Reincarnated as a Dwarf

Advanced Classes

“Good morning, Kvalinn!” Bekhi greeted me with a cheerful smile from the school steps. “How was your winter break? Did you make anything cool for the Elders?” 

Five years have passed since we first started school and we were both ten years old. It’s been a relatively peaceful time. Mostly spent working with my father or at school, and mostly free from adventures. Unfortunately, the past five years had not brought me one iota closer to getting 21st century tech to my home. 

My abilities in weapon crafting have increased substantially, I can create nearly any weapon used by men and dwarves. However, all my attempts to modernize my life using rune power have failed spectacularly. 

After making the first rune for Elder Thrikrondromm, I was not given any more lessons on how to make runes, so I started experimenting. If a plain dwarven drinking song could make a Rune of Beer, what could the songs from my previous life make? The results were a mix of strange, bizarre, and absurd, but most of them shared the same traits of being overpowered and overly destructive. 

“Good morning, Bekhi.” I responded with a reflective smile. “Since we are starting advanced classes today I made the Elders some weapons with experimental runes. Hopefully they like them.” I shook my bag full of weapons that clanked like a sack of nuts and bolts.

“So we’ll need to prepare to duck and cover if any of the Elders decide to  test their weapons.” Zikruk grumbled as he walked up from behind me. 

“Com’n, Zikruk. Kvalinn only overpowered the fire rune once… Maybe twice… ok, so it was at least three times.” Bekhi kept counting up on her fingers the times I had accidentally put too much magic into my Rune of Forging while making a fire rune at the youth center. The resulting runes had created a blast that hadn’t killed anyone fortunately, but had injured several people and damaged several pieces of equipment. 

“It’s been at least a dozen times, Bekhi.” Zikruk said with an annoyed sigh. “Elder Threrburk is on the verge of banning Kvalinn from the youth center entirely. The only reason he hasn’t is because he knows Elder Thrikrondromm will begin teaching Kvalinn this year.”

“A dozen times sounds like a lot.” I retorted. “But hopefully studying under Elder Thrikrondromm will prevent any future incidents. Anyway, how was your winter break, Bekhi?” 

Bekhi giggled in amusement at my attempt to change the subject, but obligingly told me of her winter break. “It was very fun. I was able to travel to visit my parents this year and spent a few days with them before making the trip back. With their help, I was able to prepare gifts for the Elders, and a few treats for you.”

The mention of treats had me eagerly looking forward to lunch. Bekhi had made the trip to the surface once or twice in the past five years, and each time she had brought back relatively fresh meats such as sausages, jerky, and one time there was a slab of only lightly salted pork! Dinner at home was extremely tasty for the couple weeks when she brought that. Of course she didn’t just give me the meat for free, she would trade it for my weapons which were later used in practice matches at the youth center. Bringing great enjoyment to her, and several losses and injuries to her opponents in shieldwall.

“Oh? What weapons do you want this year, Bekhi?” I asked, while thinking up recipes for the meat in her bag. “Father just finished teaching me how to make a dwarven greataxe, and I’ve managed to stabilize a few of my experimental runes.”

My experimental runes were the result of me translating songs from my previous life into the dwarven language with mixed results. Some runes were nonsensical, while others were extremely dangerous and had to be disposed of by Elder Threrburk. Although his method of disposing of them was to lock them in a heavy box while using a surprising variety of swear words. Fun fact about the dwarven language, there are literally thousands of swear words of varying harshness. 

“Stabilized?” Bekhi said skeptically. “Didn’t the last weapon that you claimed to have stabilized shatter an anvil at the youth center?”

I cringed a little at her jab. The song Bad to the Bone had produced a rune that roughly translated to bone breaker, and when I had attempted to work on the blade some more after adding the rune, the rune had caused the anvil to break into several pieces. Needless to say, that was one of the weapons that Elder Threrburk confiscated, just with more swear words than normal. 

“That was one time,” I protested, “and I managed to make the rune safer. Or at least as safe as a ten pound battlehammer can be.”

“Sure, sure, whatever ended up happening to most of your ‘experimental weapons’ that you make at home? Are they locked up somewhere? Or has Zikruk been selling them?” 

Zikruk shook his head in denial. “My father is still working on getting a license to sell runed weapons, apparently it’s a decades long process. So any weapons that Kvalinn makes with runes are donated to the Thane, who then gives them to the warrior clan, where they hopefully sit in a locked closet.”

The three of us chuckled at the thought of any unlucky member of the warrior clan who accidentally picked up one of my less stable weapons. They’d be fine, probably.

Our conversation ended when Elder Rongrim entered the room, and school officially began for the year. 

Similar to our first year of school, the first day was spent in introductions and presenting gifts to our teachers. Now the offerings presented to the Elders weren’t just to get on their good side like an apple on the desk, they were also part of our yearly test. If a lazy student presented a gift of the same or, ancestors forbid, worse quality as the previous year. Then the student would be forced to attend remedial classes, and possibly have to repeat a year. 

“Greetings, Elder Rongrim. This year I present to you a short sword, with the Rune of Home. When balanced on your fingertip, it will point the way to your residence.” When I demonstrated the runes power, it gently swung about like a compass until it was pointing directly at my house. Elder Rongrim nodded approvingly.

Elder Rongrim took up the sword and nodded approvingly. “Once again, Kvalinn. You have proven worthy to advance another year in school, and receive the wisdom of the Elders. This weapon should prove useful to me when I’m a few mugs too deep and need assistance remembering where I live.”

Once Elder Rongrim had received all the gifts from the students and passed judgment on them, he began his usual first day announcements. 

“Congratulations to all graduating students. You are now fifth year students, and as such, you will now be attending school for the entire day. With this additional time at school, additional classes will now be available for you to take. My assistants will pass out lists with all the available classes you can take, write down what classes you are interested in and hand it in no more than ten minutes from now.” 

Several teachers assistants then passed out pieces of parchment with a list of all available classes. Due to the cost of parchment, we were instructed not to write on the list, but instead to use our own writing materials. 

There was a surprising amount of classes available for a school that existed deep underground. There were the usual mathematics courses like Advanced math, Calculus, and Trigonometry. Then there were the specialized courses such as History, Geography, and Advanced Combat. And finally there were the classes that could only be found in a fantasy world such as, Monster Identification, History of Dwarves and Elves, and Summoned Otherworlder Heroes. After a few minutes of searching through the list, I made my choices and handed them in to Elder Rongrim.

“Interesting choices, Kvalinn Ekgorsson.” Elder Rongrim stroked his beard thoughtfully as he read over what classes I was interested in. “Rune Theory under Elder Thrikrondromm was expected due to your abilities, as well as Advanced Combat, but why Geography and Engineering? I would not have thought those classes relevant to your clan.”

I had ulterior motives for all three classes. Geography was so that I could learn if any country in this world was famous for its technology so I could go there someday. Engineering was to find out what technology was available to dwarves in this mountain. As for advanced combat, I just wanted to finally beat Bekhi in a game of shieldwall. It was slightly emasculating to have her constantly beat me in group games and one on one matches, and I wanted to get to the point where I could at least fight her to a standstill instead of getting beaten to a pulp. 

“I wish to learn Geography so that if I ever leave the mountain, I’ll know where I am, and if I learn the Engineering course then I might be able to craft deadlier and more valuable weapons.” 

“Very ambitious, Kvalinn Ekgorsson, but if you do manage to combine your fathers teachings with that of Elder Voghigg of the engineering class, please do not test whatever you make on school grounds. Reporting such damages to Thane Throdhengrun is very time consuming.” Elder Rongrim put aside my list and began talking to the next student.

When I returned to my desk, I asked Zikruk and Bekhi about their class choices. 

“I’m taking advanced math classes and interspecies communication. My father thinks I need to learn how to communicate with other races in the world so that I can sell your weapons to humans, damned elves, and even halflings, if they have the funds.”

Fun fact, the dwarven word for elves literally translates to damned elves. The dwarven language can be weird. 

“I’m taking advanced combat alongside you, Kvalinn.” Bekhi said with a smile bright enough to replace a lighthouse. “We can keep practicing together!”

We chatted for a few minutes until the break was over and Elder Rongrim started calling students to the front. Depending on what classes they had signed up for, he would give them directions on where to find the classroom, or assign a teacher's assistant to guide them. For myself and Bekhi, advanced combat was in the same room as regular combat classes were, just in a different corner.

Elder Dworhick was apparently still going to be the one teaching us, even though it was now advanced combat. For his gift, I gave a warhammer with the Rune of Impact that was mostly stabilized. It would deliver the target of the blow, the impact of getting hit by a truck, the vibrational feedback that was delivered through the handle was extremely jarring though, to the point of nearly breaking your own wrist while wielding it. When I had tested it at home, the weapon had shattered the test dummy, but I had to wear a wrist brace for a week.

“An excellent weapon, Kvalinn Ekgorsson. I look forward to testing it on you in the coming years of training.” Elder Dworhick swung the weapon a few times experimentally before grinning at me. 

Perfect! He likes my work once again. Wait, did he say that he was going to test them on me?

Before I could ask if he was joking, and possibly sneak out and escape, he answered my unspoken question with the deadly serious smile of a battle junkie. “In advanced combat we will be using real weapons. Nothing motivates you to learn to defend yourself more than life threatening danger. And since the weapons you make for me each year are the most dangerous, I'll be using them in your training.”

I mentally kicked myself for giving Elder Dworhick the means to my own demise. The weapons I had given him over the past couple years were rather unrefined and childish in their make and runes, but they were way more dangerous than weapons without any magical rune. 

Maybe I’ll ask Elder Thrikrondromm if there’s a rune of softness. If there was, then I’d be adding that to all my gifts to Elder Dworhick until my graduation. 

Once Bekhi and the only other student to join the class had given their gifts to Elder Dworhick, he began the class. “Welcome to Advanced Combat. As you heard me tell Kvalinn earlier, starting from today we will be using real weapons. Weapons that can kill your opponent if you are not careful. This will be dangerous, life threatening even, but if you survive, then you will be able to hold your own against the best in the warrior clan. Or at the very least, a decent sized troll or a small giant. Now go grab a weapon from the rack over there.”

Elder Dworhick pointed out a weapons rack full of sharp and gleaming weapons that we had never been allowed to use before. Just as I was regretting my choice of classes, Bekhi unintentionally twisted the metaphysical knife.

“Com’n, Kvalinn! This is gonna be awesome! Now I can finally use all those weapons you’ve been giving me over the years!” Bekhi then took out of her bag one of the first weapons I had traded her for some beef jerky several years ago. A simple short sword, but with a rune of sharpness that could cut through iron. I gulped in fear and nervousness at the prospect of being on the pointy end of my own creation.