I phased out of the void back to my spawn spot on Heere.
Quest Complete: experience your first sixdays
Reward: today
“I didn’t get any xp for that, did I?”
Yes. 1 xp. Bookkeeping requirement.
“Well, that is something. Thank you.”
I turn and see that I am not alone in the glade. There are two others here. One is an extremely beautiful, pale female Elf, which I find odd because I do not believe Elves are native to this world. The other is a Human boy, probably somewhere between 13 and 15. His body is in good shape. He has cropped black hair, slightly less black skin, and an above ordinary face. He is wearing the standard loincloth and sandals, while she is in a stylish though not extravagant white on blue dress. They are both staring at me. I believe I was expected.
The woman speaks. She might be a goddess; her voice has the same reverberating quality I heard when Skawa spoke at home.
“Good day to you, Forrest Rhodes. I am Einvigi, considered the minor god of sparring and honorable duels. The boy is a disciple, Onre Litman. You caught my attention immediately, as a newly arrived awakened with a high degree of honor and with a peaceful service in your military. ”
Skawa had seemed annoyed at extravagant words, so I’ll speak to her simply as a respected person. “Hail, god Einvigi. I am surprised that you know so much about me. Do the gods know everything?”
She laughs. “No, young Covargh. We each have what you might call an ‘awareness’. There are general aspects we all share, but each of us have our own custom perceptions. As I exist in service to both Honor and War, you ‘smelled’ like you could be one of mine.”
Alarm bells go off in my head. While she seems nice enough, I had specifically chosen a healer class that I thought would avoid involvement with gods. I’m not ready to change course now, but how do I tell her without getting zapped? And why is Onre giving me a not-well concealed stink eye?
“If it be appropriate for me to speak, I am very ignorant of this world and its ways. Would it be an insult to say that I do not wish to seek discipleship at this time? I am sure it would be both a great honor and prove very beneficial in many ways. But for now I seek simplicity matching my ignorance – to learn the paths before me prior to choosing any.”
“You misunderstood me, wolf. Relax. I did not mean to imply that I desired you to enter my service, but simply that we have a commonality of interest. For example, you have chosen both a warrior and a healer class. How could that not intrigue me?”
I feel relieved. This conversation could turn out well after all. Something she said made me curious. “Einvigi, may I ask you a few questions?”
“I intend to ask a favor of you, so it would be meet to allow you your curiosity. What would you ask?”
A favor. Great. “Well, you said you were in service to Honor and War. Is that what makes you be considered a minor god?”
“Such a relationship is common among the minor gods, but it is not the defining feature. It is more that I am known, when I am known, by my name, not a concept. I do not announce myself as ‘Spar’ for example.”
“Okay, thank you. I shall think of you with the same high regard as any of the concept-gods. I realize for this entire conversation we have been using the term ‘god’, but you are clearly feminine. In my old world, you would have been referred to as a ‘goddess’. This puzzles me.”
This time she laughs heartily. “We are what we are and what we wish to be.” She then transforms herself into an exact likeness of Arrjee. In her same dress. “Am I a ‘god’ now?”, Einvigi asks, in his reverberated voice.
With a smile, “Yes, clearly so. I understand. My last question – I do not know if it even has an answer. In less than 21 hours on Heere, I have drawn the attention of three gods. Before that, my family had told me that contact with gods was very rare. I got the impression it was almost unheard of. Do you know why I appear to be a beacon of some sort?”
“One moment, Forrest. Your friend may approach.”
She turns her head to the left and stares into the wood. I don’t know how far that voice carries. Probably as much as she wishes. After 20 or so seconds I hear quick footsteps through the leaves. A few seconds later, Arrjee appears, just wearing his loincloth and sandals, and his river stone on a ring. He stops on entrance to the glade, glances at me then Onre, then stares at himself in a dress.
“Excuse me. I have been looking for Forrest, and then I heard the invitation. I hope my presence is welcome?”
“Yes you are welcome, Arrjee Silverstone. I am Einvigi, the minor god of sparring and honorable dueling. My young disciple is Onre Litman. We are here to meet Forrest and now you. I am about to answer one of his questions, but you might want to hear the answer as well.”
She looked at me for a moment. Apparently I am to let Arrjee know what the question was. I’m thinking I should answer his unstated ones first. I smile at Arrjee, to let him know all is well. “Hello, brother. Before I restate my current question, I am sure you would also be interested in the previous. When I first got here, Einvigi announced herself to me as she did you. She was a beautiful woman in that very dress. I asked her why she refers to herself as a god and not goddess. In answer she transformed herself as you see, showing me that for gods, such distinctions are meaningless.”
He grins at me, “It is good to see you brother. And everyone knows that.” Both Einvigi and Onre laugh briefly at his comment. “Thank you for revealing why I see my form before me, though.”
“Then I best let you know the current question. Maybe this one will not sound so foolish. How is it, if encountering gods is rare on Heere, that I have drawn the attention of three gods in less than 21 hours?” I turn my head to face her. Him.
Einvigi surprises me with the next words. “I know that ‘god-voice’ can get annoying. It reaches a point where it transitions from making people feel awed to just making me feel odd. So we’ll go with this for much of our remaining encounter. And Arrjee, being you feels too furrry for my taste. You do have nice fur, though.” With that, she transforms back to her original female elf form.
Now back to her female voice, “This feels better. Regarding Nature, I believe you, Forrest, just happened to be the right person at the right time. In thanks, she granted you the extra luck to help calm a dread you had been concealing. Skawa already provided you with his answer. As he told you, many of the gods take notice of the arrival of unborn awakeneds. He has a focus on you because of your unusual nature. We discussed you a few days ago. Your long-lived, mostly absent nature is indeed unique. But that is not where my interest lies. It is your secondary class, Ki Healer, which truly intrigues me.”
“To the best of Skawa’s and my considerable awareness, you are the only person on Heere to possess this class. Clerics, paladins, druids, alchemists and others can all offer healing in various ways, all utilizing magic. Doing it with ki is unheard of, and, as it turns out, inefficient. As you know, to share your ki you have to directly touch your patient. While not actually inefficient, touch adds the same necessary extreme locality as does an alchemist’s potion. The main inefficiency is that much of the ki you expend does not result in the desired effect. Of the ki which is lost, half is released back to the aether from which both magic and ki are derived. The other half is absorbed by your patient, acting as a temporary vital boost. Arrjee, how has it made you feel?”
With a big grin of remembrance, “I felt energized, awake, maybe more alive.”
She asks again, “And?”
Maybe with a blush, “I did not want to say directly in your lady’s presence. But apparently you know. Horny, alright?”
“Alright, thank you. And therein lies the issue. Were you attracted to Forrest specifically, or was it a more general feeling?”
He turns his head at a slight angle, considering. “I think in general. But that first time he healed me, not too far from here, we were alone, and my, well, interest, naturally fell to him.”
Well, I feel better knowing for sure what has been going on.
Einvigi speaks again, “Feeling – let us stick with ‘vital’ – can be a good thing. It is certainly not bad in itself. There are certainly much worse side effects which could occur. But let us speak directly of the risk here. An immature or evil-natured Ki Healer could intentionally use this side effect to gain sexual favor over another. Or an ignorant one could inadvertently cause dependencies in those he helps.”
Arrjee interrupts, “Forrest is not like that!”
“Nor was I accusing him. I have been stating the basis for my curiosity about this class. Initially I began researching it simply because of its rarity. Why have interfaces not been offering the Ki Healer class? It turns out that it has garnered a bad reputation. While it never was relegated to a failed class, it is now among a small set of ‘disfavored’ classes.”
“Interface, you never told me any of this.”
I believe she has looked deeper than I did. It met your requirements well, and I judged that you were not one who would misuse it. Let us continue to listen, and maybe we can both find out more.
“The class was adjusted to lessen the possibility of abuse. It was given a severe charisma penalty, so that young practitioners would be less able to encourage others to behave in ways they would not do otherwise. Its set of skills already functioned to become more efficient with rank, so eventually the potential for abuse fades. In recognition of that, the class was given a plus one charisma per level bonus, meted out at half its normal effect. So over time, as the side effects dwindle and the general maturity of the class holder rises, the charisma penalty will tend to fade.”
“She didn’t mention low luck.”
The luck penalty is not tied directly to the Ki Healer class. It results from your entire combination of race and classes.
“You mean I’m eventually going to be OP?”
I mean you are a dumbass. Now shut up and listen.
I internally smile. No denial.
“This research has led Me and Onre to this glade at this time. There are characteristics to the Ki Healer class which could prove welcome to those who spar and duel, as well as adventurers and warriors. Before I let it be known that it is a healing class that can be considered, I would see it for myself. I know Forrest only has its first two skills, but that should be sufficient to judge its merits and drawbacks. I am confident the later skills of the class will add great utility, but first I must determine that it will not cripple the potential of either its class owners or those it is used upon.”
She stares directly at me. “Forrest, as you have used your skills, have you felt any side effects? None are recorded for its users, but I wish to hear it directly.”
Knowing I now have become the representative of a class I like, I choose to be fully cooperative. “No, Einvigi. Both Arrjee and a man named Hesta Blakeman have told me about feeling energized as I healed them. But I have felt neither energized nor drained.”
She says, “Good. That is one hurdle we will not need to overcome. Onre has volunteered to allow your healing skills to be used on him. If Arrjee is amenable, I would ask for his participation as well.” She looks at him, “It involves being hurt, damaged, cursed, or poisoned as we test. You will only be temporarily injured, but you may decline now or at any point without repercussions.”
Arrjee responds, “I will assist in any way you wish. From what I have seen and felt, it is a good class. I had even considered it for myself, but I believe I will choose a more common mana-based secondary. That is only because of the years of expectation I had already built up, not due to reservations about the class itself.”
She says, “Thank you, Arrjee More. Whether you choose to become a sword mage, paladin, or cleric warrior, – or anything else, I believe you shall excel.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She gets him.
Looking back at me, “Forrest, have you had the opportunity to use your Claw Strike skill yet? While I wish to preserve most of your ki for testing of Heal Other and Bless Blood, I am sure you are anxious to see the operation of your new offensive skill. Also, are you willing to share your statuses with me?”
That’s curious. “No, never used. And do you mean read my mind?”
“While I am a god and could do so if I desired, those of us on this planet generally avoid doing so. We consider it to be rude, invasive, and beneath our calling. All I am asking is for you to bring your statuses up and let your interface know that I will be monitoring.”
I’ll be not damned. Polite gods. My statuses pop up with numbers. Interface knows.
A thought occurs to me. “Another question, if I may. If you do not read minds, how did you know what classes Arrjee might be considering?”
She smiles at me. “I like a quick thinker. The surface thoughts of an untrained mind sometimes leak, sounding as whispers to those nearby with telepathic abilities. In Arrjee's case, his thoughts of classes were tied with fairly strong mixed emotions of indecision, regret, and hope.”
Arrjee gives a slight shrug in apparent acceptance and agreement.
Einvigi gets back on topic. “Thank you for sharing your stats. 208 ki should be more than sufficient.”
----------------------------------------
Shifting her head, “Onre, Forrest is Level 2 with no training. He is a martial artist with strength of 15 and agility 17. Expect his attacks to significantly hurt even as inexperienced as he is. Unless you choose to decline now, please step up, and he will claw you, then heal you.”
“Yes, Einvigi. You warned me there would be pain, but I too am curious about this Ki Healing.” He walks up, facing me. “Do what you need to do. This will not change my opinion of you.”
Why does that sound like a veiled insult? Could he be one of those Humans with the “half-breed” attitude? Maybe some pain is in order.
Trying to look at him in a friendly manner, “I have not tried any attack with my feet before. So I plan to claw you twice. Once as hard as I can across your chest with my hand, and once as hard as I can manage with my foot across your shin. If I trip, which is not at all unlikely, you can laugh.” Maybe a little ice-breaking from my side will help.
Not sounding friendly, “I expect I would.” … Or not.
Claws out – well they don’t actually go out, but it's what Wolverine would do – I extend my right arm back, readying it for the strike. I push ki up my arm, into my hand, and out into the claws of all my fingers. I’m not going to hold back. This kid is asking for me to justify my existence.
I swing, landing a long, deep, 4-claw gash from between his areolae, down below his rib cage and exiting the flesh from his right side. My thumb does not do very much damage, if any.
He grunts with a high tone, and shifts in pain. But I have to hand it to him – he does not cry or curse or fall.
“Okay, that’s the big one. Now you get to watch and see if I trip.”
I think a straight down strike along his shin will be the easiest. I move a step to his right side and wait out the 5-second recharge time. I push ki down into my right leg all the way to my claws. This doesn’t feel natural, and I don’t think I am going to manage either full physical or ki damage. Raising my leg, I am going to give it a shot with what I have.
Which was not very much. I managed a decent scratch with the claws of 3 toes. My foot landed on the ground awkwardly, and I lurch forward a little down from my shoulders, bumping his own shoulder. “You can count that as a trip if you want.”
“I do.” He replies seriously, but with no laughter. “Before you try that with your feet again, Forrest, you really need some basic martial training.” I can see Arrjee nod his head in agreement. He has sort of a pained smile though. At embarrassment for me or in sympathy with Onre’s pain, I do not know.
I ask, “Would you like to sit or stand as I heal you?”
“I will stand while you heal my chest, but sit while you do my leg.” As he stands up as straight as he can and I back away a foot or so, Einvigi approaches us.
“Forrest, I am unclear on the area your Heal Other covers. At Rank F, it only covers the size of your palm, but at E and Level 2, it will be broader. Try starting about one palm length down from the top of his wound. I expect the area will extend out up to one palm width in every direction.”
I do as she suggests. The chest scratch is about 15 inches long or almost 4 palms. That one scratch could have damaged him by 40 HP, and I have already used 25 of my 208 ki total. He is holding up very well. Sparring and dueling is no joke. I’ll definitely need to restore some of his blood too. What a mess!
The first heal does indeed cover almost 3 palm widths, and takes about 7 seconds and almost 60 more ki. There is a small gash at the top which was not affected, and a little over a palm width at the bottom. I heal the bottom, with my hand covering most of the area. It only takes 2 seconds and 16 ki. I finish off the little area at the top, for 1 second and 8 more ki.
“If your chest feels right, take a seat and I’ll crouch down and get your leg.”
As he does so, his loincloth does not conceal an obvious erection. And that’s with at least a pint of blood lost. Gosh. 42 ki was wasted, 21 of which went to energize him. My skill makes people horny, check.
Einvigi notices, and I’m sure Arrjee does too. We avoid staring, but Einvigi asks him a significant question, “Do you feel attracted to Forrest?”
“No goddess. But Arrjee is very cute, and you are extremely beautiful.”
Seeing that there is no more commentary, I heal his leg. This was a lot smaller of a scratch, and I did it all in one pass of 12 more ki.
She says to him, “In addition to the heals, Forrest has given you a vital boost of 24 ki, and it clearly has an effect. Do you regret it? Would you refuse such healing in an arena setting?”
“It is embarrassing, yes. But the effect is more than what you see. I feel energized and maybe more alive. So no, I do not regret it, nor would I refuse such healing in the future.”
“He has one more step to complete your recovery. Bless Blood will be used to restore your lost blood. At F Rank, it is slightly less efficient than E Rank Heal Other, so you may feel more energized per second. Do you desire that he continue?”
“Yes. It would feel incomplete to stop the testing now, and I like having all my blood.”
Since I am still kneeling, I place my right hand on Onre’s knee. I focus on the flow of ki to my palm and think about restoring his blood. Three seconds and 24 ki later it is complete. He asks if I am done, and I respond that I am. He seems quite relieved. “Too bad, though, that I can’t get Arrjee alone for five minutes.”
She states matter of factly, “I doubt you would last one. But here is what I propose for the next 25 minutes. Again, your participation is entirely voluntary. I will inflict both Arrjee and Onre with a D grade poison. That should quickly devitalize Onre. Then you begin wrestling, letting the poison circulate while Forrest meditates for 15 minutes. This will allow him to restore some of his ki. After that you will continue to wrestle while he tries to cure you in turn.”
“As I understand it, curing and removing blood curses are quick blessings, so it is important to see if he can indeed accomplish his cures while you are moving about. His F rank skill against the D rank poison will take several applications to cure each of you, but I think he will be able to. The final test will be to see how effective his localized healing will be useful against lost hit points due to poison throughout your bodies. If he is unable to completely restore you, I will.”
I acknowledge, “Yes, goddess, that sounds like a very effective way for me to test that skill.” Both of the other guys agree to her plan as well.
Looking at me, she commands, “Sit and meditate. I will let you know when 15 minutes are up.” The countless thoughts, ideas, and worries that were in the back of my mind all calm. I do as she says, sit, and begin meditating.
I didn’t see, but Arrjee later told me that she pulled a needle and vial out of some sort of magical bag he didn’t even know she had. She approached them, and stuck each with the needle, saying it was a full-body poison which primarily attacked the muscles. Just prior to each prick, she inserted her needle into the vial. Apparently she said something about the casting of a poison spell would not work because Forrest could not cure such cast poisons. They stripped, as wrestling in loincloths would be comically awkward. Not to mention, wrestling in the nude was just how it was done unless you do it outside in freezing weather. They began wrestling.
And they quickly began to feel the effect of the poison. It upset their stomachs, enervated them, gave them headaches and muscle pains. “Primarily the muscles” did not mean “only the muscles”. It sounded like a nasty thing, and Arrjee was glad it was only a Rank D poison. They wrestled the best they could under the circumstance, getting the poison well spread throughout their bodies. When she wants to test something, she tests it!
She eventually breaks my focus and bids me to cure them.
Achievement: Meditation, E
“Hey, my meditation made it to Rank E!” Then I ask, “You said curing the poison would take several applications. Do you want me to alternate between them, or cure one before the other?”
She is smiling. “Congratulations. It is important to raise that one. Regarding Bless Blood, it is your skill. Do what feels right. The recharge time is only four seconds, so whether you repeat it on one of them every four seconds or every eight likely matters not.”
Arrjee and Onre don’t look well at all, and are barely managing to wrestle. I ask them, “Do you guys have poison indicators with your statuses now? I have never been poisoned before.”
Onre answers in a quiet voice, breathing hard, “Yes. I had never been poisoned before either. My poison indicator is yellow, and I am down about 20 hit points.” Arrjee acknowledges that he sees the same, but 21 HP.
I say, “Okay, since Onre answered first, I’ll try curing him first. I will activate Bless Blood in pulses about 4 seconds apart.”
I commence doing so, touching Onre’s shoulder each time. After the first, he says, “Yellow green.” Then “Yellow greener” after the second. And with the third, he announces “Green” with a smile. “I still don’t feel great, though.”
I repeat the same process on Arrjee, and he reports the same results.
Then I ask both of them, “First, please stop wrestling now. I cannot effectively heal as you move around. Can you name any parts of your body that feel particularly bad? Trying to heal someone’s whole body will be new for me.”
Arrjee replies, “Well, I still have a bad headache, and my stomach remains unsettled. Muscles throughout my whole body ache.” Onre acknowledges that it is the same for him.
I say, “I will start with your heads. First your forehead, and then its back if you need.” I heal at Arrjee’s forehead first for about a second before it stops. “Did that help?”
“A little. My hit points are up by two. Get the back of my head next.” I do so. “Two more points.
I move down to his stomach and heal there. Not even a second. “One point.” His left bicep was another point I sigh.
Then I repeat the same four heals on Onre, with similar results. I turn and ask Einvigi, “Should I keep trying? Heal Other does not seem particularly well suited for this.”
“It is not, nor did I expect it to be. You will gain a full-body heal as you level up. Heal Other is actually more effective and efficient for localized wounds, but as you can see, it has limitations. Similarly, Bless Blood has broad application, but you will gain stronger, more specific skills to augment it.”
She seems to be ready for this to end. “We are almost complete. Bless Blood can also be used a few seconds ahead of time to counter a curse you believe is coming. I will cast an E Rank Cold Blood curse at them both. Please bless your friends now, and I will monitor the results.”
I quickly do so, placing one hand each on top of their heads, I tell her it is done. She casts the curse, and they both slightly shiver.
“The E rank curse landed at F rank on them both. Forrest, now see if you can remove it entirely.”
It just took one application each, and the curses were gone. There was indeed no trouble eliminating a problem of equal rank to my skill’s.
She then approaches us and brings up a healing aura. A few seconds later, they were both fully healed.
----------------------------------------
I ask her, “The name ‘Bless Blood’ confuses me. On my old world, it was the gods who were thought to bless, or perhaps a priest would invoke a blessing which presumably a god would complete. How is it that I ‘bless’ blood?”
“No offense intended, Forrest Rhodes, but your old world sounds backward. Why would a mortal not be able to bless?”
Surprised at that response, “In their defense, we had neither magic nor ki that I knew of. So I guess that is why we thought blessings would come from higher powers.”
“I can understand how such ideas would follow on a world ignorant of reality.”
Then, with her god-voice back on, “In return for your willing cooperation, I will grant a boon to each of you. Forrest and Onre may name 2 attributes and I will boost them each by one. Or you may have 2 points go to one attribute. Since Arrjee suffered less than Onre, I will only boost one of his by 1 point.”
Arrjee immediately thanks her and names vitality. He says, “It is a native attribute, so I have been unable to train it.”
“As you wish.” Arrjee smiles broadly after checking the attribute. He says that it is 9 now.
Onre states, “I believe Arrjee chose wisely. Since the goddess is kind enough to grant me 2 points, please add one to both my native attributes, vitality and luck.”
“It is done.” I see Onre smile too. He looks a lot better with a smile. “What do you choose, Forrest?”
I had not been expecting this boon, but since I am last, I have had a moment to consider. “My native attributes go up with leveling. So please add one point to charisma, matching my luck, and one point to perception, to help catch it up to most of my others.”
“As you wish.” I check and see that my charisma is 8.5 and perception is 15. At Level 3, both charisma and luck will become 9, with no free points needed. I might anyway, but I won’t need to.
We all thank her as Arrjee and Onre put back on their loincloths and sandals. I tell Onre that I am sorry for the pain I caused. He repeats that he does not think less of me. I don’t believe he thinks any more of me either. Tough nut.
“I must ask that you be fully open. Do any of you have reservations concerning the Ki Healer class?”
Onre responds first, “No, goddess. I believe that the side effects might actually be useful in the arena or battlefield, possibly helping both morale and camaraderie. I do not refer to libido, but the overall lift to one’s energy and attitude. I have decided, should you deem it meet, that it will be my secondary class.”
He might be a jerk, but he is a thinking jerk.
Then Arrjee, “Nor I, goddess, but I never have. It impresses me more today than seven days ago.”
My turn, “Yes, goddess, I do. The potential for abuse is clear.” Full stink eye from Onre, surprise from Arrjee. Einvige displays no change of attitude. “That said, Onre makes a good point, and I believe the potential for gain is also clear. What I suggest is a pre-training process.” (Damn, am I a 22nd century American tool or what? Actually suggesting a new “process”?? The guys at the station would not believe this is me. And, well, it’s not.) “Let all candidates and those with whom they train know ahead of time the risks and rewards. Also, those in mentoring roles should be made aware of the potential problems and what to look for.”
“You show surprising insight, Forrest; your former self was clearly someone of wisdom. I shall indeed consider your suggestions. In 21 days time, expect me to meet you in a dream, and we can discuss this further.”
“Interface, set reminder for before I sleep 21 days from now, ‘Expect Einvigi’.
Done.
“Now it is time I must go. Onre, these are your new friends, and they will make you part of the village of Cottages. Please reconsider thoughtfully the biases you have learned in the past. Is Forrest, or any other 'half-breed', actually worthy of your automatic disrespect?”
I should have realized she could tell. I hope he listens. Well, she has paid me 2 attribute points, and for that I accept a new friend. Even if he remains a jerk, it’s worth it.
“This evening, I will send a representative to Cottages in order to discuss the establishment of a new training school there. It will be for young adventurers, and under my auspices. You may tell interested parties that I foresee a school of approximately 40 students from all over the world. Your own masters will be welcome to join and become part of the staff.”
“Fare thee well.” With that, she instantly vanishes.
“I did not know she was going to do that. I don’t even have my stuff!” Onre laments in a lost voice. Just then, a well-used backpack appears before us. “I guess that is mine. But it still would have been nice to know ahead of time.”
I look at Onre with a consoling smile, “I fully sympathize. Seven days ago I was a new unborn awakened, feeling lost and completely alone in these very woods. But before the day was over, Arrjee helped me find a home.”
Switching my gaze to Arrjee, “Wolf, turn that magic back on.”