A long column snaked down the road. Loch knew they could save some time cutting straight through the woods as the roads curved and led off the track before swinging back the way they wanted to go. But with this many people, going through the thick woods and the possible monsters, didn’t make sense.

There were still monsters to deal with. Some things were too stupid to realize that over two dozen Adapted were too much to deal with, but most left the group alone. They could sense the power in the Clan Brady forces.

Each encounter, no matter how outmatched the monsters were, caused the entire group to slow down. They didn’t want to send too many ahead or spread the entire force out too much. They left gaps in the line for safety, but the tail end was only an hour behind the front end.

Loch rotated the groups each night. The rear became the middle, the middle the front and the front became the rear. It kept their eyes fresh, changing what they were looking at and for. That included Loch and his small group and bannermen. Harper was with Elora, Sinat, T.J. and others as the scouts, an hour or two ahead of the main group. Piper stayed with Loch, riding Swift.

“Do we camp here tonight?,” Davis asked

The scouts had stopped, waiting for the rest to catch up. They were at the intersection of 202 and 126, where the Strafford school had once been. Loch could see still scraps of tent and fabric caught on shards of bone. He’d heard the stories from Drew and the ones that had come with him. He could imagine how bad it had looked after the giants rampaged through the camp, killing everyone they saw.

He turned to see Drew and that group. They had moved to the far side of the torn up road, facing away from the field. He knew they’d lost friends to the giants. It hadn’t been hard to convince those Clanmembers to come on this foray.

“No,” Loch said, answering Davis. He turned to Harper and Elora, motioning them to head out. “Find somewhere else that can hold all of us. We still got an hour or two and we’ll make a late camp if we have to.”

“There’s a church that was a mile or so down the road,” T.J. said. “Where 126 headed into Barrington and 202 turned to head to Rochester.” Loch nodded, remembering the small church at the corner and the entire strange intersection with 126 splitting off. “That’s probably a good place.”

Loch caught Harper’s eye, making sure she had heard. She nodded, talking with Elora as the two ran off, turning east down the road.

“Let’s get moving,” Loch called out.

People had been sitting on the ground, stretching or getting a quick bite to eat. It didn’t take long for them to get up and get ready to keep moving.

***

“You okay?,” Loch asked, coming to sit next to Drew.

“Yeah,” the younger man said. “Was just a little rough seeing that area where…,” he trailed off, looking at the small fire they’d gotten going.

Loch wondered what to say. He’d seen a lot of death since the Connection’s arrival, but nothing like what Drew and the other Strafford survivors had dealt with. They’d watched the giants rampage through the camp, an area they thought safe. They’d watched the giants kill all their neighbors and other survivors. Drew had the guilt of having to run, saving the ones he could and leaving the rest to die.

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Was there anything to say?

Hearing soft footsteps approaching, Loch looked over his shoulder. Elora nodded to him, taking a seat on Drew’s other side. Smiling, Loch stood up, knowing the man had the comforting presence he needed.

Loch moved about the small camp. The church was gone, taken by the worldcore, leaving a wide open space in the Y formed by the two roads, with woods on the open end. Loch felt exposed, but it was large enough for all of them to set up tents and there were enough to spread the watches out through the night. They were still two, maybe three, days from Blue Job. Far enough to not worry about giant patrols, not that any had been sighted when Little River Stone and T.J. had done their scouting mission.

He clapped people on shoulders, returned greetings, as he walked around the camp. Loch could see the watch about ten feet beyond, watching the treeline and roads, far enough that the firelight wasn’t messing with their night vision. Most had finished eating their meager rations, just relaxing before bedding down in the tents and getting some sleep before their watch.

Loch could feel the anticipation. Everyone in the small force had been through at least two Dungeon runs, had fought monsters around the school. They were all experienced, combat hardened. All were at least Level Ten. Most barely above it, but that had been Loch’s minimum qualification. He’d left some guards above Level Ten back at the Clanhold, but all of the adventuring teams were there along with most of the Level Ten and higher guards. Darren had wanted to come, but his place was at the school.

He was still surprised how quickly most had volunteered. No one was being forced. Some saw it as a chance for more experience, a chance to gain Levels and possibly gear. A couple were eager to fight giants. Those were creatures that everyone knew about, had seen or read stories about. Real creatures of myth. Some were eager to face that challenge.

Loch couldn’t blame them. Even though the Connected System considered that he’d killed one, Loch didn’t think it counted. He’d fought giants in games. Those had always been some fun fights. The reality would be something different, but he couldn’t deny that the idea excited him.

The Si-Te-Cah worried him. Not even Little River Stone knew much about that race except that they were powerful. Many Adapted races in The Connected System feared them. Loch found it hard to accept that both the Si-Te-Cah and Sasquatch were the original races on Earth. Had humans evolved from both or been a third race that just grew in prominence when the other two had left to explore the Connection?

Finishing his tour of the camp, Loch returned to the small fire outside the tent he was sharing with his children. Harper wasn’t there but Piper was, sitting close to the fire to use its light. Cerie sat on her shoulder, glowing to provide more light. Piper sketched away in her book.

“What are you drawing?,” Loch asked, sitting down.

He leaned over to try to get a look. Piper moved it away.

“Not telling you yet,” she said, shifting so she could still see the firelight, but Loch couldn’t see the sketchbook.

Cerie flapped her wings, lifting off Piper’s shoulder. She hovered in the air, turning to face Loch.

“I searched my memories again,” she said, folding her legs under her, floating in a sitting position. “The Silver Bark have encountered numerous giant Clans over the years, as both the elves and giants inhabited Tirna, but I could not find any records of a Hillgrowl Clan specifically. I tried searching for members using that name, or many variations, but found nothing.”

“Thanks for trying,” Loch said.

Between Cerie, Elora and Sinat, they’d developed a pretty extensive feel for the tactics of giants. It mostly involved using the giant's overwhelming size and strength. Loch had been hoping for something a little more personal about the Hillgrowl, something they might be able to exploit. Loch wanted all the advantages Clan Brady could get.