[892 days remaining.]

  Noah blinked at the number, unsure if it was disturbing because of how little or how much time had passed. We still have two and a half years. For some reason that still felt like a long time. He had trouble reasoning how the world from his vision failed to save their planet. How was it possible that no one reached Bronze? He frowned as he mulled it over, seeing if there was another way to interpret the dream. Oh. Suddenly, it clicked. He had been associating the horde’s domination of the planet with reaching Bronze, and with the System-imposed time limit, but that wasn’t necessarily the case. Perhaps the vision took place before the time limit was over. That has to be it. The main issue isn't reaching Bronze; as it was, they wouldn’t survive long enough for the time to run out. No, the bigger issue was securing the planet from the monsters. This realization was further cemented as he watched the Goliaths fight within eyeshot of their snow fort. They were losing the race, and not by narrow margins. He couldn’t afford to worry about the elves, if anything he should be cheering them on. If Balkendar reached Bronze, that would be one more stronghold for his people to retreat to when the hordes came in force.

  If only he had a way to tell people. At the end of the day, communication was the biggest limitation in the mutual advancement of the sapient races. He grinned. Perhaps Matt will reinvent the internet one of these days. In any case, he knew his role was to raise up and protect as many people as he could. He needed to establish his own stronghold that could hold back the rising tide, a safe place for crafters and non-combatants to excel, and a refuge for weary warriors to return to. I need to build an Ark. He laughed aloud. As silly as it sounded, he knew it was true. To do it he would need help though. Perhaps once the elves are under attack they will be open to joining forces, he mused.

  “Noah, he’s awake,” Ne’Ja said from the entryway. Noah grinned and made his way inside. Ga’To was sitting up and scarfing down meat by the handful.

  “Slow down, Ga’To! Your intestines were hanging out of you just a couple days ago!” Noah said, laughing. Ga’To grinned through his stuffed mouth and gave him a thumbs up.

  “My stomach is the only thing that still hurts, but only because it's empty!” Ga’To commented, regaining his gusto. They all laughed in relief as their companion showed his recovery.

  “I’m glad you made it through to the other side.” Noah said, slapping him gently on the shoulder.

  “Me too. And don’t think I don’t remember what you did. I do.” He said, looking Noah in the eyes.

  “We all do.” Ne’Ja said from the door. The warriors all raised a fist to their chest and stared at Noah.

  “You are no orc berserker, No’Ah. You are a Sha’Ka.” Ne’Ja announced, with clear reverence in her voice. The others dipped their heads in his direction and in quiet voices repeated her words.

  “Sha’Ka.”

  “Sha’Ka”

  Noah was unsure of how to receive their words. But it was clear that this was an important moment for them, so he did his best to match their reverence. When they finally lowered their fists, ending the exchange, he turned to Ne’Ja with a question on his lips.

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  “Ne’Ja, could you help me understand?” He asked. She nodded and motioned for him to sit with her by the fire.

  “A berserker is an honored warrior, who fights with abandon for his people. We sing of them in our legends and we aspire to be like them. This is good.” She paused, taking a steadying breath.

  “A Sha’Ka is different. While a berserker raises our spirits by crushing the bodies of his enemies, a Sha’Ka raises spirits through the crushing of his own. Many would gladly follow the path of a great berserker, but to follow a Sha’Ka—” She trailed off, shaking her.

  “We have all settled our hearts. We will follow you down your path. We do not honor Sha’Ka through song and dance, nor do we tell our children to aspire to become one. But every orc knows that there is no one more honored than a Sha’Ka.” She finished.

  Noah felt a resonance in his chest as she spoke, perhaps a sense of calling or destiny. Yet there was a small sense of grief alongside the joy he felt. If he understood her meaning, the warriors had decided that they would set aside their own ambitions, even their own lives to join him on his path. He felt a deep sense of gratitude as he looked around at his companions, their dedication humbling. He turned back to Ne’Ja.

  “Thank you for explaining this to me. I do not take it lightly.” He said. She nodded at him with a sad but knowing smile.

  “You’re welcome, my chief.” She replied. The rest of the day continued as usual, each of them meditating and several even sparring close to the igloo. It was near the end of the day that Noah’s meditation was interrupted by loud shouting. He shot to his feet and burst out of his isolated snow-pod. The entire group stood in a circle around one of them, each with large smiles on their faces. Noah frowned, but moved to inspect the situation.

  “What’s going on?” He asked no one in particular.

  “Me’Zin broke through! She reached the second Gate!” Di’Ma yelled in response. Noah grinned and pushed his way through the circle. Me’Zin was warding off further congratulatory embraces and was perhaps a tad more scarlet than usual.

  “Congratulations!” Noah said, as he made eye contact with her.

  “Thank you, Chief.” She said, smiling at her feet.

  “How close are you to advancing your grade?” He asked. Her eyes went distant for a second before responding.

  “I have stopped leveling for a while now, so I have 47,000 more to go.” She said with a grin.

  “Wow. That could happen in just a few days. Well done.” He replied before stepping away to give her some space. They ate another meal of bear meat, which had a surprisingly delightful taste unlike its Earth counterpart. Perhaps it was the lack of tapeworms due to its constitution, or maybe the strain of porcupine that the System threw in the mix. Either way, he enjoyed every bite, wanting only for a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors further.

  The next morning Noah gathered his group and assessed each person, having them explain their current limitations. Deciding that they were well enough to travel, he made the decision and they left their snow fort behind. They brought along their collection of quills from the bear and what was left of their battered weapons. They had attempted to skin the bear, but they lacked the necessary strength or blade to separate its skin. They slowly made their way to the line of beast corpses, looking in every direction at all times as they went. They could see a handful of monsters fighting in pockets along the line, but were able to easily find an opening to cross through. Without further thought, Noah picked up Ga’To and sprinted across the battlefield. The rest followed and they didn’t stop until over thirty minutes later.

  As much as they wanted to go straight to the fissure, they didn’t dare lure one of the remaining monsters. Instead, they split into pairs and went in every direction but toward their fissure. They would each run for 30 minutes before arcing back toward their home. And so a bit over an hour later, Noah and Ga’To rejoined his group near the fissure. With glee ,they walked the final stretch together, and just as they crested a rise in the snow, they laid eyes on the camp. Noah’s eyes went wide at the sight. The fissure was surrounded by bodies of all shapes and sizes. The group tensed as they heard a scream coming from their home. They blurred forward, determined to destroy any lingering threat. Noah scanned the bodies as they ran, not seeing any orcs as he did. They could be just fine.

  As they entered the east side of the chasm, the metallic smell of blood filled their nostrils causing several of them to gag. That was when he saw the first body of a fallen orc.