POV : WASTELAND
Alexander stood at the ridge, squinting at the pitiful excuse for a settlement below. His counterpart from the Celestial Emperor, a tall, sleek man named Yuen Fan, stood beside him, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed.
“You’re telling me this is what we’ve been negotiating over?” Yuen Fan sneered, his voice dripping with disbelief. “Olivia’s wasted more time on this dump than I do on my hair.”
Alexander grinned, adjusting his cowboy hat, “Yep, partner. But now it’s time to put the talkin’ aside and let the action do the persuadin’.”
Down below, the demon dogs snarled and paced outside the rickety wooden walls. Hundreds of them. Big, ugly creatures with red eyes and fangs like daggers. But Alexander’s army? Thousands. Thousands of tough, battle-hardened soldiers itching for a fight.
“Well,” Yuen Fan muttered, cracking his knuckles, “I think we can clear out the trash before we handle the real problem.”
Alexander gave a sharp whistle, his voice booming, “Alright, boys! We’re done with the chit-chat. Time to clear the path!”
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The ground shook as the army’s massive war machines rolled forward, followed by waves of infantry with spears and shields. Behind them, archers took their positions, crossbows ready.
“YEEHAW!” Alexander bellowed, pumping a fist in the air. “Let’s send these mutts packin’!”
The first barrage of crossbow bolts whizzed through the sky, a chorus of THWIP THWIP THWIP piercing the air. Bolts slammed into the demon dogs, dropping the first wave as the soldiers charged forward with wild battle cries.
“Go! Go! Go!” someone yelled from the front.
BOOM! A giant explosion tore through the ranks of demon dogs as one of the war machines fired its ballista, sending bodies flying. Alexander clapped Yuen Fan on the shoulder, “Now that’s how you open up a can o’ whoop-ass!”
Yuen Fan chuckled dryly. “Effective, if a bit… brutish.”
The dogs weren’t going down without a fight, though. The biggest of them, a hulking brute twice the size of the others, let out an ear-piercing howl, summoning more from the hills beyond the settlement.
“More of ‘em comin’!” shouted one of the soldiers.
Alexander unsheathed his great sword, twirling it with a cocky grin. “Good. Means we ain’t runnin’ out of targets yet.” He turned to Yuen Fan. “You ready to get your hands dirty, or you just gonna stand there lookin’ pretty?”
Yuen Fan smirked, flicking his wrist to reveal a shimmering blade. “Please. I always look pretty.”
As the second wave of demon dogs charged, Alexander leaped down the hill, sword raised high, cutting through the air like a madman. “YEEHAW!” He sliced through the first dog with a quick, precise strike, sending it sprawling.
Yuen Fan followed, moving like a blur, his blade humming through the air as he sliced through one, two, three dogs in a matter of seconds. “If we’re going to do this, let’s make it quick.”
CRACK!
One of the war machines fired again, this time hitting the big dog square in the chest, knocking it backward with a deafening thud. But the beast wasn’t finished. It got back up, shaking off the blow and charging straight at Alexander.
Alexander grinned, “Now this is what I call a proper fight!”
He charged the beast head-on, sword gleaming.
The demon dog, towering and furious, let out a guttural roar, saliva dripping from its snarling jaws. Alexander’s grin widened as he sprinted toward it, sword raised. The ground shook beneath them as they closed the distance.
“YEEHAW!” he yelled, his blade flashing as it met the beast’s claws mid-air. Sparks flew, the force of the impact nearly knocking Alexander off his feet.
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Behind him, Yuen Fan darted around smaller demon dogs, dispatching them with precision. “Don’t get too cocky, cowboy!” Yuen Fan shouted. “We’ve still got work to do!”
Alexander twisted his body, using the momentum to bring his sword down hard on the demon dog’s shoulder. THWACK! The beast howled in pain but wasn’t backing down. It swiped again with its massive paw, nearly catching Alexander.
“Dang, you’re a tough one!” Alexander panted, ducking just in time. He leaped onto the creature’s back, gripping its fur. “But so am I!”
The beast thrashed wildly, trying to shake him off, but Alexander held on tight, steering it like a rodeo bull. “Y’all seen Wrigley Field go nuts? This is that… but meaner!” He swung his sword down hard into the back of the creature’s neck.
CRACK!
The beast stumbled, groaning, before finally collapsing to the ground with a loud THUD. Alexander jumped off and stood over it, panting but triumphant. “And that, folks, is how you wrangle a demon dog.”
Yuen Fan stepped over to him, brushing demon fur off his sleek armor. “Well, that was… excessive,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “But effective. I suppose.”
Alexander chuckled, sheathing his sword. “Sometimes you gotta make it a show, partner.”
Just then, a soldier came running up, breathless. “Sir! The path’s clear! The rest of the demon dogs have scattered!”
Yuen Fan surveyed the battlefield, nodding in approval. “Good. Now, let’s deal with the real problem—those stubborn fools inside the settlement.”
Alexander smirked, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Oh, they’re about to get a visit from Fort Bone’s finest diplomacy… with a side of intimidation.”
The two of them marched toward the settlement’s flimsy gates, which creaked pitifully as they pushed open. Inside, the settlers—clearly shaken by the carnage they’d just witnessed—stood huddled in small groups, whispering nervously.
One of the town leaders, an older man with a gray beard, stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly. “We… We saw what you did to those dogs. Impressive, but we still don’t want to submit to Fort Bone.”
Alexander strolled up to him, towering over the man, and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Well, that’s mighty unfortunate, ’cause here’s the thing—you got two options. You can either join us peacefully, or…” He glanced over at Yuen Fan, who casually spun his blade in his hand. “We do things the hard way.”
The old man gulped, glancing nervously at his people. “W-We don’t have much here. Our walls are weak. Our resources are limited.”
“Exactly,” Yuen Fan chimed in, stepping closer. “Fort Bone could offer you protection, upgrades, resources… things you desperately need. Or,” he paused, smiling slightly, “we can let you face the next wave of demon dogs… alone.”
The question hung in the air like an executioner’s blade.
The old man’s resolve seemed to crumble as the weight of his situation truly sank in. He looked back at his people, who were staring wide-eyed at the bloody scene outside, and then sighed heavily. “Alright… alright. We’ll join Fort Bone.”
Alexander slapped him on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of him. “Now, that’s the spirit! Welcome to the family!”
Yuen Fan flicked his blade off and crossed his arms. “Seems like you made the right choice. Let’s start upgrading those walls, shall we?”
As Alexander and Yuen Fan walked away, Alexander turned to his alien counterpart, smirking. “Well, that was easier than takin’ down that big ugly dog.”
Yuen Fan raised an eyebrow. “You mean you herding it like a deranged cowboy?”
Alexander laughed. “Hey, whatever works, partner.”
‘‘‘
One stubborn settlement wasn’t the goal of the army, there were quite a few more.
With a determined stride, Alexander paced along the makeshift command center set up just outside yet another stubborn settlement’s walls. Yuen Fan stood beside him, adjusting his gear while keeping an eye on the settlement’s unyielding gates.
“You know,” Yuen Fan said, scratching his chin thoughtfully, “this is getting old. We’ve been at this for a month, and these folks are still stubborn.”
Alexander chuckled, nodding. “Ain’t that the truth? Sometimes all it takes is a little nudge. Like when the army rolls in, and they hear the BOOM! of them junk cannons—suddenly, folks start rethinkin’ their choices right quick.”
“Yeah, I mean, nothing says we mean business like a couple of junk cannon shots ringing in the air,” Yuen Fan replied, grinning. “But what’s the plan today? Another round of friendly persuasion?”
Yuen Fan had started adopting Alexander’s quirky speech patterns and casual attitude as they continued worked together.
“Exactly. Just a little reminder they ain’t the only ones who can make a racket. We’ll have the ballistae pointed right at their gate, and if they don’t take the hint after a few warnings, well… we’ll show ’em what happens when folks ignore good manners,” Alexander said, his tone easy but firm.
Yuen Fan raised an eyebrow. “Manners? Is that what we’re calling it now? Because it sounds more like ‘open up or face the wrath of the Wasteland Army.’”
Alexander shrugged, a playful glint in his eye. “Details, details. I like to try talkin’ first, and if that don’t work, well… we just make sure they hear us knockin’. Besides, Atlas always said—”
“—keep the army strong and overpowered,” Yuen Fan finished, smirking. “Yeah, I remember. I cannot argue with that wisdom.”
They both looked out at the settlement, its high walls seeming to mock them. Alexander sighed. ‘There’s no need for humans to fight each other. Our only goal is to unite the wasteland,‘ he thought, focusing on the bigger picture.
“Alright, let’s get ‘er ready,” he said, clapping Yuen Fan on the back. “Time to show them we’re not just here for tea and biscuits. Let’s make some noise!”
Yuen Fan grinned, and they moved into position, preparing to rally the troops. The air buzzed with anticipation as the soldiers readied their weapons, all aware of the message they were about to send. BOOM!
“Here we go!” Alexander shouted, as the first ballista fired, the sound echoing like thunder across the wasteland, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.