Noah charged at the beast, a gleam in his eye, and a hammer in his hands. The poor creature seemed to crumple from the blow to its back, constitution obviously not its primary stat. Noah sighed as he looked at the furry crocodile. He barely got to test his new axe on that one.


    [100 XP Gained.]


    Still worth a level though. He grinned. Ta’Ku bound up to him and his stomach dropped.


    “I’m sorry, Ta’Ku - I didn’t even think to let you get some hits in. I promise to share the XP next time.” Noah apologized. Ta’Ku just stared at him with his mouth ajar. Perhaps that was a bigger oversight than I thought. I will have to do better.


    “Don’t worry, plenty of beasts will be here soon. There will be plenty of XP to go around.” Noah assured him. Ta’Ku blinked.


    “We’re staying?” Ta’Ku asked, hiding his eagerness with expert subtlety.


    “That’s right. In the past I would hide and wait to kill the final beast, but with the both of us we should be fine to just stand and fight.” He replied. Ta’Ku gulped.


    “Oh right, what level are you? And your primary stats?” Noah asked.


    “I’m level 21. My primaries are strength and constitution and I have been raising dexterity with a majority of my free points.” Ta’Ku responded, knowing this question would come up at some point.


    “Oh, that’s perfect,” Noah said. “I specialized in strength and dexterity but I have the most points in constitution.” Ta’Ku nodded, a bit surprised that Noah shared his stats as well but not at all surprised by his stat choices.


    “Have you made any progress on your first gate?” Noah asked.


    “Regretfully, no. I have not.” Ta’Ku said, his face falling.


    “We should chat about that later, I may have some ideas that could help. And the sooner you get to Iron, the better. You may get a substantial reward.” Noah explained. Ta’Ku was taken off guard, many Dan’Kars were known to benefit from journeying with their stronger partner but it was not common for them to receive direct help.


    “I would be honored.” He said, not wanting to come off as rude. Today''s events reinforced the reality that Noah was leagues ahead of him, and it seemed the day was still far from over.


    “Here they come, ready yourself.” Came Noah’s voice in a serious tone. In the distance, Ta’Ku could see many beasts heading in their direction, more than he had ever seen at one time. His knees quivered and his heart raced but he held himself together. I am No’Ah’s Dan’Kar. I do not tremble in the face of battle. He breathed a deep, calming breath and clenched his hammer. Then when Noah ran at the nearest foe, he followed only steps behind.


    Noah slammed the blunt end of his hammer into the side of the lizard cow’s head. It let out a pained noise that sounded an awful lot like ‘moose’. He was impressed when his blow was quickly followed by a second from Ta’Ku, cracking one of its knees and sending it rolling. They descended upon the creature, finishing it off with the sharp point of his hammer.


    [50 XP Gained.]


    Noah smiled. That’s better. They moved to the next target, an oddly normal-looking Gorilla. The two warriors continued fighting from one monster to another, and Noah marveled at the impact his hammer had on the fight. He only took minor blows, and Ta’Ku managed to avoid the worst injuries, only receiving a bite to the forearm so far. They seemed to be a natural team and were efficient in taking down their foes and covering each other’s backs. Noah found himself smiling as they slayed yet another mutated livestock animal. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Ta’Ku stared at his grinning partner, a harrowing sight to the faint of heart. He was covered in the blood of his enemies and seemed to have boundless stamina as he charged into the fray time and time again. Ta’Ku didn’t dare let himself slip from Noah’s side, the one time he fell behind a large creature had sank its teeth into his arm. Noah had quickly flattened the beast, but it wouldn’t have happened if he had been in the proper position. His levels were soaring in a remarkable way and he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. He was exhausted beyond what he had known in this new world and yet his heart sang with pride as he pushed forward anyway. I am a Dan’Kar. He intercepted a stray claw before it could hit Noah, and retaliated with brutal force.


    Noah was sweating with effort as they finished off the last beast in their vicinity. Others were still fighting but they had a moment to breathe. This was a whole new experience, exhilarating and wild. He was already grateful for Ta’Ku, who never failed to cover his back and always seemed ready to multiply his efforts. Noah looked at the other beasts and observed that several of them were at that greater power level. It was obvious in their movement, and types of attack. They seemed to use tactics in their fights and had a sharper degree of intelligence in their eyes. They were still beasts, but they weren’t to be taken lightly.


    “Ta’Ku do you see those four beasts?” Noah asked, pointing. Ta’Ku nodded.


    “I do.” He replied.


    “They are serious threats. And they are worth 1000 XP. When we fight them, be sure to choose your attacks carefully and be ready for counter stikes.” Noah explained. Ta’Ku gulped.


    “I will.” He replied. He didn’t dare hope that Noah would avoid the beasts, so he chose instead to focus on the positive. With each kill, he would gain five levels. He shook his head in amazement, he would likely double his level on the first day as Dan’Kar. He could hardly imagine what would happen in a week. When Noah stepped forward, so did he, and together they sprinted toward the largest monster.


    Taking advantage of its recent injuries, Noah slammed the sharp point of his hammer into the lion’s side, directly into a gash that its previous opponent had left. It turned on him in an instant and swiped its paw at his face. Ta’Ku stepped forward, swinging his hammer at just the right angle to deflect the blow. Noah retaliated, catching its jaw with the blunt of his hammer. The lion swayed, unsteady on its feet. Ta’ku struck its knee, bucking but not breaking it. The lion regained its awareness and lashed out at Ta’Ku, catching his leg and knocking him to the ground. He groaned at that pain, and Noah narrowed his eyes at the beast. It’ll pay for that. He slammed the point of his hammer into the lion’s shoulder, like a tent peg into soft ground. The lion growled in pain, finally affected by the wounds. Noah tugged the hammer free and faced the injured beast. With a roar, the lion charged at Noah rearing up on its hind legs to swipe at him with both claws. Noah was ready, already swinging as the lion moved. With a perfect uppercut, the spike of his hammer connected with the lion’s jaw, and its lights went out. It slumped to the ground, dead.


    [500 XP Gained.]


    Noah ran over to Ta’Ku who was sitting up, but not back to his feet. He was clutching his leg with a frown on his face.


    “How is it?” Noah asked.


    “Not, good. When I try to stand, my knee buckles.” Ta’Ku explained. Noah nodded.


    “How many times can you level?” He asked. Ta’Ku appeared to focus on the air in front of him.


    “Eight times.” He said.


    “Good, that means you can gain 32 constitution if you assign all of your points there. I recommend you do that, it should help with your recovery.” Noah instructed. Ta’Ku nodded, it would mess up his progression plan but if this day had shown him anything it was that he wouldn’t last long trying to keep up with Noah if he had a week body. He probably doesn’t even plan to make a camp after this. Ta’Ku joked to himself. He leveled up to 29 and followed his advice bringing his constitution to 77. Intense tingling flooded his body as the stat nearly doubled. He felt amazing and was now hopeful that he would be able to run a bit more comfortably on their next travel day.


    Noah watched as the orc followed his instruction, chuckling at what was sure to be an intense sensation from the large influx of stat points. He was tempted to level up himself, excited to reach level 50, but was interrupted by a spout of flame that lit up the air some 50 paces away. Its source was a jet-black elephant with glowing red eyes and a striped trunk. It turned away from its fallen foe and locked eyes with Noah. Then it charged.