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Standing in front of Rigel's house, Reis once more looked over the list the mizar had given him. "Three kilograms brimstone, four kilograms magnesium, 10 kilograms Vesta powder, 7 kilograms charcoal, three jars of Aqua Fortis, and three jars of Oleum. Now all I have to do is hand all this stuff over and go home."

Reis raised his hand to knock on the door, but before he could even knock once, the door swung inward. There in the doorframe stood Rigel, dressed from head to toe in black hooded robes that concealed most of his form. "I've been expecting you" said the mizar. "Were you followed?"

The question caught Reis off guard. "Followed? No, I don't think I was" answered Reis.

"Good. Do you have everything on the list?"

"Yeah, it's all here. What is thi-" started Reis

"Just a little project of mine. That is all you need to know. Now leave, and keep any leftover money as a thank you." Rigel said coldly before slamming the door shut.

Damn crazy cat thought Reis as he heard several heavy locks clicking into place.

Reis was walking home through the streets of the Aldeborian capital, Lilium, when a commotion from a tavern on his left caught his attention. Two tall muscular alcor were dragging a third alcor by his arms into the street. As they threw him into the dirt, a slender mizar appeared in the doorway.

"Next time you step foot in here, it had better be with enough gold to pay your tab!" shouted the mizar.

"I don't need your tavern!" the third alcor said from the ground. "I'll open my own tavern, with gambling and cheap prostitutes. In fact forg-"

"Save it for someone who cares, you lousy drunk" snapped the mizar before he went back inside, followed by his bodyguards.

The alcor stood up and looked around the street, obviously confused about what happened. As soon as he saw Reis however, he smiled. "Brother!"

Before Reis stood his foster brother Rinam. His white fur was matted with dirt, and his clothes were wet with what must have been spilt ale. "Hello Rinam. Keeping out of trouble I see" said Reis sarcastically.

"As much as I can" replied Rinam, a sly smile on his muzzle.

"That's the third one this week Rin. You need to find a new hobby."

"I can't help it if every bar in town can't handle this" said Rinam, flexing his muscular frame. Rinam paused for a moment. "I had heard something earlier that sounded like an explosion. Was that your doing again?"

"Not this time Rin" laughed Reis. "One of the professors blew up the alchemy wing."

"The whole wing?!" asked Rinam, completely dumbstruck

"Yeah, the whole wing. C'mon, I'll explain on the way home" said Reis

"Good. This I gotta hear."

Reis recounted the day's events as they walked through Lilium. Rinam seemed particularly interested in the bit about the thief. "So not only did you get robbed by a woman, but you let her get away?" asked Rinam, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm almost ashamed to call you my brother."

"Oh, like you wouldn't have done the same thing in my position" snapped Reis.

"With her, I'd do any position" quipped Rinam with a sly smile.

Reis buried his face in his palm. "That didn't even make sense. Do you ever think of anything besides liquor and women?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I care about myself."

"Why did I even ask?"

Before long, they arrived at the small hut near the outer wall that they called home. It was a modest place; simple wooden furniture decorated the inside. Reis didn't care all that much. He spent most of his time at the academy studying, and figured Rinam did... well, whatever it was Rinam did.

"On a more serious note, brother" said Rinam once they got inside. "Have you heard the news recently? They say there was another incident in the south. An elite Expeditionary Force unit went missing, and nobody knows what happened."

"No, I hadn't heard. And where did you hear all of this anyway? One of your old friends from the Royal Guard?" asked Reis.

"Not exactly. I overheard some soldiers talking in the pub earlier before that bastard threw me out."

"So that's what you do with your time. I've been wondering what you've been up to since you quit the guard" said Reis.

"Hey!" said Rinam with a laugh. "I've been doing more than that. I'm looking to see if anybody wants to hire a mercenary. Being a member of the guard was so... boring. I want some action in my life."

"If you wanted some action, you shoulda joined the Expeditionary Force instead."

"And what? Mysteriously disappear into thin air? I don't think so. Besides, someone has to look after you" said Rinam as he disappeared into his room.

The rest of Reis's day was uneventful. He sat in his room levitating several small stones above his palm and thinking on the day's events. After a few hours and a small dinner, Reis crawled into his bed and fell asleep.

It was still dark when Reis woke to the sound of somebody furiously pounding on the front door. Reis reluctantly pulled himself out of bed to answer the door. When he opened the door however, he found nobody in the street. Sitting on the doorstep was a letter. It was neatly addressed to him, and sealed with a wax seal he didn't recognize. Whoever went through all the trouble to deliver this must think it's important. Especially at this hour. Reis took the envelope inside and read it.

"'Reis, I require your assistance with a task that I would entrust to nobody else.'" He read to himself. "'Meet me in my study at the academy. Your friend and mentor, Valerio.' What is it with everybody suddenly wanting my attention?"

The sun had barely risen by the time Reis arrived at the Aldeborian Royal Mages Academy. He quickly made his way to Valerio's office, pondering what it was the old man wanted him to do. As he approached the room, the door swung open by itself.

"I've been expecting you" said Valerio. He was sitting in a high-backed chair that sat neatly behind a desk piled high with various papers and trinkets. Valerio waved his hand towards a chair. "Please sit. We have a lot to discus, and I'm afraid we haven't much time."

I seem to be expected a lot lately. Reis sat across from Valerio and opened his mouth to speak, but the old man cut him off.

"Tell me Reis, do you know how it is that a mage focuses his energy into magic?" asked Valerio. "Of course you don't, you can't stay awake long enough in my lectures to learn anything. This world is full of magical energy. A mage is simply one who is in tune with this force, and able to call upon it to do his bidding. But simply being in tune with the magical flow of the world is not enough. A mage needs to hocus his power though some sort of instrument. Usually this is done through either a wand or staff, but can sometimes be done through runes and rings" explained Valerio. "But you, Reis, you are different. You possess a unique ability to cast magic without any sort of aid. You are a magical prodigy, a because of this, I have a task that I trust to nobody but you. Will you help me?" Reis sensed a hint of desperation in the old man's voice.

I've known Valerio almost my whole life, and never once have I seen him so worked up over something. He's desperate for help, and I'd be a fool to walk away from the man that's practically cared for me since I was a child. Reis thought for a moment. "I'll do it."

Hearing this, Valerio removed a small box from a drawer and set it on the desk. "You've heard stories about recent events with our neighbors to the south, Volana, correct?"

"Nothing more than rumors, I'm afraid" answered Reis.

"Volana is mostly inhabited by the draconian people known as the na'Dar. Lately there have been incidents near the border of Aldebora and Volana. The most recent was the disappearance of an Expeditionary Force patrol. I have a contact in the village of Gould, near the Volanan border. The last letter he sent me said that Volana was preparing weapons and recruiting soldiers. This can mean only one thing... that war is on the horizon." Said Valerio. "This is where you come in Reis. The contents of this box are important to my contact, and need to make it to him. I'm getting too old for this kind of thing Reis. That is why you must go."

Reis's mind raced with questions. "If Volana is reading for war, why aren't we doing the same? Why doesn't the Aldeboran government do something? Why hasn't the army mobilized?"

"The government does know, and the army is mobilizing. What you see here is the guard and new recruits. All other stations have been placed on alert." Explained Valerio. "If word got out that we were on the verge of war there'd be widespread panic."

Reis paused for a minute, his mind processing all of this new information. "One final question. How will I recognize this contact of yours?"

"I'll send him a letter with your description, so he'll be looking for you. He'll also be looking for this" Valerio said as he pulled a silver ring set with an amethyst off of his finger and handed it to Reis. "Not only will it prove that I sent you, but it will focus your magical energy making your spells more effective. Take this map with you too. I've marked the location of Gould on it. Now go, and may the gods watch over you."

Reis slid Valerio's ring onto his finger, then grabbed both the box and map off of the table. "I won't let you down professor" said Reis as he left the room. It's hard to believe that just yesterday I was chasing thieves, and now I'm given a task to travel across the country to deliver a mysterious box. How do I get myself into these situations?