Chapter 46

  He really should have realized it would involve a fight. Perhaps it was the sleep-deprived brain or the month long slog, but at that moment he really didn’t feel like fighting. Battle-hungry bersekers. Noah sighed as he stood up and readied himself. Ro’Kar frowned at his actions and held up his hands.

  “I think you misunderstood. We can perform the rite in the morning.” Ro’Kar explained. Noah froze, not having considered that to be an option, and nodded.

  “That sounds good.” He replied, sitting back down. There were several chuckles at his expense, which he supposed he deserved as he likely came off as the battle-hungry party of this interaction. After the big declaration everyone seemed ready to call it a night, and Noah decided that he had earned his rest and left the thought of guard duty to the others. He made his way over to a particularly inviting slab of rock and promptly curled up against it. He was thankful for those that had grabbed supplies during the escape, as he was feeling a bit naked without his trusty pack. It took mere moments for him to drift into a dreamless sleep.

  Noah woke to the mundane sounds of a waking camp and the smell of freshly roasted meat. His stomach grumbled and his mouth began to salivate. He had gone days without food in the past, but it hadn’t been due to constant battle. He jumped to his feet and commandeered a slab of the nearest roast, not bothering to identity its source before stuffing his face. It was delicious. He ignored the stares of the nearby orcs, figuring they would have to get used to him now. When his stomach was finally satisfied he sought out Ta’Ku for their morning spar. Their daily habit had become both a source of entertainment and inspiration for the warriors. As they began to trade blows, other parties rose to spar as well. Eventually, Ro’Kar approached and called for Noah’s attention.

  “Are you ready?” He asked, once again drawing the tribe’s attention. Noah nodded.

  “I am. How does this work?” He responded.

  “It is simple. We will fight until one of us surrenders or is unable to continue. Un’Dal will be the judge.” He said, motioning to the singular healer in the tribe.

  “Prepare the circle!” Un’Dal shouted. There was a rush of movement as everyone hurried to comply. Soon the three of them were encased in a circle of warriors, roughly twenty yards in diameter.

  “On my count the fight will begin! Are you ready?” He asked, looking first to Ro’Kar and then to Noah. They both signaled the affirmative and Un’Dal raised his fist. The warriors began to stomp their feet in a rhythmic pattern, raising a battlecry as they did. Noah’s blood began to race and his heart beat loudly in his chest. He took a centering breath and dropped into a fighting stance, gripping his warhammer with both hands.

  “Begin!”

  Noah darted forward, not holding back his strength. His movement caused a rush of wind as he slammed his shoulder into Ro’kar. The chief had hardly moved before he was thrown from his feet into the crowd. They caught him with loud grunts and pushed him back onto his feet. He snarled and charged forward in response, swinging his hammer toward Noah’s shoulder. Noah sidestepped the blow, and retaliated with a swift kick to the back of Ro’Kar’s knee. Ro’Kar stumbled forward, his knee buckling from the force. Noah moved to capitalize on the moment, but Ro’kar rolled forward at the last second, just as the hammer passed over him. He scrambled to his feet in time to block Noah’s next strike but was rewarded with a crunch as his left arm gave out under the weight. Noah winced as he felt the arm shatter, but proceeded to sweep Ro’Kar’s feet knocking him on his back. He lifted his hammer for the finishing strike when Un’Dal stepped in.

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  “Stop! The match is finished!” He announced. Noah let out a breath as the adrenaline continued to course through his him. He helped Ro’Kar to his feet, grimacing at the limp arm at his side.

  “Sorry about that.” He said, nodding at the appendage. Ro’kar grunted.

  “It's nothing. Un’Dal will just heal me anyways.” He replied. Un’Dal motioned for the both of them to step forward and he lifted Noah’s hand into the sky.

  “No’Ah has conquered the chieftain’s rite!” He yelled. Un’Dal lowered Noah’s hand and pulled out a small pouch from his side. In it was a black powder that resembled charcoal. He stuck two fingers into the bag, and then turned to Noah.

  “As the officiator of the rite, I declare you the victor. From this day forward you are Chief No’Ah of the scattered tribes!” He declared, drawing dark lines on Noah’s face. Noah stood still, unsure of what to make of the ritual. As Un’Dal made the last mark on his face, another roar erupted from the gathered orcs. Ro’Kar grinned at him and offered his working arm. Noah clasped it and returned his grin.

  “Good luck running the tribe, No’Ah. I am glad to pass it on to you.” Ro’kar said. Noah frowned. Good luck? He had a sinking feeling but pushed it back down. He would deal with problems as they came.

  “Anything I should know?” He asked. Ro’Kar hummed in consideration.

  “Fight at the front, make other people do the busy work, and demand free food.” Ro’Kar said with a cheeky grin, slapping him on the back. Noah chuckled, remembering the frequent meals they had shared at the sole tavern in their village. The village. He was now the proud chief of a vagabond tribe and he doubted they would be able to retake their home anytime soon. Perhaps they never would. He considered their next steps as the weight of the orcs’ gazes grew. He cleared his throat in a deliberately loud fashion.

  “I know many of you lost all that you had yesterday.” He started, pausing as he made brief eye contact with each warrior. “I understand that hardship. However, we will not be taking back the village. If we want to move forward, now is the perfect opportunity. We will move up the mountain into the essence-rich zone. It will be dangerous, but this new world is not for the weak of heart. We set out in one hour.” Noah announced, leaving many of the orcs in shock. Ro’Kar burst out laughing, disturbing Un’Dal who was busy working on his arm.

  “You heard the chief! Get a move on!” Ro’Kar yelled, adding in his support. Noah gave him an appreciative nod and left to ready what little he had. Ta’Ku joined him and together they began gathering the scattered firewood, weapons, and tools that had been carried along on their escape. The blacksmith and iron mine would be the hardest bits to replace, so Noah made sure to collect every piece of metal they had managed up the hill. Packs were lifted, fires were snuffed, and food was scarfed. Soon the orcs had gathered, and Noah stood before them.

  “Now that I know you are all Iron, I won’t take it easy on you! We have two to three weeks of travel ahead of us, and we will only be stopping after dark. If you can’t keep up, they you will be carried!” He shouted. Many of the orcs shivered at his words, having heard the stories from Ta’Ku’s last trip up the mountain. Noah laughed internally as he watched their reactions. He knew that not everyone invested heavily in their physical stats, but he also knew that they would start doing so after the weeks ahead of them.

  They began to run as a small stampede, kicking up a cloud of black dust as they went. True to his word, they didn’t stop for breaks or slow even once. After several hours of running, the most skeptical of orcs finally conceded that Ta’Ku’s tales were true and buckled down for the long haul. Noah, quite accustomed to this mode of travel, took the opportunity to process the events of the last several days. He didn’t know if he would have died if the not-dragon’s flames had caught him, or if he had failed to intercept the beast’s talons, but he still felt the brush of death as he relived the fight. Whatever the beast was, it outclassed even the cyclops they had fought alongside Recter. Worse yet was the memory of its voice. It was troubling to consider the intelligence of the beast, and what that meant for future monsters. Were these the kind of beasts that led the hordes in his vision of the end? It hasn’t even been a year. He shivered involuntarily. As much he hated to admit it, the sapient races were already falling behind. If the beast turned his attention toward the human settlement, could he do anything to stop it?

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