Before we searched for the blizzard team, as Barron Perrin called them, I used my money to pay for warm gear for Raya and Mindplay. The dwarf selling the clothes asked for over 100 gold for each piece. Despite not knowing the conversion rate between gold in Skyland and the currency back home, I figured that was a lot. BD advised Mindplay not to haggle with the dwarf.

"'Everything is uniquely made,'" she explained in a deep voice sometime after leaving the store. "Dwarves pride themselves in making everything not just the best they can but also different from the last. To them, reducing the standing price is a mockery of their work."

"I've haggled with commissioning artists before," Mindplay argued. "Everything they make is unique, but that doesn't mean someone else can't do a better job."

"I could care less either way. I wouldn't spend my money on anything."

"If you had any," I retorted. "All you have are trinkets you don't want to sell." BD was like a raven in her infatuation with particular items. I couldn't remember where she would store this stuff, but I believed it was in my room in the castle.

We needed to find out where we were to meet up with the blizzard team, so we asked around to see if anyone knew where a group of Elementalists was stationed. We walked through the long, single street between the cliffs. On either side were ordinary buildings on the ground, but the rest were built into the cliffs as if cut in half and glued in place. Dwarves climbed up and down the cliffs like mountain goats, scaling the rock face at impossible angles. The amount of technology seen everywhere was shocking compared to the rest of Skyland I had seen up to that point. Every building and street was lit with familiar unnatural lights, with each lamp post looking different. Smoke stakes poking out of the cliffs puffed out black smoke. No one seemed to have anything equivalent to a smartphone, but some dwarfs wore what looked like smartwatches. The dwarves dressed in a modern way with a few details that were a part of their unique style.

There were elevators for the non-dwarves who could not climb as well, bridges that connected the cliffs doubling as electric walkways, and radio towers that were being worked on by dwarves and other monsters.

Mindplay was ecstatic. He was finally comfortable again, surrounded by tech once again. Unfortunately, we could not explore what Faldir had to offer while the city was distressed.

Eventually, a female dwarf was able to answer our questions. She was shoveling snow with a spring-powered shovel.

"The recent batch is hanging out at Do-Not Inn," she explained. "Their old base of operations was destroyed by a hail storm sometime after all this started. Shows you can't trust a non-dwarf to build anything these days."

After thanking the dwarf, we made our way to the inn. As we went, Mindplay occasionally stopped to look at the technical marvel of the city.

"Do you think they have outlets here," he asked me. "I still have some charge left in my batter pack, but it would be nice to top up while we're here."

"I didn't see any," I replied. "Even still, it doesn't seem like anyone has a device that needs charging like a phone."

"Oh well. I should be grateful I was able to come to this place."

"What, as a 'technopath,' did you expect to do here?" asked Raya, using a mocking tone when saying technopath.

Harqu perked up and asked Mindplay, "Wait! You're a technopath?"

Minplay nervously confirmed his ability but asked Harqu a question in turn. "Do people in Skyland know what a technopath is?"

"No more than people on Earth know what magic is. Most Skylanders go their whole lives not knowing how far Surface-Walking humans have gone with developing electronic devices. Because of how new stuff like computers is, technopaths are a rare power humans can get, which is why I was shocked to hear you were one. My information comes from a book I read back home."

Mindplay, getting more information than he was expecting to hear, tried his best to address Raya's original question. "I was thinking I could take over this place." His statement was met with awkward silence. "I didn't have a plan. I didn't want to stay where I felt useless."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Raya replied, "You would have made yourself useful."

"Thanks."

We entered the inn to the sounds of singing and drums. My eyes watered from the heavy alcohol smell mixed with burning charcoal. The ceiling was only a few inches above our heads, and we had to be careful not to hit the support beams with our heads. Since the inn consisted mostly of dwarves, it was easy to find the Elementalist group sitting at one of the tables. They wore heavy coats and cloaks instead of the desert attire I had grown used to seeing them in, but their dark fingernails were still visible.

As we walked up to the table, Elementalists turned to us as hope filled their eyes upon seeing me.

"By Queen Scheherazade, you're here," said one of the Elementalists. He was bulky, and his vessel had sand swirling in it. He offered to pay for our drinks and anything else we wanted, but only Harqu and Mindplay accepted. Raya was notably hesitant.

The vocal Elementalist introduced himself as Declán David and explained the situation as soon as we sat down.

"The storm is getting worse. At least once a day, a hail storm runs through the city, forcing the citizens to stay inside. As initiative as the dwarves of Faldir are, they won't be able to withstand this constant onslaught."

"Your Baron claimed that this was most likely the work of another Elementalist," said Raya, "but it seems that the only thing that could do all this is a jinn. Unfortunately, my knowledge is limited."

"Bah. The Baron is trying to save face. He's lying to himself if he thinks any of this could be done by an Elementalist. The level of control over the elementals is outside our power."

"That said, the Baron didn't have anything to confirm it is a jinn," said Mindplay after sipping his drink. "Is that still true?"

Declán David cursed in Arabic. "I don't even know if any of the ones that went up the mountain are alive."

"Let's say this is a jinn," I said, "How do we kill it?"

"Jinns have physical bodies, which means they can die like any other flesh and blood being. However, killing a jinn wouldn't be ideal. Unlike their weaker counterparts, jinns have artificial souls made of magic. The soul will fragment and grow on death, creating new sentient elementals in no time."

"I can seal the jinn," Harqu stated. "I'll just need to get a strong vessel to store it in."

"Why are you going with them?" asked Declán David.

"I have a fire elemental, so I should have an advantage against the ice and wind."

Declán David looked at Harqu skeptically. "Where did you get a fire elemental? I haven't heard reports of a massive fire breakout in Skyland in the last 10 years."

According to BD, it is rare for fire elementals to form compared to any other type. Typically, a standing element has to be infused with enough magic to form an artificial soul within the component. Since fire isn't a commonly standing element, the only place they would be expected is in fire patches in Skyland, which are too inhospitable for most people to live in. This means that unless an Elementalist goes to those inhospitable places, it is rare for any of them to have fire as an element they have under their control.

When Harqu didn't answer immediately, Mindplay spoke up. "Let's stay on topic. It seems we have all the information we can get. When is the best time to move into the storm?"

Declán remained skeptical of Harqu but understood that there were more important things to focus on. "My team and I will remain here. If you have an Elementalist that can seal a jinn, then you won't need any of us. I can't afford to send more people into uncertainty."

"Would it not be better to all go?" Asked Raya.

"If my team falls in battle, we can't contact Riyou, and no one will be here to keep the city safe from elemental stragglers. Do enough damage to the jinn, so it is too weak to fight back while it's being captured." Declán looked back at Harqu. Something was still bothering him. "What was your name again?"

Harqu hesitated before answering. "Harqu. I don't believe we've met."

"Where did you train, Harqu?" Declán didn't give anyone a chance to respond. "I trained at the city of Cobanks. It was one of the cities that held one of the few fire jinns captured many years ago when they were rampant across Skyland. For some reason, the jinns' powers began to leak out and burned much of the city to the ground. When everything had settled, the vessel for the jinn was gone."

Harqu was tense but did not break eye contact with Declán. While Harqu remained silent, Declán formed claws out of sand on his knuckles. Raya reached for her blades slowly to not draw attention to herself. Mindplay looked towards me, wondering what my next move would be.

I was wrestling with how much I was allowed to care about what Declán was saying. Harqu's hesitation to answer pointed to him at least knowing something about the burning of Cobanks. If he was responsible, was it my job to arrest him? No, something felt off. He knew who I was, and if he was a criminal with something to hide, why help a person with a solid connection to the law of the land.

I asked Harqu, almost like a command, "Do you have the jinn from Cobanks?"

Harqu turned to me, his body softening as he said, "Yes. I took the Fire of Cobanks."