Spring Break
Chapter 14
By Rachel76m Edited
by Don Kaufman

Then we fly over the Correllianne Mountains. The Grand Castle comes into view like a gem mounted high on a ring. The ring being the twelve pavilions around the Grand Castle. We start our descent and approach the field near the castle. We see people running towards us to greet us.

When the dragons land on the field, we appear in a flash light. The people on the ground stop and 'gasp' when they see the dragons carrying us.

The dragons kneel down to get their bodies low enough for us. The Legion Commander, the Port Governor and the Sea Captain get up to help steady us as we get off the dragons. The guards and other knights on the ground come up to assist us all down.

Once we all get off, we gather around together to stand in front of the dragons. Plus the sealing spells are removed from the ladies. The ladies who carried two flowers take out the other one and hand it back to the other lady with appreciation and thanks. The fairies’ gift is held on a little longer until they get it back safely to their own pavilions.
King Dryden speaks to the dragons. "Thank you for a most honorable and memorable trip; well done, Land Dragons of Twainor. The Kingdoms will have their evening repast in their pavilions this evening. At 2nd Mark tomorrow morning will be like this day to discuss the options for the people of Maranelle Islands who have the sickness."

"Thank you, King Dryden."

King Dryden and the rest of us turn around and face the crowd who gather before us.

"It's a success! We have met the sea dragons and have made peace with them!"

Everybody cheers loudly to the announcement. Even the dragons roar
with approval.

King Dryden raises his hands to quiet the people and dragons to resume his speech. "You will all be told what happened out there as you gather for the evening repast. The wizards and sorceresses were able to record the meeting. Tomorrow morning at 2nd Mark is the meeting for the Maranelle Islands Kingdom. Then the next day at 2nd Mark we will all gather at the Sea Gala Arena to meet the sea dragons to begin talks and start coming to an agreement. The irony of it is this. The sea dragons were tearing the sea fleet's nets to get our attention for many years. It took Richard's stories to get us to realize it. For that we should be thankful to the Maker it did not take any longer."

Soon roars of cheering rise up from the crowd to thank the Maker. We all begin to walk back to our respective pavilions. Some of the people come up to me and thank me personally. Sir Halgren watches over me, smiling as he saw it happen.

Everybody else greeted the others who came back. They wanted to know what happened out there and what the sea dragons look like before they see them for real later.

We all walk back to our pavilions in plenty of time to relax. We have almost two full marks before the evening repast. I am surprised we left here at the 3rd Mark after the noon repast. It took us only a full mark to take care of matters on the islands out West.

I walk around the area and see smiles and happy faces on everyone. Like a heavy burden has been lifted. "This is great, Sir Halgren. The people are very happy now. What was the mood like before the Outside Helpers came?"

"This mood is a big improvement. Five years ago I remembered some days wondering when we will get an improvement in the fishing season. With what we know now, I would say the sea dragons chased the fish away to prevent them from being caught."

"That's not the first time I heard or read something like that on my world. Our weather cycles caused us many problems in the past. Once we started to understand the cycles; how the winds move, the oceans heat up or cool down in certain spots, it affected the crops and the fish catches. It even could be the sea dragons that chased them away for all I know. I remember one story that occurred decades ago. That it was very dry on land in one part of a country. Fires would flare up and burn the trees. It took months to control them, always hoping for rain to help us."

"I know what you mean Richard. You do the best you can to prepare for the worst. Some of our storms can be very bad at times, especially the lightning."

"I agree, Sir Halgren."

We see Chamberlain Drexton approaching us. He stops in front of us to give us some news. "Richard and Sir Halgren; the King has decided after the evening repast and the setting of the sun to have the replay of the meeting with the sea dragons for all in the pavilion. So be prepared for that."

Sir Halgren looks at me and we both agree together. Sir Halgren faces Sir Drexton, "Thank you Chamberlain, we'll be ready."

Chamberlain Drexton walks away to talk other people about the meeting set for later in evening.

"What did you think when the Wizard dropped the hint that you and some of the Outside Helpers will help us find a way to create some unique machines for us?"

"Hmm... you noticed that, Sir Halgren?"

"Yes, Richard,” he smiles to try to alleviate my thoughtful face.

"Well, first we need to check with the dwarves and have a visit to see what they discovered and built. I have an idea how to do it; the problem will be certain materials. If they don't have it, we'll have to improvise until improvement takes place."

"Like with your chest and back plate padding?"

"That's right Sir Halgren. To create metal thread is always tough to do in the forge. The tailors must have figured out how to create it. The nice thing about having metal thread it can be used for a lot of things. Unfortunately in this case you can't use it for electrical machinery. Don't worry; the ideas will come to mind."

"What would be another issue about these machines?"

"Creating tools is not really a problem. Once the problem happens, tools are made to help you out." I show my watch to Sir Halgren. "Take for instance this time piece. When these were created the first time, they were very large. They were put in cases this big or bigger." I demonstrate the dimensions wit h my hands. "They made the parts very large so that they can see how it could work or not. They are mechanical and it works very well. Once they had a working model, then they started making the pieces smaller and with more precision."

"Hmm... so what do you use the time piece for?"

"You can take it with you determine the time of day when a sun dial is not available. This is especially true at night. How do you know when it is each Mark on the sundial or when to change the watch at night?"

"That's a good question from your point of view. We realized the same problem. So we mounted a contact sphere on the sundials. Here I'll demonstrate." He takes out his contact sphere and faces his palm towards the sphere. He concentrates on the sundial in the castle courtyard here. Soon the image of the sundial appears below the crystal sphere.

"See that Richard. It shows it is the half past the fourth Mark."

"I see; that is very good. Then you can see the sundial in the other kingdoms and know what the time is there."

"That's right."

"Now I'm impressed by that revelation."

"Thank you, Richard." He smiles at me.

"But with that knowledge you now can begin to create a map of your world with some high degree of accuracy."

"We have maps of our world where we have artists who would travel with a wizard and draw it from the Ethereal Space."

"That's good. For us it was a little different. We always had sailing vessels, so the mapping was done from that point of view. It took us a long time to figure out how to create machines to allow us to fly. We even made devices that helped mapped the world more accurately."

"Isn't it very heavy to lift those machines?"

"We looked around to see what will give ideas. We looked at birds and see how they fly. It took a lot of trial, error and crashes until we learn the rules to create those machines."

"Or even dragons."

"Or even dragons here on Twainor. They are far heavier than the birds we saw on the islands. The key is forward movement and getting the wing shape right. It worked best when the wing is stiff and allows it to glide through the air. But, I will say this. It is a lot more fun your way than it is on my world to fly. On my world, you have the chance of getting hurt badly or possibly die from a crash if something goes wrong."

"I will have to remember that. The Maker has definitely blessed our world."

"That he has, Sir Halgren."

"Since it is quarter past the 4th Mark, we still have about a full mark before we are needed back. Where do you want to go or see?"

"We didn't finish my tour of your pavilion area. Plus, it would be nice to check in on the neighboring kingdoms in our region here."

"Sounds like a good idea to me, Richard. Let's pick up where we left off."

Sir Halgren escorts me around to see the rest of the layout. We see Caltron, Serena, Avel and the fairies talking with each other as they look at the gifts from the Wizard. Caltron sees us and waves to us come closer.

"Out for a walk, Richard?"

"Sir Halgren is just showing me the rest of the camp area. We were interrupted by Corrbas the other day when he put the sea tooth into my pocket. Plus, I wanted to visit the other two kingdoms that are in our region here."

"That's good. We were just marveling at the gift from the Wizard here."

"They are beautiful Richard. Too bad we cannot smell them to help remember them."

"Yes, they do have a wonderful scent. You have the red rose, Serena, and the fairies have the white gardenia. They can both be pervasive with their own scent when you get a bunch together."

"I remember the scents, Richard. They can really get your attention. Perhaps we can find a similar one here on Twainor."
"Anything is possible, Avel. The rose, Serena, is really a thorny type bush, but it can grow like a vine. Our gardeners will trim the thorns off before they are presented."

"That's interesting, Richard. It has such beauty, yet it protects itself with thorns."

"There are many flowers with different purposes. One of the flowers I saw earlier was the orange blossom. It has a unique scent for being a small flower, but it gives a large fruit when ripe that is very good for you. Orange is also the color between yellow and red as the sun sets."

"Thank you for that image, Richard. We have some fruits that are like that, Richard. Indeed the Maker has blessed his creation."

"That he has, Caltron. See you all later this evening."

"See you later, Richard," as they respond.

We walk away from them and walk among the tents again.

"That reminds me, Sir Halgren, can you lead me to the Master Chef here. I would like to have a word with him."

"Is it a particular request?"

"It might be, but I don't know if he could answer it."

"Hmm... maybe you can ask me. Let me see if I can remember that he has prepared anything like it."

"All right. It pertains to cooking with different woods for a particular flavor besides using spices."

"I see where you're going with this. He might already know a few of them."

"It is possible. But it is worth a try to expand the menu so to speak."

"Well, it won't hurt to ask. He is getting the evening repast ready at this time; he probably won't have time for it tonight."

"Probably not, but it will give him ideas to try after I go back home."

"Very good, let's go ask."

Sir Halgren leads me to the kitchen tents. We see the Master Chef busy getting the evening repast ready. He is acting like a conductor telling what he wants done. We stand patiently by the tent entrance waiting for him to catch his breath. He looks around and sees everything running smoothly. Then he sees us by the tent entrance. He walks up to greet us.

"Greetings, Richard and Sir Halgren, my name is Beharn. Are you stopping by for a tour?"

"I'm escorting Richard around and showing him which tent is which if he needs help for anything."

"That's good. Have you been around a kitchen like this Richard?"

"I have, Master Chef. I worked as a cook for one summer and learned how to cook meat on the grill for people in an eatery. It definitely helped me understand how food is prepared and the time it takes."

"That's good. I wish all the people would take time to learn. But, that is not what you are here for."

"No, Master Chef. This is a question to see if you heard of this type of food preparation."

"Go ahead and ask it."

"You're cooking meat over the grill, instead of spicing with your regular herbs and spices. Have you ever tried placing some particular wood chips onto the coals so that it would smoke a different flavor?"

"Come to think of it, I have. It is in one of the other kingdoms that do that. We don't have that particular tree here in Thryson, so getting that wood can be hard to get and be expensive. Are you suggesting an alternative?"

"I am, Master Chef. How about using the wood from a fruit tree that you know well that the other kingdoms don't have?"

The Master Chef smiles, "I see what you mean; the meat will then have that fruit flavor smoked into it to enhance it."

"That is whole point of cooking is to experiment to make something unique like we had for the noon repast in the Grand Dining Room. It might not need any spices added or very little."

"Yes, you're right, Richard. I can experiment with some fruit trees that I know will work. It probably won't need any herbs, but the right spice will do it."

"As you know Master Chef, mixing the right two fruits together is better than putting two fruits that are wrong for each other. Most of the time it is better with just one fruit taste."

"Are you sure your specialty is not cooking?" He smiles with the question.

I laugh, "No, Master Chef, I like to cook so that I won't starve. I've collected about two dozen spices and herbs so that my meals are not boring and tasteless."

Sir Halgren and the Master Chef roar with laughter, "Hah, hah, hah..."

Then the kitchen help turn around to see what the commotion is about.

The Master Chef sees it, "Go back to work, I'll explain it later." The kitchen help returns to their assignments. He smiles at me. "I like that answer, Richard."

Sir Halgren slaps me on the shoulder, "That's good, Richard. I need to remember that."

"Is that all, Richard?"

"That's it, Master Chef."

"I'll see what I can do for tomorrow night. I know you will be leaving soon. How long can you stay?"

"Well, when Renard contacted me, I was about to start a seven day break before resuming classes. Renard tells me that I will be back the same day that I left."

"I see, tomorrow it is Maranelle Islands, the next day will be the sea dragons. We'll probably be breaking camp when that is over."

"I see where you're going with this, Master Chef. But it will take you longer to get everything stowed away onto the ships and sail back like you did getting here."

"That's right, Sir Halgren. The Outside Helpers will be sent back while we're sailing back."

"Maybe you can come back with us to Thryson for my last night there for the farewell dinner. That is an option."

"Yes, that can be an option, Richard. I will ask King Tierion about it. Thanks Richard, you've given me some new ideas to try. I appreciate it very much."

"You're welcome, Master Chef."

We both smile at each other then we nod our heads together. We turn around and resume our tour. We hear the Master Chef barking out orders to keep them busy.

"So, where do we need to go now, Richard?"

"I need to see Telgon so that he can make arrangements for a visit for some Outside Helpers."

"Right this way, Richard."

I follow Sir Halgren back over to the area where the First Ones have their tents. We don't see the centaurs, the fairies and Avel this time, but we do see Telgon and another dwarf sitting on a log. Telgon is working with a tool on his armor and shield. The other dwarf is working on his shield while they are talking together. They both look up as we approach them. They both put down their tools and armor to greet us. They both stand up and nod their heads to us. We nod our heads in response.

I let Sir Halgren make the introductions since I have not met the other dwarf yet, “Greetings, Telgon and Durlond."

"Greetings, Sir Halgren and Richard, what can we do for you?"

We nod our heads to each other while we smile.

"Do you remember what the Wizard said this afternoon, Telgon?"

"I do, Richard. When do you think would be a good time?"

"Well, I was hoping after the Maranelle Islands conference. Perhaps after the noon repast tomorrow. I can spend some time, perhaps a few marks to see what you've accomplished underground."

"How much of Thryson Kingdom have you seen Richard?"

"Not much, Telgon and Durlond. Renard gave me a quick flight of Thryson Kingdom for an introduction. If I remember right, your continent is very big with some mountain ranges."

"That's right, Richard. The mountain range you saw behind the castle is the border between two kingdoms and no active Fire Mountains. The third kingdom for our region is a smaller land mass, about half the size with its own mountains to the North. The Fire Mountains for our region is along a ridge of islands near them."

"I see, Durlond. I also wanted to bring the other two Outside Helpers along with me. This will be easier to get our minds together to work out some ideas for you."

"Thank you Richard. Let's go and take care of the arrangement right now so that they can get ready in the mountain for your arrival."

"We didn't mean to interrupt your repair, Telgon."

"Oh, that." Telgon points at the armor. "Don't worry about that, Sir Halgren. I was doing some edge repair so it won't cut the leather work. Let me put this away. Our wives will need to be with us. Making the arrangements will be better when we are present together."

We give a slight chuckle.

Telgon picks up his armor and shield and opens the tent flap to put them away inside. "My dear Dolina, will you please come out please."

"You too, Thalsia, please come out."

"Sure Telgon, give me a moment. Who is out there?"

"It is Richard and Sir Halgren."

"Oh dear, I'll be right out."

"Oh no, give us a moment."

"Take your time Dolina, no need to rush it."

Sir Halgren and I look at each other and smile. We look at Telgon and Durlond with the smile as well.

They both come out looking a little flustered and try to smile.

"You look fine, my dear."

"We know we do Telgon. We were just busy doing something else."
She turns to us and smiles. "What brings this honor here?"

We both give a quick nod of our heads to acknowledge the two ladies.

They both nod their heads with a smile as a return gesture.

"Richard and Sir Halgren would like for us to get together with the other two Outside Helpers in our region for quick meeting here. To see what ideas they can provide for us to help out Twainor and the sea dragons."

"Help out the sea dragons? What can we do to help them, Richard?"

"I don't know yet. Perhaps after the noon repast tomorrow, we can take a quick trip to your underground kingdom for a few marks on the sundial. We can see what you have accomplished in your inventions."

"Yes, you must come to our Under Kingdom, Richard. We would love to show and share our world with you."

"I must ask this question, Richard and Sir Halgren. You have no problem going underground?"

"Not really, I just have to remember to breathe and trust in my host leading me. I have been underground before in some large caves on my world before."

"I have no problems, Telgon. I've been to your cities before."

"The only one I know that has a problem among the Outside Helpers so far is Belisar from the Maranelle Islands."

"Then don't worry about that, Richard. He is in another region altogether."

"Thanks, Sir Halgren for the reminder. Come then, let us go visit the other Outside Helpers then."

"I will need to stop by and tell Sir Trenton where I'm going before we leave the camp."

"By all means do so, Sir Halgren. I would have it no other way."

"Thanks, Telgon."

The two dwarf ladies stay behind and talk about what needs to be done.

The four of us start walking towards to Sir Trenton's tent. The two guards stand attention as we approach.

"Please wait out here. It won't take too long."

Sir Halgren enters in the tent. In a few moments the tent flap opens and Sir Trenton and Sir Halgren step out together.

"Sir Halgren tells me you want to have a quick visit with the other two Outside Helpers in our region. If I remember right, this is about what the Earth Wizard was talking about earlier today, Richard?"

"It is Sir Trenton. First I wanted to see if it can be done before I go home. It looks like the best time is tomorrow afternoon for a few marks. The Maranelle Island conference should be done by the noon repast."

"I see, Richard, and then the next morning will be the sea dragons which will require everyone to be there. After that, I'm presuming the events of the week are over and we get to break camp and go back home."

"Then I will be sent home the next morning after the sea dragons."

"We did see the Master Chef a little awhile ago. He will try to make arrangements for a farewell dinner for the last night before Richard goes back home the next morning."

"Well it does sound like a good plan Sir Halgren, and it is well thought out. You will need a wizard to get there and back here tomorrow afternoon. You can go ahead to the other kingdoms and find those two Outside Helpers. I will go speak to King Tierion right now so that he can contact the other two Kings."

"So, by the time the other two Outsider Helpers reach their Kings for permission, hopefully it will be set to go."

"That is right, Sir Halgren. Go and come back quickly. We have about a mark left to the evening repast."

"Yes sir. I will use my contact sphere to reach the other escorts, it will be faster."

"Yes, it will be."

Sir Halgren comes to attention as the rest of us give a nod of our heads. Sir Trenton returns the acknowledgment with his nod of the head. Sir Trenton walks back into his tent.

Sir Halgren takes out his contact sphere to speak to the other two escorts, Sir Hegarth of Eirecann and Sir Regis of Ringol.

Sir Halgren soon sees Sir Hegarth appear in an image above his contact sphere.

"Sir Halgren, good afternoon. What brings this call?"

"Do you remember what the Earth Wizard said earlier today?"

"Yes, I remember it. He said something about seeing the dwarves and seeing what they can do for Twainor and the sea dragons."

"That's right. Richard wants the three kingdoms in our region to get together and discuss arrangements for a meeting tomorrow afternoon."

"That sounds fine, Sir Halgren. I'll contact Sir Regis. Where do you want to meet?"

"Since Thryson is in the middle of our group. How about we meet here? Bring the dwarf ambassadors from your kingdom together here also. They should be able to hammer out the arrangements real quick."

"I'm sure they will. Get enough seating put together for all of us. We'll be there as soon as I get a hold of Sir Regis."

"Good; see you then before the next quarter-mark."

"See you then."

The image disappears. "All right Telgon and Durlond, where do you want to meet here?"

"We can't use the pavilion because it is being prepared for the evening repast. We'll have it front of my tents by the First Ones."

"We'll need to get some additional logs for us to sit down on, Durlond."

"That's easy, Telgon. Angathorn kingdom puts a stack of short logs in each camp area for our use as we see fit."

"Thanks for reminding me, Durlond. Let's go get set up."

All four of us walk back to the First Ones tent area. We see Caltron and Serena there talking to each other.

"Caltron and Serena, the dwarves and the Outside Helpers with their escort in our region are going to meet here soon. We are going to make arrangements for a visit to their underground kingdom tomorrow afternoon."

"That's a fine idea, Richard. You'll need some more seating here."

"Let's go over to the stack of logs and bring some over here and make a circle."

Caltron, Durlond, Telgon, Sir Halgren and I walk over to a stack. They are not too big. The logs are of various lengths and sizes. Sir Halgren and I each pick up a short one to carry over. Caltron picks up one of the longer ones to bring over with ease. We put the logs down and arrange them in a circle.

"We're going to need a few more logs. There will be eighteen sitting here."

We make one more trip and bring the logs over. Serena, Thalsia and Dolina push and roll the logs to form three groupings that will allow six to sit near each other.

"Good, I need to go into the tent. We will need to drink a cup of dwarf ale to begin our meeting."

Telgon turns to me, "Have you ever had ale, Richard?"

"The strongest I ever had is wine. I can take a sip of ale to honor the meeting. But I would like to switch to a fruit juice if you don't mind."

"We can accommodate that Richard." Telgon walks into the tent to tell Dolina. Telgon comes back out. "Dolina will take care of that for you Richard."

"Thank you, Telgon and Durlond."

Caltron turns around and sees the other dwarves, escorts and Outside Helpers entering the camp. "They’re here friends. Serena and I won't be too far. Let us know if you need any help."

"Thanks, Caltron and Serena."

The two centaurs walk towards one of the walls and see the centaurs in the other kingdom. They begin to talk to each other and have their own conversation.

Our guests arrive. We all turn around to greet them.

"Welcome, Ringol and Eirecann, to Thryson Kingdom."

We all begin to put hands on the shoulder like we see the dwarves do, the ladies mean while give each other some quick hugs.

"Come, let us begin our meeting with a round of ale."

Dolina and Thalsia bring out two platters of small cups. Each is poured with some ale. Everyone takes a cup and holds it in their hands. We all exchange names and promise to repeat them again. We all smile together.

Telgon speaks first, “To Twainor. May the Maker grant us wisdom and purpose to help all citizens."

"To the Maker, who provided the Earth Wizard who helped us make peace with the sea dragons,” replied Nalgan of Eirecann Kingdom.

"To the Outside Helpers, who have provided us the insight to help all."

We all pause to think some more.

"Is there anybody else who wish to add to the toast?"

Everybody shook their heads 'no.'

"To Twainor!"

Everybody shouts in response, "To Twainor!"

Everybody takes a drink from the cup quickly. Ariella and I sip it slowly wondering what it is like.

"Hmm... that is not bad, Telgon."

Then it hits me and Ariella at the same time. "Cough.. Cough... Cough... "

"Whoa!!"

"Oh my, that is strong," responds Ariella with a dry rasping voice.

Then with my own dry, rasping voice needing water. "I think I need that fruit juice now."

"I agree, Telgon. I need that fruit juice. That is strong compared to my world."

The others laugh.

"Sorry about that, Richard and Ariella."

Dolina and Thalsia step forward with another pair of trays with some cups of fruit juices for anyone who wishes one. Ariella and I both put our empty cups on the tray and pick up another cup. We sip the cup immediately. Soon relief washes across our faces. Some others take a cup of fruit juice as well.

"That's alright, Durlond. I knew it would be strong. It is strong enough to clean out my head really good of any sickness."

We all laugh again.

"Come let us take a seat and make plans for tomorrow."

We all sit down on the logs provided and look around at each other with smiles.

"I guess I will begin. The ones who were there on the islands out West heard from the Earth Wizard that the Outside Helpers will aid their kingdoms, the dwarves and the sea dragons to keep cool."

"We heard that, Richard. I wondered how we are going to do that."

"Well, I figured that we need to take a tour of your underground kingdom in the Thryson Mountains and see what you have done and accomplished."

"I agree, Richard. We can show what we have done, plus give a tour of our kingdom."

Everyone nods their heads.

"What do you wish to accomplish on your visit, Ariella?"

"As you know, I'm a surgeon. I need to see what kind of operating tools you have when someone gets injured. I'm really impressed with what you have in herbs and ointments for injuries. That is the step in the right direction. You do need to discover some more."

"Then perhaps the Outside Helper from Antarte Kingdom will help us all in that department."

"Yes I agree with that. When I saw how you use magic here ... I...." Ariella gets a little sad face.

"Don't worry about that, Ariella. Just remember, we can only do so much with magic. We still need the knowledge to help with severe injuries so that we know what is going on inside."

"You're right, Thila, just keep reminding me that. I did see some tools that the healers have at their disposal. Those are good for starters. But you need to add some more. Since we can't have electrical powered machinery here, it will be a challenge to work around that."

"There are some principles in our weapons on my home world that can be applied here, Ariella. We have some weapons that take a passive approach that Geve mentioned yesterday. For example, air pressure."

"I agree, Evrat, there are many principles that we learned in my classes. We just need to have a class type session. The examples can be recorded on the crystal sphere for future reference. You have a great understanding in tooling that will help out the dwarves to make more accurate tools."

"With air pressure we can create some pressurized tanks to help create some air respirators to aid in the operating room. Plus how to make a regulator, pressure sensitive diaphragm and blood pressure device."

"Ariella, we can go one step further to make it actively passive. We can use the principle in liquid readings and see it shown in glass tubes."
"Yes, that is good Evrat. Richard, isn't there a way to convert some of this to a mechanical display?"

"We'll have to create a transducer that will convert that pressure change to a mechanical reading. Usually it is done with a spinning wheel with numbers on it or to a needle on a dial. We'll need to build some standard sized tanks to calibrate them."

"I like the needle approach for rough estimates Richard. We can use the wheel approach to fine tune the readout."

"Yes, I like that, Evrat. What have you seen here for their arsenal? Is it up to par?"

"It is, Richard. Besides the usual hand weapons, the sleep dart is a very good weapon. They do have some explosives as well. Plus, with their magic and being able to disappear in the Ethereal Space. That is the best cloaking device there is. But, they are subject to sound as you demonstrated earlier."

"Yes I will agree with you on that. They just need some ear protection to cancel that out."

"Yes, with the right sound absorption material in their ear muffs, that will work. Ariella, is there another piece of equipment needed in the operating room?"

"Let me think for a moment. Usually it is improving the knives for cutting, that's easy to do. For sewing up the wounds we'll have to show them how to make threads so the fibers don't come apart. I need to see if they have clamps to temporarily stop bleeding blood vessels while working on the damaged organs."

"They can use their magic to do that, Ariella. They can use the sealing spell on the thread to help hold it together or the blood vessels."

"Yes, that is a good idea, Richard. When it comes to keeping clean, usually the instruments are boiled in water then cooled off with clean towels. Then the knife edge can be passed through a controlled gas flame. But we need an antiseptic solution for killing germs. They do have soaps which are great for most situations; they also need alcohol as well."

"They do have ale here, Ariella. That is several steps away from creating that. Hundreds of years ago on my world it was common to use whiskey or a strong ale drink to cleanse the surface in remote wilderness areas when there was no hospital nearby. They even drank it to dull the senses before pulling out an arrow or bullet."

"Yes, it is a start, Richard. I wish we could point them to better chemistry, but that is going to take trial and error as they discover their world. When we show them how to purify that ale to make alcohol, it will have to be done carefully and stored carefully."

"Evrat and Ariella, I take it that you discovered the basic 92 elements on your world?"

"We did Richard, plus the bad ones that do more damage to the body. But I can tell you right now they have not begun to organize the list. Their chemistry level is still elementary."

"With what they know now, it is far more than we expected."

"That's true, Richard." Then Evrat notices something on Richard's wrist. "Richard, is that a watch you're wearing?"

"I am, Evrat. I happened to be wearing it when I was brought here. However, it is not truly mechanical. It has a battery for its power source."

"That's too bad, Richard. Do you mind if we take it apart and show the pieces to them. That way they can get an idea to create a fine tuned mechanical clock eventually."

"Sure, I am guessing it won't work when I get back home even if I replace the battery. The electrical components probably got burnt when I arrived here."

"I'm sure they did, Richard. This will be a great start. They have lenses here for their telescopes. They are just one step away from creating magnifying lenses to see small things."

"That's good, Evrat and Richard. That will be a big help."

I take off the watch and hand it to Evrat.

"I see it is both a mechanical display and a digital read out."

"It is also radio receptive so that it always display the correct time according to our standard. The signal is emitted from a tower."

"That's interesting, Richard. I will need to remember that when I get home."

"So will I, Richard. I like it very much."

"Now, we just need to make a small tool to fit those slots and unscrew them. Then the cover will come off. There is a rubber ring to keep the moisture out.”

“Forget that idea; they can use their magic to remove the screws. It will take some concentration to focus on the small screws."

"That reminds me, Richard. I don't think they have invented rubber yet."

"No, but there should be a tar pit somewhere on Twainor, it should be near a hot spot."

"Evrat, you just gave me an idea. I have seen vats of oil here in some towns. With certain additives they can thicken it to make different types of grease.

"That is right, Ariella. The oil will be thicker. With some certain minerals they can thicken it to any thickness as it cools."

"This is going to be fun. It will be like in school."

We laugh among ourselves. Then I pause to look around and we see the dwarves and escorts looking at us with awe and wonderment.

"Uh... Evrat and Ariella. I think we just got into our element and we didn't include them in the conversation."

Ariella and Evrat look around as well.

"We're so sorry my friends. We forgot to include you."

Then Durlond snaps out of it. "Don't mind us. Some of us are just trying to understand what you are saying. You will need to meet some of our dwarves who are like-minded like you. We sometimes have a hard time trying to understand them ."

The other dwarves and escorts begin to laugh.

The ice is broken.

"Yes, it is the same way for us, friends. Your breast and back plate is the latest for our generation."

"Can I see the breast plate, Richard?"

"Sure, Evrat, I need some help to take off the shirt."

Evrat and Sir Halgren take off my jacket and shirt. I stand there as Ariella and Evrat take a closer look.

"This is very good craftsmanship. I am impressed. What is that padding made of?"

"You're not going to believe this Evrat and Ariella. They used to wear chain mail underneath their armor. Then someone, probably a tailor learned how to make metal thread. Which is thinner than chain mail."

"They learned to make metal thread or wire? That's incredible."

"Yes they use it to create a metal mesh fabric. By alternating the layers with cloth, it is almost as good to stop bullets on my world. It is very difficult to cut through it."

"I agree Richard. Now I am impressed. I wish we can use the metal thread to create motors Richard. But the electrical storms here would get attracted to it in a heartbeat and destroy it. I doubt if we can get a device to be properly grounded, it will probably not be able to bypass the lightning strike."

"Richard and Ariella, we'll need to contact Brentann eventually. I'm thinking they have a pair of strong magnetic poles for their world. We should be able to find some natural magnetic rocks. With this metal wire, they're on their way to create some passive electrical devices like testing meters."

"Yes, Evrat. Perhaps when we go underground, we'll find some of that magnetic ore. It will be characterized by iron filings or pieces of iron sticking to the surface, which should be easy to get a hold of near their steel making forges."

"That's good, Evrat. I like that a lot. I just hope my breast and back plate does not get attracted to it."

"You have a point there Richard. If it is true steel then it should not be attracted."

"Either way, it will be a very good test."

"But it does show promise that it can be used for something else like stringed instruments that they have."

"That's right, Richard, they have stringed instruments. Then we can use the property of sound waves to do something new."

We turn to our friends. "Well, I think we need to stop. We can be here all day talking and get nothing accomplished. That was part of my problem while growing up and going to school. I learned all this neat information of many different ideas and became the master of not one of them."

We all laugh together.

"That's all right, Richard. Just hearing you describe your ideas and how to use it is the important part. We'll let our smart dwarves handle the difficult part. Just as long it works every time, that's what counts."

"Spoken like a true user, Telgon. You have your designers and builders. It is the worker who tests them out every day without knowing how or why they work."

We all laugh some more.

"Well, with what we just heard here. I think we can structure a proper tour of our Under Kingdom. You'll meet our king here in Thryson Mountains."

"Do you have dwarves in all of the four regions, Durlond?"

"We do, Evrat. There is a separate dwarf king for each of them. It allows them to govern their own lives more efficiently. We get together periodically just like the Twelve Kingdoms. We consider ourselves the foundation of Twainor."

"What about the dragons?"

"We get along fine with them. It took some time but we finally learned our roles and boundaries to help each other out."

"That's good. Those dragons are the largest life forms that I have ever seen. I was scared at first when I saw them."

"We do agree with you on that, Ariella.

"Even though I have seen skeletons that large on Earth, it is seeing them alive that got my attention."

"If you will please wait a few moments, I will contact our King to make the arrangements."

Telgon takes his contact sphere out of his pocket and walks into the tent. He holds the sphere in his left hand and then he turns his right hand so that his palm faces the sphere. He recites the contact spell and waits for a response from his King's Sword-bearer.

Soon the sphere glows yellow in color and the image of the Sword-bearer appears above the contact sphere.

"Greetings, Ambassador Telgon."

"Greetings, Sword-bearer Draknor."

"We were hoping to hear from you soon. We have seen the events unfold in the Grand Hall. Well done, Telgon."

"Thank you, Draknor. As you know, tomorrow morning is the council for the Maranelle Islands situation."

"Yes, that should prove interesting to see what can be done for the ones who are sick. Is there any other news I can tell King Thranton?"

"Yes, tell our King to get ready for a visit for our Outside Helpers in our region tomorrow afternoon."

"You want a visit for the Outside Helpers? What is this about, Telgon?"

"When we were on the islands out West, the Wizard from Earth made a statement that should be beneficial for all dwarves and Twainor. He made the suggestion that we share some of our knowledge with the Upper Kingdom."

"I don't like the sound of that, Telgon. What else did he say?"

"He also said that with the Outside Helpers ideas, we will be able to come up with a solution to help the sea dragons stay cool during the hot days of summer."

"You're kidding me, Telgon. The wizard said that? I don't get it Telgon. The sea dragons are already cool in the water."

"I said the same thing, but Richard our Outside Helper for Thryson Kingdom has some ideas that should work. From what I have seen and heard of Richard so far, it might be very profitable for us in the long run."

"Well, I am all for that. I'll go inform King Thranton of this visit."

"Draknor, we'll need to let them talk with our Builders as well. I just witnessed a conversation between the three Outside Helpers that just knocked me down. The rest of us just sat there and listened to them talk and talk. If our Builders can get some sense of what they are talking about, our Under Kingdom will be the mainstay for new ideas for a very long time."

"Are you talking about giving away our secrets?"

"No, no, Draknor. These Outside Helpers have knowledge far greater than our Builders. Don't forget, Draknor there are nine other Outside Helpers here as well. They will be sharing their knowledge with the other Upper Kingdoms as well. Don't think for one moment that everything belongs to us. Yes, we're the First Ones here. In fact our heritage is from Richard's home world Earth. Why did you think he was sent here?"

"Are you saying our ancestors came here from Earth? I find that hard to believe."

"He was brought here to reconnect his world with ours. He figured out that we have sea dragons. His world is very similar to ours, except they don't have magic there. It is going to take time to discover our world and to protect it. Do you know how many basic elements there are in the Maker's Creation?"

"The last I checked there are about fifty of them."

"You're not going to believe this Draknor. I heard Richard say there are ninety-two basic elements. Twainor has a long way to go to catch up Draknor. The other impression I am getting, Draknor, is this. We have to take it slow learning this knowledge. We could end up destroying Twainor if we do not know the rules to this knowledge."

"You're right, Telgon. We are thankful the sickness that Ruald brought over has not spread to the rest of Twainor. If we can't do magic, our world be very different a thousand years from now."

"Yes it would be Draknor. Go and make arrangements for our Outside Helpers. They can only stay for about three to four marks, and then we'll have to return here in time for the evening repast."

"Very well, Telgon, I'll inform King Thranton. I'll let you know this evening before you go to sleep."

"Very well, Draknor, I look forward to your contact this evening.

"See you this evening, Telgon."

The image disappears above the crystal sphere. Telgon stares at the crystal sphere while he talks to himself.

After what I have seen and heard here today Draknor, you better hope the dwarves learn how to deal with the Upper Kingdom. We must rely on all of the kingdoms to help each other if we come across a problem to solve. We do not have the Outside Helpers at our fingertips all the time. They are only here when all of Twainor is threatened. We must learn to work together for the good.... sigh...

He puts the sphere into his pocket and walks out of the tent.

We stop talking when Telgon comes out. He face appears to be flushed with sweat.

"Is everything oka,y my dear husband?"

"I think so Dolina. Draknor said he will make the arrangements for us tomorrow afternoon. He will let me know this evening."

"But, you don't sound convinced he will do that."

The other dwarves look down in thought knowing exactly how the conversation went.

"No, I don't, Dolina." Telgon then turns to us all. "dwarves, we must meet with King Tierion and inform him of a problem in the mountains. You know it has been brewing for some time."

"Yes Telgon, we know of the problem. Escorts and Outside Helpers, I'm afraid to tell you this, but this will be a new problem for you to solve."

"It has been brewing even before the announcement that we are receiving Outside Helpers. Actually, your coming is the spark that sets it in motion. Outside Helpers and escorts, our Under Kingdom has been developing a rift among the dwarves for some time. Some want total isolation from the surface. Some want to continue trade and commerce with the Upper Kingdom because it helps everyone."

"I've seen that happened before, I've read it in my history books. A group of leaders in a nation would get isolated to protect their own self-interests; the nation would suffer in the long run at the people's expense."

"That's not good Richard. We must warn King Thranton of this possibility."

"Does your king have a network of dwarves around him that he can trust?"

"He does, Ariella. There are other dwarves in leadership who want it their way."

"Has this separatist movement been seen in the other dwarfish kingdoms?"

"It has, but so far it has been for the better when there is agreement by all. They still have their dwarf kings there. However, this movement here has been the strongest to really do away with our Dwarf King.

"I know the best solution would be for the dwarves to solve their own problems. You do not want to have a civil war among your own people. It has been over two hundred and fifty years since my nation had one. But it has been recent in some other countries. There are many losers on both sides and very few winners. The only winner is he who has the stronger army."

"That is very true Richard. Perhaps we can find a way for your king to gain the upper hand over them without outside help from us or the twelve kingdoms."

"Perhaps there is a way, Telgon. Right now the Outside Helpers hold the information and knowledge that most worlds would envy to have. If we were to withhold that information until agreement is made between the factions, then we can share it with them."

"Even better yet, the information is shared equally with all so that no one has the upper hand with it."

"It may take hundreds of years or a thousand years to get where we are at. By that time, Twainor would have learned and discovered the information on their own. Or an enemy can come in and destroy your world before you have a chance to discover it."

"Yes, I see what you mean, Richard and Evrat. You can also tell them what a civil war will do in the long run."

"An even better thought is to give them a trial period to see if their way is better. But the people must have a voice to let them know it is not working. Then this faction must realize it is not the best solution and they have not thought far enough for the problems that will appear."

"How about having an inquiry by your King to put them on the spot? That way all the people will know what is happening."

"That could work, Sir Halgren. What would the questions be?"

"The main question will be this: Can the dwarves sustain themselves with the food they raise themselves?"

"We can hardly do that, Richard. There is very little we grow our own. We have plenty of mushrooms and other foods that can grow underground, but it is not enough to feed our large population. We checked in with the Governors to verify it as soon as we arrived back. I have it recorded on a crystal sphere."

"There is not enough fish in our underground streams and lakes of our caves. To raise farm birds we need the grains from the Upper Kingdoms to do that."

"We also realize that sunlight is needed to grow crops, but we don't have enough land on the surface to do that. Again we trade or purchase that."

"Also, we have no desire to fish out on the open seas. It is too dangerous for us because of our size."

"We have grown accustomed to our caves and our own lifestyle. What we do have in abundance is the metals to make weapons, or find precious metals and gems."

"We use those items to purchase from the other kingdoms for own needs and foods. We are great craftsmen in stone, metal, tapestries, clothing and wood."

"Do you set up shops in the towns and villages on the surface for the trade?"

"Yes, we do, Ariella. I think this is where these separatists have not thought it out. The people would be starving and hungry if they got a chance to rule."

"Then forget everything else that the separatist movement wants. If they can't provide food for the people, their movement is at an end."

"Can you contact your king privately and let him know what is going on?"

"Yes, I can, Richard. I have a separate crystal sphere to do that. He gave it to me for such a situation as this. However, it will go better if King Tierion contacts King Thranton directly."

"That is good, Telgon. We're getting somewhere. I'll go and find King Tierion and see if he is available for a quick audience."

"Thank you, Sir Halgren."

Sir Halgren stands and gives a quick bow. He turns and walks away seeking out King Tierion.

"So what else can we talk about?"

"Ariella, how do you make pure alcohol?"

"The easiest and purest way is to use sugar, yeast and warm water and let if ferment in a closed container. If you are going to use ale, heat it up and collect the steam from it. Then filter the steam and cool it back to a liquid. The problem is always the storage. Don't have it near any hot sources. It needs to be in a relatively cool room and in very good sealed containers. Once it is exposed to air, it will start to lose its potency."

"Thank you, Ariella. We'll need to teach our brewers to be more careful."

Telgon looks up and sees King Tierion and Sir Halgren walking back to our group. "King Tierion is coming here."

We all stand up and turn to face King Tierion. Then we see the two other kings as well with their Legion Commanders as well behind them.