Noah stepped through the door into the wood cabin version of a large office equipped with a stone fireplace and a large desk. Sitting behind it was Julie, who was currently scrutinizing an array of papers scattered across her desk. The wood creaked beneath his foot as he moved forward and she looked up in surprise. Her face went through a range of emotions before settling on a warm smile.


    “Noah, you’re here.” She said, getting up from her seat. He moved closer to her and gave her a quick hug.


    “I am.” He responded. His heart ached a little, and he found it oddly difficult to smile but he did so anyway. “How are you, Julie? This place is amazing.”


    “Thank you,” she replied. “I am well, though a bit buried beneath the paperwork. We recently started a policy where petitions have to be formally submitted and approved—” She paused, “That’s not important. This place is amazing, it has been so encouraging to see everyone come together in the middle of all the chaos. Matt has opened up a bit and is one of our best crafters. I still spend a lot of my time healing the injured, since there are so few healers. Kyle is… doing alright I suppose. He will be thrilled to see you.” She finished. Noah listened, nodding at the appropriate moments.


    “I am happy to hear that.” He started, taking a moment to consider his words.


    “And Kyle, is there something going on with him?” he asked. She sighed.


    “I thought he would get over you leaving after some time, and he did for a while, but lately he’s been unhappy. After seeing your name on the rankings, the rest of us were relieved and proud that one of our people was at the top. For Kyle, it had a different effect. Seeing your level and caste made him realize how slow he was growing. He says he feels guilty for putting all of the responsibility on you and has been spending all of his freetime leveling.” Julie explained. Noah took a deep breath. He couldn’t really fault Kyle for wanting to become strong, depending on the state of things he was already planning to whip everyone into shape. The guilt was not part of his plan though, and he knew he would have to find Kyle for a chat.


    “How are you managing the hordes?” Noah asked. Julie frowned at the change of subject.


    “They have been getting worse, but our warriors are keeping up. Why do you ask?” She responded.


    “I just visited the orc village and was there for an attack. I found their reaction to be concerning.” Noah admitted.


    “Concerning how?” Julie asked. Noah stroked his uncomfortably long beard and considered the best way to put it.


    “They are living in fear for their lives, which I understand. But instead of letting that motivate them to become stronger, they have holed up in their fort and are biding their time for some imaginary end.” He shared, the sour taste still in his mouth.


    “I see.” Julie said, her brow creased. Noah felt a pit in his stomach. Not them too.


    “Julie, what level are your warriors?” He asked.


    “Hmm? Most are in the late 20s or early 30s. There are a couple of outliers though. I think Kyle is getting close to 50.” She answered. Noah grimaced and shook his head.


    “What is it?” She asked.


    “Do you remember the vision I had before the System came?” Noah asked.


    “Of course.” She nodded.


    “Julie, the monsters are getting stronger. They are weak right now, especially so low on the mountain but I have seen beasts that could single-handedly flatten this town. I don’t think it will be long before your warriors are far outmatched.” He explained. She frowned deeper but didn’t respond.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    “How many of you are Irons?” He questioned.


    “Two.” She replied immediately.


    “Two.” He stated incredulously. She nodded in confirmation.


    “Kyle is one of them, and the other is a drakon guardsman.” She explained. Noah gawked at her in a mixture of confusion and disgust.


    “What is wrong with you?” He asked, searching for an explanation.


    “Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?” She responded, her voice raised. Noah took a deep breath, steadying himself.


    “Julie, you need to listen to me,” He began, doing his best to keep his voice calm. “If you don’t start getting stronger quickly, you will all die. Kyle is right; it''s not fair to put all of that weight on one person. But that is exactly what you are doing if the rest of you neglect advancement.” He finished. She looked at him, hurt evident in her eyes.


    “Noah, you don’t understand. Not everyone has the luxury of spending their time fighting monsters and meditating like a monk. It takes a lot to make a town like this function, and everyone has to do their part. I get that you’re trying to help, I do. But until you understand the way we live our lives, it''s not your place to criticize us.” She finished. Noah stood there with his mouth open, feeling like he had been slapped. I don’t understand? Luxury? Before he could respond the woman from the counter barged into the room.


    “It’s Kyle! He’s missing!” She announced. Julie bolted to her feet, already moving toward the door.


    “What do you mean, missing?” She asked.


    “The commander hasn’t seen him since yesterday and he didn’t show up to his post this morning.” She answered.


    “That can’t be right, he would never miss his guard duty.” Julie said as they stepped out the front entrance. Two armed men stood waiting, one human, the other drakon.


    “Commander.” She said, nodding to the human. “What happened?”


    “Ma’am, Kyle appears to be missing. He was last seen leaving into the forest to the east. He was likely on another leveling stint. I asked around and no one has seen him since last night.” He explained.


    “He should be fine. He is stronger than most of the beasts nearby.” The drakon hissed, nodding at his own explanation.


    “He better not be fine! Abandoning guard duty is a serious infraction!” The commander exclaimed.


    “And if he is fine, he will face the appropriate punishment. Until we know that though, let’s focus on finding him.” Julie insisted. Noah squinted at the man, not at all pleased with his tone.


    “And what kind of punishment do you have in mind?” He asked. The man flinched as if just realizing that Noah was there.


    “You will address me as commander, citizen. For the punishment though, abandoning your station is a minimum of five lashes. More depending on circumstance.” He explained with a smug look on his face. Noah frowned and then broke into a laugh.


    “That’s funny. You had me there for a minute. So where should we start looking?” He asked. The commander looked at him funny.


    “I’m not sure what you think is so funny, I would not joke about the law. And what makes you think that you are joining the search?” The commander demanded. Julie shifted uncomfortably as she saw the look on Noah’s face.


    “Noah, wait.” She said, reaching for his arm too late. Noah grabbed the man by his shirt and lifted him into the air, glaring into his eyes.


    “Put me down you fool! You will be hanged for this!” The man shouted as he squirmed in Noah’s grip. Noah laughed darkly.


    “If you so much as touch Kyle, I will drag you up the mountain and feed you to the trees.” A confused look flashed across the man’s face before he was dropped to the ground in a heap.


    “Who do you think you are!” The man yelled, getting to his feet and jabbing his finger into Noah’s chest. A crowd had begun to gather and watched in expectation as the commander sought justice.


    “Jack, stop. He isn’t joking.” Julie interjected, placing her hand on his shoulder.


    “Its commander, Ma’am! We talked about this!” He said like a petulant child, slapping her hand away. Noah had had enough. With a single movement, no more than a blur to the spectators, he knocked the man to the ground, unconscious. The drakon grinned and Julie stared at Noah slack-jawed.


    “He was not worthy, it was only a matter of time.” The drakon commented. Noah nodded in agreement.


    “You can’t just attack people! This is a civilized town, we aren’t barbarians Noah!” Julie shouted at him. Noah sighed and shook his head.


    “Julie, you still don’t get it. Even in the old world, countries only remained stable through force. Your military commander can barely survive me patting his head, and you want to talk about being civilized. It would only take one person half as strong as me to capture the lot of you as slaves or use you for XP. You of all people should know that!”


    Julie scowled at Noah, fuming at his words. How dare he challenge me like this in public? I hate him. She paused, the intensity of her thoughts catching her off guard. She looked back at Noah, at her friend, as her head began to throb. What’s wrong with me?