Dwarfs 2

[A/N: I went back to chapters 3 to 6 to have the other stats. if you didn't know, in the author's thoughts I put the character stats. starting from chapter one to 6. In the next chapter, I will continue doing this in the author's thoughts.]

"... god is great." wearing a coat, an old woman sighed softly. a coat, in this era, was rare, but God gave them the knowledge to create such clothing to shield them from the cold. they even had gloves to allow the children to play in the snow, truly god was great. 

"Good morning Hana." the old woman called out seeing Levi's little sister running in the snow, playing with a few other kids, as well as Fuma. Hana with a smile waved at her before returning to play, the old woman smiled warmly at this sight.

in the past, winter was a nightmare for them. the very hint of winter arriving made them coward in fear. many would freeze to death, while others would starve to death, but this winter was the first winter in which not only all of the 4 clans were united, but wouldn't need to worry about such things.

they had clothing to protect them, strong houses to shield them from the cold, and on top of that, they had stored up a lot of food. Life has never been so peaceful until now. with a gentle smile, she sat down, with a cup of warm tea.

"Grandma, what are you doing outside, just because those clothes protect you from the cold, it doesn't mean you should just stay out here." A young man said while walking up to the old woman with a displeased look. this old woman was the oldest person in this village, over 50 years, she outlived many people, her children being one of them.

"... my time is near. I wish to see the snow the way god wished it to be seen before I leave." She said with a gentle smile, causing the young man's heart to skip slightly. forcing a smile, he shook his head

"not funny, come on. let's go inside." He said softly, but the sight of the life leaving her mother hit him hard. he stood there with tears, looking at that gentle smile that remained on her face even after her death.

for a long time, a scene like this was considered impossible. but ever since Levi took over, such a scene became common. people dying peacefully, this was something that many dreamed of, yet little could ever enjoy.

this was the first winter this village faced, and by the looks of things, they would be facing it without much trouble.

"Levi is everything alright," Levi's father asked softly, seeing Levi lost in his thoughts. Levi looked at his father for a moment before sitting on a chair.

"It's those dreams?" he asked, many always wanted to hear about Levi's dreams as they were a way for him to communicate with god. so when his dreams were troubling him, everyone wanted to know, as lately, god had stopped simply giving Levi the answers to everything.

"yes, dreams about the dwarf's journey, all of 40 struggles, and fears. they seem to be heading here. I think god wants me to help them. I will head out with a few people to greet them." Levi said, making his father frown slightly at those words.

"don't worry, there are 40 of them. they are weak, they would have died if god hadn't drawn beasts towards them for them to kill and turn into clothing to wear. at times, he even controlled the weather, allowing them to feel the warmth of the sun." Levi said with a sigh while getting up,

"with how careful they are, they will avoid the village if they see it. I should go see them before they go around us." He said while leaving, with his father quickly offering to follow, so they both left with a group of men and went out of the village. it didn't take long for them to notice traces of the dwarf, and following them, they soon saw dwarfs hiding within a cave. the dwarfs almost instantly noticed them, Shortjo quickly pulling out his sword.

"... it's you," Shortjo said with a deep frown seeing Levi, Levi hearing this pulled out his sword and stabbed it into the ground, and with raised eyes he spoke.

"Shortjo. My god has given me many versions related to you and your people, I know your people were attacked and you were forced to flee. I welcome you and your people into my village, not as slaves but as guests, you can leave whenever you like. you can still right here and I will personally look after your needs, be it food or clothing." Levi said looking at the unguarded 

"Visions?" Shortjo asked with a raised eyebrow, he and the warrior dwarf had also had such things. while the warrior dwarf dreamed of ways to help the group, Shortjo dreamed of Levi, a short dream telling him just who Levi was.

"Yes... the strange weather you and your people faced. That was my god's doing. The beast that came towards you when you needed food and clothing, was my god. for some reason, he drew you towards us." Levi said stunning the dwarfs, they had found such things weird. when they were at their weakest, some beast would come at them, just to be easily killed.

when they needed to drink, they would just so happen to start running, giving them the chance to collect the water. it was like the world was helping them. when a powerful enemy appeared, it just so happened there was a beast there, hungry and running after that person.

"it seems you two had dreamed of me. you should know I had dreams about how to make clothing, along with many things. you seemed to have had those dreams as well." Levi said softly, to which Shortjo nodded. but he couldn't just simply believe in Levi's words, his sword soon landed on the sword Levi stabbed into the ground

"what sword is that?" Shortjo asked, Levi looked at the sword for a moment before smiling.

"you can see it for yourself. normally, I'm the only one who could pick it up, but I have a feeling you might be able to. go ahead," Levi said while picking up the sword, before going forward. but not too close as to make Shortjo unease, before placing the sword into the ground, and walking back.

Shortjo looked at Levi, before walking to the sword and picking it up, a scene which shocked the group behind Levi. Shortjo although could pick it up, was struggling to do so, and in the end, placed it back into the ground.

"What a sword..." Shortjo said softly, he could tell the quality of such a sword. but he couldn't see any rune of the sword.

"It's not made from runes. it was a normal sword which my god put some of his almighty power into. power which I could use once a day before it has to recharge." Levi said with a smile, Shortjo nodded slightly,

"so, your god is a dragon?" He asked, to which Levi shook his head before explaining how his god created the dragons, along with every other race. pretty much, his god created all of the races. he explained how his god was taking a backseat and watching his creation act for some time, before stepping in seeing how they could never find peace on their own.

"My task is to unite the humans, then I could find the promised land. I don't know what he has in store for you, but by the looks of things, it's not simple." Levi said, making Shortjo lower his head for some time, not knowing what to say. but at that moment, he felt it. he felt that his calling was

"To unite the dwarfs?" He said, and the more he thought about it the more he felt it was true. Levi and Shortjo looked at each other for a moment, before the sword floated up of the ground shocking the sword. the sword shook, before it exploded, transforming into a golden face which looked down upon them.

Levi and those he came with fell to their knees, meanwhile, Shortjo and his group went on guard seeing such a sight.

"Levi, I shall be taking back the sword. As you are now, you no longer need it. the more you progress in life, the more I wish to see you walk on your own two feet. I would ask you to unite all races... but this world isn't ready for such a thing yet. you can keep my ring, so long as you believe, you can still call upon my power." God said, his voice sounding so majestic it was like a father sending his child to college.

"Shortjo... help your people unite. As one of the first races I created, I will not say I made a mistake. I created a beautiful race, capable of crafting anything. Through the runes you can channel the world's power and if skilled enough kill the chaos primordial dragon. I created you to be a race capable of forging anything, Shortjo helps them reach that full potential. be their warriors, and leader to help them do so." God said, making Shortjo bite his lips as he began to cry

"you need not cry, son. yes, we are dead. but we will always be looking after you." a hand suddenly touched Levi's back, causing him to freeze before he turned back, only to see his dad looking at him with a gentle smile.

"Dad... how?" Levi said before noticing how the father and friends of those who died had appeared to say their goodbyes.

"God said you were children who shouldn't have to endure the trauma, so he gave us time to come say goodbye... but I didn't come for that. I have to tell you about your mother. I know I kept it secret from you for a long time." Shortjo's father said with a soft sigh,

"your mother is the princess of another dwarf kingdom. I was her guard, but one day, it was found out she was pregnant... you're not my son, but I took upon the burden of being your son at her request and fled with you. I have always loved you like my own son, but I feared you would hate me if I told you this." Shortjo's father said softly, to say the least this was a huge blow to Shortjo. never has he seen his father with another woman, and no word about who his mother was ever heard. he would be lying if he never felt some form of resentment towards him for this.

"I felt displeased... but you're still my father," Shortjo said through tears, and to his shock his father released a drop of tear, moved by his words.

"she loved you, she wanted to keep you knowing the risk involved... but I had to take you away for both her safety and yours. I wanted you to train not only so one day you can take my throne, but so you can meet your mother and be able to defeat yourself." He said while his body began disappearing.

"well... god said once I say everything I wanted to say I would start disappearing. this seems to be it. your mother is from the Red Spear Dwarf Empire. goodbye, son." He said with a gentle smile while Shortjo quickly tried to hug him, but his hands just went through his body, causing him to grab at the air.

he wasn't the only one as everyone was in tears, wishing for their loved ones to stay just a bit longer. Levi watched all of this happen, before looking toward his god who was watching all of this with a sad smile. it was hard to explain, but from that smile, he could still his god was happy seeing how his creation had such deep lives, but sad at how they were crying. slowly, god also began to disappear, following everyone.

"Remember, untie, and work together. support each other." God said before disappearing, leaving only the sound of dwarfs crying...

meanwhile, on the first floor, Hell. Igneel could be seen, training with Alfred, Ember, and Indira. Igneel shot forward, dodging Indira's lightning-covered fist, before landing a palm on her stomach, sending her flying towards Ember who was about to fly forward.

Alfred appeared, and quickly the two tried a few blows. Alfred was a master in all forms of battles. experience alone allowed him to stand almost equal to Igneel, who was stronger than him. but after a moment, Igneel took a blow, to land a bow on Alfred, sending Alfred shooting off

"Amazing work my lord, your combat capability has improved at such fast speed. in a few years, you will be my equal." Alfred said in amazement, it has been a little over a year since Igneel had come into this world, and within that short amount of time, Igneel had learned many forms of combat,

"You're still holding back, if you attacked me with Ember and Indira, wouldn't have won so easily," I said with a smile. Alfred didn't say anything to my arrogant words. pretty much I just said I would have won even if they worked together,

"alright. let's finish things up. this round we will use our spells and abilities to their fullest potential" Alfred said, to which I nodded while getting resources. after all, I couldn't use my magic or abilities.

Indira took a deep breath for a second before lightning covered her body. with a smile, the lightning infused into her body. her very blood, muscles, and even brain. with a step, she disappeared, appearing before me with a punch aimed towards my face.

'she is so easy to read.' I thought. Indira's fighting style was simple to read, she used speed above everything else, raw speed, and overwhelming attack power. thats the type of fighter she was. blocking her punch, I grabbed onto her arm while I was sent rocketing back, spinning Indira around, I threw her towards Ember, who this time dodged Indira while shooting forward

She opened her mouth, unleashing a fire beam that could cut through just about anything. My eyes narrowed as I couldn't dodge the attack, being in mid-air. so what could I do? simple, I had complete mastery of my body. all of the power my body could give off, I could focus. 

with this, I kicked the air with such speed and force, sending me flying to the side and dodging the laser beam. landing on the ground, I stepped forward causing the ground to explode at the blinding speed.

Ember pupils shrank seeing this, but she wasted no time and waved her hands. flames came to life, taking the form of a snake-like fire dragon, which moved along with Ember's hands. Ember threw the fire dragon towards me, which I dodged at the last moment... but Ember was expecting just that.

with a snap of her finger, the dragon exploded, sending me rocketing backward. but I landed on my feet once more, just in time to notice a lightning-covered kick shooting toward me, I quickly dodged, before quickly countering, but I quickly realized it was a trap, as Indira's body was spinning, her fist flying towards my face. I acted quickly, blocking the attack, although I was sent flying back once more

Alfred wanted this scene, a frown slowly forming on his face. Indira's fighting style... well, it was too easy to read. she had improved greatly compared to a few months ago, but still, she had ways to go. Ember was all right. She was hot-headed, but she could keep a cool head during these moments, allowing her to plan, unlike Indira who just attacked without thought of her next move.

then there was Ingeel, he came a long way in such a short amount of time, Igneel was a world dragon. Alfred knew the power Ingeel had, if all of the floor guardians along with Thor and himself joined hands to fight Ingeel, it's hard to say who would win.

that was 9 level 100 dragon overlords working together, and it was still unclear who would win. they were all not simple level 100 dragons, they were able to fight a group of level 100 players on their own. Alfred alone in his human form could take on at least 19 level 100. in his dragon form, that number is in the 20s, just below the world's enemies

Alfred didn't know what Igneel's dragon form was like, he was honestly just measuring Igneel's strength based on everyone's human form. in their dragon form, Igneel should experience a far greater boost to his power than them... right?

"Alright, thats enough," Alfred said seeing how the battle between the two would take forever. which was also a shocker, Ember, and Indira were not weak by any means, yes they were holding back slightly, after all this was their lord. but on their own, they could fight around 10 level 100 players. that was impressive, yet Ingeel without the need for skills or other such things could still face them and hold his own, even though he was still losing.

"How did I do?" Ember asked with bright eyes, to which Igneel looked at his Burnt arms, which were healing.

"now bad... both of your combat capabilities have improved greatly. I can no longer defeat the two of you like this. and if you keep improving, you two will be sure to defeat me." I said with a smile, 

"that's great. once I'm stronger than you, you will have to rely on me even more."Ember said with a grin, making Indira speechless

"Ember isn't that rude?" She asked, causing Ember to freeze for a moment. not realizing her words came out as rude, she panicked to try and explain her words, but before she could Hela came over to Igneel, causing Igneel's lips to twist slightly.

"Husband, Hephaestus has reported to have made a breakthrough in his work with the runes," Hela said with a gentle smile, causing my eyebrow to raise, She went on to hand me a dagger. taking the dagger I looked at the rune on it.

There are 50 lesser runes, 25 middle runes, 10 upper runes, and 5 top runes, for a total of 90 runes overall. while weapons from YGGDRASIL used enchantment, the weapons of these worlds either are enchanted through wild magic or have runes.

When a rune is carefully engraved on an object, it enchants the object. The amount of magic inscribed in an object depends on the time it takes to inscribe a rune. In other words, runes are characters magically imbued with mana.

Loki had brought back many highly skilled dwarfs as well as many of their knowledge, who were charmed to have them teach everything they knew to Hephaestus. after months of work, this is the first item he created.

it took him days to write just one rune, and it only increased the sharpness of the blade, another runesmith could shorten the time, as well as combine the runes to show all kinds of effects. the dwarfs said it was possible to create a rune that could enhance a sword to give it the power to cut space, but that would take a long time to engrave, years maybe. so although the dwarfs knew how to do such things, they couldn't do it due to how long it would take.

"How is the research into combining enchantment with runes?" I asked calmly, to which Hela with a loving smile answered. 

"attempting to carve runes and enchant an object with both Runecraft and Tier Magic together can also be mutually repulsive. Odin tried to enchant an object, but the rune began to distort. we then tried with a weaker magic caster, but their magic was too weak. because of this, we are giving the dwarfs the power to use tier magic, and slowly training them up so they could use both tier magic and rune." Hela said to which I frowned slightly.

"don't worry, as you requested, tier magic is ours. they would not be stepping out of Odin's research lab... oh, here are the scrolls Odin made. these are from the flesh of humans, this one is from one of the dragons Negra found, and the rest belong to all types of beasts." Hela said while giving me a bunch of scrolls.

we of course needed to learn how to create high-grade scrolls. the higher the grade of the scroll, the higher the tier of magic they could hold. plus, they could be sold to the system at a high price. so I had no problem with Odin collecting a bunch of people from different races to have skinned alive for such research.

I also didn't want the outside world to have tier magic, since tier magic and Wild Magic didn't cancel each other out, I wanted the magic to be unknown for now. the dragons were like walking world items, when they fought, their magic canceled each other out. only the physically stronger one could win unless one wild magic greatly overwhelms the other party.

"Alright, what about the dwarfs at the village?" I asked calmly, to which Hela's smile disappeared, replaced with an uninterested look.

"they are fitting in well, with everyone hearing how god personally led them to the village, they dared not be rude to the dwarfs. their blacksmith skills are proving handy as many gather around them to learn, so they have become some kind of teachers. Shortjo is training alongside Levi. everything is going as you planned, everyone is becoming independent and growing... but would this not stop them from giving you offerings?" Hela asked with a frown, 

"They will... you have no idea how big the impact of religion is to humans." I said calmly, to which Hela said nothing else.

"so, since I called you husband and you said nothing else. does that mean we're married?" She asked softly, to which I froze, i was about to say of course not, but she got close to me and spoke into my ear

"husband... did you know dragons don't have a gag reflex? As for why thats matter, I can show you." She said in an extremely soft voice which only I could hear.