Episode 101 - Halo Infinite Campaign, 100th Episode Review, and Prepping for Christmas

Scrambling away from the horde of orcs while narrowly avoiding the wriggling tentacles of the beholder, the heroes made their way to their allies at the edge of the cavern. Their spear-wielding friend clearing out orcs from one side, they fought through the horde from the other. With arrows raining down on their enemies from their ally with a bow, they were making good progress.

Weaving through the bodies, they eventually reached their ally, and broke free from the surrounding horde. As they did, a tentacle reached down and snagged an orc from beside the warrior hero. Shifting to keep the unconscious woman safe, he jumped away as the beholder slammed the body of the orc down where he had just been standing. Blood and bone splattered up into the air, coating both him and the woman in a red mist. The beholder left the remains where they lay, and swung its tentacle at the warrior hero. He leapt away again, making his way through the opening in the horde.

Grabbing the warrior hero's arm to help pull him through, the swordsman hero turned back to the orcs. He swung his swords, slicing through orc after orc. His blades and armor coated in blood, he continued until the Jester approached. He cleaved another orc in two, providing a slim passage for his bizarre companion.

The Jester, continuing to raise the dead orcs that had been slain by his allies, retreated behind his bow wielding friend and prepared another spell. He mustered up his mana and cast his magic. The ground shuddered, and from it a wall of corpses rose up. The advancing orcs were stunned, unable to realize that they had been cut off from their prey. The wall continued around the central platform, eventually encircling it all. The orcs had been trapped, and with them remained the raised dead.

The orcs quickly realized this, as the fresh corpses of their allies began to tear them apart. The orcs understood they could not escape, so they began to line up with their backs against the wall. Unfortunately for them, the raised dead were not the only threat. The limbs of the wall began to writhe and come alive. Arms lashed out, grabbing and clawing at the orcs. in an effort to get free, the orcs jumped away from the wall. By doing so they fell right into the hands of the undead, and were quickly torn apart.

In what seemed like no time at all, the horde was consumed. Horrifically torn apart by the bodies of their own kin. The heroes would have felt relieved, if not for the ancient horror hovering near the cavern ceiling above. The beholder watched on, almost curiously at the terror that unfolded below it. Its eyes darted back and forth at the chaos that had occurred, seemingly no longer interested in attacking the orcs. It instead turned its attention to the heroes, who had regrouped near the edge of the cavern. The beholder quickly began its assault on them, hovering across the cavern ceiling at a surprising pace.

The heroes ducked into a tunnel, quickly making their way out of the main cavern. Behind them, the tunnel collapsed and then expanded as the beholder burrowed through with its powerful tentacles. Rock and dust fell all around them, and they knew they had little time to act. The Jester fired off fireball spells back at the horror that as chasing them, searing its slimy flesh. It was not deterred.

Eventually, the corridor opened up a bit, and the Jester turned around to wait. He conjured up another spell, this time causing dark black energy to gather around his hand. The beholder rounded the corner, and the Jester cast his spell. From his hand flew a small black orb. It hovered in the path of the beholder, and then suddenly compressed into itself. A gravity well formed in its place, sucking in the wriggling tentacles of the monster. The beast pulled back, but as it did, the swordsman hero used a spell of his own.

He teleported directly in front of the creature, slashing at its appendages. The limbs flew off, sucked up into the dark sphere of gravity. The beholder let loose a scream, its eyes all focusing on the swordsman hero. It swung one of its tentacles at him, but he dodged to the side. AS he did, a new wall of limbs sprung up in his place, pinning another of the  beholders tentacles to the ceiling. The hero quickly slashed off the pinned limb, and retreated.

Blood oozing from the beast, it swung its remaining two tentacles around wildly. The cavern, unable to withstand the destruction, began collapsing all around. The heroes felt that monster would likely bleed out from its injuries, and so they retreated. They made their way through the tunnels, with the ceiling crashing down behind them as they ran. As they felt the collapse would catch up to them, they saw a glimmer of light. They leapt forward, springing out of the entrance of the cave.

Escaping what seemed like certain death, their conversations flashed across their minds. They had talked about the new Halo Infinite Campaign, reviewed their 100th episode, and prepped for Christmas.