Loch sat up in bed, breathing heavily. He got control of the breathing, looking around the small room he shared with the girls. Moonlight leaked in through the curtain, somewhat illuminating the room. He could see the bunk bed, both girls still sleeping. Turning to the window, he moved the curtain, looking out at the stars.
It was a relatively clear night.
He could hear the wind blowing through the trees, across the schoolyard.
There was a blinking in the corner of his vision. Sighing, Loch opened the Notification.
NEW SKILL LEARNED
STORM’S TOUCH RANK ONE (PASSIVE ABILITY): THE FURY OF THE STORM RESIDES IN YOUR BODY. THAT FURY CAN PROVIDE A VARIETY OF EFFECTS AND ALL YOUR PHYSICAL ATTACKS NEGATE ANY AIR ELEMENTAL RESISTANCES. YOUR PUNCHES ARE STRENGTHENED WITH WIND, DOING +5% AIR ELEMENTAL DAMAGE, +2% DAMAGE EVERY FIVE LEVELS. CAST LIGHTNING, STRIKING A TARGET WITHIN TWO FEET OF YOU, DOING +5% AIR ELEMENTAL DAMAGE, +2% AIR ELEMENTAL DAMAGE EVERY FIVE LEVELS. CREATE A STATIC FIELD AROUND YOUR BODY. ANYONE PHYSICALLY ATTACKING YOU WILL RECEIVE +5% AIR ELEMENTAL DAMAGE, +2% AIR ELEMENTAL DAMAGE EVERY FIVE LEVELS.
Loch read it over a couple of times, surprised at the new Ability. Hadn’t Thor said something about not being able to interfere but somehow had granted Loch a new Boon? He wasn’t going to complain. The Ability sounded pretty good, adding to his offense and defense. There was no Spirit cost or even cooldown. Loch didn’t think he’d be able to use the Ability constantly but it was Passive, which meant it was technically always on. It appeared to be triggered by attacks, either ones he made or were made against him.
Sitting up in bed, being careful to not make the metal frame and springs squeak, he rubbed at his face trying to get the sleep out. The dream was already starting to fade. Loch wondered if it really was a dream. Could it be some kind of astral projection? With someone as powerful as the Divine Being, anything was possible.
He thought about all that Thor had said. It didn’t reassure Loch that Thor thought the Clan was doing good. They could be doing better and there was still so much to do before winter. They needed Crafters, they needed Resources and they really needed more food.
The mine was producing, the ores arriving as fast as the wheelbarrows and wagons could be hauled down the trails and road. They were getting a surplus of ore because there was no way to use it yet. Construction had begun on a smelter, which they had gotten plans from the books taken from the Library, but that required materials of its own and their few Carpenters were already overworked.
Standing up, pulling a pair of jeans and t-shirt on, Loch carefully made his way to the door. He looked at both his daughters. They both looked like Kelly. Piper rolled over, pulling her blanket tighter around her. Harper shifted, eyes opening. Seeing her father, she started to speak but Loch held a finger to his lips. Half-asleep, Harper closed her eyes, mumbling something and fell back to sleep.
Smiling, Loch opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Carefully closing it, he made his way down the dark corridor. The hall was always dark, even during the day. The doors to the classrooms were closed most of the time, with curtains or sheets hung over the glass to give the people inside some privacy. That prevented light from coming through the classrooms into the hallway, the only source were two windows at the ends, which did nothing for the middle.
They had thought about torches, but that would have required opening the windows to vent out the smoke, and the constant smell of smoke and burning wood. Eventually they’d have to use torches, or come up with another method, but no one was ready for that step yet. Not that they needed them. With their Adapted bodies, they could see better in the dark and the corridor never got that dark.
Loch moved quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone sleeping. The corridor was empty. The only people that would normally have been moving about were the guards when a shift changed. Loch wasn’t sure how late in the night it was. Sometime past midnight but still a couple hours from dawn as the sky from his window had still been black with no hint of the rising sun.
The lobby at the bottom of the stairs was empty, as was the office. He was somewhat surprised to not find Kristin already working. He’d found her there at all hours. She might be working, but there were now so many offices and meeting rooms for the various people assigned in leadership and development roles that she could be in any of them.
Peeking his head into the gymnasium, he saw the remnants of the musical performance last night. He’d avoided it, not wanting to make a scene, but had heard from Harper and Piper that Addison had played another great show. He’d watched her once, and she had been good, but he’d known his presence had made her nervous. Loch was glad that the social aspect of the Clan was starting to develop. It was as important as the martial and crafting parts.
It felt strange not seeing anyone in the lobby or gym. During the day the school was full of people. Not like when it had been a school and the halls had been crowded with students going from class to class, but there were still enough people that there were always a couple people around. Even with people working, there were shifts and people with nothing to do.
Not only was the school empty, it felt quiet. Another odd feeling as there was always a level of background noise.
Loch opened the doors, stepping out onto the concrete landing. The two guards snapped to attention, looking embarrassed. They had been leaning against the wall, still alert but showing signs of boredom. And their Clanchief had just caught them.
“It’s okay,” Loch said. “Pretend I’m not here.”
“That’s hard to do,” one of them said.
Loch didn’t know his name. He knew that Darren Holmberg changed the shifts so the night guards weren’t always the night guards, but there were new recruits coming in all the time that Loch didn’t know all of them anymore. Still not enough for what they needed.
Stuart Ketch, Guardsman
Alfred Danbury, Guardsman
Both men’s strength felt somewhere in the Level Five to Eight range. Loch’s Evaluate still hadn’t hit Rank Three, where he hoped to narrow the feel of the Levels down. He didn’t use it as much as he could and wasn’t sure if using it on Clanmembers helped it rank up or not. Cerie wasn’t sure as that information hadn’t been included in her data. He had been hoping that it would give more information on Clanmembers but it didn’t. For that he had to dig through his Clan menus and it wasn’t worth it to confirm the two guards actual Levels.
Loch had planned to just sit on the steps for a while but seeing how nervous he made the two men, he kept walking, turning around the side of the building and heading toward the lake. He could see guards on the wall and felt the eyes of the guards on the roof. There would be Archers up there with various nightsight Abilities. No one disturbed him.
Moonlight reflected off the waters as Loch sat down. A couple logs had been brought down for people to use as seats. It was quiet, peaceful. He could hear frogs croaking, the far off cry of a loon.
Loch thought about the last things Thor had said.
“But there are many ways to display power.”
That was a strange statement coming from a Divine Being, someone who was literally one of the most powerful beings in the Connection. Thor’s power came from strength.
But he was right.
In the Pre-Connected world, physical power hadn’t really been a thing. Militaries across the world had physical power but they were not the driven forces, not the things that gave control. In the Pre-Connected world power came from politics, finances, influence. A celebrity was powerful. Politicians and businesspeople. They weren’t the physically strongest, most often not even close. But they controlled everything.
That had to be what Thor had been hinting at. But how? In the Connected System, it was physical power that controlled. What other ways were there to display power besides being stronger?
Ripples spread out across the surface of the water. They came closer, increasing in size as something broke the surface. A huge flat head poked out of the water, moonlight reflecting in two large eyes. The head stopped about ten feet from the shore, staying mostly submerged. Behind the head, Loch could see a hard shell, water flowing down the sides.
“Hello Unfey,” he said quietly
The eyes continued to stare, unblinking.
Did turtles blink?
The Dragon Turtle gave off an aura of power, of strength. Loch could feel it, even though he didn’t sense any harmful intent. Unfey wasn’t there to hurt him. The Dragon Turtle hadn’t hurt anyone in the Clan. As far as Loch knew, the only things it had attacked had been the Gaunts.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The aura was strong. Loch’s Evaluate had put the Dragon Turtle at a higher Level. Loch hadn’t seen the Dragon Turtle fight the Gaunts, but he had heard the stories from the Clanmembers that had. Those stories might have been a little exaggerated, but maybe not. They told of a very powerful monster. Steam-like breath attack, charging and stomping Gaunts. But they also told of the aura, which drove most of the gaunts away. The unthinking herd-like monsters had moved to the north way, relieving some of the pressure on the southern wall.
They had still broken through but it had taken longer. Unfey had killed a fair number of Gaunts but had also driven more away with just its presence.
It really wouldn’t have taken that many Gaunts to overwhelm the Dragon Turtle. They would have lost a lot of soldiers, but eventually they would have overcome Unfey. The Dragon Turtle’s presence has prevented that. It had scared away the Gaunts before they could defeat it.
That was a kind of power.
Loch looked away from Unfey, staring up at the moon. The Dragon Turtle shifted, no longer looking at Loch. He thought Unfey was also looking at the moon, but wasn’t sure. Together they stared up at the night sky, lost in the silence.
***
“Dad,” Piper’s voice broke Loch from his thoughts.
He looked over his shoulder, feeling a tightness in his neck, shoulders and back from sitting on a log for a couple of hours. The sun had risen an hour or so ago. It had been a beautiful sunrise, allowing Loch to catch a full view of Unfey’s large head. The Dragon Turtle had looked at Loch for a couple of seconds before its head disappeared beneath the water. Ripples had spread out, deeper into the lake as Unfey had swam away.
Loch had been lost in thought, plans and ideas swirling in his mind. There had to be a way to solve the Silver Bark problem. Thor’s words had to be the key. Loch kept coming back to Unfey.
“Come quick,” Piper shouted, waving from the corner of the school.
Standing up, stretching, Loch waved back. What had her so excited this early.
“Hurry up,” she shouted, Cerie hovering just over her shoulder.
There was no panic or fear in Piper’s shouting, just pure excitement. Loch picked up his pace.
“Larry’s back,” she said, practically hopping, as Loch joined her.
Together they jogged around the side of the school, heading for the front where a large crowd gathered at the wall and the opening. People were up on the catwalk, leaving very little space.
“And he brought friends,” Piper said, running ahead of Loch.
He wondered what she meant, heading for the gate in the wall. He could see Brian and Drew standing on the wall, near the gate. Brian looked back, sensing Loch’s approach. Now that he was a Bannerman, Brian always had a general idea where Loch was. If he concentrated, Loch could sense a general direction for each of the new Bannerman. He wasn’t sure he liked that aspect of the bond.
Loch waved at the large man, who just nodded, turning his attention back to the other side. Looking around for Harper, Loch couldn’t see her. He assumed she was already out of the gate. Taking his hand, Piper pulled him along, wanting him to go faster.
He gave in, jogging after his youngest. They passed through the gate, stepping into the cleared killing field outside. The jagged chunks of asphalt, holes and cracks remained. Defensive measures to control access and speed of anyone attacking, while defenders had open ground to fire arrows and spells into.
Standing on the other side of the field, on the old road, was a collection of horses, a wagon and what looked like two cows. Along with over a dozen people. Loch couldn’t count the horses as they milled together but he recognized Larry at the front of the group, with a huge black stallion next to him. Harper was already at the horse, leaning in close and rubbing his nose. Davis was talking with a man at the head of two horses that were pulling the wagon. The rest of the newcomers were off to the side, a couple with swords and spears, the rest huddled together nervously.
The large black horse looked at Loch. Even fifty feet away, Loch could feel the power in that stare. It wasn’t hostile. There was a sense of recognition.
WAR STORM STALLION
Evaluate felt like the huge horse was Level Twenty or so. Larry felt the same, maybe a little weaker. Which was odd as Larry was clearly in charge of the herd. Even from where he was, Loch could see that. The black horse was larger than Larry, who had grown from his Adaption. Where Larry was now the size of a Clydesdale, the black horse had started out that size of bigger before being Adapted.
“Lord Lochlan,” Davis said, turning and stepping to the side so Loch could see the other man, who raised an eyebrow at the Lord title.
Loch sighed, once again hating it.
“This is Liam Doherty,” Davis continued.
“Morning,” Liam said, reaching up to tip the brim of the cowboy hat he wore.
“He came up from Deerfield with about a dozen people, some horses and cows,” Davis added, excitedly pointing at the two cows.
Loch was excited too. Cows meant milk and beef. As it was only two cows, that meant there wouldn’t be much milk and no beef, but it was still something they hadn’t had.
“We were planning on heading to Concord,” Liam said, taking a step forward and holding out a hand that Loch took. “But then met that fella at the 107 intersection,” he continued, pointing at Larry. “Horse wouldn’t let us go anywhere but this direction. I had a feeling about coming in, so wasn’t that hard to follow the horse’s suggestion.”
Loch was surprised at how easily Liam seemed to be handling the situation. Cerie had told him that the Clanhold gave off an aura that unclanned could feel, letting them know a Clanhold was near. To survivors it felt like a call to safety. But if not for Larry, it seemed Liam would have ignored that call.
Releasing Liam’s hand, Loch reached out and patted Larry on the nose.
“Seems you and the young lady know this fellow?,” Liam asked.
“His name is Larry,” Harper answered. “He used to be stabled across from our house.”
“When I met him, he had six of the horses with him, including that big one,” Liam said, pointing at the black horse.
Somehow knowing he was being talked about, the giant horse lifted a hoof, slamming into the ground, which caused the earth to shake. Not enough to knock anyone over, but enough that they all felt it. A couple of Liam’s people gasped, grabbing each other for comfort.
“I know horses, been a cowboy for most of my life,” Liam continued. “And my new Wrangler Class gives me some more sense of what’s been done to the animals since the…,” he waved his hand, indicating everything around them.
“The Connection,” Loch supplied.
Liam tilted his head, mouthing the word, digesting it.
“The Connection,” he said again, audible this time. “Odd name for the end of the world,” he shrugged. “But since I got this Class, I can sense the power level of an animal. Those two,” he pointed at Larry and the black horse. “They’re damn powerful. Sorry about the language,” he ended, nodding at Harper.
“No problem,” she said, smiling. “Dads said worse.”
Loch ignored that.
“I take it you and the others are looking for a place to shelter?,” he said, returning his attention to Liam.
“That we are. Been on the road for awhile. With this crew, the horses and cows, weren’t able to stop and rest in many houses along the way. Didn’t feel right staying in someone else’s home either but we did it.”
“Space is crowded but we have it,” Loch said. “Food too but it’s rationed.”
“Hope you like chipmunk,” Davis said, chuckling.
Loch glared at him. The teen just shrugged. Liam looked confused.
“Nowadays, meat is meat. We aren’t going to be too picky,” Liam said. “But you have to kill a lot of them to get anything.”
“Not the Mutated ones,” Davis said. “Those things are the size of dogs and really, it’s not that bad.”
“I’ll take your word for it. We do have some food,” Liam said, pointing at the wagon. “But mostly stuff for the animals. The young fellow,” he pointed at Davis, “was pretty excited to see the cows. Take it you don’t have any?”
“No,” Loch said, looking at the animals. They appeared to be in good shape. “We just managed to find some chickens but it’ll be awhile before get eggs and fresh meat. There’s a lot of us here and we gotta grow the flock.”
Liam glanced back at the two cows.
“These won’t help much…”
“It’s a start,” Loch said.
Loch looked back at the jagged and cracked ground. There was no way to get the wagon and animals over it. When they’d decided to leave it that way, the intent had been to prevent charging armies. They hadn’t thought about wagons or horses needing to enter the schoolyard.
“We’ll have to go the long way,” Loch said, pointing toward the fields.
“Got some crops growing,” Liam said, motioning to his people.
He grabbed the reins of the two horses, getting them to turn.
“Barely enough,” Loch admitted. “I won’t lie. We have shelter and food but it’s not the best and not a lot.”
“Better than what we’ve had,” Liam said with a sad chuckle. “You’re rebuilding at least, that’s something. Gotta start somewhere.”
Loch laughed.
“Yeah, it’s slow but we’re progressing. The one requirement we have is that everyone has to work in some capacity.”
“This group isn’t shy when it comes to work,” Liam said. “We all worked on the same farm and got some skills that I think will be useful. Ol’ Clyde there is a blacksmith.”
Loch stopped walking, making everyone else stop. He turned to look at the man that Liam had pointed out. A large man, heavily muscled with thick black hair and beard, carrying a sledge hammer over his shoulder. Both hammer heads were dried red. He looked at Loch nervously.
Loch was smiling.