Reorganisation

Grindel stood at the back of the base with his arms folded, watching the gestation vat before him with keen interest. The machine hummed as bubbles frothed inside, gestating a new husk, one of the five that Grendel had requested. He glanced to the side and noted the looks on Tia's and Lucy's faces.

"You know, I think with this, we can win," Grendel said, placing a hand on the vat's glass. "Once the vat has finished gestating the four other husks, we can launch an offensive on the goblin camp. I believe the captain should be the only one left there."

Lucy ran a finger through her blonde hair and nodded. "Well, the hard part has been done. We've already led all the lesser goblins away. So, depending on what type of goblin this is, six husks should be more than enough."

As Grendel nodded, he noticed that Tia was biting her lower lip, and her eyes were unfocused. "Something on your mind?" he asked, turning to her.

"Is something not on yours?" she said, frowning. "We have one crazy child with us and a man who looks like he's gone through more than any of us could imagine. How does that not bother you?"

Grendel cocked his head to the side. She was right—in a normal situation, having people like Gus and Sharon around would be concerning. If he didn't have the Clan Force system, he might not have even let them join. Or maybe he would have because, to him, it didn't seem right to leave someone to suffer if you could do something about it.

"It doesn't bother me because I can assure not only my safety but theirs," Grendel said. He moved away from the vat and walked towards the stage, signalling the women to follow. "From what I've seen, these guys don't have any levels, so a husk is more of a threat to them than a goblin."

He stopped at the top of the stage stairs and smiled at the two twins below him. "Besides, as my army grows, I will have the ability to grow with them. I don't know if you two have checked your CIs since everything has happened so quickly, but I think you may have gotten some levels yourselves."

The eyebrows of the two women furrowed as they stared blankly at the air in front of them. They were no doubt checking their CIs to see if Grendel was telling the truth.

"Oh crap, I did level. I'm now level three," Tia said, smiling at her sister. "But what does this mean? Do we get something for this?" She turned towards Grendel with an expectant look—as if he would have the answers.

But much like her, he did not know. The CI had not explained how levels impacted him yet. "I'm not sure. The CI is a bit cagey with information like that. But I'm sure if we ask the global chat, someone may have some insights." Grendel strode to his chair and slumped down, bringing up the screen with the map in front of him. "But unfortunately, I feel people like 8464 would want to keep that information to themselves to have an edge."

Grendel heard a sigh from behind him, then the sound of bodies hitting chairs.

"And that's another one of our problems," Tia said. "That person, whoever they are, seems to be a bit of a warmonger. No offence, but he seems more like a Braxian than you."

What the heck does that even mean? Grendel thought. Am I meant to run around killing and demanding people serve me? What was the empire doing in the dead lands?

"No offence taken," Grendel said, opening the facilities tab and navigating to the Research Facility. It was the last building he had to place, and then he could focus on setting up the walls. The research building would also allow him to unlock more facilities, units, and defences.

Grendel placed the research facility west of the bunker, a few meters away. The husks had cleared the space, leaving nothing but dry turned-over dirt. It was an eyesore. The research facility would help in covering that up.

"But I wouldn't worry about him too much," Grendel said, glancing back at Tia. "Right, now I have a job for you, and you might not like it."

Tia's face dropped as she narrowed her blue eyes at him. "What is it?"

"I want you to go with two husks to collect some resources. We still haven't found a water source, and the base needs food."

"No," Lucy said, causing Grendel to turn with a frown.

"I wasn't asking."

"Why can't she stay in here and control one of the husks to go and find resources?" Lucy said. The girl's small frame was practically shaking. "It's not safe out there. Why would you—"

"I'll go," Tia said, lowering her head. Grendel nodded; she had yet to be punished for stepping out of line, and this trip would serve as a reminder for her.

"Tia, no," Lucy said with a whimper. "You can't."

"She will, and you will be the one protecting her," Grendel said, locking eyes with Lucy as he drummed his fingers on his armrest. "I want to save people, but I won't have people taking advantage of opportunities I give them."

"You are a Braxian," Lucy mumbled. Grendel almost didn't even hear her.

"Am I going alone?" Tia asked.

"About that," Grendel said, chuckling. It was going to be awkward.

—

Grendel stood at the edge of the clearing, facing the forest. The morning dew still clung to the tree leaves and grass while the songs of birds flittered in. He glanced at the two people before him, Tia and Gus—an unlikely pairing, but a necessary one.

Tia had misgivings about the man, and Grendel felt she could test this theory while going through her punishment in one fell swoop. Part of him didn't like the plan; after all, he was putting Tia at risk. But the apocalypse had started, and people needed to adapt.

He hoped everything would go well as he ground his heels into the dirt and cleared his throat. "I've already explained this to Tia, Gus. But again, I'll say it: I want you to go in there," he said, pointing into the forest, "and bring back sticks, stones, logs, and anything you can find that could help us get a fire going and maybe pad down the bunker stage."

Though I'm not sure how great a small pile of leaves will be for my back, he thought.

Grendel grimaced as he rubbed his sore back. The sleep last night could have been worlds better—not that he had much choice.

Tia nodded with a weak smile on her lips. Grendel could tell she wasn't too happy, but she didn't leave him much of a choice. He didn't want to be like the empire, cruel and calculating. But he couldn't have people taking advantage of him either; that could spell his demise.

"I'll do my best, lad. I was quite the survival expert back in my hometown. So don't you worry," Gus said with a smile. Grendel preferred that smile; it was much better than his expression when he grilled Sharon yesterday after her outburst. If he didn't have his husks, the chance of containing the man could be very minuscule.

"That's not a problem," Grendel said, glancing into the forest. He considered going with them, perhaps sending more than just two husks. After all, the goblin camp wasn't going anywhere, and food was more important for the growing camp. But then he frowned and remembered that the goblin camp might not be going anywhere, but the dungeons weren't waiting either. They would break eventually.

I should give her another warning, just in case, he thought.

Grendel turned to Tia, pursing his lips, before letting out a deep sigh. "Please be careful and don't do anything reckless. I mean it. That husk is under your command, while your sister will control the other." He pointed to the white humanoid standing a few paces away, its metallic faceplate gleaming in the sun.

"I'll be careful," she said, forming a fist at her side as her eyes seemed to fill with determination. "I'll prove to you that I can do better."

Grendel narrowed his eyes at her as he smiled. Was she always this serious? He thought back, but it didn't matter; this was a life-or-death situation and would be for some time. His so-called real life would not be coming back, but he'd make damn sure that he could provide himself with a new one, a better one.

"Don't worry, lad," Gus said with a bright smile that went to his eyes. "I'll make sure to look after your lady friend. You have my word that no harm will come to her."

Grendel nodded at his statement. He wasn't sure what Guss meant by 'lady friend', but he was glad the man put himself forward. From what he could tell and from what he had seen, Gus was a decent man. He put others in his thoughts, but when angered, he was a force to be reckoned with.

They could both be, Grendel thought. If only Sharon weren't such a Braxian zealot.

"Alright then," Grendel said, combing his fingers through his hair. "You two should get going. I have some things to deal with." He glanced back to the bunker, noting Sharon's lonely figure standing a little away from the door. She was watching the research facility grow.