19_A New beginning

The colossal man knelt in the gray sand, shoulders slumped, hands shaking, feeling the patch of land where his beloved had stood just moments before. His fingers futilely grasped at the sand, as if he could somehow wish her back to life.

"Jimbo, get out of there!" Beth shouted, causing Herman to frown in anger.

That was it. That woman had no heart or compassion whatsoever. "For god’s sake, give the man a few moments to recover!"

Shooting him a spiteful look, Beth rushed past Herman and kicked Jimbo’s hands out of the sand. One of his palms was covered in light gray liquid, no doubt the blood from the nearby corpse of the amphibian mutant. His skin was already turning green, the changes rushing to spread further along his body, with web-like membranes beginning to form between his fingers.

Without hesitation, Beth swung her sword, slicing clean through the appendage, which flopped down onto the sandy ground.

"Move back! Back!" Beth shouted, but the worker gang leader just watched at the stump with indifference.

"Old man!" Beth snapped, motioning with her head towards the shocked giant.

Understanding her meaning, both of them began dragging the man away from the toxic amphibian body. Only with the help of the refugees they finally managed to achieve their goal. Next Beth and Herman immediately rushed for the man’s injury, doing their best to stop the bleeding and wrap the wound with rags.

During which the man just stared blankly at the distance, past the gates and towards the Inn, completely motionless and unresponsive to the world.

As the panicked shouts and commotion from the refugees quieted down, a few cautious heads began poking out from behind the safety of the inn’s door and windows. Jimbo’s dull lifeless eyes began to widen, until his face was transformed to one of pure rage.

Calmly standing up and ignoring the protests of Herman and Beth, who fussed around his injury like tiny fish around a whale, the giant steadily moved toward the inn.

"Boss! You are okay!"

"We knew you would be back!"

"Thank god you are aliv…"

The remaining hand of the giant shot like a viper. Clasping the neck of one of the closest worker gang members and effortlessly lifting him in the air.

"B..boss grghh…" The man gurgled, clasping at the giant’s hand, legs flailing in the air.

“Where were you during the fight?” the behemoth growled in a low, menacing tone. "There are so many of you, and yet the only one who fought was Ali…" He paused at the thought of his deceased companion.

"Why weren't you by her side?" he continued, his voice full of barely restrained fury. "A pair of chickens have more backbone than you do! Hell, even the damn machine made itself useful and helped out. But you… YOUUU!" the colossus roared.

"You hid inside like cowards! Your comrade was out there, fighting for you! While you simply watched! Cowards! Shame on you! SHAME!"

"B..but boss…" One of the other gang members stammered. "The pain settings, even with the System, they are on 100%. We can't possibly…"

"Pain!? You are afraid of pain? That is NO excuse! Do you think I enjoy this!?" Jimbo waved his bloody stump over the heads of the humans, causing some of the more squeamish of them to belch and expel the contents of their stomachs.

"Do you think I am not afraid? I am terrified! And yet I would sacrifice everything in order to save my comrades. Pain or not." Jimbo’s grasp loosened and he released the man on the ground. Causing him to cough and clasp at his strained throat.

"I see now… I see it clearly… I have been protecting you for far too long. It has made you soft. Weak! You say you fear pain. I say you haven't had enough of it! I will show you the true meaning of the word." The mountain of a man said with a grim voice, towering over the puny humans and causing them to huddle together with anxiety.

___

Everyone from the worker gang stood in a straight line. The courtyard of the base was eerily quiet. Only the occasional curious clucks of the hens disturbed the anxious atmosphere. The worker humans fidgeted in place, afraid to look their leader in the eye, lest they attract his ire.

Jimbo stood tall, facing the rabble with a severe expression, examining, evaluating, and finding them wanting. On his sides stood Herman and Beth, both of which had cold emotionless faces, waiting to see how would the gang leader proceed.

"TURN AROUND!" Jimbo’s voice echoed through the courtyard, making the workers jump in surprise and fear.

Everyone exchanged fearful looks, but sluggishly obeyed the order.

"Pants down!" The giant commanded.

An order which made even the stoic mechanoid rise her artificial eyebrows in surprise.

"I said… PANTS, DOWN!" The giant snapped. "If any of you wants to leave, they are welcome to do so, but once you do, do not bother coming back."

The workers hesitated. Faced with banishment into the mutant/raider infested wasteland, and with whatever the hell their leader had in mind for them. Eventually though they relented, unbuckling their belts and complying with the command.

A grim silence ensured around the courtyard.

Herman’s emotionless facade began to crack as he shot Beth a questioning glance. The woman noticed his discomfort and gave out a tiny imperceptible smirk, clearly enjoying the man’s shaking morals.

"Now…." Jimbo shouted.

"Bend over!"

___

Smack!

Smack!

WHACK!!!

Jimbo struck the last worker gang member’s exposed behind with a thin, flexible wooden stick. He swung with all his might, making his subordinate squeak in pain and leaving three bright red marks where it hit.

After his punishment, the worker hobbled toward his unfortunate comrades, all of which were groaning and rubbing their behinds. Yet for some reason they looked more relieved than pained by the outcome, chuckling to each other and patting themselves on the backs.

"Alright." Jimbo spoke. "Now you have experienced a taste of pain. Let this be a new beginning for you. From now on you will work hard to master your fears.”

“All of us will train together. Beth and Herman are our most skilled fighters. They will teach us how to defeat our enemies with efficiency and grace. While I will take over the physical training of the gang. By the time I am done, all of you will be as big and strong as I am."

"We can no longer afford to be weak! Neither will we be afraid of what lurks beyond the gates! Together, we will conquer our fears and emerge stronger!" Jimbo proclaimed, chest puffed up and fist raised to the sky with fierce resolve.

"Jimbo! Jimbo! Jimbo!"

The chorus of voices from the worker gang and the newly arrived refugees chanted, their voices echoing through the camp, swelling with newfound hope and unity.

___

Fueled by their renewed resolve, the following week blurred into a frenzy of activity. A strict and merciless training regiment was implemented.

Beth assumed the role of the mysterious but highly skilled sword master, teaching the green recruits the way of the blade.

The worker woman reluctantly admitted she was a tournament champion of some obscure online fighting game, called “Blade hero”. The admission did not inspire confidence in the gang members. After all, those silly internet games were nothing more than a way to waste your time and money. However after a few demonstrations of her swordsmanship, none dared to question her abilities.

Herman knew a thing or two about fighting, and offered a few tips and tricks in addition to Beth’s classes, but he was certainly no match for the woman’s skill with the sword.

Instead the old man assumed the role of the old crafty hermit, knowing a bit of everything related to wasteland survival. His teachings of scavenging, repairing and tinkering were essential for the entire group’s continued survival. Not to mention all his knowledge about radiation treatment.

Unfortunately some of the refugees were already too far gone for his homemade concoctions. However thanks to him, most of the group managed to withstand the constant rad waves plaguing the neutral zone.

On the other hand, instead of wallowing in despair and grief over the loss of his fiance. Jimbo set out to transform his people's chubby, round bodies into a new ideal of physical perfection.

Assuming the role of a barbarian giant, descended from the havens to reshape the world in his image, the gang leader was merciless and unyielding in his teachings.

Only through “pain and persistence”, they would achieve greatness. “Healthy body, healthy mind!" The giant would say.

Running laps around the courtyard and lifting heavy stones were only the beginning. Turns out the massive man used to be a grappling expert in his youth. He even won a few minor tournaments before his gigantism prevented him from practicing his passion.

Before his grandma could save enough money to treat his condition, Jimbo had already grown to his current size, and despite eventually being cured, his size remained. Thus preventing him from participating in any sporting events ever again. The man recalled with a nostalgic reminiscent tone. Clearly missing the old days where he could practice martial arts without fear of dismembering his opponents.

Still, he was an excellent teacher, clearly showing the proper poses and techniques in order to immobilize an opponent in the most efficient manner possible.

And that is how time passed for the worker gang.

Training, studying, scavenging and fighting minor skirmishes with beasts and neighboring small gangs. And most importantly, adapting to their new environment.

At the same time the camp had began to transform and expand as well. New layers of barricades were constantly being added to accommodate the new arrivals and growing infrastructure. The small camp was slowly but surely transforming into a thriving community.

Regular trips were send to the stone quarry and the few others still remaining money making places. Some of the mana generating hamster wheels were recovered and installed inside the courtyard. Which In turn brought them just enough money to stave off starvation through Staple’s inn.

They also managed to recover the water cistern they had previously discovered. It was tough and dangerous work hauling it back to the camp, but with everyone’s combined efforts the task was completed successfully.

To supplement their reliance of the mechanoid, the gang established a small but thriving garden. At the center of which was the small fish figurine, which proved indispensable in providing a steady supply of fresh water, both for drinking and watering the crops.

The plants were weird and unfamiliar. They did found a pouch of smuggled seeds from Generica, but the plants seemed to have mutated from all the radiation. They grew with lightning speed and provided a great variety of fruits and nuts.

However getting those was another matter entirely, especially when their owners tried to eat you in turn. The razor-sharp teeth of the plants and their snarling, bulbous heads snapping at everyone who approached weren’t the best of prospects. But beggars can’t be choosers.

Eventually the humans managed to negotiate with the feral plants, and sort of an equilibrium was achieved. The gang would provide fresh water and fertilizer, and in turn the plants would share their produce. It was a win win situation. Though Herman couldn’t help but think that they had created a completely new species and a faction inside their camp.

Speaking of which…

Honoring their agreement, Jimbo and the others removed all the trash blocking their respawn booth, and every day the machine regurgitated a few new humans. The booth wasn't fast by any means, but it provided a steady supply of fresh new recruits.

Of course not everyone wanted to join them. Especially the ones who were originally at the head of the queue. They acted arrogantly and with contempt to the rest of the worker gang. Those people were free to leave whenever they wished. However after poking their heads over the barricades, they quickly reconsidered their decision to leave.

Faced with surviving on their own in the irradiated wasteland, they quickly abandoned their haughty demeanor's.

Every time someone popped out of the booth, Jimbo spared a hopeful glance at its direction, however his hopes were crushed each time.

He knew that Alice was one of the last ones to die, so she was stuck in the respawn queue till everyone else respawned. It would take years, if not decades for her to come back to life, but still he couldn’t help himself and hope for a miracle.

In the mean time more and more refugees kept arriving at their gates. All were welcomed to join their ranks. Of course as is the human tradition, there were always some who tried to corrupt and destroy what others have build.

After an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the giant and take control over the worker gang. The troublemakers were banished into the frog infested wasteland.

Herman and Beth advocated for killing them outright. “Never let an enemy live or he will come back to stab you in the back”. But Jimbo had other ideas, and simply let them meet their own fates amidst the wastelands.

Yes they could have chosen to leave the neutral zone and join the internet. However if they did so, they would be revoking their paper slips and place in the queue, thus never being able to enter the world of Generica.

Who knows, maybe Jimbo had the right idea after all. Maybe a leader had to compromise in his actions to the community.

Despite his recent adventures, Herman wasn't much of a team player. And the giant man had been a leader for many years, so there might have been some unseen social mumbo jumbo going on here that the old man was unaware of…

Besides those minor problems, the camp and people in it were prospering, overcoming each and every new challenge and growing stronger for it. All in all everything was going great.

However their isolation and blissful days could not last forever. There was a new threat looming over the horizon. An enemy that could easily bring destruction to everything they have struggled to achieve.