177 Vol. 3 pt. 47 Patch 8.0: The Temple in the Fores (1/2)

”We'll let Rock take the lead. I doubt tentacles are going to be able to do anything to her, though it's not like they want to do anything to the rest of us anyways,” Oleander says.

”I guess being made out of rock makes her a pretty good tank,” Rao agrees.

”Now that I'm thinking about it, I have no idea how there aren't a hundred other random animals made out of whatever Fenny gets attached to. He gets attached to even the dumbest of things way too easily.”

Rock looks up at Oleander and whines.

”I don't mean you, Rock. You're a good girl, not a dumb thing.”

Rock barks and wags her tail.

A tentacle lashes out from the darkness and slams into Rock! She yelps from surprise as she was distracted looking at Oleander, and her new protector refuses to allow the tentacle that attacked her to escape.

Shogun snarls and bites the tentacle as it's trying to retract!

They all hear a guttural cry come from somewhere in the darkness as Shogun violently shakes the tentacle around in his mouth, sinking his large fangs down into it until purple blood splashes out from the wound and splatters on the ground.

”Gross, bro,” Rao tells his faithful steed.

Ignoring his master's disgust, Shogun brings the tentacle down to the ground and sinks the claws on his paws into its length.

Two tentacles lash out at Shogun, but they both get blocked by Rock positioning herself between them and him. She even manages to bite onto one of them herself!

”They make a good team,” Rao says.

Three tentacles now lash out at the two canids, and each of them is distracted.

Thanks to the materials that Rao helped Oleander gather, though, Oleander is able to support them by shooting several enlarged thorns down into the abyss.

Whoever or whatever the tentacles belong to, it makes a shrieking cry after having several of its tentacles impaled and shot right back down at itself.

”Damn, you all make a good team. Just let me know how I can help,” Rao says.

”Just don't get in the way. We've got this,” Oleander says, preparing a few more thorns.

While Rock, Oleander, and Shogun fight their way through the tentacled abomination trying to stop them, Fenrir and Cassiel turn down a hallway and find a horde of undead on both sides.

Fenrir's attempt at slowing them down using the torches has done little to actually stall them, and now they are surrounded.

Their only hope is the closed door they notice they're standing next to.

”In here,” Fenrir says, pushing the door open and pulling Cassiel inside.

They shut the door as soon as they get inside. Fortunately, there is a bookshelf and table that they can push up against the door to help keep it shut in case the undead know how to use doorknobs.

Fenrir doesn't question why some underground tunnel full of undead has a door with a doorknob. He just chalks it up to fantasy game logic.

”What is this place?” Cassiel asks, looking around the room.

A couple of burning torches hang from the walls, there is a dusty bed and furniture scattered around – it looks like somebody once lived in here, but who?

”Maybe some player decided to try and be a necromancer?” Fenrir suggests.

”Maybe,” Cassiel answers.

They both jump when they hear the undead outside pounding on the door, trying to open it.

Fortunately, they don't try turning the doorknob.

”We should be safe in here until we figure out what to do,” Fenrir says.

”We just have to figure out what to do,” Cassiel replies.

”Yeah, easier said than done. At least we can wait until you can finish healing me, and they might lose interest after a while.” Fenrir walks over to the bed and sits on it after brushing some of the dust off. ”I need a captain's quarter on The Shoebill with a real bed in it.”

”And what about the rest of us, bastard?”

”You can sleep with me.”

”Corwin, Tabitha, Oleander, Rock? That new asshole you've brought with us?”

”Yeah, I guess it wouldn't really be fair to have the rest of them sleep on the hammocks while we've got a bed.”

Cassiel sighs and takes off her breastplate. Underneath her breastplate is just a simple, sleeveless vest that does little to suppress the size of her breasts.

”Isn't it uncomfortable to wear that armor? It makes your chest look like, half the size that it actually is,” Fenrir asks.