The Red Fairy show always has winners and losers. And now it was time for the losers.

  The camera cut to Jed Lawson, sweat already beading on his forehead. His eyes flicked to the screen, then to the Red Fairy. He was visibly shaking.

  “Celestial Emperor” the camera panned, now showing both Jed and the Emperor in a split screen. Both leaders looked like they were waiting for the axe to fall.

  “You two have done… all right,” she teased, watching them gasp in relief, their shoulders relaxing. But the Red Fairy wasn’t done.

  “But… there are still some losers.”

  Her eyes glinted as the camera zoomed in on several struggling settlements. People there were barely scraping by—starving, overworked, out of options.

  The Red Fairy sighed dramatically, tilting her head to the side. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll solve this right now.”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, lightning bolts streaked from her fingers, lighting up the sky like the Fourth of July. The settlements she targeted exploded into bits, smoke rising as the few survivors scrambled to escape the destruction.

  “There!” she said with a cheerful clap. “Problem solved.”

  Atlas looked on, still shaking paintball guns out from away from him, while the Red Fairy waved her hand in mock farewell. “Toodle ooh, bitches!” she called, vanishing in a puff of red glitter, leaving Atlas standing in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by paintball guns and an army that wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

  He sighed, shaking his head. “Well… at least we got something.”

  ‘‘‘

  As the Red Fairy disappeared with her usual “Toodle ooh, bitches,” the air seemed to crackle with anticipation. Then, like the floodgates had been ripped open, the portals flared to life. People poured in by the thousands, their faces twisted in shock as they were thrown headfirst into the unforgiving wasteland. It was as if Black Friday had taken a dark turn—no cheap electronics here, just survival and dungeon spawns on the menu.

  Poof. Poof. Poof.

  With every soft pop of a portal, more people materialized. It was relentless, a never-ending stream of souls being dropped into this savage world. Alice, Olivia, and Amber stood at the edge of it all, watching as the flood hit. Their carefully crafted plans were now in motion, but there was no telling if they’d hold up under this wave of humanity.

  Olivia bit her lip, eyes darting over the crowd. “How many do you think?” she asked, her voice tight with tension.

  Amber crossed her arms, calculating. “Looks like 5,000… at least.”

  Alice let out a low whistle. “The Red Fairy’s definitely compensating for the months she skipped.”

  The sheer number of people was overwhelming. Some stumbled out of the portals looking dazed, others immediately scanned their surroundings like they were ready to fight. A few even dropped to their knees, crying, clearly unprepared for what lay ahead.

  “We’ve got to get them organized quickly,” Olivia said, already moving, her mind spinning with strategies. She knew that if they didn’t take control fast, these new arrivals would either be dead or worse—join Jed Lawson’s forces.

  Amber nodded, her expression grim. “If we can funnel them into the safer zones and get them equipped, we might just make it through this.”

  Alice kept her eyes on the scene, her usual smirk replaced with something more serious. “Here we go. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into a slaughter.”

  The portals kept churning, and soon the wasteland would be teeming with fresh recruits—some eager to fight, others just trying to survive. It was now or never. If their plans didn’t work, this surge of people would tear all their plans apart.

  ‘‘‘

  POV : CELESTIAL WAGER

  Inside the Celestial Wager, the atmosphere was electric. Laughter echoed through the luxurious, liquid-silver hallways, and holographic displays projected the action unfolding below with perfect clarity. The aliens—Zeltrax, Gorvax, Lurox, and Kroxar—were in stitches, barely able to contain themselves. This was one of the best seasons they’d ever seen, and it was only mid-season.

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  Zeltrax, lounging on one of the plush, floating cushions, clapped their translucent hands together, their three green eyes glowing with glee. “Did you see that? Paintball guns! The look on Atlas’s face was priceless!”

  Lurox, buzzing with energy, fluttered their iridescent wings rapidly. “Who even had a bet on that? I didn’t think the Red Fairy had it in her!”

  “Best prank of the season by far!” Kroxar snickered,tentacles waving as he sipped on some sparkling alien brew.

  Gorvax, the stone-like behemoth, let out a rumbling chuckle that shook the table. “I knew betting on this would pay off. Atlas has no idea what to do with those paintball guns.”

  Lurox grinned, antennae twitching. “What do you think he will do with them? Paintball war? The arena? Maybe his army’s first training session with non-lethal weapons?” They flapped their wings and nearly hovered out of their seat, excitement bubbling over.

  Kroxar leaned in, eyes glinting. “You know what would be even better? If Atlas made some kind of… sculpture. A massive tribute to the Red Fairy herself, right in the middle of Fort Bone.”

  The others paused for a moment before Zeltrax burst into laughter. “A sculpture? Made of paintball guns?”

  Kroxar shrugged, grinning. “Hey, you gotta admit, it’d be hilarious! Plus, you know Atlas—he hates losing face. Making a giant Red Fairy sculpture would be amusing.”

  “Boo!” Gorvax groaned, his voice shaking the table again. “That’s boring! I want to see him turn those paintball guns into a surprise ambush on Jed Lawson’s troops! Just imagine them getting pelted by hundreds of paintballs. The humiliation would be glorious.”

  “Yeah, but I’m a big fan of the Red Fairy,” Zeltrax added, leaning back. “She deserves some kind of tribute, especially after pulling off a stunt like that.”

  “She’s probably getting paid enough,” Kroxar muttered. “Let’s not stroke her ego more than it already is.”

  Suddenly, Virelia, gliding elegantly across the room, stopped to deliver drinks. Her lavender skin glowed softly as she gave them a knowing smile. “Place your bets on the paintball guns, gentlemen?”

  Zeltrax raised a brow. “What’s your call, Virelia?”

  She smirked. “I think Atlas uses them in the arena. But maybe, just maybe, he saves a few to pelt the Red Fairy herself next time she shows up.”

  The room exploded into laughter, even Gorvax’s deep rumble joined the cacophony. The idea of Atlas turning the tables on the mischievous Red Fairy was too good to pass up.

  Lurox, still buzzing, raised their glass. “Here’s to more action, and may the next episode be even crazier!”

  “To action!” they all cheered, glasses clinking, as the holograms zoomed in on Atlas trying to clear the battlefield of the endless pile of paintball guns.

  It was shaping up to be the best season yet!

  ***

  Atlas didn’t know what he was going to do with 1,200 paintball guns.

  Mohamed asked him, “Did you want to sell some? I could use them in the arenas.”

  There were multiple arenas within the wasteland, in all the different major settlements Mohammed was a citizen of Fort Bone, and as a citizen, he definitely wasn't allowed into America United territory. He had passed over ownership to an employee of his that was registered as a citizen of America United.

  Mohamed was still having a blast managing them. He had just wrapped up a championship match series between the arenas, and popularity was off the charts.

  It reminded him of how Sword and Iron were champions in one season of the SFB. Except here in the Wasteland, the fights have been much more bloody, much more exciting, and it paid him much, much more money.

  Atlas said, “Sure, I don’t know, three coins each. I’ll sell you some. How many do you need, Mohamed?”

  Mohamed replied, “I don’t know, 20 per arena, so 60 of them.”

  “Great, that’s 60 out of 1,200 gone. All right, we’ve got to figure out something for the rest.”

  Just then, John appeared and said, “Hey, Atlas, have you checked out the machines recently?”

  Atlas responded, “No, I haven’t.”

  “Let me bring you to it.” Said John.

  It turned out the vending machines had updated. Atlas still didn’t know how they worked, but the new machine had a perfect solution for him.

  ‘‘‘

  He saw a new machine. It was called Monsters and Munitions: The Apocalypse Edition. And it was perfect.

  “It seems like these were the guys who sponsored all my paintball guns. And holy fucking shitballs.”said Atlas

  John said, “You mean holy fucking paintballs.”

  Atlas laughed. “You’re right. Look at these paintballs.” In addition to selling canisters of 100 regular paintballs, which Mohammed would appreciate, there were paintballs in there that were all sorts of other paintballs. The first ones he noticed were acidic. There were paintballs in there that were filled with some sort of alien pepper. “Spicy hot balls (Five coins) for 100. Guaranteed to blind and irritate your foes.”

  There were even paintballs in there that caused allergic reactions.

  ‘What’s up with that?‘ thought Atlas. He looked closely at the description of the paintballs that was spelled out. Allergen balls (Five coins) 100 paintballs. If a person or monster is hit, it’ll react to it with its strongest allergic reaction: hives, scratching, distraction. They won’t be fighting if they’re scratching.“

  “John, you need to put a lock on the vending machine here immediately.”

  John said, “What do you mean?”

  Atlas replied, “This is going to be our big weapon for the final battle. Put two guards on this machine. No one, and I mean no one, can get near it.”

  “What about Mohammad? He just bought some paintball guns.”

  “Buy some normal paintballs, and sell them to him at the same price whenever he needs it. But only you are allowed near that machine—not even the guards. In fact, drape it. Put a big old cloth and a sign that says ‘Out of Order’ on it. This is our secret weapon, and we don't want it going out before the fight.”

  John agreed.