Noah had a problem. That much was obvious as soon as he woke the following morning. He didn’t want to get out of bed. In fact, he didn’t want to do anything. Now normally he wouldn’t think twice about allowing himself a bit of laziness after such a long push, but this total lapse of motivation was different. Since arriving in the new world, he had had ample reason to get up every morning, whether to defend himself, save the world, or simply to perform the next task on the list. That morning, however, it was as if there was nothing of significance to be done. If it was his first time experiencing this, perhaps it would have flown under the radar, but it was not his first taste of depression-induced apathy. In his late teens, he had a long bout of depression that rendered him zombie-like for much of his final year of secondary school. He had quit sports, avoided friends, and slowly let homework slip away. It had taken a major jolt to his system to escape the cyclical pattern, and he wasn’t eager to face this particular foe again.
Noah forced himself out of bed and climbed down the hatch into the frigid cellar. He proceeded to splash his face with icy water and take long sips from his cupped hands. He knew he couldn’t afford to sink into depression, and that simple distractions wouldn’t do the trick. I need to find the source. When did it start? Noah began to rack his mind for potential causes. Is it the bloodshed? He considered that possibility for a bit but eventually ruled it out. As disturbing as the carnage was, it really hadn’t affected him–at least not in this way. Is today the first time? The obvious conclusion would have been to assign blame to the night before, the tense conversation and disconnection with his companions had been difficult for him after all. Yes, there must be some truth to that. His behavior following the discussion had been unusual as well, he had been troubled well into the night, and his emotions seemed to win out over reasoning. Perhaps his late-night musings had been accurate and he was simply lonely. He thought back through his time in the new world and realized that loneliness was indeed the most likely culprit. Its first appearance had been just a couple weeks into his new life when he split paths with Julie and the boys. Then again around Thanksgiving when the memories of his sister had crashed in. Then once more after the dream encounter with the woman he presumed to be his mother. I guess that settles it. This loneliness is killing me…
He chuckled as the lyrics came to him and took a long cleansing breath. The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. While he knew he couldn’t snap his fingers and poof his loneliness away, he could take certain actions to chip away at it. For starters, he would get out of the house and find the people. He grabbed a hunk of dried meat from the rack and donned a fresher set of furs that had been set in his quarters. He would have to thank whoever facilitated all of this.
He stepped out his door and into the sunshine and breathed in the spring air. It appeared to be mid-morning judging by the position of the sun, and he smiled as he saw a familiar face.
“Kyle, wait up!” he called, running across the circle to catch him.
“Noah, good morning!” Kyle replied
“Good morning! Where are you off to?” Noah asked.
“I heard there are bathhouses by the river, so I wanted to check them out. I don’t even want to think about what kinds of grime are sticking to me right now.” Kyle said with a grimace. Noah laughed and nodded in agreement.
“Mind if I join you?” Kyle agreed and the two set off down the east road, strolling leisurely through the mostly empty town. The homes nearest the center were occupied, but with less than a hundred orcs–most of which shared living spaces, few of the buildings were occupied. They passed others on the street, exchanging greetings and introducing several to Kyle, who was every bit the social butterfly, taking his differences as one of only two humans in stride. Finally, they reached the bathhouses, two long rectangular buildings set alongside the river. He noted adjoining structures with smoke trailing from their chimneys as well. All of the buildings were constructed from the same brick that made up most of the houses, a material he would have to ask about in his meeting later that morning. Noah was grateful to be saved the embarrassment when he noticed Me’Zin exiting the building on the left, the one they had been heading toward.
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One course correction later and they made it to their destination. There were two doors that they had to pass through to get into the building, both heavier than the one in his house. When they pushed through the inner door, a cloud of steam escaped and the purpose of the two doors became evident. The interior was a wide open room with a steaming pool on one side and large basins on the other. The purpose was self-explanatory and the few others present demonstrated the proper procedure to follow. Noah was pleasantly surprised to find a soap-like substance set on shelves next to the basins, and he proceeded to cleanse his body, grateful for the drains set into the bricks below. After washing he made his way into the pool, amazed by the near scalding temperature they had achieved. It wasn’t remotely uncomfortable though given his constitution, as even boiling water likely wouldn’t affect him much. He sank shoulder-deep into the water and found that the pool walls were lined with benches, allowing for restful soaks. Several tribesmen spoke quietly in the steam-filled room, but most seemed content to relax in the uncommon luxury.
Pictures of old men in steam rooms came to mind and for the first time, he felt he understood the appeal. He wondered if this had been a common practice on the orcs’ homeworld, as they seemed accustomed to the practice after such a short time. Unfortunately, he knew he was on the clock and was soon leaving the peaceful haven for what he hoped would be a productive and amiable discussion. He returned home and found Un’Dal and Ne’Ja waiting at his table with food and drink already set out.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, I may have gotten lost in the bath house.” He said with a grin. Un’Dal chuckled but Ne’Ja didn’t quite meet his eyes. Uh oh.
“It is not a problem, No’Ah. We did not discuss a time, and besides, we have only just gotten here ourselves. There is also the benefit of you not smelling like a waste pit.” Un’Dal replied. Ne’Ja cracked a smile and Noah relaxed a bit.
“Shall we start?” Noah asked.
“Yes, let’s—” Un’Dal started when Ne’Ja broke in.
“First, I want to apologize,” she began. “I should not have slapped you, regardless of my feelings. Your words took me off guard and I reacted poorly.” Noah met her eyes and smiled.
“All is forgiven. I spoke before thinking and forgot for a moment that we are from very different people. I hope you will forgive me as well.” Noah replied. Ne’Ja seemed to consider her response, her mouth opening and closing multiple times before she finally spoke.
“Thank you, Noah. To be truthful, the reality of your words still bothers me and I do not foresee that changing. I do not hold the thought of your people against you, however,” she replied. Noah nodded in understanding, figuring that was the best he could ask for.
“I appreciate that. Now regarding the bulls…”
The three spent the next hour discussing the various updates and changes that each had experienced in the months apart. Noah informed them of the 1000-plus new citizens in the lower realm working on expanding their numbers and levels. He also shared about the different groups that would be joining in waves as enough people reached Copper. They discussed building the town, and the fortunate discovery of a large clay deposit just upstream. The clay was then mixed with different dried grasses to form the bricks they used for construction. They had also found a copper ore deposit, though it was a few miles away. While iron may have been preferable, the copper ore would provide a significant source of utility for their crafters. Additionally, if they discovered tin instead of iron they could then transition to bronze casting over crude steel.
Un’Dal reported that they had yet to encounter other nations, as the previous kingdom had cleared much of the surrounding territories as the sovereign pushed for Bronze. There had been a few minor communications with Jeline’s people but nothing more than pleasantries were exchanged. Ne’Ja reported that there was a plateau over ten miles away that would make a perfect location for the herd to claim and that her scouts would show them to their new home. Noah was happy to hear that his tribe had had a productive but peaceful respite after months of bloodshed and hoped that the times of peace would last just a bit longer. Unfortunately, he knew too well that the timer was already ticking on their serene escape.
