The situation was pretty bad, but not unsalvageable. Zero just had to not panic.
'Aghhh, get off me fiends!'
Despite panicking, the situation was still salvageable due to Zero's great innate panic… innate battle instincts. Zero threw his sword arm to the side and managed to reposition the octopus off of him as well.
Dropping his sword, he then used his other arm and hand to grab the sword from around the octopus's interlocked tentacles. Shifting his body to a more advantageous situation, he then twisted his sword and pulled up as best he could.
The sword slid out, but the creature was still alive. Even worse, the one on his leg began slowly climbing upwards. The good news was that Zero now held his sword in an unrestricted arm.
'I wish I had Optic Sight…'
Zero plunged his blade back into the octopus in his arm, then he fell forward onto his arm holding the sword. The octopus on his leg soon shifted up and pinned him against the ground.
Trying to move his now free legs, Zero found himself only able to really move one with accuracy. The other one just limply wobbled around. Despite his poison resistance, it seemed he was not invulnerable.
'That means my sword arm is out of commission, too.'
After some struggle, Zero wiggled Valiant Blade out from under himself and proceeded to reverse his grip on it.
Blindly, he struck the beast that was pinning him to the ground. He was unsure just how many times he attacked, but he eventually heard the message.
{Seeker Fledgling, Nascent Octopus slain}
{Received Seeker Spirit Crystal}
Using his working leg, Zero turned and rolled the dead octopus off his back. Switching his grip on Valiant Blade back to a forward one, he stabbed repeatedly into the octopus on his arm.
{Seeker Fledgling, Nascent Octopus slain}
{Received Seeker Spirit Crystal}
The grip on his arm loosened, and Zero took a moment to relax. His leg was cut pretty badly and looked to be a different shade, though Zero could not tell in the dark. His arm was also a different shade, but it was not mauled nearly as bad.
In fact, his arm was barely bleeding. For that matter, his leg was leaking little blood as well.
'Perks of having Abyssal blood, huh. This is too much, I wanna go home… I don't have a home, do I?'
Zero shook these thoughts away and looked up towards the stars. He liked that view.
After a little while, and when he regained feeling in his arm and leg, Zero crawled over and took a large sip from the lake.
Then, after some more time, Zero took the dragon head and filled it as much as he could with water and made his way back to Alice and Caelum. By now, his leg had stopped bleeding and was covered with scabs.
This prompted him to use a Spirit Crystal, which made his total level 6/6. He finally reached the ability to be level six, which was nice. He caught up to where Caelum started.
Returning to Alice and Caelum, Zero approached the girl, who was now sitting up, and held out the dragon helm full of water.
"Here, drink this."
Zero waited a moment, then remembered Alice could not see in the dark. He gently guided the dragon head to her, careful not to spill any.
Alice drank quite a lot, but still left some. Handing it forth to Zero, she pointed at Caelum.
"Got it. Drink up Caelum, the rest is yours."
"Thank you, Zero."
The nomad also drank his fill.
After a bit more conversation between Caelum and Zero, some transferring of Spirit Crystals, and the Nascent Drake Armor returning to Zero, the three of them all huddled up against a tree and waited out the night.
At first, the three of them were too spooked to sleep, but soon Alice fell into a light slumber, and Zero prompted Caelum to as well. Somehow, Caelum did not seem to have much of a problem falling asleep after Zero told him to.
'This guy might be too nonchalant.'
Though he felt quite awful and beaten, Zero stayed up until the crack of dawn, then woke Caelum, forcing him to wake Alice. Zero led them to the pond and corpses of the three octopi and promptly slept after reclaiming the Harvest Talisman.
It seemed to be midday when Zero woke once more, and the smell of cooked octopus greeted him. His wounds were now all healed, and Alice could speak fine once more. There was something else nagging at his groggy mind, but he ignored it and ate.
A bit later, a small Harvest Gnat appeared, which was promptly slain by the three of them.
"So you're saying that we have just two islands left before reaching Roma's island?"
"That is correct, Alice."
The girl thought for a moment, then spoke again.
"Suggestions on how we cross this one? Go around, or through then?"
"Typically, through is faster. These mountains are not that steep nor tall, and the middle of the island holds a vast meadow. Then once we ascend to the further edge, we will see the more treacherous mountains surrounding Roma. However, if there are still people present on this bountiful land, it is likely we will find them before Roma."
"That's probably for the best."
They finished eating, then set off on their way, up the mountain.
The mountain was not particularly challenging to ascend. The slope was quite tame, and the grass lining it gave a good grip. Caelumn served somewhat as a guide, leading the way, like a local. Well, he was a local. He had grown up wandering these islands after all.
It was not long before they reached the peak of the first mountain, and they were met with a rather grand sight. Before them, the land was lined with lustrous, round peaks that traveled nearly as far as the eye could see. A slight white fog lined the various valleys, and teeming biodiversity spotted each protrusion of earth.
The sight was beautiful. Its tapestry-like radiance felt in harmony with the cool air on Zero's face; however, after admiring the sight, Zero could only think one thought: 'It's going to be a long, long journey…'