Emma, the former leader of the Coven Clique, had finally found her way to Fort Bone. She'd been searching for it ever since escaping the Sons of Valhalla. She had been wandering alone because of her horrible sense of direction and had been surviving in the forest for all this time. Demon dogs, skeletons, and other mobs had stalked the woods, but she'd kept ahead of them with her clever use of potions and antidotes. Hunting mutated deer and foraging had kept her alive. It wasn’t much of a life, but it worked. Now, she was finally close to reuniting with her sisters. She hadn’t known where Fort Bone was, but after following the distant notes of the ‘‘Hot Pink Atlas Will Bring Us Home‘‘, she knew she was in the right place.
At the gate, she was greeted by guards.
"That’s a one-mana coin tax," one said.
With a sigh, Emma reached into her deerskin bag and pulled out a token coin. She had a few from killing forest mobs. After paying, she stepped inside and found herself surrounded by the noise and chaos of Fort Bone. The place buzzed with life—vendors, adventurers, and survivors filled every corner. It was more than she'd expected. Now, all she needed was to find her sisters.
She stopped a couple of people in passing.
"Do you know where the Coven Clique is?"
"No clue," one muttered, barely slowing down as he headed toward a vending machine.
‘Well, that’s not helpful,‘ she thought, wandering the commercial district. After walking a bit, something caught her eye: a sign that read ‘‘"Hex and the City Potions."
She chuckled at the name. ‘Of course they’d name it that.‘
***
The girls had loved that show, and it looked like they'd managed to carve out a business here. Potions had always been their specialty, and now with the wasteland’s strange ingredients, they’d gotten even better.
The vending machines certainly hadn’t hurt their progress either. One, in particular, had been a game-changer: the ‘‘Cauldron of Creation‘‘ from the Wasteland Wonders Vending Machine. For just two coins use, they could toss in ingredients from the wasteland and skip the tedious brewing process. The cauldron’s description made it clear: “Cauldron of Creation. (20 coins). Skip all the hassle and make your own potions. Brewing made easy. Results not guaranteed.”
As long as the chosen materials were mana-infused from the wasteland, the witches could concoct new potions on the fly. Their homemade brews were way cheaper than buying directly from the vending machines.
***
Emma stepped inside the shop and was greeted by Seraphina, one of the witches, who was busy arranging rows of colorful potion bottles. The woman looked up, smiling brightly.
"Welcome to Hex and the City! What can I do for you?" Seraphina asked, her eyes gleaming.
"I’m looking for the Coven Clique," Emma said, a smile forming. "I heard you might know where I could find them."
Recognition flashed across Seraphina’s face, and her smile softened into something more familiar.
"You’re one of the originals, aren’t you? The Coven Clique is still around, but we’ve changed a lot since you left. Come on, I’ll take you to the others."
Seraphina led her through the shop and into the bustling streets, weaving past the crowds until they reached the Wasted Tavern. Inside, sitting at a table, were two familiar faces: Mave, now the leader of the Coven Clique, and Lavender, who ran the Fort Boned brothel. They were enjoying a meal when they spotted Emma, their eyes going wide with disbelief.
"Emma?" Mave jumped up, her voice full of shock. "You’re alive? We thought the Sons of Valhalla killed you!"
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Lavender rushed over, grinning ear to ear.
"We heard rumors, but we never thought we’d see you again! How did you make it?"
Emma laughed, the weight of weeks in the wilderness finally lifting. "It’s a long story, but I’m here now. It’s good to be home."
Mave turned to Emma, excitement bubbling in her voice. "We have to introduce you to Atlas! It was your decision that helped us join Fort Bone early on and build the new society of the Coven Clique inside the Empire."
"Empire?" Emma asked, surprised.
Lavender grinned, jumping in. "Yes, Fort Bone is no longer just a settlement or town; it's actually a whole empire, and our goal is to take over the world."
"Take over the world?" Emma repeated, disbelief in her voice. "That’s never been our goal."
Mave nodded, her tone growing more serious. "We might have been more peaceful before, but you saw how that turned out for us. A society of only Wiccans wouldn’t have worked, as much as we would’ve liked it to."
The three of them quickly finished their drinks and made their way through the busy streets until they found Atlas, surveying the vending machines.
"Atlas, this is Emma, our High Priestess," Mave said, then added, "or, I guess, our former High Priestess, now that you’re High Priest."
Atlas extended his hand with a smile.
"Glad to meet you. If you want to take back the role of High Priestess, I’ve got no problem with that. The Coven Clique has been a huge help to Fort Bone."
Mave shook her head. "I don’t think that’s necessary, Atlas. What do you think, Emma?"
Emma, still taking in all the sights of Fort Bone, glanced at the mini faeries patrolling the skies. "Well, in every Coven, we can have both a High Priest and a High Priestess."
Atlas nodded, seemingly relieved. "I’m fine with that. I don’t need to run the Coven Clique. It was your group to begin with, and I’m happy with the decisions you’ve made. Mave, you've been brilliant with the potions and establishments."
He carefully avoided mentioning that one of the establishments was a brothel. "And thank you for all your help with the traumatized actresses," he added.
Mave waved it off with a smile. "It’s no problem, Atlas. We’re all in this together for the Fort Bone Empire."
Emma clapped her hands, nodding. "Good, then it's settled. Let’s have our celebration ceremony tonight."
Atlas blinked. "Ceremony? I thought we already went through that." Not that he would mind—his time with Mave and Nova had been the highlight of his week.
"Well, we have to formally initiate the partnership between the High Priest and High Priestess."
"Just the two of us?" Atlas asked, hopeful.
"Of course not," Emma replied. "It'll be the two of us, but there have to be witnesses."
"How many witnesses?" Atlas asked, starting to feel less enthusiastic.
"Oh, the entire Coven," Emma answered, matter-of-factly.
‘This is not what I signed up for,‘ he thought, ‘but a man's got to do what a man's got to do.‘ Atlas smiled.
—
POV: FAITH SETTLEMENT
Kumar stood on the hill, gazing steadily over the Faith Settlement. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows over the desert landscape. In the distance, he could see new arrivals being herded in, bewildered and wide-eyed as they took in their strange new surroundings. It wouldn’t take long before they were given the robes, taught the prayer, and welcomed into the fold. Most didn’t resist. Some even embraced the conversion as though they had been waiting for it their entire lives.
He smiled to himself. Things were going well.
The settlement had grown rapidly over the past weeks. Every time someone was portaled in, they became part of the faith. Some came from places where the old world had already forgotten religion, while others were desperate for a sense of purpose. ‘Faith could save them all,‘ Kumar thought. ‘It was the only thing that would.‘
As Kumar walked through the settlement, he passed by a tent where several men were eagerly inspecting their latest purchase. The sex dolls had been a popular buy, modelled after the 72 virgins promised in heaven. They weren’t exactly what had been described in the holy texts, but for many of the men, they were close enough.
He nodded in approval as one of the younger converts waved at him, grinning ear to ear. The kid didn’t even look 20 yet. But he’d taken to the teachings with enthusiasm, like many of them.
Despite the easy atmosphere in the camp, Kumar’s mind was never far from the greater mission. They’d been careful so far, avoiding major conflicts with the other settlements. The Faith Settlement kept to itself, quietly growing in strength and numbers. But that wouldn’t be enough forever. His true purpose was larger than just keeping this small corner of the wasteland safe.
The name of the Faith Settlement was no coincidence.
He had a vision of the future, of a vast empire built on faith, where all would worship in the way that was right. He saw it in his dreams, in the words of his prayers. The world would be returned to faith, through conversion or otherwise. He was sure of it. They just needed more time.
Kumar paused at the edge of the settlement, where the makeshift wall of scrap metal marked their territory. Beyond it lay the untamed wasteland, full of dangers and opportunities alike. His settlement was thriving, yes—but the wasteland would be harder to conquer.
Still, the faith was strong, and so was his resolve.
One day, all would kneel to the one true faith.