Allen slowed the pickup down when they entered the cloud proper. The sense of danger hadn’t left. Rory was sure they didn’t have to fear being attacked by monsters anymore, for the foreseeable future at least, but there was a different kind of danger.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the tunnel for minuscule amounts of time. Their bursts grew more and more frequent until there was an unbroken chain of continuous lightning arcing over the tunnel’s inner walls. It provided a continuous source of light instead of the random flashes. They could finally see where they were headed.

“Stop the vehicle,” Kizmatic called.

Allen did so. There was a tentative nervousness to his voice that hadn’t been present before, and it sounded off against the surety he had displayed so far.

At least, they were finally able to tumble themselves out of the car. Rory blessed the change in circumstances that allowed his body to resume its natural form, though the aches popping up all over made him frown. He could breathe easily now, though. Good enough for the time being.

It became apparent why Kizmatic had called a halt. More lights shone in the distance. Soon enough, a small group of dwarves had arrived to meet them in the tunnel.

They were attired differently from the ones Rory had seen so far. Surprisingly, they had less clothes on than their military counterparts. Most of them either had bare chests or sported something that looked like wide sleeveless shirts. Their trousers were thick, and held many pockets, wide belts bearing several tools strung around their waists.

“Devrum, is there really a monstrous army out there?” the dwarf who was the obvious leader asked. He had on a strange metal helmet with a glowing gemstone in the centre, and he walked with the certainty of the man-in-charge in the middle of the group.

“There is, minelord,” another dwarf, stockier than the others, said. “A large army. I’m surprised they managed to come out of it alive.”

“Well, they are quite the strange group, after all. Otherworlders working with not only Homeworlders, but also monsters as well! What’s the Coalition back at Sanctorum going to think?”

“They’re not monsters,” Viv said. “Their victims of a monster, but they’re no less human than any of us.”

“Human?” the dwarf minelord scowled. “That’s the opposite of reassuring.”

Rory would have laughed if he hadn’t felt insulted too.

Esrahir stepped forward. “Allow me to introduce ourselves, minelord. I am Captain Esrahir, and you already know our military designations. We were separated from the rest of the forces after the last battle and found ourselves… cut off, momentarily. Unfortunately, the rising presence of the beasts prevented us from joining our company, as we were tending to several wounded in our squad.”

Rory had been intrigued to figure out the context of the Otherworlders’ predicament. It mirrored that of the Homeworlders they had helped a little too well.

Esrahir went on to explain how they had holed up in the neighbourhood to the east and how Rory and his group had arrived to seemingly rescue them from certain death. Though, of course, the main thrust of the monsters had been waiting for someone else to come in before springing their trap.

It made Rory—and everyone else in his group—frown. Not only had they triggered the monsters’ trap, the Otherworlder had apparently also made sure to keep one route away from the neighbourhood clear in case they needed to make a hasty escape, which they had. It almost sounded like they had used Rory’s group to make their escape.

“Some thanks would be appreciated,” Trish muttered.

“I agree,” Esrahir said. “Displays of gratitude are certainly worthy of appreciation.”

“No , I meant—” Trish groaned in frustration.

“What are your intentions now, Captain?” the minelord asked.

Esrahir considered. “We need space to heal our injured comrades, but afterwards, we shall take your leave and be off.”

“Into the monstrous fray?”

“Well… after the monsters take your leave as well.”

“Are you asking us to repel them in your place?”

Esrahir’s eyes narrowed. Rory got the sense he was smiling behind his mask. “It was Code Lifelong.”

The minelord sighed. He nodded at the dwarf called Devrum, who nodded back and hurried away. “We will take you to chambers where you can rest. However, the Homeworlders are coming with me.”

“We’re not Homeworlders,” Viv said. “We aren’t participating in the war.”

The minelord had already turned around, showing no sign of acknowledging Viv’s words. “You can explain what you are and aren’t elsewhere. I’m not inclined to continue conversations inside our entrance tunnel.”

Trish scowled at his back. “Well, aren’t you a bearded, little—”

“Trish.”

She had only been muttering, but Viv’s warning still cut in like a whip bent on drawing blood. Trish rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything further. All for the best, in Rory’s opinion.

“Please,” another miner dwarf said. “Follow me.”

A separate dwarf accosted the military Otherworlders and bid them to follow her. Rory was interested to see that the female dwarf had a beard as well, though hers was shorter and sleeker, as though she oiled them regularly. That seemed like a difficult thing to keep up in a mining operation, but then again, they were supposedly mining a cloud.

“You’ll be fine,” Kizmatic said. Seemed he had sensed the collective second thoughts of Rory and his group. “The minelord is a bit a gruff thunder-son, but nobody can question his fairness. Just be honest and you won’t be treated poorly.”

“We’ll take your word for it,” Viv said.

Esrahir waved one mechanical arm. “We’ll see you later.”

Rory and the rest of them followed the dwarf who was guiding them, leaving the Esrahir’s squad behind. Going deeper into the storm cloud made him worry a little. Already, there was a sense of pressure around him, and the occasional flashes of lightning threatened to burst free of the fluffy walls and blast them where they stood.

Thankfully, they didn’t suffer anything of the sort. The pressure remained heavier than normal, but constant, and the lightning was contained within the cloud walls. Even the thunder was muted, as though the cloud was absorbing the sound.

The only uncomfortable thing was the humidity. Rory’s face grew moister the deeper they walked. After a while, it felt as though he was walking through a sauna. The air was stuffed with warm moisture.

Occasionally, the dwarf would look back with worried glances at Arie and the other former Neophytes. Rory kept his sigh to himself. Even after being vouched for, they were being suspected of monstrous intentions. He couldn’t really blame the dwarves. They were likely only being cautious. But if Rory had been Arie, he would have had to stuff his frustration where no one saw it.

Eventually, they arrived in a large chamber. Rory copied everyone else in his party and simply gawked at the spectacle before them.

The new area was built like a gigantic cylindrical shaft. Giant scaffoldings had been erected all around the place, rising tier by tier until they reached several hundred feet into the air. Dwarves roamed along the length of the scaffolding, using strange devices on the cloud walls.

At the bottom of the scaffolding on the ground, several spires of strange, blue-grey crystals towered about twenty feet into the air. The dwarves were actually mining the material using picks and more of those weird devices they were using on the cloud itself. It had to be an Otherworlder material.

The strangest thing was the presence of applied electricity. Rory spotted lights, lifts, little generators, and other machines and gadgets that he was sure needed a current to run.

He was starting to suspect why the dwarves mined storm clouds.

“Welcome to our not-so-humble abode,” the minelord said when Rory’s group had joined him in a shaded area at the left side of the large chamber. “We haven’t performed introductions yet. I am minelord Talvic.”

Rory nodded. “My name is Rory McIlroy.” He pointed to the others one by one. “That’s Viv, my wife. Trish, Allen, Arie, and her friends.”

Talvic nodded. “I’m curious. Tell me the whole story, including why these monsters are part of your entourage.”

“They aren’t monsters,” Trish reminded the dwarf.

“It’s alright,” Arie said. “We don’t have to worry about what we’re called.”

Talvic ignored Trish, but he did peer his eyes at Arie. “Interesting. I see it speaks for itself. Are you perhaps studying it? It certainly seems to display strange behaviours.”

Rory cleared his throat before the dwarf continued digging a deeper hole. “The story is long, minelord,” he said, deciding to use the dwarf’s formal title. “But here goes.”

He went on to tell as much as he could since they had gone out to retrieve the survivors at the school. Rory explained the story of the Stormscale, the Thunderclaw Knight’s attack, the beginning of the war, the issue of helping the Otherworlders, and finally, how Arie had led her friends off on an ill-fated rescue effort, which had led to their current circumstance.

“I was expecting it to be longer,” Talvic said.

Rory blinked. “I’m… glad I summarized it well?”

“Or you hid things.”

Viv bristled, nostrils flaring. She didn’t say anything, though. Rory figured it was as much the fact that they couldn’t afford to antagonize the dwarf as the fact Rory was indeed hiding things. The dwarf didn’t need to know about his dealing with the Homeworlders.

“Well, I haven’t explained what we’re up to or why we’re not Homeworlders and are comfortable helping Otherworlders.” Rory went on to reveal his intentions about setting up a system-approved merchanting business. “Does that explain our situation enough?”

“It does, to an extent.” Talvic’s eyes were still narrowed. He was stroking his long, luxuriant red beard with his hand. A few rings gleamed on his fingers. “But how did your… friends know about the attack on the Otherworlders? How did any of you know?”

Ah, he had caught them. He considered lying—it’d be easy as he could just mention Ned and scouting—but there was an opportunity to take multiple shots here. A gamble that could be worth the risk.

“We’ve made a deal with a group of actual monstrous Otherworlders,” Rory said. “They informed us that there was a group of Coalitions-affiliated Otherworlders in trouble.”

Talvic’s eyes widened. “Your story grows more interesting with every new thing you reveal.” The dwarf actually laughed. “You see, the more you keep me entertained, the better off you will be. So don’t hide the entertaining bits.”

Rory smiled. It reminded him of Truck. He wondered where the talking donkey was.

“But are you satisfied with our story, minelord?” he asked. “Because I’ve got more I want to discuss.”

“Oh? Despite being my guests, it sounds as if you have demands.” Talvic’s eyes were wide, but then his beard stretched as he grinned. “Speak, then. Let me hear what it is you have to say. I appreciate those who know their worth.”

Viv and the others were looking at Rory curiously. He ignored them. They hadn’t had the chance to discuss, but he couldn’t waste the opportunity he had been presented.

“As you know, we’re setting up a legitimate business,” Rory began. “Yes, it serves the purpose of keeping us safe while giving us something to do. We want to put in actual effort into it, make it real. That’s why, make a deal with us.”

“Are you demanding a deal?”

Rory decided to ignore quibbling over terminology. “We need a supply of raw materials. I think you can provide them. In return, we’ll provide with any Sigils you need, which we can likely provide without any trouble.”

The dwarf continued stroking his beard. “We are part of the Coalition. Why do you think we will make a deal with you before you have proven yourselves to our contingent who are judging you?”

“Do you really care what they think, minelord? I figured you would be able judge things for yourself. I’m willing to display the services I can provide directly to you, here and now if you want. Then you can tell if it’d be worth your time and effort to make a deal with me.” Rory peered at him. “Unless you’re telling me you can’t make a deal with me without permission?”

He had chosen his words carefully to needle the dwarf. Talvic had stopped stroking his beard. It looked as though Rory had gotten to him.

“What exactly can you do?” the dwarf asked.

Rory smiled. He raised an arm and activated his Weaving, aiming the white lines at the cloud wall. The dwarf who had led them here started, but Talvic raised his hand to forestall any action from the first dwarf.

It didn’t take long for the lines to materialize a Sigil in Rory’s palm. It was the same colour as the stormy fluff around them, displaying the image of cloud spitting a lightning bolt.

New Sigil!

You’ve obtained a Sigil of Thundercloud. Boom, shake, flash and storm around to display your might and rage. Friend and foes alike will flee your lashing tears.

[Cerulean VII] allows creation, manipulation, and imbuing of element in an 85-meter radius. Thundercloud allows multiple sub-element use.

Stats

Type: Element

Rarity: Exceptional

Tier: Cerulean VII [0%]

Efficiency: High [70%]

Talvic’s eyes had widened at the display of Rory’s Weaving, just as he had predicted would happen. Rory tossed the dwarf the new Sigil. Talvic caught the Sigil and stared at him for a while.

“This is…” Talvic took a deep breath. “I find it hard to believe the Coalition are hesitating to ally with you.” Shaking his head, the dwarf pulled his hand free from his beard and offered it to Rory. “But yes. We have a deal, Rory McIlroy.”