They arrived at the torch-lit gates amidst the yelling and coordinated response. Armed orcs lined the wall and more stood at the ready nearby. Noah scanned the area, trying to catch a glimpse of any stragglers that made it over the walls.


    “Reptilians!”


    “Prepare the gates!”


    “Ready weapons!”


    The commands streamed from an orc on the wall as Ro’Kar led them to an artificial chokepoint that they had made near the gates.


    “We will open the gates and mow down as many of the lizards as we can manage before we move back to the next bottleneck. They’re gonna come fast, ready yourselves!” He shouted as they got into position. They were in a narrow gap between two moving walls that formed a ‘V’ around the gate. The three of them stood alone, two war hammers and a battleaxe between them. The air was tense as the warriors braced for impact but Noah couldn’t help but feel excited. It would be his first time fighting with his new stats, and he was eager to put them to the test. The ground began to rumble beneath their feet and the orcs went quiet. The commanding orc on the wall held up his hand in some kind of signal and everyone looked on with baited breath. Then his hand shot down and a war cry filled the air as the gates swung open.


    Right on queue, a wave of scaled beasts erupted through the opening, coming shoulder to shoulder as they entered the narrowed passageway. Noah ran forward with glee and swung his hammer in a wide arc. It splattered the first monster and passed straight through the second and third. He frowned at his gore-covered hammer as he readied another swing. Weak. He swung again, ending the existence of another few lizards. After a few more attacks the kill zone was slick with blood and the disfigured remains of the reptilian creatures. Noah felt sickened by the events, but not for the reason he had suspected. Something about so effortlessly killing the creatures felt wrong. He stepped back and motioned for Ta’Ku to take his place.


    Ta’Ku sprinted forward and began his own slaughter, though his victims were less splattered than Noah’s.


    “Are you sure you want our help, Ro’Kar? This is good experience for your warriors.” Noah offered. The chief shook his head.


    “What do you mean? This is great! For every lizard that you kill, we’ll have one less injured or dead orc.” He explained. Noah frowned. He can’t really believe that, can he?


    “Ro’Kar, if your warriors can’t handle these beasts then it won’t be long before you’re overrun.” Noah objected. It was Ro’Kar’s turn to frown.


    “No’Ah, if you don’t want to help I can’t make you. But I will do what is best for my people and you can worry about yours.” He responded flatly.


    “Of course, I will help, friend. I apologize if I overstepped.” Noah responded before switching out with Ta’Ku again. He began to mindlessly decimate the opposing force, all the while considering the chief’s words. I thought orcs liked to fight. Noah and Ta’Ku were able to stem the tide with relative ease and only stepped away briefly to give the chief an opportunity to fight. The difference was the most evident in those moments, the chief didn’t have much trouble killing the creatures but he came away with injuries of his own. If they weren’t there, he would have struggled to hold them back for long and the weaker orcs really would have died. When the final beast, the leader of the swarm, was put down a celebratory roar echoed through the village. The warriors paraded them through the streets with shouts of praise and admiration.


    “Thanks to you, we had our first raid without casualties!” Ro’Kar said, clapping them on the back. Ta’Ku rubbed his neck, the praise getting to him. Noah had a more subdued look though, and he took a deep breath before replying. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    “I’m glad no one died today,” Noah began, “I–” He wanted to say more but cut himself off. Ro’Kar had made his stance clear. “Do you fight reptilians often?” He asked instead.


    “Oh yes, almost half of the hordes are reptilian.” The chief replied.


    “That’s interesting,” Noah noted. The chief nodded in mild agreement.


    “I suppose so.” He answered. The crowd finally dispersed to harvest the meat and the two were given some space to collect themselves after the fight.


    “What did you think about tonight’s events?” Noah probed. Ta’Ku grunted.


    “I don’t remember my kin being cowards.” Ta’Ku spit. Noah nodded,


    “I agree. Something seems off.” He replied.


    “It is good that I am staying. I will remind my people of who they are.” Ta’Ku pledged. Noah gripped his arm in solidarity.


    “I’m concerned for my people too, if they have come under the same malady then I may be gone for some time.” He said.


    “I understand.” Ta’Ku responded, “We will help our people and regroup when the job is done.” They returned to their rooms, worn from the night’s events. In the morning Noah ate a large breakfast and said his goodbyes. Then he left the orc village in a run, not willing to waste another minute.


    What had taken him weeks before flew by in a matter of days. He stopped to sleep for only a few hours and drink from the stream before continuing on. He had long since given up on boiling water, figuring that his constitution should provide more than enough protection from the parasites. He eventually found the rock outcropping that had been their shelter all that time ago. It bore signs of use and sported a more permanent fire pit as well as several cots. Trading outpost? He scoured the surrounding area and found signs of wheel ruts leading down the mountain. He grinned and took off down the mountain, soon catching sight of smoke trailing through the sky.


    Butting up against the edge of the forest was an encampment, with tall sharpened logs making up its walls. There was a gate facing the slope and he made his way to it, noting the sentries standing on platforms just inside the walls.


    “Halt!” One of them cried as Noah approached the entryway. Noah couldn’t contain the laugh that followed.


    “Halt? Really?” He asked. The man glared at him, drawing an arrow from his quiver.


    “It''s a joke! Take it easy.” Noah insisted.


    “What’s your business here?” The other sentry asked. Noah smiled at him.


    “I am looking for my friends: Julie, Kyle, and Matt,” Noah replied. The sentries snapped to attention at his response. He frowned at their reaction.


    “Are you by chance, Noah?” The friendly sentry asked. He nodded.


    “That’s right.” He said.


    “It''s a pleasure to meet you, sir! We have heard a lot about you. The lady will be thrilled that you’re here!” The sentry said, his eyes bright. Noah frowned. The lady?


    He was led into the fort and found it to be a bustling place, people rushed back and forth carrying bundles of materials and pushing hand carts on the dirt road. To his surprise it wasn’t only humans that he saw, there were several orcs, elves, and even a drakon amidst the crowds. They walked through a crowded section of the village, where various booths were set up on either side of the street. Vendors called out their wares, and others waited in lines carrying various goods in their hands. Noah was taken off guard by the amount of people who were gathered in one place, it almost felt like the old world with the sense of industry in the air. He found himself smiling as they pushed their way through the crowd. Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a large building in the center of town, above its door was a sign that read ‘town hall’, and he was ushered inside by the sentry who then left back to his post. Noah walked into the first room and found a secretary sitting at a desk.


    “Hello, how may I help you?” The woman asked in a friendly but efficient tone. Noah smiled, shuffling his feet, suddenly aware of his disheveled state.


    “Right. I am here to see Julie I believe.” He responded.


    “Yes, that is why most people come.” She answered curtly.


    “I see. I guess that makes sense.” Noah said, at a loss for words.


    “What’s your name, sir?” The lady asked.


    “Noah.” He replied. Her eyebrows raised a bit.


    “Would that be Noah Denter?” She asked a touch of excitement in her voice.


    “That’s right.” He nodded. She got to her feet and stretched out her hand.


    “Noah! Its a pleasure to meet you, please come right this way.” She said, shaking his hand politely and leading him deeper into the building. The rooms were surprisingly well-lit, and Noah couldn’t help but marvel at the work it must have taken to put the building together. There were even paintings on the wall. They came to a door, where she stopped and motioned for him to continue.


    “The lady is just inside.”