Atlas looked at Mave and Wayne, thinking about how now that the three of them had met and successfully reached an agreement, the empire of Fort Bone would begin to blossom with the speed of canola on a summer day.
“We’ve got enough room for everyone to stay the night. Why don’t we pick this up in the morning? It’s been a long day,” said Atlas.
“That is an understatement,” said Mave.
“Well, we have enough people still defending our settlement,” said Wayne.
“Great!” said Atlas.
Before going to sleep that night, Atlas had one extra duty to perform, and he would need the help from the folks of the Earth’s Children. They had done a great job with the Fort Bone Welcome song, and he wanted a new one for tomorrow.
‘The next morning was looking like it was going to be another busy day.‘
‘‘‘
The next morning, Atlas got out of bed, still amazed by the fact that he had a pillow made from slimes. ‘Alright, time to kickstart this day off,‘ he thought.
Atlas stood before the assembled Portal Crushers, with the Canucks and Coven Clique by his side. It was the start of a new day, and the air buzzed with the energy of anticipation. “Everyone, listen up,” Atlas called out, his voice echoing through the camp. “Today’s a big day. We’ve got new allies, and we’re going to build something stronger—an empire.”
The group murmured amongst themselves, curious about what Atlas had in mind. He gestured to the Canucks and Coven Clique, who were now part of the family. “These are our new brothers and sisters. We will fight together, we will grow together. And to start this new chapter, I want to introduce you to something special—the Empire Song.”
The Earth’s Children had come through for him and created a new anthem for Fort Bone.
***
‘‘[Verse]‘‘
We form an empire tonight
Coven Clique with Wiccan might
Canucks with spirit strong and true
Together, me and you
‘‘[Verse 2]‘‘
The Earth’s Children, kind but tough
Don’t underestimate their love
Portal Crushers, family tight
We'll stand and win this fight
‘‘[Chorus]‘‘
Empire rising, empire bright
Wasteland can’t dim our light
We fight for rights to go home
Together, never alone
‘‘[Verse 3]‘‘
The wasteland apocalypse looms
We dispel its heavy gloom
As we rise with hearts on fire
Our spirit never tires
‘‘[Bridge]‘‘
We form an empire to save
Every soul, every brave
To fight for justice, pure and clear
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Freedom ringing far and near
‘‘[Chorus]‘‘
Empire rising, empire strong
We fight for rights that belong
Together, we’ll call it home
Nevermore to be alone
https://suno.com/song/b0048bff-37fc-4960-9712-66f70f74c6a7
‘‘‘‘
“Yeehaw! That was great!” said Alexander.
“Again!”
“Encore!” The whole settlement was happily cheering.
As the Earth’s Children began to sing the song again, the entire camp joined in, their voices rising in unison. The song spoke of unity, strength, and the future they were all going to build together. It was more than just a song; it was a declaration of intent.
After the song, Atlas gathered his core team. “Amber,” he said, turning to her, “our goal today is to finish off the bone armor. We’ve got a lot of newbies to armor up. Let’s hope they’ve earned enough coins to pay for it.”
Amber nodded. “We’ll get it done.”
“Alexander,” Atlas continued, “you and Isabelle, your job is to hunt for that slime dungeon. I know it’s somewhere to the south. When you find it, fire off those flares. Remember, green for good, red for bad.”
“Got it,” Alexander replied.
Atlas then turned back to Amber. “Sorry to add more to your plate, but how’s our cutlery and tables coming along? And the rest of the essentials?”
“Great news,” Amber said with a grin. “If we do well in our hunt today, with all the excess points and coins from last night, we should be able to fully set up that ruined castle on the defense list. We can refurbish it into something functional.”
Atlas’s eyes widened in surprise. “A fully set-up castle? That’s incredible. What about the tarps and the current setup?”
Atlas had been the war leader last time and he spent most of time fighting in the wasteland. Clark had been the one who ran things like the settlement setup. While Atlas knew of the options that were available, most of the time it was like he was a customer in a restaurant. He knew what the meals were like, maybe even the ingredients and what it tasted like. But he didn’t know the exact recipes.
“Don’t worry,” Amber reassured him. “We’ll remove the tarps and use the manpower from the newbies to reset the area. Olivia’s already coordinating with the Earth’s Children to create a nicer outdoor living space.”
“Sounds perfect,” Atlas agreed. The day began, and everyone set off to their tasks with a sense of purpose.
‘‘‘
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, a red flare shot into the sky. “Red, red, red!” Alexander shouted, his heart pounding as he, Isabelle, their newbies, and their porters rushed toward the flare’s origin. They arrived just in time to see Wilfredo and Barbara’s team being overwhelmed by a group of ten bandits.
Alexander charged in without hesitation, slashing at the nearest bandit. His sword cut through the air, catching the bandit across the chest. “Yeehaw!”
The battle was intense, with Alexander and Isabelle fighting alongside Wilfredo and Barbara, but the odds were still against them. The newbies tried hard, but unfortunately, there’s no second place in a sword fight.
Just when it seemed like they were outnumbered and about to lose, more Portal Crushers arrived, drawn by the flare. The tide of battle quickly turned, and soon it was twenty against ten. The bandits, realizing they were outmatched, fled, leaving their wounded behind.
Breathing heavily, Alexander looked around at his comrades. “What was that?” he muttered, still trying to process the sudden onslaught.
Atlas, who had also responded to the flare, placed a hand on Alexander’s shoulder. “That,” he said, “was just the beginning. We’re building an empire, and not everyone’s going to like it.”
“Who were they?” Wilfredo asked, still catching his breath from the fight.
Atlas surveyed the aftermath, his expression serious. “You know how we got that huge batch of refugees after they got portaled in?”
“Yeahhhhh,” Alexander slowly replied, nodding.
“Well,” Atlas continued, “a lot of those people have been kicked out of settlements. They’ve been left without permanent homes. Their only choice now is banditry. They’ll start hunting us, trying to take our gear, our food, and even setting up for potential attacks on weaker settlements.”
Alexander frowned, realizing the implications. “How did they get weapons in the first place?”
Atlas shrugged, "Not sure, but my bet is it's from settlements that let them use the welcome coins at the vending machines before kicking them out."
“Eso es una estupidez, hombre,” Wilfredo said, shaking his head.
Here’s the updated dialogue with a stronger rural accent for Alexander:
“Kinda,” said Atlas. “Kicking a new refugee out from a settlement without a weapon is a death sentence. So maybe those settlements were just showing mercy.”
“Well, reckon that mercy weren’t the smartest call,” said Alexander, tipping his hat slightly.
‘They’re starting to get it,‘ Atlas thought. ‘Mercy has no place in the wasteland.‘
“You think they’ll come after us? Or maybe Fort Bone, ¿qué piensas?” asked Wilfredo.
Atlas shook his head slightly. “Probably not directly, at least not right away. Our defenses are strong, and once we get that castle up, we’ll be even stronger. But these bandits will pick off the weaker settlements around us, and they’ll keep coming back. If we let them grow too bold, they'll become a bigger problem.”
So, what’s the plan?” Alexander asked, always ready for action.
“We’ve got to get better armor,” Atlas said firmly. “What we have right now is the most basic armor, the level one stuff issued by those vending machines when we first arrived. It’s not enough. We need to upgrade to the next level, something that’ll protect us when the real fights come.”
Alexander nodded, understanding the urgency. “Alright, let’s get ‘er done. We can’t let these bandits think they can push us around.”
Atlas gave him a determined look. “Exactly. We’re building something here—an empire. And if we want it to last, we need to be prepared for anything.”
‘Yeah, we need armor, weapons, and more training. Otherwise the bandits are going to be a huge problem,‘ Atlas thought.