How to Get Yourself a Familiar (3)

"No, no, no, no!" I could hear his silent screams on his head. The more rage he was, the more detectable hissing in each word he said, "Don't you dare to think about my claws'sss—and one more thing, they're not nails'sss!"

"Okay, fine. Claws, your exceptionally beautiful claws!" I rolled my eyes, almost losing my patience with Huashe. I couldn't believe that he still had the mood to argue about trivial matters like that. Apparently, they were the slenderest claws that I had ever seen. Okay, a mythical beast compared to a human like me could live to a hundred years—or he had nine lives. I wished I could tell him how scarce and precious my only-one live was. Nonetheless, I should have guessed that he wouldn't agree so easily.

"So, do you have any other better plans?" As silence swept over his mind, I said again through our telepathy, "This is our only chance."

Huashe should understand what I was proposing. The giant octopus woman was a thousand years evil spirit that had eaten countless celestial-beings. No doubt, her cultivation must have been doubled—or quadrupled. Obstinately attacking her would only wear out his mind and energy. On the surface, that monstrous creature may look as if she was attacked, but beneath her, she had a spare of excessive well-hidden power.

Moreover, he was badly injured. He obviously would be intercepted by her tentacles before he could even get nearer.

I was the only harmless, inconspicuous threat that could get near her neck. And with his claw, I could pierce her neck. It was the most perfect scheme.

He might hate to be separated with one of his claws, but he agreed reluctantly. He grumbled, "Human, your plan better work."

"It will work. Trust me."

Once more, the giant octopus woman swayed me as she lurched to Huashe side—disconnecting my telepathy with him. She swam around, circling him as though he was no longer a threat but rather a display that was waiting to be showed.

"Aiyoh! What's wrong bratty snake? Only a little battle and you're more dead than alive. Where's all that confidence of yours had gone to?" Her laugh suddenly felt passionate, almost savage. "What a shame the mighty mythical beast you claimed is only a name. In the end, you're nothing but an ordinary beast. But if you willingly to become my livestock, I can consider letting you live several years longer. They said eating a mythical beast can boost even faster than a celestial-being."

Huashe's anger and revulsion writhed within him. He whipped his head around like a deadly viper.

Seeing him almost carried away by his emotion, I warned him again in my head, "Stay calm. We have a plan."

I didn't hear him reply, but I knew he had heard me—or probably we just got disconnected again as I recalled my cultlike chant. At least we had an "understanding" of each other's mind.

I caught his eyes and he smirked. So, he heard me.

"You sure have your guts, eight legged. Then why don't you try and make me your livestock?"

The words Huashe uttered made her scoff. "Ho-ho, you still have that confidence. Alright, then. You'll make a very interesting livestock." One of her limbs even touched his chin seductively, as she went closer to his face. Her voice barely a whisper, "I assume consuming you bits by bits, can make you into a living hell. What do you think? It is certainly a pleasure for my next few decades."

"Now!" I said with my most commanding voice.

Huashe gestured his hands in a circle, creating a massive rotation of water that glistened from his fingertips and crashed into the giant octopus woman's body, throwing her off. She let out a howling guttural moan, tumbled to the ground.

He extended his fingers, whirled around as his claws separated from his nail bed. They were aimed straight like arrows to where her limb was grasping me, slicing her tentacle to pieces—reminding me of the takoyaki I ate on the night market. I probably wouldn't feel the same any more about any delicacies of "tentacles". Eight-legged...

Huashe fell on his knees, coughing and hacking out a small dose of blood from his internal bleeding. And the same happened to me, blood dribbling out from my lips as my chest got tighter and tighter. Okay, that was unexpected. That was the reason why I only asked for one, not all of his claws! No wonder, he was so persistent to not agreeing in the first place. The sight of him was horrible, I felt awful for proposing such request.

"What are you doing, human?" he ventured furiously, brought me out of my thoughts. We were no longer speaking through our heads, I was quite surprised. He peered at me, practically bellowed, "End her, quickly!"

With a resentful sigh I immediately loosened myself from her entirely cut limb, dived for the bottom. His claws were heavier than I thought, they sunk so fast. My hands spreading with assertive strokes as I fumbled between rock moss, searching for one of his fallen claws.

It took me a few minutes to finally find one.

As I clawed closer to my goal, suddenly cold chills washed over me and my entire body trembled. I was breathing harder and harder, until I was almost hyperventilating. I licked my dry lips—all because of that opaque bubble helmet. Okay, I admit this was my idea, so much for the strong feminist image. But I never had killed an octopus before—eating shouldn't be considered as murder, at least only accomplice in the food chain pyramid. I guessed there was a first time for everything.

I swam forward, tipped my head back, and peered up at the octopus woman. Her screech was climbing to another octave. Her tentacles puckered where they were pierced, physically pained her. But not many of her arms were severely damaged, four of her flexible limbs were still intact as they were shivering very slightly.

So I was halfway to her side, reaching for her neck when my instinct roared to life, halting my movements.

She was hopeless, looking all bleak and weary. Her medusa hair shrilled of agony. The fact that I knew that creature lying, hurling in pain. She herself shrieked, letting terrible, hysterical cry overwhelmed me. Inside me, I had a flash of pity towards her. Despite her octopus-like tentacles, she looked very—human.

My chest was slammed by a sense of conscience, but that emotion was quickly smothered by another one—rush of fear. I was about to kill something that look a lot like a real person. I gulped hard, feeling more and more uneasy.

I considered. Hesitated.

"Human! What are you doing?" I heard the outrage voice of Huashe ringing in my head. "Don't just stand there! Do it!"

This was my opportunity to drive his sharp claw through the monster's neck, but... my hands trembling with nerves. I couldn't manage myself to do it.

I was so busy in thoughts that I didn't realize her damaged limbs were regenerating in a rapidly inhuman speed, overtaking the old ones. When I noticed a great shadow had fallen over me, everything was too late.

In an instant, the octopus woman hand grabbed my wrist by her limb, pulling me back to her. She stood up, rage flushing her body straight.

"Well, well. Look what we have here—" She was deepening her smile, her eyes black eyes flaring in surprise caused me to shudder internally. "So, you are plotting with that bratty snake against me."

One of her filthy limbs clenched my whole body upside down, she constrained me on a tight grip. She attempted to let me dying slowly. I screamed loudly, kicking and wrestling for escaping away.

Great, just great. Dammit. Had I once again become her hostage? Like really? I sighed heavily. On the back of my mind, I could even hear Huashe hissed and smacked his own head, irked by my uselessness. We were talking about a power-mad and furious creature reborn in front of me.

I almost hoped that our mind wasn't connected when he muttered under his breath, "Idiot human."

With that "bundling" we had, I felt Huashe's dizziness with fatigue from loss of blood, as if his magic leaving him too fast because of his severed wounds. That ended I was to blame, it was me who insisted on sacrificing his claws—and I was the one to hesitate on the final moments. So much for my witty brain.

The octopus woman snatched away Huashe from where he was. Grasping him with her entirely new regrown arm. Now, we were both was waiting for our final call.

As thing couldn't get any worse, the magical bubble helmet popped. Overwhelmed by water rushing up to my nose, bubbles of air escaped from my mouth. I had swallowed mouthful after mouthful of water as the terror had frayed away my composure.

The octopus woman threw her head back and laugh. "And what oh mighty mythical beast? You trust your life to a mere mortal? Ha!"

"Idiot human, didn't you tell me to trust you? Look at my claws... I can't believe... my last moment'sss is spent with someone as dull as you." His tone was filled with sarcasm and I couldn't retort back with my voice. "My master... won't let you go easily... "

I cocked my head and peered at him. For a second, I thought his face would fall into all bah-jiggity. Instead, when his eyes met mine, that beautiful beast cracked into a pleased smile.

Guilt was burning inside my chest and racked of disappointment overcame me. I didn't know if I was crying to see Huashe not resenting me, because I was no longer wearing that bubble helmet. But my eyes pricked, my tears probably rippled together with the sea.

I squeezed my eyes shut and struggled to breathe. The water hit me right in the sternum. As if the last breath in my lungs had been used up, my vision went cloudy. I started to feel a little dizzy. A familiar sense of death like this happened before, my "drowning" experience. I supposed this where it was going to end.

Jie Moshu.

Oddly, on a moment like this, my thoughts loomed of his deathly gorgeous face. Heavens, even at the point of dying, I was still thinking of how of his conversation going with Baba. I probably wouldn't have the chance to explain anything regarding him. Baba, your disobedient daughter ended her life miserably just like this—

"Mythical beast and deliciously human soul. Looks like I would have a fancy dinner for tonight!" Her voice held a mixture of scoff and amusement.

"You dare to touch my wife?"

A low bellowed voice echoed, reverberating throughout the sea, crumbling the remains of stone underneath. For a split second, I froze at the familiar voice. The thought of it made me I chuckled.

Only one person claimed me to be his wife. And that was Jie Moshu.