ALL NOVEL CHAPTER 71.5 : Fighting Skeletons
POV: WASTELAND
Atlas was efficiently fighting skeletons but the Portal Crushers weren’t doing quite as well.
The team was starting to falter. Wounds were piling up, and so was the panic. ‘This isn’t like training at all,‘ John thought, wincing as he blocked a strike from a skeleton’s dead claws. ‘I didn’t sign up for this,‘ Wilfredo thought, while Barbara struggled to keep her hands from shaking. ‘I’m not ready. I’m not ready.‘
"Keep your heads together!" Atlas yelled again, his voice tinged with urgency. But he could see it—fear creeping into their eyes. He clenched his jaw, refusing to let them fall apart. ‘I have to keep them steady. If we lose it now, we’re done for.‘
Atlas knew he had to quickly show the Portal Crushers that the wasteland wasn’t a one way trip to death. And the best way to convince them was with deliberate action, and not words.
He swiftly targeted another skeleton smashing its head with his club.
CRACK!
Seeing the skeleton fall so easily, invigorated the nervous Portal Crushers.
“PORTAL CRUSHERS!” He yelled with triumph. This energized the team.
As the battle raged on, Kingsley’s voice rang out over the din. “Keep it up, everyone! We’re making progress! Just a bit more and we’ll clear these bony bastards out!”
The Portal Crusher, though nervous, were slowly beginning to grasp the reality of their situation and the importance of their roles as warriors in the wasteland.
Each strike, each maneuver started becoming executed with a practiced ease that spoke of their extensive training with the mannequins and the experience gained from the SFB championship fights. The Portal Crushers had finally gotten into their groove.
The fight continued, and the Portal Crushers pressed on, their determination now rock solid. The skeletons fell one by one, their numbers dwindling as the team fought with increasing efficiency.
CRACK!
Another skull exploded, and the skeleton fell. Mana coins dropped from it as a jingling reward.
As the last of the skeletons fell, Atlas surveyed the battlefield, a satisfied nod on his face. “Good work, everyone. We’ve made a solid start. Now let’s regroup and prepare for the next challenge.”
The team had done it. Covered in bone dust, and the blood from their wounds, the Portal Crushers had taken the first step towards conquering the post apocalyptic world.
The skeletal foes, once a formidable threat in Atlas’s former life, were now nothing more than piles of bones scattered across the wasteland.
‘Ahhh, the sweet sound of coins!‘
Atlas took a moment to catch his breath, a gratified smile on his face as he surveyed the battlefield. "Great job, team," he called out, his voice carrying over the quiet of the aftermath. "That was our first fight, and our first kills, and it looks like we made it just in time."
Barbara pulled out her medical supplies and started bandaging up the wounded team members.
Atlas was distracted by a new notification that popped up in his vision.
‘‘ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:‘‘
‘‘TITLE: SKELETON CRUSHER‘‘
“Well you definitely have a bone to pick with these peaceful creatures don’t you? Did you even think about diplomacy?”
Bonus: As the first person to kill a skeleton, you achieve extra damage against all skeletons and skeletal creatures.
The bold text flashed in Atlas’s mind, a reminder of the significant progress they had just made. The bonus of extra damage against all skeletal creatures was a reward he never anticipated, something that hadn’t come up for him in his first life.
‘I wonder who got it in the first lifetime? Doesn’t matter, it's all mine now.‘ Atlas grinned at his thoughts.
Now, with three major bonuses under his belt, Atlas felt a surge of confidence. He could afford to relax a bit; the pressure to secure titles would ease for a short while.
He turned to his team, "How did it feel?"
"Insane," John replied, still catching his breath. "Completely insane. I can't believe we actually had to fight skeletons for real this time."
Kingsley chimed in, "To be honest, it wasn’t that bad. I mean, the mannequin room was way easier, but these guys at least gave me a more logical target than just mannequins bouncing on rubber bands."
Atlas chuckled, appreciating Kingsley’s humour. "Yeah, that was the best I could do. Animating skeletons isn't exactly something I could set up in our portable training room."
The team shared a brief laugh, the camaraderie evident as they stood among the remains of their fallen enemies. Then, Atlas noticed Stu approaching with a small group of people.
"Stu, bring the group over," Atlas called.
Stu complied, leading the group of newcomers to Atlas. However, Atlas quickly noticed that only four of the original nine had made the trek. "What happened to the other five?"
"Those fuckers didn’t want to come," Stu growled. "I told them that it was a fucking order, but they just wouldn't budge."
Atlas sighed but didn’t press the issue. "It’s fine. It’s their first day in the wasteland. Can’t expect too much out of them. But they’ll regret it tonight.”
“We’re just getting started,” he said firmly. “This wasteland is full of dangers, and we’ve only scratched the surface. We need to stay focused and prepared for whatever comes next. Let’s make sure we’re ready for the challenges ahead.”
He then instructed, "Everyone, take off your backpacks." The Portal Crushers quickly removed their packs, ready for the next task.
"Porter crew," Atlas said, pointing at the new group, "your job is to take all these skeleton bones, pack them into the backpacks, and carry them back to the settlement."
Clark, with a smile, responded, "You got it, boss."
The other new refugees looked distressed about this order, but seeing the wounded Portal Crushers, they didn’t complain too loudly.
Atlas heard Clark and thought, ‘I cannot wait to kill this guy. I’m not going to be one of those typical heroes who lets his mortal foe escape because of a sense of honor. Nope. And then that same mortal foe will come back to bite the hero in the ass later in the show. No way I’m letting him off. I’m not that stupid.‘