Dinner

[Wow…the feeling of a scab forming in a near instant..it is so strange.] Chris was rubbing the area that was affected and he could feel where the scabbed stopped and started as it arced over the wound.

[Was that a magical potion?] Thought Chris in wonder.

[I really am in a magical world…]

As he was stuck in his own little world, the lady on the floor began to get up.

She thought, [What a lucky man, Rufus would have been so happy to see this.]

As she looked at him caressing his arm, she noticed that "spark" in his eyes.

[It must've been the first time a slave like him has taken a potion.]

She smiled slightly and asked, "How is your arm feeling?"

Chris looked up and said, "It feels like a normal scab, but it is PERFECT. Normally there are like jagged edges and torn pieces, but this feels so smooth, it is almost like a continuous sunburn-blister. It is very amazing, do you have more of them?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, I keep some low-level potions around incase the kids fall or get hurt while training, but most of them are old enough to where it doesn't happen often."

Chris was in wonder.

[She lets them get injured!? I sure am home…but she has magic ready to heal them so maybe it is normal here?]

Chris shook his head and grabbed the walking stick from the forest.

She had realized he was about to get up and pushed him back a little into his chair.

"I don't recommend getting up so soon if that was your first time getting healed via potion."

Chris was confused.

"Why? Does the healing potion have a side-effect or something?"

She responded, "Oh, no, nothing like that. Magical elixirs sometimes cause people to have balance issues and cause them to sleep for a while when they first have one." She was smiling and continued, "My late husband first took a [Healing Potion] instead of a [Lesser Healing Potion] like the one you had and he stumbled around the house all night."

Chris and the woman chuckled slightly.

"What was his name, if you don't mind my asking." Said Chris.

She had a large smile on her face and said, "His name was Rufus. Best human I ever met!"

She had a small look of gloom on her face, but it was mostly joy.

Chris looked at the pointed ears and delicate features that the woman had.

[Oh, an elf and a human..]

Chris said, "I am sorry for your loss." in his most sincere voice.

She smiled and responded with, "Thank you, it was over 70-years ago, but I still think about him every day."

The happy yet gloomy atmosphere permeated the house as the kids could be heard coming closer, but at this moment, Chris was feeling sleepy…

…

…

…

[What? What year is it?] Chris sat up in bed and scraped his scab on the wall.

"ARG! Dang it! I forgot about that."

Chris looked around the room and he saw all of the little ones sitting around a large dinning table that was not there earlier.

They had their Stew on a hanging pot, their bread in a covered wooden-box and their vegetables were mostly wild and picked this morning.

Chris wobbled on over as he was massaging his scab, the kids were noticing him.

"MOMMY! IS THIS THE DWARF FROM THE MINE?" Shouted Alice.

"YEAH MOMMY! IS THIS HIM? Said Alexander.

She nodded and pulled out another plate and bowl for dinner.

"Miss Alice, would you be a dear and help the nice Dwarf with getting his food?"

Alice put her spoon down and walked over to her mother, grabbed the plate and spoon and then headed to the dwarf.

"Why does everyone keep calling me a dwarf? What is with you people?" Said Chris as he was annoyed.

Sarah stopped the meal. "Don't you know what race you are? They never told you who your people were?" She was extremely perplexed but underneath she was starting to boil some anger.

"W-w-what? I AM ACTUALLY A DWARF????" Chris looked down at his large hands and thought, [I thought I was just in a body with different sized appendages…wait, my face!]

Chris looked around for anything skiny and saw a sliver looking sheet on the wall. He walked over to it and looked at his face.

[Dark red hair, normal. LARGE EARS? MASSIVE NOSE???? STRONG CHEEKBONES? Oh my god, I am sexy…]

Chris was happy to no longer be a chubby, balding, fat man entering his 30's. Now he was "hopefully" a strong dwarf known for their crafting and strong and hardy nature.

He was touching his face when the little Alice came over and tugged on his stained shirt.

"Mister, here is your dinner. I got you a chair next to mommy, come eat!"

The little girl skipped off and left Chris in wonder.

Chris was still standing there, thinking about being a fantasy race in a new world.

[I cannot believe this, man, dwarves are so dope.]

Chris looked back at his hands and squeezed them.

[Woah…strong…]

His forearms were bulging, and he could feel the raw power and control his arms held.

[No wonder they are so good, I haven't even lifted anything in this body! Imagine a bodybuilding dwarf!] Thought Chris as he had sparkles in his eyes, but he was soon interrupted again.

"Hey! Come eat!" Said Sarah as she was smiling at him and the kids were staring while shoveling food into their mouths.

"Oh, right!" Chris jogged on over and got to his chair.

The food was smelled edible, but it was still lacking in the visual department. The "stew" was a gray bone-gravy that went on the bread to soften it. The bread was darker meaning it had a whole grain base instead of a ground flour base, and the wild onions and assorted vegetables were boiled and place on the plate.

"Wow, this smells pretty good, do you eat this type of food often." Asked Chris as he began to dig in.

Sarah was chewing and then replied, "We usually have some meat, but the livestock has been a little scarce since the war is about to start."

Chris was shocked, "War? What war?"

She raised and eyebrow and had a piece of soaked bread.

"The war between the Empire and the Federation, didn't your master tell you about it?" Asked Sarah.

Chris remembered she had been referring to a "master" that he had from being a slave.

[I really need to convey that I am from another world in the most polite and sane way possible…but I will settle with amnesia, for now.]

"Uh, I don't really remember anything before waking up in the forest."

Sarah looked at him as he spoke and her instincts were flaring, telling her that he was lying.

"Hmm…but you speak so well?" She said as she got a spoon of stew and let out a cheeky smile.

Chris was looking down at his bowl and nearly choked.

"Well, I remember some things, but I definitely don't remember having a master or anything of the sort!" Said Chris as he stuffed his mouth before he put his foot in it.

Sarah was watching him, he was sincere and didn't have any deception in his heart, but that didn't make sense because he definitely had a master…slaves are quite expensive and are regulated heavily by the church.

"Be that as it may, what do you remember?" Asked Sarah as she was beckoning the kids off to play outside as they finished, one by one.

Chris was a little caught up and he wasn't sure about telling her the truth for obvious reasons.

"Let's just say you could treat me like I am from another world…" Said Chris as he finished off his bread and stew.

He let out a big smile with a food filled mouth, his cheeks were bulging, and he was trying to disarm the tension, but it seemed as if he already had as Sarah began to laugh at his statement.

"Oh, great Hero, it is wonderful to have you in our home!" Said Sarah as she nearly spit out her water.

Chris was confused. How did she know about the heroes that the old fart spoke of? Were they known to even forest women???

"Alright….what is so funny?" Asked Chris.

"Kid, you know that the heroes aren't due for around another 100-ish years, right? Pulling a "I am a mysterious hero from another world" won't work."

Sarah asked the rest of the kids to leave as she was about to talk with him for real.