NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 115: Day Seven Night: Portal Initiated
The air hummed with energy as the portals began to glow. The Portal Crushers, scattered across their fortified settlement, couldn't help but feel a shiver of déjà vu. It hadn't been that long since they themselves had been sucked through one of those glowing gateways, disoriented and uncertain of what awaited them on the other side. But this time was different—fifty new people were portaling in, more than double the number that had first arrived with Atlas and his crew.
As the swirling energy of the portal stabilised, figures began to materialise, stumbling out into the harsh wasteland. The chaos was immediate. Bodies jostled, voices overlapped in confusion and fear, much like when the Portal Crushers had first arrived, though now amplified by the sheer number of newcomers. The Red Fairy appeared overhead, her form shimmering with an unnatural light, a twisted smile on her face. She seemed to relish the chaos below, savouring the terror that always accompanied these arrivals.
Atlas and his team watched their expressions with a mix of wariness and understanding. They knew what was coming—the same scripted speech, the same cruel introduction to this world.
"Welcome, my brave new adventurers!" the fairy's voice rang out, silencing the clamour below. "You've been chosen for a grand quest, a glorious battle for survival. And don't worry, it's all perfectly fair. Well, mostly." She snickered.
Atlas listened to the familiarity of it. They had all heard these words before, but the newcomers listened with wide eyes, some clinging to each other in fear.
"And just like last time," Amber muttered, her eyes narrowing as she watched the scene unfold, "someone’s going to mouth off."
As if on cue, a burly man near the front of the group stepped forward, his face twisted in anger. "This is bullshit! You can't just—"
Before he could finish, the Red Fairy’s smile widened, and with a snap of her fingers, the man was hurled backward, his body convulsing with electric shocks. His screams echoed across the camp, as he was blasted into chunks of carbon, silencing any further dissent. The Portal Crushers exchanged knowing glances. They'd all seen this before.
The fairy's laughter filled the air, light and melodic, but with a chilling undertone. "Oh, I do love it when someone tries to get all indignant. Makes things so much more entertaining!"
And just like last time, she vanished without warning, leaving the newcomers in stunned silence, their questions unanswered, their fear growing. The Portal Crushers knew better they would require information. This was a harsh world, and the sooner the new arrivals learned that, the better their chances of survival.
Atlas turned to his team, his voice steady. "Get ready. We’ll have to keep an eye on them, make sure they don’t do anything stupid. We can’t really afford to babysit, but we can’t let them drag us down either."
Wilfredo nodded, already checking his gear. "Let’s hope they catch on fast. We don’t have time in the wasteland to hold anyone’s hand."
As the newcomers began to gather themselves, the Portal Crushers headed to the teleportation area, where this had all occurred.
Atlas and the Portal Crushers arrived at the teleportation area, their eyes scanning the chaos of the newcomers who had just been unceremoniously dropped into this harsh world. Despite the disarray, Atlas stood tall and called out, his voice cutting through the lingering panic.
“People, welcome to Fort Bone. I’m sorry you had to go through that fairy initiation. We went through it too, and we know how awful it was.”
The crowd quieted down, though a few still looked around, dazed and shaken by the ordeal. One voice broke through the murmurs, trembling with a mix of awe and disbelief.
“Is that you, Atlas? Oh my god, I’m a huge fan of you and your show! We thought it was a conspiracy that you had all been portaled out!”
Atlas sighed inwardly, though he managed a small smile. “No, it’s no conspiracy. We showed you on live television what was going to happen. You saw the portaling live before your eyes.”
“But we didn’t know it was real—like, real real, you know?” the man continued, his voice thick with confusion. “You constantly see all this fake stuff on TV, like the moon landing, or the election voting. Nobody knows if it’s real or just a conspiracy made by big media.”
Atlas shook his head slightly, the weight of the man’s words pressing down on him. ‘It’s so hard to convince people sometimes‘, he thought. ‘Was all that time building up fame and the show a waste? Although it doesn’t help that the media and the government, constantly bombard people with lies and half-truths.‘
He met the man’s eyes, his tone firm but understanding. “Well, you’re here now, and we’re going to help you get settled in. This is John. You might’ve seen him on the show too.”
“Ooh,” murmured the crowd, their attention shifting to John. One of them whispered, “Isn’t John like Atlas’s Robin? His little sidekick?”
John’s face tightened at the comment, but he quickly forced a smile. “Alright, people, follow me. We’re taking you to the rest area.”
John, with Amber by his side, led the group to the area they had prepared earlier in the afternoon. It was a far cry from the bare rocks and dirt that they themselves had endured on their first night. The camp was tented off and partially isolated, offering a small semblance of comfort amidst the harshness of the wasteland.
Atlas watched as the newcomers followed, their fear and confusion slowly giving way to a semblance of hope.
One of things that the Earth’s Children had prepared for the newcomers was a song of welcome. They decided it was time to debut it.
‘‘‘
[Verse]
We welcome you to Fort Bone
A land that's not your own
The world here isn’t safe
But together we'll reshape
[Verse 2]
We'll try to make it better
Facing storms and stormy weather
Earth's children standing tall
Portal crushers one and all
[Chorus]
Welcome home
You're not alone
In this place we roam
We'll make it our own
[Verse 3]
Through the battles and the night
We'll forge ahead
Ignite
With hearts so brave
We fight
Together we'll be right
[Bridge]
No fear in our eyes
Watch the dark skies
Fort Bone is our prize
Together we will rise
[Verse 4]
We will build a brand new land
So just reach out your hand
Stronger when we stand
We will make our stand
https://suno.com/song/7ab14cb6-e16e-472a-b833-66ae135ca9c2
‘‘‘
Atlas and the Portal Crushers laughed cheerfully as they watched the Earth’s Children perform the new welcome song. The song had its intended effect. The ludicrous verses offset the mental shock, and the noobies calmed down a bit. It was hard to be as scared, if there were cheezy show tunes.
The newcomers sat in scattered groups, tearing open the foil wrappers of Soylent: Green bars with a mix of reluctance and hunger. The stale, cardboard-like texture of the bars was met with grimaces, but after the chaos of their arrival, no one was in the mood to be picky. One of the newcomers, a young woman with wide eyes and messy hair, took a cautious bite, wincing as she chewed.
"Is this... food?" she asked, her nose wrinkling as she looked around at the others.
Amber, sitting nearby, chuckled, swallowing her own bar with ease. "Depends on your definition of food. But yeah, this is what we've got. Get used to it."
A lanky man across from Amber nodded, grimacing. "It tastes like old drywall."
Atlas, standing by the campfire with his arms crossed, overheard and called out, "Better than starving, isn’t it? You’ll get used to it. Or you won’t. Either way, it’s all we’ve got for now.”
As the newcomers picked at their Soylent bars, a few of them were drawn to the Earth’s Children’s group, who sat in their usual circle, casually strumming guitars and softly singing. Puffing joints that they passed around, their easygoing vibe contrasted sharply with the tense atmosphere of the new arrivals. Olivia, the leader of Earth’s Children, waved a hand, beckoning some of the newcomers over.
“Come sit with us!” Olivia said with a broad smile. “We’ve got extra bars, and we can show you how to make the best of this new world.”
One of the newcomers, a guy with long hair and a tattered hoodie, shuffled over. “This place is nuts, man. I saw a guy get fried alive. What the hell kind of place is this?”
Olivia offered him a reassuring smile. “It’s all about perspective. This world’s a paradise if you let it be. No rules, no restrictions—just freedom, man. You can choose peace, or you can choose chaos.”
A woman next to Olivia, her hair braided with flowers, chimed in, “The wasteland is healing, and we’re part of it. Just breathe, let go of the fear, and embrace the flow of nature.”
The hoodie guy blinked, unsure how to respond, then glanced over at another group of newcomers, who were still in disbelief, glancing nervously at the Portal Crushers for some kind of explanation. One of them, a huge dude who looked like he’d just walked out of a gym, asked Atlas bluntly, “So, what’s the deal? Are we in some kind of post-apocalyptic Hunger Games or what?”
Atlas, biting into his own bar, shrugged. “Pretty much. You fight, you survive, and maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll find a way out. Or at least make a life worth living here.”
The gym bro frowned. “That fairy... is she in charge of all this?”
Amber, overhearing, scoffed. “In charge? More like she enjoys toying with us. She’s not helping anyone. Better not get on her bad side unless you want to end up like that guy earlier.”
A nervous silence fell over the group as they remembered the man who had been blasted to dust. Then, from the Earth’s Children camp, a soft laugh broke through. “Don’t stress about it,” Olivia called out. “The fairy’s just another part of this world. If you don’t challenge her, she won’t bother you. It’s all about balance.”
Several of the newcomers eyed Olivia’s group with skepticism. One of them, a woman with glasses, whispered to her friend, “Is she serious? This place is literally the opposite of peaceful.”
Across the clearing, Stu, who had been silently watching everything unfold, smirked as he chewed on his bar. He leaned toward Atlas. “They’ve got no clue what they’re fucking in for. Earth’s Children make it sound like a cock sucking summer retreat where everyone makes wallets, but they’ll see soon enough. No amount of singing is going to save them from this hellhole.”
Atlas nodded, his eyes scanning the crowd. “Yeah, well, let them figure it out in their own time.”