Vance started his trip back towards the Kendirewen lines, hoping that the recording orb would be enough to give him a meeting with his commander. Barring the fact that he was the only survivor of a unit of six hundred, there was little to warrant him actually getting anywhere close to his Generals. Stopping midway on the dirt road, he paused, looking down at the orb for a second.

"This isn't going to work..." Vance thought aloud.

His grip tightened around the sphere, almost to the point that he could feel the object start to contort and weaken. Anger flaring, the blonde-haired man didn't know what to do or how to do what he was put on Tavaria to do. Before the orb actually started to crack, though, Vance relented, loosening his grip.

Letting out a small sigh, he stuffed the magic item back into his ammo bag, as it was the only thing capable of holding the sphere, as his nation wasn't known for making pockets for their conscripts. After storing the orb, he suddenly felt a familiar sensation come wash over him.

"A... a cloud?" Vance observed, turning to see a small trail of cloud that led to a small ruined temple off the beaten path.

How did he know it was a temple? The map he had read earlier had it marked out as a potential shelter point should the Lesban army need to push forward and need a place to set camp. Figuring he had nothing else to lose, he chose to take a chance and figure out why this cloud was leading him towards the temple - not that it wasn't already clear. Julia was calling; he was sure of it.

Stepping through the brush, he emerged to a small clearing with a grove of white roses in full bloom around the ruined temple that had at one point in time stood proudly overlooking the hills of Kendirewen. Yet, it still appeared strong and proud for all its ruined and aged appearance as Julia's magic enveloped the area. Vance was grateful he had the unnatural calmness of a High Human as he'd likely be slack-jawed by the display. Stepping forward onto the overgrown path, he found stone steps under his worn boots before long and stepped up and into the structure.

Upon entering, he saw Julia... or well, a statue of the beautiful goddess. The charming marble statue did a decent job of capturing her appearance but couldn't match up to the real thing.

"Thank you for the compliment, my dear." A voice rang out across the room.

Vance smirked and lowered his head. "You really like that trick, don't you?"

A small gentle laugh soon followed, "I see your personality has brightened since last we met."

Vance shook his head as he walked past the threshold and into the warm light emitted by the statue. "That's what happens when you no longer have anxiety and fear holding one back," Vance replied warmly.

Finding a seat in the form of a fallen column opposite Julia, he sat down and looked towards the goddess. "So, to what do I owe the honour of such a visit so soon after our initial meeting?" He asked.

Julia remained silent for a second before answering with, "The orb, you're worries are correct in assuming that it won't be enough to give you an audience." She started, her voice echoing out from the marble. "If anything, it'll only serve to upset those who surround the Generals. Jealousy is a powerful emotion that can spur one to horrible acts, and if you were to come as you are now, you'd be laughed out and your deeds obscured by overly ambitious individuals."

Vance looked grim as he cast his eyes down at the floor, "I thought as much..."

"Regretfully, many of my children still believe in the social hierarchy of nobles and peasants-"

"And if a commoner like me comes in showing that I won them the battle, I'd be more liable to being assassinated than praised," Vance interjected.

"Sadly..." Julia whispered, "Don't hate them, though. There are individuals like your Marshal Franz who'd praise your actions. Don't let the ambitions of the few outweigh your duty to the many." Julia said.

His smile returned, "Don't worry... I'm fine; I just wish there was an easier way." Vance noted, before expelling his anger, "I'll have to figure out another means of getting what I need."

At that point, Julia spoke up, "I might have the means to help you in that regard."

Perking up his brow, Vance looked up, "Oh?"

"I haven't told you yet of the past heroes who had come before you. The children who had united Tavaria millenniums past." Julia started, "Much like you, we had summoned others to aid our ailing world, and like you, they had an impossible goal. While some failed, others succeeded, one such individual, being the first Emperor of Tavaria."

At the mention of the First Emperor, Vance quickly recalled his teachings back home of the hero Emperor who had slain the Demon Lord plaguing the world, uniting all races under his banner, creating the first Tavarian Empire that would last until seventy-five years ago.

"But what does his summoning have to do with my current situation?" Vance followed up.

Before Julia said anything, a bright orb of light formed in the middle of the structure before taking the planet's shape, looking almost like some holographic image, then a bright red dot began to blink in the mountain range some ten kilometres from his current position. "Before he had died, the First had built a secret hideaway deep within the mountain range, hidden and obscured by powerful magic, and protected by the oldest of my children."

"Oldest of your children?" Vance asked.

"Dragons. Powerful elder beings that had at one point in time walked beside the other races, serving as guardians and guides to those who now dwell here. But, time passed on, their numbers dwindled, and so too did their role in the world." Julia sounded bitter as she spoke; it was clear she held a fondness for all her creations. "It wasn't until the First had managed to find their last dwelling was their role restored, and the species saved." As she finished, the directions began to imprint upon Vance's memory.

"There is where you will find all you need to aid you in your journey, and there you will find the tools necessary to speed you onto stopping this war," Julia said.

Vance closed his eyes, accepting the directions as they were implanted into his mind, only to open them again. The fires of determination lit ablaze in his sea-blue eyes. Worry expelled, replaced now with the necessary guidance and goal, he pushed himself upright, seemingly standing taller than he had before, more confident, more sure of himself and his destiny now.

"Thank you, Julia..." He said.

Despite not being there in person, it was almost as though he could tell she nodded her head as if telling him to go. And go he did, giving a slight bow and smile as he turned around made for the exit. Purpose reinvigorated, he stepped out of the temple.

"Good luck, Vance." Was the last thing to be whispered by the goddess before the light and comforting feeling faded away, leaving only the cold of the coming night.

Looking around at the front facade of the temple, Vance saw that the once-proud temple now looked lifeless and empty, devoid of feeling now that the god who had just moments before inhabited it left. A depressing sight, but one he pushed aside as he grabbed his musket that he had leaned against the nearby tree along with the officer's sword. Rearming himself, he stepped through the brush and returned to the road, this time heading not for his army but that of the mountains.

Stepping out and onto the road, he had one last thing to do before continuing with his journey.

Pulling off the purple coat, he held it in his hands a moment longer, recalling his slain friend the half-elf. Whispering a quiet prayer, he hung the coat up on a nearby tree branch and walked away, carrying with him only the tools of his former trade. A flintlock musket strapped over his shoulder, a Royal Kendirewen officers sword resting at his left hip, and a pouch of shot and power. All the tools he knew he'd need in the coming adventure.