"I'm surprised that the passages, beneath this place are still in very good shape." he said. "Have you told the alignment to mobilize for its advance on Phoride?" asked Lloyd. "That was why you sent me back there, and I have done your bidding." "Very good, General!" praised Boyce. "I had also brought some things for you. A gift from Lloyd's father, Harvard." he told them and Lloyd wondered what his father could possibly send to him and Boyce from Besten. Empal opened the passage door and went in, soon coming back into the room with two large and heavy looking sacks. "This is yours, Boyce!" Empal said handing him one of the large sacks. Lloyd took the other one when handed to him, and when they opened up the sacks, what they found was the beautiful sight of armour. The armour was of gilded gold, bolted onto sweaters made of woven lead and steel, fitting perfectly over the wearer's form, as it was the nature for such armour to behave. Electrophore-laser rifles were in each sack with two energy cells for each weapon, and to supplement fighting, arm-length tempered sabres were given to them, as well. Both men received helmets characteristic of their own personalities. Lloyd had received a helmet made of silver, symbolising steadfast loyalty and promise to serve. it had a low fall to the back and the front, covering the forehead was square and moulded into the figure of a computer. Three great spikes jutted along the centre crest of the helmet from the frontal section to the hinges of the fall. Boyce's helmet was also very impressive. It was perfectly rounded and was made of thick gold. The round front section, that covered half of his forehead, had a horizontal, oblong inset of the bluest sapphires that could be found and on the top back of his helmet was a cluster of three long plumes, of straight blue horse-tail hair. Each single knot of hair was of a slightly different shade and hue of blue, and when the light hit the clusters, they all shimmered like a clear waterfall. "Your father has exquisite taste!" Boyce said to Lloyd. Lloyd nodded and Empal continued to help the men to remove a large box from each bag, and the men opened them. Within each box was a shiny cross bow. "These are beautiful!" sighed Lloyd. "I wonder if we'll use them?" asked Boyce. "Where will you keep these things?" inquired Empal and Boyce smiled at him, raising his finger to the air. He took from around his neck a key and put it into the slot of the cabinet doors and opened them. The cabinet was empty but Boyce pushed a part of the back panel and the inside compartment swung around to reveal the men's maps and hand guns. Everything was hung on certain hooks and the entire case was beautiful. Before Boyce was to close the cabinet, Empal took out of Boyce's sack one more piece of armour. It was a body harness with shoulder protectors made of gold and long strips of black onyx, resembling feathers.