CHAPTER 1010: MAKING AN AGREEMENT.

Cain lowered his blade, his muscles still taut, but his mind began to churn,

"I made it."

Silence once again...

Then the {Black-Hearth Dwarves} fell into another fit of laughter, with some of them even doubling over.

"It’s been a darned long time since me belly jiggled this hard!" Beorstone said between laughs as he slapped his knee.

The only Dwarf that did not laugh, was Gungir.

Perhaps because he could tell that Cain was, infact serious.

"Impossible..." He muttered.

Sensing something strange, Beorstone also stopped laughing.

He looked at Cain. Then at Gungir.

Then his expression fell as even his smile vanished.

He also walked in a bit closer. Cain tried to jerk back, but it was no use. For his stature, the dwarf was quick on his feet.

With his nose practically touching the cold, dark metal of {Eidwyrm}, he carefully observed the blade with keen eyes.

The rest of the Dwarves had also fallen silent, noticing the shift in atmosphere.

Cain couldn’t help but feel like something important was going on.

’This is a rather strange predicament I have found myself in.’

"The materials are good stuff. Certainly much better than what I’ve handled in a while." Beorstone began.

"The material is good, and the craftsmanship is decent as well. Far more decent than one would expect from a..."

"Boss, the Hooman does have strong arms, I can tell you that."

"It’s human. And my name is Cain."

Beorstone ran his fingers between his greasy beard then looked up at Cain,

"Tell me, kid. What’s her name?"

Cain was hesitant for a moment.

Beorstone chuckled,

"No, you don’t need to tell me."

The dwarf took a stubby finger, and with far more care than he expected, ran it across the blade’s edge.

"Eidwyrm, huh... A beautiful name."

Cain’s eyes widened.

"Well, I’ll be damned." Gungir muttered as he adjusted his goggles as he leaned forward.

The strange tension that existed between them suddenly snapped and faded away like it didn’t even exist in the first place.

Gungir spoke quickly,

"Not only are the runes quite high quality, they are nearly perfectly in sync with the blade’s materials and its user. The craftsmanship might not be the best, but this is incredible still."

Cain pursed his lips, unsure of how he was supposed to take that... compliment.

The faint crimson glow from the Rift behind them bathed the chamber, casting long, flickering shadows that made the scene feel like a tableau carved from some dark myth. That, coupled with the almost child-like curiousity the {Black-Hearth Dwarves} showed threw him off quite a bit, solely because of how contrasting they were.

"And the heat needed to create such purity. Even our forges might not be able to produce a flame so pure." Bilfur muttered.

"Something of this gravity has to be reported to the elders as soon as possible." Beorstone said seriously.

Then he glanced up,

"Human! There has been a change of plans. You are coming with us."

Cain blinked,

"I didn’t quite catch that, could you repeat it?"

Beorstone cleared his throat,

"You are coming with us!"

"Not in a thousand years!" Cain yelled back.

Beorstone stumbled a few steps back, his eyes wide.

Then he turned to Gungir as he grumbled in frustration,

"He said he’s not coming with. What do we do?*

Gungir sighed a heavy sigh of exasperation, then turned to Cain again,

"You really did create this piece?"

Cain shrugged, "Yeah, I did. I am a blacksmith as well."

Gungir’s eyes narrowed, "Prove it."

Cain paused for a moment, wondering how he could prove such a thing. He couldn’t exactly pull out his hammer and start crafting a sword on command, could he?

For a moment, the silence stretched between them like a brittle wire ready to snap.

Eventually, Gungir sighed,

"I can see how that might be a problem. Nevermind."

Then the learned dwarf cleared his throat,

"Young human, Cain... I would like to extend a proposal to you."

Cain raised a brow.

Slowly, he sheathed {Eidwyrm} then crossed his arms,

"A proposal, you say..."

Gungir nodded, "Indeed, a proposal. One you might not want to miss out on."

Cain chuckled.

This band of {Black-Hearth Dwarves} were a rather amusing bunch indeed.

He nodded.

Gungir ran his fingers over his rat-like mustache again as he chuckled,

"We will allow you half the ownership of this cave. In return, you will give us all your rare materials."

Beorstone nodded and roughly patted Gungir across the back,

"Well done, Gungir! I have never heard fairer terms! So what do you say, human! The offer is quite nice. Surely, you won’t —"

"I refuse!" Cain refused immediately.

Beorstone pursed his lips and turned towards Gungir.

Gungir grimaced through his beard,

"What? Why?!"

Cain’s expression was dark,

"Not only are those conditions terrible, you also have a lot of guts presenting it to me."

Gungir was silent for a moment, his brows furrowed as though he was pondering deeply,

"Okay. Then, tell me what exactly it is you desire, Cain the Human."

Cain pursed his lips.

For the first time since the beginning of this strange encounter, he truly looked at this group of dwarves.

He could tell with just a single glance, what these beings were.

They were strange, erratic, and greedy things.

Not only that, but despite their strength, they had also grown a sweet tooth for trickery and underhanded tactics.

So if that was the case, what did they have that they could give him?

He paused for a moment.

Then a grin appeared in his face,

"I want you. I want all of you."

Silence for what felt like the thousandth time...

"Aye, Gungir. I believe it is time we fend off the creatures of the abyss and take our chances."

"I believe so too."

"Wait!" Cain stopped them.

Beorstone grimaced,

"Human, the Great Dwarves born from the flames of the Black Hearth cannot be owned by a lesser being."

Cain shook his head,

"That’s not what I meant." He clarified.

Beorstone frowned.

Cain grinned,

"I meant I want you to work for me."

His eyes glinted with greed.

With his discovery fo this underground cache of treasures, having hands that could not only mine, but also help in the crafting process was an unexpected treasure he didn’t think he would also come across on this trip.