"Alright! Well, then, it's time for the other three parts, which are going to require a HELL of a lot more interaction than you've been giving so far." They clap their hands together excitedly. Candra jumps up on the console next to them, surveying the crowd with a delighted smile.

"We're going to be showing you how to use your powers, help you get better weapons, and show you how to heal!" Candra finishes enthusiastically. "We're going to the armory first." Sebastian announces. "There are weapons for all of you who want them."

The ancestors lead the way, and the adjuvants follow too. It isn't a particularly long way to the armory, and it's hard to miss. A low building, but impressive, the air around it smells like smoke and iron. You can hear loud clatter from inside, talking, shouting, the clang of sword and hammers. No traditional doors lead inside, only open garage-door like entrances.

"Some of us!" Candra grins at you. "I didn't."

"Oh, no. I've been here before. I just never lived here, and I didn't explore too much." Candra shrugs dismissively. "Klitta made my trident. She runs the armory. Made most of our weapons, actually." The ancestors and adjuvants step inside and all almost immediately disperse, drifting away to different places.

Finley beelines straight for the back, a counter in front of a wall of locked boxes. They stop in front of the counter, drumming their hands on the stone surface, and speak with the man behind it. Candra casually wanders over to an array of crystals in boxes and crates, looking over them dreamily.

The man behind the counter nods to Finley with a quick wink and turns, finding and unlocking one of the boxes, pulling something out.

The crystals are all sorts of different kinds. Some you recognize, and some you don't. There are so many!

Pythia heads for someone that just had plunged whatever weapon they were working on into oil. They pull it back out and set it aside, turning to Pythia. They lift up their face shield once they see who it is. The woman Pythia is talking to grins brightly, though every part of her is dusted in soot. She's a troll, horns poking up above her hair, sharpened to points, notched in the sides. Her hair is short and choppy, but just long enough to be tied high in the air behind her head, out of the way. The two seem to recognize one another and spark up a conversation immediately.

Candra hums and leans over, carefully selecting a vibrant red crystal. "Maia! Over here!" She waves at Maia to come closer, holding up the gem with a grin. The weapon the man hands Finley doesn't look like a weapon at all. They're mechanical gloves, tempered blue steel, a diamond shaped hole in the middle of the back. Finley examines them and whistles sharply. "Hey Navy! Over here." Navy zips over and reaches for the gloves as soon as they see them, snapping them onto their hands. They examine them with a grin, turning their hands over and flexing their fingers experimentally. "These were mine once. I figured you'd like them." Finley remarks, watching Navy gleefully generate a shock in their palms.

Sebastian follows you over too. Candra grins at you, offering the crystal. "I think you might have use for this?" "I can make you a new hilt, too." Sebastian raises his eyebrows. "I used to manufacture them."

Etoile is over by a selection of engraved bands and ribbons, looking over them with a concentrated frown.

Sebastian nods. "Often. It became kind of fun to just take them apart and put them back together sometimes." The blacksmith nods to Pythia, deep in thought. She responds just as you walk over. "Got it. I know just the thing." The woman turns to you with a generous smile. "Can I help you?"

Pythia gives Klitta a final nod and walks away to a crate of medals and other strange trinkets. "Huh? No, no, I... I mean, they're fine and good. Not for me, though." Etoile shakes her head, rubbing her wrist idly. "I was thinking about something else." The blacksmith laughs shortly at Finn's ranting, still grinning at him. "Glad to hear one of you kids is on the right track! I appreciate the compliment. You can help if you wanna." She gingerly picks up your rifle and inspects it. "Metra, huh? Sure thing. There's a lot of variation for the claws." She glances up at you, humming. "Depends on the kind of glove you want. How heavy-duty, how noticeable. As for the claws, metal is an option, but so is focused energy. That'd make them easier to retract- and they'd look cooler."

"Oh, my old bracelets." Etoile shrugs quickly. "Nothing big. So, you thinking about a new weapon?"

Pythia picks out a spiny token of some sort out of the crate. She examines the milky crystalline structure for a minute before turning and walking over to Painon with it. Klitta nods enthusiastically, patting your shoulder. She pats your shoulder a little harder than she should, but you get the feeling that she's just like this. "Let's get to it, then!" Etoile hums and nods. "Do you have any ideas for a new one? You can get pretty much anything you can imagine here."

"Ooh!!" Etoile's eyes light up with ideas almost immediately. "Like with a bow? A crossbow? A gun? A really long stick??" Finley walks over to Hale, standing off to the side behind him and admiring the guns too. Silently, thankfully. Rigel doesn't seem to be doing anything at the moment.

"Fan of snipers?" Finley interjects coolly, watching you examine the rifle with their hands on their hips, as opposed to having their arms crossed.

"Right." Finley tilts their head, inspecting the rifle in your hands. "The blacksmith, Klitta, is a worshiper of Eyja." They nod across the room to the smith in question. "I think you'd enjoy talking with her."

Klitta and Finn are currently standing off to the side. Finn is trying on various gloves and gauntlets, and the two are discussing their plans.

"Well..." Etoile taps her chin, glancing around the room. "Go talk to Rigel, ask him if he can recommend some ranged weapons for you to try out. We're going back to Keystone later to test weapons and exercise powers, so you can experiment then."

Klitta laughs and pats your shoulder again, placing three fingers on the back of the glove with her other hand. "Now try."

Burning red claws extend over yours from the tips of the gloves. Klitta nods approvingly. "See? A little deity energy's all it takes."

"Yeah!" Klitta pulls her hand away and the light disappears. "To both questions. Metra's power will be green once I find some keepers for it. Eyja is bright red. That's my deity." She nods to Hale. Cashel smiles back at you, happy to have someone to talk to. "Of course I remember you. It depends on what you're doing, exactly. Follower or worshiper, and if a worshiper, scholar, medic, or warrior."

Cashel's smile widens, and it's all he can do to keep himself from breaking into a full grin. "Excellent choice. You're looking for a weapon, yes? It depends, but the general choice would be some kind of staff or wand."

Cashel hums thoughtfully in return. "A hatchet? I'd recommend something shorter than a staff, but longer than a wand... Hm. It depends on how you're used to fighting, and how you're looking to change."

Rigel is over by a rack of arrows, looking over them casually. He raises an eyebrow when you walk over. "Long ranged weapon? Sure, I can help with that. What kind?"

"About Eyja?" Klitta shrugs. "Sure thing. They're nice to talk to sometimes, when I get bored or have questions, but they don't talk when you don't want em to. Most considerate deity I've ever interacted with. They don't really... put themselves above anyone else. Not even any of us. It's nice. Might sound a little strange, but it's nice." "Then we can get a few different things, maybe. Try them out. I think you'd like a staff." Cashel nods. "I'd be happy to show you how to fight more effectively." Finley pointedly doesn't look at Quin, examining the snipers with false thoughtfulness.

"I think these guns are pretty cool. Could spend all day looking at them." Finley stands up straight and turns to you, crossing their arms, smirking, of course. "So, are you going to ask me to help you, or just vaguely passive aggressively hint at it all day?"

Pythia has long since finished talking to Painon, and has been scurrying around working on... something. She hurries over to Cavall as soon as she finishes, grinning at her daughter, hands hidden behind her back. "Hey! Nice pen you got there."

"Of course." Cashel nods. He makes his way over to a selection of staffs, humming and putting a finger to his chin in thought. "Have fun, then." Finley pats your shoulder. "So, you wield a staff." "That's good!" Klitta nods to Hale proudly. "You shouldn't have to think about it too much. What's good is good. Say, you're the one that axe was for, aren't you?"

Finley snorts, laughing lightly. When they look back at you, their eyebrows furrow slightly. "...You're not kidding. You- you, in that place? A shovel." They laugh a little more, but this time it's more hysterical disbelief. "What? Are you serious?"

Finley's expression softens a little and they glance around, lowering their arms to their sides. "Well. I used a knife, and my bare hands, until I built myself a rifle. Whatever works is what works. You're still here, aren't you?"

"Well, I hate to disappoint, but I have a gift for you." Pythia continues to grin at you as she pulls her hands in front of her. Laying on top of her open palms is a sharp stylus, designed to look like a shimmering iridescent snake coiled in a spring around the handle. Its tail is the inked tip, green jeweled eyes glittering brightly at the other end. The snake's mouth is closed. "Surprise!" Klitta laughs heartily. "Glad to hear it! Those crystals there are Eyjic, and the runes are eternity runes. Miss Ardent told me you were likely to appreciate them."

"Hello Silas!" Etoile greets you brightly. "What can I do for you?" "The crystals can add Eyjic power to your swings and be used as keys on islands." Klitta points to them as she explains. "The runes indicate power and a beacon. This weapon will last forever, no matter what you do to it."

"Sure is!! Now, uh, there's more than this. Of course. Quick question, you're okay with a little pain right?" Pythia brings the pen close to her mouth and whispers something to it softly. The snake's jaws snap open.

"Ooh! Hmm." Etoile examines it slowly. "Do you want one..." She holds up her hands, distanced from one another the approximate length of your baton, then stretches them out longer. "Alright, just checking." Pythia gently takes one of your hands, pulling it up in front of the snake's mouth. She speaks as she holds one of your fingers inside delicately. "So, what deity are you planning to follow?" The snake quickly bites down, pricking your fingertip on its fangs, letting up in the same instant. The green jeweled eyes slowly turn light blue.

Klitta snorts. "What can't you do? Live forever, fight like a badass, make stuff better than anyone else."

"Gotcha." Etoile turns around and looks over a few staffs quickly, soon shaking her head and walking over to a completely separate area, stocked with batons. She waves for you to follow.

Pythia narrows her eyes at Cavall, thinking silently for a moment. "Interesting... not a language for a dual. Good choices, though." She hands you the snake pen. Only a second after it leaves her hand, she takes a quick step back. "Think fast!" Your mother's sword appears in her hands and she swings at you nearly faster than you can track.

Finley laughs shortly, re-crossing their arms. "Of course you weren't. You are your father's son. Metra is about groups, togetherness. If you choose to follow Metra, isolation is your greatest fear and your worst enemy. If you're alone, you can't defend yourself against anything." "On the other hand, of course," They continue after a short pause, "As long as you have friends by your side, you'll believe you can accomplish anything."

Rigel glances you up and down quickly. "Do you have any experience with a ranged weapon, by any chance?"

Pythia's swing stops dead before it hits your new pen, disappearing back into her strife deck quickly. "Sorry about that. I'm going to whisper something to you, and I want you to say it out loud to the pen. While also not pointing the mouth at yourself." Etoile hums and picks up a long staff-looking stick thing with a blunt metal cap on both ends. "Try this?" She offers it to you. It's taller than you, but you're pretty sure that was bound to happen no matter what she chose.

Cashel eventually settles on a certain staff, raising it up and inspecting it before offering it to you. The shaft is tall and thin, made of a dull silver metal. Both ends finish in a few inches of dark red wood. At the top is what seems like two large silver wings, wrapped closely around the shaft. "Good!" Klitta raises a hand to pat your shoulder, but glances across the room at Finley quickly and reconsiders. "Likin' it is all that matters. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." "Well," Finley sighs, rolling their eyes casually. "You get to feel your teammates. Imagine if you didn't need to tell your friends the plan, they just knew what it was, and you were all in perfect agreement without saying a word out loud. If someone gets hurt, you all feel it. You all move as one. Worshiping Metra just makes this that much stronger. The more you respect Metra, the larger your reach is, and the less close your friends have to be to get the benefits." Rigel's eyes narrow at the crowbar. "...Ah. I see. Let's try out a few different things." He turns and gestures widely to the selection of bows and crossbows. "Pick a couple." Etoile covers her mouth to conceal her laugh quickly. "Here, try the switch." She points at, hot damn, who would have guessed, a sliding switch on the staff. "And don't touch anything important with it." Pythia leans close to Cavall and whispers a phrase into her ears before stepping back, nodding encouragingly.

"Mind if I take a look at your saber?" Sebastian questions shortly. "I'm sure we could build a new one together, unless you'd rather just keep or upgrade your current one." "It is pretty." Cashel agrees with a nod. "It's also pretty cool. I'm sure I could ask for it to be customized some for a tidebound scholar." Rigel frowns slightly. "Quick question. Are you planning on sticking to physical arrows and bolts, or do you want an energy discharge crossbow?"

Rigel nods silently, scanning the assortment of crossbows. He selects one that is much smaller, and sleeker. It doesn't even look like a crossbow, more like a rather blocky black stick. He takes the normal one from your hands and replaces it on the shelf. "Alright, try that, then." A brightly shining golden blade expands from the mouth of the snake, forging itself into a full sword in front of your eyes. Something is inscribed into the blade in a language you don't recognize. Pythia claps gleefully. "Hell YEAH!" "Sure thing." Sebastian nods. "A backup is always handy." He looks over your saber closely, turning it, eventually opening the door to the crystal. He raises his eyebrows at it. "The other half. Hmm."

Finley shrugs. "Maybe. We're going over powers and healing yet today, after this. Your dad can fill you in on all the heir-of-emotion tricks you need to know." "Customized." Cashel nods again. "Bands, engravings, ribbons, crystals. Both to increase aesthetic value, personalize it, and connect it more to Tidekeeper."

"I'm glad you like it! Look- we match!" Pythia grins at you, pulling a sword from her sylladex than you've never seen before. The hilt, likewise, is in the form of a dragon, one set of wings wrapped tight around the handle, the other set expanded ahead to make up the cross-guard. The blade extends from the dragon's mouth, likewise inscribed with runes.

Finley raises an eyebrow sharply. "I have a lot of deals. You'll have to be more specific." "All of what?" Klitta tilts her head, scanning the armory. "Make weapons?"

Finley laughs, but more of the kind where they just breathe out in a laughing manner. They glance up at the ceiling before looking back to you. "Alright dogboy junior, I'll cut right to the chase. You're named after me and I think it's weird. Plus, you look like Parker, but you're somehow even more emotion-oriented. You're some strange mix of fascinating and foolish, which is how I get the feeling your family tends to be overall. That enough reason for you? Why are you so curious about what my deal is, anyway?"

Sebastian goes silent, glancing up at Candra. She smiles a little sadly and holds up her hand, the other half of the perfectly split crystal appearing in her palm from her sylladex. Klitta grins at you brightly. "I love making stuff. Guns, swords, bows, shields, staffs, wands, knives, all of it. I can show you, if you'd like?"

Finley frowns at your hand the entire way up to pat their shoulder, confused. "...Alright. Nice chat."

Finley, well aware of your actions, covertly raises their foot and brings their heel down on your toes harshly. They can stomp with surprising force, and their boots don't make it better, no matter how childish stomping on your foot is.

It doesn't take more than a moment for Finley to realize what you're trying to do. They grab your wrist and twist your arm immediately. "Alright, you know what?" They lean over and heft you over their shoulder in a fireman's carry, marching out of the building, calling out over their other shoulder. "I'm going back to the training room with short stack spitfire here, you all join once you're done."

"Here, take it." Candra extends her hand further.

"Oh! Just say 'Apotha pettera'. Or, alternatively, you can just..." Pythia reaches over to her sword with her other hand, taking a finger and gently rubbing the dragon's head above its eyes. It closes its mouth and the blade retracts with a ringing hum. "Pretty cute, right?"

The staff in Silas' hands doesn't do much noticeable. "Nice! So, now anything you touch will get zapped. There are different ends that do different things too, if you want. Like for bonking more, or sharper ones for stabbing. Coils for a bigger jolt." Etoile lists off a few casually, eyeing the ends of the staff, glancing back and forth between the two. Pythia hugs you back tightly, lifting you off the ground for a few seconds with a hearty laugh. "No problem, Cavvy!" She releases you and pats your shoulders lightly. "Like savvy? Cavvy? Sorry, I'm trying to think of nicknames for you. I'm glad you like the sword."

"Oh! Sure." Etoile shrugs. A helpful armory hand scoops up the aforementioned items and carries them over for you, but hands them to Etoile. She thanks them and slowly extends her arms to you. Each pair of ends is connected together for safer storage. Safer for everything except the pointy ends, that is. They're now much more dangerous.

"Hell yeah we can!!" Pythia beams. "Come on, let's go. Pain, you coming?" Your brother nods enthusiastically, holding his staff. The odd new crystal hovers in the center of the half-circle on top idly, and it seems a green ribbon has been wrapped around it too.

The electricity IS visible, arcing around the coil. "Of course!!" Etoile grins happily. "Hope it helps!" Soon enough, Finn's bayonet and gloves are finished. The bayonet is the color of copper, engraved with smooth runes that never stutter, spiraling down the blade. Near the widest part of the blade, mounted beneath the gun, is Finn's symbol, oxygen. The gloves are smooth and light grey, made of a fine mesh of metal and fabric. They have a metal band around the wrist and laid-down spikes, maybe for functionality, maybe for fashion. A jade green crystal cut in the shape of a heart is set in the top. On the bottom, the fingertips and the palm are all padded with a light pink material to look like a paw. Klitta offers Finn his rifle back, now with a bayonet attached, and a helper assigned to the gloves hands him those a moment later.

"I will!" Klitta pats your back heavily, grinning at you. "Some day, I will. That's a promise."

"You two go have fun!" Klitta props her hands on her hips. "Explore what you can do! Things can come in handy in ways you never knew they could." She winks.

Navy follows close behind you two, done with randomly jabbing passerby with their new electric gloves.