as subtle about resources it needed, there would be machines, drills, processing refineries ready just outside of the mine, and factories, something they'd made within recent years, with the help of genius mechanics and clock makers they could pull together factories that would work in automation, helping to produce weapons and even tanks, but those took more time.

He didn't say it out loud but he could feel the same energy that Robyn was feeling, he figured it was completely natural so who was he to worry about it? Magic was a mystery he wasn't about to fear. Frankly it made him feel more comfortably, like he belonged among it all, it felt.. Almost like home in a way.. He couldn't describe it as he looked around at it all, but he listened to Grant and Robyn as they spoke, the momentary silence made him lock eyes with Robyn before he smiled in a sort of approving manner, he took a step forward, placing his hand on the small of her back and nudging her forward,
"I'm right here, there's nothing to worry about," He mentioned calmly, looking at some of the extracted crystals set out on a worktable.

Each one held a different hue or color, probably denoting their hidden nature, but he couldn't see a single black one.. So strange, they were ridiculously common in Varstradt's military arms. A red one, in particular, caught his eye and he reached to it softly, running his finger along the surface. It was actually quite warm, and before long what appeared to be a small trail of firelight began forming, following the path of his finger.
A nearby cyan color crystal then took his attention and he withdrew his hand, he'd never actually done this before but he seemed to understand how they worked..
He trailed his finger over it, the surface seeming to solidify and constrict..
Ice..? How peculiar.

Kazan chuckled a little as if discovering something oddly amsing, and it was, in a way. He could sit there all day and play with the crystals almost like a child. Sure he was drawing odd looks from the working mages that were closeby, but they didn't seem entirely perturbed. He stopped on a yellow one next, running his fingers laong it. There was a soft crackling as small bolt sof lightning wrapped around his fingers and he withdrew sharply, but laughed,
"Yikes.. This one's got a little.. Spark, to it..?" He snickered, yes, it was a terrible joke, but he found it funny.

Robyn looked at the crystals on the worktable. She saw the ones that Kazan touched, and she could feel the latent power in them. There wasn't much, only what must have formed there naturally, but it was there. Reaching over, she touched a blue-green one, and immediately felt like she had dipped her hand into cool water. So the crystals all seemed to be elemental...? Robyn turned to one of the mages.

"Excuse me..." she said, a little timidly. The mage turned to her.

"Did you have a question?" the mage asked kindly. Robyn nodded, not giving herself a chance to hesitate.

"Yeah... Are there any crystals that get dug up that don't have any sort of elemental affinity?" she asked. "All of these seem to be distinctly elemental..." The mage seemed a bit surprised that an apprentice could tell, but nodded.

"Sometimes," he replied. "They're a little more rare, though." He looked at her. "Why, did you want one?"

"Two, if I could," Robyn replied. At the mage's curious look, she continued, "I have a project I'm working on, and I don't think it would be appropriate for it to have any sort of elemental part to it. At least, not for the initial prototype." The mage nodded in understanding.

"It will probably take a few hours to find and unearth a pair of pure crystals," he said. "What size do you want them to be?" Robyn blinked, and then looked at the crystals on the worktable again. After a moment, she gestured to one about the size of her thumb. The mage nodded. "A size three, then," he said. "Those are common enough. Alright, we will find them for you." He glanced from her to Kazan and then to Grant. He at least recognized Grant. "We will send for you when we find them."

"Thanks," Robyn replied. That had been easier than she thought it would be.

"So it's like I thought.." Kazan mentioned softly, "An elemental affinity in each crystal? That's quite intriguing.." He mentioned, staring among them all, but he was still partially drawn to the lightning one, remembering his own new power that had taken the place of his basic magical energy.. He wondered if that meant he had some kind of element al affinity with lightning? That would certainly be something to brag about to the boys back home, he could control lightning..! How many people in Varstradt could make that boast? Honestly?

The conversation between the mage and Robyn made the soldier smirk a little, at least she was being a bit more confident. So long as he was there backing her, he was willing to bet he could keep her confident, keep her pushed forward and standing a little stronger, it felt important to him to support her.
He placed a hand on his hip for a moment and stared at the elemental crystals, he wondered about it.. what each element could bring to the table.. Fire could overheat the tanks, ice would make them freeze and slow down.. And considering their highly conductive nature, lightning would, without a doubt, cause a great deal of harm inside and out, maybe even set off the shells inside the tanks..

It was a curious thing, to consider all of this.. He had never imagined he'd be thinking in terms of actual magic, but it was oddly interesting.. He did wonder, however, how the debate was going, perhaps it would be an idea to get back there and see..

"The affinities occur naturally as the crystals form," the mage said, in response to Kazan's comment. "Such crystals tend to grow in clusters, and that makes it easier to locate and retrieve them." The comments were phrased in such a way that it sounded like an impromptu lesson, and in a way, it probably was. They probably rarely had anyone outside of their own kind of magic interested in how the mines worked.

Robyn was interested, actually. It wasn't often that she got to learn about other kinds of magic. She had to focus on her own work, which didn't leave much time for her to do outside research about other kinds of magic. The workshop kept her busy.

Grant lingered near the entrance to the mine chamber. He wasn't sure how much longer it would be until they were called back to the council chambers, so he wanted to be near the door just in case they were called back. He was there in case Robyn or Kazan needed anything, but he wasn't in the way of whatever they needed to do. Absently, he thought about his personal garden, back outside the guild hall. Most plant mages had personal gardens around the guild hall, so they had access to any plant that they might need in their work. His garden was relatively new, compared to some of the others, but he was still pleased with it and liked working in it whenever he could.