My smile followed me into my quarters. With so many thoughts running through my head, I could hardly focus. 'I guess this is an okay gift… I finally get to see the entire world and experience it first-hand… And, I get to do it all with Keia too.' I opened all of the drawers on my tables and searched under my bed and through my wardrobe while frantically collecting any item that I believed would prove useful to me. Among the things I collected were an additional two hundred Krontars, two herbs, and a potion. I put everything in a medium-sized travel pack and proceeded to open up my laboratory. I was down on my hands and knees fumbling to find the button on my bed leg when there was a knock on my door. I rose to my feet in an instant. "Come in!" I shouted. Ceae busted through the door in a hurry.

"Wow… The room of a prince… It's a lot smaller than I imagined," he said.

"Well, it keeps me from losing anything. Do you have everything?"

Ceae set down a small bag. "I found a couple Krontars and an herb in my room. I'm sorry that I don't have much…"

"Do you have any weapons?"

"Yessir."

"Really? Do you know how to use any? A sword, a bow, a staff?"

"Swordarm, sir. Back when I had to tend to the bushes in the garden, I used a sword to cut them. It was practice, should I ever join the DPF."

"Let me see your sword," I demanded. Ceae handed me a fairly small sword, much more dagger-like than a sword. It was lightweight and somewhat dull. "It could use a good sharpening… Here, let me do that real quick." I got down and reached under my bed. "Ceae, what you see stays a secret, understand?"

"Uh, yes sir… What's going on?"

"You'll see." I pushed a well-hidden button on my bed's leg. A small portion of the blank wall behind me flipped open, containing a small screen and an even smaller keypad. On the screen, a blinking cursor followed the word "Username." I typed in "IceMaster," and when prompted, I entered my secret password. The screen read, "Welcome, Cryos." before the panel flipped back into the wall. The wall parted, revealing a staircase leading downward into a well-lit room.

"Please lock the bedroom door, and then follow me," I directed. Ceae quickly locked the door and hurried to catch up with me. Down the stairs was a smallish room made of a metal material. "This is my lab." I turned around to face Ceae, and his facial expression clearly showed his amazement. I walked over to a small machine in the back of the room and placed Ceae's dagger in a slot. I pushed a few buttons, and the machine started up. After a few seconds of whirring, the sword came back out. "Here you are! The cutting edge, you see, is sharp enough to prove useful now."

"Wow… I've never seen anything like this before! I never expected to see anything like this either…"

"It's awesome, isn't it? Oh, hold on." I walked to a nearby display case. Inside was a razor-sharp longsword. In front of the case was a button on a pedestal with the word "Release" written above the button. I pressed the button and watched the sword drop through a trapdoor in the display case and rise up beside the pedestal. I grabbed it by its handle and swung it once through the air. A high-pitched whistling noise could be heard. I pulled the sheath off of a nearby holding rack and slipped the sword inside, then fastened it to my side. I walked past Ceae without paying attention, but before I forgot him, I said, "C'mon Ceae. We need to get Keia and get started on our journey." Ceae silently followed me back up the stairs. We both watched the wall close up behind us. "Remember, this stays a secret…"

"No problem! Yes sir!"

"If you tell anyone, I'll—" There was a knock at the door. I ran over and unfastened the only lock Ceae had locked. Keia started to push open the door.

"Or you'll do what, exactly?" she asked as she stepped into the room. She shot me a look as though she had heard everything.

"Um… Nothing! Nothing to worry about!" I said with a look of embarrassment on my face. "Are you ready to go?"

Keia sat a bag down on the floor. "Yeah… Mom gave me an additional one hundred Krontars and a couple of potions she had been saving up for just the occasion… Also…" Keia pulled a bow off of her back. "I have my favorite bow… I have a few arrows too, but I don't think it'll be enough for our trip."

"That's why we're stopping by the store before we leave town. It could be awhile before we run across another town," I pointed out.

"How much do you have, Cryos?" Keia asked me.

"I have the two hundred Krontars from Father, and an additional two hundred more from my own savings. I also have my sword, handmade by yours truly."

"I have a couple of Krontars and an herb," Ceae said.

"So, altogether, we have four hundred and two Krontars, three herbs, and three potions," I said. "It's a good start."

"Well, if everyone's ready to go, we should get moving!" Keia said while picking up her bag. Ceae and I gathered our stuff as well. Keia was the first to leave, so Ceae and I followed after her.

'This is going to be quite a journey…' I thought.