POV: CLARK’S AT BANDIT CAMP
Clark stood at the edge of the forest, peering out at Fort Bone. The lights of the settlement a tasty temptation for outlaws. He turned to his second-in-command, Skye, who was busy sharpening a blade by the fire.
“How’s the hunting going?” Clark asked.
“Good,” Skye replied, not looking up from his task. “The mutant deer and moose are keeping us well-fed.”
“And the safety?” Clark’s gaze remained fixed on the distant lights of Fort Bone.
“It’s going well. We’re careful, not attacking any large groups of adventurers, just picking off the ones in pairs or threes. Those people still think the mobs are the biggest problem in the wasteland.”
Clark smirked. The bandits had perfected their strategy, tricking adventurers into thinking they were injured, then leading them into ambushes. It was a simple plan, but one that had yielded great success. Every ambush meant more loot, more coins, and more power.
“You still planning to visit Fort Bone tonight?” Clark asked, turning his attention back to Skye.
Skye nodded, sliding his blade into its sheath. “We are.”
Clark felt a pang of jealousy. He wished he could go himself, but he knew better. Atlas would recognize him in an instant, and with how vindictive Atlas was, Clark would never make it out of the settlement alive.
“Clark, I’ve got a question,” Skye said, breaking the silence. “Why are Atlas and the Portal Crushers doing so well, while you’re here in the forest with us bandits? Aren’t you both time travellers who’ve done this before?”
Clark’s expression darkened. “That’s because Atlas has brainwashed those idiots into thinking he’s some kind of hero with that damn TV show. He’s painted himself as the noble leader while making me out to be a cartoon villain.”
‘The micro drama that Atlas had produced was a crazy good plan, purposefully downplaying the action and strategy to keep everyone else in the dark. Atlas was crafting an apocalypse that might be safer but it was one that would unfold under his rule.’
“But don’t worry,” Clark added, his eyes narrowing. “We’ll flip his script soon enough.”
Skye nodded, but there was a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes. He respected Clark, but it was hard not to notice the gap between their success and Atlas’s. Skye stood, gesturing to the rest of the bandits. “We should head out.”
Clark watched as his crew prepared to leave, a mix of anticipation and frustration swirling within him.
‘Fucking Atlas. Fucking me for not preparing for this second time around like he did. Just you wait. I’ll turn this all around.’
---
As the bandits entered Fort Bone, they blended in with the bustling crowd. The town was alive with energy—laughter echoed from the tavern, crafters hawked their wares, and adventurers swapped stories of their latest exploits.
“Dude. Did you see the new knife I got?” One of the adventurers said while pointing out his new backup dagger.
His friend responded, “Nice ... lets go to the “A Salt and Buttery” machine and load up on potato chips. I’ve got a hankering for ketchup chips. And you know once we go home it’s not available in our vending machines.”
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Groups of adventurers were having conversations like this all over town.
For the bandits, it was an opportunity to revel in the comforts of civilization, if only for a short while.
Skye led the way, guiding the group through the market district. The bandits split up, each finding their own form of entertainment. Some headed for the tavern, where they quickly became part of the drinking contests, while others drifted toward the brothel, eager to indulge in more private pleasures. The night air was thick with the scent of grilled meats and the hum of lively conversations.
One of the bandits stumbled upon a small group gathered around a game of dice. He joined in, tossing a few coins into the pot, laughing as he made a few quick wins. Another found herself browsing through stalls of trinkets and oddities, pocketing a few items when the merchant wasn’t looking. It was a good night—fortunes were made, drinks were downed, and for a brief moment, the bandits could almost forget the harsh reality waiting for them back in the forest.
But it wasn’t just leisure they sought. Skye’s sharp eyes fell on the Miscellaneous by Mort vending machine, a staple in Fort Bone. He browsed through the items, his interest piqued by something unusual: a Demon Dog Warding Circle. The description was simple yet promising: “No more bad doggies or monsters can attack you while within the circle of safety. Warning: If the runes are damaged, they will stop working. No refunds.”
Skye smirked. This was exactly what they needed. Those damn demon dogs had been a constant thorn in their side, and this warding circle would offer them a much-needed reprieve. He quickly bought it and then noticed another item that made his heart skip a beat—a Town Portal Stone. “One time use for one person to teleport to a linked town.”
Skye grabbed it without hesitation. “This will be perfect for us,” he thought, imagining how much easier it would be to get back to Fort Bone without that gruelling 20-kilometre hike. Sure, the trek back to the caves would still suck, but at least they could come and go with more ease.
The night was going well—too well, in fact. The mini fairies and guards didn’t notice the bandits in town until one of them, emboldened by too much ale, started a fight with a regular visitor. The fight quickly escalated, drawing the attention of a nearby bunch of mini fairies.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The bandit who had pulled a knife stabbed the visitor in a panic.
The guards rushed in, and the bandits made a hasty escape. Skye was furious, cursing at the reckless bandit as they fled through the back alleys of Fort Bone. The town’s alarms rang out, and the mini fairies buzzed overhead, their red lights glowing like tiny sirens of trouble.
They barely made it out of the gates, the sound of pursuit close behind. But in the end, they managed to escape into the night, leaving the chaos behind. Clark would be pissed about how things had gone south, but they had managed to slip away with their lives. With the warding circle and a bunch of return tokens they had scored more than just a good time.
‘‘‘
Back at Fort Bone, Atlas listened as the guards recounted the events of the night. His expression was calm, but inside, his mind was racing. The bandits had struck again, and this time, they had come dangerously close to causing real damage.
Atlas crossed his arms, staring out at the gates. “Yup,” he said to himself. “The bandits are definitely going to start attacking settlements soon.”
He would need to tighten security, step up the patrols, and keep a close eye on any suspicious activity. The bandits were getting bolder, but Atlas wasn’t going to let them disrupt the peace he was building.
‘The future will be difficult, but that’s the way this wasteland works, small pockets of peace amidst violence and conflict.The new FrankenArmor though would be perfect for my personal defense.’
Randy and the two new refugees, Mark and Mia, came back to Atlas’s office.
"All right," said Atlas. "We're going to be working on a secret project here, so I'm going to have you all sign these system-enforced contracts. They're NDAs, and they mean you can never speak about this project. If you do, you won’t like the consequences.”
He handed out three copies of the NDA.
Mark and Mia, who had been happily collecting coins earlier, looked a little surprised.
‘What's going on?‘ thought Mark.
‘I don’t know what the secret project is,‘ thought Mia, ‘but this morning I was a refugee with nothing, and now I’m an official crafter for Fort Bone. That’s a pretty sweet deal.‘
Atlas continued, "Okay. You see this armor?" He pointed to the lamellar armor he had. "I want you to attach the coins all over this armor. He showed them the part he had started. Get as many of them on as you can. If you run out of coins, just let Randy know."
"All right," Mark and Mia agreed.
"When you're done with that, I want you to cover the coins with a thin layer of Demon Dog-skinned leather."
"Okay," Randy said.
They started by working on a small section to test their approach. It worked, but even though the mana coins were thin and almost weightless, they still had cartoon images of monster heads on them.
The monster faces with X Eyes and lolling tongues still could be seen faintly under the layer of demon dog hide.
‘Crap,’ thought Atlas. ‘I don’t want people to know about the secret.’
"Hold on, guys. You keep working on that. I'll be right back."
The armorers continued attaching coins and Demon Dog hide strips. Atlas went to the vending machine areas and found what he needed in the Miscellaneous By Mort machine: Super Spray Paint. It was available in Skeleton Gray, Slime Green, and Red Fairy Red.
"Oh, this is perfect," Atlas said, seeing the Skeleton Gray. "It’ll look badass and help at night. Shit, it’s expensive."
Then he noticed a special promotion popping up on the settlement screen: Red Fairy Red, 50% off per spray can.
‘Ooh, this discount is great,’ thought Atlas. He quickly bought 10 cans. "I don’t know how much coverage each can will give, and I want to make sure no one can see that there are mana coins on my armor."
He brought the spray cans back to Alex and Mia and instructed them, "After you’re done with all the preliminary work, I want you to spray the armor and cover it with this. Make sure you don’t get the armor too sticky in the joints. I’ve still got to fight in this Frankenarmor."
Mark and Mia took note of the instructions and got to work.
‘This is going to be fucking perfect,’ thought Atlas. He left the group in his office and stationed a guard outside to prevent anyone from peeking in.
‘Super Mega OP armor, here I come,’ Atlas thought with a gleeful look on his face. His internal eager beaver strutted around with armor on.