The Connected System

Loch stretched his arms over his head, watching the smoke from the cooling ashes curl up into the morning air. It was chilly, another sign that autumn was approaching. The leaves hadn’t started to change color yet. Loch wasn’t sure if they would or not. The Connection had changed the weather patterns, making it more hostile. No one, not even Cerie, was sure how deep the Connection’s alterations would go.

The Clan was trying to gear up for the winter, but they had no idea what that winter would look like. In the years before the Connection, the seasons in New England had been off. Loch had joked that the weather had shifted a month or two, so snow in April was becoming a regular thing and not an oddity with December still being Fall temperatures. The wind had gotten stronger and more constant in the years prior, which Cerie had confirmed was the fault of the Connected System, a way to start spreading Spirit around the world.

Would there even be snow?

Loch was preparing for the worse, afraid it would be a harsh winter.

Using a long stick, he poked at the pile of ashes.

After pulling the body of the frog creature from the water, they had retreated deeper into the woods away from the pond. Loch hadn’t wanted to, but both Cerie and Elora had insisted on burning the body. Worried that a fire would give their position away, they made one anyway, trying to keep it small. Already forced to rest, Loch had set watch rotations and the fire had gotten going. It took a long time to burn the waterlogged body, but eventually it did. At least enough to satisfy the elf and fairy.

Loch had taken the last watch, pushing at the ashes as he watched the morning sun rising through the gaps in the trees. At least that hadn’t changed. He had wondered if the day and night cycle would change with the planet growing larger.

He’d never paid that much attention to astronomy in school but thought he’d read that the twenty-four hour time cycle was based on the planet’s rotation and that the other planets’ day/night cycles were different because of the longer, or shorter, rotations. If Earth was larger, shouldn’t the length of time required for day to turn into night and back into day change as well?

Without a clock, maybe it had.

Loch had wanted the scavengers to find a sundial, or someone to figure out how to build one, but maybe now it wouldn’t matter? Cerie hadn’t been able to help with that question, as every planet was different.

Shifting the ashes around one last time, making sure there were no burning embers, Loch set the stick down. He looked around the small clearing they had chosen as their camp. A couple of tents with sleeping bags, multiple people using them as they switched in and out with the changes in watch. The last of those that had been sleeping were climbing out of the tents, stretching. No one showed any of the weariness or achiness that had sometimes come with sleeping on the ground. Even in sleeping bags, the ground could be uncomfortable.

Their Adapted bodies had solved that little problem. Too bad it had just caused more, Loch thought, walking over to where Piper was coming out of the tent he had shared with the girls. The only one that hadn’t pulled double duty with multiple people using it.

The perks of being the Clanchief.

The first time Loch had protested but the others had insisted on him and the girls getting their own. He’d gotten used to it. The first night out with the present group, which included Josh Hauser, it had been the same but he’d seen the looks of annoyance from Josh. Loch had thought about insisting on spitting with others, but had decided to not bother.

There would have been no point. Josh was already against the Clan system, preferring something more like the old democratic republic of the United States. But even in that system, Presidents and Generals had enjoyed privileges that came with their positions.

Loch didn’t want those privileges but found it hard to say no to having his own tent.

He was starting to think that Josh’s problems were more from jealousy than issues with the Clan system. Loch was doing his best to keep it similar to the US’ system and not a monarchy or dictatorship. The Council was small, for now, but as the Clan grew then it would grow as well and would probably someday resemble Congress. Loch was the President with Ed Turner as the Vice-President, one seemingly more active in the actual governing. Just because the names were different didn’t make the system that different.

Loch had tried talking more with Josh but it had been futile. The man was stubborn in his beliefs. Loch had given up trying. He couldn’t say he’d given up caring, because he did. It wasn’t that Loch wanted Josh’s good favor, or even respect. The problem was that Loch shared some of Josh’s sentiments. He didn’t like how the Connection tried to set the Clan up as a dictatorship, with Loch being the ultimate power. He was fighting it every step of the way. Would never stop fighting it. The Silver Bark Clan was what the Connection wanted Clan Brady to become.

Loch would never allow that.

“Morning Pipes,” he said.

She grumbled something that he couldn’t understand but knew to be her way of saying good morning when not fully awake. He’d heard it enough on school mornings over the years. The grumble had been better than Harper’s “go away”. He looked toward the woods where Harper had gone out on a quick patrol around the area.

Taking up Loch’s habit, Harper had started choosing to have the final watch. Elora had wanted to take the same shift as Loch, but he’d insisted on her taking the middle watch, practically ordering her to do so. As an elf, she could see in the dark, so to Loch it made sense she take the watch when it would be the darkest.

She understood the logic, but had argued that as one of his Bannermen, she needed to be at his side to protect him. As his Bannerman, that meant she had to follow his orders, so in the end he had won. She didn’t give up as it was an argument they had every night.

Elora crawled out of the tent behind Piper. If she wasn’t going to be on the same guard rotation as Loch, she had insisted on staying in their tent to provide protection for Piper as Harper was with Loch. That he had agreed with.

The elf moved off to the side, eyes scanning the treeline. She focused on one point to the south, Loch following her gaze. Harper walked out of the trees, invisible only a moment before. Loch couldn’t tell if she’d exited the Shadow Realm or just her increased stealth rendering her near invisible.

“All clear,” she said, looking past Loch and Elora at someone else exiting the treeline on the other side.

“Same,” Sarah echoed.

Loch turned to nod at the woman. He’d heard her walking through the woods throughout the last three or so hours of the watch. She was relatively stealthy, but nothing like Elora or Harper. Loch doubted any of the others had heard her. He wouldn’t have if not for his higher Level and Perception stat.

The noise had the others around the camp waking up, crawling out of their tents. Brian and Jenny were the next out, followed by Julia and then Josh and his people.

“Let’s pack it up, we’ll eat as we go,” Loch ordered, heading toward his tent, ready to take it down.

He thought he heard some whispered complaining coming from Josh, but chose to ignore it. Crawling back into the tent, Loch started rolling up the sleeping bags. Just like Pre-Connection, the things were still a pain and never rolled the same way twice. He’d given up stuffing them back into the bags they had come with. It was never easy. With Piper’s Spatial Bag, they didn’t take up any room, rolled up or loose. They’d discovered that the shape they went into the bag was the same shape they’d come out with. He could hear some muttered cursing from the others dealing with the same issue.

***

“On your right,” Loch called out, throwing Onyx.

The axe spun as it soared through the air, flying past Josh’s shoulder, past the monster he was fighting, slamming into the chest of another charging Bugbear. The creatures had come out of the woods, but they’d had plenty of warning thanks to Elora.

What would have been a deadly ambush, turned into one by Loch and his people. With the warning, he’d sent half the group into the woods, sending them out wide to loop back in. The rest, including himself, Josh and Brian, had continued ahead, acting like they didn’t know the monsters were waiting.

The creatures had chosen an excellent spot. Large rocks were unevenly spaced along the game trail they had been following, along with a couple of fallen trees. Perfect places that even the large Bugbears could be concealed.

Loch had heard the name many times over the years in various games, always a little different. He’d thought it a strange name that never really fit any of the creatures described in any of the literature or games. Didn’t even know if they were part of any culture’s mythology or something created by someone randomly. Knowing what he knew now of the Connection and how it seeded its arrival in a planet’s mythology and entertainment, Loch was fairly certain the idea for Bugbears had not originated on Earth.

Loch and the others had approached the ambush spot, acting like nothing was the matter, but before the Bugbears could launch their assault, the rest of Loch’s people had attacked from behind. There were two dozen of the monsters, most turning to face the rear attackers. The others had given up on the ambush, rushing at Loch.

Each of the monsters was easily seven feet tall, broad shouldered. They resembled a Sasquatch but not as hairy, and more muscled. The skin was a dark tan, each having deep brown hair and patches of fur across their bodies. The faces were broader, larger foreheads, but mostly human appearing but with slightly larger pointed ears.

Loch wasn’t even sure they were monsters.

Each carried a different weapon. Swords, clubs and axes. One even having a round wooden shield. They wore pieces of cured hide armor. The quality of both armor and weapons were decent. Were they like the Hobs, somewhere between Adapted and Monsters?

Evaluate didn’t help.

GRAYCLAW CLAN BUGBEAR

Loch judged the creature’s Levels to be between Five and Ten.

It had roared out a challenge as it charged at him, club raised. Onyx caught the monster in the chest, hammerhead striking, knocking it from its feet. It flew back only a short way before slamming into one of the rocks. There was a loud crack, Loch not sure if it had been the Bugbear or the rock. The body falling limply to the ground confirmed it was the Bugbear.

Holding out his hand, Onyx reappearing as he ran, Loch charged two more Bugbears that had appeared on top of one of the rocks. They both leapt off the rock, angling away from each other. Loch stopped his run as the two landed, just out of his reach, far enough apart to make him have to turn to face one, leaving him exposed to the other. The Bugbears were smart but not that smart. Or these two hadn’t just seen his thrown weapon.

Onyx launched at the monster to the right, Loch rushing the one on the left. Bulwark Activated, the green energy shield appearing in front of Loch’s raised forearm. He slammed into the surprised Bugbear, the large eyes with square pupils rising in shock, tinted green through the shield. Blood splattered the surface of the shield as it struck the monster’s face, breaking the wide nose. Loch couldn’t tell what color the blood was, the shield growing darker.

He pushed the stunned monster to the side, a trail of blood falling through the air as it fell. Turning, Loch caught the returning Onyx, facing off with the other Bugbear. It clutched at a deep gash in its shoulder, glaring at Loch with a mix of hatred and rage. Small sparks of lightning crackled around the wound.

With Windstep, Loch appeared in front of the monster, Onyx swinging up. The axe head bit deep into the chest of the Bugbear, ripping upward with Loch’s greater strength. The monster was pulled off its feet, flying backwards as Loch ripped the axe out. He turned, throwing Onyx. The large axe shrunk as it spun end over end, the axe head slamming into the shoulder of the fallen Bugbear as it struggled to get up. The force slammed it backwards, the monster not getting up.

Loch turned, looking for more Bugbears as Onyx reappeared in his hand. Only a couple remained, none of his people looking like they needed help.

Multi-colored sparks of energy drifted up from the dead creatures, swirling and dancing in the air as they streaked toward Loch. The whole clearing lit up with the sparks, flashes of light visible through the trees and behind the rocks. Loch blinked his eyes, clearing out the spots left behind by the bright sparks as they entered his body. He felt his Spirit grew, the mental bar filling and getting closer to Level Twenty-Six.

He was close, he could feel it.

“I Leveled,” Josh said, a couple of the others echoing.

“No killer or bane Achievement,” Jenny said, pulling her sword out of the neck of the Bugbear at her feet.

“Probably didn’t kill enough,” Harper replied, jumping down from the top of a boulder.

“Search the bodies,” Loch ordered, speaking loudly so everyone, including those behind the boulders, could hear. “Leave the clubs but grab any other weapons or shields. Pull the armor off them unless it’s really damaged.”

“Won’t fit any of us,” Josh said, stepping away from the Bugbear he’d just killed. “Unless it’s him,” he added, using his sword to point at Brian. The tip still dripped blood.

“The leatherworkers can use it,” Jenny said, glaring at Josh, the point of her sword pointing at the body at his feet. “The set that one is wearing looks to be in good shape.”

Josh glared back, then turned to glance at Loch. Loch didn’t return the glance, instead crouching down and starting to work at the knots that held the Bugbears armor on. No buckles or metal, just rope and knots. With a quiet mutter, Josh went to work on his dead foe’s armor.