Draft: 45 Goblin Killer Politics

The clearing wasn’t much of a clearing anymore. As the System-enhanced humans encroached on the forest it increasingly started to resemble a temporary town. Only a temporary town because all the work looked suspect and perhaps even ugly, as none of the builders had any sort of true building inclination. Accordingly, the clearing space had also grown as the woods around it were cut down. This also served to give the Tutorial group space to see the goblins if they were attacked.

While the attacks weren’t getting any more frequent, the hoard attacks’ intensity was progressively ramping up and getting higher and higher. The goblins weren’t even coming in with higher numbers to back them up, but their intelligence seemed to increase with each level. And their levels were going up as some of them weren’t killed by the humans in the clearing as they ran back away to the forest instead. Or at least that was the running theory, it wasn’t like either Arthur or Christian really wanted to test it.

Of course, the loss of James hit the group much harder than she could have anticipated. They had always chosen to somewhat censor what they showed her, not wanting to overly scare her. And maybe, Arthur admitted to himself, he still felt bad about how they woke her up that first time. Perhaps their editing of her world was a mistake. Less than four hundred people remained in the growing town.

Those types of thoughts were best left for the night, when nobody could see how Arthur second-guessed himself so thoroughly over every decision. Walking through the clearing, which they would soon hold a contest to name, Arthur nodded at a couple of the faces he recognized. Though he knew everyone’s names and abilities, he had to in order to be an effective leader, he knew that not everyone wanted to be acknowledged by their leader so casually.

So many people liked being in the background, liking the cloak of anonymity they thought it earned them. He held back a snort as he thought of James, if only he applied that lesson better to her. But what could he have done? Even Christian agreed! Hell, he’d come up with the idea. They needed her. And the girl needed bodyguards. Regrets. By the time this Tutorial would be over in – days he’d have more than enough to last him a lifetime.

Carrying his and Christian’s customary lunch, a tradition he upheld despite the other participants not being present anymore, Arthur continued to make his way across the mud of the clearing. It was a miserable brown color that seemed to infect everything it was around, and Arthur expertly maneuvered the meals so that it wouldn’t touch them. The number of brown-caked people he’d seen after their mandatory practice sessions as he made his way only seemed to show his expertise at dealing with the miserable substance. You’d think he had some Skill.

Opening the door to the infirmary with his elbow, mercifully empty of patients somehow, he was startled to see Jean Paul and Louise already there talking with Christian. Those two had become experts at avoiding him since James’s great escape, somehow feeling the ire he couldn’t fully temper down. Coming to the infirmary during lunch time was doing the exact opposite, however, they were seeking him out.

“I didn’t know I’d be supplying you gentlemen with lunch.” He said by way of greeting, putting Christian’s meal down in front of him. Giving each other a single, nervous glance, Jean Paul spoke for the two of them like he always did. For his part, Arthur didn’t want to hear Louise speak ever again.

“Sir, three people, Simeon, Alaire, and Remy got the Class Goblin Killer, like James, sir” Arthur grinned, they hadn’t told him yet, but they were a part of the group he gave personal training two times a week. He had created opportunities for the group during the onslaughters, specifically helping them to achieve the requirements that James had told Louise about. It seemed like his plan had worked and now they had three people ready to specifically help them tackle the goblin problem.

“That’s great! I’ll talk to them later and see what type of Skills they got. Maybe we’ll start having them train others-”

“Sir, they’re saying you haven’t done any of that because you don’t want to lose your influence, sir,” Sean Paul cut him off.

“Bastards!” Arthur slammed his hand on the table, rattling everything on it but he hardly noticed. So now he was supposed to check up on everybody after a fight and see if they gained a new ability? That was supposed to be their own responsibility! And saying he’d done nothing about it because of power?! Why would he be training them if he didn’t want them getting this Class?!

Forcing a deep breath, he forced himself to address the real problem: the threat to his leadership. He couldn’t do any of this privately. It would become a situation with two stories, and men were much more likely to agree with the story of the men they could relate to. Simeon, Alaire, and Remy never got a leadership position over anything, they were relatable, likeable even. Up ‘till now he’d liked them too. No, this had to be public, he’d have to talk to them in the next practice session and make it clear they’d never informed him of their new Class.

“Thanks for telling me, I’ll deal with it.” Arthur nodded at the two former bodyguards. Suddenly it occurred to him, though, why theywere the ones telling him about this? Shaking his head, though, he knew it didn’t matter. All it showed was that they were loyal. And loyalty was apparently something he needed to cultivate a lot more of, so he added “I appreciate it. You’ve been doing good work. Is there anything I can do for you two?”

Another glance between the two of them, they really had mastered silent communication, and Jean Paul spoke up.

“Louise told you about how his class is Citizen Bodyguard. He’d like to guard Christian, it’s the only way he’d be able to level up his Class and use his Skills to their fullest potential.” Louise stared off at the wall to his right, not meeting Arthur’s gaze as it scanned him.

“Christian doesn’t really need the protection,” he wasn’t like James went unsaid. Mulling over the idea, Arthur pursed his lips. Louise was just not his favorite person, he had failed to bring James back after all, and it could be argued he was the cause of his current political drama. Sighing internally, Arthur knew he’d just have to get over it. “Ok, yes. Skills are important, and we do need our doc. Now I’d like to speak to Christian alone.”

Dismissed, the two career soldiers saluted him crisply and left, the door shutting behind them.