The best crusades have the holiest goals, the staunchest believers, and shape History. This one is no exception. ENJOY!
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“Gulp. Awoo…”
It was coming. They could feel it.
The stillness, the restlessness, and all that came with it.
Jack especially felt his heart thump in his ears as he gazed at the white plain laden with valiant defenders. So many Ink Wolves sat there awaiting what could soon be their death.
Then again, they knew it too. There was this heaviness to it all, as if this was the last time they’d see their beloved plane. It was unbearably still.
‘So this is the calm before the storm?’
[‘Till Next Raid!]
[299!]
[298!]
[297!]
As the counter ticked down, it felt suffocating.
He had done everything he could. The troops were well-rested, and he had trained them to the best of his abilities, but what if even that wasn’t enough? What if the incoming enemies were too strong?
Not only was it freaking overwhelming, but it also made him feel like a coward.
What right did he have to be scared? The wolves would be the ones facing the enemies. They would be the ones shedding their ink blood, they would be the ones suffering!
‘I’m one hell of an impostor, ain’t I?’
‘Save this plane? I won’t. They will.’
‘I’ll be in the back, “leading”'.
….
But as soon as the thought took hold in his mind, he forcibly crushed as if a worm under his foot. This wasn’t the time. Even if he was a half-baked leader, it was still HIS job to inspire them!
And amidst a silence that felt heavier than the world….
“Hahahahahahahahahaha!”
“….?!!!?”
As he laughed madly, the White Plane seemed to freeze. The wolves turned his way, so did Shadow, and even a bunch of inky clouds approached, their weird existence full of curiosity.
A great speech? He didn’t have it in him, not anymore. If he was honest, he was scared, so freaking scared, but as he laughed like a madman, he didn’t look it one fucking bit. He just kept laughing.
He laughed as their doom approached, as the wolves anxiously worried about his sanity, and even as a certain Shadow almost intervened. But amidst his laugh was the biggest grin.
“Don’t you guys find it funny? Whoever’s invading us, they’re so fucked!
“Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
What kind of statement was this from a General? Yet, as the wolves pictured all the training they had done and survived, their heavy hearts burst with hope and confidence.
Soon, the strangest scene appeared in the white plane, one that would have anyone look again in shock. Countless Ink Wolves laughed along with their mad leader!
Then came the howls, powerful yet interrupted by endless cackles! “Awooo! Kekeke! Awoo!! Kekeke! Awooo! Kekeke! Awoo!! Kekeke! Awooo! Kekeke! Awoo!! Kekeke! Awooo! Kekeke! Awoo!! Kekeke!”
[Ink Wolves DES has gone down?!]
[Ink Wolves DES has gone down?!]
[Ink Wolves DES has gone down?!]
….
‘What do you know? It works…’
“Now, get ready. And remember, use your FULL power!”
He reminded them as the counter ticked down its last. And as soon as [0] appeared, EVERYTHING changed! The white plane that had been so peaceful all along suddenly quaked and tremored.
And then IT appeared, a glowing portal the size of a house…
‘WHAT THE FUCK?! Why is it so big?!’
As soon as Jack saw it, he felt the pressure. The portal he himself had entered had been human-sized, but this one was industrial-sized. What would come out of it, giants, dinosaurs, or worse?!
But that wasn’t the only issue. It was colorless…
Black and white, not a hint of color in sight. A portal’s level could usually be identified by its color, but in the weird White Plane, that didn’t happen. It was a huge can of unknown!
Yet, a certain Shadow by the side still looked totally unfazed, suggesting he was used to it. Either the size was irrelevant, or Jack was about to witness a fight for the ages.
‘Never mind, it’s already starting.’
RIPPLE! RIPPLE!
It was as if the portal was a large pond where one had just thrown a dozen pebbles. It rippled, the fabric of the world around it seemingly getting eroded, with crackling darkness spreading.
Wherever that darkness landed, there was only death. The white plain turned black, the clouds dissolved into a blackish goo, and a few wolves at the front shattered into oblivion.
SCARY! It was as if the portal itself was preventing spawn kill.
And then THEY appeared. Tons of tiny silhouettes. Yet, even if they were overshadowed size-wise by the wolves, it clearly wouldn’t change anything.
100, 1000, 10 000, Jack quickly lost count.
Even without the portal’s darkness, they alone would have blackened the land with their presence. Ugly and twisted, they almost looked like gray goblins on steroids, incredibly greedy ones.
They clasped various weapons made of bones. Spears, bows, and even a few whips made with spines. And as they gazed at the wolves, they gave the most vicious grins.
Jack knew that gaze. He knew it too well.
They didn’t see wolves; they saw XP.
Their Mission was 100% Slaughter!
…
They didn’t wait, either.
"Grrrak-grrrak! Graaak! "Rakk-rakk!"
With shrill guttural screams, they rushed at them, their small feet battering the ground like a drum. This wasn’t a raid. This was an invasion. Anyone sensible would have long fled. The wolves didn’t.
They charged at the sea of goblins, maw first.
“AWOOOOOOOOO!”
But all that howling was for nothing. The goblins didn’t care. While cackling, they raised their bows, ones that twisted in the non-existent air as if hungering for blood, and then… TWANG!
Arrows flew, their shadows darkening the sky and the ground under it, and then it all came crashing down. Normally the wolves would have ignored it and just kept pushing, their regen’ saving them.
But this time, their reflexes kicked in.
The wolves running in a straight line suddenly jumped on their colleagues, landing in spots void of arrows, so many wolves crowding together that it almost looked like the wolf clearing.
But as they did, they lost momentum, momentum they could have used to eviscerate enemies, and momentum that would have sent terror into the hearts of their enemies.
Seeing this, Shadow cursed by the side…
“Damnation! Human, that’s bad! Wait, let me order them to—“
He was about to give them an all-in order, but Jack hurriedly stopped him, waving a domineering hand right before his face. This was an opportunity that couldn’t be missed!
“No, let them think we’re weak. Our guys need to be VERY afraid of those arrows instead! Make a few of them play dead, too. I want them on the ground like they’ve breathed their last!”
As Jack ordered, Shadow seemed confused for a second, but he still raised a shadowy hand to his temple, sending telepathic messages to the troops, a power he had as their creator.
“Woooooo? AWOOOOO! AWOOOO!”
They had understood.
A second later, it began. Volleys after volleys of arrows were shot in the air, creating arcs through the air as they aimed for the wolves. Once again, they dodged, but a few were a beat too late.
— Collapse! Collapse! Collapse! Collapse! —
Struck down by arrows, wolves crashed to the ground, howling in agony. This was a skill they had learned from playing dead during all the battle simulations.
"Raaaagh! Krikk-krakk! Rakk-rakk!" The goblins cheered in the vilest way possible. Their derisive eyes showed all the world's contempt as they kept shooting.
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!
The sound of bows snapping almost covered the howls of agony. And with every wave, the goblins relaxed some more. Those mutts charging at them? They were NOTHING!
If they were so scared of a few arrows, they’d definitely go down as soon as they made contact. There was no fear, there was no respect, there was only a greedy aura overflowing from them.
They laughed, and they laughed…
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"Raaaagh! Krikk-krakk! Raaaak! Greee-haa! Hssk-hssk! Raaaagh! Graaak! Rakk-rakk! Kraaak-kaaaa! Screeee!" Jack had no idea what the hell they were saying, nor did he care.
He kept watching until IT happened. The charge of the desperate “weak” wolves finally met the “overpowered” goblins, the latter barely caring about it.
They laughed their asses off, and— CRASH!
They laughed as weapons met hides. They laughed as the wolves’ bodies got skewered. They were still laughing as Ink Wolves utterly ignored their wounds and kept pushing.
"Graaaak?! Skreee-haa! Wha—Rakk-rakk! Hssk! Noooo! Kraaak?! Gyaaagh! Raaaak?!" Why?! Why wasn’t it working?! The goblins screamed in confusion, but it was far too late.
They stopped laughing as their Frontline exploded. Their evil grins turned to grimace as their brethren became a bloody black mist that stained the world. Then they choked.
The wolves weren’t done, far from it….
“Now it’s time for feeding! DEVOUR THEM ALL!”
Jack bellowed from the back, raising his arm as if the mightiest summoner.
And that’s when it happened all at once. The “dead” wolves got up like nothing had ever happened and joined their brothers, just in time for the goriest massacre!
A massive blow. Confusion of the highest order. Immortal wolves rampaging. And even the ones they had managed to "kill" were coming back from hell to devour them?!
Limbs were bitten off, faces were mauled, goblins were eaten whole!
It was too much to handle for anyone, especially goblins…
[Ding! Successfully Gave “Goblins” PTSD!]
[Ding! Successfully Gave “Goblins” PTSD!]
[Ding! Successfully Gave “Goblins” PTSD!]
….
The System didn’t just chime once, either.
It kept resounding endlessly. And as it did, Jack felt pride fill his mind. Those were his wolves! Those were the soldiers he had trained! Those were his four-legged brothers!
“You go, guys! Teach those sunnavabitch a lesson!”
It would be the greatest teaching ever: death! And the learning would be permanent. Seeing them go, Jack found himself cheering as a sports fan would; it was the BEST!
As for what happened next? It was a bloody shit show. A few goblins got lucky, shattering a few Shadow Cores, but that didn’t do much for them in the grand scheme of things.
From that point on, it turned from a battle to a HUNT!
The wolves were hunting their prey, showing how powerful they were in close quarters. And what they lacked in technique they more than made up with raw savagery.
It was 15 minutes of pure slaughter
It was 15 minutes of retreating
It was 15 minutes of despair
…
The Goblins reversed the momentum.
Whatever Mission they had here, definitely a KILL one, they all gave it up as they rushed back toward the gigantic portal with the frenzy of Black Friday shoppers.
Many died running toward it, and some wolves even made it to the portal, but as soon as they touched it— SPLATTER! They’d explode in a rain of Ink!
“Let them leave! Stay away from that shitty thing!”
“AWOO! AWOOO! AWOOO! AWOOO!”
Soon, it was all over.
The last living Goblin fleeing, the ginormous magical portal closed by itself, as if nothing but a bad dream, albeit one that had left a shitload of corpses.
For a few seconds, there was only silence, but then…
[Ding! Successfully Survived the First Wave!]
[Save This Plane Mission Progressed!]
[Keep up the Good Work! ^_^v]
….
“WE FUCKING DID IT!”
As he erupted in cheers, so did the wolves. They raised their heads to high heaven and started howling to the clouds, with the latter joining the celebrations.
But the clouds weren’t the only ones squirming happily. A certain Shadow by the side was radiating so much happiness that he didn’t look one bit scary anymore.
“Human, we did it! I can’t believe it went so well!”
Jack could barely believe it himself.
They had survived.
They had survived.
They had survived.
…
Timing had been everything. Had they not faked weakness, the goblins would have been wary and perhaps would have come up with a tactic to counter them. But they hadn’t.
They had underestimated them until the very last moment. Sadly for them, turns out that wolves were VERY dangerous in close combat, especially gimmicky immortal ones.
Then again, they had all given it their all, their bodies almost obliterated.
“Everyone, let’s take a well-deserved break!”
They sat in a circle as Shadow worked.
[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]
[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]
[Ally Used ‘Let me Summon You!’]
…
He kept spamming the skill, making sure to heal their wounded bodies. The worse were the ones with damage cores, they required even more energy than summoning new ones.
Yet, Shadow didn’t complain as he exhausted himself from the task, and as he did, the wolves were all expectantly wagging their tails as they looked at Jack instead.
“Pfft— Let me guess, you guys want a story?”
Tails wagged so hard they threatened to fall off.
“Fine. You guys did good, so here it goes. Once upon a time… Roast Beef! Just looking at it is enough to enchant one's soul: juicy, tender, pink, and the taste’s a blast in one’s mouth!”
“Every slice is one of Heaven, and it goes so damn well in sandwiches. Think layer and layer of meat wrapped in the most delicious baguette along with cheese.”
“Oh, you guys would freaking love cheese. Soft, creamy, and full of delicious fat that melts in one’s mouth. Hehe, there’s a reason the cheese tax exists…”
The more he shared about the Blue Planet, the more excited they got. They had eaten a bunch of creatures, but none had ever come close to the wonders he'd describe.
To them, the Blue Planet was Paradise incarnate. Little things like going to the Supermarket and getting the most common food known to mankind were already enough to excite them.
And the more he interacted with them, the more he realized.
‘I wouldn’t mind a Summoning Quirk.’
‘It’s basically LOTS of friends.’
‘Pretty strong, too.’
Lost in thoughts, he kept the storytelling going, only to realize at some point that even Shadow was amongst the wolves and listening intently. That’s when he knew.
The healing was done, and with this, It was time.
“Welp. Enough stories. We got things to do…”
In fact, a devious timer was already back, taunting him. Another three days, was it? Good thing time flowed more slowly in portals, or else that could have been a problem.
But either way, it was time for work…
[‘Till Next Raid!]
[259 199!]
[259 198!]
[259 197!]
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It was a scene of carnage.
Wolves could be seen bleeding all over, their fur stained with ink. In their eyes, there was pure despair; the only thing keeping them going was the frequent encouragements.
“Get your backs into it! Do it for the cheese!”
[Ink Wolves DES has gone down?!]
[Ink Wolves DES has gone down?!]
[Ink Wolves DES has gone down?!]
….
Jack was making them train.
Or rather, it could be said he was torturing them. He had taken the training from before and had increased it a thousandfold! And the only way they could take it were promises.
“Once we’re done saving this plane, I’ll see what I can do as far as food goes. Wouldn’t you guys like that? To taste the delicacies from the Blue Planet. You would, right?”
That single comment of his had them so fired up that it was now his number one motivational tool. And with this dream alive they kept working hard.
Their hard work was extremely eye-catching.
SPLATTER!
SPLATTER!
SPLATTER!
…
At that moment, wolves were raining from the Sky?! That was because Jack had Shadow build a replica of the Rainbow Road for them, one filled to the brim with death traps.
But that wasn’t all either. There were even dueling platforms added. Mid-parkour, they’d have to fight one another gladiator style, and the loser would get thrown off.
Knowing the ascension was incredibly long and laden with hardship, it was a horrible fate. Wolves could be seen fighting tooth and nail in the sky with the fierceness of honey badgers!
And as they bled and fell, Jack was having a meeting.
“Are you sure there’s no way to give them ranged attacks?”
“Not possible, human. They’re wolves, not wizards. Besides, even if I DO build platforms in the sky to increase their mobility, a bunch of things can easily shatter them, like arrows.”
“Damn, so any support magic’s a no-go? There’s no way to predict what we’ll face, and we’re stuck with melee range too. Our only saving grace is that our guys are fast, but…”
As if to prove his point, an Ink Wolf splattered on the ground right before him, its body turning to goo and revealing a Shadow Core to the world before it regenerated.
He couldn’t help but wince. Even now, he had a bad feeling.
“Human, what’s stressing you so much?”
“This right here…”
Instead of replying, Jack grabbed a bit of Ink-like blood and started drawing on the white ground. Funny how he was technically painting with blood as if it was utterly natural.
Before long, he had bullet points of worries…
→ First Raid Done. Quest Chain?!
→ Sentient Creatures: Goblins?
→ Gigantic ass portal
→ Lack of color
→ Melee Only
→ Unknown
….
He was pretty sure there was stuff he didn’t account for, so for now he just added an all-encompassing Unknown to the list, not that it made things better.
“Sentient creatures will eventually notice that they gotta target the cores or even think about using the ink-blood as poison. Who knows what will come through that portal next…”
“Human, aren’t you overly cautious? We barely lost 30 wolves in the last fight. Usually, there’s always a few hundred of them dying. With this extra training, I’m sure that—”
“Don’t be sure. The goblins, too, were very sure.”
He didn’t let that one pass, interrupting.
It was FAR too soon to rest on their laurels. That’s what the goblins had done, and look how it had turned out. They had died before even realizing how. No, this was life and death!
Technicality, he didn’t fear losing wolves.
He HATED it since he liked them, but he didn’t fear it.
What absolutely terrified him was a wipe. If a wipe ever happened, then he’d be right there in the back, ripe for the picking. This looked easy, but his fate was tied up with them.
‘Then again, I’m already making the best of the situation.’
The new mission [Save this Plane] was almost easier than the original [Survive]. After all, now that he was a General, he could park his ass safely in the back, but would it be enough?
He didn’t know. Yet, that also didn’t matter either.
“As they say. Hope for the best, prepare for the Apocalypse!” As he stated, even Shadow raised an ethereal eyebrow. Somehow the last part didn’t sound right?
But that was Jack’s current mindset.
“Who knows, no one…”
And just like that wolves kept training. At times they added some cohesion training, and war games, but Jack usually just had them 1 v 1 Parkour to death in the air.
It pushed their limits, and it was FAST!
They’d get up, and go down even quicker. It would also be incredibly challenging for all of them. The better ones would be quicker and go farther, but they’d all return to start anyway.
It reached a point where it almost became hopeless….
“The first to reach the finish line will have an entire block of cheese. As for the others, they’ll be forced to watch the winner devour said cheesy goodness with their hearts full of jealousy!”
That, that, THAT?! This was carrot AND stick!
“GASP?! Wooooo?!!!”
That single promise got them working overtime, only taking breaks for the mandatory activities and the stories. As good as working hard was, the stories were important, too.
By now, he had stopped with the regular stories, they held little value. Instead he went for popular fables, ones that adults would use to teach kids about the value of hard-work.
“There was once a tortoise and a hare…”
“Have you heard of the ant and a grasshopper…”
“Once upon a time, there was a very thirsty crow…”
He wanted to make sure they kept working hard and that they wouldn’t grow complacent, either. Luckily, they absolutely devoured those stories.
“Now, who here can teach me what it means?”
“Woo!!!!”
Paws would rise as if in a classroom. It wasn’t like they spoke the same language, but by now, they understood him and could easily answer yes or no questions.
Sometimes, he couldn’t help but give a thought to the unfortunate humans who had died fighting in this place. They’d roll in their graves if they saw his current approach.
Fighting? He was leading and telling stories.
But with that, he had also come to terms with being a coward. He was fine with it. Surviving was fine. Not fighting was fine. In his own way, he was being super helpful.
And just like that, he played his role and kept playing it, time seemingly flashing by. The first three days had been quick, but those really just zoomed by.
Before he knew it, the timer was down again…
[‘Till Next Raid!]
[6 247!]
[6 246!]
[6 245!]
Except this time, they had shown up a little bit in advance. He walked toward where the previous portal had spawned. There was still a dark imprint where it had been.
“See this? That was the portal darkness’ radius!”
That crazy energy that had prevented spawn kill? The same energy that had killed a couple of wolves? He’d be damned if he lost a single wolf to it anymore!
“See this line? Run to it, and BACK!”
He made them sprint, stop at the very last second, and turn back. At the same time, he couldn’t help but ponder whether they should fight elsewhere.
Elsewhere, there wouldn’t be that black energy. But there was an issue: the monsters themselves seemed to corrupt the land if given time. He didn’t want to risk it.
‘Who knows if those fuckers won’t get a power-up if left alone.’
Or worse, maybe they’d build a fortress or something.
Maybe he was being paranoid, but as long as they killed enough of them, they’d have to retreat, and it would all disappear anyway. They just had to be a bit more careful.
But even then, he wasn’t sure if it would be—
“Human, enough worrying!”
“I guess you’re right….”
In complete silence, a Human and Shadow awaited their next challenge. It was coming, they could feel it. The stillness, the restlessness, and all that came with it.
Yet Jack could barely hear his heart thumping. Instead, he found himself surprised by how calm he was. Was this the result of a single battle?! No, it was something else.
‘It’s faith. Faith in those gluttonous silly wolves.’
‘Faith that they won’t let me down’
‘Faith in my brother in paws.’
….
Then, as the counter inevitably reached [0], he mightily grinned.
“Hehe, you guys ready to fight? Those bastards coming want to steal all your cheese! They want to steal it all. You know what to do, right? FUCK THEM ALL UP!”
He shamelessly lied, and they hundred percent believed it.
The world rippled as if it were a repeat of that morning. And soon, Jack found himself counting again. 1…3…5?!! Except this time, he wasn’t counting the monsters, but the portals.
Tons and tons of portals?! How?! Wouldn’t this mean the danger would be multiplied?! This NEVER happened on Earth! It— no, it wasn’t true. It had happened once before.
The second coming of Chernobyl. History’s craziest monster tide.
A disaster that had crippled two superpowers?!
He didn’t have mages like the Arcane Union!
He didn’t have undying knights like—
…
“WOOOOOOOO!”
Amidst his despair, powerful howls resounded. If before they had believed him, his troops were now 2000% convinced! So many portals, of course they were aiming for the cheese!
Fueled by Jack’s lie, they didn’t overthink it, and they were already charging at the nearest as he struggled not to falter to his knees. What the fuck was this?!
[Ding! “Second Coming” of the White Plane!]
[Are You Ready to Die? You Better Be!]
[Enemies Incoming! Good Luck!]
…
Luck?! They’d need much more than luck. As his grip tightened on his Razorspear, he understood very clearly. This time, he couldn’t afford to remain passive.
They were facing bloody extinction…