Covered In Blood

Owning special pets, such as beasts or monsters that had been tamed or raised from infancy, was neither too common nor uncommon a practice. There were sects dedicated to this particular craft, as the abilities and bestial might of such creatures were often far above that of a human. The sapient species tended to spend a whole lot of energy on their intelligence, and made up for their physical weakness by using clothes and tools. Most beasts or monsters tended to lack that intelligence, so instead, they were typically physically stronger or possessed potent abilities.

Obviously, if such beings could be guided by a human in combat or for other tasks, then their potential could surpass most human cultivators. Not to mention, the art of cultivation was not limited to sapients…

Keeping and raising a pet of this calibre, however, was neither simple nor cheap. So one would not be blamed for assuming that anyone they might face in combat had no access to that sort of loyal ally.

The six-armed octopus was evidently the companion of the man whose neck Anoteros had just snapped. Presumably awakened from its own slumber as it sensed the passing of its master, and was now lashing out in a rage at the two people near the corpse.

Edrick and Yin both prepared to fight, but the initial attacks missed them entirely. The beast was big, but not enormous enough to reach them whilst staying in the middle of the lake. Its head was nearly as big as Anoteros, about a quarter smaller in height and a bit wider, and though its tentacles were longer than its head and body, they still did not have the length to actually reach them.

The creature seemed to have believed that it could actually reach them both. Probably dazed and weakened from staying in hibernation alongside its master, the octopus’s aim and depth perception were all off. Its thrashing arms, which would have normally shaken the ground a fair bit, felt feeble and sluggish.

This beast companion was not smart enough to back off, however. Being utterly incensed that its master had been slain, it pulled closer to the lake’s bank, striking madly at Yin as she stepped closer, only to see its tentacles bounce off of her harmlessly. Well, they seemed to budge the tomboy a bit, and the repeated strikes were actually a challenge to resist, but arduous or not, it did not change the fact that she was enduring the attacks.

Instinctively, the octopus likened her in its simple mind to a turtle. When you hit a turtle, it just gets flung around a bit, but its shell will protect it without problem. What you needed to do was either wrap it in a tentacle and tighten, or alternatively, if the target seemed too slippery, then slam it from two opposing sides at once.

The beast let its lifetime worth of experience hunting creatures beneath the water alongside its master speak, bringing not two, but four tentacles down upon Yin in unison. Two on the right, two on the left. That should break that shell of hers--And perhaps even send her insides to visit the outside.

From a small distance, Edrick was casually doing some calculations, spear in hand and ready to be thrown like he was an athlete competing in a tournament. He could have already acted, but Yin was clearly greatly enjoying getting to defend against a creature that actually packed a good punch. Although severely weakened, it was still full of bestial vitality, and clearly, it had been nurtured for many long years carefully. If it were in its prime, she wouldn’t have been able to stand her ground against even a casual slap of a single tentacle. She wouldn’t have been killed in a single blow, but the fight would have definitely been far less dignified for her.

With the Piandao in hand, Yin did not let the beast do as it pleased- Her Impenetrable Shell Constitution technique was purely focused on defence, and whilst Snapping Turtle Blade Style also emphasised defence, what was most prominent about a snapping turtle was not its shell, but the bite it could swiftly deliver by taking the risk of bringing its head and neck out into the open.

Together, those two techniques worked very well, but coupled with the third technique she trained with… They shone even brighter.

As she swiftly slashed twice, it almost looked like she was dancing. Like Yin hadn’t actually attacked, but had instead followed a predetermined rhythm, and somehow, this rhythm caused the attacks she delivered to cut through the tentacles like butter.

Four of the six tentacles were promptly shortened, the creature quickly reeled back, emitting an odd noise from its beak. Blood poured everywhere, including upon Yin as the excised portions twitched and moved for a while.

Grievously wounded, the creature instinctively wanted to go and retreat into the lake. But before it could even begin to move, a spear flew through the air and lodged itself deeply into its left eye.

Anoteros rushed to the octopus's blind side, thus completely vanishing from the beast’s field of view. The creature attempted to swing one of its still-intact tentacles, but missed entirely as Edrick jumped over it.

He wouldn’t have attempted to get close normally, but the octopus had been kind enough to move into the shallow waters in its desire to enact vengeance... With its great size, it was impossible to retreat swiftly, allowing Anoteros to close the distance, take hold of the spear he had just thrown, and drive it through to the other side. The shock of pain stunned the creature, giving the noble scion enough time to grab the heavy marine animal and forcefully pull it ashore, where it was unceremoniously hacked and beaten to death by Edrick and Yin.

“Ah… That was short, but I don’t think I've had such a nice fight in a long time!” Yin smiled in an uncharacteristically feminine manner, but quickly caught herself, not wishing for Edrick to see that.

“You are covered in blood from head to toe, I hope you brought a change of clothes” he commented, acting like he indeed did not see that gorgeous expression just now.

“Of course I brought some more robes with me, but huh…”

“Do you need me to accompany you in the water? I’ll even hold your hand if you want-”

“Hey! Do not mock me like that! I am an adult, I can go into shallow waters without getting scared… Please don’t look at me, though” she faked a cough partway through.

Anoteros formed a teasing smile.

“Of course, I guess I’ll work to start taking apart this octopus in the meantime, then… Meat from powerful beasts should be quite something, shouldn’t it?”

“Yes… It should be pretty nourishing…” Yin replied, feeling awfully embarrassed. Which she found odd. There was nothing catastrophic about being seen naked, and she certainly wouldn’t have tried to specify it so clearly normally. Yin would have just assumed that anyone who was with her would know not to stare, but somehow, she felt bashful enough to precise it here…

‘Urgh… What’s up with me today?’