Chapter 51
After Adam and his group arrived at the Remnant Encampment, they inform everyone about the growing situation back in the Exiled Lands, Mordor, and possibly any other lands outside of them while also getting information on what is going on and what just happened. Everyone at the vault's atrium are there to listen in on their tale. After hearing this, people start to worry.
Alpha Church says to Adam, "Soooo... Let me get this straight. A darker, more uglier bitch version of Salem is out there, gathering a huge force of who knows what out there, and maybe planning on coming over here and kill us?!" He sounded a little upset on the third part.
"Yes." Adam answers.
Alpha Church really gets upset, "Oh that's just fucking great!"
"Language!" Saffron yells at Alpha Church, "There are children here!"
"Yeah, well screw you too lady!"
Everyone murmur among themselves about what is transpiring not too far from their position.
"So what are we supposed to do!?" Sun shouted out from the crowd. "Our teleporters are down and we can't get word to anyone!"
Cardin yells at Sun, "If you think we're going south across the ocean monkey boy, forget it! There are some scary alien monsters that live down there and my team already suffered enough!"
Sky stands on Cardin's right, "Yeah!"
Russel then stands next to Sky, "Not to mention that there is a disease down there that infected Cardin! He may have gotten cured now, but what's gonna stop it form infecting everyone else!"
Dove stands next to Cardin's left, "Plus I'm pretty sure the things that cured him are long gone now!"
Nora comes up with an idea, "We can send a messenger pigeon to the valley!"
Penny stands up with her laptop, "Or, we could just send them a message. Let them know about the situation that is about to come to their doorstep."
"But what about Halloween?!" Ruby asks everyone around. "My birthday is also coming up! I don't wanna die at an early age!"
"Me neither!" Oscar shouts.
Everyone continues to panic a bit as they try to discuss what is the best coarse of action.
Raven makes a loud whistle to get everyone's attention on stage. Once everyone is silenced, they look at the stage with her, General Ironwood, Ozma, and Older Maria.
"Listen up!" Raven says to everyone in the atrium, "We need to think calmly! Worrying about it won't solve anything!"
"She's right!" Ironwood speaks. "From what we do know off, she has a growing army and has to traverse a large desert in order to find us!"
"Yet she also has flying beasts!" Tock stands. "They would get here in only a matter of hours!"
"She also has a special device that lets her see things across vast distances." Hazel adds in. "She can use the crystal creature she uses in a similar manner to a crystal ball. Not only that, she could also use smaller crystal balls as a way of communicating."
"Not anymore."
Everyone looks at Dr. Watts as he has some information.
"I just received a message from my spies and the crystal creature got destroyed because she was trying to locate the people responsible for bringing us here. And in case you are wondering how I got a message," Watts pulls something from his inventory, "this!"
It is a petrified egg that he uses to communicate with the brainwashed spies he has back in the Exiled Lands. I know that the petrified egg is just decoration, but I'm gonna give it some sort of purpose instead. He holds up the egg to show it to everyone.
"With this, we can keep track on Salem's movements. And I mean the dark Salem, not the one here."
"Interesting." Ironwood shows some interest. "Did they report anything else?"
"Indeed. They say that they are gonna invade some place call, the Mojave Wasteland, to look for rockets that can take them to outer space."
"Ha!" Cardin went. "Good luck with that!"
"What do you mean?" Corsac asks.
"Indeed. Is there something we don't know about?" Fennec asks.
Cardin then explains, "Well, my team went to the ocean south, like I mentioned earlier, found some sort of alien big gun that can shoot down anything that leaves or enters the planet."
"Come to think of it." Simmons remembers something, "I remember someone trying to get out of here on a longsword fighter."
FLASHBACK
Before Alpha Church's arrival, someone got on a longsword fighter craft in the valley.
"YAAAAHOOOO!" the man screamed out in a southern accent (no, it isn't Sarge). "Up, up, and away!"
The pilot flies the longsword as high as he can as he tries to break orbit, but was shot down from an energy projectile southeast from the valley.
As the craft comes crashing down, the pilot says, "I'm okay!"
FLASHBACK ENDS
"Oh yeah." Grif remembers, "I remember that." He looks at Simmons, "Who was the pilot again?"
"I think it was Rico or some other redneck."
Dr. Watts clear his throat while going 'ahem'. Which caught everyone's attention. "If that is the case, we may need to find another way to get to the people responsible for taking us here."
Epsilon Church then appears on the stage, "Well, I do have an idea. But we may need to get there since our teleporters no longer work and we have to wait until the end of Halloween. If our theory is correct, all the zombies and other undead monsters will disappear or go away when Halloween is over. True, we do have some incredible defenses, but not all of us are warriors or soldiers. Plus, the portals that Team CRDL found may come in handy."
Raven steps up, "I can open portals but it only opens to those that I have bonded with. In other words, someone has to head down there in order for me to open it. Not to mention that I can only maintain it for an extended period of time."
"That's okay." Epsilon Church says. "I was planning on sending someone over there to set-up a teleporter anyway. But we can't since they are out of commission by unknown means. Yet we will do it after Halloween once all the zombies and creepy sh-"
"Uh-uh!" Saffron went while glaring at him.
"Crap."
"Thank you."
Adrian laughs a little.
"Once those are done and everyone celebrates their holiday-"
"And birthday!" Ruby states.
"And birthday, we can send someone over there while Raven opens the portal. But we still need some people here to defend our settlement in case things go bad. We can discuss on the people who will be staying here and those who will be going. Because, who knows what else is out there."
"I'll stay!" Adam volunteers to stay put while raising his left hand. "I'll stay and protect the settlement. I've seen enough death for one lifetime."
Older Maria steps-up, "We can discuss this a few days before Halloween. Right now, autumn is approaching and we need to make sure that we have enough food for everybody. Best to prepare for winter."
Winter stands up from her seat, "I'll assist with that. I prefer to keep things organize and symmetrical."
"We're organizing food, deary. Not building a new house."
"Although we may need one." Fennec speaks up. "Some of us would like to have our own home assuming there is some room left."
Sienna stands up, "I can assist with that."
Over at the most southern edge of the Mojave Wasteland, Tyrian Callows has entered the Searchlight Airport and killed many radscorpions with his new mechanical stinger with demonic features and poisons from sand reapers venom glands, giant spider venom, cobra venom, puffball mushrooms, pulmonoscorpius toxins, and poison wyvern spit. He chuckles at the dead bodies.
"Sorry cousins!" He gleefully smiles at the dead bodies, "But it is survival of the fittest here! But don't worry..." Tyrians pulls out a knife, "I'll make good use of your poisons." He laughs manically as he starts cutting through the exoskeleton of the large radscorpion.
However, not too far from where he is, Tyrian is being watched through a pair of binoculars by a veteran legionary alongside seven of his prime legionaries with one of them using a sniper rifle.
"So, do we take him in or cut him down?" the sniper asks.
The veteran lowers his binoculars and looks at his soldier, "Take the shot. That mutant is too insane for a slave."
"Got it." The sniper takes aim and prepares to fire.
Tyrian can sense the sniper taking aim and grinning at the direction where the sniper is. The sniper is taken by surprise as if Tyrian knows that he is being watched. He hesitates to take the shot as Tyrian gives the sniper the middle finger.
"Shit! He's on to us!"
"Take the shot, NOW!" the veteran ordered.
The sniper fires a shot yet Tyrian dodges by moving his hand and head away from the path of the sniper bullet right before he uses his aura to increase his speed and runs up to the legionaries firing at him. The sniper tries to take a few shots but Tyrian uses his reflexes to dodge the bullets as he runs up towards the legionaries and chopped off the head of the sniper along with his scope. The other soldiers prepare to shoot, but Tyrian is moving too fast that he manage to dispatch them with little effort as he cackles and laughs like the madman he is as he dispose of them.
Tyrian looks up into the air and extends his arms while taking a satisfying breath, "I'm in my happy place now."
"Tyrian." Salem's voice came from the crystal ball in in pocket.
He pulls it out, "Yes, my Goddess?"
"I am unable to call forth an Abyss Gate at you're location due to some sort of power there. You're on your own to scout the land. And please, try not to kill everyone while you're there. I need some of the troops there along with everything else. But if you find the leader of this Legion, kill 'em. Including any second in commands."
"As you wish." Tyrian puts the ball away and happily skips towards the northern direction in search of killing any bandit leaders, finding the rockets, and anything that could be useful. But before he does so, he loots the bodies and collect a few skulls.
However, he sees a tattered rag child with bombs strapped to him. The small boy is frightened by Tyrian yet runs up to him screaming. Tyrian smiles as he takes the sniper rifle and shoots the child in the head which causes the child to drop dead. He cackles as he prepares his new trophy.
Over at the Remnant Encampment, despite a few undead creatures that keep on coming out, everyone prepares for Halloween tomorrow as they decorate the place with handmade decorations and a few things that Ciel made with the fabricator. Everyone get their jack-o-lanterns ready as they try to carve some faces to the best of their effort. Jaune is trying to make a superhero costume, but made his cape too small. Zwei is also dressed in a superhero mask and cape. Ruby sneaks around to see if anyone has any presents hidden for her birthday. However, Summer caught her and disciplines her daughter.
Terra and Saffron had just finish their decorations.
"There!" Saffron says as she dust her hands. "All finish!"
"It looks good." Terra says.
The house is decorated with paper bats and jack-o-lanterns on the windows, some orange lights, jack-o-lanterns on the porch, and a few Halloween costume skulls from Fallout 76 dangling close to the door.
"We're back." Adam comes towards Saffron and Terra with Adrian on his shoulders and Adrian is holding onto Adam's horns.
"Hey there, Adam." Saffron gives them a warm greeting. "How is Adrian?"
"Despite pulling on my horns like some rider on his oxen mount, which hurts by the way, he's a good kid." Adam smiles a little as he gives Adrian a fist bump. "We had a good time."
"That's sweet." Saffron says. "Hope he wasn't that much of a hassle."
"Not really."
Adrian looks like he is putting on his derp face as Adam feels something wet on the back of his head.
"...and someone needs a diaper change." He handed Adrian back to Saffron.
Saffron takes Adrian into her arms, "Sorry about that. Hehe."
Little Adrian tries to reach out to Adam with his right hand with Adam giving him his right finger. Adrian shakes it a little with Adam smiling at the small infant.
"It's alright." Though Adam's eyes, there appears to be some bit of humanity in him. Something he never had in a long time for who knows how long. Adam manage to find some comfort here in this new world. A new purpose; to protect something so pure and small.
Afterwards, Adam has gathered the Belladonna's and Sienna to the beach to say something to them. Tock is up on the ramp watching while sitting on the ledge.
Adam looks at the four as he says to them respectfully, "Blake. Ghira. Kali. Sienna. I have something to say." He takes a Japanese-style bow to them, "I'm sorry."
The four are taken by surprise by this.
Adam stops bowing, "Blake, whatever you were thinking about me when you left, you were right. I was becoming a monster. A monster that was corrupted by his own beliefs and viewed everyone as an enemy. Even those who are a with me and have turn against the cause."
Blake is speechless and has no idea what to say, but she smiles and nods at him.
Adam then looks at Sienna, "And Sienna, you are right. I was getting over confident and getting a large ego." He chuckles a little, "A large head and little brains."
Sienna chuckles a little. "Sorry. But you are right. Yet I also want to apologize for letting you get out of hand by praising your actions."
Adam then looks at Ghira, "But I owe you the biggest apology of all, Chief. I should've listen to you, I should've listen to your teachings, and...a lot of stuff that would take two days to list."
Ghira approaches and places his hands on Adam's shoulders, "You know; there is too much hate back on Remnant. Maybe, there should be more forgiveness then resentment. And I forgive you, Adam."
Tock jumps down from her little perch, "I do remember a quote." she says while approaching, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions. You can justify anything if it's in the pursuit of a 'greater good,' the important thing is where you draw the line."
"Where did you learn that?" Kali asks.
"From that daft girl name Penny. She's been looking up quotes on that laptop of hers. She kept going on and on about some of the stuff she has read and seen. Really annoying, but informational."
"Like school?" Adam jests.
Everyone starts to laugh.
Blake then says after everyone's done laughing, "Should we get back on setting things up?"
"Indeed." Ghira agrees as he heads towards the map. "We have decorations to set up for Halloween. Crops that need harvesting. A plan to attack some alien base with small chances of success. So much work."
Adam then feels a weight being lifted from his heart after apologizing to everyone. He held his head high as he follows everyone up with a peaceful smile on his face. As he heads up, he says to Tock, "You know, that is a good quote. Some people do get corrupted by their own beliefs."
User 1010: Alright people, let's get this place back-up and running.
User 411: Let's see what we can do with this old wreck.
User 2005: Hope we can get things back up and running before the party.
User 411: Which one?
User 2005: The one that involves the success of Project Phoenix.
User 1010: Cut the chatter, get to work. We're on a schedule here.
User 3301: Although I do have a question.
User 1010: *sigh* What is it?
User 3301: With all the tech we got, why can't we make our own money with those Star Trek replicators? Like gold?
User 1010: Fair point, but we'll discuss this later.
AN: Hey guys! Glad to...well I would like to say "see you all again", but that requires a camera. Hehe. I do have some news. I am gonna work on a new story this summer and it will be a review series with a storyline. Kinda like Atop the Fourth Wall if you guys ever watch the show. Why? Because I suck at video editing and YouTube... let's just say that YouTube is no longer a good place to set up shop with all the fees, demonitizing, being run by computers instead of people, terrible new algorithm, and the list goes on. Second, I would like to post my opinions on somethings and I will do the best I can to describe things. Third, I'm only using a laptop and not a desktop so I can't do any sort of video editing. Hell, I have no idea how to do so and from what I've heard, editing is expensive for some reason. Plus some of the scenes take place at futuristic looking locations. As for a reason why, I would like to share my opinions on certain things. Fourth, it would take more time away from Fanfiction and I have other projects to do and work that needs to be done. So...that's it. See you guys in the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.