Day 10 began with a stark contrast between the bright, unforgiving wasteland morning and the sombre mood of the Portal Crushers. Day 9 had been a kick in the crotch, and the group was still reeling from its impact. People weren’t ready to face another day of struggle and survival.
After breakfast, Atlas stood at the front of the room, sensing the heaviness in the air. “I know everyone’s not feeling it,” he began, his voice cutting through the room. “I bet you just want to sit around, maybe get some booze from the machines. But I’m sorry—we can’t do that. We can’t afford to do nothing. Time in the wasteland is precious. One thing we can do, though, is stay home.”
This unexpected turnaround surprised people. They thought Atlas would surely make them continue their daily routine of hunting spawns.
The group looked confused. “What do you mean, stay home?” someone asked.
“Well,” Atlas said, “Fort Bone—we have this fancy new castle. We’ve got a lot of people ready to defend it. And we have food. Not just the Ultra-Manly Buff Bars we started with. There’s enough Soylent porridge for everybody. And we also have other options. Tastier options.”
“I bet you guys are all enjoying the extra coins we got from taking down the Sons of Valhalla,” Atlas added with a grin.
“Hell yeah, we are!” Alexander replied enthusiastically. “Me and Hank are right close to getting that brewery.”
“How many more coins do you need?” Atlas asked.
“Only about a hundred more.”
Atlas nodded. “You know what? Take that hundred from the community storage and go buy the brewery you want. Let’s get that set up this afternoon.”
“Hell yeah!” Hank cheered, his excitement palpable.
Atlas continued, “It’s not just a brewery we’re setting up today. We’ve got a lot of coins, and we’re also going to be setting up an inn.”
“An inn?” Isabella said, eyes wide with surprise.
“That’s right,” Atlas confirmed. “A big, tall inn where we’ll serve the beer Alexander and Hank make.”
“Really?” Amber asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Really,” Atlas replied. “And I know a lot of you refugees still haven’t signed contracts about whether you want to be warriors, crafters, or porters. But there’s a new option today. From now on, you can work in Fort Bone. You don’t ever have to step out into the wasteland if you don’t want to. If anyone has signed a contract previously and wants to switch, today’s the day to do that.”
The refugees looked excited. After their brutal introduction to the wasteland, many of them were eager to stay within the relative safety of Fort Bone.
“Now, you can still choose one of the previous three groups,” Atlas continued, “but with the inn opening, we’re going to need a bartender, waitstaff, and house cleaners to take care of those rooms. That’s the whole point of Fort Bone. We’re not just PlastiTarped in a ruined castle anymore.”
Laughter rippled through the room.
“We’re a functional town now. Fort Bone is close to becoming the City of Bone. We’ll start small as a town, but soon, we’re going to be the hub for the whole wasteland. And the reason I can confidently say that is because today is Day 10.”
“What does Day 10 have to do with anything?” Lark, one of the porters, asked.
Atlas’s expression darkened. “Day 10 is the day settlements pay for all their mistakes.”
He had tried to lighten the mood with talk of breweries, but this question couldn’t be avoided.
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“What mistakes?” Lark pressed.
“Day 10 is when the people who relied on the ManaDome of MegaAwesomeness from Day 1 realise the huge mistake they’ve made.”
“What do you mean?” Lark asked, now more curious than ever.
Atlas explained, “Every day they used the Manadome of Awesomeness, the demon dogs roughly doubled. It’s not 100% doubling, but it’ll be close enough to count. So Day 1, they had one dog. Day 2, two dogs. Day 3, four dogs. Day 4, eight. Day 5, sixteen. Day 6, thirty-two. Day 7, sixty-four. Day 8, one hundred twenty-eight. Day 9, two hundred fifty-six. And Day 10? Over five hundred demon dogs are going to attack them tonight.”
“Holy shit balls,” Alexander muttered, the realisation hitting him like a ton of bricks.
“That’s right,” Atlas said, his voice heavy with the gravity of the situation. “Holy shit.”
Atlas continued, his tone grim as he laid out the situation. “The demon dogs still can’t attack through the dome. But as of tonight, when the dogs are done, they won’t go far. The more demon dogs there are, the less mana there is in the air. And also, dark clouds will start gathering above the sky when they’re in that large of a group. When large packs of demon dogs are around, you can tell because the sky will literally be darker, and the air will reek of their demonic presence.”
The group listened intently, the gravity of the situation sinking in.
“That means every one of those settlements—how many are left, I don’t know. We began with more than fifty, but you all saw what happened last night. At least three of them were taken down. The Sons of Valhalla? We razed them. The Coven Clique? They destroyed themselves. And the Canucks? Well, they joined us as a group. That’s three settlements completely changed by our actions last night. I don’t know how many other settlements faced attacks, but things have changed.”
He paused, letting his words sink in.
“I don’t know how many settlements are left, but I can tell you this: the smart ones didn’t heavily use that Manadome of MegaAwesomeness. The dumb ones, though… Well, I can’t call them dumb. They didn’t know this, unless they studied the show.”
A voice from the back, one of the new refugees, interrupted, “Atlas, I don’t think you actually showed it clearly in the microdrama. We saw the dogs increasing and the way the atmosphere changed, but you didn’t really explain why.”
“You’re right,” Atlas acknowledged. “We didn’t. Hey, we didn’t have a lot of time in those little microdramas, I kind of regret that now,” he defended with a smile. “But here’s why it’s important. And here’s why your job, John and Amber, is going to be super important.”
“Oh? What’s that?” John asked, intrigued.
“Tonight, those people are going to realise they’re trapped. They’re going to watch as the demon dogs literally camp out by their settlements and refuse to leave.”
“But aren’t the demon dogs allergic to sunlight?” John asked.
“They hate it when the sun comes up,” Atlas said, “they are allergic to sunlight, but they’re not vampires that burst into flames. They’re just mildly uncomfortable. And with a pack of five hundred dogs, that mildly uncomfortable feeling will be nothing because of the growing clouds in the atmosphere. So they won’t be happy during the day, sure. They’ll be lethargic and slow, but they’ll just keep hanging out and waiting. Those people in those settlements? They can’t ever leave. They can only use their daily teleportation activation to get somewhere else for food and water.”
“Holy shit balls,” Alexander muttered, his mind blown by the enormity of the situation.
Atlas nodded, the weight of their circumstances pressing down on everyone in the room. “This is just the beginning, guys. Day 10 is going to change everything. There’s a lot that we are going to need to do today. But like I said, it’s all safely within Fort Bone.”
‘‘‘
The news Atlas delivered about Day 10 and the incoming demon dogs left a palpable tension in the room. The new recruits, or "noobies," as they’d come to be known, were grappling with the implications of Atlas’s speech. The promise of safety within Fort Bone was tempting, but the weight of their decisions was heavy.
As Atlas finished his speech, the room erupted into murmurs. The noobies gathered in small clusters, discussing their options with a mix of anxiety and excitement.
Joan, a former office worker who’d been thrust into the chaos, looked over at Camberly, who was still processing the gravity of the situation. “So, what do you think?” She asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
Camberly, her brow furrowed, replied, “I don’t know. Working inside the fort sounds safe, and the idea of a steady job at the inn is appealing. I’ve also seen what’s out there. If we stay inside, we’re safe from the demon dogs, but we might miss out on a chance to make a real difference.”
Joan nodded thoughtfully. “True, but I’m not sure how much more difference we can make if we’re getting overwhelmed by those demon dogs. Maybe staying in Fort Bone isn’t such a bad idea.”
Samantha, another new recruit, was torn between the safety of Fort Bone and the thrill of exploration. “I get where you’re coming from.” she said. “But with what Atlas said, it might be smarter to stay in. I’m leaning towards switching to a job at the inn, though I’m still not completely sure.”
As the day wore on, Atlas’s offer remained open, and the noobies continued to weigh their choices. The contrast between the safety of Fort Bone and the dangers of the wasteland was stark. While some chose the stability and security of the inn or other positions within the fort, others, driven by a sense of duty or the desire for adventure, remained committed to their original roles.
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