Someone is swearing in the distance. I need to approach cautiously. Interface said I could expect the people to be “friendly and personable”. He did not say what to expect if they are already angry about something. There the dude is. He is quiet now; his voice sounded male, but young. Let me stand here behind the tree and watch for a minute. He seems focused on his arm, for good reason. There is a fair amount of fresh blood coming from just above his elbow. He is sitting on the ground, dressed in a loincloth and sandals. I think he must be pure Covargh and maybe younger than me. His face is more wolf-like, with a small but pronounced snout. He has sharp and large teeth and larger ears than me. I’d say his overall furriness is about the same as mine, but with a furry forehead. He looks stockier. Even though he looks younger, he is just about as muscular as I am. From my large sample size of 2, I think he is cute.
He continues to lean against the tree, maybe in frustration. Well, #2 on my To Do list is “meet people”.
Taking a few steps towards him, I ask loudly, “Hey, are you okay?”.
Looking at me, surprised. He answers without fear or aggression, “I’ll be fine. Who are you? I am Arrjee. I have never seen you before.”
“My name is Forrest.” (The rr’s come out trilled. So did his. I’m thinking his name would be spelled with double r’s too. At least if my high school Spanish means anything here at all.) “I am on a walkabout and have been traveling for several months. Would you like me to look at that arm? I may be able to help. What happened, anyway?”
Move the focus back to him.
“Sure, I would appreciate it if you could. I was, uh, resting here, and it turns out the tree is home to a squirrel family. They must have decided I was not welcome, and two adults jumped at me. The freaks started scratching and clawing my arm. Dug pretty deep, too, before I could shake them off. They ran back up the tree. I hope you are not afraid of squirrels.” He smiles at his joke.
He is both likable and good-looking. His charisma must be above average. It may be why he is able to be so open and immediately friendly with some ugly kid he never saw before.
He looks at me for a second, “You do not appear to have any supplies at all. You aren’t going to bandage me up with your loincloth, are you?”
That is a weird, cute smile. “Heh, no. I gained a healing skill a few months ago. There has not been a lot of opportunity to use it. Healing you would help me too.”
“You already have magic!? How old are you? You don’t look like you are 15, or a healer. Please do what you can. I would prefer not to bleed all the way home.”
“I am 16”, smiling as if proud. I go to him, squat down, and grab just above the wound with my right hand. I guess I’m right-handed. Or maybe it was just the natural hand to use to grab his left arm. Okay, I’ve got it. Unlike me his fur is soft and brown. It is a step or two up from my coarse, black stuff. Two.
Nothing is happening. He looks at me expectantly.
I say, “This will take a minute.” If I can even get it to work at all.
Arrjee smiles and waits.
Forrest, I think you have to somehow force ki into your hand. I’ll concentrate on some sort of energy heading out of my hand, into his arm. Focus on the desire to heal. Something is happening. I feel a warmth.
“Hey it is working, I think! The cuts and scratches tickle, or itch, and there is warmth. Ah, the feeling stopped.” He reaches to the wound with his other hand and verifies what he saw. “The bleeding has stopped, and the scratches are gone. Wow, I’ve never seen a heal work like that! Usually it’s just, well, zap, and the person is healed. No direct touching is involved.”
He picks up some leaves and grass and uses that bit of forest to wipe away the blood from his fur. As he does so, I let go of his arm. We both stand.
The warmth lasted just over 2 seconds. Assuming I used the skill’s max ki rate of 8/sec, then with 50% efficiency, I could have healed up to 8 HP. Was he that wounded, or did I use extra ki?
“It was not that big of a wound. I use ki to heal, not magic. And you are right; I do not heal with an almost instant zap. What I actually did was increase your own HP regeneration for a couple of seconds.”
He thinks for a moment. “I have always heard ki is for within a person’s body, and magic works outside of it. Maybe when you touch someone, they can join in your ki circulation or something. I’m just guessing. Since I’m only 14 I haven’t got any magic or ki. I can’t wait until I turn 15 and gain my classes at Level 1! I was planning on learning magic and becoming a sword mage. Your Ki is awesome, though, and I might reconsider. What is your other class?”
“You are pretty smart. That’s almost exactly how it was explained to me. Ki healer is my secondary class. I don’t like the name; it makes it sound like I heal ki itself, and not heal with ki. I already like the skill a lot, even with its dumb name. Anyway, my primary one is martial arts. I’m new to both of them though. My focus has been on a peaceful walkabout, not excitement and adventuring. ‘Feed the soul’, you know.”
“That is so great – you will become a melee fighter too! And one that can heal. Why haven’t I considered that? I know about paladins and cleric warriors, but I don’t feel a special attraction to any of the gods. Using a sword for melee and magic for ranged offense is pretty much what my family and friends expect I’ll choose. I have been play-fighting with a pretend sword since I was 7. For the past year, Master Trillet has been teaching me actual swordsmanship.” Then Arrjee whispers, “Don’t tell him two squirrels savaged me.”
“Did you drop your backpack behind a tree or something? I cannot imagine someone going on a long walkabout with just a loincloth. You do not even have sandals.”
“I have an embarrassing secret too. Yesterday I was bathing in a stream. I had left all my stuff maybe 30 feet from the water, hidden in bushes where I thought they were safe. I was really dusty and dirty and my fur was sweaty, so I was taking my time in the water. When I got out and went to get my stuff, it was gone. I had brought my loincloth into the water to clean it, but my bag and sandals were not anywhere I could find. It is not like I lost a lot. All I had were a few coins, some berries, a waterskin, a knife, two shirts, and another loincloth.”
Both lying and building a list of supplies I’ll need. Multitasking!
“Still, I was pissed off.”
“Who took them?”
“I have no idea. I have speculated it was bandits, but really? If they are so poor that they thought my stuff was valuable, they can have it. Maybe a bear took my bag. I can imagine that; it might have thought the berries smelt good. But why would it want my sandals? My last thought is that I might have been in a water elemental’s territory. Instead of confronting my naked ass, it decided to take my stuff as tribute.”
What happened to keeping the story simple? Elemental??
“Any of those are possible, but an elemental around here would probably just have kicked your naked ass,” Arrjee said and smiled. "I can think of another possibility. Some pups are mischievous. You might simply have been pranked, with them hiding your stuff. How long did you search for it?”
I said water elemental instead of pups? You idiot! (Well, I would have said “kids”, but I guess “pups” is the common term here.)
“I don’t know, maybe a half hour? I was more frustrated than angry. It was not a huge loss. I miss my sandals and knife, though. Mentioning pups has me wondering something. It is midmorning. Should you not be doing your grades?”
“You have no idea what day it is, do you?” “It is Ninthday! Why would I be doing my grades?” Arrjee looks at me in mock offense. “You must have been traveling for a long time to not know that.”
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Okay, Ninthday and Tenthday are the weekend. It is common for school (“doing your grades”) to be weekday mornings, lasting about three hours up until age 15. The primary subjects among both Covargh and Humans are letters, numbers, and world. For about three hours after lunch, most kids of Arrjee's age would spend time as apprentices. I’m assuming pups are younger than what I would think of as teenagers.
"That was a dumb question, sorry. I could have remembered what day it was if I thought about it. But on walkabout, every day is the same.”
“I guess that makes sense. When you first appeared with no backpack or anything, I thought you might have come into the forest for the same reason I did. I never considered you might be on walkabout. Still, now that we are both here and healthy, you want to, you know, get each other off? Pushing your ki into me must have restored the horniness those damn squirrels stole.”
…
Huh?!
…
What?!! Where the living hell did that come from? Yeah, the Covargh are very open minded in sexual matters. The closest thing to a sexual taboo here is a parent abandoning their children. ‘Don’t breed unless you are willing to feed.’ But there is open and there is Open. He is definitely the latter; beyond it, IMO. I know he doesn’t know I’m 57, but I am, and to me he is a 14-year old kid. He sees me as close to his age. He probably does not care that I am a little older. Hopefully he would care if he knew I was 43 years older.
“Give me a moment, please.”
Wrong thing to say. It sounded almost panicky, perhaps with a hint of anger.
Breathe. Inhale. Hold it. Hold it. Don’t focus. Exist. Hold it. Exhale.
Meditation successful. All stats at maximum level
Great. Interface is laughing at me. I know it. I can even see what he didn’t add, “and you are ready for anything.”
Why is Arrjee attracted to me, anyway? I’m not exactly Prince Charming, and we just met. Maybe my ki during the heal really did turn him on. I can see that being awkward throughout this life. There might be interesting possibilities as well. Am I going to do anything with him? No. 57 is my mental age, and mostly how I have been thinking. 16 is my physical age, and that is how people both see me and how I want them to see me. A valid case can even be made for an age of less than 4 hours. That is how long this body has existed. Focus.
I have to think of myself as 16. I’m sure I’d come off as arrogant and a total ass if I tried acting as if I were 57. I chose to be a mid-teen precisely because it would better hide my ignorance. That was the right decision.
So what to tell Arrjee? I do not desire to embarrass him, and he has done nothing wrong by Covargh standards. Hell, by my standards. I was actively bisexual at 15 on Earth. Not all that active, but getting off with a friend happened a few times.
With control back, I tell him, “Arrjee, you are a cute guy and on most other days I could see myself wanting to do stuff with you. But since yesterday I have been focused on finding a town and earning a little money for replacement supplies. I’m just not horny right now. Can you bring me to your village?”
“Minor gods, dude, you took long enough. A quick ‘no’ would have been fine. I was not asking to marry your daughter. Your tone when you said, ‘Give me a moment’, made it clear that you were not going to be into anything. I’ll just get off later, after I bring you to my village. It is called Cottages.”
TMI. Why do I think I”m going to be getting a lot of TMI here? Get used to the topic of sex being awkward and common during conversation. On Heere, everyone will usually mean it. It won’t be the usual bullshit we used to say in both the Navy and the fire station.
We first went back to the stream, which was still pretty close to Arrjee’s squirrel tree. He finished cleaning up his arm where the blood had flowed.
“The road to town is only about 10 minutes away. Once we reach it, we’ll travel about 20 more minutes until we get there. I came this far out because pups have bothered me before. They would make a game of pretending to spy on me, knowing that I knew they were there. Makes it hard to focus on the matter at hand, you know? They weren’t being mean, just silly. That last time they even made up a chant – ‘Arrjee, Arrjee, he really loves that tree!' That got me giggling, but, still, I decided to make sure I had some privacy from then on.”
I smiled. “Good decision.”
It didn’t bother him that they tried to watch, only that they were intentionally disturbing his concentration. And he sure isn’t embarrassed about it. He is telling a total stranger, just as if we were talking about the weather. Forrest, I don’t think we’re in Cleveland any more.
It is time to change the topic.
“You have really been building up your attributes. I can tell that your charisma and strength are really impressive for Level 0. I bet you have great agility too. Anyone with eyes can see how hard you work on them.”
The cultural database seems to be slowly seeping into my consciousness. Maybe the information does not start activating until I think about the topic. I’ve been contrasting the effect of his attributes on him with mine on me. I realized that a normal native is born at Level 0 and does not advance to Level 1 until their interface lets them choose classes at age 15. Without classes, the only Granted Skills anyone has are the regens for HP and SP. (With no mana or ki yet, there is nothing there to regen). They are able to learn non-magical skills, though. I expect Arrjee to have decent swordsmanship, for example. Even with my Gifted Skills of Ki Push and Dodge, I’m betting he could easily defeat me if we sparred.
“Yes, Master Trillet works me hard to build up my strength and agility as he teaches swordsmanship. As a Strident Attribute, charisma is a lot harder to train. To me it is worth it; I want to be an effective leader and have the respect of those I fight with.”
The Strident Attributes are charisma, perception, and wisdom. They can be improved outside the level system, but a person must strive hard to do so. Improving them is a matter of adopting and maintaining the right attitudes over an extended time. Unlike the Native Attributes of luck and vitality, at least they can be improved prior to gaining classes and more levels. Luck and vitality are typically 7 or 8 at birth, everything else begins at 1. They can go up on their own, but rarely, especially once classes are gained. The remaining five are Practical Attributes (agility, dexterity, endurance, intelligence, and strength), those which can improve with normal maturing, routine practice, and study.
“Well, it is really paying off. You had my respect and admiration the moment I saw you.”
I whisper and smile, “But I didn’t yet know of your abysmal squirrel defense.” Shifting to my regular tone, “I’m sure you realize my charisma is crap. It was 6 at Level 0, and only 6.5 now. Same with Luck”
“6.5? How do you have a half-point in an attribute? My charisma is 12, each one of them earned a full point at a time.”
“12!?! And you are only Level 0? Wow. That’s just .. wow. Technically, my Ki Healer class included a level bonus of 1 to charisma. It does the same with luck. But it seems that my particular combination of race and pri and sec classes is a rare one. Interface treats my progression in a very uncommon way.”
The blue window pops up.
I did not say you could reveal that! But, … you can. It is your life. Extremely few interfaces are sapient; think hard before revealing that I am. Remember me telling you to say little and listen much? Consider this a warning.
“Sorry, I was not really thinking. I probably trust Arrjee more than I should. He certainly trusts me more than I think he should. And … thank you for listening in. It really feels good to know you are there and care.”
I dismiss the window.
Arjee looks over at me in puzzlement. I resume speaking, “I’m not sure if it is a good idea for you to know the details, but I’ll finish this thought at least. I had to accept a trade off to get them. My charisma and luck progress at half the rate they gain points. My class bonus for Ki Healer includes 1 point each for both attributes, but they only go up by half a point. Maybe when we’ve known each other longer, I’ll tell you more.”
“That sounds like it sucks, but it explains what I was guessing about your charisma.”
I feel tense and defensive at hearing him note my charisma, and by extension, my looks. Do I feel hackles rising? (I have hackles!) Why? I know what he sees. Hell, I even mentioned his charisma first. Could this reaction be from my low temperament score? Interface warned me about it. Don’t be a jerk, Forrest. He said I could fight this tendency, and I will.
Arrjee continues, speaking, “I guess those attributes won’t suck in the long run, with Ki Healer offering those level boosts, but it sure is an awkward way to start. Did you get anything in exchange for the icky charisma and luck?”
“Yes, but that’s all I’ll say right now, except I think it will be worth it.”
“Hey, I see the road ahead! This is the first time I have been in the area. Is Cottages known for anything special? Besides cottages, I mean.” I wonder if he realizes I was making a joke. I hope it did not sound totally stupid.
“The quality and workmanship of our cottages is a matter of pride. The forest here provides top quality lumber. For generations we have had master builders crafting our homes and shops. Not just carpenters. Builders! They specialize in making buildings. Talented artisans provide unique flair to most buildings. I am happy you will get to see them. Our builders attract other craftsmen. We can make all kinds of gear, tools, and even musical instruments. We are able to have profitable trade with nearby villages. There are some farms, and the orchard, but I’d have to say it is definitely cottages which give us renown.”
“I am anxious to see them now.” I really am. Wasn’t expecting a proud and direct answer like that, though. I am having to adapt to the literalness of these people as well as their openness. Well, his, but I assume theirs.
It must not be common on Heere for carpenters to specialize in “just” making buildings. But I wasn’t really a carpenter, so how useful would my own building skills be here? They sure won’t be using quonset huts. It sounds as if I’d get flayed alive if I ever suggested anything like that. But my time in the Seabees and later contracting with Cleveland Constructors have provided some background knowledge. It could potentially be useful in this society. I had been assuming my main goal would be learning fighting skills and how to hunt. Eventually I would like to try out dungeon diving. But being able to use the skills I already know (nascently) would be nice too. The main restriction is my one day out of seven existence. I cannot imagine any tradesman who would accommodate a worker who is barely there.
Arrjeet asks, “Now that we are on the road, want to run the rest of the way there? Build up our endurance, you know?”
“Sure.”
My bare feet on the road should be fine. They made it through the forest with no problems.
After running for about a mile, up pops a window:
Learned Skill: Running, F
Why is running a skill and walking not? Just go with it. Besides, it makes sense now. Running at rank C is going to be awesome! It is clear Arrjee has been holding back, to keep at my pace. I wonder what his rank is.
We keep running for quite a while, then turn a corner. A barely winded Arrjee says, “That is Cottages, straight ahead. The wall we have is only as rugged as we need, which has not been very much. But when we get inside, we’ll impress your ass off.”
I just smile at him, significantly more winded. Inside I feel deeply embarrassed.
Without good endurance and agility scores, I could not have run that far. I'm glad for the decent physical attributes, but his running efficiency is much greater. Running has likely been a routine part of his day since he was 8 years old. Now he is 14. Yes, I have classes and Gifted Skills, but he has 14 years of life. I don’t even have 14 hours.
“Ahead of the curve.” Yeah, right.
Ignoramus, check.