POV : FORT BONE WAR ROOM
Olivia, John, and Amber were all in the war room with the plans for making John's controversial skeleton-luring-away plan.
"So, exactly what do we need to do, John?" asked Olivia. She wasn't mentally 100% okay with the plan, but she understood the reasoning behind it.
John said, "It's going to be hard, but with everyone working together, I think we can do it. Here's my plan."
"And what are we calling this plan?" Amber said.
John replied, "Um, let's see, what about the boom boom plan?"
The group erupted in laughter.
“Seriously?”
“Yup! Love this plan!”
Amber chuckled with tears in her eyes, "Sure, it's easier than saying skeleton-leading-away plan."
John said, "All right, boom boom plan. Plan one, part one: we need to hire people to start leading the horde away. They're two days away, so we need to have adventurers at the tail end of the horde creating mana sources in a straight line back towards the walls and the America United settlement."
"All right," said Amber. "But what do you need us to do exactly?"
John said, "Oh, yes, exact plans. Why don't we have a booth at the vending machines and start hiring adventurers? We'll equip them all with free mana demon dog warding wards and mana flares, like Atlas suggested . Their job is just to put down the wards and fire off the flares, then to get out of that area and head towards the next part, and then head towards the walls."
"The walls?" Amber said. "Don't we only need one group? They could do it all if they kept doing it within one hour of each other."
John said, "With thousands of skeletons, the tail end of that horde isn't going to be just a couple of them. So why don't we get 10 groups together, each of them spaced across from each other sideways about an hour apart so that the mana concentration really builds up there?"
Olivia said, "OK, so that's where you want me to come in?”
John said, "That's right. As the head of the diplomats, I'm sure you can use some of the recruiters to help convince the adventurers that they won't get slaughtered by skeletons if they do this."
Olivia said, "I can do that, but you're sure they won't get slaughtered by skeletons?"
John said, "If they're smart and they avoid getting too close to the horde, that should be fine."
Amber said, "Then what?"
"When they see the horde moving towards them, they have to move fast and stop about an hour ahead, and then do the same thing. How long will this go on?"
John said, "Well, until we get them to the wall. We want to break that arrowhead into a blob. So let's see, an hour per team, 10 teams, multiply that by—"
“How far away is the wall?" Amber interrupted.
"Two days, so that's 48 hours."
Olivia said, "Well, we won't really need to keep firing off the flares once they get close to the wall, right? The wall itself is emanating quite a bit of mana."
John said, "That's right. We'll also want to keep an eye out on where the skeleton horde's coming from. Until we can get that dungeon cleared, that horde's going to keep respawning."
Olivia said, "I can have the adventurers do that."
Amber said, "Are we going to need any soldiers?"
John said, "We will. Those adventurers will probably get into trouble, either with the skeleton horde or even fighting amongst themselves. Adventurers aren't known for being well-behaved little children."
Olivia said, "That's a fact."
‘‘‘‘
POV : BONETOWN
Two adventurers stood in front of the recruiting booth, engaged in conversation. The first one brimmed with excitement at the chance to become a Fort Bone citizen. Citizenship promised great tax rates, a home in the town, and a sense of belonging, rather than wandering the wasteland.
The second adventurer wasn't as convinced. "I don't know if this is worth it," he said. "Sure, they make it sound all easy: just drop some wards, fire off a flare, and get out. But those skeletons aren't easy to fight. If any of them surround us, we're dead."
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"Yeah," the first adventurer agreed, "but that’s why they’ve got a group of 50 soldiers in the area. They’ll help us out if things get hairy."
The second adventurer frowned. "Supposedly. But what if there’s more than they can handle? They’ll save their own skin first."
"True, but the pay is good," the first adventurer argued.
"Pay? Citizenship? Who really cares?" the second adventurer said dismissively. "America United and the Celestial Empire are looking good these days. They both have arenas, and they’ll catch up to Fort Bone soon enough."
"I don't know," the first adventurer said, uncertainty creeping in. "I’ve started here in Fort Bone. Atlas has been good to us, and we’ve seen how much the empire is growing. I don’t want to see it all ruined."
"Our job is to stay alive until we get back home to Earth," the second adventurer countered.
"And how are you planning to do that?" the first adventurer asked.
The second adventurer looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"How are you going to get home to Earth exactly?" the first adventurer pressed.
"Well, we’ll get those 100 tokens," the second adventurer said.
"And how will you get 100 tokens?"
"I... I don’t know," he admitted, stretching the word ‘don’t‘ as realization set in. "Yeah, I’ve never really thought about that part."
The first adventurer explained, "It’s going to go to the leaders. It’ll go to a settlement, and in that settlement, it’s going to be the top 100 people. Out of those, only the citizens—citizens of Fort Bone if Atlas wins—will be able to go home."
"Oh, that makes sense," the second adventurer said, nodding.
"See what I mean? Even if Fort Bone wins and gets those 100 tokens, it won’t be adventurers like us who get to go home. It’ll be Atlas, the Portal Crushers, and whichever citizens made the most contributions. I bet they’re keeping internal tallies of that. Did you ever watch the show?"
"Yeah, I watched it. It was good. Didn’t want to live it, though," the second adventurer said, shaking his head.
"I know, right? It’s wild that Atlas has already gone back in time. This is his second go-around. If anyone’s going to succeed, it’s him. These other towns—America United and the Celestial Empire—they’re probably just there for extra conflict, courtesy of the Red Fairy."
"Yeah, she loves stirring the pot," the second adventurer agreed.
"But I’m betting on Fort Bone," the first adventurer said firmly. "Atlas’s empire is already number one, and if we help them, they’ll stay number one."
"That makes sense," the second adventurer admitted.
"And if we lead the charge for the adventurers," the first adventurer continued, "I don’t know how many contribution points they’ll give us, but I bet it’s going to be a fuck ton."
"You're right," the second adventurer said, convinced.
They headed back toward the recruiting booth, where the recruiter greeted them, "Gentlemen, you're back."
POV : BONETOWN
The crowd of adventurers hushed as a man in a Fort Bone uniform stepped up onto the podium, the familiar anthem of the "Citizens of Fort Bone" playing softly in the background. Earth’s Children, a local band, strummed their instruments while tokens for free beer were being handed out to anyone who signed up.
The podium itself was draped with flags that fluttered dramatically in the breeze, as if they were rehearsing for a movie trailer. Beside it stood valiant soldiers, their poses so heroic in their bone armor that they could have been modeling for a recruitment poster titled Join Now, Look Awesome Now. Attractive women in military uniforms flitted about, handing out sign-up information with smiles so dazzling they probably counted as tactical advantages. One even managed to wink at a passerby while expertly dodging a question about whether bone armor would guarantee safety.
‘‘‘
[Verse]
We are citizens of Fort Bone
In the day and in the night
Stand together in the light
Never leave it on our own
[Verse 2]
In a fight we'll never fall
Enemies will fade away
We will face them day by day
In this fortress strong and tall
[Chorus]
Fort Bone is our home
In its walls
We're never alone
No more lands
We'll forever roam
Citizens of Fort Bone
[Verse 3]
From the countries far and near
Now an empire we will be
In unity and harmony
No more borders
No more fear
[Bridge]
Raise the flags and sing the song
Of the place where we belong
Together
We are strong
In Fort Bone
We stand lifelong
[Chorus]
Fort Bone is our home
In its walls
We're never alone
No more lands
We'll forever roam
Citizens of Fort Bone
https://suno.com/song/66700786-45b3-4c85-b26e-c3a975faaaec
‘‘‘
The recruiter after the anthem played took a deep breath and began his speech with a firm but welcoming tone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we stand here today not just as wanderers in a wasteland but as part of something much larger. Fort Bone is more than a settlement—it’s a symbol of hope, of unity, and of strength in the face of a world that’s been torn apart.
Patriotism means more than just flying the flag or singing the anthem. It’s about taking pride in the community we’re building, standing shoulder to shoulder with people who believe in something greater than survival. It's about knowing that, no matter how tough the odds, we have each other's backs.
Joining Fort Bone isn’t just about the benefits—though let’s be honest, the tax breaks, citizenship, and a home are worth it. It’s about belonging to a place that protects its own. Out there, it’s a hellhole. Skeletons, raiders, and dangers we can’t even name. But here? Here, we have the strength of our numbers, the safety of our walls, and the leadership of Atlas, who’s guided us to victory time and again. We don’t leave anyone behind. Our soldiers are in place to ensure your safety during missions, and if you contribute, you’ll find yourself at the top of the list when rewards and citizenship tokens are handed out.
But remember, with this opportunity comes responsibility. You’re not just signing up for a job—you’re signing up to defend the future of Fort Bone, to make sure our home stands strong. When you become a citizen, you become part of something that is worth fighting for.
So, I ask you—what would you rather be? A drifter with no place to call home, or a citizen of Fort Bone, standing in defense of a future we can all be proud of?
Sign up today. The rewards will follow. Your future, our future, begins right here.”
As he finished, the crowd clapped, a few adventurers nodding and murmuring to each other as they moved toward the sign-up booths, enticed by the promise of free beer and, more importantly, the chance to belong to something.
The sense of displacement that they had felt ever since they had involuntarily been sucked into the wasteland via portals had long made them wish for a home, and this opportunity was a chance for those adventurers to grab onto something that felt like hope. Sure, it felt like this hope was covered in slippery oil and might be hard to grab onto, but it was a hell of a lot better than no hope at all.
‘‘‘