187 Vol. 3 pt. 57 Patch 10.0: A Growing Crew (1/2)
Having made it back to the beach where The Shoebill is, Fenrir discovers that the serpent has already made its way back into the water and Azalabulia goes wide-eyed at the sight of the slain boss lying face-down in the water.
”You really did kill him! I – heh, I could have done that,” Azalabulia says.
”Then why didn't you?” Fenrir asks her.
Azalabulia ignores his question and looks around.
”Did you already get the loot from him?” she asks.
”Now that you mention it, I don't think there was any,” Fenrir answers. ”Did any of you see anything?”
”Nothing that I noticed,” Cassiel answers while Rao and Oleander shake their heads. ”We can try rolling him over. If there's a chest, it probably spawned underneath him.”
”Why would it be underneath him?”
”Immersion. It's less unrealistic than it just appearing out of thin air on top of him or next to him.”
”How are we supposed to roll him over?”
”We could use your serpent friend, Fenny,” Oleander suggests.
”I don't even see her around. She's probably off hunting for more rowboats,” Fenrir says, imagining the serpent stalking rowboats from the depth, waiting until they are close to reaching the shore, and then devouring them whole.
Wait, doesn't that make her a troll?
When Fenrir recalls all the memories she showed him of attacking rowboats… yeah, that serpent is probably the largest troll that he's met in Fantasy Tales Online thus far, and she's just an artificial intelligence rather than being run by a player!
Though, when he thinks about just how mad everybody has probably gotten from being randomly devoured by a giant serpent, that makes him smile.
”Why are you smiling?” Cassiel asks.
”Because I'm a bad person. Anyways, Azz, that's our boat over there,” Fenrir says, pointing at The Shoebill.
”Azz?” Azalabulia asks. ”I – my name is – my name is Azalabulia!”
”And now it's Azz for short unless you've got another nickname you'd like us to use instead.”
”If you wish to use a nickname then you may call me Azalabulia, Wielder of the Cursed Flame of Bahamut, the One who will Set the World Abla—”
”Got it, Azz.”
”You're just calling me that because you think my butt is big, aren't you?!” she shouts, reaching behind herself as if trying to cover up her rear with her hands, but she has a point.
She does have a pretty large butt.
Fenrir, Cassiel, Rao, and Oleander all look back at her rear now that she has pointed it out while Rock barks at Shogun whom is splashing around in the water.
Rock still refuses to actually go in the water, so she's worried about Shogun's safety since the water reaches up to his ankles!
Rao opens his mouth as if to make a comment on Azz's ass but, when he remembers what Fenrir has told him about being nice and respectful, he closes his mouth no matter how tempting it may be to remark on just how big Azalabulia's butt is.
Even Cassiel is thinking it.
”Why'd you make it so big if you're insecure about it?” Oleander asks.
Cassiel and Fenrir look away while Rao looks at Oleander. Rao doesn't understand how Oleander could just go and ask that after everything he was saying earlier about being normal, respectful, and all that other stuff.
There is much to learn for Rao, apparently. At least now he understands that it's alright to make comments on girls' butts, even if he hardly knows them.
Fenrir notices Rao's look of realization and hopes that there aren't any weird thoughts in his head. Sure, Oleander might have been scolding Rao earlier, but that was rare and basing one's moral compass off of Oleander is not a good idea.
”Be-because! My virtual assistant said to!” Azalabulia says.
”Why would your assistant say something like that?” Oleander asks with a tilted head.
”Be-because she said it'd make me more attractive!”
Cassiel covers her face with one of her hands while Fenrir tries not to laugh. Meanwhile, Oleander has already figured out what sort of girl Azalabulia is. She's mature in appearance and clearly dressed the way she is because she wants attention, acts younger than she looks – childish, and is worried about how she looks despite purposely looking this way because she wants to be attractive.
”Hey, Azz, how many cats do you have?” Oleander asks.
”E-eh? How did you know I have cats? I have two of them,” Azalabulia answers.
Not as many that Oleander thought she would have, but that's still more evidence to add to his theory.
She's a lonely, older, self-conscious woman trying to act young and look hot.
”Cats?” Cassiel asks.
Azalabulia nods her head. ”They're named Fluffle and Puffle!” she answers.
While Cassiel nods her head and wants to hear more about Fluffle and Puffle, the rest of those within hearing range try to resist either laughing or cringing at those names.