MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

"Rejoicing is good, but don't let it go to your heads. We may have won the battle, but the war hasn't even begun." Jack grimly spat out, crushing the joyous atmosphere.

The Centaurs quieted down, overwhelmed by how solemn he seemed. To them this was a miracle victory, but to him everything had gone according to plan, right?!

"Leader, what now?" One asked, hopeful.

"Now we brave the darkness, something only a fool or a madman would ever do. We need six Centaurs total. Whoever has a death wish, follow me!" Jack gave a self-derisive laugh.

Error 404: inspiring speech not found!

"SIX?!" Many exclaimed in shock as they stared at the darkness.

"A death wish? Hehe, I quite like the sound of that!" The Centaur Chief's whole body trembled as he guffawed. Yet the others remained deathly silent…

Their legs shook nonstop as they glanced at the fortress behind. Was it the place's aura that terrified them or the bad memories? Plus, Jack's "plan" was more like a "collective suicide".

If they felt fear now, they wouldn't be any use. Jack gave a resigned sigh as he signaled the Chief to depart. Six would have been better, but he'd improvise.

They had barely left, that thundering stomping resounded. Every time the Chief took a step, so did the army behind. Had they changed their minds already?!

"SIX Centaurs, reporting for duty!" They all shouted together.

Pfft— They hadn't been afraid of the darkness or dying, but to be left behind! How had those death-seeking horses not gone extinct yet?!

"Let's hurry up then!"

— Clip! Clop! Clip! Clop! —

The sound of collective madness echoed in the plain….

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Tribe-Gather? More like Tribe-Graveyard!

"W-what in the seven hell is that?!" A gargantuan wall of physical darkness blocked their path. Many wanted to inspect it closer, but Jack sternly warned them against it.

"See that wall? We're destroying it with a charge. Give it your all, or we'll die, understood?"

"YES!!!" Many were confused, but they shouted back nonetheless.

They galloped toward the wall with incredible momentum! At this rate, they'd splatter on the damn thing! The Centaurs ignored the Braves' wails as they kept going.

But as they came closer, the players turned from scared to utterly terrified. No matter where they glanced at the "wall," the same message would pop up.

< Ephial: Corrupted Centaur 50! 🌑>

Oh god! This wasn't a wall, but Ephials?! They were all piled up, their darkness blending into one. They'd 100% die as soon as they touched it!

"Go back, this thing's—"

"It's time for some bowling!!!" Jack's willful scream interrupted all protests.

Then came an earth-shattering crash, Ephials flying all over the place and the allied forces barely making it through. Had they been any slower, they would have perished!

The "wall" behind them was already getting "repaired", cutting their only path of retreat. Yet the Centaurs didn't panic one bit.

"Keep galloping, or we're all dead! Remember, no killing!"

"YES, SIR!"

When surrounded by countless enemies, killing only a few would slow one down. But, ironically, it also brought an opportunity.

As they ran, the mighty Centaurs kicked and punched Ephials away. The nightmarish creatures would be sent tumbling right into their allies, just like dominoes!

If there was one thing they didn't lack, it was enemies. They were EVERYWHERE!

"Just like that, keep going! We're almost there!" Jack encouraged them as they twisted and turned inside the City.

They went from broad roads to narrow alleyways, passing through buildings. God knows how much furniture and pumpkin statues they destroyed on the way.

But as they kept CC-ing their enemies, they inevitably suffered injury after injury.

Jack could only grit his teeth as he witnessed his allies take blows that would have one-shotted him. -69 - 84 - 75 Every time one fell, they were doomed never to get up.

The Chief that Jack rode was the less injured of them all yet had a huge bleeding gash on his side. More and more kept dying, with only 35 ish Centaurs remaining.

Yet even now, the morale was still high.

"Worthless bastards, can't even kill a few Centaurs!"

"Come on, come on, keep chasing my shiny ass!"

"Call me the professional Ephial Pusher!"

Anyone else would have long despaired, but not them. They kept mumbling to themselves that they'd be fine as long as they could hear the human's voice.

In a land of death, hope shone like a beacon, the dark creatures all working together to snuff it out.

Ironically it used to be their City, yet Jack was the one guiding them. How was he so proficient?! Many had long stopped trying to make sense of it.

That was until he brought them to a specific alley.

This alley was just like many others they had seen during their wild escape: narrow, long, half-hidden….but one thing differentiated it…it was a cul-de-sac!

Towering steep walls hindered their progress: they were stuck! "Oh no! Quick, go back, go back!" Players screamed.

It was already too late, Ephials blocking their only path of retreat. There was nowhere to flee. This was the end of the road: Jack had led them to their deaths.

A myriad of emotions engulfed them, mostly despair and regret.

They feared for what would happen to their clan members and feared the cost of their failure. Yet they didn't blame the human even now, for they'd already all be dead without him.

In the face of death, they acted very Centaur-like.

"Let's just kill them all! Who's with me!"

This narrow alley was the perfect place for a last stand. They'd fight the enemies one after the others until their bodies couldn't endure anymore.

"Show them our Centaur Pride!!!"

"KILLLL—"

But just as they were getting all heated, a mighty howl resounded… a wolf howl?!

They all stared at one another, confused. What was a wolf doing here?! They were even more confused as ropes fell from the sky.

As their eyes rose, they gazed upon a smug orange wolf.

"Woo!" (Right on time!)

"…..?!?" They stared, flabbergasted and speechless.

"What are you all waiting for? Climb already!" Jack berated them. After all, enemies were already crashing on them. They needed to get out ASAP!