188 Vol. 3 pt. 58 Patch 10.0: A Growing Crew (1/2)
”Do you think Shogun could carry Rock back to The Shoebill?” Fenrir asks Rao.
Rao looks at Rock and Shogun. ”Maybe. Yo, Shogun, you think you can carry your girl there?” Rao asks.
”Please don't call Rock his girl,” Fenrir says.
”Listen, this ain't easy on me either. My bro betrayed me and got a girl before me.”
While those two talk, Shogun lies down and lets Rock climb on top of him so that she can lie down on his back, her legs hanging off of his sides.
Shogun stands up and looks at Fenrir and Rao.
”Damn, he's strong. Looks like he's not even trying,” Fenrir says. ”Guess it makes sense if he has to carry you around all the time when flying,” he tells Rao.
”Bro, did you just call me fat?” Rao asks.
”No, but look at yourself. You don't exactly look light. You're tall and built. There's gonna be some weight on you.”
”Fair, bro. Fair.”
With a bit of a running start, Shogun takes off into the air with Rock aboard his back and flies over to The Shoebill.
Then he comes back over for Cassiel and Azalabulia, both of whom are extremely excited to get to ride on a flying fox.
Then there's Oleander who basically can't resist cuddling with Shogun's fur while being taken over to The Shoebill on top of Shogun.
Finally, Shogun comes back for Fenrir and Rao.
”A flying fox is really convenient,” Fenrir says. ”But, I'm just going to jump into the water and swim over. I want to clean off and get all of this stuff out of my hair before I get back on the ship. I doubt my girlfriends would want me dirtying the place up. Tabs would also kill me.”
”Fair enough, bro. I'll see you over there then,” Rao says, walking up to Shogun.
Shogun turns his snout up at Rao, lifts off into the air, and returns to The Shoebill without him.
”Wai-wait. What? Bro? Bro! Come on!” Rao shouts.
Shogun looks back at him, doesn't even consider taking his own master, and goes back to The Shoebill to spend some more time with Rock.
”Maybe he's punishing you for not doing anything during the dungeon?” Fenrir suggests.
”It… wouldn't be the first time he's done something like that, but damn dude, like, it just feels cold to do me dirty like this,” Rao says.
”Guess you'll have to swim. Hey, how'd you even find Shogun anyways?”
”Uhh, it was more like he found me.”
”Sounds like a story there.”
”It's not really anything special. I mean like, I was just minding my own business screwing around by some mountains, and then I got attacked by these like fire-breathing wolf things, then Shogun came in and destroyed a couple of them which scared the rest off, and then he's just kind of been staying around me ever since.”
”So, basically, Shogun saved you and then adopted you?”
Rao shrugs. ”I guess it's kind of like that, bro.”
”Well, can't say that it's not the same for me. Rock saved my life as well.”
”So, she just like, randomly came up to you and saved you?”
”Oh, no. Cass Cass ambushed me and stabbed me in the back, almost killed me, and then my favorite rock turned into Rock and tried defending me.”
Rao rubs the back of his head. ”What do you mean your favorite rock?” he asks.
”When I first started playing, I had this rock which I kept on using for everything, and I got kind of attached to it, and then I guess my feelings helped turn it into an actual animal.”
”Wait, bro,” Rao says, his eyes lit up. ”Doesn't… doesn't that mean it's possible for me to like, find something I really like, get attached to it, and then hope it turns into a girl?”
”I – I mean… I guess it's possible in this game. If a rock can turn into a dog then I don't see why something couldn't turn into a girl. Like, maybe Rod here could do that,” Fenrir says, looking down at Rod whom is tucked into his belt.
Rod pulses twice.
”Alright, maybe not Rod, but something else might be able to,” Fenrir says.
”I think I know what I need to do, bro,” Rao says.
”What would that be? Other than swim back to the boat?”
”Get myself a harem of things that have turned into girls.”
”If you can pull that off, then – well, I'm not sure if I'd respect that or be disappointed.”
”Why would you be disappointed anyways, bro?”
”Maybe you should start with learning how to talk to real girls first before you get a harem of artificially intelligent ones.”
”Nah bro, I've got this.”