168: Caught

A bubble of air popped up on the surface, and blood spread across the river, as if someone had poured red ink into the waters.

"Blood? Why is there blood in the river?"

The passengers were starting to get worried, then a pale, hairy arm broke the surface and grabbed the rope hanging from the side of the barge, and the man who leaped into the waters earlier came back up.

"Adonis, you're hurt!"

"There's… something… in the water." The man looked up and did all he could to get that message out. "Hold… him. Save… him… first." The man's face was contorted with pain, and he raised his arm up with difficulty.

"Blue!" the child's mother exclaimed. The man was holding the young boy by his waist. The boy wasn't looking too good either. His face was as white as a sheet of paper, and seaweed covered his body. He was curled up, as if he were a prawn that just got stir-fried in a pan.

Blue's mother leaned over the barge, and with the help of the other passengers, she managed to take the boy back onto the boat. "Are there any doctors here? Please, save my son! He's not breathing!"

***

"Put your backs into it, men! Pull Adonis up!" The sailors held on tightly to the rope tied around Adonis' waist, and someone held Adonis' arms, pulling him out of the water. Eventually, he was fully extracted from the river, and everyone saw the red marks on his back as well as a circular bite mark on his waist.

"What the hell is in the waters?"

"Just shut up and pull me up!"

Just when everyone thought everything would be fine, the river's surface started to bubble, and two tentacles the size of an adult man's arm shot out of the water. The sailors watched in horror as the tentacles wrapped Adonis' shoulders and dragged him back down into the river.

At the same time, they heard a vague sound coming from under the water. It sounded like a sobbing infant. Foam appeared on the river's surface, as if something were splashing and flailing around.

Roy stared at the tentacles and cast Observe on them.

'Kayran 

HP: 80 

Age: Five years old

Gender: Female

Strength: 9 

Dexterity: 5 

Constitution: 8 

Perception: 7 

Will: 6 

Charisma: 3 

Spirit: 4

Skills:

Regeneration (Level 2): Kayrans have powerful regenerative abilities. They can stop blood loss almost immediately. Even if they lose a few tentacles, they can regrow them in just a few hours.'

You just had to jinx this trip, didn't you, Linus? This monster must be related to that kayran in Flotsam. Roy unsheathed Aerondight.

All the passengers were petrified by what they were seeing. The sailors were shocked as well, and they loosened their grip on Adonis. Because of that, the kayran nearly pulled him back underwater. But they were hardened sailors, and they snapped out of it quickly. The sailors quickly stopped Adonis from getting pulled back, and they began a tug of war with the monster beneath the river.

The poor man was stuck between his crew and the monster. His face was red with pain from the force that was pulling him in different directions, but still he didn't wince. Instead, he clenched his teeth as tightly as he could, and he was starting to bleed from his mouth.

"Now that's what I call a man." Roy couldn't hide anymore. He pulled on the rope hanging at the boatside and flew through the air, swinging Aerondight down on the tentacles that were gripping Adonis.

The sailors felt the monster's grip disappear, and they saw its tentacles falling back into the water. Crimson blood spattered the boat and the river, while the monster howled in agony as it dipped back down into the river.

Without the monster fighting them, the sailors pulled Adonis back up successfully.

Adonis lay weakly on the deck and took a swig of alcohol to warm himself up. He smiled gratefully at the young witcher who just saved him. "And you are?"

"He's a witcher." Linus strode over and announced to everyone, "This young man here is a witcher. With him on our side, there's nothing to fear from the monster."

"I see. That explains his extraordinary reflexes."

The passengers gasped in surprise, and the fear from meeting the monster subsided ever so slightly.

"Witcher, will you be so kind as to get rid of the monster?"

The boy woke up after a doctor treated him, though there was fear in his eyes, and he lay in his mother's arms to find some comfort.

"You guys stay here. We'll talk after I kill this monster." Roy winked at Ciri, who looked excited to see him. However, Ciri's servant and the soldier's leader—Krauze—were looking at Roy with enmity.

"Did you follow us, witcher?"

"I'll explain later. We have a more pressing matter at hand." Roy came to the boatside to have a closer look. He saw something swimming underwater not far behind the barge, and when everyone looked where he was looking, they saw the tentacles that broke through the surface of the water. But when they noticed the elliptical silhouette under the river, they were once again gripped by fear.

Obviously, the octopus did not escape after it was injured, but it didn't come close that easily anymore. Roy knew these were vengeful monsters. They would hound those who had hurt them until they had their payback, and two torn tentacles were nothing for an octopus-like monster.

"Well, time to finish the job." Roy borrowed a harpoon tied to a rope from the sailors and greased it with a dose of paralyzing poison. Everyone was looking at him weirdly as he raised the harpoon overhead and aimed it at the creature moving underwater.

It was the first time he was using a harpoon, but his extraordinary dexterity, strength, and perception allowed him to get in the best position in no time. He blocked out all the noises around him and turned his witcher senses on. By then, all he could feel were the winds blowing across the river, the stream that was flowing furiously, the barge that was traveling above it, and the monster that was following them.

It was as if time itself had come to a standstill, and all he could see were the tentacles that were thrashing around in the waters. Roy waited for the perfect moment, and he threw the harpoon out at such a blinding speed all the passengers could see was something zipping across the air.

The harpoon made a big splash, and it stopped the monster in its tracks. It bobbed its head up, and the passengers saw the harpoon embedded in its body. The monster thrashed in the waters, circling around and struggling to break free. Alas, it was futile. Blood started to spread out in the waters around the monster, and the paralyzing poison started to take effect. It eventually stopped struggling. The monster turned around and moved along with the barge.

The sailors quickly dragged it up to the deck, revealing the full face of the monster that had been terrorizing the waters.

"Such vitality!" Linus squeezed through the throng and touched the monster. His skeletal face turned red with excitement as he examined the specimen. "And these powerful tentacles sprouting from its belly… These must be the tentacles that dragged the boy overboard. Look at its fist-sized suckers! Its gaping maw! And its sharp teeth!"

"Be careful. It's still alive." Roy went down and smacked the tentacles that were still squirming by reflex. "It's a mutated creature," he concluded.

The passengers were gripped by terror, and they took a step back. Ciri, however, came up to Roy with her soldiers behind her. She stared at the big octopus, and although she did feel some fear, a big part of what she was feeling was excitement.

"Wow, you're strong, Roy. So how should we handle this creature?"

"Kill it!" the passengers shouted, especially Blue's mother.

"You can't let it harm anyone anymore!"

"Yes, witcher! Kill that monster right away!"

"Alright, enough! Quiet!" Linus roared furiously and shot everyone a nasty glare. "Mr. Roy, you are the one who caught this monster. You should be the one to decide what to do with it. However…" Linus licked his lips. "If it's possible, I wish to purchase this monster."