Karl sat in the next day’s ‘decompression session’, a mental health counselling session that was mandatory for all patients here, and stared at the new doctor who had been assigned to him. She just wasn’t getting it, and he wasn’t certain how to explain the situation anymore.
“So, you’re saying that a young child such as yourself isn’t bothered by the death and gore, but you don’t feel that is a problem?” The old woman asked.
Karl considered that for a moment, trying to find a new way to explain the issue, before he gave into the urge to just stand up and just walk out on her.
“If there is a rabid animal or wild monster loose in your neighbourhood, what do you do?” He asked.
“Call animal control, of course.” She replied.
“And what do they do?”
“Trap and relocate it, I assume.” She shrugged.
Karl rubbed his temples. This woman had never actually worked with anyone who had been in combat before, and it was exceedingly obvious. She had to be one of the academics from the University.
He shook his head. “You can’t just relocate a dangerous creature and make it someone else’s problem. They put them down. That’s what we do. We put down dangerous creatures who are a threat to the people. It’s not personal, it just needs to be done.”
“But if they were people in your mind, how would you handle it?”
Karl saw where she was leading with this now. “I would say that is a law enforcement issue. If they were humans, each and every one of them would be a serial killer and mass murderer. Many of them would be cannibals, as they prefer human flesh.
I don’t think that many people would object if they were put down, even if we did it live on television.”
The woman huffed in annoyance and walked out of the room.
Victory.
Skittles, the aging Nature Priest doctor, came in to replace her with a big smile on his face.
“What did you say to make the substitute counsellor cry?” He asked.
“I told her that the human equivalent of monsters are serial killers and mass murderers that nobody would complain about being executed live on television.”
Skittles, or Doctor Xander, as he should properly be called, burst into laughter.
“The University sent over a bunch of academics to prove that our way isn’t effective enough. They think that their treatment methods will create more healthy and balanced Elites.”
“Or get someone stabbed for asking the same stupid questions over and over.” Karl pointed out.
“We monitor our patients for weapons.” Doctor Xander replied stiffly.
Karl took out his maul and passed it to the nature priest, who nearly dropped it on his foot.
“Goddess, that thing is heavy. Is that what you use to fight Frost Giants?” He asked.
“No, I usually use a two-handed sword, but that maul packs a beating with it when it comes into play. But my point is that most of the patients are armed, even when it doesn’t look like it.”
The doctor chuckled. “Point taken. But I suspect the actual weapons aren’t the largest issue if your personal problem is the annoying academics. Those who are unstable are sedated to prevent them using magic, but we already know that doesn’t work on you, and if you set a monster on them, they wouldn’t last long.
The Academics aren’t clerics, they’re just teachers. They don’t have any magic or superhuman abilities, so they don’t really understand what it’s like. They’re terrified of the threats to humanity, and many have the attitude that the ones who protect them are some sort of servants tasked to clean up problems.”
Karl nodded. “Like that one. Maybe we should terrify them a little, make them leave?”
Karl saw why Doug called him skittles when the man smirked, his eyes flashed with multiple colours of light. It might be some sort of skill or ability, but the glow did rather look like skittles in his eyes.
“What were you thinking just now?” Doctor Xander asked.
“I could use a bit of exercise. Perhaps we could arrange space to do some sparring out in the yard? Or if there is a suitable gymnasium here?” Karl suggested.
“I will arrange it. There have been all sorts of complaints this morning, and I have been concerned that some of the Elites might just do a self-checkout against doctors’ advice.”
“Let me know when you’ve got somewhere for us to exercise, and I think that we can arrange something that will take the naive ones’ attitude down a notch.” Karl agreed.
Doctor Xander nodded and left the room, and Karl made sure he had shorts and a tank top under his hassock. He tended to forget, but if he was going to be sparring, he should have the lower layer on.
He was just getting comfortable in the chair when Doctor Xander came back, under a minute later, with a big smile. “Alright, it’s arranged. Even the white robes are on board with this. Just, don’t do anything that might cause more patients.”
Karl chuckled. “You don’t have a cardiology department, do you? Because I can’t guarantee that some of them won’t need it when they see what being an Elite actually means.”
“Nope, that’s next door and not our problem. We’re not an emergency care centre.”
Karl followed him out into the courtyard, where someone had created a huge amount of sand for a twenty-metre round combat circle, the sort of training pit that soldiers had been using for close combat training since before recorded history.
“Alright, Doctor Xander has asked that we all attend this seminar, both for the Elites to blow off some steam, and to show the new hires a little of what it means to be an Elite in combat. Commander Karl has graciously volunteered to help with the Demonstration, so who would like to go first?”
The patients looked a bit confused, but Ophelia hopped up. “Do we get to spar with Karl? Or is he going to cheat?”
Karl laughed and had Rae call out a Spider Golem with the ends of its legs blunted.
There were a number of screams from the new doctors, and Ophelia laughed.
“I see how it is. Alright, who has the training weapons?”
Karl shrugged. “I don’t think that you need them. Rae won’t take it personally.”
[Because there is no chance they’re going to be able to kill my Golem.]
The two squared off against each other across the circle as the civilian doctors watched in horror, then Ophelia activated her armour and twin flaming axes before transforming into Werebear form and launching herself at the spider golem.
The two exchanged dozens of strikes in the first two seconds, with the golem parrying Bear’s berserker rage infused attacks, while she looked for an opening.
Karl watched the doctors for a while, and even some of the clerics looked shocked at the brutality of the fight. Then it slowly turned to amusement as the Golem knocked Ophelia over and used its blunted legs to tickle her belly while pretending to land strikes.
Only when she roared at the golem in a fully animalistic rage did Rae finally relent and have the spider golem retreat.
“That’s one for the golem. I think almost everyone gets the point. Who wants to spar next? I know I could use the exercise. My muscles are getting sore from lack of use.” Karl offered.
A man with a fresh scar across his face and down his bare chest raised his hand.
“Commander on Commander unarmed spar?” The Monk suggested.
“That sounds good. We’ve got plenty of healers to deal with bruising, or we can do it with a barrier up so we’re not actually harmed.” Karl offered.
“Then we would need to use skills, and that might lead to accidents. Bare hands versus training weapons is fine.”
Karl had Rae dismiss the Golem as he stepped into the ring. The hospital hassock would be fine for fighting, it was easy to move in.
The two stretched a little, and then moved into a light sparring session, testing each other’s skills. Karl didn’t have his rings on, and this was the first time in a long time he had to test himself against another Elite in actual physical combat.
But once they started moving, he realized that his natural state was neither slower nor weaker than the Monk.
“I thought you were a Ranger type.” The Monk questioned as they circled.
“Beast Tamer is an odd type. Our growth direction depends on our beasts. If we were using melee skills, I would get my ass kicked in seconds, but as for the basic body, I’m getting closer to that of a Commander Rank beast.” Karl explained as he tried and failed to grab the shirtless monk.
He realized why they fought shirtless when his hassock was grabbed, and he was flipped to the ground, only narrowly avoiding being pinned.
The laundry room was going to hate them for this event.
