Rend giggled as he rose from the dead.

Mordecai had fled back to the crafting room while we gathered around the deceased idiot Tummy Acher. Mongo stood over him, waving his wings, crying drunkenly in concern.

“Carl, your pet dying has upset Mongo! It’s okay, Mongo. Rend is just taking a time-out.”

Your Pet has resurrected! As this was the sixth death, your pet will retain his memories and identity.

Your pet is now 25% stronger than before!

Your pet has gained a new random weakness.

Your pet’s weaknesses:

Sylvan crystal.

Consuming hobgoblin sweat.

The bite of a rivenwing,

Consuming undead flesh.

Reaper Gaze.

New: Potatoes.

“Come on!” I said at the ceiling. “Random, my ass! You did that to be a dick!”

“What? What is it?” Donut asked.

Mongo screeched joyfully as he danced all around the awake Rend. The Tummy Acher was bigger now, too. The headband from Donut’s class remained, but it was slightly lower, half covering his eyes. He let out a deep giggle. He turned to the open door to the garage as if nothing had just happened.

“Stop!” I called.

I sent the answer in chat.

Carl: This will be tough. We can’t keep him in the safe room, and we can’t let him in the garage. I think I better just keep him in his carrier except when we fight. He’s not going to like it, but I don’t have a choice.

Imani: He can also go to the guild’s pet stables to get some exercise. Gonk the yak is in there. Simoom the rhino, too.

Carl: Wait, I thought they both went to the twelfth floor?

Imani: No. When we started preparing for Katia to leave, we didn’t have much time, and we had to move everything around with the guild system on the fly. Simoom kinda got lost in the shuffle, so she’s in the stables. Simoom loves Gonk.

Carl: I’ll keep the idiot in my inventory for right now. We can talk about it later.

I pulled out the pet carrier. “Come on, Rend. Let’s take a nap.”

Tipid and Rosetta appeared in the door. Tipid had a corn dog in his hand, and Rosetta had a few plastic bags filled with vegetables, like she’d just stopped at the market. “I think we found a . . .” She paused and eyed Samantha, who was currently growling and trying to jump in the air and catch the cleaner bot with her mouth.

Rosetta: I think we found a fleshmancer. As for the performance guild . . . yeah. Tipid?

Tipid: So, I think I know how to find it, but you’re not going to like what is required to get in. I’m pretty sure it’s hidden in the bar you’ve already visited.

Carl: And the mercenaries?

Rosetta answered by stepping aside. Standing at the door was a pair of tall, skeletal creatures with chattering teeth. Donut let out a little hiss. Hearing the hiss, Mongo whipped around, though he was still inebriated, and he went too far and fell on his side.

Both the creatures at the door were level 25 Jikininki ghouls. The same type of creature as the janitor mobs on the Iron Tangle.

“It’s all they had left,” Rosetta said as she leaned against the door. She pulled a celery stalk from the bag and started munching on it. “I would’ve left them, but you said you didn’t need them to drive. They’re undead, so you might want to keep Rend away. Don’t want him taking a bite and dying.”

“It’s a little late for that,” Donut said.