The Red Fairy appeared high in the sky, but unlike the other Portallings in the Wasteland, she didn’t broadcast her entrance to everyone. In fact, the thousand people who had been portaled in were the only audience—oh, plus the viewers watching the live Portalling. Can’t forget them. The Red Fairy show always had great ratings, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let them drop today.
Nerdathor stood by, practically buzzing with excitement for this final Portalling.
“Welcome, travelers,” the Red Fairy’s voice rang out, sweet yet commanding. “Your adventurous soul and innate bravery on Earth hasn’t gone unnoticed, though you’ve never had the proper chance to truly prove it. Well, now’s your chance, right here in the Wasteland. Once, this land was peaceful, full of happy people and grand adventurers, until a demon king was sucked in.”
She let the tension hang for a beat.
“His name was Atlas.”
“What?!” one of the boys yelped, confusion clear on his face.
“That’s right,” said the Red Fairy, her voice dripping with forced patience. ‘God, I hate these newbies,’ she thought, but she knew this Portalling was going to be different. “The demon king Atlas was summoned from a place called Earth—a place you were all summoned from, too. We needed a hero, but instead… we got something much worse. He wasn’t the hero we hoped for; no, he was a monster, one in human form. And now we, the fairies of the Wasteland, need your help. We need you to take down Atlas, the Demon King.”
Heroic music played in the air.
Title: The Brave 1,000
(Verse 1)
From the ashes of our fears, we rise,
A thousand brave souls beneath the skies.
We’ve answered the call, our spirits ignite,
Together we stand, ready to fight.
(Chorus)
We are the brave, the fearless, the strong,
United we march, where we all belong.
With courage as our sword, we’ll break through the night,
Together we’ll conquer, we’ll stand up and fight.
(Verse 2)
In the Wasteland’s heart, where shadows loom,
We’ll light the way, dispel the gloom.
With our hearts ablaze and our dreams in sight,
We’ll face the Demon King, and we’ll make it right.
(Chorus)
We are the brave, the fearless, the strong,
United we march, where we all belong.
With courage as our sword, we’ll break through the night,
Together we’ll conquer, we’ll stand up and fight.
(Bridge)
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With the power of friendship, we’ll never fall,
For in unity’s strength, we answer the call.
We’ll wield our dreams like shields in the fray,
Against Atlas, the tyrant, we’ll carve our own way.
(Chorus)
We are the brave, the fearless, the strong,
United we march, where we all belong.
With courage as our sword, we’ll break through the night,
Together we’ll conquer, we’ll stand up and fight.
(Outro)
So raise up your voices, let the battle cry soar,
For we are the 1,000, and we will fight more!
With our hearts intertwined, we’ll forge our own fate,
In the face of the darkness, we will not hesitate!
‘‘‘‘
The crowd was stunned. They had all seen that detailed documentary, and while none of them had ever wanted to be portaled into a Wasteland full of monsters, the show had been all about Atlas and the Portal Crushers. He was supposed to be the hero. Had it all been a lie?
The Red Fairy floated high above, her voice filled with dramatic flair, “That’s right, brave adventurers. We’ve summoned you to this land as our last hope! But fear not, we won’t send you unarmed, because the Demon King and his armies of the undead are strong.” She waved her arm grandly, “Look around this town!”
Everyone’s heads swivelled around. A town had appeared, like it had been there all along—your classic medieval setup: tiny shop fronts, cobblestone streets, but no citizens. Inside each shop, they could see a tiny fairy hovering as the shopkeeper.
“You’ll find supplies in these shops,” the Red Fairy continued. “And remember, what you buy will be vital to your survival here in the Wasteland.”
She then raised her hand dramatically, the back of it pressed against her forehead in an over-the-top swoon, “We can only hope that you will undo our one terrible mistake and free us poor fairies from the tyrannical rule of Atlas and his Portal Crushers. The Demon King must be stopped!”
‘Oh, this is too good,‘ the Red Fairy thought, doing her best not to burst out laughing. They should’ve done this ages ago.
“But first,” she added with a twinkle in her eye, “before you arm yourselves, brave adventurers, you must head to the Testing Cave. There, we will discover what kind of adventurers you are destined to be in this Wasteland. And may the Lady above bless you all.”
With a flourish, she waved her wand. Sparkles rained down over everyone like glittering confetti. The sparkles did nothing, of course, but wow, did they look cool.
One of the adventurers raised their hand.
The Red Fairy, known for her very short fuse on live TV, took a deep breath. ‘Be nice. Be nice,”she thought. Plastering on a sweet smile, she said, “Yes, you have a question, brave adventurer?”
Eric nervously cleared his throat, “What do you mean, defeat the Demon King? Do we… do we actually have to, like, kill Atlas?”
The Red Fairy grinned, barely keeping her composure. “Oh no, it’s much simpler than that. On this continent, there is a magical weapon that can negate all his powers. All you need to do is find the weapon, raise it into the air, and declare that Atlas should be powerless. A wave of magic will burst out and strip him of his powers. After that, capturing him will be easy. We fairies don’t like killing, so if you could just help capture him and his army, that would be tremendous.”
She almost lost it then, saying “We fairies don’t like killing”, nearly sent her into a fit of giggles.
A girl in the back raised her hand, looking skeptical. “Do you know where this magical weapon is? I mean, it’d be so much simpler if you just went and got it. Why do we need to be here?”
The Red Fairy sighed dramatically, here we go again. “If only it were that easy, brave adventurer. But Atlas, the Demon King, has cast a shroud of darkness over the land. It prevents us fairies from finding it. However, I believe with your resourcefulness, bravery, and sheer determination, you will be our last and best hope.”
She clasped her hands together, face pleading, “Now, I hope there are no more questions.” Her smile wavered as she struggled to keep her laughter at bay. The crowd was silent.
“Good!” she said, her voice back to cheerful. “Go, then, to the Testing Cave. There, you will discover what kind of powers the magic of this world has blessed you with.”
The group of 1,000 walked toward the cave, right outside the medieval town. As they left, their eyes caught a sign: New A-Town. One guy looked at Eric and said,” It's weird, the name of the town, isn't it?”
“Yep. New A Town? I wonder if there's a New B Town.”
“Maybe? I think A stands for Adventure though.”
They braced themselves and marched one by one into the Testing Cave.
The cave was dark, but cheerful candles lit the way. Floating above a raised podium was another fairy, one much older than the Red Fairy. His wrinkled face and wise expression gave him an air of authority. “Welcome, brave adventurers,” he said, his voice deep and reassuring. “Step into the circle, and we shall test where your powers lie. Who will be the first?”
Eric, a bright kid from Medellín, Colombia, always loved taking charge when playing Dungeons & Dragons. Without hesitation, he volunteered. “I will, brave sir fairy.” He stepped into the circle, and the old fairy waved his wand.
