Chapter 7 – Trial and Error

Henderson peered at the goblin who stood before him. The creature shuffled its feet on the ground nervously, its underbite and saucer-like black eyes making it seem both innocent and jittery.

“And all I have to do is tell you what I want to happen?” he asked Grim.

Grim nodded slowly.

“Yes, my Lord, all that is required of you is to give the order.”

“Then let’s do it. Give this one a level. That costs two CP, right?”

“Two ‘CP’, quite, my Lord,” Grim replied.

The goblin looked terrified.

“Oh, don’t look so scared,” Henderson said to the small goblin. “This is going to make you stronger.”

The goblin then smiled, his grin stretching toward the corners of his round face. It looked like the promise of strength was something it would like.

“He can understand me, right?” Henderson asked Grim.

“Yes, my Lord. Though their level of intelligence and ability to understand what is being said to them can be somewhat questionable,” Grim replied.

Henderson nodded, then dropped to one knee in front of the goblin, who began visibly shaking.

“I’m going to increase your level by one. Do you understand? It’s going to make you stronger, which is a good thing.”

The goblin kept smiling, though his shaking didn’t seem to subside, and he began nodding slowly. Henderson couldn’t tell if the small creature had understood what he was saying or if it even knew where it was.

He nodded at Grim, who nodded back.

“It is done, my Lord,” Grim said. “This one is now level two, and what a mighty specimen he is too.”

Henderson peered down at the goblin standing before him. It didn’t look any different though when Henderson focused, he could see it was indeed level two now.

“Do you feel any different?” he asked the goblin.

“Hungry!” the goblin immediately responded at a sociable volume.

Henderson furrowed his brow.

“He has a point, you know,” he said, looking at Grim. “Is there any food around here? And how does that work?”

“Well, my Lord, you eat it,” Grim replied without missing a beat.

Henderson resisted the urge to slap the hob.

“I know that,” Henderson growled. “I mean, am I expected to send out hunter-gatherers or... I don’t know, turn hobgoblins into farmers or something?”

“One would hope we do not have to resort to such drastic measures, my Lord,” Grim replied swiftly, continuing before Henderson could interject. “There are rooms that can be repurposed as storehouses within Castle Valeri that will hold a fair amount of provisions. I would say with our current numbers, we would last about a week with what we have. Beyond that, yes, we would need to send our subjects outside the walls to gather what they can if they would prefer to keep being fed.”

“And there’s food to be gathered around here?” Henderson asked.

“Oh, yes, my Lord. There is always food to be gathered. Even out here in the wilderness, we can send our creatures out into the forest to gather what they can. The results may not be as grand as they would from higher-levelled or more intelligent beings, and some may die, being level one…”

Henderson waved his hand to cut off Grim; the hob was stating the obvious.

“I think we should see what a difference a level makes,” Henderson said. “Bring me another goblin.”

Grim closed his eyes and in moments, the sound of scampering bare feet filled the corridor. Another goblin entered who looked almost identical to the now level-two creature, and it came to a halt standing a metre apart from its kin with the pair facing each other.

“Okay,” Henderson said with a grin. “Goblin one and goblin two,” he gestured to the level-two goblin first and the newer level-one goblin second. “You two are going to fight, just like in the Arena, so we can get a true measure of what an additional level means.”

“My Lord?” Grim interrupted. “I must say that this will be a terrible waste of life.”

Henderson smirked. “Can’t stand to see your kind ordered to die by a human?”

“Not at all, my Lord,” Grim replied. “It is simply not a fair fight. The level-two goblin will no doubt dispatch its inferior kin, and that will be all.”

“Alright,” Henderson said, having somewhat anticipated this response. “Goblin one, hand me your knife.”

The level-two goblin didn’t hesitate, handing Henderson the old, rusted blade from its hip. Grim’s expression became thoughtful, stroking his beard and furrowing his brow - a comical sight for a hobgoblin.

“Better?” Henderson asked.

“Quite.”

“Alright, you two,” Henderson said, looking back at the goblins. “A fight to the death, and try to make it entertaining.”

The creatures didn’t need any more encouragement. The level-one goblin - goblin number two - was the first to act. Grabbing his knife and launching his little green body at his higher-levelled opponent, the goblin let out an ear-piercing screech that even had Henderson wincing.

The level-two goblin - goblin number one - stood still for a moment, then at the last second, let his legs give way, allowing number two to sail over his head without impact. Number two landed nimbly on his feet and charged back, knife outstretched, causing goblin number one to back away. On the uneven stone floor, that proved a mistake.

The level-two goblin tripped and fell onto its back with an ‘oof’, giving the advantage to number two, who leapt astride the unarmed creature, holding his knife aloft, ready to strike the killing blow. But number one caught the hands of his opponent just in time, both goblins grappling with the blade.

After a few seconds, the level-two goblin began to turn the knife back toward his kin, and Henderson could see the outcome. Slowly but surely, the tip of the blade inched toward number two’s chest until it was all but touching.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Henderson said, seeing where the fight was headed. He’d never really intended for the fight to result in the death of one of these creatures, but it was clear from the fight that a single level’s worth of difference was a big deal.

The goblins, who’d just been locked in a tense battle to the death, immediately stood up shoulder to shoulder, awaiting further instructions and with seemingly no malice directed at each other either.

“If I spent ten CP on a level-one goblin, or six CP levelling one up to level three, which would be better?” Henderson asked, looking over the goblins' heads.

“It is not an exact science, my Lord,” Grim replied. “I would expect two level ones to best a level two, but a single level three could very well dispatch two level ones. A level ten could potentially best a veritable horde of level ones, so it really depends on the situation. It is also worth remembering that some creatures are better suited to certain tasks or battles. For example, you may wish to equip these lower-level creatures as hunters and send them out to gather food from the forest. In this way, they won’t need to be higher level as they would not strictly be fighters. It would however mean that they could withstand more harm if they were a higher level in such a scenario.”

“Equip them?” Henderson asked. “You mean I have to give them things?”

“If you want them to be more effective, my Lord. Though most creatures will find a way if they are not adequately equipped. Most, such as the goblins here will arrive with at least something they can use as a weapon or tool in a situation that required it.”

Henderson’s head started to hurt. Not only did he have to feed these things, but now he had to clothe and arm them.

“You’re going to tell me to build a blacksmith next, aren’t you?” Henderson said, still staring at the two little goblins grinning at him.

“No, my Lord,” Grim replied, “Castle Valeri already has one. However, it lacks expertise and manpower, something I recommend you address in the near future.”

“Blacksmiths, armourers, hunters and gatherers. And this is all supposed to be doable with six goblins and eight hobgoblins? Do any of these creatures actually have any experience in carrying out these tasks?”

“No, my Lord,” Grim replied. “But as tends to happen in this world, creatures learn, and they improve with practice.”

Henderson placed a hand on his forehead, trying to understand how he was supposed to micromanage every aspect of this castle he’d inherited. It was starting to seem like more trouble than it was worth.

Then one of the goblins hiccupped loudly.

“Will one of you go and get a broom?” Henderson said without looking up. “Presumably you know what that is? Though judging by the look of this place, that’s questionable.”

The goblins both scurried off without another word from Henderson.

“My Lord?” Grim asked.

“We’re doing things my way,” Henderson said, exhaling loudly. “First thing’s first: we’re going to tidy this place up, make it look like a castle should. And then we’re going to address the other things in order - probably food first.”

“Very good, my Lord,” Grim replied.

“Do you have any thoughts about that, Grim?” Henderson asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Not at this juncture, my Lord,” the hob replied. “Though I would be remiss if I did not warn you that as Castle Valeri is at the forefront of the expanse between the creatures of Chaos and the human City, it would be normal for other creatures to come across this place and request shelter or sustenance on occasion. As such and given our current standing, there is a possibility that such a visit could result in a play for power, as it were.”

“You're saying that some monsters could just turn up and try to take over the place?”

“Try and succeed, I would presume,” Grim replied. “Our complement is rather meagre and very low level, my Lord.”

Henderson closed his eyes, trying to think.

“What’s the best way to get more CP and fast?” he asked.

“Ironically, my Lord, the natural generation rate for CP tends to be linked to how a castle is perceived to be performing. Additional opportunities to gain more CP will arise along with the natural growth of Castle Valeri. Providing adequate food and shelter for our minions will, in itself, generate additional CP. As these minions grow and level up, they will also generate more CP naturally.”

“So what you’re saying...” Henderson said without looking up, “is that we should tidy up the place, send out some hunters and gatherers to get food, and then we’ll get more CP naturally - along with some kind of additional incentives that’ll happen along the way?”

“Indeed, my Lord,” Grim replied.

“So, you mean… the exact thing I said in the first place?”

“Indeed, my Lord. Though with a more thorough explanation and a rationale behind each of the actions posited.”

“Grim?” Henderson asked.

“Yes, my Lord?”

“One day, I’m going to kill you, you know that, right?”

“Of course, my Lord. Of that I have no doubt. I only hope that it is after we have made some significant headway along the path we currently walk.”