The tentacle slithered out of the smoke-filled breach in the cottage wall. Several others emerged from behind it, grasping around as a larger figure emerged from between them.

Andy gasped at the grisly sight that emerged: Natham's face had been enlarged and transformed, violently hybridized with a cephalopod-like creature. His veiny head was massively swollen, the size of a beach ball at least, and his right eye bulged from the socket while his left eye seemed to sink deeply inside his skull.

He had a smooth, slimy purple patch of skin where the human nose should have been, and his mouth was now filled with long, needle-like teeth.

The creature pushed itself slowly out of the window. The slimy purple skin was pulled around what appeared to be distorted aspects of a human skeleton, but instead of hands and feet, the creature had several sets of tentacles.

Then, Andy saw it: right where the belly should be, the vile creature possessed a huge, gaping mouth lined with teeth that may as well have been box-cutters, set in several rows. Each row began to spin in a different direction as Natham's face, now no longer human, turned toward him.

"Oh my god," Andy said, echoing Morwen. He had never been caught off guard quite like this before. The creature emerging before him was the most revolting thing Andy had ever seen. He attempted to raise his sword, but his knees suddenly felt weak.

"Succumbing to my Fear, are you?" the abomination growled. It's voice was like a wretched parody of Natham's.

I should've known it'd have magical capabilities, Andy thought.

The abomination fell forward onto the ground, propelling itself smoothly toward Andy on its masses of tentacles, about four per limb.

Fear shot through Andy's chest, back, and butthole as he scrambled to avoid the creature. He fell over and dropped his greatsword, his legs giving out, and began clawing his way forward. He had no rational thoughts, they had completely evacuated his head. All he could do was crawl away.

"It's the Fear feat," called Morwen, "We need to help him!"

Andy could hear what she said but he could not understand it. His mind was becoming increasingly frenzied. He struggled to make sense of anything at all. Anything except running.

"Natham!" Verin called, increasingly frenzied. He drew his sword with tears in his eyes. "Natham what have you done?"

Morwen rushed in, grabbing Andy's greatsword and pulling him up by the arm. She dragged him a few yards away.

Suddenly, the Fear subsided. Andy relaxed, now in his right mind.

"It has a limited area of effect," Morwen said.

"You've fought these things before?" Andy asked, his voice still a bit shaky from adrenaline.

"Not anything like this, exactly," said Morwen, "but I've dealt with enemies that utilize the Fear feat." She handed Andy's sword to him.

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Andy grasped the hilt and nodded. "How do we overcome it at short range?"

"We don't," Morwen said. "Try to remain about thirty feet away from it."

The monster that had transformed and deformed Natham's body was now rolling toward Verin on it's tentacled appendages. It opened its toothed maw and let out a hideous screech, followed by a shower of bright green acid.

The acid stream his Verin's exposed hand, causing him to drop his sword. "Damn!" he cried as he leapt out of the way.

"Verin, Verin," the monster seethed, closing in on the noble.

Verin's eyes went wide.

Arlene drew an arrow and Kermit pulled back the pouch of his slingshot.

"Should we attack?" Arlene asked.

"I don't know what tricks this monster has up its sleeve," Morwen said, "but I see no other option. Fire!" she said with her Command.

An Alchemy Bomb arrow and a clobbershot launched simultaneously from Arlene and Kermit's weapons, hitting the creature squarely in the back of its swollen head.

The arrow pierced the creature's skull as it exploded into alchemical flame. The clobbershot knocked the creature forward with concussive force. It was now face-down, but it was still writhing.

Verin scrambled toward his sword, picking it up and crawling to make distance between him and the creature.

PL began to buck and snarl.

"Keep him out of the battle," Morwen called to Sven. "We need to be careful with this one."

Sven nodded and calmed PL, escorting him further out from the scene.

Andy brandished his greatsword, but he didn't have much to contribute. This was a ranged battle. He had a slender dagger that he could throw, but that was about it.

I'm going to have to trust my friends to take care of this, he thought, but I can help Verin escape while the monster is down.

Andy sprinted over to Verin, who was scrambling to get away. Just as Morwen had assisted Andy, Andy assisted Verin. Andy felt the beginnings of the panic caused by the Fear feat, but it didn't have time to set in before he was able to hook Verin under the arm and drag him out of range.

"Are you ok?" Andy asked as Verin finally got to his feet.

Verin nodded. "I'm ok," he said. "He got my hand, but it's not so bad." Verin held up his hand, steam rising off of his burned flesh.

It looked pretty bad.

They rejoined Morwen, Arlene, and Kermit.

The eldritch abomination rose again, its tentacles writing. It had a massive wound in the back of its head that leaked the same green acid it had spewed at Verin. It turned to face the group, its fearsome countenance grim with determination.

"You have made yourself an enemy of the Elder Planes," the creature growled. "Even if you defeat this puny avatar, you will not withstand the onslaught of the Elders once the gate is opened."

The creature's voice resonated both inside and outside Andy's head. He felt a pang of fear, genuine fear, not the effect of some feat.

The creature opened its mouth again.

"Now!" Morwen Commanded.

Arlene and Kermit let another volley fly, this time the clobbershot tore through the creature's mouth and the back of its head, and the Alchemy Bomb blew a hole in its chest cavity. Slime and acid sprayed everywhere as the creature was reduced to mush and slowly writhing limbs.

Andy covered his face as drops of acid hit him. They were itchy, but it wasn't enough to do any damage.

The group stood there, dumbstruck.

"Everyone ok?" Arlene asked.

Nobody spoke.