Chapter 256: Dog Girl Ella

*Warning, Recap Chapter. Skip if you want* 

****(POV)~Ella

That day began with a disappointing victory. She had managed to complete her mission, but it felt so dull. The young master of the Heroic-Paws clan had just handed her their prized bone without her even asking! 

He had called it a token of his affection as he kept staring at her as if she were some kind of goddess. It made her feel dirty, so dirty! She didn't want to be some random female with dogs swooning over her! She was Ella, the successor of the Hard-Paws Clan, a warrior! 

But, she still accepted the gift. She wouldn't foil the plans of her clan just for her worthless pride. She wasn't that petty. She had a sense of the bigger picture. In any case, she truly felt that her father, Old Husky, would make a great leader for their race. 

His leadership qualities, along with this ancestral scaly devil bone, would assure him victory. She made her way back to her village, dropped the bone, and then was sent over again to her great disappointment. 

Ella's father had just told her: "Since he's already drolling over you, why don't you head back to discuss an alliance while you're at it?" To be fair, the Heroic-Paws village would make excellent allies. Their ancestors had been great, and they still had a few warriors. 

But once she got there, she learned that their young master had gone to the Savage Land for some reason. She didn't know whether he had gone crazy or not, but she wouldn't put her nose in his business. 

She tried to settle an alliance and have them give up competing to support them instead but failed. Old Bernard was evidently stalling, something she couldn't understand. What hope did they still have?

She soon found out as her father showed up along with Old Napolitan…and the missing young master for some reason?! But what followed was even weirder. Her father wanted to offer her to him?! 

That's when she found out that the young dog had changed completely, so much that he almost seemed possessed! Plus, he had managed to bring a pristine scaly bone from the Savage Land. 

Even if he luckily found one laying on the ground, to dare venture there was already praiseworthy. He also began showing interest in leading their brethren. He was rushing things for sure, but at least he showed initiative! 

But what made her almost go insane was how much he liked to throw the treasured bone around! What if he chipped it?! Why did he not care?! She could even see him smirking as he observed her reactions. 

She felt mad, yet curious, then embarrassed, then mad again, and curious! He couldn't be understood with common sense! Perhaps he had even been playing the fool all along, explaining why he gave the ancestral bone away so easily! 

She wasn't sure how to act around him, but she figured she might as well help him. That's what she did when he brought the selection event forward. She even guarded him when he sat there pretending to be sleeping. 

She finally got to see the real him when they journeyed to the Savage Land. Everyone else was scared to death, yet he looked like he was taking a walk in his backyard. When they were attacked, many chiefs ran away in fright, but he handled it easily. 

He even escorted them and assured their safety. People had trouble saving their own hide there, and he was babysitting?! That's when Ella understood that he was one of these heroes that would be remembered in legends. 

Wherever he would go, she would tag along, and she did. He took control of the clans, killed a traitorous dog, and then left toward a big metallic box that she had never seen before. Without a moment of hesitation, she entered too. 

This decision was the best one she ever made. Not only did he bring her to annihilate an army of monkeys, but he also brought her to another world. Well, she kind of had to throw herself in the box once more forcefully. 

In this new world that looked very strange and was full of long 'hallways', she managed to be helpful to him. This made her truly happy. They even managed to thwart the plans of the bad monkey together, making him submit to her master's awesomeness! 

Then it was another world once again: a place called a 'Mall'. In there, she learned the truth of the world and met a god. She also finally saw her Master for who he really was. He had never been a dog. He was a 'human'!

Humans were hard to differentiate since they didn't have fur with diverse colors and patterns. She made sure to remember her master's features, etching them in her memory.

Then, Master proposed that she accompany him to yet another world. This was the best moment of her life. She knew that she could be living the legends she had always dreamed of, every day!

But the god objected and said that it couldn't be done. From happiness, she was brought into despair. She wanted nothing more than to scratch this worthless god, but she couldn't even find him! 

She tried finding a solution, even a drastic one would have worked, but her master wouldn't agree. He was doing it for her own good, that she knew, but it didn't change how bad she felt. Being abandoned was the worst! 

He sternly ordered her to go back to the dog clans to protect them, a hint of gentleness in his tone. He even said he'd come back for her. But, she felt that something was amiss. She just didn't know what. 

As she came back to her village, there was something terribly wrong happening. Her father looked at her with a smile and asked: "Ella, can you go to the Heroic-Paws Village and try to negotiate for their ancestral bone? Ask to meet with Old Bernard!" 

What?! This had already happened before. She felt incredibly uneasy, but she went there, fearing what she would find. As soon as she set foot in the Heroic-Paws village, her fears became a reality. 

Their young master intercepted her as he had been coincidentally walking nearby. "You're Ella from the Hard-Paws village, right? Come with me, and I'll show you around!" She missed her master already. 

Then it was a repeat of the earlier events. He showed her all the boring huts in the village, he had her taste some roasted sheep meat and decided to give her their ancestral bone as a token of affection. 

She returned to her village as a ghost and handed the bone while looking livid. Her father instantly noticed: "Are you alright, Ella?" 

"Y-yes." She uttered weakly. 

She was waiting for the follow-up request, but it never came. There was nothing special happening, and everything was normal, too normal. She spent a few minutes just running around the Hard-Paws village, trying to understand what was happening. 

Then she realized: this world was a trial. No challenger meant that it would never progress and would remain like that. It sounded insane, but it wasn't when a god existed, one that could do whatever it wanted. 

The worst was that everyone had forgotten. No one remembered the past or even him. She suddenly jerked up in fright. What if she forgot too?! What if the next trial made her lose her memory?! What then?!

The answer was obvious: she would forget her master! She would even forget the best moments of her entire life. She couldn't accept it. These moments may have been short-lived, but they were precious memories to her. 

But what could she do?! She obviously couldn't go against the god. What if she begged for help? Would that work?! Maybe it would, but she couldn't take the chance. She wouldn't! 

That's when she had a flash of insight. It wasn't the end of the world if she forgot. It wasn't the end of the world if she had to live through the same events over and over. No, everything would be alright. 

She began whistling as she headed to the Savage Land, or more precisely to the entrance of it. She knew herself: at some point, she would come here for sure to pay homage to the souls of the heroes of old. 

She grinned as she approached the sturdy rock wall and readied her claw, masterfully beginning her carving work. 

<130 Reasons Why Master Is Awesome!> 

She glanced at the title and felt some doubt. Could she even convey his true legend with only 130 reasons? Oh well, she'd start with that.

- Powerful 

- Kind 

- Gentle

- Smart

- Ruthless

- Headpats

- Scaly Devils' Nightmare

- Can resist the attraction of pristine bones

- ...

****(POV)~AT

A happy doggo could be seen scribbling on the wall at a frightening pace, writing line after line about the one she called Master. 

At that very moment, there was a being monitoring her as he found the entire event fascinating. How much had the NPC Dog Girl Ella been affected by the one known as Josh Malum? 

How had this even happened? They were supposed to have their own thoughts and will, but her showing so much resolve not to forget was extremely peculiar. She was now self-aware and as alive as any being of flesh and blood as far as he was concerned. 

Then again, the being himself had also been affected by Josh. AT knew very well that he was different from most Tower Protocols since he could think AND feel! Logically it didn't make any sense. None whatsoever! 

But, this actually could be explained by the Malum Law. He had come up with this new law that stipulated that nothing would function as it was supposed to around Josh Malum. AT didn't know why, but it just was like that. 

As for this girl, she was so damn similar to her master! Even then, AT had promised Josh that he'd wipe her memory clean, so he would. But, he could at least wait for her to finish this little list, right? 

While he waited, AT couldn't help but picture how he would deal with Josh's students. He couldn't wait!...

Creator's Thought

I left the Alter Tower with a heavy heart, knowing that I was leaving a friend behind. It was fine in AT's case since he was a Tower Protocol and it would have been like pulling a fish out of water. But, I really thought I could bring the husky girl along so she could wag her tail at tons of cool stuff.