God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

"Erm, Boss Beorstone..."

Beorstone tightened his bushy brows and turned around,

"What is it now, Gungir? Can't yer see I'm in the middle of something?"

"Well, Boss, that's the thing. I don't think that is a highlander..."

Beorstone raised his brows, and turned back to face Cain.

Cain pursed his lips,

'What the hell is a highlander?'

"What foolishness pours from yer lips, Gungir?" The last Dwarf said, his eyes burning like coals as he drew his large pickaxe and pointed it at Cain's head.

Another bead of sweat rolled down Cain's back.

"Well, by the great Fuji. Could it be... Calm yourself, Bilfur." Beorstone muttered with widening eyes.

Gungir guffawed, "Boss, your eyes have become as bad as the eyes of a Buermole! It must be all that Smuck you keep smokin'!"

Beorstone barked at him,

"Shut yer hole, Gungir!"

Then he scratched his beard,l and turned to face Cain once again,

"No, this is clearly a highlander. Can't you see how long its legs are?

Cain glanced at the Dwarf named Gungir. This Dwarf had the shortest beard of all of them. It was also the least stocky and muscular.

Even stranger, it wasn't dressed in mining gear. Instead, it wore a set of leather armor, a pair of soot-covered glasses, and a helmet.

It also had a rather bushy mustache.

Like a rat was sleeping on its face.

Cain couldn't help but think it looked rather comical.

"No, that is not the case, Boss. Highlanders have pointy ears. And they also almost always smell like grass." Gungir said as he adjusted his goggles and touched his own wide ears.

Beorstone hummed the turned his attention back to the very confused Cain,

"You, highlander! Are you really not a highlander?!"

Cain pursed his lips as he tried to stifle a chuckle, slowly shaking his head,

"I don't even know what a Highlander is."

Beorstone turned around to face his companions,

"If that tall-man is not a highlander, then what in the name of Fuji is it?! Gungir! Give me answers!" He barked.

"Yes, Boss!" Gungir adjusted his glasses and turned to face Cain.

Cain could feel the intensity of his stare without needing to see his eyes.

And so, he was forced to stand there motionless, every muscle of his tense, as the five figures that had emerged from the Rift regarded him closely.

He also did the same.

That earlier show of strength had told him that he had severely underestimated these small creatures. If he had not moved in time, he definitely wouldn't have gotten off lightly.

'That earlier strike was equivalent to a full powered blow with the Flame enchantment of {Burning Spirit}. That is rather frightening.'

The eerie crimson light still flickered faintly at the edges of the black gash behind them, as if the Rift was getting ready to spit out another batch of strange creatures.

They were dwarves, unmistakably so, Cain thought to himself.

Their stature, their mannerisms...

He had read about them in books of olden fantasy— Mystical creatures with an affinity for earth magic and craftsmanship.

Never did he think he would see one in his days.

But it wasn't so unbelievable. After all, he had seen dragons and demons.

He had also seen many devils and gods...

One would think a merry band of dwarves wouldn't surprise him so much, but they did.

They were all compact and sturdy, with each one clad in mining gear consisting of; thick leather reinforced with blackened steel plates, belts heavy with tools and weapons that gleamed with the glow of overuse as well as outstanding make and quality.

Their faces were craggy and lined, but their eyes shone with both wit and intelligence beneath ragged brows.

For the most part, at least...

Cain's gaze flicked to the leader, who stood slightly ahead of the others. The dwarf was broad-shouldered and stocky, with a scarred face that seemed to wear a permanent frown. He continued to stare at him with curious eyes, as though carefully analyzing every breath he took.

Gungir eventually spoke,

"Boss, I believe this tall man might be what the legends call a, 'human'. They are a rather lacklustre species of tall-man, quite a bit different to the Highlanders of the Aether."

Beorstone hummed,

"I see... But surely, it knows of highlander sorcerer, right?"

Gungir shook his head,

"Most likely not. 'Humans' are much like us. They do not possess much of an affinity with the Arcane world. Genera..."

"So you didn't summon us here with highlander sorcery... H— Hu... Hum—!"

"Human." Cain corrected his dryly.

"Yes, yes, of course! Hooman! Do you know highlander sorcery?!"

Cain sighed and scratched his head,

"If you are asking if I am responsible for your summoning, then I do not think so."

He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before he continued,

"I killed that thing over there, and then a Rift opened. You all came from that Rift."

Beorstone's furrowed brows seems to furrow even more,

"I know what a Rift is. But we are not beings of the Aether. Gungir! Why did a Rift bring us here?"

"Boss, I have no clue."

Beorstone seemed stumped,

"Impossible! Something that eludes even Gungir!"

Grimdor frowned,

"And how do we know he speaks the truth, Boss?! All this could be highlander lies!"

Beorstone sighed,

"No, I do not smell any lies. Then that would mean..."

Gungir nodded, "Indeed it does."

He turned to Cain as he adjusted his goggles,

"What is the name of this world, Human?"

Cain sighed,

"Welcome to Urbus. And please, call me Cain."

Gungir chuckled,

"Well then, Cain, the Human. Pardon our intrusion."

Cain's eyes narrowed,

Although the other Dwarves radiated a sense of raw power, this Dwarf's aura was much more suppressed.

Almost to a frightening degree, even.

'This one is dangerous.'

Gungir suddenly turned his eyes to what was left of the {Mecurion Manabeast},

"I believe that might be a Manabeast Elemental. Perhaps it was guarding an array. With its death, perhaps the creation of the Rift that brought us here was triggered. I see... That could certainly be the case."

Beorstone's expression suddenly turned serious,

"A Manabeast?"

He turned to stare at Cain,

"Are you telling me this scrawny looking hooman can take down a Manabeast? By Fuji's great name, that's Buermole crap!"

Bilfur nodded, "A Manabeast is a dangerous creature. Not something a scrawny hooman can kill."

Cain cleared his throat and muttered, "Human, not hooman."

Of course, the {Black-Hearth Dwarves} ignored him.