A loud, constant roar echoed from deep within the forest, causing the monster to halt its attack and change directions. Now facing the noise, the bear growled before roaring back into the forest. The wind stopped for a moment, making the atmosphere very tense. Looking at the creature, its body was rigged, and for a moment, I thought I saw fear plastered across its face.
Trying to stand up, my legs gave out, causing my butt to slam against the ground. Coughing aloud, my head rested against the tree. My body tried to heal, but the damage was too severe, slowing my healing. My breathing was ragged, and with each breath I took, a sharp pain shot through my chest.
The bear looked at me for a moment before a sound came from within the forest, causing it to look towards it. The sound of stomping filled the surrounding area. Grass crumpled beneath multiple feet, and branches snapped in every direction. The bear growled even more, showing its sharp teeth. The sounds of words filled the air.
My Earthen Sense lvl 2 picked up on dozens of vibrations entering its radius, and they were approaching fast. Once they had gotten closer, the sounds of words filled the air.
"There it is! Archers, take aim!" A man's voice shouted.
"Aim for its eyes!" Another voice chimed in, now a woman's.
From behind the bushes that were in front of the bear, a large group of people who looked like me came running out. They were all armed with weapons and armour. In the front were armoured individuals carrying spears, and after them were people wielding swords.
From my right and left, two more groups appeared, taking the same formation as the first. The groups halted around 20 meters from where the bear was, surrounding it. From the crowd, whispers began to circulate.
"There's someone there..."
"Is she alive?"
"Just look at her; no one could survive such wounds..."
Suddenly, the whispers halted, a tunnel breaking in the formation as a male wearing heavy steel-plated armour stepped forth. He wielded a massive battle axe and had the aura of a commander and great warrior. From underneath his plated helmet, a deep and commanding voice shot out.
"Archers, on my mark," he said, raising his hand.
Wait, no... I'm alive; don't shoot, please. I needed help, and these people were the only way to survive.
Using all my strength, I began to force all my power into my arms, slowly raising them above my head and holding them up for a second before they tumbled down. While doing this, eyes widened, and mouths fell agape in the crowd.
A tall and elegant woman who stood next to the axe-wielding warrior began to move. She wielded a spear, and on her side was a small but deadly knife. Her helmet only covered the top of her head, and she wore a shiny and elegant breastplate. On her legs were just a simple pair of leather leggings and a well-made pair of boots. Walking towards the heavily armoured man, she spoke.
"Commander, there's a woman behind the beast... She's heavily injured but alive. What are your orders?"
"We all knew there would be losses here; that's what we all signed up for... Everyone knew the risks," he said.
"But, sir... She is not a part of the regimen; she's a foreigner."
"Then she's a fool for straying off the path."
"Sir... We can't just—"
"Lieutenant, silence! Would you rather let this beast escape and cause more harm to other people just as it harmed your sister, or would you rather deal with it now?" The commander yelled out, cutting off the spear-wielding woman mid-sentence.
The woman went silent, her eyes slightly gleaming as tears formed at the corners. Slowly, she stepped back with her head down.
"I understand, sir," the woman said silently.
Turning his head back towards the bear, he brought his hand down.
"Release!" He yelled out.
With the motion from his hand, the sound of whooshing filled the forest. Arrows flew out from behind the bushes, cutting through the air. The bear opened its eyes in shock before raising its front paw to its face.
Arrows rained down upon the creature from all sides, implanting themselves in the creature's body. My eyes opened as some of the arrows flew by, missing the bear and planting themselves in the nearby grass. One even pierced the tree above me, causing bark to fall on my head, and I raised my hands, trying to shield myself as more arrows rained down.
The arrows littered the field, and as they continued to fall, some struck me. One pierced my torso, implanting itself deep within. Another hit me in the leg, entering deep into my calf and piercing into the ground below. With a scream, another pierced my hand, halting right before my eye. Pain seeped through my body, and my vision began to blur.
Snapping me out of it, the bear roared, sending a gust of wind towards the commander and the group. Arrows were all across its body, and many were planted within the paw that was covering its head. Blood dripped from its multiple wounds. Its teeth ground together before it bashed its paw against a nearby tree, snapping the arrow shafts and only leaving the points of the arrows in.
Using its non-injured paw, the bear swatted at the rest of the arrows that stuck out from its body. After a few seconds, the majority of the arrows that could be reached had been snapped. The bear growled viciously before putting itself on two feet. It stood tall and stared down at the group of small people. Saliva dripped from its mouth as it bashed its front paws against its scarred chest. With a roar, it dropped back down to all fours.
"Archer's cease-fire!" The commander shouted out.
"Spears, brace!"
With those words, the front row of spearmen positioned their spears forward toward the bear. The sworders behind them readied themselves as well.
With a roar, the bear charged towards the group of people. The commander stepped back behind the lieutenant as she positioned her spear. The man held his battle axe high, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
"Hold!" The commander shouted as the bear charged.
"Hold!" He yelled again.
The bear was panting; each step contained an anger that made the forest quake.
"Hold!" He yelled again; the bear was almost upon them.
The bear was prepared to crash through the line.
"NOW!" The commander yelled.
The spearmen nearest to the bear thrusted forward, striking the bear head-on. Some of the spears bent, but some connected with the bear, implanting themselves into the creature's flesh. The monster roared in pain as the spear line halted its charge.
"Swordmen now!" The commander yelled.
With the words, the spearmen retreated, some even leaving their spears embedded in the bear as they were too hard to pull out. From behind, the sword wielders, including the commander, stepped forward. They struck the bear, causing massive gashes to form. Blood sprayed from where they attacked, causing the bear to whimper in pain.
"Spears, keep poking it down from behind us!" The man ordered.
"Archers support the group, but don't fire! We can't afford any friendly fire!"
The group worked in unison to attack the monster. Whenever the bear tried to attack, the people in that area would move to avoid the strike, while the group on the other side took the opportunity to attack.
The commander and lieutenant worked flawlessly, backing each other up whenever one needed support. Both of them took the most difficult position to fight the bear, standing right in front of its face. When the woman struck the bear with her spear, the commander would focus on the creature's side. And whenever a paw tried to descend upon the two of them, the commander would use his superior strength and equipment to block the attack, relying on the woman to deal damage as he created an opening.
The bear was becoming overwhelmed by the constant barrage of attacks, and its speed had decreased drastically as the battle dragged on. Its breathing was ragged, and it seemed to wobble on its feet. The creature's eyes showed fear but also sadness...
From behind me, a small roar echoed from within a bush. Turning my head, I saw a small creature standing about 45 meters away. The creature had the same brown fur as the bear, and its beady eyes reminded me of the monster. It had no scars, but on its head were small, perky ears.
Aurelion Frenzied Cub, lvl 5
Was it the bear's child?
My eyes widened as the cub began to dash towards its mother. The mother bear looked at its cub running towards it, and something snapped within it.
A swordsman who was near the bear lost focus as the cub distracted him with a roar.
"There's its cub! First one to kill it gets—" The man did not get to finish his sentence.
The bear brought down its massive paw. The man went silent for a moment before blood gushed out of his mouth; his sword fell as his hands moved to his waist, but soon they dropped to his side. His body was split in half, his torso falling to the ground. His legs then followed, crumbling to the ground. His intestines bled from his torso, and blood turned the beautiful green grass red.
Flesh littered the forest, and more and more of his insides fell out. His organs... his bones... his blood... The man was dead. Beside him, a woman who wielded a spear hesitated for a moment as she watched her comrade fall, but that hesitation cost her. The monster struck down. Bracing herself, she raised her spear to block the attack.
"No, you can't block; you need to dodge!" The lieutenant yelled out, but it was too late.
The woman's spear shattered beneath the weight of the bear, causing the spear to travel through the air and pierce the woman's face. She screamed for a moment as the paw crashed down upon her. The woman crumpled beneath the force, a loud snap echoing from her legs. Her knees snapped, and so did her spine, as her back bent forward. The woman was brought to the ground, her face stuck in the dirt.
Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she could no longer move. Both her legs had been destroyed, bones piercing the skin. Her back was also broken, a massive lump appearing on her centre back. The woman's screams echoed through the forest. A heart-wrenching scream, a scream filled with pure pain and fear. She screamed out.
"Ple-please... Cough... sa-ve... Cough... M-me..." Blood leaked from her mouth.
The lieutenant dashed towards the woman, causing the commander to yell at her to get back into formation. The lieutenant almost reached her, but the bear raised its paw. Stomp down upon the woman. She let out one last word.
"Mo-Mommy."
The sound of splatting filled the air, causing all the soldiers to freeze for a moment. The woman's skull was pulverized, shattering instantly upon contact with the bear's paw. Blood splashed across the field, covering the lieutenant's face and causing her to begin to tremble. The woman's brain matter littered the forest floor, her crumpled, headless body spraying blood from where her head used to be. Rolling up to the lieutenant's feet was the woman's eyeball.
The lieutenant was trembling with rage, her spear quaking. Tears flowed from her eyes.
"You're evil... She had a family... a mother, a father, and a baby sister! She was barely an adult! How could you!" The lieutenant screamed out.
Lost in rage, she raised her spear at the bear. Her hands trembled, and her teeth chattered. Quickly, she planted her feet, crushing the grass, and lunged toward the beast.
"Bell, watch out!" The commander shouted.
But it was too late; the bear had focused entirely on her. It swatted at her spear, snapping its wooden shaft in half and disarming her. The woman rolled on the ground as the bear attacked again, dodging its strike and pulling out her knife. She skillfully jumped up and slashed at the bear. The knife made contact with the bear, and as it did, the metal shattered. The lieutenant's eyes widened in surprise. The commander screamed out, trying to get between the bear and her, but it was too late.
The world froze for a moment as the bear raised its paw, anger plastered across its face.