“You’re awake.” She greeted.
“I guess I am.” He chuckled. “How long have I been out?”
“A few hours. Only a few of us were in any position to move, so we decided to hunker down. Hence the snow fort.” She replied.
“That was a good idea,” Noah said, scratching the back of his head. “And thank you for taking care of me—us.”
“You’re welcome, Noah. I know you would have done the same.” Ne’Ja said. Noah smiled at her response, both the use of his name and her perception of him.
“Have there been any more attacks?” He asked. She shook her head.
“No. The monsters have slowed down their fighting, but I have a feeling it is just for the night.” She explained. Interesting. Are these frenzies just a part of the new ecosystem?
“Why do you think that?” He questioned.
“I went out earlier to get some meat off the bear and saw the beasts bedding down in the snow. Almost like a temporary truce.” Noah frowned. That was a concerning level of intelligence to be shared between so many monsters.
“I see. Do you think there’s a chance we can slip through the line while they're resting?” He asked. She frowned.
“Maybe if we could move quickly and quietly and weren’t covered in blood.” She answered. Noah grimaced.
“Ah. Point taken. How is everyone else doing? Will it be a while before they can move?” She tilted her head and stared into space for a moment.
“The worst off is probably Ga’To. His abdomen was sliced open early in the fight, and he has clear internal damage. I am honestly surprised that he is still alive, he must have invested heavily into constitution.” She said. Noah nodded, for the first time wishing that he had practiced magic. Even if he chose to learn, he hadn’t invested a single point into the magical stats and was about as much of a wizard as a pre-System human. It stung to be so useless. If Julie or Un’Dal were here they could easily patch him up. If I hadn’t dismissed magic. Ne’Ja waved a hand in front of his face.
“No’Ah. Where did you go?” She asked, looking mildly concerned.
“Ah, sorry about that. I got lost in my thoughts.” He responded, giving her an embarrassed smile. “Ne’Ja, since I’m up, why don’t you take the opportunity to get some rest. I have a feeling that we have a long couple of days ahead of us.” He offered. She nodded in agreement and only shifted to the side of the room before laying her head down and closing her eyes. Not more than a minute later he heard soft snoring coming from her. He smiled at the sound, suddenly aware of just how far she had pushed herself for their sakes. There were times that he considered how much faster he could move or advance if he was alone, but moments like these proved just how shortsighted that approach was. Maybe he would attain a slightly higher level, but what did that matter in the scheme of things? One person, no matter how strong, couldn't stand against a horde alone. He considered Recter and his wondering way of life. Noah liked to think that he had found someone else to travel with, though that was likely not the case. Thinking of his Drakon companion made him curious about his rank, so he pulled up the global listings.
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[Global Ranking System.]
- Recter Jandon-Drakon: Copper, Lvl 159
- Noah Denter-Human: Copper, Lvl 156
- Balkendar Italifi-Elf: Copper, lvl 151
- Fastion Briner-Elf: Copper, Lvl 150
- Malentar Stoneskin-Drakon: Iron, Lvl 171
- Ta’Ku Gordrak-Orc: Iron, Lvl 151
- Ro’Kar Bloodspike-Orc: Iron, Lvl 145
- Do’Fon Anzinar-Orc: Iron, Lvl 132
- Ma’tan Anzinar-Orc: Iron, Lvl 129
- Darten Yellowfang-Drakon: Iron, Lvl 129
Noah stared at the new list with a mix of feelings. The fact that Recter had finally surpassed him wasn’t much of a surprise. Seeing the two elves directly after him made his breath catch though, that and the continued lack of any further human presence. He found it funny that he learned his companions’ full names through the leaderboard, never having asked in person. Something about seeing several familiar names on the list gave him a warm feeling, especially knowing that others like Ne’Ja and Un’Dal were just on the edge of joining it. Perhaps he wouldn’t catch up with Recter any time soon, but he would do his best to fill the other slots with his people. As much as he wanted to consider helping Julie in the face of the potential elven threat, he knew that for now, it wasn’t welcome or even possible from their position. He would visit again in the future, but only after he was ready to retake the orc village and deal with the elves if needed. For that, he would likely need a group full of Coppers, something that he was intent on achieving.
Noah sighed, his thoughts once again wandering from the task at hand. He got up and quietly crawled through the entrance to their dugout. It was a clear night and the familiar stars illuminated the night with the ethereal sheen that was the custom for their new world. He scanned their vicinity but found nothing of note within any meaningful distance. Satisfied, he contented himself to walk the perimeter to stretch his legs and get blood flowing through his aching muscles.
The next couple of days passed slowly, as they waited for their fellow warriors to recover. All but the worst of them were mobile again, but they were not yet in fighting shape. On the fourth day of their encampment, Noah was getting particularly antsy as he considered the rest of the tribe. While he was confident in their ability to manage day-to-day operations without him, the thought of them worrying about their absense was bothersome. Over the last several days, Noah had watched from afar as the beasts slowly whittled away at each other, leaving only the most capable and enduring. More and more, he itched to sprint past them and make his way back to the fissure. But as much as he wanted to, the cost was still too high. If he caught the gaze of one of the monstrosities left standing, he would have little hope of putting it down alone, and he wasn’t prepared to drag his group into another fight. It would be someone’s death sentence at the very least. He sighed and returned to the private cubby he had carved out for himself days ago. His one escape was in meditation, and he spent the vast majority of his time there. Another several days passed, and only Ga’To remained immobile. He had woken briefly and managed a brave grin before he fainted again.
While Noah’s meditation was proceeding slowly, several of his companions were having more luck. He had explained his breakthrough to Copper in careful detail, and the others had taken turns pairing off in an attempt to duplicate the total awareness that he had achieved with Ta’Ku so long ago. Oddly enough, it wasn’t Ne’Ja who was the closest to the next Gate, but Me’Zin, one of the lowest leveled members of the group. She seemed to have a keener awareness of her peers and had spent the last several days in near-continuous meditation. Once again he found their dire situation to be a mixed blessing as he grew closer to the group of warriors. He had read a book back on Earth about winning friends and influencing people, but he could have sworn that it didn’t include shared trauma as a viable method. If the author had still been alive to see the System’s arrival, perhaps the next edition would have included it. Noah chuckled and returned to his meditation. What comes after awareness of others?