"Of Course I can talk, you filthy Mongrel. I'm a mythical beast. Not a mixed poodle…" Dumpy said, sounding agitated as it absolutely hated being grouped with the common frogs that were found in this land.
To him, his disgust towards the intruders seemed justified, as he was not a frog, he was a mythical beast and he had pride within himself to match one.
However, to Ben, the angry beast seemed nothing more than an amusing child, as he decided to discipline the brat before he disciplined his master.
"Is that so? So you think you're better than a mixed poodle, brat? No wonder you call that lousy kid your master, the two of you are cut from the same cloth!" Ben responded, scoffing at Dumpy's ridiculous claims, as although an inferior fighter might have felt intimidated when in the presence of such a towering beast, Ben did not.
"ENOUGH! HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT MY MASTER…. YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR WORDS WITH YOUR LIFE, MONGREL" Dumpy said, absolutely blowing a vein, as he charged towards Ben with blinding speed.
"Watchout–" Lin Mu said, as she reflexively reached into her Assassin's belt to draw out her weapon, however, before she could do so Dumpy was already upon her, his unreal speed despite his heavy mass catching her off-guard, as Dumpy sent her flying into the distance with a direct blow to her chest.
*Crash*
Crashing into a building a few dozen meters away, Lin Mu coughed a mouthful of blood, as she was left utterly stunned by the strength of this unknown beast.
She wasn't prepared to face such a powerful creature, and could not retrieve her blade in time to block, which was the sole reason behind her being taken out of the fight as fast as she was.
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
Clapping calmly, Ben appreciated Dumpy's speed and performance, as although flawed, Ben could notice the beauty behind Dumpy's unconventional swordsmanship.
"One weakling down…. Another left" Dumpy said, as without breaking a sweat Ben simply opened his palm towards the beast and signaled for it to come.
"You dare taunt me? You puny Mongrel—" Dumpy said, sounding furious as he charged towards Ben at the same speed that he charged towards Lin Mu with, however, to his surprise, while he could catch out Lin Mu with ease, he couldn't even catch the shadow of Ben as he moved, as the old assassin dodged Dumpy's attacks with ease.
*SPLAT*
To Dumpy's absolute surprise, an 'X' shaped scar appeared on his chest, which although not deep, hurt like hell as he was forced to buckle to his knees.
For some unknown reason, his vision started to become blurry and although his body felt fine, as he turned to face his opponent, Dumpy could no longer control his muscles properly.
"W-when did you attack me?" Dumpy asked, as he could not even see Ben move, let alone launch an attack, as it was only at this point that Dumpy realized that he was facing an opponent much stronger than himself.
Pulling his sleeves back, Ben revealed the hidden blades tied to his arms, which though concealed under his robes, could be deployed easily when needed.
These blades were laced with a paralysis agent which could incapacitate an opponent for a few minutes, which was the reason behind Dumpy feeling as weak as it did, despite not losing much blood.
However, much to Ben's joy, even when facing such unfavorable odds, Dumpy's killer eyes never softened.
He kept staring at Ben with fury in his eyes even when he could not control his muscles, as instead of fearing death, the beast seemed more annoyed that it could not protect its master.
"You're too green to take me on poodle, perhaps when you grow into a wolf, I'll take you more seriously—" Ben said, as he flicked a small pebble towards Dumpy's forehead.
"That poison you are secreting from your skin, I can smell it in the air around me. Don't exert your body more than you already are. You won't trick me into touching you, nor is your tongue fast enough to catch me.
So just take some rest and take this loss" Ben said, as just as he completed those words Dumpy extended his tongue trying to catch Ben off-guard, but missed horribly.
*Sigh*
Sighing, Ben shook his head from side to side, as he pretended to be disappointed in Dumpy.
"Relax little one, I'm out of your masters league, not just your own–" Ben said, as Dumpy refused to acknowledge those words.
"Rubbish! My master is the strongest in this world. You better run before he comes here you Mongrel" Dumpy replied, as listening to his words, a big smile spread on Ben's face.
Although he pretended to be disappointed in the frog, Ben was secretly overjoyed to meet such a capable warrior, as the prospect of training him as his grand disciple, sent a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Also, the sense of loyalty that he held towards Leo was absolutely admirable, which made Ben instantly feel more amiable towards it.
Unfortunately, since he was here to teach Leo a lesson today, he could not show the frog any favor, as if he did, it would reveal his identity before he got a chance to fight Leo.
"Oh yeah? I should run before he comes? Fine then…. Why don't you call him…. Let's see for once and for all, who amongst me or him is the mo—"
Before Ben could complete his words, he felt his body being restrained by shadows, as five extremely powerful daggers came flying in his direction.
'Fuck–' thought Ben, as he barely blocked four, while the fifth one grazed past the sillheoutte of his robes, tearing the fabric but thankfully not touching his skin.
He sobered up instantly, his previous cocky demeanor being replaced by a focused sense of calm, as he overloaded his restraints by making his mana through them, to eventually break free.
"Who dares attack my pet? Have you decided to throw away your life?" Said an angry voice from the distance, as within a split-second, Leo appeared between Dumpy and Ben, his dagger pointed towards the unknown assassin.
"Hahahaha….. you're so screwed now!" Said Dumpy, as he felt elated that his master was finally here.