> [Encounter BOSS: Carcharoth the Wolf]
> [Level: ??? (Skull Class)]
> [Status: Starving / Berserk / Guarding]
Rove stood at the very front of the group, clutching the steak that still held a bit of warmth.
In his vision, every hair on this three-headed dog was burning with black fire.
The middle head lowered, its nostrils blasting a jet of hot air that ruffled Rove's hair.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were completely frozen. Neville had simply rolled his eyes back and passed out.
"Don't move," Rove said in a barely audible voice, his lips hardly moving. "For a magical beast of this tier, vision is likely based on movement. I'm guessing."
"Rove... Rove..." Harry's voice was trembling. "It... it has three heads..."
"I can see that, Harry." Cold sweat slid down Rove's forehead. "This is the Watchdog of Angband. The beast that swallowed a Silmaril. Even Beren and Lúthien couldn't defeat it in a head-on clash."
The head on Fluffy's left roared, saliva cascading down like a waterfall. It dripped onto the floorboards, making a sizzling, corrosive sound.
It was getting ready to pounce!
> [WARNING! BOSS Attack Imminent!]
> [Countdown: 3... 2...]
"NOW!"
Rove suddenly roared.
Using every ounce of his strength, he hurled the steak in his hand.
"EAT THIS! YOU SPAWN OF UNGOLIANT!"
The steak traced a parabola through the air.
Fluffy's three heads, which had been locked onto them, were instantly distracted by the flying chunk of meat and its savory aroma.
The middle head snapped the steak out of the air.
The left head roared in anger and tried to snatch it.
The right head, not wanting to be left out, bit the middle head's ear.
ROAR—!
The three heads instantly erupted into a brawl over that single piece of meat.
"RUN!!!"
Rove grabbed the unconscious Neville from the floor with one hand and shoved the dazed Harry with the other.
Taking advantage of the wolf's internal conflict, the five of them scrambled out of the room, rolling and crawling.
SLAM!
Rove was the last one out. He slammed the door shut and jammed the bolt home.
The door panels vibrated violently. Massive thuds and roars echoed from inside.
"Go! Don't stop!"
They sprinted down the corridor.
They didn't stop until they had run all the way to the seventh floor and scrambled through the portrait hole behind the Fat Lady into the Gryffindor Common Room. Only then did they dare to collapse and gasp for air.
...
The Common Room was warm and bright. The fire crackled merrily in the grate.
Rove dumped Neville onto an armchair.
Harry collapsed onto the rug, his face white as a sheet. Ron was shaking. Hermione, however, looked furious.
"How could you..." Hermione wheezed, trying to catch her breath. "How could you be so reckless! That was a monster! We could have died!"
"You're welcome, Miss Granger." Rove sat in another chair, pulled a rock cake from his backpack, and took a loud crunching bite to calm his nerves. "We survived. It was a successful expedition."
"Successful?" Hermione shrieked. "We broke school rules! We were out of bed! We entered the forbidden corridor! If we get caught, we'll be expelled!"
"And I lost a pound of steak," Rove said regretfully. "That was my strategic reserve for a long-term siege."
Harry finally found his voice.
"Did you notice?" Harry said suddenly. "What was it standing on?"
"On the floor?" Ron asked foolishly. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was looking at its heads."
"No," Harry shook his head. "It was standing on a trapdoor. It's guarding something."
Rove stopped chewing.
He swallowed the rock cake, and his expression changed.
> [Quest Clue Update: The Secret Chamber of the Lonely Mountain]
> [Location: End of the Third Floor Forbidden Corridor]
> [Guardian: Carcharoth (Fluffy)]
> [Speculated Treasure: The Arkenstone / The One Ring / A Silmaril]
"You're right, Harry," Rove said in a low voice. "I knew it. The thief at Gringotts didn't get what he was after. The object was moved here."
"What object?"
"Possibly the Dwarves' Arkenstone. The Heart of the Mountain. The symbol of the King under the Mountain. Sauron wants it, not just for its wealth, but to command all the Dwarf clans."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Which game setting is this from now? It's obviously guarding something for Professor Dumbledore!"
"Whatever it is," Rove stood up and brushed the crumbs from his hands, "that is the entrance to the Main Quest Dungeon. We are currently too weak. We can't even beat the watchdog."
He looked at Harry, his gaze burning.
"We need to level up, Harry. We need better gear and stronger skills. Starting tomorrow, I'm increasing our training."
"Training for what?" Ron asked. "Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"No. Physical conditioning. Combat. And cooking."
"Cooking?"
"That wolf likes meat." Rove smiled a scheming smile. "If one steak can buy us ten seconds, what about a full-course Hobbit feast? Maybe we can feed it until it bursts, or tame it."
Harry looked at Rove and felt a headache coming on.
"Alright, meeting adjourned." Rove shouldered his backpack. "I'm heading back to the basement (Hufflepuff Dorms). Patrol is over for tonight. We didn't slay any Orcs, but at least we discovered the enemy's stronghold."
He walked to the portrait hole, then stopped suddenly and looked back at Hermione.
"Miss Granger."
Hermione looked at him warily. "What?"
"Next time, if you have to use Alohomora..." Rove pointed to his frying pan. "Could you be a bit quicker? Physical breaching makes too much noise; it attracts enemies easily."
Hermione froze for a moment, then turned her head away in a huff.
But after Rove left, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards slightly.
At least the lunatic had saved their lives when it counted.