Chapter 248: Hope And Stuff

In a rusty elevator with a very questionable brownish message on the wall stood two individuals. One was full of grey-white fur and had her tail shake from one side to the other with marvel in her eyes. 

Josh wasn't sure how to react. What was this even about? How had she even managed to follow him? He would have expected her to hit an invisible wall or something as an NPC. Then again, the speedy lizard he had been carrying hadn't disappeared either. 

"Do you even know what you just boarded?" Josh inquired. 

"No, Master. But you're here, and that's all that matters." The dog girl instantly and calmly replied, not a single trace of worry in her voice.

"You should have stayed with your people. You may never see them again at this rate" He sighed. 

"Master is the one that has conquered the Savage Land. I'll remain at your side to serve you!" She declared as if such action was natural. 

Conquered? He had only killed a few weak lizards. He could only shake his head as the elevator kept shaking, bringing them all the way to Floor 4.

What would it be this time around? The doors opened, and the scene that appeared left him speechless. They hadn't moved at all! Was it because of the NPC smuggling? 

"Go out for a second," Josh instructed. 

His new companion sent him a suspicious look, but she complied. But even as she went out, the elevator didn't resume moving. 

"Here, take this." Josh handed her the Dinosaur he had been carrying. 

She picked it up with zeal, even mumbling in excitement, "oh my gosh!". For him, it was nothing more than a fast monster, but in her eyes, it was way more. Her hands were trembling as she held the creature her entire dog race feared. 

"How does it feel?" Josh softly asked. 

"As if I'm a legendary heroine! Thank you, Master!" Her grin was almost larger than her face, and her tail moving faster than a speedy scaly! 

But, even without the creature, the elevator remained unmoving. Was he stuck here?! Josh began wordlessly walking toward the Heroic-Paws village, pensive. As they arrived near the village, her ears went up in surprise as she suspiciously inspected it. 

"Where's everyone?!" She remarked. 

That's when Josh realized what she meant. The few cooking fires were not there, nor were there any sheep, and there was no trace of the guards at the entrance. It was a ghost village, completely void of any trace of life. But there were quite a number of stones covered with carvings. 

< We have gone to war against our enemies. Where has the leader gone in such a time of peril? To whoever finds this, Please tell my daughter that I hope she leads a good life— Old Husky. >

< Son, where have you gone? It has already been three months since your disappearance. Many doubt you, but you will forever be remembered in our hearts for bringing glory to the Heroic-Paws clan…if there remains one— Old Bernard. >

There were hundreds of messages like these. The inside of the village also showed signs of the passage of an army. An allied troop had left some footprints. It seemed like they had looted everything that was remotely useful to their military operation. 

This explained a lot. The elevator had indeed brought them to the next challenge: it had acted as a time machine!

"What shall we do, master?" She asked with worry. 

"Do you have any idea where they went?"

"Probably the plains of warfare. Shall we assist them?" She had so much hope in her eyes. 

"Sure, in a second. I just want to do a little something before." He reassured her. 

She instantly beamed with so much joy and relief. How much trust did she hold in him? What if this new challenge was too much for him to handle? This wasn't even an option, it seemed…

**** 

According to the dog girl, the territory of the clans was contained inside a basin surrounded by tall mountains. The only access to it was through the plains of warfare. Sadly, this area was too vast for any stronghold to be built. 

This explained the name since conflict only ever happened there. If that battle was lost, there would be no future for the dog race, only annihilation. She told Josh about the cruel fate that would await her species jovially.

"They will destroy our village, cut us open, turn us into barbecue, use our fur to make coats, stuff our heads as hunting trophies, claim our sheep, and possibly other stuff." — Casual quote from a husky girl. 

What did that other stuff even include? What was peculiar was that she had no idea who or what would be attacking them. There was a large world out there. What kind of plan did AT have for this Floor? Was he trying to turn it into a complex challenge world? 

After a few hours of walking, said plains revealed themselves to them. They could see about 400 dogs of all ages assembled in one big army. This included both the warriors and the common folks. What a ragtag bunch!

They looked so weak, and some even had trouble standing. Perhaps only half of them were actually fit for battle. But, it couldn't be helped. This place would be their last stand. They were gambling it all, not withholding anything. 

They made their way toward the army and were soon enough spotted. Even from a distance away, Josh could hear them crying out in shock. That is when there was a tumult amongst the crowd. They all told the news to whoever was near them, pointing. 

When Josh finally reached them, they were downright cheering while holding each other in tears of joy. It was weird to see so many species of dogs embracing one another in relief, none caring about such a small detail. 

He could feel the wind of change, literally! Their tails were collectively moving so fast that it brought about a wind current on the plain. There were so many eyes staring at him, his companion doing the same. She looked so proud.

"You look happy." Josh playfully commented. 

"Of course, with you here, the light is back!" She grinned. 

The light, was it? Sure, hope was strong, but what could it really do? There was no way that —. He suddenly realized how much the dogs had changed. Even the ones that had trouble standing were now jumping in joy. 

His presence had changed them so much? Had he not known better, he would have believed he had used some rejuvenation spell on them all. They looked a few years younger, a big deal for dogs! There was nothing more illusory than hope, and yet it could affect them so much?! 

Josh knew this was all fake, but he had seen it happen before, just not to that extent. It was ironic that the one that they trusted so much didn't give a flying fuck about them. He was here to accomplish his mission, and that was it. 

"Master, this way! The village chiefs are already waiting for you, I'm sure." 

She was pointing to the only tent there was in the encampment. Josh moved toward it. It was about time to figure out the rules of this new challenge. Still, he couldn't help but feel his blood boiling, for he would face an army...

Creator's Thought

Every time I entered the Alter Tower, I felt like AT had a much deeper purpose. All the other Tower Protocols were trying to kill people and train them the hard way. What was different about him? Probably that he was sentient. Then again, I was probably the one to blame for that. I was the first he saw and I rejected the system.