Kevin’s finger was starting to curl inward.

“I served in the 82nd airborne,” Noah said, then made a guess. “Would you also really try and murder a fellow soldier for temporary advantage?”

The tableau held for another couple seconds, then Kevin suddenly relaxed completely, sinking into the chair behind the desk again, his head in his hands. “Go back to the deck, Roidae,” he said.

“I’m glad you did not kill this man,” the angel said, before dissipating into golden light and flowing back into Kevin’s chest.

Everyone else came down almost as hard, a collective sigh filling the front room of the farmhouse, the only sound except for RED’s sardonic, “Damn.”

Kevin dropped his hands from his face and looked up, and Noah saw his eyes watering, but no tear fell. “Sorry. We’re all on edge from the terror of last night, and I haven’t slept yet. But you’re right, even if I think you a fool for not getting us the card. I won’t start the killing of my fellow soldiers, my fellow Americans, or even emissaries.”

He glanced out the window and whispered, “Not yet,” in a haunted voice.

Noah grimaced, understanding that last part all too well. How long till monsters, hunger, or loss turns us all into small bands of reavers or tiny, violently xenophobic towns? History has shown that civilizations normally have the morals they can afford. We’re gonna fall further before we recover.

Once I’ve rescued Hope, I need to do something to stave off that evil day. Maybe I should come back here and help.

“I get it,” Noah said. “We’re living in that kind of world now. But we can still make it better. I’d be willing to bet the Zorin goblins have tools for harvesting, and I was a vehicle mechanic when I was in, and once I got out, I made a business restoring old cars for people. I’d bet I can turn one or two of these tractors into a non-electronic version of itself, or maybe one of the harvesting combines.”

Kevin blinked his eyes clear, staring at Noah. “Go on.”

“Lend me help. If we can get the Zorin goblins on our side by saving them, they’d help us, right, Lika?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Lika said, but her voice was a touch airy and she didn’t meet Noah’s gaze.

She isn’t telling me something.

Noah ignored that and plowed ahead. “It wouldn’t take much in the way of guns and people to even things out. The elves aren’t giant dinosaurs or evil trees, just really thin people. They die to bullets fine.”

Kevin drummed his finger on the table, vision of a competent military man again. “It’s not the guns—I can spare those in spades. I think we have more guns than people here right now. It’s the ammo that worries me. Most of the guns are from citizens who usually owned maybe a box or two of bullets per gun. We used most of that up against the monsters last night. One more short, sharp fight and we’re going to be wielding the most expensive clubs in history. Unless I can find or make more ammunition.”

Noah waited.

Kevin thought for a moment, the only sound the continuous drumming of his fingers. After a moment, he spoke. “I’ll let you recruit from the populace, but I won’t order anyone to go. They can take any guns and ammo they personally have. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can order citizens that have watched nearly everyone they knew and loved die, and their homes destroyed, into a military engagement when we’re already on the edge of desperation.”

Noah nodded to Kevin’s words. They made sense, no matter how much as he wished he could get a few more people for his mission.

Kevin met Noah’s gaze. “If you can find an honorable way to get the realm for our people, please do.”

Lika started to open her mouth, but Noah interjected quickly. “If I can do so without betraying my word, I will.”

Lika frowned but subsided.

Kevin also frowned, but didn’t make anything further of it. “Very well. We’re done here, then?”

Noah nodded.

“Dismissed,” Kevin said.

Noah walked from the farmhouse and out onto the front porch, the sun scorching hot in the late morning. He let out another long sigh of relief as he did.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Lika gave a dramatic shudder. “Damn, I thought for a quick minute that we were gonna be dropped near the alligators by your own people. Thanks for sticking by me.”

“Your—” Noah started as they stepped down from the porch.

Lika whirled on him, almost falling on her club leg. But she recovered and stuck her slender green finger up under his nose. “Don’t be thinking to take the card from me. We’re getting it for me, not your new buddy in there.”

Noah glared at her. “I just nearly died to keep my word to you. Don’t be an ass.”

RED sardonically added, “No, please keep being an ass so we can just take your card and solve all this.”

Lika ignored RED, nodding to Noah. “Yeah, okay, that’s fair. Just don’t betray me, okay? Please?”

“Why are you so distrustful?” Noah asked. “I mean, you’re constantly asking me to reaffirm my loyalty, so what happened?”

The same goblin that had commented on Lika’s claim to be a princess a couple hours ago make another grunt-filled remark before Lika could respond. The second goblin cracked up in laughter again.

Lika whirled and punched the talkative one in his stomach. He let out an “oof” and folded around her fist before falling down the stairs to land in the dirt.

“He didn’t leave me, my sister stole him!” she shouted at the fallen goblin. “Right before she tried to take me out. And I will too show them both I’m better! Also, that’s it! You’re out of the harem!”

I’m starting to feel like I’ve somehow allied myself to the lead in a particularly cheesy romantic fantasy, Noah thought to himself, stifling a chuckle even though the comment ought to be sad.

Lika whirled back to Noah. “Nothing happened. Period. Also, I’m not distrustful. Just trying to be realistic.”

Noah held his hands up. The brief comedy, even if black comedy, had lightened his mood considerably. “Sure, sure. No problem.”

“Hmmph,” Lika said, glaring at him.

Noah desperately kept his mouth from twitching, or any laughter escaping, and after a moment Lika turned away from him.

Noah turned from the brief drama and glanced out across the space between the farmhouses and various sheds. He wasn’t sure who had organized the farms the way they had, but a large common area of grass and trees with a driveway around it was all that separated the five farms—the actual farm portions went away almost radially, but the houses were clustered in one spot. Maybe they were all family?

A huge number of people, many in bandages, were just sitting about. Many of them were at the clustered picnic tables, but quite a few also just sat in the grass. Most were staring about them with almost identical expressions of shock.

It seems like Kevin is doing a good job, but he should really have found things for these people to do. Letting them all just sit and have time to think about things, what with almost everyone they know gone and their predictable reality shattered… well, it’s a very bad decision.

As Noah’s eyes scanned the group, however, he saw three people in a small cluster, arguing and gesticulating near one semi-occupied patch of grass. All appeared to be Noah’s age—in their early twenties. One was a medium-height lithe woman with shoulder-length blond hair, and the other two were hulking men that reminded Noah more of Vikings than normal Americans. The two were nearly identical, and both were of a height with Noah but far more muscle. One had a bat that he was tapping against his sneaker-clad feet, and the other carried a huge shovel casually across his shoulders.

They were obviously not shell-shocked. In fact, all three seemed filled with fiery passion. Noah moved closer to the group, curious as to what they were arguing about.

As he got close, the girl’s words floated to him. “—You lunkheads, we could do it! These magic cards are gonna be the thing in this new world!”

“The ‘thing’, Emily?” Shovel asked, holding his fingers up in air quotes without losing his control of the tool across his shoulders.

Emily gesticulated wildly. “Yes, the thing. Having magic cards will keep us safe, make us rich, important… we’re fodder on this new world if we don’t get some magical cards!”

“And your plan is to simply go hunt monsters?” Bat asked. “Last night the whole town lost that game! They had guns, and we have none!”

“We did okay!” Emily said. “Don’t be a pussy, Matt.”

Matt frowned. “Mom would wash your mouth out with soap if she heard you talking like that.”

“Mom would help me hunt monsters, unlike you pussies!” Emily said back, emphasizing the word. She stuck her finger up under Matt’s nose in a gesture almost identical to the one Lika has used a few moments before, which almost caused Noah to laugh again.

This fiery girl and her giant brothers seem like a good place to start.

Noah stepped up to the group. “Excuse me.”

Emily whirled, her finger still held out, then stuttered to a stop. Her eyes flickered to RED, who had been uncharacteristically silent over the last few minutes, and then to Lika and her two goblin allies.

Her brothers stepped up beside her, their grips on their makeshift weapons tightening. Noah didn’t see any guns among them.

“Who’re you?” Emily asked, confusion on her face, her excitement from earlier muted.

“I’m Noah, Noah Smith. I’m not really anyone yet. But I heard you talking, about wanting cards. I think I can help with that.”

“You have cards?” Emily asked greedily, her eyes burning.

“I have my own deck, the deck of an elf that tried to murder me, and a few spares. I think I know how to get more. I’m recruiting people to go and fight to save the goblins.” Noah motioned to Lika. “I’ll be fighting more elves.”

“You’re going to kill elves to save goblins?” the brother who wasn’t Matt asked.

“Hush, Trevor,” Emily said.

Trevor frowned but hushed.

Noah continued. “I’d be happy to distribute most of the elves’ cards as prizes, and I’d be happy to give some of my own now as incentive. I could even make a full deck for someone, if they were willing to get me a strong enough group to make this work and promise assistance.”

Emily’s eyes glittered. “Well, between me and my brothers, I think we can do some damage. And we have a few trustworthy friends—these lunks play all kinds of idiot sports.”

Noah smiled, and Emily glanced up at the gun still sticking out over Noah’s backpack.

“Have any more of those?” she asked.