‘Dammit Velora, I wish you could come out here and help me carry them.’

  [Unfortunately, that is not a part of my capabilities.]

  ‘I’m sure it’s very unfortunate.’

  [I’m sure if you allowed the Goblins that wanted to follow you all the way out here, then you would have had the help you needed.]

  ‘I definitely couldn't do that. It would serve them no purpose to be here trying to protect me when there were other things they could be doing to get stronger. That’s not what we need at the moment.’

  [Is that why you had to yell at them? That was the first time you’ve raised your voice at any of them, yet we haven’t talked about it since. You even raised your voice at Rogu. Somone who is far stronger than you and could likely kill you quite easily. Are we sure that it was the right decision to do so?]

  Rick, who was dragging the dead Windleg Stag in one hand, the Heavy Bear in the other, and even had the body of a small yet very much still a Tier 4 Wolf slung over his shoulder, paused his steps in silence. He stood still for a few minutes as he thought about the question Velora just asked and thought back to his emotions at the time, and how he felt.

  ‘Your right Velora. I never want to make a habit of yelling at anyone that isn’t an enemy. Especially not my fellow Goblins. They don’t deserve that, and I will apologize, but I had to get my point across Velora. I was not the priority, if they followed me around, not only would my training be hindered but so would theirs. I will lead from the front Velora, and they need to be able to understand that.

  ‘I probably shouldn’t have been yelling at them, but I didn’t know what else to do about it. They were practically arguing with me about being allowed to protect me. I don’t even know how to explain the weirdness of that.’

  [Your points are sound Rick, but It appears to me you are not truly looking at from their point of view.]

  ‘I am Velora, I understand. Important figures need to be protected I get it. I recognize the importance of who I am and what I mean to the race, I get it. But they need me to be a powerhouse, Velora. Somone who can stand toe to toe with all the other powerful people out there. Strong enough that my Goblins can walk with their heads held high without fear of being hunted just due to nothing but fear of me. That’s what I want Velora, no…that’s what I need. I need it, they need it. But I can’t accomplish that by being coddled all the time. That’s not my job. Or at least that’s not what It needs to be right now.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  ‘They need time to train and Rogu and the others are perfect for that. We don’t know when the Orcs are coming back. It could be tomorrow, or it could be days from now. They can’t be wasting time worrying about me Velora. It’s just not the best time to do that.’

  [I still think you don’t get it Rick.]

  ‘Please explain.’

  [You’re not just their Future King Rick. You’re not just someone to lead them. You are far more than that to them. You’re the hope for a better future, you’re their light in the darkness, you’re the reason that they can hope for a better life one day. It’s you. You give them life Rick. It is likely that you haven’t truly noticed they look in their eyes when they look at you.

  [It is a look of reverence, and as long as you don’t do anything to toss that reverence to the side, they would likely do anything for you.

  [I believe there is a strong chance that protecting you isn’t a chore, or a task to be completed for them. It is highly likely that they consider it not only an honor, but something that must be done at all costs. They are ready to die for you, to make sure no matter what happens you will continue to live so that the Goblins still alive can still have hope. It’s all on you Rick. All of their hopes and dreams. They rest on your shoulders.

  [So why would they ever be okay with allowing you to enter harms way without support? Although our time with him has been relatively short, I do not believe Rogu is a fool. Nor do I think he is ignoring the fact you need to grow stronger. Yet it took you raising your voice for him to back off from assigning at least one guard to follow you around. That was likely a very hard decision for him, but he respects your station and authority, Rick. Don’t make this anymore hard on them, I think this is one scenario you should compromise in.

  [At least one person should be with you. Even if they are weaker, you should always have support. It will be training for them as well.]

  ‘Sigh…You make it sound like I’m a bad person, but I think I understand better now…and honestly even though I do, it will always be hard for me to view myself in the way you described. I’m just lil ol’ Rick man. I’ll always just be Rick. I can cope with being a leader of sorts, but a savior? I don’t know if that will ever truly sink in and register as my reality. Especially not now…Sigh…I get it though. Along with my apology to everyone, I’ll be sure to compromise and ensure one of them can come with me when I leave the Village. Maybe that Loruk guy.

  ‘Anyway, does that work for you Velora?’

  [Yes, it does, but it was never for me. I will always support you, but I’m sure Rogu and the others will be a lot happier knowing there is at least one person who will follow you around until the Royal Guards can shoulder that burden on their own.]

  You’re probably right.’

  [As always.]

  ‘Sigh’