A/N: I do not own the rights of Naruto, Avatar: the Last Airbender, or any other series or characters depicted or referenced in this work of fanfiction. The setting is of my own creation but is heavily inspired by other fantasy settings such as Dragon Age: Origins, Dungeons & Dragons, and Neverwinter Nights. This is my first posted work of fanfiction. You have been warned.

And now, for your reading pleasure, I present to you:

Brothers of the Blade: Book 1

Chapter 1

The Blind Dog was one of the oldest taverns in the city of Baretha, and as a consequence one of the oldest in Umbria. Over the course of centuries it has been witness to riots, rebellions, city-consuming flames, and war of all kinds and flavors. It has been broken, battered, even burnt to the ground, but always it was rebuilt and reborn. And always it has been called the Blind Dog.

Tucked away in a half-lit corner of the city, not on but not too far from any main thoroughfares, barely a half-hour's walk from the docks, and maybe, just maybe it happened to be neutral ground for all the city's thieves guilds, gangs, and other such dregs of society, the Blind Dog was the place to look were one in need of the services of a mercenary. Or a sellsword as they prefered to call themselves. A romantic bunch the mercenaries of Umbria.

Master Merchant Brey found himself in dire need of a few sellswords. Ones of the utmost quality in skill and… character, if such a term could be applied to mercenaries. According to his contacts a mercenary of such characteristics, as well as the band he led, could be found in the Blind Dog. The same contacts also gave name. Brey looked to both ends of the street where the Blind Dog's entrance stood. At each end he could just discern the guards sans any livery, knives and short swords in hiding just in case of any problems. Brey really hoped that would not be the case tonight. He checked to ensure he had not been robbed on the way. It would not do to approach a sellsword without any sort of payment or collateral, especially the one he sought to employ. Everything and everyone looked to be in their places and all that was left was to walk through the door.

As soon as Brey stepped into the tavern he felt a wave of sound and smell strike him. Cheap alcohol mixed with an off-tune fiddle did not in theory look to be a good combination, but the dancing and roaring patrons filling the tavern floor seemed to strongly disagree. It proved a struggle for Brey to even move about the tavern. How all these people could move so much, so packed with each other, and not end up in a massive brawl was a question beyond Brey's mind. Every step he made nearly put his foot down on someone else's. Every time he tried to ask a question he had to yell at the limits of his voice just to get someone's attention. Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time of muddling through the crowd and after his voice had nearly become hoarse, he was finally able to get an idea of where in the tavern to look. On the other side of the tavern, opposite of the entrance, was a staircase leading to the upper floors.

When Brey reached the third landing he had found whom he had been seeking. The mercenary, the sellsword sat at a round table, a mug of ale in one hand, the other making fantastic flourishes in the air, and wearing the most impish and childlike grin he had ever seen on a grown man. All around him were men and women who looked fresh from the festivities below. Some had the look of dockworkers while others looked like they normally worked at the Blind Dog. And from amongst the gathered partiers a voice cut through it all, one filled with mirth and life.

"And then I said have a drink- right before dumping the whole barrel a beer on him!" The table exploded in laughter, fists pounded the table, and nostrils spouted ale. The joker laughed harder than anyone else, toothy grin reflecting the lamplight, blond hair thrown back revealing slightly-pointed ears of a man with some elven ancestry. This was the man he had been searching for.

"Excuse me. Mr. Uzumaki, could I have your attention sir?"

"Who are you?"

Brey turned and saw who he would henceforth remember as the scariest man he would ever see. The man sat alone in a corner of the landing, next to the railing, a perfect position to survey the whole landing as well as the front of the lower tavern. In one hand he held a whetstone being run along one of the edges of a most peculiar weapon. Three blades and curved like spines, almost looked to grow from the sides of a gauntlet. The tips of gauntlet fingers were tipped with savage looking claws. What Brey found more alarming than the weapon was the man possessing it. From the fellow's dark hair, lean build, and oddly shaped eyes he most likely came from one the eastern countries beyond both the Greenbone Range and the great desert. It was not the man's heritage that alarmed the merchant, rather it was horrific scar wrapped around the left side of the face warping the flesh around one eye and possibly an ear as well. The scar combined with the man's strange golden eyes froze Brey on the spot. Some old, simpler part of his human mind screamed for the merchant to run and hide from that gaze and his muscles almost followed through were it not for Uzumaki's voice cutting through the fear.

"C'mon Zuko. What'd I tell you about scaring people?" The man, Zuko, glanced at the blond mercenary, nodded and returned to sharpening his blades. Brey made a note not to go anywhere near the man so long as he had business here tonight. "Grab a seat." The blond mercenary motioned to an empty chair straight across from him and in front of Brey.

"Thank you Mr. Uzumaki. I am truly sorry to bother you at this time but umm…" the merchant sent a few worried glances at the other partiers. Naruto caught his eyes and nodded in understanding.

"Why don't you folks get a few refills? Tell Ben it's on my tab." With cheers and whistles of thanks the small crowd quickly made their way down the stairs. After the partiers had left, Brey noticed that there was one other interesting individual on the landing. From the style of heavy, overlapping robes and the gray and green color patterns, Brey did not need the distinctive wide brimmed wicker hat to identify one of the Ajhuku, the Forest Folk. The mysterious Ajhuku looked to be nursing an untouched mug. Naruto had noticed Brey's shift of attention. "Don't worry about Shino he's with me. And you are?"

"Brey. Alistair Brey. I am a Master Merchant in service to the Ashford Trade Company and my superiors are in dire need of your services."

"And what," at this moment Brey noticed that though Mr. Uzumaki's smile was casual and relaxed, the mercenary's eyes were steely and focused solely on the merchant, "'services' do your bosses need?"

"It seems… Mr. Uzumaki that certain changes are occurring within Umbria. What changes exactly I can assure who you will be aware of in some time. But know that these changes will most certainly have serious effects on the kingdom's economy and likely beyond." The merchant put his hands atop the table, stippling them as he took a breath before continuing. "A high ranking associate of the Company must reach the city of Warvick as quickly as possible. From there he will continue to a currently undisclosable location to meet with a potential business partner. The Company needs you Mr. Uzumaki and your compatriots to provide… protection."

The blond mercenary took a swallow from his mug before fixing the merchant with a level stare. "How badly is your associate going to need protection?"

"As you may be aware Mr. Uzumaki, the Ashford Trade Company has many powerful enemies. Enemies who could afford a wide range of interference with company dealings."

"When does your associate plan on leaving?"

"Tonight." At that moment the grind of a whetstone on steel ceased. The Ajhuku man identified as Shino turned just so slightly in his chair towards the merchant's direction. "Please Mr. Uzumaki. I know this is sudden-"

"Sudden?" and Naruto had actually started to rise from his seat, "That's like saying the First Patriarch of Joath is pious. We just finished a job days ago! Why-"

"One thousand gold sovereigns." The Ajhuku straightened in his chair and… Oh Joath that man Zuko was looking right at him, he just knew it. "As payment. Here is a banking check for two hundred sovereigns. Now. Just for taking the commission."

Naruto looked at the paper, lips pursed and brows furrowed. His eyes scanned everything from the dating at the top to the signatories and the seal of a Bareth city litigator. As well as the promised amount of two hundred gold sovereigns. "The rest," continued Brey, "will be handed over in Warvick. I promise gentlemen this will be a most dangerous undertaking but I hope you will find the risk worth the reward."

The mercenary leader sat back down. His eyes no longer seemed to focus on Brey. He had one hand tapping some indiscernible rhythm on the table whilst his brow became creased. Naruto then raised his head, traded a series of glances with both Shino and with Zuko off in the corner. Brey did not know what passed so silently between the three sellswords, but he prayed to Joath that fortune would favor him tonight. The tapping stopped.

"Alright Brey you've got some sellswords." Brey may not have let out the deepest sigh of his life. "Now where're do we meet this associate."

"Ah yes," Brey fumbled in one of his pockets before pulling out an envelope and placing it on the table before Naruto. The envelope was sealed with the mark of the Ashford Trade Company. "The directions are in there. I am also to inform you that the small envoy you will be escorting is fully supplied for the trip so there are no worries there. Except perhaps for anything you and yours will need especially."

"Don't worry," and that infectious smile had returned, "We'll be ready. I'll just take those." And before Brey could blink both the envelope and the banking check were off the table and in Uzumaki's hands.

"Very well then." His business here finished he got up to leave. He may not have had sweat coming off his palms. "Thank you Mr. Uzumaki-"

"Leave." Came the voice that sounded far too much like a growl from behind the merchant. Never had Brey dared to go so fast down a staircase in his life.

"At least you waited till after he payed us." Naruto sent Zuko a half-hearted glare and even in the bad light of the corner, he could tell that little smirk was there. Not once since the two had met had Naruto ever known Zuko to be 'sociable.' As if the scar didn't put off enough people, Zuko seemed to almost take pride in being as intimidating as possible every hour of every day.

"Where," asked Zuko, "Is this city Warvick?"

"It's on the other side of Umbria from here." Naruto downed what remained of his mug before kneeling over to where he had stowed his weapons beneath the table.

"I believe," Shino spoke, still seated with the shadow of his hat concealing most of his face, "Warvick sits on the border between Umbria and the Silver Forest. The Elven territories." Naruto stood back up, now belting two sheathed sabers to his waist. Both silver colored hilts were bedecked and decorated with intricate leaf designs. Each pommel was topped with a fox-shaped head. On the crossguard of one of the sabers, Shino recognized thin elven inscription. Once years ago Shino had made a query as to the meaning of the inscription and its match on the other blade. Naruto had remained silent for a breath or two before answering with single uttering, 'Uzumaki.' A few moments later Naruto had gone into some other elaborate practical joke he had performed on an unsuspecting Academy teacher. But for those brief moments before and after he had answered Shino's question, Naruto had a calmness to his features that the Ahjuku man had only seen a few times since meeting the half-elf, including this very moment.

"I think you're right Shino. It does." And then the calm was gone and that broad smile had resumed its place. "Hey Zuko, did you see where Kiba went?"

"I believe the mongrel left an hour ago with those twins."

"The red-heads?" Zuko nodded.

"Zuko could y- wait no- Shino can you get Kiba and Akamaru? Tell him we've got a job. And it's a high paying job too." Shino got up, leaving the untouched ale mug behind. As he went to the stairs he passed by Naruto.

"Should I include the high chance of danger Merchant Brey mentioned?"

"Good thinking Shino." But Shino had already begun his descent, his layered collection of robes making only the slightest rustle. When Shino had gone from sight Zuko turned to Naruto, his arm-blades hidden by his dark cloak pulled off a nearby chair.

"Daniel should be back at the inn." With one arm Zuko pulled up the hood of the cloak. Naruto had impressed upon Zuko how it was 'rude' to scare those who provided them with food and shelter, no matter how much such folk were being payed.

"If he hasn't sent that money to his folks yet," Naruto called out to Zuko, "Tell him it'll have to wait till after the job. He can leave it with Shika. The lazy ass won't mind." All Naruto got in response was a grunt, but from Zuko that was all he'd needed.

Naruto knew they'd need horses. And he knew a certain lazy horse trader, amateur alchemist, and Collegium dropout to get them from.

Now, most would consider the combination of horse trader and mage to be an odd and somewhat unlikely combination. In the case of one Shikamaru Nara, it simply meant more work for him. For a century the Naras had been horse traders, and every once in a while a Nara would come along with a talent for magic. The money from the family business was most helpful in sending a magically inclined Shikamaru Nara to the Collegium, center of magical learning in Umbria. From what Naruto had gathered in his all his time around Shika, the man had a brilliant and highly analytical mind. The man could have been an Archmage in half the time it took others to achieve that most esteemed and desired position. Unfortunately Shikamaru Nara also happened to be one of the laziest people Naruto had ever known. Within a year of arriving at the halls of Collegium, Shika had quit. Not drummed out or washed out, he quit. Normally Naruto had a very low opinion of those who simply gave up because they didn't want to do the work, but Naruto also happened to know that the family horse trade hadn't been doing so well at the same time. So Shikamaru came home, helped bring the business out of debt, but he never went back to finish his studies. He did not completely ignore his abilities. He made money on the side as an amateur potioner, selling various concoctions to help with this malady or another. But again, never had Naruto known someone with so much potential who was so lazy, which is why the half-elf took a certain perverse pleasure in banging the horse traders door when the moon was almost at its zenith.

"Wake up Shika, you lazy bastard! I need some horses!" Every few syllables were punctuated by loud rapping upon the horse trader's door. "C'mon Shika I got a job and I need the horses."

"What job could possibly be worth bothering me at…? Thanatos' wings it's the tenth hour!" Naruto wondered where Shika had gotten that water clock, probably the Collegium. Finally the door opened revealing a dark-haired man who stood just an inch over Naruto's five-and-a-half height. Shikamaru Nara, horse trader and part-time potioner, wore a look that somehow combined apathetic laziness with righteous indignation. Naruto had always wondered how the man could perform such a feat of facial expression. In one hand Shikamaru held a lit oil lamp and he looked to Naruto like a man just gotten out of bed, wearing a nightshift and- were those slippers? Must not snicker…damn.

"Nice slippers Shika." Oh did Shika's cheeks turn ever so slightly red or was that just the lamplight?

"They were a gift from Ino. If I don't wear them, then when she asks she'll know I'm lying." He stepped out of the house, locking the door behind him. "Come on let's see if we can kick a few stable-boys into work." Along the way to the stables Naruto made small talk with Shikamaru, asking about his parents, how they were doing, what had Ino and Chouji been doing. Along with those two, Shikamaru had attended the same Academy as Naruto. The Naras, Ino's family the Yamanakas, and Chouji's the Akimichis, had been close friends and business allies as far back as any memory goes. Whilst the Naras were prominent horse dealers, the Akimichi's were one of the biggest suppliers of beef in Umbria, and the Yamanaka's owned some of the finest wineries and vineyards north of the Murcionan border. Each of the three families easily afforded the prices of sending their young to one of the best institutions of education in Umbria- the Baretha Academy. It was there the sons of nobility, officers, and other affluent citizens of Umbria were sent to not only learn, but to also meet and befriend future allies. Naruto was able to attend in large part thanks to his mother Kushina's position as one of the premier dueling instructors of the Academy. No one in the Academy, no one in the city was better, so how could she have been…

"Naruto!"

"What? Sorry Shika," Naruto let a broad toothy smile burst on his face, a hand rubbing the back of his head as part of a childish tick he'd never let go of. "Just remembering the time I snuck a mouse into class. You were there weren't you?" Shikamaru's narrowed eyes in the lamplight, almost dared Naruto to loose what he he'd really been thinking.

"Yes. As I recall somehow you got both of us up for disciplinary duty."

"Eh heh heh." Suddenly Shikamaru stopped, just a few yards from the stable entrance. He stepped closer to Naruto and began speaking in a low voice.

"Naruto." In return the half-elf also lowered his.

"Yeah Shika."

"How much is this job paying?"

"A thousand sovereigns." The horse trader let out a low whistle of surprise.

"Who approached you?"

"Some merchant called Brey. Says he's from the Ashfords."

"I've heard of him. By all accounts he's an honest man; at least as merchants go." This time Shikamaru looked Naruto in the eyes. "Naruto, I've been hearing things. The big players are dusting up their feathers for something."

"Brey said change was coming."

"The last time 'change' came to this country was the civil war almost thirty years ago. And there's more."

"What do you mean?"

"I've still got a few friends in Collegium who talk to me now and then. Collegium is closing most of its doors, leaving very few open. And they've been stocking up."

"For what?"

"Anything, everything- according to one of my old teachers, and I mean really old, the last time Collegium acted like this…"

"The civil war."

"Yeah."

"Shit Shika, I'm just a sellsword." Naruto slid a palm down his brow. "Brey didn't lie the job was going to be dangerous."

"Did he say why?"

"Well it makes sense, the Ashfords are some of the biggest merchants in Umbria. I mean the head of the company is the uncle of the third prince… oh crap."

"Naruto, be careful."

"Yeah Shika, thanks." Both started again towards the stables.

"So Naruto, where do you need the horses to take you?"

"Warvick."

"Long trip. I've got some Adhaka hill ponies. They're small but tough. I've also got…" as Shikamaru went on about horse stock suited for the journey, Naruto's thought on what his friend had said and he remembered something Uncle Jiraiya had told him many years ago, "Never trust a merchant Naruto, for even when he's speaking the truth he's never saying the whole truth."

One hour, three startled stable boys, and ten horses later, Naruto led the convoy of horses and adolescents back to the inn where he and his band had settled in for the duration. After the horses were tied to the posts out front, he payed each boy a silver ducal and sent them back to Shikamaru. Naruto stepped into the inn, gave a smile and a wave to the innkeeper stoking the hearth, and went up the stairs to where the group had been bunked. After ascending the stairs, the half-elf looked about the landing and spotted Kiba outside his own room chewing on a strip of jerky. The Adhaka hill tribesman stood half-a-foot taller than Naruto, brown hair longer and wilder than Naruto's, and beneath each eye he wore a long downward pointing triangle tattooed in dark red ink. The facial markings pointed Kiba out as not only one of the Adhaka, but specifically of the Mocking Dog tribe. On one side Kiba wore a large hunting knife, a combination of brutality and skill, the blade was heavier near the end where the blade started to slightly curve. Off the other side he carried a fighting axe, simple and crude in look but Naruto had seen that thing cut off tree branches as effectively as it cut off limbs. Naruto could also see hanging off one shoulder an Adhakan recurved bow. Of the weapons in Kiba's arsenal, which also included a good half-dozen smaller knives scattered about his person, that bow was the second most dangerous. The half-elf still remembered the time the Adhakan had punched an arrow through a chest plate with that bow five years ago. Kiba tore off half of the jerky and lowered the rest to Akamaru, his vadrahkka which had been sitting patiently at his side.

Roughly translated vadrahkka meant 'fighting dog of hills.' For centuries the Adhaka tribes had bred and trained the vadrahkka for both hunting and war. Akamaru looked to have been born for the latter. The warhound's shoulders were even with Kiba's waistline, his large fist-sized paws were attached to legs so muscular and firm they looked to have been carved from a tree trunk. His neck seemed more suited to a bull's and it carried a head that somewhat short but obviously thick and heavy. Despite the verily pleased expression the dog wore, Naruto remembered the times he had seen Akamaru's mostly white fur (with long streaks of dark brown on the ears and legs) covered in blood and gore wearing the exact same expression. Kiba, Naruto noted, wore an expression that could be described as 'pain forthcoming.'

Naruto put on the biggest, friendliest, most open smile he'd used in weeks, "I guess Shino found you Kiba, heh, heh."

"Yeah," growled Kiba, "He did. He found me, Akamaru, Felicia and Katrina. You know… the twins? The redheads?" The smile on the Adhaka man's face had as many teeth as Akamaru. Not good.

Kiba had been… interrupted. Only three things could possibly turn his mood around at a time like this. "One thousand sovereigns." The savage grin of impending pain immediately became a mouth gaping in surprise. Fortunately it happened that money was one of them. "Also there's no telling what we'll be running up against." And Unknown degrees of danger were another one. "Now get down there, pick a horse and a spare, and be ready to move out at any moment." A grin of a different sort was on Kiba's face, more eager, almost manic. At his side, Akamaru's expression reflected his master's, his tail thumping in anticipation. The Adhakan went for the stairs, but before he made his descent he clapped Naruto on the shoulder and leaned close, still wearing that keen grin.

"When the job's done and the pay's in, you, me and Akamaru are going to have a little chat about your timing." Naruto turned just slightly so that Kiba could see an expression to match his own looking right back.

"Can't wait." Kiba gave a chuckle and another clap on the shoulder before going down the stairs, Akamaru trailing behind. Problem solved, or delayed in this case. Naruto went down a corridor, looking for the rest of his band.

He passed Shino, who nodded a greeting and Naruto nodded one back, the Ahjukun spellweaver heading towards the stairs. If Naruto happened to notice 'things' crawling around at the edges of Shino's sleeves and collar, well that was just Shino. When Naruto arrived at his own room, he found Zuko leaning against the wall beside the door. On one arm the scarred man wore that vicious gauntlet of his, claws and spines gleaming in the low lamplight. The other hand lay close to the longsword he had claimed after killing a Murcionan noble in a duel, long before he and Naruto ever met. Whatever feelings had towards Murciona, Naruto wouldn't deny they made some of the best swords outside of an elven blade-smithy.

"Zuko," Naruto acknowledged, "Did you get a hold of Danny."

"The boy is putting his pack together." Zuko turned his head so that his whole face was looking at Naruto, those golden eyes penetrating the shadows of the half-lit corridor, "He expected a longer stay."

"I know Zuko, but an offer like this doesn't happen often."

"Maybe there's a reason why."

"Brey didn't bother hiding the danger we'd be in."

"No. He just didn't to tell us what kind of danger." At this point Zuko pushed himself off the wall and stood squarely before Naruto, his six foot frame towered over Naruto's own. "For all we know we'll end up fighting the entire Umbrian army!"

"Okay, now you're just being a little silly." Zuko bristled at Naruto's words, and the half-elf tensed. He trusted Zuko. Whenever Naruto wasn't around it was Zuko who always took charge. But damnit if the man didn't have one of the meanest tempers in the band, probably worst with all the effort he would put reigning it in. "Look Zuko, you're right. I know you are. But that last job didn't pay nearly as much as it should have. With a contract like this, we can even take a break from it all. We could take a ship west to the Kaliil Islands. Good food, hotsprings, and I hear the women from there are almost as pretty as elven girls." Zuko looked Naruto in the eyes, and the blonde could almost hear the stones settling into place.

"I've only fought one Kaliil wardancer. He was one of my better opponents." The smile that grew on Zuko's face reminded Naruto just a little of the first time the two had met, each trying their best to kill the other. "I would want the chance to fight a master." Naruto reached forward and clasped Zuko's arm, not the one wearing the gauntlet, and gave a firm shake that Zuko returned.

"Just think, with all the money from this job you can have all the time to find the best fighter in all the islands. Well, the best before I get there." Naruto's chuckles were matched by low growling versions from Zuko. "Saddle up a horse and I'll see you downstairs with Danny." Zuko nodded an affirmative and walked down the corridor, his balanced, controlled gait eerily making Naruto think of some large hunting cat.

When Zuko had gone down the stairs, Naruto let out the breath he had been holding then continued down the hall to where Danny was bunked. When the half-elf reached the end of the hall, he brought his ear close to a door on the left. From the door he could hear someone bustling about inside. A sudden thump was followed by a string of curses. Hmm, he must have learned those Adhakan ones from Kiba. Naruto opened the door to find a young man, just past his nineteenth winter. Danny, or Daniel Fenton as his parents had named him, had a lean frame, slight but muscled and strong from years of training and fighting alongside the rest of the band. Currently his bright blue eyes were screwed in pain and frustration as he sat on a bed cradling a knee. "Trouble Danny?"

"Nope, everything's fine." The young man let go of the knee, got down on the other one as he reached under the bed. He pulled out a hand and with it a timepiece. Timepieces, little clockwork devices, were a rather recent invention, modeled after designs that had somehow survived the fall of the Adragal Empire of long ago. According to Danny, the timepiece he owned was a gift from his mother, passed down from her father. As the young man stood up off the floor, Naruto noticed the slim streak of solid white in an otherwise pitch black mop of hair. "Just getting packed. I thought we were going to stay awhile."

"I know Danny," Naruto shrugged, "But when a job like this comes by…"

"I know I know, 'when you're a sellsword, we listen for two things, fighting and money-"

"-whichever comes first." Naruto smiled as he recalled when he'd said that to the young man. It had been year after the war and a year into working as a mercenary. Had it really been five years since the five of them, six counting Akamaru, were left without a war to fight in and had gone into the lives of sellswords to make a living off their 'talents.' Naruto noticed the sealed pack next to the door. "You all set Danny."

"Uhuh." The young man responded as he belted a longsword to his side. The weapon, like Zuko's, was also of Murcionan make. Zuko had given to Danny during the war, a prize for surviving a year in the deep woods, skirmishing behind the Murcionan lines. He got it from the corpse of a Knight-Captain Danny had barely slain in a pitched battle. That had been an intense night. Blood sprayed and poured in torrents, men and beasts screamed in the dark, and cold blades cut through both night and flesh. "You okay boss?"

"Wha- oh yeah, fine. I'm just fine. Really? I can't wait to get started." Danny smiled at Naruto's apparent enthusiasm as he went out of the room, picking up the pack along the way.

"And I can't wait for that payday. A thousand sovereigns? Split five ways that's- um- that's… damn I never was good at numbers."

"Don't worry," Naruto assured, "I'm not good with them either and we've got Shino for that. Hey! Maybe one of these days he can teach us." Naruto and Danny both stopped in the hall looked aside at each other… before breaking into laughter. While the two had caught their breaths, Naruto patted Danny's shoulder, "C'mon, the rest are waiting outside."

A/N: Thought this would be a good stopping point. See you next time when the journey gets started.