Inktobertale 2022 : Compilation of novels

1st of October : Ink (warm-up)

Ink.

Everyone knows Ink.

The guardian of AUs, the brawler with the brush, the colored conqueror, the paint puker, the Squid bastard... and many other titles represent him.

To many, Ink is the strongest being in the multiverse, the one who stops every threat, the hero of universes who always pushes back the shadow of Destruction, and that's justified. In all his years, no matter the circumstances, the foes, the challenges, Ink always came out victorious.

...But what if that were to change ?

In the Multiverse, things always evolve, adapt, get stronger by the second. The predator of today shall tomorrow be the prey.

What if Ink too, one day, were to meet his match, or even his demise ?

Maybe the avatar of Creation has yet to face his biggest-

"Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen." whispered Ink with a smile as he ripped another used page from his notebook, and used it to wipe the sweat off his skull. 

After being done with his simple yet demanding stretching exercises, he kicked the door of his hut opened, and got ready to pass onto more... original things. After all, today was his full warm-up day, and between Flute, Sewing, Painting and much more, he had a lot to do today.

 h ..

H ll  ? Is t  s t i g   ?

Oh, there we go.

Alright so basically, I'm the author of this book.

"One, two, one, two..." said Ink as he kept lifting the giant boulder up and down over his head, boulder which had another big boulder on top of it. With another boulder on top of it. With five more, all piled up in a cairn which would make many jealous. Casual exercise when you're a multiversal god.

And you know, "Ink (warm-up)" is always the first entry of this challenge.

Which I already did last year.

And, talking about that, I also wanted to do some kinda preface before jumping right into this book.

As he finished munching on his sandwich, Ink threw another coconut into the air, and without even looking, swung Broomie around, creating a simple splash of brown paint which sliced it into two. What a good idea he had, installing his temporary house on a beach in Undersail. This place was cozy, warm, and discreet enough among the dozens of various islands in the AU.

So yeah, you might not know but I did an Inktobertale 2021 book before this one, and immediately I can hear questions forming.

Well don't worry, I'm precisely here to answer these.

Q : Do I need to read the first book to understand this one ?

A : No. I especially plan to write this book in a way that may reward those that read it, through references and slight nods, but although this 2022 book IS a continuation of the 21 book (exactly 1 year after the first), everything that needs to will be resumed in a simple yet clear way for newcomers. So it's totally up to you to choose whether or not read this.

Ink whistled happily as he sewn some new threads into his suit, which reminded him of that outfit he had made last year. He wasn't planning to work on anything new for now though. He had already worked hard enough on researching a certain place since then.

Q : So what exactly is the Inktobertale challenge ?

A : Well first of all, I'm surprised you even managed to get this far if you don't know that, but I'll simply redirect you to the Tumblr blog of Comyet, the creator of Ink,mwhere everything should be explained. Please don't ask who is Ink.

Q : Last year you missed multiple days, will you be more careful this year ?

A : I finished 8 days late to be exact, but every single one of the 31 subject was covered. As for the question in itself, I see equal reasons to say "yes" and "no", so I'm just gonna pass.

An entire year spent searching for an AU that probably didn't exist (well not anymore at least) without any progress had sufficed him. As great as this burden-free, fun vacation had been, he missed Dream, Blue, that guy with the gold tooth... And although he had still somehow managed to cross his path quite a few times, he was even missing Error.

Q : This is really annoying, are you gonna talk like that in every other chapter too ?

A : Nope.

Q : Why not work on your other books instead of beginning a new one ?

A : Get out of here.

Q : So in the end, what is there to expect from this book ?

A : Larger chapters, an heavier and more continuous storyline (although a good number of chapters detached from it will also be present), an interesting take on Ink and his backstory, as well as an antagonist which I believe comes from the best of my mind. And a surprise 32nd chapter.

Slowly but surely, the day has passed, and while Ink was exhausted, he was also extremely proud of himself for completing everything. He still felt obligated to do one thing though. He got up from his seat, grabbed Broomie and his vials, and started walking towards the high cliff at the other end of his island. Once there, he closed his eyes and concentrated, as Broomie's tip started vibrating and projecting drops of paint on the ground. Then, without a warning, Ink swung his brush, and jumped from the cliff.

Here we go again.