“You sure about that?” Loch asked, looking past Drew at the collection of people behind them.
It was a large group. Mostly comprised of Casian and the newly renamed Northlake Guild. A half dozen of Clan Brady were with them, among them Mike Turner and Josh Hauser, who Loch was focused on.
Drew turned, seeing Mike and Josh. He nodded.
“Yeah, we can handle it.”
“Okay,” Loch said, focusing back on Drew, Jake Warrick and Casian. He motioned to Henry Bolton who stood to the side, a full pouch at his waist. Loch wished they had managed to get Henry a Spatial Bag, but the drops in the Challenge Dungeon hadn’t worked out for the Astromage. “Remember the plan?”
“Yeah,” Drew said. “Protect him,” he said, pointing at Henry.
Loch laughed.
“We’re to just scout out Concord,” Jake said, thankful that Loch was keeping his promise. “We are not to engage,” he said, smiling ruefully. “No matter how much we might want to.”
His girlfriend, Taylor, smacked him on the arm, causing Jake to smile.
Loch laughed again.
There hadn’t been much laughter from anyone that last few weeks. After the riot had come the clean up, the repair and the burying of bodies. There had been ten killed. The funeral had been the worst yet. In the short time since the Connection had changed Earth, there had been too many funerals. Loch knew there would be more to come. There was no way to live in this world and not have death. He just hoped it would be a long time before the next mass one for Clan Brady.
Slowly the Clan was recovering. There had been some blame between Clanmembers. Loch remembered watching Ben Border punch his old friend Simu. The younger man had cried, saying it wasn’t his fault, he’d been influenced by the Hive. It was an easy excuse, and Loch saw many of the influenced Clanmembers using that excuse. Ben didn’t care. He had said that Simu had never tried to fit in, had never tried to really join the Clan or find his place. Simu had just complained the whole time about how his life now sucked. He’d never done anything to try and change it and that had let the Hive influence him.
It was a common theme, Loch had found. The ones that had been the most easily influenced had been those angry at how much the world had changed. Those that hadn’t embraced their new roles or had even tried for a new role. It was the ones that had been depressed, moping around the Clan. The ones that had basically been forced into manual labor because that was all they would do. Loch had felt bad but then realized the difference.
At the end, the entire Clan had been affected, but before the last powerful pulse from the Hive, it had only been the malcontents, the complainers, the ones that didn’t try to find a place for themselves. The ones that had resisted, it was the Clanmembers who had found a role or a reason in the new Connected World.
It came down to choice. Those that chose to find a reason had resisted. Those that didn’t try, that just lamented the loss of their old life, those had found themselves under the influence of the Hive.
It would take time, but the Clan would be stronger in the end.
The snows had stopped, the temperature rising. The snow on the ground had started to melt, which was the signal Loch and the others had been waiting for.
Casian Nightgrass and the entirety of the Northlake Elves had arrived at the Clanhold. All of them had taken the Oath to Clan Brady. Casian and over a dozen of the warriors had formed a Guild that was a vassal organization of Clan Brady, a new tab in the Clan menu that Loch had found. They were independent, working and wandering on their own, but owing allegiance to Clan Brady. The newly renamed Northlake Guild would be as Casian had said, nomads, wandering and exploring the wider world.
Some of Clan Brady had joined, eager to see how the world had changed, to find other groups of survivors. Mike Turner and Josh Hauser had been given the choice of remaining locked up or joining the Guild. Both had opted to join the guild, Mike at least hoping he could atone for what he had done. Casian wasn’t sure which way to go first, but Loch had given them an assignment and a quest from the Holdstone.
Jake Warrick had been wanting Loch to free the people of Concord ever since he had arrived. It was now time. It would take them at least a month, most likely more, to get from Northwood to Concord. Especially for a group as large as Loch was sending.
Besides Casian and his Guild, Jake and Taylor Simpson, Loch was sending Drew and his team along with Malcom Leonard, Eric Hanlon and Bobby McKay. Drew’s primary job was to protect Henry Bolton, who was the most important member of the team.
It was Henry’s job to set up the portal that would allow Loch and the rest of the Clan Brady forces to arrive in Concord without having to travel over a month. And if the rest of Loch’s plans worked, it would be a much stronger Clan Brady when it came time to assault Concord and free the people.
“Be safe,” he said, shaking Drew’s hand, then moving on to Jake and Casians.
“We will,” Drew said.
The group turned, leaving the field outside the walls of Clan Brady, starting down the road west toward Concord. Loch turned to the smaller group waiting for him.
Harper, Piper, and his Bannermen, along with Julia Montgomery.
“Let’s go and see if this works,” he said.
***
Loch walked in the middle of the small column, Elora and Harper out scouting. He had wanted to bring the horses, but there weren’t enough for everyone and with what he hoped would happen, there definitely wouldn’t be enough. He had been looking forward to another ride with the family, but that would have to wait.
It wasn’t like they wouldn’t have time. It would be at least a month before the next major mustering of the Clan. Between now and then, there would be some settling in to do and work would begin on the new village in the Bow Lake Fields. With the new numbers of the growing Clan, and what they expected to come after Concord, work would also start in the Johnson Fields village. And the two fishing villages, one on Northwood Lake and the other on Bow Lake.
There was a lot to do.
He had thought things would calm down after the riot, but it just seemed like things would never calm down. Loch was okay with that. He didn’t have to do everything himself. There was a whole Clan to help him.
Bored, since no monsters would dare attack the high Leveled group, Loch pulled up his Status. It had been a long time since he’d looked at it.
He’d gotten a couple new Achievements after the riots.
BANE OF THE HIVE RANK 1
YOU HAVE KILLED ONE THE HIVE. CONTINUE KILLING CREATURES OF THE SAME RACE TO INCREASE YOUR BANE RANK FOR ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AND REWARDS.
RANK 1 REWARD: +2 TO WILLPOWER, +2% DAMAGE TO CREATURES INFLUENCED BY A MEMBER OF THE HIVE, +3% TO MENTAL RESISTANCE WHEN FACING AN ATTACK FROM A MEMBER OF THE HIVE
WILL OF THE CLAN: YOUR CLAN HAS FACED AN ASSAULT FROM WITHIN AND COME OUT STRONGER. THE CLAN FEEDS OFF YOUR STRENGTH BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY OFF YOUR WILL.
REWARD: WILLPOWER +2, NEARBY CLAN MEMBERS RECEIVE +10% TO MENTAL RESISTANCE, +5% TO ATTACK POWER, +5% TO DEFENSE, +20% TO RESIST FEAR OR OTHER MENTAL DEBUFFS, WILLPOWER +3
And one that had come after the riots. A very welcome Achievement.
A GROWING CLAN RANK 3: YOUR CLAN CONTINUES TO GROW. KEEP GROWING YOUR CLAN AND SPREADING YOUR INFLUENCE.
REWARD: WILLPOWER +5. NEARBY CLAN MEMBERS RECEIVE +5% TO ALL BUFFS CAST BY YOU.
He dismissed the notifications, looking at the full Status.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
NAME: Lochlan Brady
RACE: Human Rank E
CLASS: Warbreaker
Patron: Thor, The Storm
LEVEL: 29
STRENGTH: 52
Base: 48
Achievements: 10%
Equipment: 0
ENDURANCE: 53
Base: 47
Achievements: 10%
Equipment: 0
DEXTERITY: 44
Base: 41
Achievements: 10%
Equipment: 0
WILLPOWER: 55
Base: 49
Achievements: 14%
Equipment: 0
INTELLIGENCE: 51
Base: 43
Achievements: 11%
Equipment: 0
PERCEPTION: 44
Base: 40
Achievements: 10%
Equipment: 0
UNASSIGNED POINTS: 0
HEALTH: 530
Base: 530
Achievements:
Equipment: 0
STAMINA: 540
Base: 540
Achievements:
Equipment: 0
SPIRIT RESERVES: 5,459
Base: 5,300
Achievements: +3%
Equipment: 0
ATTACK: 34%
Base: 0
Achievements: +25%
Equipment: +9%
DEFENSE: 47%
Base: 0
Achievements: +25%
Equipment: +22%
ACHIEVEMENTS:
A GROWING CLAN RANK 3
BANE OF THE HIVE RANK I
BANE OF RAPTORS RANK I
BEAR’S BANE RANK I
BREAKER OF WAR RANK I
BUGBEAR KILLER RANK I
CHIPMUNK KILLER RANK I
CLAN’S STRENGTH
DEFIANT CLANCHIEF
DEMON DESTROYER RANK I
DUNGEONEER RANK I
ELITE KILLER RANK 3
FIGHT FOR THE RESOURCES RANK I
FIRST ACHIEVEMENT EARNER
FIRST CHALLENGER
FIRST CLASSER
FIRST DUNGEONEER
FIRST TO FIVE
FIRST TO TEN
FIRST TO TWENTY-FIVE
GAUNTS BANE RANK 2
GIANTS BANE RANK 2
HIGHER LEVEL RANK 1
HIGHER LEVEL RANK 2
HIGHER LEVEL RANK 4
HOB KILLER RANK I
HUNGERS BANE
KATSHITUASHKU BANE RANK I
LEVEL MILESTONE RANK 1
LEVEL MILESTONE RANK 2
LEVEL MILESTONE RANK 3
ONE STRIKE
PATRON’S FIRST
RAT SLAYER RANK 1
RAPTORS BANE RANK I
REPEATED IGNORE RANK 1
STRIKING HIGHER
THE FIRST BANE
TROGLODYTE KILLER RANK I
UNPREPARED DUNGEONEER
WAR LEADER RANK 2
WILL OF THE CLAN
YETI’S BANE RANK 1
SKILLS & ABILITIES:
EVALUATE RANK TWO (ACTIVE SKILL)
DEFIANT RAGE RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
FROST RESISTANCE RANK ONE (PASSIVE ABILITY)
HEAT RESISTANCE RANK ONE (PASSIVE ABILITY)
MENTAL RESISTANCE RANK THREE (PASSIVE ABILITY)
POISON RESISTANCE RANK ONE (PASSIVE SKILL)
BOONS:
STORM’S TOUCH RANK ONE (PASSIVE ABILITY)
THUNDERCLAP RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
CLASS:
AURA OF ATTACK RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
BREAKER’S BANNER RANK ONE (ACTIVE ABILITY)
LIGHTNING BULWARK RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE WEAPONRY (PASSIVE ABILITY)
PRECISION STRIKE RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
STANCE RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
RACIAL:
ADAPTABLE (PASSIVE SKILL)
DISEASE RESISTANCE (PASSIVE SKILL)
GO BEYOND RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
TRAITS:
UNFETTERED
EQUIPMENT:
ONYX: LEVEL 12 SOUL WEAPON
CLEAVE RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
LIGHTNING STRIKE RANK TWO (ACTIVE ABILITY)
SHIELD BASH RANK ONE (ACTIVE ABILITY)
SMASH RANK ONE (ACTIVE ABILITY)
WIDE CLEAVE RANK ONE (ACTIVE ABILITY)
CHALLENGER’S MAIL ARMOR SET 5 OF 5
CHALLENGER’S BOOTS
CHALLENGER’S BRACERS
CHALLENGER’S CHEST
CHALLENGER’S GLOVES
CHALLENGER’S LEGGINGS
ELEMENTAL SURGE
WINDSTEP
CLAN BRADY
CLAN RANK: CLANCHIEF
CLANHOLD: NORTHWOOD
REPUTATION: SILVER BARK CLAN - ANTAGONISTIC
It was a long list and kept growing. Loch wondered how big the Status would get when he got to Level 50 and higher. Level 30 was so close, he was about half way there from what he could tell from the mental bar. The Hive hadn’t given him much experience. Overall it was far weaker than he was, it just had powerful mental attacks.
He’d have to start roaming further from the school to find things that would give him good experience. Or find a lot of them at once.
Dismissing the Status, he focused on the road. Route 156 through Strafford. They had a couple days before reaching the destination. He could feel the anticipation already. Part of him wanted to rush ahead. He could, but the others deserved to be there with him. Especially Brian and Julia. They had been with him from almost the beginning, the first that put their trust in him to lead them. He thought about Jenny Brannock, again wishing he could have done more to save her. She wouldn’t be the last he lost, his rational mind knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier. Loch would do what he could to protect his entire Clan. Old and new.
