Admittedly, I recently did an Octopus-related Patreon scene. Though, that one was mostly about Dunstana trying to be like an octopus, rather than about an actual, literal octopus.
Also, “Looking at Octopus” was the randomly-generated name I ended up with for my, um Lego rock band in Lego Rock Band…
© J.B. Norman — Published by Emona Literary Services™
“Should we help?” Matilda asks, watching Tancred attempting to wrestle with the octopus that leapt at him when he stepped into the tide pool.
“I’m not sure,” Nolan answers. “I think he’s winning?”
“If you think about it,” Pela notes. “It’s not really a fair fight, is it? That thing’s got eight hands! Tancred’s only got two!”
“So, we should help him?” Matilda asks.
As the other five watch, Tancred’s surprised yelp is muffled by the octopus latching onto his face, causing him to stumble blindly around the tide pool.
“Okay. Now we should help him. Lyte Brigade, move out!” Nolan declares.
“What do we do? I’ve never fought an octopus before!” Pela says.
“Uhh…” Nolan says.
“Well, we can’t just hit the octopus. We’ll be hitting Tancred right in the face, too,” Matilda notes. “I mean, that’d be fine if it was Nolan with octopus on his face…”
“Hey!” Nolan cries.
“No,” Falcata interjects. “I can make this work. I am familiar with special techniques of unarmed combat which direct and control the force of our strikes. I can hit the octopus without harming Sir Tancred.”
Pela frowns. “I don’t know. I’d feel kind bad about beating it up It’s just an animal. It’s not like it’s trying to eat Tancred’s face on purpose, or anything.”
“Maybe he just tastes best?” Matilda offers.
“Now, I do believe there’s an obvious solution here,” Amara says.
“Don’t keep us in suspense,” Pela says.
“I’ll just cast an Animal Pacification spell on the octopus. That should get it to leave Sir Tancred alone of its own accord,” Amara offers.
“Wow. That is easy,” Matilda says.
“Okay, go for it, Amara,” Nolan says.
Amara steps forward, tentatively approaching Tancred and the octopus.
“Sir Tancred, if it’s not too much trouble, please take a few steps to the right,” she says.
Tancred manages to stumble to the right and Amara casts her spell. Light shimmers around the octopus. It loosens it grip around Tancred’s face and hops off. At the edge of the tide pool, it looks up at the six members of the Lyte Brigade.
Tancred takes a deep, gasping breath.
However, the spell has left the octopus insufficiently pacified. Daunted and threatened by the presence of six large predators, it sprays a gout of ink at the Lyte Brigade before scrambling away into the deeper water, disappearing with a flash.
“Good job, Amara. How’s the face, Tancred?”
“I’d rather not talk about it,” the knight mutters.
“Nolan!”
Wincing at the sound and the ‘Nolan-what-did-you-do?’ quality of her voice, Nolan slow turns towards Amara. The Elf is glowering at him. Or, he can only assume that she is, from under the octopus ink she’s now drenched in that obscures her features.
“Wait,” he protests, blinking in confusion. “How is this my fault? I didn’t even do anything!”
Matilda leans in close to her brother. “Well, you see, Nolan. When a boy and girl love each other very, very much, everything is the boy’s fault.”
“Wait, what?”
He blinks again as his sister’s words fully sink in.
“Wait, what?”
Truly, the octopus is the most majestic of all God’s creatures. Because it can spray ink at people it doesn’t want to talk to…
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