I felt it was time to move on. “Well, I think I am about ready to work on my skills. Does anyone have something else they would like to discuss first?”
Arrjee said he should get his homework done. Grandma asked Onre if he would help her with an inventory to help her prepare her next order of supplies. He agreed. Mom just wanted to relax a while.
Dad asked, “What training do you have in mind, Son? If you don’t mind having your Father as company, I have no other plans this evening.”
I: I will stick with Forrest as well.
That caused smiles. I checked the time and saw that it was a few minutes after 18. “Right now, most of my ki is gone from lots of analyzing and using HPR Boost. That leaves Meditation, Running, Wrestling, and Tactics, with a number of analyzes thrown in as my ki recharges. It would be great if I could rank both Meditation and Analyze to D before this Tuesday is over.”
Grandma suggests, “Why don’t you two men meditate for half an hour? In the meantime, I can break out my Think board and pieces, and your Dad can teach you. He’s good. I can still usually beat him, but he’s good. There will be plenty of pieces for Forrest to analyze, plus everything in the den.”
“That sounds like a good plan to me,” I said. “Let me check something. Interface, Query Meditate.”
I: Meditation, E + 286 / 317
“Nice. With my ki so low, I’ll be earning rank points at a full 1 rp / minute. Will you be okay with meditating for 31 minutes instead of 25, Dad?”
“Of course,” he replied. “I will only be getting .7 rp/minute, but that will still be 21 more than I have now.”
Mom and Arrjee left for home. As they exited the shop, they also withdrew from the party, using it to tell us goodbye just before. Now that Mom had gone, I moved to sit next to Dad on the sofa. “Interface, please alert me when Meditation reaches Rank D.”
I: Alert set.
“I’ll be starting now. If something comes up, don’t worry about disturbing me. I can always meditate later.”
Breathe. Inhale. Hold it. Hold it. Don’t focus. Exist. Hold it. Exhale.
This time, Al Pacino got me up. “Say hello to my little friend.” Fortunately, Interface didn’t play the following gunfire from 1988’s Scarface.
I opened my eyes and saw Grandma and Onre standing across the table. They smiled at seeing me open them. They had set up what I assumed was the Think set, and had placed a chair on the other side of the table so that Dad and I could face each other while playing. I gently nudged him, and his eyes opened.
I: Achievement: Meditation, D
“That is a big step,” said Grandma. “Your passive regens are now active, adding 5% more regen whether meditating or not. It also offers a minor rate increase in how quickly all your other skills gain rank points. I don’t know how much. Interface can you tell us?”
I: 2.5%. Would you like a full breakdown of Forrest’s Meditation?
Both she and I said yes.
I: Rank D values:
HP Regen: +5% passive. Add 30% while active.
SP Regen: +5% passive. Add 30% while active.
Ki Regen: +5% passive. Add 39% while active.
10% mental stress reduction, passive
10% mental attack resistance, passive
Passive effects are boosted by 50% while sleeping (5% to 7.5%, etc).
1 rp/min while active and regenerating, 0.7 rp if stats are already maximized.
1 rp/hour passive.
+2.5% rp rate increase to all skills except meditation
“Wow!” I exclaimed. I just knew there would be some passive regeneration. Einvigi had told me this was an important skill, and now I see why. Interface, do the passive benefits continue to increase with rank?”
I: Yes. The regen passives go up 5% per rank, and the mental benefits increase 10% . The rp rate increase goes up 2.5% per rank. However, the rank points earned by meditation itself are fixed regardless of rank.
Dad added, “Scholars probably know these details, but those of us who don’t study skills themselves only know the generalites.”
I: Yes, your scholars do know. That is why I feel comfortable sharing this information with you. Forrest can share his knowledge gained on Earth, but the peoples of Heere should figure out for themselves these sorts of power mechanics.
My stats were still up, and both HP and SP were at 100%. Ki wasn’t even at 40% yet; thus it was only 60% effective at this low level. Adding the Rank E active boost of 20% from Meditation, it would still only be 80% effective. The end result is that Ki had increased from 12 to 86.”
I laughed. “I’m not even up at 100 ki yet. But Tactics will be free, so I’ll have plenty of ki for running Dark Sight and analyzing stuff. Interface, Query Analyze.”
I: Analyze, E + 241 / 317
“I guess I’ll have to pace myself. There are 76 more Analyzes I need before ranking it. At 3 ki each time, well, I’m glad I have my passive ki regen bonus from Meditation!”
Grandma and Onre had left the room.
RS: Interface, thank you for speaking with us. I enjoyed it immensely, and have learned a lot. But now I need to focus on finishing this inventory. I’m dropping from the party. Good night.
OL: I’ll do the same. While not exactly an adventure, I’ll think of it as a scholarly one. Bye.
They dropped, and now the party was just Dad, Interface, and me. Dad was curious. “Do you know how to play Think, Interface?” As he was answering, I moved to the chair across the table.
I: Not yet, but I am very interested in learning. It will be something else Forrest and I can do during sixdays.
The Think board had a 9 by 9 checkerboard pattern. The pieces were all unfamiliar to me. Dad methodically explained each piece, their moves, and what the goal of the game was. We each had two rows of men beginning on the two rows closest to us.
“This reminds me of an Earth game called Chess. We used an 8 by 8 board, though.”
“So it didn’t have a center?” Dad asked.
“Technically there was a center, where lines crossed. We talked about a center, though. It was the four squares around the center line intersection. ‘Occupying the center’ with the right pieces at the right time was often a useful strategy.”
Dad replied, “It is similar here. But the center square itself has great significance.” He made sure I understood the opening position and who moved first. We played a couple fairly quick games where he freely offered advice. One difference with Chess was that each player had one minute maximum per move. I wondered if it would have been the same if everyone had built-in clocks.
“Dad, to really learn this I’m going to begin ‘think’ing for myself from now on. I appreciate all the tips, but I think you need to stomp on me a few times before I really get it.” He responded happily that he had been waiting for me to exert some control. He would start out limiting himself to 15 seconds per move. Since that was approaching 30 Earth seconds, I realized he would still be able to play decently, and I agreed.
Two stomps and a rugged beating later we decided that was enough for the evening. I had been analyzing things during play, keeping at least 10 ki, ‘just in case’. I didn’t know why, but going down to 0 seemed wrong somehow. I did not have to get up to use the skill; there was plenty before me. To start out with, just analyzing both sides of 18 pieces and the board added up to a cost of 111 ki, which was more than I started with. Thus I had paced myself during the five games. I probably needed about 25 items before Analyze ranked to D, and I would no longer need to touch nearby things to use it on them.
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Dad was headed home. He thanked me for the games and said bye to both Interface and me. As he walked down the stairs, he left the party. Interface commented that he thought sharing with other people had been fun and productive. Since it was only the two of us, he left the party as well, collapsing the party interface.
“Yes it was fun. When leaving the void this morning, I had not expected to have so much family time. It feels like it was as important to do that as raise my skills.”
Yes it was. Your skills have countless years to develop, but your family is here now.
Grandma and Onre were just finishing their inventory as I went downstairs. I thanked them for everything. Tomorrow would be Fourthday with Arrjee and Kossa in school, so Onre asked if we wanted to meet up for a while.
“It is almost midnight now, I suggest we meet at your house at 6. Mista Smithson’s shop will open around 7. We can decide what else we want to do in the morning.”
I agreed to the plan and gave Grandma and him a hug. “Good night, Uncle Onre.” They both smiled at that.
I regenerate about 3 ki per minute now, and that is the cost of one Analyze. So I’ll run around and touch stuff. It should rank in about 25 minutes, then I can head up to my room and meditate for a while before sleeping.
That is what I did. I only ran at a quick sustainable pace, but at Rank D, that was still pretty impressive by Jacques’ standards. Plus my efficiency loss was down to -30% now, and my endurance had significantly improved since my first day. Sweet times!
I only passed a couple of people during my run. There is very little reason for people of a small village to be up and about after midnight. I greeted and/or introduced myself on encountering them. “The Covargh people are generally friendly and personable.”, Interface had told me early on, even before meeting Arrjee. He was right, but if I had met the former mayor, he would likely have been an exception. Fortunately, I did not.
Achievement: Analyze, D
“Thank you once again, Interface!” I changed course to head directly home, and tested out Analyze at range. The range seemed huge, at least 10 yards and probably greater.
You are gaining a false impression of its range and utility. The actual range for D is (1 + perception/20). However, you have a much greater range at one rank lower, four times larger. This would be immediately obvious to you if there were people about. You could see the classes of those within 2.9 yards, but the rank E report from those further away would not include classes. For objects, the main difference between D and E reports involves extended information for enchantments or charms. So this difference is not observable as you run down the empty street. Note that you pay for the extra information and utility. Analyze now costs you 4 ki, not 3.
“Worth it. I will be able to see someone’s stats gauges from 11 yards away, right? That’s E.”
Yes, when one of their stats is depleted by at least 10%. That is E.
Undeterred by his literalism, I remained extremely happy at this news, I told Interface, “Win! Huge win.”
Yes.
----------------------------------------
Happily I finished my run, heading straight home. For the first time, I really noticed the door.
No locks. And this is the mayor's house. That says a lot about Cottages and the whole region. “Interface, set alarm for 5:25.”
Alarm set.
I went up as quietly as I could to the room I share with Arrjee. As I was removing my armor, he partially sat up on one arm.. “Sorry,” I whispered. “I did not mean to wake you.”
With his own whisper, “Why not? I wouldn’t want to miss this show. Not that I can see a lot, but I’ve got a great imagination.”
I told him about my Rank D breakthroughs in both Meditation and Analyze. He was interested enough, but it was only a couple minutes before we were putting that imagination to work.
When we were done, he went straight to sleep. I saw that I had over 150 ki to recover. “Interface, I’m going to try to meditate to fully rebuild my ki. If I don’t fall asleep beforehand, please let me know to stop so I can get three or so hours of sleep.”
I need not intentionally alert you. I can nudge your mind subconsciously to end the meditation. That might alert you, or you might just fall asleep.
“”Okay, sounds good. I was not aware you could affect me subconsciously though.”
I am part of you. My high level of integration with your mind should not be a surprise.
“‘Surprise’ is the wrong word. It is simply something I did not realize before. Anyway, I trust you and I am not worried about it. Good night.”
♪ “I wanna rock!” ♪
My eyes instantly shot open.
“Did you have to wake me with Twisted Sister? Geez. I’d rather have the clangy alarm clock bells. No! I didn’t mean that. You have been selecting great songs. Just, in the future, stick to mellower stuff , please.”
I thought Jacques liked rock music.
“He did, especially when he was somewhat inebriated with friends. But Forrest would prefer mellower. Light rock, mid-century pop, jazz, folk, classical, international, – that kind of stuff. I’m glad you surprise me; don’t stop that. If once in a while it is something I would like off my apparently infinite playlist, I’ll let you know.”
Including amateur pieces, I only have 187,491,212 recordings available. Many are repeats, such as hundreds of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by different orchestras over time.
“Wow! Close enough. Some of them are going to be duds, and that’s cool.”
Arrjee had already gotten up and left the room. His grades start at 6:25, so I guess he got up early enough to get some breakfast. Since I don’t need to eat, like ever, one meal per Tuesday is plenty for me. It was still dark enough that I could get some use out of Dark Sight, so I activated it. I got up and put on a loincloth, sandals, and my armbands. I saw my lucky coin, but I’d come back for it when Onre got here.
Downstairs I heard people in the kitchen. They were cooking something that smelled like bacon.
Okay, maybe one piece.
Everyone was in the kitchen, Mom, Dad, and Carrie were seated at a permanent nook, and Arrjee was cooking. “Good morning, family.”
They said the same back to me. I had not yet seen a Rank D Analyze of a person yet, so I checked both Dad and Mom.
Barrie Silverstone – male Covargh, age 33
Level 34 Administrator, Potentate
Mayor of Cottages
Rhetta Silverstone – female Covargh, age 32
Level 33 Messenger, Guardian
Postal Agent
“My Analyze ranked to D during a late night run. I just used it for the first time on people; it is great that I don’t have to wonder what their classes are any more.”
They all smiled and congratulated me. Arrjee asked me if I would like any boiled oats or cured pig belly.
Sometimes literalism is too literal.
I could see what he was cooking. “I’ll just try one slice of the cured pig belly. Jacques used to love that on Earth. It was called ‘bacon’ there, a shorter name.”
Arrjee asked, “Did ‘bacon’ mean anything? Or did they just not use obvious names?”
‘Cured pig belly’ is as obvious to him as ‘bacon’ is to me.
“I don’t think the word meant anything. It was just a popular breakfast meat.”
“It is the same here”, Carrie commented.
Arrjee handed me an already-cooked piece from a kitchen towel being used to absorb the grease. He was building up a supply to serve everyone at once. It was delicious and I told him so. I let them know I would be meeting Onre in about 15 minutes and would like to bathe first. Mom told me to have a good morning and sixdays, which everyone seconded.
I had my bath and met Onre outside my house at 6. We went in. No one had yet left, so we all socialized. The eagle statue, Eager Beaver, came up in passing, and Onre asked about it. Mom explained the name, which is the first time I heard it from her perspective. Arrjee defensively pointed out that he had long grown out of his buck teeth and speech impediment Carrie said she would have loved to experience him so young, but verified that by the time she was old enough to remember him, he had neither.
At about 6:15, my immediate family members had to leave for their various morning duties. I asked Onre if he would like to play a game or two of Think before meeting with Mista Smitson. He agreed, but before heading to his house I went up to my room and grabbed my lucky coin.
We greeted Grandma, who was about to open her shop. She knew we were going to visit Mista Smithson and why. “Let me give you a couple of your silvers to carry in case you want to buy anything.” I thanked her, and realized that getting the buckle and belt would make carrying stuff around a lot easier. I would also want a knife with some sort of sheath to hang from the belt.
We played two games. Even with limiting himself to 30 seconds per move, he beat me handily, but I could tell he was not as good as Dad. Think had no such thing as a draw or stalemate, not that I would have come close to either. It was 7:11 when we finished the second game, and we headed to the Smithson’s shop. Onre explained on the way that it was both a flower and tinker shop,
Both Mista the tinker and his wife Kella the florist were working. They took turns manning the front, with each having their own workroom in the back. Like many other shops, their living quarters were upstairs. It was a beautiful shop, full of flowers and vibrant with life. The flower area took up about two thirds of the shop’s space. Mista explained that most of his sales were commissions, which explained the relatively small number of trinkets and gadgets he had for immediate sale. That didn’t count numerous hanging pots, some made from silver.
I gave him my lucky coin and asked if I could pick up the buckle on Tenthday. He said that it would be done long before then, but that the shop was closed that day. Onre volunteered to pick it up beforehand, and my belt as well. Mista happened to have belt clips for sale for attaching pouches and the like. He had both silver and hard yet elastic leather clips, and I bought three of the leather ones. He also sold leather pouches and I bought one of those as well.
“Mista, I learned a skill called ‘Drafting and Sketching.” It is mostly derived from knowledge gained in my previous life. Do you or any of the other smiths have access to a drafting table and tools?”
He replied, “I do not have one here, but there are two in the Crafter’s Guildhall. It would not surprise me if one or two crafters had their own table as well. Not everyone is comfortable developing their ideas in public.”
“That is great news. I mainly would like access to one to use in training my skill. Will I need to join the Guild to use their tables?”
“Yes,” he answered, “I believe you will. Apprentice memberships cost around 50 bronze per year, if I am not mistaken.”
Five bronze per month. Seems reasonable.
We thanked him and took off, headed home to drop off my stuff. I needed that pouch. It had been awkward carrying my lucky coin and 2 silvers, but now with the leather clips and 1s 63b, both of my hands would have been needed to hold it all. I told Onre about my plan to get a knife and sheath to hang from the belt also. He asked me what kind of knife I would like.
“Well, I don’t really know what my options are. I don’t plan on fighting with the knife, but I would like to have it for use out in the woods. On Earth there were what we called ‘hunting knives’ used for general cutting and skinning. I don’t know how to skin yet, though. I’ll need to learn if we ever hunt game, right?”
“Yes, you will,” Onre answered. “I know what you mean. Would you like me to purchase you one while you are away? Rhonda still has most of your money. Would you like any special capabilities like self-sharpening? That will double or triple the cost, but for me it would be worth it. Also, not just me but I’m sure Arrjee and Kossa will be happy to teach you some basic woodsmanship.”
“Thank you. Yes, I will really appreciate your help. And yes for self-sharpening. Use your judgment.”
He replied with a smile, “Anything for my second favorite nephew.”
No one was home, and we went up to my room. I dropped off my pouch and picked up my now dry undergarment. “I know this is stinky, but I’m going to put it on. Anything I am wearing in the void gets automatically cleaned.” So I stripped and put on the undergarment. “Do you think I should put back on my loincloth or wear my armor?”
Onre replied, “Since you don’t know what will be in the forest when you get back, your armor would offer the most flexibility.” That was sensible, so I put on the basic armor pieces and my armbands.
It was not even 8 yet, so there were still 30 minutes. “I heard there was a back gate and a stream beyond. Would you like to go exploring with me in the timeI have left?”
“Sure. I know where the gate is, but I have not been out that way yet. It is smaller than the front gate, just wide enough for one wagon. Let’s go.”
The guard was Drahm Frahm, who we had met last Tuesday at the front gate on our way to the hunt. We exchanged pleasantries, and headed out. The stream was about 80 yards beyond. We decided to follow it downstream.
About two thirds a mile from where we started, we realized Passing Stream was feeding a larger river. At the convergence, it got wider and deeper. Onre stripped his loincloth and sandals, and ventured into the river to investigate.The deepest point was above his head. We had found a good location to swim, but with just 10 minutes left before my sixdays, I didn’t want to do so right now.
He came out but didn’t bother re-dressing while still wet. We sat down in the grass, talked, and watched the river flow. As the last seconds approached, I told him thanks for his company, and I would see him in a few days.
“Bye,” he replied, just before I faded into the void.
“Missed opportunity,” thought Onre. “Here I am, alone and nude. I should have asked Forrest. Oh well, I’ll handle things myself.”