He is awakened

The expansive chamber housing the parties path was unmatched in it's vastness. On one particular rocky bridge half way down; across the 'big crisscross' did the Elven knight known as Aes spy something he initially thought this place bereft of.

Life.

And not just any life.

"Someone approaches! He looks to be injured!" Aes shouted out to the party.

The individual looked small of statue, smaller than the size of an ordinary human. Though at this distance it had been hard for Aes to make that out. The stranger walked with a limp as he carried a lockbox under his one arm, an ale keg in the other. 

The weight of both of his possessions had burdened him greatly, especially on such a poor leg. He moved in a hurried fashion over the bridge; as best as his condition would allow. 

"It's one of 'em shorties! I thought all of 'em died?" Gerda said semi-surprised and on over the shoulder of her free hand was Morgan's posterior.

"What!? where! also put me down already you great lump!" Morgan retorted. Her body thrashing all the while. 

Gerda wordlessly obliged as she kept her eyes fixed on the stranger; studying the stranger. He started to stumble on his approach towards them.

"Honestly! So I may have gotten a tiny bit hysterical and maybe just harbored an itty bit of fear when seeing how high up we were. That was no reason for you to carry me instead of Aes, I was more than comfortable when he did it! Now where is this shortie?" Morgan ranted.

She turned around in the direction the party was facing; adjusting her glasses.

"My word! You weren't lying! A dwarf? I thought them extinct." was the words of surprise she shared in concord with Gerda's.

The dwarf slowed significantly, the strain in his leg becoming apparent to everyone. At first he knelt down then the weight of his belongings had done the rest. He toppled over revealing a large backpack to go with the other containers in his possession. 

Aes immediately ran over to help the poor fellow. He had to run surprisingly far as the dwarfs condition did little for how hurried he seemed to be, not even getting so far as half way across his side of the bridge.

"Sir dwarf? Are you well? Do you need help?" Aes asked, carefully putting aside the dwarfs belongings before helping him up.

"Get this thing offa me."  The dwarf replied as he slowly moved to remove his backpack as his chest rose and fell quickly; huffing and puffing.

Aes helped hasten the action, it sounding a thud on it's release from it's owner.

"Everyone! We must lift him then make camp nearby!" Aes instructed the party, noticing how retentive they all suddenly became.

"Nay! Nay I say! I'm nay going 'nywhere! a dwarf isny goin to be lifted by the likes of yous. A dwarf's gotis pride 'nd all 'at. Jus' need a wee breath." The Dwarf answered as he sat down; leaning on his large backpack for support.

Aes found it difficult to decipher his words however he was somewhat sure the Dwarf spoke the common tongue. From what little bits he could gather from the Dwarfs thick accent, the dwarf did not want to be moved.

The others seeing the friendly interchange chose to finally make their approach too.

First was Robbin who casually joined them. Waltzing over the bridge to them with both hands behind his head as if he were walking a forest trail rather than a bridge with a prospective drop to ones death.

As he drew closer, one would have expected him to slow before the two of them. Robbin simply moved past them instead; to the best that the ground under their feet would allow for. Appraising the dwarfs belongings. He made special note of the mug hanging off the side of the backpack alongside the keg next to it.

"Get yer paws offa my drink lad!" The Dwarf angrily scolded the rogue through his large greying bushy beard. The ends of which were braided.

"Robbin! He is upset at what you are doing! I think!" Aes remarked unconvincingly.

"Dunno about you lot, but I could go for a drink. How about you old-timer?" Robbin asked the dwarf; ignoring the offence he had caused.

"Aye, go on then. Geeus a bit. Only got the one mug, so wes betta share it." the dwarf agreed.

"Too right mate." Robbin replied with complete understanding.

"You understand him Robbin!?" Aes sounded confounded.

Morgan was the next to motion the action of moving towards the three men of varying sizes. She took a single step, only to find a shiver rush through her body. She took a single glance below; her body freezing in response.

"I...I..I can't do this! one wrong step and...and!" came out of a shaking frightened Morgan.

Gerda was the last to move towards the rest, she (noticing Morgan) picked up the witch under her arm much like the dwarf did previously with the keg and actioned a brisk walk to the men; hauling the frightened witch.

"Guh! What did I say about carrying me!?" Morgan said quickly changing her attitude.

Robbin pulled out a doohickey from the dwarfs backpack; attached it then filled the mug with the contents of the keg. Curious as to what kind of poison the dwarves enjoyed, he took a quick whiff of it.

"That's the good stuff!" He remarked.

He subsequently handed the mug to the dwarf who snatched it out of his hands.

With a single gulp he downed the entire thing before foisting back to Robbins hands.

"There isne 'ny other kind I'd take with me. Puts hair on a man like a beast! You sure could do with some golden lockes." The dwarf stated directed at Aes.

"My thanks. I think?" Aes thought he could hear a reference to him in there, he'd hoped it was something good. He helplessly turned to Robbin to translate.  

Robbin made no indication of noticing the look Aes gave him. Instead he was preoccupied with refilling the mug. Once he was done, he handed the next mug to Aes along with some of the dwarfs words deciphered.

"He said you would look better with some hair on you."

"I knew it! I have always thought so too! Oft were the times I cursed my Elven heritage for the inability to grow facial hair. You have no idea how  much trouble I have had to be taken seriously with looks that turn everyone's heads!" Aes chipperly replied in turn, eager at having found a dwarf of culture.

Aes took a swig of the ale the dwarf kept only to almost gag at it's strong contents. So as not to be rude to the cultured dwarf, he simply nursed the ale for a while.

Gerda came into their vicinity; letting down the witch on her feet. Morgan once again dropped to her knees in fear. Gerda laid down her great axe behind herself before dropping onto her own posterior. They both took their places at Aes, Robbin and the dwarfs side for a small sharing of ale. 

"So old-timer, where you heading? What's so important that you would risk life and limb to be here? Mum's necklace?" Robbin inquired.

"Don't be soft lad! I'm gettin' gone. With a fortune. Nothing's h'ere 'nymore beside it. Wante see?" the dwarf verbalized before pulling up his lockbox from his side onto his lap.

The dwarf then brought his head up, revealing a key on a string around his neck to which he pulled up and over his head. Finally he entered the key into the lockbox; twisting it. With An audible click after.

As the dwarf opened the box, a bright light could be seen emanating onto his chest as he snuck two fat fingers into the box; pulling out an orb of some sort between his fingers. Just as soon as he did; the lockbox was shut.

"Know what ittis lad?" the dwarf asked now, holding up the orb between his fingers. Holding it up to the party.

"Hold a moment! It could not be... could it? I never thought to see it again in my lifetime. That's..." Aes replied instantly recognizing the metal nugget.

Morgan adjusted her glasses at the same time before replying.

"There is no way that is what I think it is right? It was thought to be lost alongside the dwarven underground city! It can only be..."

"Cosmos Metal" Both Aes and Morgan stated in unison.

The Metal nugget gleamed, giving off it's own light making it look like a small ball of faint luminescence. On closer inspection the nugget itself was dark like the night sky, with it's own set of stars represented by small flecks of white. The sight of the cosmos in a miniature nugget. 

 "Aye, that ittis." the dwarf stated with a grin widening underneath his bushy beard. As he opened his grinning mouth to shortly explain something else.

"See what ittis is-" he continued until the nugget slipped his fingers onto the rocky path; before tumbling down into the abyss.

"Ah!" the party unanimously stated in shock, watching such a rare metal vanish before their eyes so easily.

"PISS IT ALL! Butterfingers!" the dwarf cried out.

Almost as soon as he did, the rocky path they all resided on began to rumble. Not only that a great weight in the abyss had begun it's movements shaking the entire chamber at it's foundation. The glowing red in the abyss glowed ever so slightly faster.

Morgan seeing this, was the first to react. The picture of pale; weak at the knees; wearing the very visage of terror on her face before the party. Quivering at the mouth as she voiced:

"he is awakened."