Arrjee holds up a jar about the size of a medium face cream. He says, “This cream is another product of grandma’s. It’s sort of the opposite of a perfume. It is not supposed to make you smell different, but instead to counter body odors directly. She calls it ‘deodorant’. While it is inexpensive, it still provides a small magical cleaning effect where applied. Grandma sells a lot of these jars throughout the duchy. I suggest we both use some before heading down for dinner.”
I know what deodorant is. Well, okay, not magical deodorant. Based on how thoroughly he explained it, it must not be a common product on this world.
I was already sweaty from our run before the first time we got here. “Okay.” We both use our fingers to rub some of the cream into our pits and elsewhere. It somehow manages to penetrate our fur and sort of be absorbed by our skin. There is no greasy residue at all. I’m a fan and will be buying the stuff.
Once I have money. And a place to store my things (once I have things). And to sleep.
“This vest of mine should fit you. I’ll wear one too. Dinner will not be formal, but it is expected for males to have some form of chest wear at the table. Females too, for that matter.”
We dress in our loincloths and the vests, and head downstairs.
What I smell is a rich beef stew. How close to beef, I have no idea. But it brings back memories of good times on Earth. Why hadn’t I smelled it 30 minutes before? Had I been stinky enough to mask something wonderful like this? Or had I been too wound up and overwhelmed to notice? Oh well, it does not matter. Enjoy it now.
His mother sees us. She is wearing a top now, a pullover similar to her husband's. “With eight of us, we are going to eat in the dining room instead of being cramped in here. Go in and be seated; dinner will be served in just a few minutes.”
It makes sense that the mayor’s house would have a dining room. They probably have guests all the time. I wonder if it is an add-on to the back of the house. How hard is it to add a room onto a thatched-roof cottage?
Arrjee says, “Okay, we’ll head right in. That stew smells delicious, mom.”
He leads me to the room in question. It is dominated by a large rectangular table set up to seat eight. The long sides have room for three people and each of the ends seats one. On it is a table cloth with decorative black on brown geometric pattern, which fits in pleasingly with the wooden walls of the room. Each of the eight positions has a service setting neatly placed, but there is not yet any food. Each setting consists of a spoon, bowl, napkin, and glass. It appears knives and forks will not be used for this meal.
The table is cramping the room. I wonder if it is one of those tables that pulls apart allowing additional sections to be added. Their technology isn't as advanced as Earth’s, but an expandable table should be a thing, especially with all the fine village craftsmen Arrjee mentioned. I’m glad they do not use chopsticks here; I never learned how to use them.
“Since you are the new guest, take the seat at the head of the table on the right. I’ll sit next to you on the far side of the table. As everyone else comes in, we won’t be in anyone’s way. Grandma of course will get the seat at the head position to the left, and everyone else sits where they want. I’m guessing Rina will probably want to sit next to you across from me, though.”
Sure enough, as we take our seats Rina is the next into the room. She is carrying a platter with some sort of raised bread, thickly sliced, and lays it down. She takes the seat across from Arrjee, just as he had guessed. She gives me a big smile, “I got to carry our bread. I didn’t help make it, but I know it is going to be good.”
I smiled back, “I’m sure it will be. It smells wonderful.” Yeasty, even. They must use yeast here too. I know the Covargh word, so, obviously.
Everyone else begins coming in, most of them carrying food and drink. Carrie and Ralf both bring in glass pitchers of water. Each of Arrjee’s parents, Rhetta and Barrie, brings in large round serving bowls of stew. Each end of the table gets both a pitcher and stew. Finally, Grandma Rhonda enters and takes her seat as matriarch.
She begins, “Thank the gods for family, great food, and our honored visitors.”
That must be Rina, her father Ralf, and me. Grandma must be here often enough that she does not consider herself a visitor. Why cook for one when family is just down the road? I’m betting she does her fair share of cooking here, though. Today’s dinner was prepared by Rhetta and Barrie. Should I be using more formal titles? I don’t know of any title words like the English “mister” and “misses”.
“Forrest, everyone knows now that you are new to this world. I’d tell you not to be self-conscious, but that would just make you more so. Thus my advice is to be self conscious and enjoy it.”
I smile. “Thank you. I shall attempt to be awkward gracefully.” Her words actually helped calm my nerves.
“If I may, how do I address people? In my old culture, I would address those older than I with an honorific followed by their last name. The only honorific I know is ‘young’, and it does not seem very applicable here. I’m not even sure if I should use it for Rina and Carrie.”
“No, dummy”, Rina says. “We’re girls! And nobody says ‘young’ anyways except dumb Daddy and Uncle Barrie. Not you, Uncle Barrie, just Daddy.”
Inwardly smiling, I think, “The respect is strong in this one.” Everyone is smiling outwardly, real smiles, not in embarrassment for her. So no one has a problem with her words. I don’t either. I am, in fact, a dummy.
The matriarch continues, “Pups are generally spoken to and about using just their first names. Sometimes you would need the last to clarify who you mean. For teenagers and above you would generally use their first and last name, unless they are family or you know each other well. Often you will receive permission to speak to them using their first name only, which is very common among those of equivalent ages. Use just the first name with friends, unless they request something else.”
I ask, “Are ‘pups’ anyone below teenage?”
“Yes, that is correct. I asked you to call me ‘Grandma’, but Rhonda is also appropriate. You may refer to Barrie as ‘Barrie’, ‘Mayor’, or ‘Mayor Silverstone’, depending on the level of formality you deem appropriate. You seldom need to worry about offending the Covargh unless you are being intentionally rude. Humans would appreciate a stronger level of formality.”
Carrie breaks in, “Grandma means Humans are assholes.”
Slightly exasperated and smiling, “That is not what I meant, whelp! I simply mean human culture tends toward the traditional and follows a more strict behavior code among strangers.”
“See, assholes.”
Smile gone, “Granddaughter, you shall speak of all peoples with respect, until such time they have shown you that they are unworthy of it. You know that I too was different. Forrest was different, Human even. Is he an asshole? Am I?”
“I am sorry, grandma. I do not dislike Humans, but they just act differently, you know? The Smithson family in town are actually great people and I play with their kids all the time. I just hear things from other kids about Human villages.”
Barrie says sternly, “And you shall henceforth correct those kids when they speak that way. It is fine to acknowledge differences, but do not disrespect. Hatred begins at the seed of ignorance.”
Damn, I have to write that down.
Notebook instantiated
Notebook entry: “Hatred begins at the seed of ignorance.”, Barrie Silverstone
“Interface, thy name is convenience.”
It is actually IIM E467-23.2B,JacquesLeidestrar.
“If it is alright with you, I’ll just stick with ‘Interface’. Unless you would prefer something else?”
Interface works.
Carrie resolutely acknowledges, “Alright, daddy.”
Grandma gets the conversation back on track. “As you see, Forrest, we Covargh do not completely disregard formality in the area of respect. We pay little heed to the ‘form’ of formality, but its heart we hold dear. Address the people you do not know with the respect due to would-be friends. That goes for Humans, too. Friendship with them may just take a little longer.”
Carrie remained silent this time. People had begun serving themselves, filling their glasses with water and their bowls with stew. I did the same. Most had taken a slice of bread. Nothing like butter was on the table. Some took a bite of their bare bread, while I saw others dunk a corner into their stew. I tried it both ways, with each bite being wonderful, the bread being equally as good as my sister would make. The stew gravy added a meaty richness.
I asked another question that had been on my mind. “Who are the minor gods? And we commenced this meal thanking, apparently, the, um, main gods. For whatever reason, the basic knowledge I received did not include this information.”
Rhetta answers, “There are five ‘main’ gods. We just call them gods. They are Nature, Honor, War, the Seas, and Wisdom.” No one I know is aware of how many minor gods there are. A common guess is there are about eleven. It is very rare for either type of god to interact directly with mortals, although people who live by the sea often revere the Seas ceremonially. Some have seen him. We believe they frequently assist us and all that is in the world, and we are thankful for that. The one minor god who is sometimes seen and periodically makes his presence felt is Skawa, the trickster god of gambling. He can be very annoying, but he is fair, and insists on it in others. Woe to those who attempt to cheat.”
I wonder if my low luck attribute will somehow involve me with him. I hope not. And I have never been one to cheat, so maybe we’re cool.
“So we use ‘minor gods’ as an exclamation, without even knowing who they are?”
Ralf speaks, “My guess is that we say that because of Skawa. He does play tricks and minor pranks on people, often ones who have earlier misbehaved in some way. Rather than curse him directly, I think people might have softened their response to the more general, “minor gods!”. And eventually everyone adopted its use. That is just a personal guess, but something I have speculated on for a long time.”
Barrie smiles, “I agree with my brother. His speculation makes a lot of sense, and the minor gods know he has misbehaved more than once.”
“I seem to recall you being right there with me, most of those times, dear brother. The Rallee pups were well known for our antics.”
“What did you used to do, Daddy?” Rina asked. Carrie looked at her father just as interested in his answer.
Grandma responds, “That topic sounds very interesting, but for now let us not wander too far from matters of concern to our new guest.”
“It would have been fine, grandma, but it is probably best I not see all the dirty laundry on my first day.”
She responds, “‘Dirty laundry’ – Is that an expression from your first world, Earth?”
“Yes, sorry. The old expression just came out. It refers to matters often of a personal nature that someone would prefer not be public.”
“That is a wonderful phrase! I think I might find use for it.” Arrjee’s mom says.
We finished our luscious meal over continued light conversation. I had lived by myself for a long time, and the feeling of their family was comforting in a way I had not realized was missing. Rhetta eventually suggested we move to the den. Everyone stood, gathering the dirty dishes and brought them to the kitchen. I started to head back to the dining room for a second load when Arrjee told me I was a guest and had contributed enough. He put his hand on my shoulder and led me to the den.
The adults soon joined us, with Carrie and Rina taking care of the remaining clean-up.
----------------------------------------
Grandma took hold of our conversation, stating, “It is time to consider Forrest’s situation. As I understand it, he will be here throughout the night and sometime mid-morning just vanish for six days. Then he can be among us for another day.”
“Yes, that is correct. As I understand, each day of mine starts and ends at 8:25. I have no idea what my actual disappearance will look like to others. Minor gods, it hasn’t even happened to me yet. I have a spawn point — wait, one moment please while I check my map. I have yet to look at it.”
I think, “Query Map”.
Up pops a circular map embedded in a rectangle, with controls and a section labeled “Legend”. It is centered over the Silverstone cottage and encompasses most of the village. Much of the village is clouded though, but a broad swath of where I had walked shows clearly. The legend is color-coded, naming cottages for Mayor, Rhonda, and School, as well as Gate, and Spawn Point. Since the last is out of range, I scroll the map following the clear path exposed by Arrjee’s and my journey. Sure enough, I am able to scroll through the forest all the way to Spawn Point, marked with a color-coded “X” . Experimenting for a moment, I scroll the map out wide enough to see both the X and Cottages. I keep scrolling out and the clouded Fifth Duchy is delineated. Scrolling more, I can see the whole continent, and eventually the whole globe centered on Cottages. It scrolls at that magnification also, and I can zoom back in to anywhere.
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“Interface, you are better than Google Maps.”
Yes, I know.
“Sorry. I had to experiment with it some since it was completely new. Does everyone have a map, and can they zoom it out to show the whole world?”
Arrjee responds, “Yes, but most of the world is clouded. I can only really see nearby villages where I have visited. The nations are labeled, but that is all I see of the greater world.”
“It is the same with me, except the only place I have visited is back to my spawn point. I can go there again, and maybe show someone where it is. I think the spawn point, as well as the spawn time, can be changed, but I don’t want to mess with it until I have experienced at least one cycle.”
Barrie speaks, “Son, since Rhonda informed me of your unique nature, I have been trying to imagine how it will be for you. From what I can gather, you are essentially immortal for our next seven life spans. Each time a new day starts, you are rested, healed, cured of any diseases, and neither hungry nor thirsty.”
Up pops the window.
To complete the list, you will be clean inside and out. Anything you were wearing as well. All items in your possession go to the void with you, and will only experience the same 2.5 hours as you. Foodstuffs will remain edible.
He continues, not having paused, “It might not be comfortable, but you can go that day without rest, without food, without even water. If nothing kills you, you’ll start the next day completely refreshed. If someone takes you prisoner, and even tortues you, you will be perfectly fine, back at your spawn point for your next day. Do I understand this?”
“Well, uh, to be honest Mayor, I have not even thought about it to that extent. I am only about nine hours old. I think you are right though. That’s amazing. Not being prisoner and tortured, but that it probably would not matter, so long as I made it through that one day. Wow.”
“Your unique existence has me amazed as well. I brought this up now because you mentioned showing others your spawn point. Maybe you should not do that, and keep that information private far into the future. Your worst hell would be if an evil group knew where it was and captured you. They could torture you for hundreds of years. The good news is, I doubt there is anyone like that in the duchy. We have been peaceful and lived mostly honorably for a very long time. But with you living so long, I suggest avoiding habits that could prove dangerous to you in the future.”
“Thank you, sir. Your foresight is very much appreciated. Do you think it would be okay for Arrjee to know? He already has a general idea of where I started.”
“Arrjee would be fine, and anyone in this room. My concern is for the long term.”
His foresight and wisdom are very much to be praised. These people are true and strong allies, friends. Thinking ahead like that for your sake is most admirable. There is one thing he had not thought of, though. I can change your spawn point during your sixdays, while you are in the void. I suggest not letting him know that; he has done an exceptional thing in warning you. There is no need to make it sound lesser.
“The immortal Forrest Rhodes,” grandma says, “I had not thought it through as much as the Mayor.”
I have not revealed my extent. More accurate would be, “the immortal Jacques Liedestrar”. In seven of their lifetimes, that distinction will be as the wind.
Just then, Carrie and Rina entered the room and sat upon the floor. They probably completed doing the dishes.
“I have come up with the outlines of a plan for you. The others have not heard it, and please bring up any concerns or ideas you might have. Top level, you will remain with the family for the remainder of the day and get a few hours of sleep before morning. Since you will become rested during your six days in the void, there is no reason for you to sleep a full night. Have your Interface wake you up in the early morning and consider how to awaken any other nascent skills. You have already awoken two, and you can probably get another two in the two or so hours before the rest of us are up. Once it is dawn and we’re all up, we will have breakfast. Then I would like you to meet a few townspeople.”
“Let us spend the rest of the day getting you used to being Covargh. What I expect is you to be asking various questions. We will both be answering them and probably contributing information that you did not even know to ask. We will spend some time outdoors experimenting with your skills. As I understand it, you have some you have yet to use.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan! So far, I have barely had a chance to even think about doing so. I am so ignorant; my number one goal was a simple, “Don’t die.”
“That is hardly ignorant, nephew. It would have been first on my list also.”
Arrjee asks happily, “Uncle Ralf, are you saying what I think?”
Say what?
“Grandson, as part of our pre-dinner discussion, we decided to spend some time with you and have everyone get to know you better. Ralf just had his say. I’ve had mine as well. Does anyone have concerns?”
Rhetta and Barrie stood after several seconds, looking at each other and all eyes in the room. Carrie looked slightly puzzled but not concerned. Rina smiled happily; apparently she knew what was going on. A lot more than I do.
Barrie asked, “Carrie, would you be concerned about having Forrest as a new brother? He’d only be around to pick on you one day out of seven.”
She looks at me appraisingly. I’m staring nowhere at those headlights again, but this time in hope at what everyone is deciding. “Well, he does look kind of dopey, but he’s nice and he helped Rina. So yes, I can stand having a new brother. Just one day in seven, though!” She smiles at me, and I can focus again. I smile back. I was not afraid of her rejection, I was just overwhelmed at the thought.
Family.
No one was surprised when Arrjee volunteered, “He can share my room.” His eyes on me, “Brother.”
A young body jumps up, hugs me, announcing to the world, “Cousin Forrest! Cousin Forrest! I promise you won’t have to heal me again for weeks.”
After that, everyone took their turn hugging me tightly. Carrie might have hugged tightest of all.
Wet eyes, held back tears, lump in throat, dopey smile. Not all of them held back. Family. Belonging. Security. Love.
During the evening I learned that Ralf’s wife had died four years ago. She had gone to visit her parents and brothers in another village of the duchy. On the way back, her small party was attacked by a pack of zebors, which are something like large aggressive wolverines. One of the two that died was Rina’s mother. Ralf had not gone with her so as to take care of Rina. Since she was only two, she has no memory of her.
Grandmother had laid down the paper which listed my attributes and skills. I once again explained the half points in luck and charisma, and why they were so low. My other attributes were indeed well above the norm, as were the E and D ranks of my class skills. I explained, correctly or not, that had been the trade-off for the character type I had chosen. Then they had me explain all my skills besides the regens. Their rank being D was highly impressive for a recent Level 1, but other than that everyone knew about those skills themselves. Meditation is quite common, so no one had questions about it either. While not common on the continent, the martial arts class is known and respected. Everyone was interested in seeing me use my dodge and ki punch skills.
I had not realized before this discussion that the ki healer class was not known by anyone there. That’s why Arrjee had repeatedly stated that I healed with ki. I found it to be odd that ki users would not have chosen the class. Numerous martial classes, even the ones I associate as “western”, have ki forms available. Most choose some form of magic auxiliary abilities instead. Magically enhanced weapons and armor are available for use by both ki and magic users. Ki-powered boosts might be stronger, but they spend ki and cannot further buff an enchanted item. Thus most swordsmen, etc., do not see enhancing their weapons via ki to be so valuable as to reject a magical secondary class. Some tradesmen use ki over magic as well. It can be used to permanently charm items in various ways. Again it is the less chosen, so that they have access to magic in their other class. And I guess tradesmen are not that interested in also being healers.
I also learned why the town had no healer. It had one until about two months previously. Since then, the town had been reliant on Rhonda’s potions. When necessary, the injured and sick would be brought to another village for care there. The cleric in Cottages, Harron Ronvaldt, would have gone to jail in America. He had been more than happy to engage in sexual activities with willing teens, although he did not mount females. Quite the upstanding follower of the axiom, “Don’t breed if you won’t feed.”
His behavior is not strictly illegal in the duchy. However, it is frowned upon from those with trusted positions such as leaders and royalty, clerics, teachers, and the like. Harron was warned about his frequent activities, and eventually fired. The chief cleric of the duchy came to investigate the circumstances which led to it. There was no evidence that Harron had engaged in such activities with pups or with any unwilling teens, nor had the village asserted such. In the chief cleric’s determination, the firing was unjustified. The village did not want him back, and the chief cleric has not been quick to appoint another for Cottages.
Carrie asked, “Is it okay to call that Human, Harron, an asshole?”
Her mother replied, “Yes, it is fine to call an asshole an asshole, regardless of race.”
Bottom line for me was that, even at one day in seven, I might prove immediately valuable to the village's people.
Something had been at the back of my mind since my first discussion with Interface. I asked, “This may sound dumb, but is there a difference between race and species?”
She responded, “Yes. If the peoples can interbreed and have healthy children, then they are of compatible races. Otherwise, they are of different species. Technically I should have stated, ‘regardless of species’, which would have included races. In common speech, though, ‘race’ is often used to mean ‘species’.”
“Thank you. That fills a hole in my knowledge.”
----------------------------------------
Preparing to go outside, Arrjee and I removed our vests and left them in his room. (My room too!) He grabbed his wooden sword and everyone went outside. We were to spar, both of us fully expecting to get banged up. They kept no training armor at the house. But with grandma’s potions and my healing, we would be okay.
The front lawn only extended about 12 feet between the house and road. There was a path to the door. Most everyone stood on the side of the path near Eager Beaver, but Arrjee and I went to the other side.
Ralf and Barrie were particularly interested in seeing my Dodge skill in action. So was I, once I could figure out how to activate it. Arrjee knew it would be active for 5 seconds, and he was waiting for me to give the go ahead. For the first several rounds I would try to avoid getting hit without bothering to counter-attack.
My first idea was stupid, but I had to try it. I exclaimed, “Dodge!” loudly, as if I were in a juvenile anime and announcing my power. My power was not impressed. Neither was Interface.
Really?
“Hey, you didn’t tell me I had no tail. So obviously you want me to figure this stuff out on my own.”
Correct. I have avoided telling you that you do not have two penises for that very reason.
Do blue windows roll their eyes? I think they do. So did I. I think Arrjee was too, being impatient and seeing me talk to Interface. I hope he thought I was asking it how to activate Dodge. So I asked.
One navel. Just one.
Smartass, check. Smiling, I think, “Alrighty then, figure it out on my own.” With Heal Other, I had imagined energy flowing into my hand and beyond. At the same time, I thought of the concept of healing. Dodge could work the same. So I imagined ki circulating throughout my body, particularly my legs and feet. I focused on avoiding getting hit. I felt it, a readiness. “Now, Arrjee!”
He swung his sword, trying to hit me at the side of my waist. I easily jumped forward and sideways, out of the way. Then with him behind me, he swung at my shoulder, and connected. I had not seen or felt it coming at all. The skill’s description said I would eventually be able to avoid unseen blows, and today is clearly not eventually. “It wore off. Give me a few seconds to reactivate it.” He acknowledged.
I was facing Arrjee, with most of the others several paces behind him. I gave him the go once I had Dodge back on. Before he moved, I saw Rhetta lift a hand and shoot some kind of bolt at me, I immediately jumped sideways, easily avoiding it. I knew this time not to jump past Arrjee, so when he swung I saw it coming and was able to quickly avoid it as well. I’m thinking Dodge is pretty nice, and just after it wore off I felt the wooden sword on my stomach.
Stabbed, check. I shouldn’t have needed Dodge to know that was coming. I smiled at the concerned Arrjee, who thought he might have hurt me. Well, it did hurt, but had not penetrated the skin. “It’s okay, Arrjee. I expect stuff like that to happen while we spar.”
Mom (She's my Mom!) said, “I hope you did not mind the unexpected attack. You indicated that Dodge might work with magical attacks. It is best to know for sure.”
“That was actually awesome. I’ve never seen a real magical attack before!”
Grandma asked if I wanted to take a break, and I told her no.
There was something else I wanted to try. I laid down on my back and told Arrjee to try to hit me while I was on the ground. I activated Dodge and told him to go. He stabbed down a couple of times and swung a couple more. He was going slower than normal, and light, still afraid that he might hurt me. But I managed to squirm away from all his attacks, and when it wore off, I told him to stop.
Ralf howled quietly, impressed. Barrie and Rina joined in. I felt good.
After standing, I told Arrjie it was my turn, and asked him to let me use ki punch a couple times without him trying to block it. I still had to figure out how to get this final skill going.
“The maximum damage I can do is 8 to 10 hit points, but 2 to 4 of that is physical damage and from 0 to 6 is ki. The ki might be able to penetrate armor, and with no armor, you might feel the force penetrate deeper than expected. I can attack open handed, fisted, or even with a slap. How about I start with light slaps to your chest? The recharge before I can use ki in an attack again is 4 seconds, so if I slap you twice quickly the second one would be low, pure physical damage.”
“I’ll try to change the amount of ki each time, from light to as much as I can. Tell me to stop when you want. I don’t want to really hurt you, but I do need to figure this thing out.”
“Is it okay if I tell you to move the attack left, right, and up and down? That way you won’t always be hitting me in the same spot.”
Grandma walks up to us, apparently “just in case”. Arrjee thanks her for being ready to help, and I do too.
“Once I figure out how to activate this thing, it will be to attack your right chest first.”
Imagine ki flowing down your arm into your palm. Picture a light slap. I swing and it connects.
“Woah, that felt really deep. I could tell you weren’t swinging that hard, but it still hurts. While I am still in good shape, how about the left this time, slapping really hard but near my shoulder and above my heart. If it does 10 damage, I’ll need some healing, but I know you’re good for it.”
Grandma warns, “I know you are just learning Forrest, but try not to break a bone. Even if you heal it, he would feel a lot of pain. That said, we know you have to learn this by doing.”
Dad speaks up, “I volunteer for this stage, boys. You can practice on me, Forr-”
Arrjee interrupts, “An old geezer like you father? I don’t think so. The young heal quickly.”
“I’ll show you an ‘old geezer’. I change my mind. I can practice on you, Arrjee!”
Laughing, “He’s right, brother. Besides, they are new brothers, and this will help them bond.”
I let him know that I’m about to swing. Then do so with full strength, physical and ki.
“Ungh” his eyes closed in pain. “Oh yeah that hurts. You don’t have iron hidden within that hand of yours, do you?”
“Arrjee, is it alright if I see how effective my topical healing salve works? It might be important to know what I can do if for some reason Forrest can’t heal you after. The penetrative quality of his attacks worries me. I also have general healing potions available, but we should not need them today.”
“Okay, but I think I’ll want him to heal too, especially the second one.”
“Yes I agree.” She opens a jar of salve and rubs some over the slap area of his left chest.”
“That feels better, and cool like usual.”
“I’ll save your right chest for a full heal by Forrest. I should be able to learn enough from how your left side reacts. If it is okay we’ll see if the salve can completely heal the damage.”
I move to Arrjee’s right side and placed my hand where I had slapped him. It takes about a second to heal the damage. “I think that was about 4 HP of damage. My Heal Other currently heals about 4 HP per second.”
“Yeah, that was nice. Grandma’s is cool, and it feels good. Yours is warm, and feels maybe better. I think my right is completely healed, but not my left. Do you want to give the salve more time?”
“It has done all it is going to do. Forrest can finish healing you now.”
I wish I knew how much ki I had left, but I should have plenty to get him healed. Just then a small heads up display shows in my upper right. It shows thick letters for HP, SP, and Ki. SP is completely filled with green. HP is almost filled almost to the very top, also green. It probably is still down a tiny bit from when Arjee stabbed me. Ki is about a third empty, with the bottom two thirds being green with some yellow mixed in.
“Very nice, Interface. Can you show the numeric values too?”
The HUD window got a second row. It showed 136 beneath SP, 122 beneath HP, and 91 beneath Ki.
I would have auto-popped it up if any of them were dropping rapidly, or any of the values fell below half. You can also keep it displayed whenever you want.
“Thank you; I know you’ve got me covered.” Then, to everyone else, “I did not think of bringing up my status display until just now for SP, HP, and Ki. On my old world we called it an HUD, for “heads up display”, at least that was the abbreviation in my old language. Do we Covargh have a word for it?”
Arrjee answers, “I think we just call it ‘our statuses’. “My statuses show I’m low on mana.’ Like that, right?” He looks at the others.
Our father responds, “Yes, son. I do not think we have needed a word for it.”