Erentheca, Ji'zoran, and Bewek walked through the grassy plain of the Lecal Territory of Alsalsca Dalpha. The wind swept the tall yellow grass in waves, blowing the seasonly smell of summer pollen in the air. The hills were gentle and rolling and thick patches of white and grey clouds whisked slowly across the blue afternoon sky. The air was cool and moist and Erentheca revelled in it. Ji'zoran felt uncomfortable and cold. The desert was his home and even the grass lands were cold in comparisson. Bewek was a man of many countries, and although he was far from his native climate, at least he was out of the desert.

In the distance a large water tower loomed above the horizon, the seed from which live sprung out of the desert. The three had been walking since midnight and as Erentheca passed his hands through the grains, fatigue began to take him, and this time he just let it take control and allowed his legs to move autonomously as his tired body slowly faded away, until it was just the smell and the caress of the grass.

Erentheca was eight again, chaising his dog through the green fields of his home in central Starpia. He came over a hill and rolled in the high grass. He felt like he could sleep there, in an afternoon matress of straw. Then his dog lept on top of him and started licking his face. Erentheca giggled and tried to roll away, but the dog was ever more aggressive and had a curious and persistant snout. Erentheca jumped to his feet and ran again, his dog close behind. His dog was a cross between a Crelan snow dog and a Petran shorthair. Her eyes were outlined by brown fur that was different from the mostly black coat. Erentheca rolled again in the grass, but was surprised to find that his dog was not near him. He looked up to see the dog sitting, ears perked up with alarm. The dog suddenly took off and started barking. A moment later, Erentheca could hear the distant rattle of wagon wheels. Erentheca raced through the grass, getting closer to the origin of the sound. When he finally cleared the last hill he saw two soldiers step out of a small buggy and approach his father, tending the garden in front of their house. The soldiers were dressed as officers as Erentheca's father had taught him to discern. They talked momentarily, Erentheca's mother and sister stood in the doorway, a pained expression on their faces that was restrained only by the formality of the situation. Erentheca did not understand what was happening. A couple of days later, Erentheca's father went off to war in the South, and it was the last time Erentheca ever saw him.

Erentheca breathed in deeply, stroking his beard with his right hand as he kept his staff in his left hand. Bewek led the pack by about 50 meters and Ji'zoran wallked by the side of his master still thinking deeply, "Master," Ji'zoran asked, breaking the long held silence.

Erthenca raised his head slightly, "Yes?"

Ji'zoran cocked his head slightly as he shifted his staff to his other hand, "Bewek said that the assasin came from the White desert of Onir, specifically from Bene Canyon. Is it possible he could be one of us then?"

Eretheca pondered, "The Bene Canyon is large, and we do not occupy all of it," Erentheca thought back though to his confrontation with the assasin. The man moved faster than any opponent he had ever fought. His style was flawless and extremely aggressive. He was also adept with many weapons and had superior senses to anticipate attacks. What if he was a member of the Rhilizon order? No doubt there were members who had dissagreements with the masters of the order and Erentheca had obviously never met every person trained by the great Velcran masters of Bene but the idea of killing for money was so far against their beliefs that many would take death first, it was inherantly blasphemous.

"We are approaching Larek city!" Bewek called back.

Erentheca looked at Bewek in the distance but saw nothing but sky outlining his silhouette. As they climbed the grassy rise, however, Erentheca could see the white tips of blue mountains on the emerging horizon and then dark green foothills. Below that, a haze of white smoke in varying thickness clung above a vast valley like the way clouds of dirt suspend in water. In the valley, a large white city sprawled out across green grass, trees, and a river that snaked through thinly in the middle. From nearly every great structure in the center of the town came a plume of smoke that rose to join the general layer of smog. There was no doubt in Erentheca's mind, this was an industrial town.

Bewek led them onto a wide road that was paved by stone and covered with a thin layer of grainy dirt. This road led directly down the valley into the city. The cooler valley air met the three along with the stink of coal smoke.

Bewek became the narrator of their journey, falling back slightly to join the other two, "This is the Northwest Road of Alsalsca Dalpha. It runs from Velcra down over those mountains, through this town, and then through central Alsalsca Dalpha. Larek, this city, is the cheif industrial complex in Northern Alsalsca Dalpha. Some of the best metalurgists, glassblowers, blacksmiths, and woodworkers live here, as well as an assortment of designers, engineers, and mathematicians. The Wellica guild, where you say that sword you found is from, is right in the middle of town. In fact, I think you can see it from here. It is the building with the observation tower on top of it."

Erentheca could make out the observation tower but could not see the rest of the building as it was obstructed by the many other industrial shops and warehouses. Erentheca could not help but feel a little excited, if that was the proper word for his emotion. He was going to be charging one of the most famous guilds in Alsalsca Dalpha with violating the Treaty of Cakon. This was not his territory and the owners of these guilds were both influencial and not likely to take an accusation like that too well. Erentheca was going to have to be delicate and very diplomatic, not one of his strongest suits, "Take us to the Wellica guild."

The town spanned over several miles and the road ran right through the middle. The buildings were all a pale white, all stained black in places by coal burning industry. As the three walked through the town they were quite taken aback by the comotion. Wagons and carts rolled through the streets, some almost into the trio who were quite out of place in the town. The populace ran about their shops, usually dressed in smocks or some kind of coverall. The streets were thouroughly caked with manure in places, sometimes with bits of other random trash and small, crushed animals pressed into it. This city was obviously a heavily trafficed thouroughfare, a ceaseless sewer for draft animals of every breed. No one seemed to take notice of the three. Everyone had some kind of urgency about them. The sound of metal being pounded into shape or the squeal of sanding or grinding was a ceaseless noise. Erentheca eyed orange sparks bouncing out of doorways and windows along the main road. Each of the unique tasks being performed inside each shop was fascinating and Erentheca would have stopped to enjoy the sight, but he also had a job to do.

Finally they approached the Wellica guild. It was not just one building, but a conglamoration of buildings in the center of town. The main building was just an open warehouse that connected with the oher shops which were quite sizable themselves. Great letters above the main entrance to the warehouse read Wellica Guild and had the insignia that Erentheca had seen on the sword from Eseron. Bewek led them to the main office, built into the side of the warehouse. Erentheca eyed what was in stock. There were several crates stacked in the room that were a lot like the ones he had found in Eseron. In the left corner there were large beams, pulleys, and gears, which he could only guess were for big weapons like catapults.

Erentheca strode up to the ofice and openned the small wooden door. A big dark-haired man with a brown mustache sat hunched over a large oak table that was covered with papers in neat little stacks. He rifled through them furiously, getting up and going to his file cabinet and sitting down again without even acknowledging his three visitors.

Finally Erentheca verbally requested the man's attention, "Excuse me sir, are you in charge of the Wellica guild?"

The man continued his work, writing with a white feather pen that he continuously dipped in an ink well. Erentheca repeated his question, this time more forcefully, "Excuse me, are you in charge here? Are you listenning to me?"

The man still did not look up but finally replied, "Yes, I am listenning, and yes I am in charge here. As you can see, we are occupied with a number of contracts right now, so whatever order you need filled will have to wait. Just go see my assistant across the way and he will put you on our waiting list. We are so backlogged right now, it will be some time before we can get to you."

Erentheca stepped forward, "We are not here to place an order. We are Velcran inspectors," he flashed the signet on his bracelet and the busy man looked up momentarily to see it.

He got up again with a stack of papers and began to file them into the cabinet like before, "So, what do you want from me?" He asked ignorantly; Erentheca sensed no falsity in it.

Erentheca drew a deep breath, "I hate to be the one to inform you, but we have found your guild to be in violation of the Treaty of Cakon."

The man stopped and looked over, glaring insulently, "That is a serious charge. Before I take offense to that, I hope you will clarify just exactly how I am in violation."

Erentheca was now in a dangerous position, "You have been shipping weapons to Eseron."

The man crossed his arms defensively, "So, that is not a crime."

"It is if those weapons are being re-packaged and are going to Starpia," Erentheca continued, hoping that the shock he ellisited was genuine.

"No," the man shook his head, "those weapons have been going to Velcra, just as ordered."

Erentheca's interest was perked, "Ordered by who?"

The man looked astounded, "Oh, you've got to be joking, those weapons were ordered by your trade ambassadors. He looked at the trio as if suddenly they had become less intelligent."

Erentheca persisted, "When?"

The man shook his head, "This is ridiculous, about two months ago."

Erentheca spoke gravely, "The Velcran trade ambassadors were murdered, three months ago."

The man shook his head again, this time in disbelief, "That's impossible. The two I met carried the Ambassadorial signets of Velcra and they even had your unmistakeable accent. They had authorization papers, knew all the proceedures as well as Alsalsca Dalphan officials. I tell you, they were genuine."

Erentheca became even more intrigued, "Tell me more about them."

The man let out a deep breath as he went about his work again, "Well, if you want a physical description, they were about average height, with the classic Velcran dark complexion. One of them was older, perhaps 50. The other was about 35. They hired a desert trader named Etak Null to handle the shipments. He runs Eseron. The man is about as crooked as Jijaca tree, and I would not trust him to supervise anything, but he has run a straight deal with them so far and he has been very good about his payments and his pickup times so far, I am quite impressed. Whatever else you can say about the man, you can be assured he is not running weapons to Starpia." He walked out of the office with a pad of paper and a pen, beconing the three to follow.

Erentheca raised his voice a little as they neared the constant din of metalworking, "Listen, I know your position and I have no desire to see your guild prosecuted, I only assure you that my government placed no such order, why would they?"

The man continued talking as they approached as building marked 'metalworks II', "I thought your country was having problems rebels along the Velcran Northeastern shore. The Ambassadors told me that the rebels were being supplied by Starpian merchants"

Both Erentheca and Ji'zoran shook their heads, almost in amazement, "We have no rebel problems in Velcra," Erentheca said bluntly.

The Wellica man entered the metalworks shop where men were forging long rods of steel into swords. There were about 30 men in the room, each with his own anvil and set of tools. In the center was a cylindrical forge with about eight opennings. The top funneled the smoke out of the roof. On the perimeter of the room were rows of grinders and there also were sanders that spun continuously. Erentheca wondered at what mechanism powered them. The foreman, whose apron was blue, unlike brown which was the color of the other worker's aprons, approached the Wellica man and the two conversed momentarily. The Wellica man showed the foreman his pad and started to go over with it with him. Erentheca could not hear what they were saying through all the heavy pounding of metal and the roar of air as it blasted through the forge, but their visual exchanges indicated that the Wellica man was probably making some fairly heavy demands.

Ji'zoran leaned a little closer to Erentheca, "If Starpians are sending imposters to buy weapons, I wonder what else they are up to out here."

"I don't know," Erentheca pondered, "but now I am beginning to understand why they cleared out Eseron, and it wasn't just to cover up the weapons smuggling. In fact, I doubt that was even a motivation for kicking all the people out."

The Wellica man walked past Erentheca, Ji'zoran, and Bewek, heading to the next building over to consult with another foreman. Erentheca walked backwards slightly ahead of the Wellica man, "Mr. Administrator, I must ask that you end your shipment to Eseron."

The man did not look back at Erentheca but kept walking obviously a little irritated at Erentheca, "Just on what basis do you think I should do that? Should I explain to you just what would happen if I did just what you said? I have materials request and labor contracts out for the next month. I have shareholders who I am responsible to, not to mention all the artisans that are employed here. Yes, I should just stop the shipment and cost hundreds of people their jobs. Please explain why?"

Erentheca raised his voice, "You are in violation of treaty! Just unless you never read the treaty of Cakon, one of the agreements states that Alsalsca Dalphas will not sell weapons to Barbarians or Starpia. Violation of this treaty is a criminal offense!" He stepped in the man's path.

The man stopped and yelled back, "Well, I am not selling weapons to Starpia, I am selling them to Velcra! You have presented me with no proof of your story at all. I have never seen your signet before, or that of any Velcran inspector, if you are even one. You don't even look Velcran, you are more likely a Starpian yourself! One thing that I do know is that the Ambassadors' signets and their papers were valid."

Erentheca stepped closer to the man, "Oh those signets were valid all right. They were ripped right off of our Ambassadors' dead bodies."

The Wellica man squinted his eyes, "And just how am I supposed to believe that your Ambassadors are dead?"

Ji'zoran stepped forward, "They were found, their corpses were laid right at the gates to one of our Southernmost cities. They were murdered brutally and efficiently, obviously by a professional. The display at our gates was a message."

The Wellica man crossed his legs and leaned back, "And just what message is that?"

Erentheca answered, "To stay out."

The Wellica man nodded sarcastically, "Of what?"

Erentheca tightenned his grip on his staff, flexing his jaw so that his muscles made sharp lines down his face, "You really have no concept for what is going on out here do you?" Erentheca gave the man no time to answer, for the question was not intended to elicit a response, "the Starpians are arming, they are making aggressive moves against Alsalsca Dalpha, and the war in the South is over. Figure it out for yourself. Your future enemies are preparing to move against your country and you are supplying them with the means to do so. Aren't you at least going to do something about that?"

The Wellica man was now fuming mad, "How dare you imply that I would act against my own country. You come into my place of business and start making accusations and now you are telling me what to do. Even if you are who you say you are, you are way outside your juristiction and you have no say over this guild. I have been pacient with you up until this point out of politeness and respect for your country, but even I have my limits. No, you are not welcome here any more. Until you come up with some proof of your story, and I mean irrefutable proof that you could present in an Alsalsca Dalphan court, do not expect anything from me."

Erentheca shook his head, knowing that perhaps getting an emotional reaction out of the man might be better than doing nothing, "I don't know why we wasted our time with you. I have seen with my own eyes your weapons being loaded onto large wagons with leather tarps and sent in great caravans to the Castle Beyar in Southern Starpia. This man has seen it too," he pointed to Bewek, and then to himself as he continued, "Two nights ago I was attacked by a proffesional assasin hired by the Starpians to guard the transaction and I barely escaped with my life."

The Wellica man put one of his hands up in the air and walked away as Erentheca argued after him. He had only made a few paces when there was a flash of light and a deafening boom. The air smelled like sulfer and everyone turned to look in the direction of the noise.

The Wellica man took off running toward one of the shops and Erentheca, Ji'zoran, and Bewek followed quickly after. In the corner of the complex was a building, slightly smaller than the others, that had white smoke billowing in a thick cloud out the front door. The metal sign had been knocked to the ground and as Erentheca ran by he could see it read 'Metallurgy'. The Wellica man rushed right into the smoke and Erentheca cautiosly followed him in. Erentheca hunched low and walked through where the smoke was least thick. Erentheca did not even try to breathe the thick, sulfer stinking smoke and held his breath. The warm flow of the smoke burned his eyes, but already, it had begun to dissapate.

Through the haze, Erentheca could see the Wellica man approach a dark figure on the floor. The Wellica man picked up the figure and Erentheca helped pull the man out of the door. As they emerged back into fresh air, Erentheca released his breath and both he and the Wellica man set the hurt man on the ground, smoke still curling out from his body. Erentheca eyed the man more carefully and saw no real sign of physical injury other than a few cuts. The man actually had a fairly light complexion but his skin covered in soot. His hair was singed and in dissarray.

The singed man dizzily openned his eyes and was only able to inhale halfway before coughing violently. Erentheca supported the man as he practically hacked his lungs out. Erentheca looked at him more closely and realized that he was hardly a man at all. He was more like a teenager, no more than 17 or 18 years old. The youth had hardly stopped coughing when the Wellica man started yelling at him.

"I told you again and again Lyron that your experiments with Alchemy are not allowed! Look what you did to the lab. Do you have any idea what it will cost this time to rebuild the equipment? Your job is to create alloys for our manufacturing, these elixers you play with are a waste of time. I have warned you all too often and you still insist on wasting your time, your master's time, and the company's time."

"But, my work, was done," the youth managed to protest through numerous coughs and wheezing.

The Wellica man was far from finished, "Your work is never done. When you finish your given tasks, you do not waste time, you ask for new ones. Some apprentice you are, now what am I going to do with you? I don't think your father would be pleased if I sent you back to him, but it is quite apparent that you still have a lot to learn about discipline, and this is not the place to teach you." The Wellica man brooded for a moment as the youth sat, completely sullen, almost in tears.

Suddenly the Wellica man's eyes widenned slightly and he looked over at Erentheca and his party. Erentheca knew what he was thinking before he even said it, "Velcran inspectors, I told you that I would end my shipment if you gave me proof that my weapons are in Starpia. If my apprentice here sees with his own eyes, if he can identify our unique craftmanship, for only a member of our guild can do so, I will abort this contract."

The apprentice could read the doubt in Erentheca's face, so he addressed his own boss, "Sir, perhaps it is not the best thing that I go with them-"

"Quiet! You have not say in thsi matter. Perhaps you can learn some things from these people, about duty or discipline. In any case, when you return to me, I hope you will be at least a more mature man." He then addressed Erentheca, "He is a mixed up kid, but he has a good heart. What do you say?"

Erentheca recognized the diplomacy of the situation. He knew that the man was just unloading a problem on him, but he also knew that apprentices are not just entrusted to strangers, the Wellica man had some faith in Erentheca and his party and that was an opportunity. Besides, the right thing to do was clear, but this two man investigation was quickly spinning into a different direction, and even Erentheca was not sure where all of this would end up when it was done, "Alright," Erentheca nodded, "I will take your apprentice with us. Our road leads to Nekak Ral, and from there we will arrange transport to Southern Starpia," He then addressed the lad, "but once we enter Starpia, we will be in danger. Only undertake this if you absolutely know you can do this and only if you are willing to take direction from me at all times. If you can do this, I will teach you all I know, and perhaps, you can teach us a few things."

The apprentice nodded, "I am up to the challenge."

The Wellica man wasted no time, "Good! Now pack your stuff. I'm sure these men have places to go."

Erentheca grinned, "Well, Ji'zoran and Bewek, you two help our new companion pack and I will forage for some more provisions and supplies. I will meet you two back here in an hour." The two followed the apprentice down the road while Erentheca paid his final respects to the Wellica man, "I want to thank you for having us as your guests. Do not worry, we will keep your apprentice safe from harm and I will bring him back a better man, until we meet again."

The Wellica man returned the gesture, "Until then, hopefully not too long from now."

The road out of Larek city winded though the Nenal Mountains. From the road Lyron looked back at it every few seconds, watching the white buildings slowly receed behind the green foothills. All but the newest companion travelled light. Lyron pulled a wooden cart behind him and its constant rattle provided the music for their journey. The North road was steep and Lyron strained to pull his heavy cargo. Erentheca glanced back at his new student and muttered to himself in frusteration. He had haggled with the young man down from a full sized wagon, but even this was excessive, who needs to travel with a complete set of metal-working equipment?

Bewek stepped over to Lyron, "Looking back there won't make leaving any easier."

Lyron sighed, "What was it like when you first left?"

Bewek shrugged, "Left where? My life has always been on the road."

Lyron looked over at him, "You know, left home?"

Bewek shook his head, "Home, there is no place that I really call home anymore. I suppose the closest thing I could associate with that idea is my family, and I left them a long time ago. I never really cared for my family when I was with them, but I guess the first year apart was hard. After that, it just didn't bother me that I was no longer with them."

Lyron shook his head, "I have never ventured far from home. My mother and father live in the hills just South of here. My father had me join the Guild when I was 15, and before that I worked on our small ranch."

Bewek crossed his arms and nodded, "How old are you now?"

"Seventeen," Lyron stated with a sigh. Like all youths, he dreamt of distant places and adventures, but being young made those possibilities impossible for the moment.

Ji'zoran smiled, "Seventeen? Why you and I are practically the same age. I am a cougar, what are you?"

Erentheca interrupted, "Ji'zoran, they do not have the same calendar as we do. I doubt he knows what a cougar is."

Lyron answered Ji'zoran's question, "I was born the month of the falcon," feeling Erentheca's confusion he elaborated, "oh we know much of Velcran culture. My father used to take me to a Velcran restaurant. The placemats had the Velcran calendar on it."

Now Erentheca was more confused, "Velcran restaurant? You have restaurants that sell native Velcran food?"

Lyron was quite excited just talking about it, "Oh yes, and it is quite good. The Yellarn dish is my favorite. It is very sweet, with spices, and Ikali sauce."

Erentheca thought back on his experiences with Velcran food, the stuff was usually so bland he could only eat it when he was very hungry or else he would have no appetite at all. Velcrans had always favored the nutritional value of a dish well over the taste, "The yellarn dish was never one of my favorites. It was nothing but rice and necta roots, which are quite bitter. Ikali sauce is only used to season tea, we never put it on food. I guarantee you, if you thought it tasted good, you were not eating Velcran food."

"I have to say I dissagree," Lyron stated, biting his jaw shut with finality.

Ji'zoran changed the subject, "Tell me about alchemy, I have never heard of it."

Lyron smiled, "That is just the derogatory name for it. What I study is Talateph Media, Rhanadonian for "the study of healing". Before they were destroyed by the Starpians, the Rhanadons had advanced greatly in their knowledge of the sciences. The greatest of all their sciences was healing. Many Alsalsca Dalphans have retrieved their work over the last 30 years and now we have founded our own science off of it. Using their methods, we are clearing away the old myths about sickness and making others well. Holistic healing and bloodletting have been proved to be useless in healing illness. Some herbs, we have found, have a positive effect on the body. Our highest pursuits are for the great elixers. These will heal the most serious ailments and possibly extend life."

Erentheca commented in a more grave tone, "Is that what you were trying to do in the lab?"

Lyron nodded sorrowfully, "Yes. I took a recipe I read about and, well, changed it. It called for eggs, saltpeter, and the sap from some tree that only grows in Starpia. Well, I decided that since I did not have the sap, I would be innovative. I added some coal to the mixture to see what would happen, after all, coal is the most available substance around a metalurgist's shop. I mixed a whole cauldron of the stuff and it smelled terrible. I was not too alarmed when it began to smoke, but when it started to flame I took cover. Sure enough, the cauldron blew. I remember the blast, but not much else. Unfortunately, I will never know whether that elixer even works, it was all incinerated. When we get to Starpia, I will be able to make the real thing."

Ji'zoran chimed in, "I don't know, but I thought what happened back there was pretty amazing. What do you call that, an ecss-"

"Explosion," Lyron clarified, "the rapid expansion of gases sometimes caused by heat or a chemical reaction. Yes, we have them from time to time with metalworking. Sometimes a pipe with too much soot ignites or there is too much pressure in the steam system. I have never seen one this big although I have made a few minor ones of my own in my work. The guild does not really appreciate what I am trying to do, although I have tried to explain on numerous occations the value of my work. No one cares about medicine out here, all they care about is production of whatever is in highest demand."

Ji'zoran shrugged, "Well, have you ever thought about leaving the guild?"

Lyron nodded, "Thought is the key word there. Oh yes, I have thought about leaving the guild numerous times but that is just a daydream in my daily struggle. It was my father's highest ambition that I become a member of the guild like him. He even sees me taking over the guild one day. He is not the only one who sees this. I have had other members tell me how gifted I am. Actually, I really do like metallurgy and metalworking. Woodworking and assembling machines are also fascinating subjects of study, but I have always thought that medicine was my true calling. I really do not see why medicine could not be a branch of the Wellica guild. Something tells me that medicine is the future of industry. The Wellica Guild is already quite diverse. What you saw was only the metalworks division. Further South, in the Mikak territory, we have our pottery division. In another town, we make clothes and other fabric textiles. Just outside the capital, we have a paper mill. In the Great Dalphan Ranges to the South, and up here we have lumber mills."

Bewek nudged Lyron, "To me Lyron, that sounds tough."

The four of them continued over the ridge, between the peaks of the mountains. The town and the grassland beyond dissapeared behind foothills and the intervening walls of the pass as the road winded through the ridge. The range of mountains was not at an incredibly high elevation and many grasses and shrubs grew along the side of the road and on the hilly peaks. The air was colder though and being on a mountain left them exposed to the coarse, penetrating winds that felt like long cold tentacles probing through crevices in the clothing over exposed skin. They continued North-west, braving the coastal winds that blew fifty miles inland to meet them. By the end of the day they reached a point where they could see the other side of the Nenal Mountains. The sun had not gone down behind the grassy peaks yet and so light still washed over the valley below in an orange tinge. The shadow of the mountain was outlined below where a thick rug of dark green extended as far as the eye could see.

Erentheca stopped momentarily as he clasped both hands around