The sky was completely dark, the moon heavily obscured by clouds. Only the torches on the tribal palisade burned brightly, crackling and casting their red light far into the distance.
The wolf pack outside the palisade was agitated, their front paws scratching at the dirt, low growls rumbling in their throats, and their tails stiff as sticks. They had been crouching there for nearly two hours, their stomachs rumbling with hunger, and the green light in their eyes grew fiercer as they stared at the greenskins behind the palisade and the distant sheep pen, eager to pounce immediately.
Kurzadh stood right at the front of the palisade, gripping two axes, their blades reflecting the firelight brightly.
These axes had been specially sharpened by Dragu, using iron pieces salvaged from the merchant caravan ruins. They were much sharper than ordinary axes, cutting wood like tofu.
He was bare-chested, sweat dripping down his body, but he didn't relax for a moment. He understood clearly that the wolves were trying to wear them down, waiting until the greenskins couldn't hold out anymore before launching an attack.
"Snap out of it, all of ya!" he roared over his shoulder.
The Grotz behind him held up torches, their small faces blackened by smoke. A few who couldn't stay awake were nodding off, nearly dropping their torches onto the ground.
Startled by Kurzadh's roar, they immediately jolted awake, quickly raised their torches, and squeaked in response.
The goblins, however, were still alert. Five archers were perched on a wooden platform—it had been built previously for archery practice, standing half a head taller than the palisade, perfect for shooting downwards.
Their bows were half-drawn, the arrows pointed directly at the wolf pack, their eyes unblinking. The remaining ten spearmen guarded the gaps in the palisade, their stone spears poking through, tips aimed at the wolves' eyes. Zaggur even deliberately jabbed his spear forward, nearly poking a wolf that was stretching its paw to scratch the palisade.
"Boss, why aren't these beasts charging yet?" Zaggur called back in a low voice. "If we squat here any longer, my legs are gonna go numb!"
"What's the rush?" Kurzadh spat, his eyes still fixed on the black wolf at the back of the pack. "When they charge, we'll beat 'em so bad they won't even recognize their own mothers!"
Time turned slowly, like a grinding stone.
The torches had burned down significantly, and the greenskins had rotated two shifts of Grotz to hold them. The wolves outside the palisade were still crouching, but the low growls in their throats were getting louder. Some wolves began to inch forward, their claws scraping "shasha" sounds on the ground.
Suddenly, Kurzadh saw the black wolf move. It stood up from the mound, lifted its head to the sky, and let out a long, piercing howl—"Waaagh!" The sound was like a knife, cutting through the night sky and making everyone's scalp prickle.
"They're coming!" Kurzadh's heart tightened, and he yelled even louder, "Throw the torches! Throw 'em into the pack!"
The Grotz, who had been waiting, immediately threw their torches over the palisade. The torches flew out, trailing sparks, and slammed "Dong" into the wolf pack. The dry grass cores of the torches fell out, singeing the wolves' gray fur with a "sizzle."
"Aow!" The wolf pack instantly erupted! Wolves hit by the torches jumped up and scrambled wildly, and those who weren't hit panicked too. Some retreated, others charged forward, and the previously organized formation dissolved into chaos.
"Now! Shoot!" Kurzadh yelled again.
The goblin archers on the platform had already taken aim. Hearing the command, they released their fingers—"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" Five arrows flew through the air, seemingly guided, and plunged into the wolves.
With a "poof," one arrow struck a wolf squarely in the neck. The wolf cried out "aow," collapsed, twitched twice, and went still. Another arrow pierced a wolf's front leg. The injured wolf dragged its leg, scrambling backward and knocking over the wolves behind it.
"Got 'em! Got 'em!" Dragu shouted from the platform, hastily fitting a second arrow to his bow.
The goblins guarding the palisade gaps weren't idle either.
Several wolves, startled by the torches, charged forward, slamming their heads into the palisade and getting them stuck in the gaps. Zaggur, quick as lightning, thrust his stone spear straight into a wolf's mouth. With a "puchi," the spear tip emerged from the back of the wolf's head. The wolf kicked its legs twice and then stopped moving. Shougan (Zaggur) also jammed his stone spear into another wolf's eye, blinding it. The wolf howled in pain and scrambled backward.
But there were too many wolves, thirty or forty of them packed together. As the front ones were beaten back, the ones behind them continued to charge forward.
A few wolves, seeing that the palisade was low, leaped up sharply, hooked their front paws onto the top of the palisade, and started climbing over the wooden stakes!
"Stop them! Don't let them climb in!" Kurzadh rushed over, raising his axe and chopping down at the paw of a wolf climbing the palisade. With a sharp "kacha," a piece of the wolf's paw was severed. The wolf cried out "aow" in pain and tumbled off the palisade.
Nevertheless, three wolves managed to climb inside, howling "Waaagh" as they charged toward the cluster of greenskins .
One lunged at a torch-bearing goblin. It had just knocked a small goblin down when two nearby goblin laborers stabbed it in the eyes with wooden clubs, leaving it dizzy and disoriented. Another wolf was met head-on by Zaggur's stone spear, which pierced its belly half a foot deep. Zaggur twisted the spear hard, and the wolf collapsed. The last one tried to run toward the sheep pen but was chased by Shougan, who smashed a spear onto its head, knocking it out instantly.
"Well done!" Kurzadh shouted. Just as he was about to turn back and offer some praise, he suddenly felt a gust of wind from behind him. He spun around sharply and saw that the black wolf had somehow climbed over the palisade and was charging straight at him, its eyes blazing red!
This beast was truly cunning! It knew to go for the boss first!
The black wolf ran incredibly fast, its four paws pounding "Dong dong" on the ground. Its fangs flashed coldly as it aimed straight for Kurzadh's neck! The greenskins all shouted, "Boss, watch out!"
Kurzadh, however, didn't panic.
He gripped his axes tightly. When the black wolf lunged, he swiftly dodged to the side. The wolf missed, nearly slamming into the palisade.
Before it could turn around, Kurzadh charged forward with his axe and chopped down onto its back!
"Shlick!" The axe sank into the wolf's back. The black wolf cried out "aaagh" in pain, spun around violently, and lunged its jaws toward Kurzadh's arm.
Kurzadh leaned back, avoiding the wolf's bite, and smashed the axe in his other hand straight into the wolf's face. "Dong!" The blow landed squarely on the wolf's nose, forcing it back two steps, blood streaming from its nostrils.
"Come on, beast!" Kurzadh grinned, wolf blood smeared on his face, making him look fiercer than the black wolf itself.
He lunged forward, swinging both axes at the wolf, one chopping at its leg, the other cleaving its back.
The black wolf was also savage, leaping relentlessly at Kurzadh. Its claws raked several bloody marks across Kurzadh's arm, but it failed to knock him down.
The greenskins were stunned, holding their weapons and forgetting to move—who had ever seen a goblin fight a wolf this fiercely?
"Boss is awesome!" Zaggur was the first to snap out of it, raising his stone spear, ready to help.
"Stay back! I'll handle this myself!" Kurzadh yelled.
He was fighting with zeal now. Although the black wolf was fierce, it wasn't as strong or as agile as he was.
Seizing an opportunity, he ducked underneath the black wolf and thrust both axes upwards violently—"Kacha!" With a crisp sound, a large gash was ripped open in the black wolf's belly, and its intestines spilled out.
The black wolf cried out "aow," the sound tinged with a whimper. It stumbled back two steps, the fierceness gone from its eyes, replaced only by terror.
Kurzadh didn't give it a chance.
He lunged forward, raised both axes, and chopped straight at the wolf's neck—"Poof!" The wolf's head was brutally severed, rolling onto the ground, its eyes still wide open.
The headless wolf body swayed, then fell "Dong" to the ground.
The wolf pack outside the palisade, seeing their leader killed, immediately panicked.
They let out two "Waaagh" cries, ignored their fallen comrades, turned tail, and bolted into the forest, running faster than they had arrived. They vanished in moments.
"They ran! The wolves ran!" The Grotz were the first to cheer, waving their wooden clubs in the air.
The goblins joined in the shouting: "Boss is awesome! boss killed the Alpha!" Zaggur ran over, picked up the wolf's head from the ground, and tossed it into the air, drawing a fresh wave of cheers from the greenskins .
Kurzadh sat down heavily on the ground, breathing heavily.
The wounds on his arm stung fiercely, and the sweat mixed with blood on his body was sticky, but he felt incredibly satisfied! He looked up at the cheering greenskins and grinned—*this* was the life of a greenskin! Fights to be fought, victories to be won—pure joy!
Just as he was smiling, a sudden "Ding" sounded in his mind, and a system notification popped up:
[Congratulations, Host, you have completed the hidden mission: Repel the Wolf Pack Attack!]
[Reward: Building Blueprints x 2, Waaagh! Energy x 80—]
[1. goblin Spearman Camp: Allows the training of ordinary goblins into goblin Spearmen, mastering basic long spear usage techniques. Construction materials: Wood x 10, Stone x 5, Waaagh! Energy x 40.]
[2. goblin Archer Camp: Allows the training of ordinary goblins into goblin Archers, mastering basic bow and arrow usage techniques. Construction materials: Wood x 12, Stone x 3, Waaagh! Energy x 35.]
Kurzadh froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. It could work like this? Repelling the wolves gives blueprints? This system truly understood what he wanted! With the Spearman Camp and the Archer Camp, the goblins could properly train their skills. The next time they encountered wild wolves or other tribes, beating them would be even easier!
"Boss! What's wrong?" Dragu saw him sitting still and came over to ask, "Are you hurt? I'll find some herbs for you to rub on it!"
"I'm fine!" Kurzadh stood up, tossed his axes onto the ground, and pointed at the wolf corpses. "Drag these wolves back! Skin 'em for mats! Roast the meat and eat it! Extra rations tonight!"
"Waaagh! Wolf meat!" The greenskins grew even more excited, rushing together in a flurry. Some dragged wolf corpses, some picked up arrows from the ground, and others added firewood to the pile. The tribe immediately became lively again, all the tension from the fighting completely gone.
Kurzadh stood by the torch, watching the busy greenskins , and touched the system blueprints in his chest—Spearman Camp, Archer Camp... Once these two things were built, the Blackrock Clan's strength was definitely going to jump up a notch!
He looked up at the pitch-black forest, pondering—the next time some idiot dared to cause trouble, whether it was wolves or other greenskins , he would make sure they knew that the boss of the Blackrock Clan was not to be messed with!
"Boss! The fire's ready! When do we roast the wolf meat?" Zaggur shouted, holding up a branch skewered with a wolf leg.
"Roast it now!" Kurzadh yelled back, laughing. "Whoever roasts it the tastiest, I'll reward 'em with a wolf bone to chew on!"
"Waaagh!" The greenskins' cheers rang out again, mixing with the crackling of the torches, carrying far into the autumn night, brighter than the wolf howls had been.