Dismissing her System messages and finally opening her eyes, James tried to process it all. She didn’t know whether she should be happy she couldn’t see Louis or not.

Shakily getting up, she realized she was essentially in the center of a mound of goblin bodies. Really, she should have registered it the second she had woken up, but she had been solely focused on whether she had been brought back to the clearing yet. And then, of course, she had gotten her Class. Even though only a moment had passed, just the thought of it widened the grin still lingering on her face.

The goblins were no laughing matter, though. Some of the bodies had visible injuries, limbs twisted in weird, unnatural ways or cuts coated in their strange purple tinged blood. These were the ones either flung out or piled up in a mound near her. The majority of them, however, were just petrified in place and fallen over.

And she knew those were the deaths she had caused. It hadn’t hit her before, hadn’t really filtered through her still Class-addled brain, but according to the System she was responsible for over a hundred goblin deaths. Folding over in two over to the side, James started to dry heave in disgust. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore where her vomit might go, after all she was probably desecrating bodies. Miraculously, the only smell in the air to signify the massacre surrounding her was the coppery smell of dried blood, similar to rust. A fact James didn’t feel like she had to know. At least it indicated to her that she wasn’t out for long enough for the bodies to start to smell. Just the blood.

It took her a couple of minutes before James felt like she could process the scene again. She wasn’t sure, though, if that was because she had nothing left to even dry heave. Looking at the scene, she understood why she was offered the Goblin Killer class.

She tried to search for Louis, silently walking around the bodies, a hard task with the way they had piled up. Finally, she spotted a sign of a human hand underneath the pile of disfigured goblins.

Taking a deep breath in preparation, and then immediately wishing she hadn’t because of the coppery stench she couldn’t ignore anymore, James grabbed the hand and pulled. The increase in strength proved itself, and she overestimated how much power she needed by a fair bit. Flinging both herself and Louis back into a tree, the bark hit her hard, exacerbating the scratches all over her skin. Feeling almost surprised at the sensation, she hadn’t noticed anything at all, James shook her head. Still, she wasn’t strong enough for the tree to really move in response to her crash. One day… Well, that was one day, right now it was irrelevant.

Quickly getting up and going around to Louis, she was glad to see that he still had a pulse. His one leg was folded over in a weird way, but that seemed like the worst injury he had sustained. Or at least the worst injury she could instantly assess. Feeling along his ribs, she found at least two broken ones. James pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, there was nothing she could really do about those, his System health regeneration would have to prove itself here.

The leg, however, she could help. She had assisted Christian plenty over the past two weeks. Besides, the System wouldn’t care if the injury was dirty. For some reason it was easier for it to take care of any viruses and bacteria than it was to set bones.

She didn’t have anything that she could use to tie the splint together, but she figured she could improvise something from her leggings. Getting up, she left Louis behind for a second as she scouted around the area, both to know if anyone was close and for long branches for the splint. She knew they couldn’t be more than a three-minute run from the camp, and despite wanting to help Louis, she didn’t want to go back herself. She’d stay until he woke up or until she could guarantee he’d be found.

With her three sticks in hand, one going all the way to his waist, the other up to his knee and a third thick one to connect them together she set them up near his leg in the position she would tie them together. Ripping up her leggings, stained in that same distinctive purple red she saw too much around her, she tried to conserve as much of them as she could. Finally done with her preparations, James took a deep breath, refusing to get distracted by anything. In a quick, practiced motion, she pushed the bones back in place. Thankfully, but perhaps worryingly, that didn’t shake Louis back awake. With the easy part done, James proceeded to tie the splint pieces together with her legging pieces.

Inspecting her finished work, James sat down near Louis and considered her options. She didn’t have any supplies since she didn’t run with her backpack. Her clothes were so dirty she didn’t think they’d ever be able to go back to their previous condition. It really would be so much easier to go back with Louis to Arthur and everyone else.

But how long would it be until she’d have to escape? Until she just couldn’t handle the clearing anymore? Would she ever even get another chance to escape? Could she take that risk?

A groan snapped her from her thoughts, punctuating the relaxed sounds of the forest.

“Louis? You’re awake?” Another groan seemed to answer her in the affirmative. “Don’t move, I just reset your leg ten minutes ago. I’m assuming it’s going to take you at least two days until you get back to normal, though that’s not counting your recent Class level ups.” She considered what to share with him. That alone was enough for her to make her choice.

“I’m not coming back with you to camp.”

“No.” So he could only groan until it pertained to her leaving? No.

“I’m leaving. I did get a Class though and I wanted to tell you what the requirements were in case other people wanted to get it. You’re with me?” She had to make sure. She might have decided to leave, but she wasn’t going to leave them with nothing.

“Yes.” At least he wasn’t addled by pain medication. So James proceeded to tell him about Goblin Killer, making him repeat the requirements and description back to her. She would let him think that was her Class. It was better that way. Why try and explain magic?

Then she simply sat with him. He had risked his life for her. For all that she felt like a prisoner at times, he had risked his life for her. And if she had alerted earlier, he wouldn’t have been in that position. She really wasn’t a good person.

She could have also just gone back to the camp once she woke up instead of caring for him herself, he probably wouldn’t have been in such a rough condition. She was thankful his injuries appeared to be such that he would have at least stayed alive even if she had just left him as she escaped. She had seen people in similar condition in the infirmary, and with his new levels he’d be fine too. Either a construction crew would find him, or Arthur would send out people to look for her. Eventually somebody would stumble onto him. Worst case scenario, he’d recover enough to make it back by himself.

James didn’t want to know what decision she would have made otherwise. Well, she did, but she would have probably hated Louis for the rest of the Tutorial. She wasn’t a good person.

Finally, James decided his color had returned enough that she could leave without feeling further guilt. With a resigned air, she touched his shoulder “Is there anything I can do to help you?” Louis opened his eyes, they were green, she’d never noticed before.

“Why?” She knew he wasn’t asking why she was leaving him. He knew as well as she did that he’d be fine. He was asking why she was leaving the safety of the clearing. The safety of bodyguards. Why would she leave all of the camp’s comforts for the forest. She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, meeting his eyes before sighing and looking away.

“Louis, were your orders to be a guard or to be a bodyguard? Arthur doesn't trust me, at the very least he doesn't like me, and Christian doesn't really know what to make of me either. I was never going to get a Class inside the camp. I’d just be a chess piece, something for Arthur to control and manipulate and maneuver. And the camp isn’t really in danger now, there are walls, and everyone is strong. I’m not needed,” she hadn’t needed to say it out loud before. Weirdly enough thoughts felt more meaningful when they were voiced. It felt a lot more final now. With every word she felt a stronger conviction in her actions. Louis nodded at her.

“Goodbye.” His eyes already held the air of mourning, but he wasn’t going to stop her. He probably would have been able to put up at least a bit of a fight if he tried, and she was extraordinarily thankful that he didn’t.

“Goodbye. And thank you. For everything.” A small shoulder squeeze, a wave, and she was off into the forest. She’d either leave it strong or she’d perish within it.