181 Vol. 3 pt. 51 Patch 9.0: The Catacombss Secre (2/2)

He remembers what happened the last time that Rock was licking his face, so he seals his lips and puts a hand over them before she decides to lick some zombie guts into his mouth.

Meanwhile, Shogun walks over to Rao, shakes his body to get rid of most of the guts and gore on him, and then sits down while looking up at his owner.

The two men look at each other.

Rao knows this look from Shogun. He also knows that he really is grossed out by gore… but his companion did good, so Shogun deserves the petting that Rao forces himself to give.

Oleander stops underneath the doorway and sighs.

Cassiel and Oleander look each other up and down.

”Are – are you okay?” Cassiel asks him, all of his feminity having disappeared underneath the layers of death covering his body. There's even a hand stuck in his antlers that he hasn't noticed.

”I… might have to work on some more subtle magic. When you're shooting giant thorns into squishy zombies… they get everywhere. I need a hug, Cass Cass,” Oleander whimpers, holding his arms out for a hug while looking at her.

”No way.” While she was fighting just as much as Fenrir was, racking up even more kills than him, she has managed to stay relatively clean. Most of the battle's aftermath has ended up on her armor instead of her skin and hair unlike the rest of them.

”You misunderstand, Cass Cass. I need a hug. I'm not going to be the only girl here covered in this gross stuff,” Oleander explains while shambling toward her like a zombie.

”Don't – don't come any closer! I'll – I'll,” she remembers what she said about threatening Fenrir and realizes she probably shouldn't be threatening any of her friends, ”we – we can talk about this! I'll hug you later, alright?”

Oleander senses her weakness, gets a shine in his eyes, and lunges at her!

”No! O-Olly!” Cassiel shouts, jumping out of the way, but she's too slow.

Oleander has grappled onto her arm and uses his grip to swing himself around onto her back, wrapping his legs and arms around her from behind while nuzzling his head against the side of her own.

Rao and Shogun finally look into the room. ”They're an energetic bunch, bro,” Rao says.

Shogun looks up at his owner and nods.

Fenrir is moving his head away while keeping his mouth covered from Rock's assaulting tongue, and Cassiel is on her knees trying not to cry from the grossness that Oleander is smearing onto her.

When the happy reunion comes to an end a few minutes later, everybody gets up off the floor and looks over what they just went through. A couple dozen bodies are inside of the room, and even more are outside.

Rock and Shogun clean themselves out in the hallway while the more humanoid members of the party look through the room and the bodies.

It is a game, after all, and it's possible there's some loot that might have been on the undead.

Oleander is more interested in the bookshelf in the room, though.

”I'm not finding anything,” Fenrir says. ”You?” he asks, looking at Cassiel.

Cassiel shakes her head.

”Bro… don't you think it's like, disrespectful to be looting the dead?” Rao asks.

”What? It's a game and they were zombies trying to kill us. This is normal,” Fenrir explains, looking up at Rao with a confused expression.

”Yeah, but like, they're dead.”

”Have you played any RPGs before this?”

”Uhh, what?”

”RPGs. Role-playing games.”

”Ohh, nah bro, I don't like that role-playing stuff. I saw a video once of a dude shouting 'lightning bolt' at this other dude in the forest and they were all dressed up funny, and I was like, 'yoooooo' that's so embarrassing but like good on them for having fun, but yeah, I decided that role-playing stuff ain't me after watching that.”

Everybody in the room stops what they're doing to look at Rao and blink a few times.

”Did – did I say something weird?” Rao asks.

Now that Fenrir thinks about it… when playing a virtual reality RPG, is it really any different from LARPing? Sure, it's technically in a game instead of reality, but it's just as real.

Fenrir doesn't know how to feel about the fact that not only is he apparently becoming a furry, but now he's a glorified LARPer.