Chapter 1: The Betrayal Because Atlas is a Big Trusting Dummy. Being covered in blood, guts, and bits of bone matter was not Atlas's idea of a vacation. It had been a fucking tough year of battling through the wasteland, a place populated by portals that randomly sucked people in from Earth. The relentless year of fighting trolls, bandits, and the undead had left him both physically and emotionally scarred, but the thought of returning to normalcy kept him going. Cold beer, hot pizza, and not having to constantly watch his back were calling him. Atlas finally saw the portal home. Atlas stood among the group of survivors, their faces illuminated by the otherworldly glow of the portal. Each person bore the marks of their journey—scars, exhaustion, and the haunted look of those who had seen too much. But now, amongst those looks of exhaustion, a new emotion was seen—hope. Atlas’s heart pounded as he stared at the swirling vortex. *This is it,* he thought, barely able to believe it. *After a year, I’m finally going home. The last year had been brutal, but now it was time.* In front of the large group stood Clark, his scrawny shoulders barely filling out his ragged cloak. In his hands, he clutched a small pouch, his fingers twitching as if itching to reveal its contents. Clark, as the settlement leader, had been the designated token holder, responsible for distributing the precious tokens that would allow the survivors to pass through the portal and return home. Clark emptied the pouch, letting 100 gleaming tokens spill into his hand.
