NOVEL FROG Book 2 CHAPTER 68: Atlas and His Team Take Command
"10... 9... 8... 7... Portal initiated."
"This isn’t a drill!" Atlas yelled.
The Portal Crushers were stunned.
"Holy shit!" Stu exclaimed.
"This was all real?" Isabella shouted.
"Go, team! Go!" Atlas yelled.
Atlas and his team quickly took command of the situation. It’s easy to take control of a group when, out of the twenty people present, most of them are yours, and they’re all dressed in military-style uniforms. As a bonus, your people are armed with crossbows, and Atlas himself carried a shotgun and a rifle.
Even though the Portal Crushers were still mentally recovering from the realization that all their training last year had not been a joke, their practice kicked in. They had drilled for this day after day, and that practice had not gone to waste.
"People, calm down!" John shouted.
"Is anyone injured?" Barbara asked.
The Portal Crushers handled the transition into the wasteland with practiced ease. The other random people from Earth? Not so much.
The other group was a mix of disoriented and frightened people who had been pulled through the portal. One man, in particular, was freaking out, shouting, "I can’t see!" Isabella rushed to help him, but there wasn’t much she could do. These people had all been transported from their sleep, and those who needed glasses were out of luck—no one sleeps with their glasses on.
Among the group was Amber, an old “friend” of Atlas’s. They had spent many great nights together. With her big doe eyes, massive breasts, and impish smile, she bore a striking resemblance to the actress Kat Dennings. They had been a good team, at least until he had watched her get killed by a demon in the previous timeline.
"All right, everybody, calm down, calm down!" Atlas commanded. "I’m Atlas, and this is Team Portal Crusher. Quick show of hands, who has seen our show? Don’t worry if you haven’t—it won’t mean anything if you don’t. Just please raise your hands."
Giving them something to do in this chaotic situation helped bring a sense of order. As the group began to calm down, several of them hesitantly raised their hands. Seven people in total, including Clark.
Clark had definitely seen the show. For the past year, he’d been tormented by the thought that the whole thing was a bizarre dream, one that seemed to echo in his mind with unsettling clarity. He had seen the same visions, the same “zero out of five,” and the same countdown clock. Just like Atlas, he had been sent back as a Regressor. But unlike Atlas, who was determined to crush the portals, Clark was convinced he was having some sort of mental breakdown.
‘It had to be a dream,‘ he often thought, ‘a terrible, recurring dream.‘ As someone who constantly worried about his mental health, the first thing he did upon returning was seek extensive therapy and medication, reassuring himself it was all just a nightmare.
But the dream didn’t go away. It was always there, lurking in the back of his mind every time he closed his eyes. What really shook him was when he stumbled upon the Portal Crushers micro-drama online. It mirrored his so-called dream perfectly, down to the last detail. There was even a character named Clark. The show portrayed him as a whiny, pathetic guy who betrayed his friends, and the actor looked much like him. Clark knew that he was nothing like this actor who was portraying him poorly. It was so completely inaccurate that Clark had seriously considered filing a lawsuit for defamation of character against the show.
To make matters worse, the people who had been slated for that ominous “zero out of five” outcome had been dragged into this situation with him. Among them were three others who just happened to live in the same apartment building. ‘Why did I imagine my neighbours here?‘ he thought, his brain whirling in confusion. ‘Was it something I ate?‘
Atlas looked at the group, noting the hands that had been raised. "Good. Most of you have seen the show, then you know what’s going to happen next and how important the next part is."
They nodded, some recalling the beginning of season one, their faces growing more serious. They knew what was coming—or at least, they thought they did. But this wasn’t just a show anymore. This was real, and the stakes were higher than any of them could have imagined.
For a brief moment, the non-Portal Crushers shared a collective, stunned silence. Some of them had been watching the live feed of the Portal Crushers before being yanked into this madness. ‘How can this be happening for real?‘ one woman thought, her hands trembling. She had been a fan, glued to every episode, but now that she was actually here, the reality was too much to bear.
Another man, tall and muscular, who had dreamed of becoming a hero, clenched his fists. ‘This is it,‘ he thought, ‘my chance to prove myself, to be the hero I’ve always wanted to be.‘ He tried to summon the courage to speak up, to volunteer for something—anything—that would let him show his worth. But the words stuck in his throat as the fear of the unknown tightened its grip on him.
A few others were simply panicking, their thoughts racing in a chaotic blur. ‘This can’t be happening, I have to get out of here!‘ one woman thought, her eyes darting around for an escape that didn’t exist. ‘I didn’t sign up for this, I just want to go home!‘
Just then, the air around them shimmered, and out of the shadows stepped a figure. It was the familiar Red Fairy from the show. It was such a classic character, a meme had appeared around it.
The part that had caused the first death in Atlas's original life was now unfolding before them.
The Red Fairy quickly began her speech. "Welcome, travellers, to a journey unlike any other! For the next year, you will explore this vast mystical land, filled with wonders and dangers. Treasure your time here, for it will be a test of both spirit and strength. Let your adventure begin! For it is truly…”
As she continued her speech, the inevitable freakout happened. One of the people who hadn’t seen the show started panicking. Atlas and his team tried to approach him, but they moved cautiously, not wanting to trigger the Red Fairy's wrath themselves.
The man's panic escalated when he saw the little fairy floating in front of him. "What the fuck is going on? What’s going on? Tell me!"
The fairy's demeanor shifted from peaceful and serene to crazed and malevolent, her eyes narrowing as she raised her wand. Before anyone could react, a bolt of lightning shot out, striking the panicked man.
BOOM!
The man’s head splattered all over them. The first death had occurred. And while Atlas had tried to prevent it, stupidity would always show itself. Darwin awards were given out all the time. Some of the people, including Clark, didn’t react in time.
‘It’s in my mouth!‘ thought Clark. ‘I’ve got dead guy in my mouth.‘ He didn’t say anything though, because his mouth was filled with bits of bone and brain matter, and also he didn’t want to attract any fairy wrath. ‘Is this not a dream?‘
The fairy then said, “Where was I before I got rudely interrupted? Let’s see… blah blah travellers… blah journey mystical wonders… blah… ahhh fuck it. Here’s some coins, toodleoo fuckers.”
A bunch of coins bounced off each person’s head, consisting of two small copper coins and a larger gold coin.
The fairy disappeared, and Atlas once again took control. People relaxed when they saw the fairy disappear, but were still mentally stunned. Atlas didn’t waste any time.
"Alexander, gather everyone’s coins. We’ll need them."
Some of the people wanted to protest, but the fact that Team Portal Crushers were armed with crossbows and guns stopped them from making a fuss. Clark even quickly handed over his coins with a grateful, "Here you go, sir. I know you’ll use them well for the benefit of us all."
Atlas had fallen for that sycophantic smile in his first life but definitely wasn’t falling for it in this life. He desperately wanted to just blow Clark’s head off, but he knew this wasn’t the time for revenge.
Besides, it was pretty funny seeing the guy covered in blood and bone bits.
After grabbing the coins, Atlas had a huge time-sensitive priority mission,
And he had to quickly rush before he failed it.
***
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