It was another sunny spring day; the wind blew lightly, and the air had a pleasant floral scent. These niceties, however, went unnoticed by Noah and his warriors as they ran through the countryside. Their pace was brisk, but the warriors were not strangers to this kind of travel. Running was starting to become a custom of Noah's tribesmen, or really a custom of his entire Kingdom, and something about the activity always brought Noah to a reflective state of mind, that day being no exception. As Noah ran, his mind drifted to the coming battles and ultimately to the looming deadline. When the System first made them aware of their three-year sentence, Noah had no doubt that he would be able to reach Bronze in time. He, of course, had been a fool to jump to that kind of conclusion. Now, he was optimistic but still worried. Perhaps he could manage to reach Bronze, but he would be one person out of all of the four selected races. What would he be able to do in the face of the beasts? Many months ago, they had already possessed several Bronze sovereigns, and who knew what he would face now? When he was finally able to shake himself from the negative spiral, his thoughts turned to other matters.
He thought of the downtime that he had gotten with Ne’Ja over the past weeks, and he remembered his earlier decision not to consider her or other orcs as potential romantic interests. That initial hesitation had started to fade as he had spent more time with her. He began to wonder if he was really all that different than the orcs. For starters, he seemed to fit in well with their customs and mentality, and he'd even begun to see himself as one of them. Sure, there were some cosmetic disparities: they had light red skin, small fang-like tusks, and generally had more muscle mass than the average human. All of those differences seemed minor as time went on, though, and he found himself thinking of her in a new light.
This, of course, was tempered by the repeated vision of the woman in his dreams. Something about her called to him, and he found her beauty enchanting and surreal. If it wasn't for his history of visions and dreams coming true, he would have already dismissed the woman as a fantasy of his lonely imagination. The possibility, however, that the woman was real and out there waiting for him brought his other thoughts of romance to a halt. He didn't know if it was some kind of instinct, or a matter of attraction, or perhaps a simple fascination with the mystery of the woman, but he found that he didn't want to risk missing out on an opportunity with her. For all he knew, she was just someone important to their people's survival, or perhaps someone he would have to save, but just as likely was the possibility that she was important to his future personally.
It was in times like these that he wished he could speak to his sister or to the mother he had always longed for. For now, he would have to settle with the counsel of his own mind, as he was not about to share his thoughts with one of the orcs. They ran for three days straight before setting up camp and resting for the night. By this point, this was not unusual, and only the messenger deer had any complaints to voice. The doe didn't say much, however, as just days before, she had complained about how slow their muster had been. As they rested, he saw many of his men preparing their gear for battle: sharpening their blades, oiling their leathers, and cleaning what bits of metal armor they possessed. Many of them had new armaments, compliments of the smith and the other new crafters who used the steel-like metal of the elves to produce superior products. He had even commissioned a new piece for himself, an 18-inch short sword that was now sheathed at his belt. he had tested the blade and found it remarkably durable and sharp, and so far it had resisted damage. His recent fight with the mole people had shown him just how crucial good equipment was, as his hammer literally served to multiply the force that he could bring to bear. The durable hide of the Warriors he had faced would likely have resisted mundane blunt weapons, but it seemed that all gave way in the face of his enchanted hammer. He chuckled as he considered the legends that would be sung of Matt one day, who had supplied him with weapons from the very beginning.
Fires were lit, and soon the aromas of stewed meat and vegetables filled the air. The first harvests had already come and gone, and once again, his diet had some semblance of balance. He had nearly cried when someone brought him freshly baked bread, and he had to slap himself to ensure that he wasn't dreaming. While he frequently dreamed of the beautiful woman, food dreams were far more abundant. Food had been his first love, and it wouldn't let go of its grip on him so easily. he sat down with Recter and gladly accepted the bowl of stew that was offered to him.
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“How is it?” Noah asked. Recter hissed the drakon equivalent of so-so.
“I preferred it without the plant matter, but I will admit the spices do add something to the taste,” Recter said. Noah chuckled.
“Do drakon not eat vegetables?” he asked. Recter scoffed.
“We are not herd animals. Why would we eat like them?” he stated.
“I suppose that makes sense. My people typically consume both meat and plants in their diet, though some do choose one or the other.” Noah commented.
“Are you prey or predator then?” Recter asked with a toothy grin.
“Both, I suppose, depending on the enemy,” Noah relied. Recter found that rather amusing and hissed out a reptillian laugh for some time. After he regained his composure, his look turned more serious.
“You know, I am not the biggest fan of Jelene. Part of me wishes we would just let her die and deal with whoever replaces her,” Recter commented. Noah sighed and looked around for the doe. Not seeing her, he responded.
“I have a half a mind to do exactly that. If we didn’t have another enemy closing in on our kingdom, I may have taken the chance. As it is, however, I would rather risk the potential of an enemy over the certainty of one,” he replied. Recter grunted.
“I suppose that it is prudent. I won’t pretend to like it though.” Recter supplied.
“I wouldn’t ask you to,” Noah answered. With that, the pair enjoyed the rest of their meal in companionable silence before catching some sleep.
The following days passed in a similar manner, with them stopping to rest every two nights. The journey would take them the better part of a month, and Noah hoped that they would arrive in time for their efforts to be worth it. He couldn't help but wonder what type of enemies they would face and hoped they would be purely physical threats, lacking the magical counterpart. As much as he had trained, he still had little experience in facing those who had primarily invested in magic. Jelene was one such person, yet another reason he preferred her as an ally. The rumors he had heard about her abilities served as a sufficient deterrent, as he was not keen on the idea of losing his mind in an endless illusion.
Three weeks of travel later, they reached familiar land. At the edge of their sight, they could see Jelene's town with its walls and gates. The accompanying deer was quite pleased as they neared the territory and urged them along in a final sprint. No one could understand its eagerness as he too was curious to learn of Jelene's fate. There was no smoke rising from the city, nor was there any sound of battle. While part of him felt suspicious of the lacking signs, he was primarily relieved to see that he had made it in time. There were no guards at the gate when they approached, nor did they see anyone as they made their way through the city. It wasn't until they reached the palace that they encountered someone: a stag who immediately made its way to them when they came into view.
“You’re here! Thank the heavens, we were not sure if you would make it in time!” the stag exclaimed in old-timely exuberance.
“We came as fast as possible. Where is everyone?” Noah questioned.
“Thank you, lord Noah. My Lady has led the forces to a favorable position a day's trot from here. The enemy was primed to arrive within the day. If you hurry, you may reach them before the battle starts,” the stag said.
“That’s good to hear. Did she leave any messages for us?” Noah asked. The stag shook his head.
“She did not think you would be able to make it in time, but chose to leave me just in case. She did say that you would be capable of choosing the best course of action should you make it,” he answered. Noah nodded, considering what to do.
“Very well. As I see it, a few extra men will only do so much if Jelene’s forces are unable to claim victory. If we are to affect the battle in any noticeable way, it will likely be through surprise or tactical advantage. Do you have a map of the area your warriors are staged in?” Noah asked. The stag nodded and motioned for him to follow. The stag led them to a small room with one large square table at its center. Sprawled across the table was a detailed map of the surrounding area. Just as he had seen in board games and historical films, the map had small figurines denoting the positions of the army and the suspected enemy movements. Noah took several minutes to examine the map before grinning, the terrain was perfect for what he had in mind.
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