"Here's your ride, Kvalinn. Ready for the fun?" Newman gestured to the open carriage that was pulling up to the winter hall. But instead of being pulled by horses, this carriage was being pulled by large reindeer with heavy black fur.
"Good luck, Kvalinn. Don't let them do anything weird to Gerde." Bekhi said.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she stays safe and if any of the nobility try to steal her away then I'll bash them with my hammer!" Gerde made an excited noise of agreement from her sling where she was bundled up in layers of clothes and coats.
"I wouldn't do that, Kvalinn." Tomas said as he stepped out of the carriage. "Several of my colleagues are members of the nobility, also, no pressure, but Princess Yuliana Vladislavovna will be in attendance as well."
"Why will a princess be there!?" I asked in surprise. The highest power I had ever met was a Thane, and I had no idea how to interact with the royalty of this world. Tomas half smiled wryly as he gave the answer.
"The Tzar sees this as an event of national interest, and is sending his daughter to observe the proceedings and monitor the nobility to ensure that none of them act in a way that would bring discredit on our country."
To put it another way, the princess was there to make sure no one mistreated us or tried to take Gerde for themselves. Newman had explained the other day that due to the large amount of land in Tochka, the nobility here had nearly unlimited free reign over their territories and any order from the monarchy took weeks if not months to reach them. Sometimes they would 'forget' that they were subordinates so the princess was probably there to keep a lid on any inter-nobility squabbling or attempts to take Gerde for themselves.
"Stay safe, Kvalinn." Bekhi gave me a quick smile before kissing Gerde on the forehead. "Be good for the teachers, Gerde. They may not be Elders, and their beards may be short, but they are still full of wisdom."
I got on the carriage with Tomas, and we set out towards the center of the city where I could see two stone buildings towering over the rest of the wooden metropolis. Tomas began to excitedly explain what the next few days would bring.
"I've sent word to many of my fellow academics about the appearance of a beastkin in our country and they have been highly skeptical, several even said it was a hoax, but they all agreed to come. Today everyone will be going over the historical records and proving that Gerde is either a real beastkin or a fraud. Once all my colleagues are satisfied that she is real, then we will proceed to comparing the ancient records to Gerdes' appearance and biology."
"How many people will be in attendance?" I asked.
"Well over a hundred at minimum." Taking note of my surprised face, Tomas clarified that not all of them would be researchers. "Teachers like myself will be accompanied by their students, and those in pure research fields will be accompanied by their noble patrons who are in search of amusement during the winter months."
"Will I need to say or do anything specific when interacting with your nobility?" I thought back to the dwarven Elders back in Einangrad who would swing at you with their hammer if you messed up the greeting. Fortunately, my worries were eased by Tomas' reply.
"You will be provided with a translator who can speak the dwarven tongue, so just follow the traditions of your race and he will translate it to the proper words of our nobility. You are not the first dwarf to visit our lands, even one of our teachers is a dwarf. Incidentally, it's his son who will be translating for you." He paused for a minute before continuing. "I must ask though that you not take offense from my colleagues remarks. Some of them are excellent researchers and scholars, but terrible at speaking to people. More than one of them has had to seek royal protection after insulting a member of the nobility, either intentionally or inadvertently."
We arrived at the university after a several minute drive through the nearly empty streets. Snow was starting to lightly fall from the sky, so the only people who were out and about were the guards or people who were running late to work.
The University of Tochka was built like the St. Petersburg University, with large stone columns in front of the building and the entire outside was made of cold stone. However, the inside was nearly all lumber, just like the rest of the city.
After handing over our warm fur hats and just one outer layer of coats to a cloakroom attendant, Tomas led the way through the halls. Passing by several groups of scholarly looking men who all began to follow us.
"Some of my colleagues do not get along well with each other." Tomas explained. "Thus, they prefer to not wait together in the same room if possible. With a princess in attendance, arguing in their usual manner would be unthinkable, so they were waiting for me to arrive before making their way to the main lecture hall."
Eventually we arrived at our destination, and the attendees scattered to their seats while glaring daggers at each other over their various scholastic disputes. Tomas introduced the person who would be acting as my interpreter while I was here.
"Kvalinn, this is Brenguk Frostgrip. I've been told he speaks the language of his ancestors well despite being only half dwarven." Brenguk looked to be in his mid twenties, and was around five feet tall with a smiling face.
He took a deep breath while mentally reciting the greeting before holding out his hammer, in the wrong hand, and speaking in broken dwarven. "Greetings, Kvalinn. Am I Brenguk Frostgrip? The ancestors dance upon our meeting and whisper secrets."
Mentally facepalming at how bad Brenguk's dwarven was, I held out a hand for a human handshake. "Greetings, Brenguk. I can speak Imperial fairly well and if you could interpret into that language, that would be appreciated." Brenguk let his face relax as he shook my hand.
"Sorry about that, my father insisted that I at least try to speak dwarven before reverting to basic Imperial. About a quarter of the people here speak Imperial, so I'll just be interpreting for those who won't or can't speak the language. I'll also be relaying the discussions that occur and instructions from the physicians who are going to be examining Gerde."
Our conversation was interrupted when Tomas nodded to an imposing looking man wielding a heavy staff, who banged it several times upon the floor and started booming out something in Tochkan.
"He's telling everyone to rise for the entrance of the princess." Brenguk said quietly. The entire lecture hall rose as one, and from out of a side room Princess Yuliana made her royal appearance. She was around twenty, with a pale face and tired eyes. She moved to the back corner of the room where a chair with several cushions and a small metal container with warm coals had been set up for her. Taking a seat, she looked to Tomas, and told him to begin the proceedings.
Everything from this point was translated by Brenguk nearly instantly, so I was able to get the gist of what everyone was saying.
"My fellow devotees to Gwybodaeth, god of knowledge. We have been granted an opportunity not seen in over a millenia. A beastkin has appeared among us!" This proclamation caused several cries of "Liar" and "Have we been called here for bedtime stories?" to echo through the hall that was only silenced when the imposing man banged his staff several times against the floor. Tomas turned to me. "Kvalinn. Place Gerde on the table."
There was a sturdy wooden table with a cloth placed over it at the front of the room, so I took Gerde out of her sling and let her crawl on the table. She immediately tested how far I'd let her crawl before sniffing the air and going back to me. Her tail and ears were completely visible to the crowd so there was no doubt that she was a beastkin and several swears that Brenguk did not translate were uttered.
Gerde's appearance sparked a fierce debate among the scholars, and several, who were teachers of biology and history, came forward to examine her. Stripping her down to her diaper and giving her a full medical examination to make sure she wasn't a fake. Naturally, Gerde was not not a fan of this treatment and I had my hands full trying to keep her from crying.
When the medical exam was over, the scholars returned to their seats, and another fierce debate began that was too rapid for Brenguk to translate. But apparently the scholars were pumping each other for information, while the nobility who were watching were all trying to figure out how they could profit from this.
The hectic conference among the hall continued unabated until lunch, when everyone took a break and meals were brought in for everyone. I was given a sour tasting soup similar to borscht with some dwarven beer, and Gerde got the same food but was given milk instead of beer.
While everyone was busy eating lunch and going over their notes, Princess Yuliana stepped down from her seat to where Gerde and I were eating. I stood up from my chair to give a traditional greeting in Imperial which Brenguk interpreted.
"Greetings, Princess Yuliana. I'm Kvalinn Runecursed. May the ancestors grant that our meeting be productive for all involved." Gerde added her own baby babblings to say hello.
"Good afternoon, Kvalinn. On behalf of the Kingdom of Tochka, I thank you for being willing to bring your adoptive daughter to our university. Hopefully she will be the first of many to emerge from the Eternal Forest so that we can right the wrongs of our ancestors." The princess looked at Gerde sadly, and I nodded as I remembered their history. After the attack of the second demon lord, the ancient Tochkans had forced the beastkin to work as grunt labor without pay for the rebuilding efforts.
"I cannot say if Gerde is the first of many, or the last to emerge, but either way, your treatment of us today is doubtless proof that you have learned from the mistakes of your ancestors. I can only hope that you continue to grow, and I look forward to seeing what your descendants will do if more beastkin emerge." Princess Yuliana smiled softly at my fancy compliments.
"I-is it possible for me to hold your daughter?" The princess looked wistfully at Gerde who was chewing on my glove since she had finished her lunch.
"I have no objections, just hold out your hand like this and if she feels like being held by you then she will start wagging her tail." At my suggestion, Princess Yuliana held her hand out flat with the palm up. Gerde, being curious, slowly crawled over the empty hand and after sniffing the hand for a few minutes, she smiled and started wagging her tail.
With careful movements, Princess Yuliana picked Gerde up and started singing her a song with an extremely loving and soft voice in Tochkan. I couldn't understand the words but it sounded like a song to put a baby to sleep, Gerde must have liked it because she was asleep before the song was over.
The princess regretfully handed the sleeping Gerde back to me. "Thank you, Kvalinn. May the gods and your ancestors watch over you in your journeys." She then slowly began making her way back to her seat.
"Princess Yuliana lost her daughter to disease a few months ago." Brenguk said quietly in dwarven. "Gerde must have reminded her of the painful memories."
Once lunch was over, machines that looked like computer servers were wheeled into the lecture hall. At the sight of what appeared to be advanced technology I felt my heart begin to race. Would I need to change my mind about settling down in Tochka!?
"Those are ptitsa birds." Tomas explained. "Ancient records only say that beastkin were given powerful magic without getting into detail. These birds however can detect and measure magic to a surprisingly precise degree, and with the help of their trainers, we can record exactly how much magic a beastkin has."
The metal casings were taken off what I had assumed were machines, revealing cages containing several large eagle-like birds. The ptitsa birds were around the size of American bald eagles, but these birds were pure white with painted green claws. I regretfully put the big red X back on my mental map of Tochka.
"Kvalinn, please leave your daughter on the table. The birds will remain in their cages and tell their trainers how much magic she has." I bundled up my coat as a pillow and left Gerde napping where she lay.
Eyeing Gerde as if she was prey for several minutes. The birds eventually backed away to the far corner of the cage and started tapping on the bars with their beaks. Their trainers relayed the information to the researchers, who started furiously writing down the results and debating them.
"Extraordinary!" Tomas said with glee. "After hundreds of years of speculation, we finally have an answer for how strong the magic of the beastkin was. Oh what a wonderful day this is!"
"How strong is she?" I asked. Dwarves had little to no information regarding magic outside of rune magic, so I wanted to find out if I'd need to do anything special to contain any magical outbursts that occurred during childhood.
"To tell you that, I'd need to explain too much." Tomas said in a hurried tone. "Just know that she is significantly stronger than humans in terms of magic."
"You have less to explain than you think. I have been trained in rune magic, and I know that magic is the power of the gods. Now how strong is Gerde?" Tomas heaved a tired sigh before elaborating.
"Here in Tochka, we measure magic by GPD, or God Particle Density. Everything and everyone has some amount of magic either from their initial creation by the gods or due to the magic that the gods granted their race, or in the case of your species runes how much magic is in the runes. Dwarves, as a race who were created without magic but since you were created by the gods, have a GPD of point zero one out of ten. That miniscule amount allows you to attain harmony with the power of the gods and forge your runes. The average human has a GPD of around two to three, with exceptionally powerful mages having GPD in excess of four or five. Gerde here has a GPD of at least seven! Making her more powerful than our most skilled human mage!"
After giving his lecture, Tomas joined his colleagues in discussing the results and grilling the bird's trainers. The readings were taken and retaken again and again to be entirely sure of the results until several hours had flown by.
Gerde woke up in time for dinner and started crying to be fed. Tomas took a vote from the assembled scholars and they all decided to call it a day. Gerde and I were taken to a room where more soup awaited us.
"Thank you for allowing us to examine Gerde, Kvalinn. It's been quite the exciting day. Oh? It appears someone prepared this for you." Tomas stopped in surprise when he saw a fancy rocking crib next to my bed. A maid wearing well tailored clothes stood up from her chair near the fire.
"Good evening, Kvalinn. I am Detskaya, maid to Princess Yuliana. She has asked me to assist you in taking care of the child and learning more about her daily routine." Deskaya bowed respectfully before filling a couple bowls of soup for us.
"I shall take my leave then." Tomas slightly bowed to me before heading for the door. "Tomorrow we will be comparing Gerde's bodily measurements to past records of the beastkin, so it will be an eventful day!"
As I started to feed Gerde, I realized Detskaya had been well prepared for dealing with a baby. Even having a cute bib and diapers ready for Gerde.
Once dinner was over, and I had exhausted Gerde with playtime, I tried telling her a story to get her to fall asleep. "Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away…" Gerde angrily kicked and waved her arms in protest, so I switched over to Jack and the Beanstalk. Evidently I'd need to wait a while before getting her into science fiction.
The next day, Gerde was extremely fussy and just a little feverish.
"This isn't good." I said to myself as I felt her forehead. "All the scholars and nobility are here to see you, but I don't want you getting sicker."
"It appears to be just a mild sickness that all infants go through." Detskaya said from behind me, causing me to jump in surprise since I hadn't noticed her approach. "With the Princess moderating, I'm sure that everyone will just wait out Gerde's sickness in the library."
"Wait, did you say library?" I felt my neurons firing as I heard a word that I had not encountered since coming to this world. Detskaya just looked at me oddly before replying.
"Yes, the Tochkan University Library is the oldest repository of books in the continent. It was founded during the elven conquest of the continent, and has existed since then to preserve the books left behind."
"Ancestors be praised!" I let out a yell of joy that was quickly silenced by an angry scream from Gerde. I continued celebrating in a more quiet manner. "Is it possible for me to join the scholars in the library with a translator?"
"I do not think so, but I would recommend asking Tomas." Detskaya said with a troubled look on her face. "The university, and thus the library, is normally reserved for the nobility and select members of the staff. But perhaps if you had some information worth the staggering admittance fee, then maybe they would allow you in."
I was willing to do anything to get into that library. Back home in Nurnwuhr, our lessons had all been taught verbally since paper and book costs were so high, and the only library that I heard existed in the entire mountain was the King's collection of grudge books, where he kept track of every grudge from every clan. So I hadn't had a chance to sit down with a book in nearly sixteen years!
"Good morning, Kvalinn. Are you and Gerde ready for the day?" Tomas entered the room with a ruddy smile on his face as if he had just come in from the cold. "Several of my colleagues, including myself, became too excited for the day and had to stand outside for a few minutes to cool down."
"I'm afraid Gerde is sick today, and won't be able to participate in the studies. But while we wait for her to recover, is it possible for me to visit the university library?!" Tomas was a little thrown off by my enthusiasm and downcast by my revelation that Gerde was sick, but he did his best to politely turn me down.
"I'm afraid that the university will not allow you to touch their treasured tomes without putting down a significant sum as insurance against damage-"
"What if I could show you something never seen before in all of history?" Tomas paused and looked at me questioningly. I slipped the glove off my right hand, and let a little magic flow into the rune of forging, causing it to glow with a blue light.
This caused Tomas to fall on his behind in surprise and softly swear in Tochkan. He then got up to closely peer at my hand, trying to figure out how I was doing it. He eventually let go of my hand and said he would discuss it with his colleagues.
Around ten minutes later, Brenguk came to retrieve me from my room. "What in the ancestors name did you tell Tomas?!" He asked. "He rushed into the lecture hall spouting nonsense about a dwarf having magic and calling for the ptitsa birds to be brought in as soon as possible."
"It's a long story." I said without elaborating. I wasn't sure if half dwarves were on the side of the ancestors or the gods in the ancestral grudge, so considering how I had been kicked from the weapon clan due to their aversion to me having access to magic, I thought it best to keep silent with Brenguk.
When we arrived at the lecture hall, we found Tomas in a shouting match with several of the scholars with the nobility sitting at the back eating snacks at the show. Catching sight of me, Tomas power walked over and dragged me by the wrist back to his companions.
"Show them, Kvalinn! Show them that I haven't been drinking too much vodka!" Once again, I let a tiny amount of magic flow into the rune and let it glow blue.
The revelation caused the researchers to step back in shock, and I saw one noble in the back drop his snack on the floor. Every scholar rushed back to their desk only to come back in a stampede once they had writing materials.
I did my best to answer their questions, only leaving out information that Elder Thrikrondromm had sworn me to secrecy over, and that seemed to satisfy the scholars for the moment.
"So you are saying that you can make magical runed weapons, Kvalinn!?" Tomas asked over lunch. "According to the limited information we have on rune magic, usually it takes decades to learn and centuries to master!"
"That information sounds correct. But thanks to the rune of forging on my hand, I was able to add this rune." I took out a small dagger that was hidden in my boot. It had a low powered rune of sharpness on it that could cut through hard bread and jerky like butter. "So would you say this information is worth admission to the University Library?"
"Most certainly, although there are some restrictions." I indicated I was listening and he continued. "First, do not touch any book without asking. Second, any book containing national secrets is off limits. Finally, you will only be able to read the books that are written in dwarven since our translators are not qualified to touch the books."
"How many books do you have that are written in dwarven?" I asked, hoping the answer was at least a dozen.
"Five." Was the disappointing answer. "But they are truly ancient tomes that have never been translated to Tochkan, or even opened by human hands. They seem to be protected by prehistoric runes that keep them in good condition, but intimidate all librarians against opening the books."
"Interesting, I cannot wait to see what information they contain!" I wasn't sure what Tomas meant by the runes being prehistoric, but I was excited to see them and perhaps learn how to make them for myself.
Once lunch was over, the ptitsa birds were brought in to determine how much magic I had in my body. The scholars waited with bated breath as the birds cast their eyes at me. The birds must have had a magical nature to them, because their gaze caused a weird tingling sensation on my skin. When the birds finished looking me over, they went back and informed their trainers.
Whatever the number was, it caused an uproar in the room. The researchers and scholars started talking at such a rapid pace that I wasn't sure if they were able to understand themselves. The nobles joined in the discussion with surprising fervor, several going over to the princes and speaking to her in either condescending, pleading, or demanding tones.
"What is going on, Tomas?" I asked when he had been spit out by the press of the crowd. "What was the number?"
"The number was an unbelievable ten out of ten!" Tomas said as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Right now there is a mix of opinions about whether to dissect you, lock you up as a national treasure, or hand you over to a noble for the rebuilding of their territory. That's what all the nobility are pressuring Princess Yuliana about." Tomas dived back into the crowd to begin earnestly discussing the matter again. I began to wonder if this had been a mistake of epic proportions.
After several hours of talk, Tomas came back to me with the decision of the scholastic body and Princess Yuliana. "Princess Yuliana refused to allow your dissection, so you can rest easy regarding that. As for handing you over to the nobility or making you a national treasure, she was able to get them to abandon their claims in exchange for you making a weapon for each of them, and for each member of the royal family. Since you are stuck here until spring, I assume that won't be an issue?"
"Not at all." I said with a confident nod. "Just send a list of weapon types and measurements to the adventurer guild's winter hall. What about the library? Will I be allowed to read the books?"
"Yes. Starting from tomorrow, you will be assigned a librarian to assist you in retrieving and reading the ancient dwarven books in the library. He will come collect you at dawn since he is as excited as you are to find out what is in the books. But unfortunately you will only have two weeks with the books, after that you will need to begin work on the weapons for the Tzar and the nobility."
"Understood. Will Detskaya be able to watch Gerde for me while I study in the library? I assume she was only supposed to be here short term."
"That won't be a problem. Princess Yuliana was quite taken with Gerde, and will doubtless use this time to dote on her while Detskaya cares for her."
With everything settled. Everyone from the scholars to the nobility retired to their rooms. I went to my room with the expectation of finding Gerde fast asleep in her bed. Instead I found her half standing against the railing of the crib.When she saw me enter, she gave a big bright smile, and yelled out in Dwarven. "Papa!"
"Your first word, Gerde! Did you miss me that much?" I scooped her up in my arms, and once she sniffed me all over, she fell fast asleep. "How was Gerde, Detskaya?"
"She recovered from her fever around mid afternoon. Apparently the myths about beastkin hardiness were well founded. After that, she just watched the door for you all day. Even when eating and being bathed, she never took her eyes off the door. So what happened after you left? Were you able to gain access to the university library?"
I quickly went over the events of the day, and that I'd be leaving Gerde in her care for the next two weeks while I studied in the library. Detskaya smiled softly at the news.
"I am glad that both myself and Princess Yuliana will be able to spend more time with Gerde. She is a very well behaved child and will be a joy to look after. May your ancestors grant you the wisdom you seek in our libraries."
I went to bed that night and barely slept from excitement. For the first time in over a year, I'd get to learn new runes, or better yet, ancient technologies that were lost to the past. If I was lucky, then maybe there would be some information that could help me bring the technology of this world just a little bit further towards that of the 21st century. With that hope in mind, I fell asleep and dreamed of the wonders of my previous modern life.