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“Oh, do please be careful, Mr. Roy. Don’t hurt it,” Linus gurgled. He turned around and announced, “Passengers, do you have any idea how valuable this octopus… No, this mollusc is?”

“Are you saying this monster is a rare animal?” Blue’s mother held her son close at hand, glaring at Linus angrily. The boy said nothing, though he was stealing glances at the octopus. “No matter how we see it, this is just a bigger octopus.”

“Precisely. Think about it. Have you ever seen an octopus in a river?” Linus was starting to get excited. “I am a biologist from Oxenfurt University, and I have been researching incredible animals all over the world, but this is the first time I have seen a freshwater octopus, and one at such stature, as well. There are no records about it, even in the institution. This must be an endangered species. It has to be protected.”

“Bollocks!” a passenger growled. “Are you sick in the head? That monster is a killer, and you want to protect it? No matter how rare that creature is, it must be killed. It has eaten humans.”

Linus was infuriated by that remark, but he held his anger down. “All of you are people of Cintra. All of you live near Yaruga, so you should know the changes that have happened to the river.”

“Don’t beat about the bush. What does that have to do with this monster?”

“Have some patience,” Linus answered. “Over the last few decades, the living environments in all rivers have taken a turn for the worse, including Yaruga. If you’d looked closer, you would have realized that most fish you had caught when you were kids are nowhere to be seen.”

“Really?” Most passengers fell into a pensive silence.

“To tell you the truth, I have looked into the matter. Fifty years ago, there were more than two thousand and five hundred species of fish in Yaruga, but today, there are only less than half of that. Variegated carps are extinct, high-fin banded sharks are all dead, as well. Banded catfish, barracudas, gudgeons, and many more! All of them are dead!” Linus was suddenly getting galvanized. “This octopus might be the last of its species in the river. If we kill it, we might be single-handedly sending a species into extinction!”

Someone gasped in shock. “Is the situation really that dire?” All of a sudden, the man found that he wasn’t feeling as much hatred for the octopus anymore. They weren’t directly hurt by the monster, after all.

“Yes.” Linus faced everyone seriously. “And that’s an optimistic estimation.”

“But it almost killed my son, and it hurt a brave sailor!” Blue’s mother was still adamant about killing the monster. “It cannot be released just like that.”

Linus answered gently, “I am more than willing to pay for the damages done to you.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Adonis limped over with the help of his crew. “First things first. This monster must not be released into the river.”

“He’s right,” the sailors agreed. “Or it will ruin our trade.”

Linus promised them, “I will not release it into the waters, of course. To tell you the truth, once we get to Verden, I will ship it back to Oxenfurt. It shall be locked in a lab for further observation.” Linus said, “It shall spend the rest of its life in a glass room, never to harm anyone ever again.”

Since Linus was going that far, the passengers saw no reason to object anymore.

“I take it that the discussion is over?” Roy flicked the mucus on his hand away and smiled at Linus. This creature isn’t even a monster. None of its stats are over ten. Killing it won’t progress my career. And its EXP probably isn’t that much anyway. I guess I can spare it. “Now, you said you wanted to purchase it. What will be your offer, then?”

***

“Nice doing business with you.” Roy was beaming. He made two hundred crowns from the sale easily, and he finally had two thousand crowns again.

Linus, who was ripped off, didn’t seem too angry about it. He was staring at the monster, excitement bubbling within him.

“Since you’ve paid me handsomely, here’s some free advice.”

Linus didn’t turn around. He had to clean the octopus’ wound. The harpoon didn’t deal any fatal damage, though the paralyzing poison did knock it out.

“Get the sailors to lend you a net. If it’s starting to die, hold it in a net and dip it in the river. I can give you some paralyzing poison to keep it from escaping, too.”

“Thank you.” Linus sighed. “This creature isn’t a random kayran anymore. I have dubbed it Peter the Octopus.”

“It’s yours now, so you may call it whatever you want.” Roy wanted to throw a bit of shade at Linus, but he stopped himself before he could. “But hauling it back to Oxenfurt is a big project. If you fail to take good care of it, Peter will be nothing but a kayran corpse at the end of your journey. Besides, there are a lot of uncertainties on your way back as well.”

Linus frowned, and Roy added, “Some more friendly advice. Take it to Cidaris. It’s a kingdom north of Verden. Seek out a mage who goes by the name Dorregaray, and he shall help you.”

“Dorregaray? Who is that?”

“An animal protector like you. He advocates balance, and he will save this kay… Peter the Octopus without asking for any favors in return. He is a mage, and he knows more than you do. You might find transporting Peter back to Oxenfurt a tough mission, but it’s nothing for him.”

Linus eased up after hearing the explanation. “Do please forgive me for my earlier behavior, my friend.”

“Of course. I have much to discuss with you the next time I am in Oxenfurt.”

Roy wanted to see the keep of rare animals that Linus had.

***

Roy said hello to Ciri after he was done talking to Linus, and he gave the sailors half of his earnings from selling Peter. Without their help, he couldn’t have captured the creature. He couldn’t take all the money for himself. The sailors didn’t refuse, either. They took the money from him and invited Roy to the cabin.

Adonis’ upper body was covered in bandages, and he was lying on the bunk bed. He looked weak, but he managed a smile. “Witcher, I managed to survive thanks to you. Once we return to Cintra, you and I are going to drink our fill. It’s on me.”

“Of course, but before that, a toast to you.” Roy raised a bottle of dwarven liquor and downed it all. “The courage you have shown is spectacular. You don’t seem like a regular human.”

“Oh, but I am.” Adonis smiled bitterly. “I am just an old sailor. But my ancestors came from Skellige, and my grandfather always told me that all Skellige men were brave and courageous. Besides, that boy is just like my little Reggie. I couldn’t just sit by when he was in danger.”

“To Adonis of Skellige!”

Adonis’ face was red from all the coughing, but he managed to take a cup of rum. “And to you, witcher.”

“Call me Roy.”

The men made small talk, and Roy asked, “Have you run into any underwater creatures like that before?”

Adios shook his head firmly. “The waterways between Cintra and Verden have always been safe. We haven’t even seen a drowner in more than ten years, let alone this… kayran. This is the first time I’ve seen one. Never heard of it before, either.”

“You have never even heard of it before?”

“Never.”

“Now, that is weird.” Roy rubbed his chin pensively.

“Perhaps it is an omen,” Adonis mumbled to himself.

“An omen? Of what?”

“I have a nephew in Cintra. He’s a soldier, and he’s starting to get busy lately. I have a feeling this peace won’t last for much longer. Every time a disaster is looming on the horizon, there will always be evil rearing its ugly head everywhere.”

***

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