Mike Turner felt a headache coming on.


    He was getting them frequently. It kept getting worse. He’d mentioned that to Malcolm, his party’s Healer, but there was no reason for them that could be found. Malcolm was useless, Mike had decided. He was barely adequate at his job, only having the Common Healer Class. Mike’s own mother had a better one. An Uncommon one.


    But Malcolm was the only Healer available. It wasn’t like they could replace the guy. Only Julia Montgomery was a higher Level Healer Class and she wasn’t going to join Mike’s party. She was on Lochlan Brady’s personal group. Who would quit that one?


    Even if Mike and his team would someday surpass Loch’s team.


    It would take too long to get someone else power leveled and that would just mean Mike, Roger and Theodore would have to slow down. Another party would catch up. That couldn’t happen.


    They had to increase their pace. They had to catch up to the other two parties. They had to get stronger.


    That nagging voice in the back of his head kept saying it, over and over.


    Not that it was a voice, that’s just the only way Mike could describe it. Not a feeling, something a little more. It seemed to get stronger when he got a headache.


    He left the gym. It was getting too loud and too crowded. He didn’t like the music anyways. He’d only gone in because Harper had been there and she’d been alone. Which was rare lately. On the rare times she was actually in the school, If Davis wasn’t around, it was her sister. Mike didn’t have many opportunities to talk to her.


    She hadn’t seemed too impressed with how fast his team was Leveling. They were the fastest Leveling adventurers in the entire Clan, not that there were many adventuring groups. But even counting the guard groups that ran the Dungeons, no one was progressing as fast as Mike’s team.


    Roger’s team really. He was the one in charge. And Mike was okay with letting him think that. Someday they’d all realize that it was really Mike in charge.


    Drew and that annoying Davis, their groups got the best missions. But that’s what happened when they kissed Loch’s ass. Harper’s dad had always hated Mike, he knew it. Probably didn’t think he was a good match for Harper. Lochlan was wrong.


    Mike was perfect for her. Really, she was perfect for Mike.


    Maybe a little too independent, but that would change once Mike got stronger.


    And eliminated Davis.


    “Micheal,” Theodore said, stepping out of the shadows in the corner of the lobby.


    Mike wasn’t surprised. He hadn’t seen the man, but somehow he’d known Theodore was there. Just like how he knew where a couple other people in the Clan were at the moment. Roger, that Simu guy, some other ones that he didn’t care to learn the names of. He didn’t know their exact locations, just a feeling of how far away they were.


    It was something new but he didn’t mind. It was kind of comforting to know there were others near that he could talk to, that would understand his frustrations.


    It wasn’t like he could talk with his mom or dad. They were far too busy and too far up Lochlan’s ass. Especially his dad. Mike was starting to grow disgusted by his father. Ed was Loch’s lackey. Left behind at the school to take care of all the mundane administrative stuff that Lochlan didn’t want to deal with. His father was a glorified secretary.


    Theodore said that would change someday. He’d learn to like his father again. Mike had scoffed at that. Even if he grew as strong as Lochlan, his father would still remain the lackey. Theodore said that he might even someday learn to like Lochlan. Mike found that one hard to believe.


    But Theodore said a lot of weird things sometimes.


    At first Mike had thought them really weird. Then they become less weird. Lately, everything Theodore said made a lot of sense.


    “Not going inside?,” Mike asked as Theodore started walking next to him.


    Not sure of what he wanted to do, Mike headed for the doors outside. The lobby wasn’t crowded, but there were a lot of people hanging around, chatting in small groups or going from one place to another. Besides the music playing in the gym, there were a couple of board games being played and a card tournament. Someone had even found a set of cornhole boards and bags, a signup sheet in the lobby for that tournament to start.


    Mike had played cornhole a couple of times, but never understood the appeal of throwing bags onto a sloped board and trying to get it into the hole. But he never understood the appeal of sports at all. He paid attention to what he needed to, knew the important players, championships and all that. It was a trick he’d learned from his father, also not someone into sports. Talking about sports was an easy way to start a conversation, to get someone invested into talking. Weather was boring, and it was hard with TV shows as there had been far too many of them Pre-Connection with all the streaming services. Too great a chance to mention a show that the other person had never heard of.


    But sports, that was a good one to connect with. Especially being in New England, with all the success the four major teams had over the years. Mike had even overheard people in the Clan talking about the teams still, even with stadiums and ballparks most likely destroyed and the players probably dead. They didn’t matter anymore, yet people still talked about them.


    Sports was just one of many things Mike was glad was gone.


    “Too loud in there,” Theodore said. “Can’t hear myself think.”


    Mike grunted, agreeing. Harper had been the only reason he’d gone inside.


    The two pushed open the double doors, stepping outside. The doors were a lot heavier now, compared to when Mike had actually gone to school in the building Pre-Connection. Relatively heavier, but to Mike’s Adapted body, they were light. Thick metal plates had been attached to the door frames, using one of the Elementalist’s fire spells to weld them together.


    The Gaunts had gotten too close to the once-all glass doors. Someone had finally decided the doors needed more protection. It had taken them long enough, Mike thought.


    “It’s a nice night,” Theodore said.


    Mike grunted in agreement, not that he really cared. It was cloudless for once, giving fully and unobstructed views of the stars. Mike didn’t know a thing about the constellations, hadn’t ever cared, but he knew enough that the sky was different. Others had talked about it, so he’d acted like he had seen the differences as well. Another trick learned from his father.


    If he didn’t know something, he’d let the other person direct him to the answer with a series of pointed and leading questions. Another useful trick. Not as useful anymore, Mike lamented.


    The constant wind blew across the schoolyard, pushing at his shirt. Aside from the wind, it was cool. Colder than last week, and would continue to get colder. Winter was coming.


    “Come,” Theodore said as they walked down the steps. “There’s some people I want you to meet.”


    “Who?”


    “New friends of mine. They arrived a couple days ago.”


    “Sure,” Mike said, following Theodore around the school.


    He shook his head. Theodore was acting like it was his idea to head outside. Hadn’t Mike been the one to lead them there? He couldn’t remember but was pretty sure it had been his idea.


    Not that it mattered.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The people that Theodore considered friends were people that Mike wanted to be friends with.


    ***


    Hoskia Silver Bark glared out over the waters. Bow Lake. That''s what the slaves they had captured called it. An odd name but then everything these humans named their land, cities and themselves was odd. The lake had a charm, he had to admit.


    There had once been homes along the shore, covering most of the lake’s perimeter. Now, thanks to the Worldcore, those homes were gone, replaced by trees or stretches of grass. It made the lake look like how it had once hundreds of human years ago, or so he assumed. Before anyone had started building on it.


    Much like the lakes and other waters of Tirna had once been, before the Clan’s had come and claimed it all. He thought of the lake near his home, Oshgomaliko, the waters of eternal stars. That was the closest the human’s language would translate the name and it wasn’t near accurate enough. It didn’t capture the beauty of the near black waters, where the Holio fish would glow beneath the surface. The human’s language was lacking in almost every way.


    The shores of Oshgormaliko were filled with structures, not a single tree remaining. Compounds of the higher ranking Clan members. Silver Bark of those ranks didn’t just have single buildings, they had multiple. It took a lot to house all the staff, servants and lesser Clan members they required. And those compounds along the shores of the lake were just one of many they owned. Some had not even been visited in decades.


    Hoskia had his eye on one such compound. It was one of the smaller ones, unused for nearly a hundred years. The cost to buy was staggering but after this mission, he thought he might have the coin, rank and prestige to manage to buy it. It would be his second compound, his first within one of the larger cities. The compound on Oshgomaliko wasn’t large and wouldn’t give much prestige in ownership, it wouldn’t even be a stepping stone on his path to more. For Hoskia, it was the sentimental value.


    Seeing the lake as a child, learning who had homes along its shores and what it meant to have a home there, it had become a dream for Hoskia. A guiding light on his path of Advancement. A goal. And one that was within sight.


    Or had been.


    Turning away from Bow Lake, and the thoughts of Oshgomaliko, Hoskia looked out over the camp. Organized, just the way it should be. Tents were becoming buildings as the Clan Carpenters and Lumberjacks cut back the forest around them. Walls had gone up but so far they had not needed them. The attacks came regularly but the monsters were not strong enough to threaten the Clan.


    Not yet.


    Soon enough, the monsters would start their own Advancements, gaining Levels and becoming stronger. Lowly Level Five monsters would become Level Ten or higher. They would gain stronger Skills or even new ones. Some would Adapt and gain an affinity to an element. Days would become years, would become decades and the creatures would evolve.


    He had seen it happen. This was not the first newly Connected World that Hoskia had been to.


    The only problem Hoskia had with the camp was the size. It was not growing and would not grow. He only had the forces he had. No reinforcements.


    Which was good and bad.


    Good in that no other Elders, high ranking Clan Members, or those of Higher Levels would appear to complicate his plans, or even take over and push him aside. Bad in that what he had to work with was all he had.


    Not forever but just for the beach head of the invasion of Earth. This force was meant to secure enough land and Resources to allow for growth, to start harvesting enough to power a larger Portal that would bring in more Silver Bark and allow their expansion across


    If he could not secure those Resources, and allow more Silver Bark on Earth, he would have failed in his mission. Hoskia would not be the one to pay for his failure for he would be trapped on Earth. Or dead. No, his family would pay the price. They would feel the dishonor. His name would be tarnished, but he would not care. His branch family would be ruined.


    Just as they would be elevated for his success.


    Even though they carried the Silver Bark name, it did not matter in the face of failure.


    The Patron Divine Being of the Silver Bark did not like weakness or failure. They called him Goraloryiot, the Great War. To the wider Connected System, he was the Concept of Conflict. The Silver Bark lived for conflict but were smart enough to not keep it within themselves. There was plenty of fighting within the Clan but it was more political than martial, which was still conflict. Conflict fueled their aggressive expansionist goals.


    It was through Conflict that the greatest Advancements were made.


    Through Conflict on Earth, Hoskia had hoped to rise in the rankings of the Silver Bark.


    It was a hope he saw fading as he looked at the assembled Elves before him. A small group of scouts, dressed in green and brown tinted leather armor. They stood before a small pile of equipment. Swords and bows, all of obviously Silver Bark crafting.


    “This is all that is left?,” Hoskia said.


    “Yes Milord,” the lead scout, Yoriat Cloudsilver, said. He kept his eyes downcast.


    Yoriat had not failed but he was reporting a failure.


    “What happened to the bodies?”


    “Burned,” Yoriat answered, feeling safe enough to look up.


    At that moment, Hoskia hated how the Silver Bark tended to deal with failure. That and the political maneuvering that was a part of every Silver Bark Clan member, no matter the rank. It was costing him unnecessary lives. Lives he would probably need in the days and months ahead. There were no more coming. He could not afford to lose any for stupid reasons.


    Not if he wanted to avoid a failure of his own.


    “And the Wendigo?”


    “Also burned. We saw no evidence of any surviving Wendigo.”


    Hoskia looked at Loric. The old Ghostweaver eyes glazed over as he used one of his Abilities.


    “It appears they are correct. I cannot detect any trace of the Wendigo.”


    Hoskia nodded, motioning at Yoriat and the scouts to disperse. They did, but not before grabbing the pile of equipment. It would not do to leave it laying around. The Silver Bark may have been backstabbers and opportunists but they were also neat and orderly.


    Turning to look back over the waters, Hoskia wondered what to do. He had just lost a warband to the human Clan. A new Clan that was under equipped and underLeveled. It did not look good that a Silver Bark warband lost to the humans. The warband could have been slain by the Wendigo, with the humans dealing with any survivors, but that was unlikely.


    It reflected poorly on Hoskia. First Elora Seedspear had betrayed the Silver Bark, joining the fledgling human Clan. They had lost one of the few Crones given to them for this mission, somehow turning into a Dungeon. Which was unheard of. They had lost some scouts and warriors against monsters and within the Dungeons they had found. That was normal, but it still reflected poorly on him as the raid leader.


    Now a warband. Twelve trained and experienced warriors.


    The humans in this region should not have been capable of achieving that this early in their Connection. It was a reason that the Silver Bark targeted the area for their raid. They had millennia of experience at invading newly Connected worlds. The Clan leaders knew the most efficient ways to go about taking over a planet.


    The first step was to start in an area less populated. The Connection’s arrival and the first chaotic days after would cull even more of the population. It would take the scattered remnants a long time to start gaining Levels and reforming civilization. That would allow the Silver Bark to quickly gain a foothold, expanding through territory and claiming more and more with little to no opposition before they engaged any real threats and usually by that time, the Silver Bark were too entrenched, had too many Resources, for the defenders to push them back. It was just a matter of time, even if the defenders gained Levels and formed Clans, before the Silver Bark claimed everything.


    That’s how it was supposed to work here.


    Their scouts had found the state of New Hampshire to be perfect as a starting point. It would have abundant Resources and little to no resistance, allowing a small incursion of Silver Bark to lay Claim to the required territory and start bringing in more forces, allowing for a rapid expansion. The research had indicated that they would encounter resistance only when reaching a city called Boston, which in Pre-Connection time had been a good distance away. That would have only expanded with the Connection.


    It should have been perfect but right from the start nothing had gone right and it was only getting worse. There would be hundreds of pockets of invaders across the planet, most with the same tactics as the Silver Bark. Those other Connected races would now have an advantage over the Silver Bark. Hoskia would be blamed, his family would suffer.


    But the situation was salvageable.


    Their numbers were limited while the human Clan could only grow. They could not fight a war of attrition. The situation called for bold action.


    Hoskia could retake the initiative and defeat the human Clan, taking all their claimed territory. It would just take bold action. This was no time to sit back and follow the usual plans. Hoskia had to reach out and claim victory.


    That was what the Connection wanted after all. It didn’t want it’s Connected to sit around and let things come to them. It wanted the Connected to seek out challenges to grow and Advance.


    Hoskia would do just that.