NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 114: Day Seven Night: Fairy Wipe
High in the air, the Red Fairy surveyed the wasteland.
The fairy’s voice echoed ominously as she taunted the unlucky settlement. “Ah, you, my lucky, lucky winners. Are you ready for your fairy wipe?”
The broadcast shifted away from the joyous Team Portal Crushers, who were indulging in their steak dinners, and refocused on a desolate and disheartened group in another settlement. A man, whose name remained unknown because he had changed it on the settlement ranking board, sat among his group, muttering, "It's all a dream. It's all a dream." His voice grew more frantic as he tried to reassure the others, "Don't worry, people. This is all a dream. As soon as this fairy wipe happens, we'll all be back home, safe in our beds. This is all just a dream."
“THIS IS A DREAM!”
“THIS IS A DREAM!”
“THIS IS A DREAM!”
The unfortunate settlement chanted. Their desperation written on their faces.
The fairy, grinning wickedly, interjected, "Oh, it's not a dream," before unleashing a barrage of lightning bolts, scattering the group as chaos erupted.
“No!”
“Help us!”
“Shhhiiiiitttt, it hurts!”
Sharp, electric sizzles accompanied by the mad laughter of the frolicking fairy, made their presence through the camp.
These fairy bolts didn’t just blow their heads off though. The Red Fairy definitely wasn’t going to let this fun show end so very soon.
The bolts hit people in their limbs.
Each time a limb was blown off, the screaming intensified.
“My leg!”
“Why? Just why?”
“Nooooooooo….”
“Still think this a dream?” Asked the fairy with a gleeful chuckle.
People wailed in misery, and some started to pass out through the sheer pain. Others hid as best as they could. The Red Fairy seeing this said. “Oh, it looks like our toys are running out of batteries. Looks like it’s time to turn up the juice.”
At this the electricity doubled in number and quickly wiped out the remaining people in the settlement. The sounds of the screams mercifully ended. But the aftermath of the fairy wipe was seen by all. The mutilated bodies, burned into crispy chunks of carbonized body parts, were a gruesome reminder of the fact that the wasteland wasn’t a child friendly space.
“Well that was fun wasn’t it? I hoped you all enjoyed your dinner and a show! Don’t worry though, you won’t get bored here. Lots of other fun surprises are coming, Toodles my little warriors.” Said the Red fairy with her trademark giggle, as her image dissolved into the night air.
The Portal Crushers sat around the tables, their half eaten steak dinners and vegetarian meals growing cold as they stared at the scene of carnage projected in the sky. The fairy's laughter still echoed in their ears, but it was the sight of the devastated settlement that lingered in their minds.
Kingsley clenched his fists, his voice low and angry, "This is sick. We're fighting to survive, and she just wipes them out like it's nothing. What were their chances?"
Amber nodded, her usual calm replaced with sadness. "Those people didn't even have a chance. It's like we're just pawns in her twisted game. I knew this world would be brutal and broken, but this is just sick."
Stu, who usually had a quick temper, seemed almost defeated. "I just want to go fucking home. Somewhere safe. This... it's too goddamn much. Is there any way we can do more? I never want to see that again. "
Wilfredo looked at the bloody remnants of the medium rare steak on his plate in disgust, shaking his head and said, "We're supposed to be building something here, but what's the point if it can all be destroyed in an instant? One second we are surviving. The next we could all get killed because of the whims of one mad fairy."
The Earth’s Children didn’t have much to say. One man was retching in the grass beside the table. His partially digested tofu came up in nauseated chunks, looking like the brain matter in the now defunct settlement.
‘I’m now 100% certain we would never have survived here in this wasteland if Atlas hadn’t taken us over,‘ thought Olivia. Her fear tickling her brain with an invisible feather. ‘These people that were now nothing more than hunks of burnt meat could have been her, and her settlement.‘
Atlas, watching them all closely, and thought, ‘This is exactly what I wanted to see. It was brutal and gruesome. My people are strong, but they need to truly understand the reality of this world. The way they acted during the trial of Snedlie the thief, and Ronald the traitor, showed me how weak they were. They’re physically strong, no problems there, but mentally weak. They need to be toughened up, to learn that survival means facing the worst and still pushing forward. It’s too bad I couldn’t have trained them for it before we got portaled.‘
He cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "Remember this feeling. This is what we're up against, and this is why we need to be ready for anything. No more illusions. We either get stronger, or we don't survive."
‘‘‘
POV : CELESTIAL WAGER:
In a shadowy corner of the universe, far from the chaos of Fort Bone, a different kind of excitement was brewing. The Celestial Wager was alive with energy, its neon lights flickering in sync with the wild, pulsating beat that filled the room. The air was thick with the scent of alien pheromones and the hum of anticipation as hundreds of beings from across the galaxy gathered to watch the latest events unfold.
The central stage was a chaotic spectacle, with holographic screens displaying the ongoing action from various settlements. Alien announcers, their voices booming, kept the crowd engaged, "Okay, who had 40 seconds for the settlement to be wiped out?" one called out, his voice dripping with enthusiasm. "That's our final time! Who has it? Turn in your betting slips now!"
A massive tour group of aliens from the Starvac system were looking around in amazement at the action.
These aliens, if the earthlings had been there, would have been described as typical looking. Their oversized eyes, and bulbous heads made them look just like the alien on the “Probe me Atlas!” shirts.
“Probe me in the ass! I won!” One of them shouted in glee.
“You were right! Watching the action on the Celestial Wager is way more exciting.”
"All right, here's your payout, 20-1 odds," the announcer confirmed, sending a wave of murmurs through the crowd.
The alien let out a happy yell, "Baby's gonna get a new spaceship!"
The atmosphere in the den was electric, buzzing with the energy of winners and losers alike. As the excitement of the fairy wipe faded, the announcers were quick to stoke the flames of anticipation again. "All right, we've got some more big bets coming up. The new people are gonna get portaled in soon. This season's looking fun, isn't it? Give me a cheer!"
The room erupted into a cacophony of cheers, howls, and hisses. The aliens were ready for more, their hunger for thrills insatiable. "Okay, we've got bets coming in," the announcer continued, "50 people being portaled per settlement. How many people are gonna survive in total? The big bets will be on the number of new people who survive on average. There are some great betting odds. Don’t like the big bet? We’ve got tons of betting choices, from which settlement will survive tomorrow, to how many human on human kills. Feel free to place your bets!"
In a smoky corner of the den, two aliens, Zark and Bleeb, sat hunched over their betting slips. Zark, a lanky, green-skinned creature with a row of sharp teeth, leaned in close to his companion, Bleeb, a squat, purple alien with a single, massive eye.
"Bleeb, last time I lost a huge chunk on those worthless humans," Zark hissed, his frustration barely contained. "This time, I’m feeling lucky. The odds are in our favour."
Bleeb grumbled, rubbing the shiny coverings on his tentacles. "We better win big this round. If not, no more shiny plate coverings for me."
Zark chuckled darkly, "Relax, we’ll cash out this time. The portal reopenings are unpredictable, but I’ve got a good feeling."
Bleeb nodded, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the screens. Both of them eyed their betting slips nervously, hoping for a big payout that would finally turn their fortunes around.
As the announcer continued to hype the crowd, the tension in the room mounted.
"Get ready, folks! The portal’s about to reopen, and we’ll see who’s got what it takes to survive!"
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