We moved through the doorway at the top of the ramp, and passed through some kind of invisible waterfall of mist that rained down from overhead and coated us in tiny scentless drops. On the far side of the door, there was a packed crowd of clapping and stomping older dwarves on either side of a clear walkway that led to a set of stairs in the middle of the lowered platform.
The air in here smelled sweet, and a breeze flowed from the stairwell that hinted at fresh air, food, and drink. We followed the Hammerting row through the group of onlookers and went up the stairs into a room almost as large as the tar chamber below. Decorated pillars supported a vaulted ceiling coated with painted relief carvings and murals of dwarves and unmasked Zk’Aek in the midst of war or work. Woven wire tapestries hung heavily from the ceiling, undisturbed by the constant breeze that I only then realized how much I’d missed from the interior of the underhome.
Tables, benches, and tall shelves full of arranged plants and mushrooms divided up the open space. Some of the tables were filled with tankards, cups, and bottles, while others held bowls filled with small shining stones. I caught a whiff of something that instantly set my mouth to watering, and spotted a lone table laden with food. I could practically see lines of enticing scent wafting through the air in my direction as the feast called to me, but my row moved as a herd off to one side and dragged me along with them.
Small groups of dwarves stood around the room already, and once I pried my eyes off of the feast I realized I recognized some of the faces. Kazzad, Relik, and Duirtak stood with a few others next to one of the plant displays. All of them were smiling, and Duirtak opened his arms in a grand gesture and called out to us as we approached as a group.
“Nieces and nephews! Brothers! Congratulations!” He smiled widely and waded into our group, grabbing up each row member in a bear hug and shaking them around for a moment before moving on to the next. Kazek was the first to get a good shake from the clan patriarch, and gave us an almost worried look as the older dwarv caught him by surprise and waved him around like a ragdoll with his arms pinned to his sides. Then Lokralda was caught up and laughed her way through it, before Bomilik tried to fight back and be the one to pick up the older dwarv instead. The elder got the better of him, and picked the large young dwarv up onto his shoulder before turning in a circle and grabbing Jozoic into something almost like a headlock with his other arm.
I watched the display with a content smile on my face as he worked his way through the remaining members of my row. I thought I’d be spared the treatment, so I was caught off guard when the graybeard turned to me and scooped me up as well. He lifted me up even higher and sat me on his shoulder like an oversized parrot while chuckling in a slow ho-ho-ho cadence.
“That’s enough, father,” Kazzad scolded the older dwarv, but her smile made her amusement with the situation clear.
Duirtak set me down, and my hand was immediately seized in a crushing handshake from Relik as Duirtak moved on. The old armorer had a somewhat lopsided smile, and whispered in a joking tone. “I see ye lost yer gauntlets, eh? I can get ya another pair, but it’ll cost ya.”
I frowned and gave him a sort of half-bow, leaning closer so I didn’t have to shout over the excited chatter that filled the room. “No, sir. I have them in my inventory.”
His eyes lit up and his smile grew, showing steel teeth mixed with some other lighter metal. “Aah, good lad. I hope they served ye well.”
“I think they mostly just pulled your hair out.”
I tried not to let Max’s comment throw me off. “I put them to good use, as good as I could, sir.”
“I saw you helping at the forge with them, saving young Lokra’s feelers. We know they’re not a perfect copy, and are a handicap on those who need them.” His gentle pat on my arm turned into a pointed elbow to my ribs as his smile shifted into a mischievous grin. He dropped his accent and his lowered voice took on a serious tone that clashed with the look he was giving me.
“Forgive us, but it's a choice we make. Welding into our alloy will not be an easy task for you, it never is. But you’ve proven yourself capable even with this disadvantage, you have our confidence, Nickolas.” He bobbed his bushy eyebrows up and down and glanced over at Duirtak, flashing me another grin before he switched back to his more jovial tone and accent. “The old man likes ya, and has yer tether. Not even the grand moot can cleave you from our house now. Only the patriarch ‘n yourself can force an exile now that you’ve passed the trial. Just keep yerself safe on the farside of the portals, and let us know if’n you find yourself stuck in a bottomless pit with no rope, eh?”
“Huh, so they named you Sue.”
“Thank you, Zel Relik,” I said, not really understanding Max’s comment. I got the impression that Relik had meant to catch me off guard with his mannerism, but life had been too full of surprises lately for something so benign to give me pause. Max’s frequent interruptions and distracting antics had done wonders for my poker face.
He laughed heartily, drawing some gazes from around the room, then slapped me on the back. “Hah-ha! Steady on, lad. Come find me at the armory sometime later this week, alright?”
Before I could reply, he stepped over to Jozoic to continue on with his series of congratulations. I swept my gaze over the crowd, and was caught staring at the table full of food on the other side of the room by Kazzad as she stepped next to me.
“You know, that whole table was set up just for you. Would be a shame for it to go untouched.” She was wearing an amused smile and a heavy looking chainmail garment. The mail was shaped like a dress, and made from fine links of patterned metals layered under a few strategically placed armored plates that were dotted with carved gems and inlaid with some dull silvery metal. The other two elders looked almost plain compared to her, clothed in expertly made but rather plain cloth and leather garments in neutral browns and blacks.
I wondered at the difference in clothes, but shook the thought off as I stared at the caramel colored roasted pig that served as the feasts centerpiece. “I’m riding a cheap link that doesn't have an Impex. I can't eat any of it,” I practically growled, then grimaced as I heard myself speak. I hadn’t meant for it to sound so gruff, but I was starving and sleep deprived and couldn’t hold back my frustration.
Kazzad raised an eyebrow at me, but her amused smile remained. “That’s too bad, but not the worst thing to ever happen. We are just glad that you were able to return in time.”
I nodded, turning away from the feast. “Thanks for that, by the way. I feel like I missed half of the trial.”
“You were there for most of the important parts, and your performance during the time you were present was admirable. You handle yourself very well for a human in the deep dark.”
I felt my shoulders tense up at the almost questioning tone of her statement, so I changed the subject. Hiding my reactions was one thing, but my mind was too fried for me to dance around Max’s help and the lies I’d need to tell to do it. “Did Arktria make any demands for me?”
She gave me a surprised look, then shook her head and hardened her eyes. “We’ll talk about that later. Just know we’re not giving you up. We made a deal. We stand by our word.”
“That matches my intel. I don’t have much from the dwarves, but I can see a lot of what’s happening dirtside. Your old government is pushing for your return, but they’re not making threats and demands yet. They’re keeping their motivation to themselves and playing it diplomatically. Katie has surfaced again though, and met back up with ol’ Director Howard. They think they’re being clever by using paper for some of their records, hah. They should be more worried about the security cameras, light fixtures, and their bodyguards armor.”
“Thank you,” I said again. Some of the tension drained out of me, and my eyes drifted back towards the perfectly roasted pig.
Kazzad laughed. “We could have it put away and kept for you. That is one of the perks of this game we play. The food does not go bad, it hardly even cools.”
I grinned back at her, nodding before I’d given it even half of a thought. “Yes! I, um… that would be very nice of you.” I reeled in my enthusiasm before continuing. “It might be some time until I have access to an impex again, but… it looks so good, and smells even better.”
“Then it will be done. We’ll put it into house storage for you, and you can retrieve it when you are able.” She smiled, and waved at another dwarv that was moving past.
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The new dwarv was familiar, but I couldn't place him immediately. He stopped mid-stride and turned on a heel to face us. His hair was cropped short and neatly combed and slicked back away from his light gray eyes, and his lengthy chestnut colored beard spread to cover most of his chest before being gathered into a decorative silver clasp and continuing on as a thick braid that was looped and tucked into his belt. There was something different about him compared to most of the dwarves I’d interacted with, like a line of makeup or something that ran horizontally across his smiling face. He reached over and slammed an open hand into my shoulder as he greeted me, catching me off guard and nearly knocking me over.
“Tak! And Kaninak! Good to see you again. You gave us a scare there when you cut out, but I’m glad to see you made it back. You gave a good accounting of yourself,” He grinned and tapped his temple. “You have a good mind for math too, those were some complex calculations to do on the fly in your head. Most initiates disregard air pressure and fluid dynamics. We’ve had entire classes wash out due to that oversight.”
I steadied myself and stared at him for a moment, still trying to figure out what the line on his face was. The top half of his face from the bridge of his nose upwards was the familiar ruddy skin tone of many of the dwarves, but the end of his nose and what little skin showed between his cheekbones and beard was a dark tanned color.
It took my sleep deprived brain a moment to realize that was exactly what I was seeing, a tan line. I couldn't imagine what he had done to get such a distinct line across his face, but it was obvious now that I made the connection. It was a strange look, but he seemed unconcerned.
“Dun Krarnin, I’m glad you could make it back in time. How did the run to Sikanti go?” Kazzad replied while I got my thoughts together.
He gave a respectful nod and his tone turned more serious. “All according to plan, Tak. Smooth, laminar even,” he flicked his eyes back to me and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards for a moment.
“Have you chosen your crew for your next jaunt to Siber?” Kazzad asked.
Krarnin nodded, but he turned his head to the side and looked over our group as he spoke. “Yes, but not officially. I’ll have Ella with me again, but I’d hoped to bring…” he paused for a moment before he finally saw who he was looking for, then raised his voice and called out. “Sallis, c’mere!”
His sudden shout surprised me, but Sallis' reaction surprised me even more. She broke away from Relik’s handshake and ran over, slamming into Krarnin’s side under his arm in an embrace. “Pa! I didn’t think you’d be here!”
He laughed, and my tired mind finally put the pieces together. This was Sallis’ father, who was also the pilot that had flown Chane and I into the undermountain when I had first joined up with the faction.
“Hush now, pebble. I’d ram the Hearthbound through the side of the mountain to be here for this.”
Sallis blushed for a moment, before her face screwed up in anger and she smacked her dads bushy beard in a plaintive blow. “Crash the Hearthbound, before I got a chance to fly it? That’s not funny.”
“You’re going to come with me on my next flight, aren't you?” He asked, to which she nodded eagerly.
“Of course! Will I get to co-pilot?” She asked excitedly.
He laughed and shook his head. “Not yet, pebble. You have to get your observation hours done before you can sit in the control positions.”
Kazzad ran her fingers through her own beard as she regarded the pair, and asked in a thoughtful tone. “Would you consider taking Kaninak with you as well?”
They both looked over at me, while Kazzad continued to watch them. I looked back and forth between them. “What?” I asked.
Krarnin’s grin remained in place, but something in his gray eyes hardened. “Another friendly face on the PR tour?” Kazzad nodded, and he looked back down at his daughter still under his arm before asking her as well. “What do you think, pebble?”
Sallis looked back up at him and blushed again, faltering for a moment before looking back at me and answering. “He’s a good one. I count him as a friend.” She lowered her voice and buried her face in his beard for a moment, saying something too quietly for me to hear.
He laughed and shook his head, squeezing her one last time before they broke from their hug. “You’ll always be my little pebble. Your friend can come with us, unless he has something better to do.”
They all turned to me again, expecting an answer. I froze for a second, but Max flashed me a thumbs up in his little streamer cam in the corner of my vision.
“Oh! I thought we’d have to work for permission for this! You should agree, trying to get in on their flights was part of my plan anyway. They’ve been flying around and trying to make friends with the neighboring factions, one of which is Kiorow.”
“I’d be honored,” I answered.
Sallis smiled, and Kranin nodded. His eyes shifted around for a moment and a message pinged into my inbox. “Excellent. We’re out of here in two days. Should only be a few hours of air time, and a day or two of grabbing hands and tossing crates. I’ll have Relik get you a proper flight suit this time.”
He offered his hand for a handshake, and we gripped wrists for a moment to secure the deal. The conversation shifted away from business, and he peppered us with questions and coaxed stories out of us to fill in the parts of the trial he had not been able to watch himself. Kazzad drifted away at some point, and I met a couple of other elders as the crowd shuffled around.
I met Bomilik’s father, Kazzan, who was the largest dwarv I’ve ever seen. He stood a few inches taller than the rest of them at a few inches under five feet tall, and was nearly the same width at the shoulders with a massive black beard that only added to his bulky roundness. Standing next to him was like standing next to one of the old imported cars from the narrow Centro streets across the ocean in the old world.
I eventually excused myself and tried to get a moment with each of my row, to congratulate them one more time and show some appreciation for their help getting through the ordeal of the trial.
Jozoic tried to crush me in an embrace, and offered to take me out on a roam sometime to seek out some combat experience. Bomilik told me that I needed to visit him in the depths to get a better sense of how the mines actually worked, and Lokra couldn’t stop smiling and glancing over at Jozoic while insisting she help me finish my armor when I had the chance.
Kazek was even in a good mood, and promised to finally spend some more time with me to finish teaching me how to properly grade, cut, and facet the gems that were still sitting in my bank. I’d nearly forgotten them by this point, but happily accepted the deal. I’d spent most of the money I’d gotten by selling my duplicated Heart gem to Rosso already, and knew I’d need all of the cash I could get my hands on to set up my friends with a new life back in the real world. I expected getting Max to agree on spending money on simple things like food and shelter would be an issue, but growing the pool of funds should make it easier.
Kikkelin was the only one I didn’t manage to get a moment with. After parting with Kazek, I saw her quietly getting a stern talking to from a severe looking pair of older dwarves before the group entered a sliding door and boarded an elevator that I hadn’t noticed until that moment.
I’m not sure how long I spent shaking hands and leaning down for crushing embraces, but eventually I found myself just staring at the empty table where the feast used to be and listening to my stomach rumble. I finally snapped out of my stupor when I sensed someone standing next to me.
“You don’t have to stick around for the whole afterparty, ya know.” Sallis said.
I was too fried to even react surprised, and just shrugged as I continued to stare at the table. “I don’t wanna be impolite, this whole thing is for us, isn't it?”
She let out a low chuckle. “Partially. It’s more for the seniors and masters. No better time to scoop up promising young apprentices and lord them over your rivals and peers.”
I nodded, just accepting her words.
“You should at least go up to the street before you link out. You might get in trouble if your portal brings you back out down here while they’re in the middle of setting up for the next run.”
I nodded again, then finally turned to face her. She was already facing me, her arms crossed over her chest and a concerned look on her face. “You look like a handful of sand would knock you over for good, you should go get some sleep and some real food in ya.”
I nodded once more, feeling a smile break through my exhausted scowl. “You don't look so great either, you know. You look like you were dragged down the streets and landed in a pile of fertilizer bags.”
We both looked down at ourselves, taking in the tar and blood stained rags and straps we both still wore, then looked back at each other and burst out laughing.
She reached up and clapped a hand against my shoulder, and nearly knocked me over again. I stumbled and caught myself on her broad shoulder, and found myself leaning against her as she guided me over to the elevator. She shook her head, lightly laughing again.
“Go get some rest, Nick. I’ll see ya in a few days. We’ll need ya refueled and ready to go for real this time.” She pushed me into the elevator, and I turned to face her. “I can’t have ya embarrassing me in front of my Pa and his co-pilot. So go take care of whatever you have going on dirtside and come back ready to rock. Alright?”
I leaned back against the wall of the spacious elevator, nodding and smiling. “Got it. Thanks, Sallis.”
“Thank you, too, friend.”
The doors closed, and I rode the elevator to the top. I think I zoned out for the ride, but have a loose memory of stepping out of the doors and walking through a huge room with fancy tiled floors. I stopped just outside of the building, standing at the top of a massive set of stairs for a moment before moving to the side and summoning the portal back to the Hub.
Not having an impex had one big advantage, I didn't have to bother with going through one of the busy portal stations. So as soon as I stepped through into the Hub, I turned around and walked straight back out of the portal and back to reality.
