Chương 13: All Hail Democracy

'This is your camp?' Alka asked, clearly unimpressed as the two of them made their way through scattered bedrolls and shoddily put together tents on their quest to find Spur. Half of the camp was set up rather well with the tents in rows and all facing the same direction, but the other half looked like the System had grabbed a tiny sliver of Woodstock by accident.

Vin knew it hadn't even been forty-eight hours since they'd arrived in this new world, but he'd kinda figured things would be a bit more organized than this.

"I told you, we only just got here," he muttered, trying to keep his lips from moving as much as possible. For some reason, he was clearly drawing a good bit of attention, and he didn't want anyone to see him talking to himself.

"I bet Spur knows what he's doing."

"Vin?" A familiar voice called out. Searching for the owner, Vin spotted Alice looking at him with wide eyes, the lifeless body of one of the squirrel-ferret creatures he'd spotted yesterday clutched in her hands.

"Alice!" He called back, smiling at one of the few people he'd actually taken the time to chat with so far.

"Guess that Trapper class is working out for you, huh?"

"Thank God you're okay!" She said, running over and looking him up and down.

"Though if I didn't know any better, I would say it looks like you're somehow even more dirty than before!"

"It was a hectic trip," Vin admitted, trying not to wince as the image of Olga's dead body came to mind.

"More than I care to admit. How have things been here?" To his surprise, Alice actually paused to look around, making sure nobody was too close to them before answering, lowering her voice a tad.

"Honestly, things have been kind of tense. We thought you were dead when you didn't come back last night, and we lost a few of the crafter classes during a monster attack. It feels like the camp is quickly breaking into two different groups, and I can't shake the feeling things are going to get worse before they get better."

"Seriously? Spur seemed so on top of things when I left!"

"At first, sure. But it wasn't long before people started to realize that the military wasn't the same powerful, unopposable force here that it was back on Earth. There are no official laws here; no army to back Spur up other than the few dozen people he brought with him. Hell, they don't even have prisons, let alone guns. If someone disobeys a direct order, what is Spur going to do? Slit their throat?"

"Jesus, that's dark." Vin shivered, imagining a grinning Spur coming at him with a knife in the dead of night.

"Fair point though. I need to go report to Spur anyway; I'll let you know if he tells me anything important."

"I'll go start letting people know that you're back," Alice said, giving him one last smile. But just before she could walk off, a hand landed on her shoulder, holding her in place. A tall woman with long brown hair smiled at the two of them, her eyes seeming to shine in the afternoon light. She had a friendly air about her, as though her very presence was somehow welcoming you to talk about whatever was on your mind with her.

Vin watched as this strange new woman looked down at Alice like she was greeting a close friend.

"Alice dear, would you mind keeping this to yourself for a little bit? I don't think riling up the camp with any sudden surprises would be a good idea right now." The woman's voice was sweet, but commanding. Almost as though she knew you would listen to whatever she asked before she even asked it, and she loved you for it.

"What do you mean Patty?" Alice asked, frowning up at her. Vin noticed she clearly looked a tad uncomfortable with the woman holding onto her shoulder like that.

"Don't you think people would be happy to hear Vin was back? Him going missing was what started making everyone upset in the first place."

"We'll let them know of course," Patty said, turning the full force of her smile onto Alice who seemed to shrink back in response. The weight of the woman's personality was like a weapon she wielded with expert precision.

"But we should do it in a manner that calms people down. I'll be sure to take care of it."

"Oh Bert?" Patty called out, motioning for a nearby civilian to step forward. A thick man with a bushy mustache jumped forward as though he'd been waiting for his summons, smiling warmly at Patty as he answered her call.

"Would you mind helping Alice here with whatever she was doing?" Patty asked, gently patting Alice on the arm with her free hand.

"Poor girl is being forced to get her hands dirty cutting up these adorable creatures."

"I really don't mind-""Of course Patty, whatever you need," Bert smiled, taking Alice's shoulder and beginning to lead her away despite her protests. It was clear to Vin that Alice wasn't a fan of either Bert or Patty, but she didn't seem to want to risk making a scene when so many eyes were on them. Vin hesitated, trying to decide if it would be inappropriate for him to butt in and do something. Thankfully, his new conscience made the decision for him.

'If you don't stop that guy, I will.' Vin heard Alka practically growl in his head as they watched Bert continue to ignore Alice's weak protests.

"Gladly," he muttered, deciding the simplest solution was to just ignore whatever weird games Patty was playing. Quickly moving in front of Bert, both Bert and Patty's eyes widened as he blocked the man from leading Alice off, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Look, I don't know what is going on in camp, and frankly, I don't care either," he said, staring directly at Patty and making sure she knew his words were directed at her.

"But Alice and I were having a conversation before you so rudely interrupted us, and she's clearly uncomfortable with… whatever's happening here," he said, gesturing wildly between the three of them. Looking at Alice, he grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry Alice, I'm not trying to speak for you or anything. I just hate watching people walk all over others. I saw enough of that back on Earth."

"No... Thank you for that," Alice said, her gaze hardening. It was as if his intervening had lifted some invisible fog clouding her head, and the Trapper let out a sharp laugh. Spinning around, she shoved Bert hard, forcing the man to stumble away from her as she thrust a finger in his face.

"Here I was just talking about how things were different now, right before falling back into my old habits of being a human doormat." Yanking a dagger from her belt, Alice brandished it at Bert and Patty, causing Bert to quickly take another step back out of stabbing range.

"How about this for a new world resolution? Every time one of you touches me without my permission again, I think I'll cut off one of your fingers to help you remember. Got it?"

'Oh I like her,' Alka laughed.

'Maybe she didn't need our help after all.'

"I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding," Patty said with an apologetic smile, any semblance of her initial surprise gone. Her expression had instantly morphed into that of someone just trying to help a poor soul who didn't quite have the full picture to understand what was actually going on. Vin had to admit, it was almost eerie how well she could throw those masks on in a moment's notice.

"Bert, would you mind leaving the three of us? Might be best to apologize as well. I don't think Alice realized you were just trying to help, and I certainly don't want to lose any fingers," she finished with a small laugh, as though it had been a toddler threatening them with a butter knife.

"Sorry," Bert said, his eyes still on Alice's dagger before turning and quickly walking away. Once it was just the three of them again, Patty flashed the two of them another award-winning smile.

"I'm terribly sorry my attempts at helping upset the two of you. I hope you can forgive me." Vin glared at the woman, her overly fake voice seeming to make his very skin crawl. He waited for Alice to start swinging that blade around after that terrible excuse for an apology, or at least make a few threatening jabs in her general direction. But to his surprise, Patty's words seemed to actually dull the sharpness in Alice's gaze.

Alice actually lowered her dagger, sheathing it and scratching the back of her head as if she were embarrassed.

"Sorry Patty, I know you were just trying to help. It's just that before coming here, my entire life was spent getting pushed around. By my parents, my manager, my ex..." She sighed, kicking the ground with a frown.

"I just don't want to let myself fall into that rut all over again."

"Of course dear, I completely understand," Patty said, her face the picturesque image of someone consoling a loved one.

"Why don't you let me have a quick chat with Vin here, and then we can talk about it after? Just remember what I said earlier about spreading this around camp."

"That sounds nice," Alice smiled, before turning to give him a little wave.

"I'll talk to you later Vin." Vin watched Alice walk off with her dead squirrel-ferret thing that he just now mentally dubbed a sqerret. Slowly, he turned to stare at Patty, his frown deepening. Something was off about the woman, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Before he could try and figure out what it was however, another familiar voice called out from across the camp. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Vin, you son of a gun! Just gonna waltz on in here like you didn't give us all a heart attack going missing yesterday?" Vin saw Patty click her tongue as Spur greeted him loud enough for half the camp to hear, a brief flash of annoyance on her face before it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. The colonel quickly made his way over to them, grinning ear to ear.

"I'll have you know you just won me what I believe to be the first official bet on this new world! Frank has to give me a massage now."

"Oh I'll give ya something alright!" A man currently wrapping bandages around two puffy looking guys called out from a few hundred feet away, shaking his fist at the colonel.

"Classic Frank," Spur said, the grin never leaving his face. He briefly turned toward Patty, nodding his acknowledgement before focusing on Vin.

"Anyway, glad to have you back! Got anything… interesting, to report for me?" It was only then Vin noticed the soldier standing a few feet behind Spur on his right side. The large, bulky man was built like a linebacker, yet carried himself in a way that was careful, almost mechanical. As if every move he made was carefully calculated. He had a longsword sheathed against his hip, and despite his large frame, he seemed poised to strike at any moment.

Even now he was watching Vin intensely, and if the hand he had resting on the hilt of his sword was any indication, he was just a little too ready for a fight for Vin's comfort.

'I like the look of that guy. You should spar with him when you have the chance.'

"You have no idea," Vin answered Spur, ignoring Alka completely. He couldn't exactly answer her inconspicuously with so many people looking directly at him after all.

"Though we should probably go somewhere more private. I have a lot to talk about."

"Fine by me," Spur said, motioning for Vin to follow him back to a large tent set up in the center of camp. Before they could take more than a few steps however, a voice that was growing annoyingly familiar spoke up.

"Colonel Spur, don't you think it's important for everyone to understand the situation we're in?" Patty asked, playing the part of a concerned citizen perfectly.

"You may be right, but that's not how the military works Patty," Spur said, not even hesitating in his response.

"I'll brief everyone on what I deem important later on."

"You don't really strike me as the strict military type," Patty said, her almost flirtatious tone sending another unpleasant shiver up Vin's neck.

"A lot of the civilians are worried about what's out there. Wouldn't letting them know the truth be the quickest way to calm them down?" Vin expected Spur to brush her off and continue walking, but the colonel surprised him by turning to face her, seeming to give her suggestion some actual thought.

"I've certainly considered it. Lord knows I'm not one to follow military protocol very closely. But in this case, the new information might just as easily cause a panic and throw our already shaky camp into complete anarchy. It's my job to decide what can be shared, and what should remain private."

"That just doesn't seem very fair, if you ask me," Patty said, her sickly-sweet voice once again sending prickles across Vin's body. If he listened to this woman for much longer, he was going to need some moisturizer or something.

"If we are planning to continue functioning as a democracy, wouldn't it make more sense for everyone to have a say?" Again, Vin waited for Spur to tell the pushy woman to pound sand, and again, he was shocked as the colonel slowly nodded.

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

"A council," Patty answered quickly, her grin looking genuine for the briefest moment.

"It would seat a few select members, chosen by popular vote from the different groups. Someone to represent the combat classes, someone for the crafter classes, and someone for the support classes. That way, when the council makes a decision, everyone will feel as though they truly had a say in what is decided, and we can work together to decide what information should be shared among the camp." Spur was silent for a few moments, clearly deep in thought as he turned the idea over in his head.

"A council's not a bad idea to be honest," he said slowly, seeming more and more on board with the idea the longer he thought about it.

"It would go a long way toward easing people's worries and calming the rising tensions around the camp."

"I absolutely agree," Patty said, her smile practically predatory.

"However, it'll have to be more than three seats," Spur continued, causing Patty's grin to sour.

"I represent the camp as a whole, so my seat will be separate from the seat representing the combat classes."

"If there are four seats, it will be too easy for a decision to come to a tie," Patty pointed out quickly, clearly not wanting there to be any more than three seats.

"You're not wrong," Spur nodded, grinning over at Vin.

"That's why we'll also have a special seat representing foreign matters. Vin will take that one." Vin stared at the grinning man, not sure he heard him correctly.

"You want me to have a seat on your fancy council? Have a say in the decisions we make going forward? Are you serious?"

"Are you kidding? If your news is half as important as I'm starting to suspect it is, I have a feeling foreign matters are going to become extremely relevant sooner than we think," Spur said, clapping him on the back.

"I think people would get upset at Vin just being handed a seat on the council when the others have to be voted in," Patty said, shaking her head as if it were just too bad such an idea wouldn't work.

"We wouldn't want to make anyone more angry than they already are." While Spur thought over this new point, Vin scratched his prickling neck absentmindedly, considering if he even wanted a seat on the council in the first place. He was a vagabond. A wanderer. Someone without any ties who went where the wind took them. Or at least he had been. He absolutely still was all that of course. Being sent to a new world certainly hadn't changed any of that.

He had no plans for settling down and staying in camp for any longer than he had to after all. But he had more responsibilities now. He couldn't just up and leave the people from Earth to fend for themselves when he knew stronger threats were coming and he could very well be the reason their camp lived or died. The memory of Olga's dead and decaying body flickered through his mind, only with Alice lying there instead, her lifeless eyes open wide in shock as dozens of beetles worked their way through her corpse.

He'd do whatever he could to prevent seeing anyone he knew end up like that. Just as Spur seemed like he was going to agree with Patty, Vin spoke up, offering a solution.

"People won't get upset if you explain that it has to be me." Patty and Spur both turned to him. Raising an eyebrow, Patty gave him a strange look.

"Not to be rude, but pray tell why it has to be you exactly?"

"I have the Polyglot passive," Vin shrugged.

"It lets me understand and speak any language. What if we end up encountering people from another world sent here just like we were? You do realize they're not going to be speaking English, right?" Patty's eyes narrowed, but Spur just looked at him in confusion, something not adding up in his head.

"I thought your passive gave you a mental map of the places you'd been or something?"

"My starter one does," he nodded.

"But you get an additional passive selection at level 5." That is completely true; no need to tell them about my free passive thankfully. I'm quite a fan of living after all. His reveal sparked a few different interesting reactions. Patty's expression went from one of annoyance, to understanding, before quickly settling back into a mask of indifference. Spur looked at him in shock, before his face morphed into the largest grin Vin had ever seen.

Most curious however, was the man who had been shadowing Spur this entire time. The large man's eyes went wide at Vin's revelation, and Vin distinctly noticed his hand almost unconsciously grip the hilt of his sword, as if he were fighting back the desire to unsheathe it and attack him on the spot.

"Are you kidding me?" Spur asked, laughing and clapping Vin on the back a second time.

"You were gone for one day! What level are you?"

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not say." Vin looked between the two of them, waiting for an answer.

"So, do I get the job?"

"Buddy, you got the whole company," Spur laughed, rubbing his hands together.

"Alright, that settles it! Time for a quick round of democracy, and then our first council meeting. Think you can wait an hour or two for us to fill the new seats without running away again?"

"I could use an actual meal," Vin admitted, thinking back to all the strange vegetarian based hardtack he'd swiped from Alka's deserted town that he'd been eating over the past day. Nobody from Alka's village was going to miss it after all, so he'd helped himself to plenty.

"Great! You go get some food, and I'll send someone to grab you when we're done here. Phil, come with me. It's gonna take us a bit to round up all the combat classes, and I could use a hand." The man who'd been eyeing Vin like he wanted to jump him nodded, falling in behind Spur as the two of them walked away, leaving Vin alone with Patty.

"As a support class yourself, I trust you understand the struggles most of our people are having," Patty said, giving him a pointed look.

"Everything I'm doing is just to try and make people's lives better. I hope you can see that."

"If that's true, then we shouldn't have any issues getting along," Vin shrugged.

"Though I trust Spur's judgment so far. We're in literally uncharted territory right now, and I think you need to give the man more than forty-eight hours before deciding he's unfit for the job of leader."

"A lot can happen in forty-eight hours," Patty whispered, quietly enough that Vin could barely hear her. Before he could respond, the woman turned and walked off, waving lazily over her shoulder.

"Well, I need to go run my own campaign and see about actually earning my seat on the council. I'm sure we'll talk soon though." Watching the woman leave, Vin sighed, looking around at the poorly constructed camp and planting his hands on his hips. He had an hour or two to kill, and didn't really know how to do it. Though one thing was certain.

"I'm glad all that political crap is finally over," he muttered, hearing Alka's ghostly laughter.

'No kidding. I'm surprised you made it through the entire thing without stabbing that woman.'

"I told you, I just don't like death. Now… Where do you think I can find some grilled sqerret?"