Lux dealt with the final bear with a quick bite of its neck.
[You gained 25 experience points!]
Theron entered the chamber filled with dead bears while he studied its contents. Inside, only the stale stench of dung and piss permeated, wafting off from the sporadic mounds of droppings and wet spots speckling the otherwise healthy soil. Theron would have to run if they weren’t asleep. Those extra five or so seconds dictated his eventual triumph. He lacked any option to deal instant damage on his own; a problem exacerbated further if Lux’s crushing bite was unavailable. With a cold gaze, he extracted all the carcasses he found. Any additional bears didn’t provide further progress after their aspect had been completed, except for their essences. For which he had in spades.
[You completed a new aspect!]
[Aspect of Metal Clawed Bear is added to your compendium. You can now summon it after materializing the aspect using an aspect core.]
[You obtained a materia: R-1 Metal Clawed Bear.]
Another materia… finally, after such a long time. He escaped the fragrant stench of poop, then turned his head toward one of the two other openings. Both appeared similar at a glance, too identical that he could only guess which led to the right path. He picked one of them at random, asking Lux to sink its fangs into the wall to mark which route he’d traveled.
Air halted to a languid pace as he perused the walled darkness within. With poor visibility, both he and Lux meandered at a glacial pace, their eyes darting about to locate the nearest wall as guidance. A rush of stale air burst as he found an opening to the right, leading to another hole where a small ray of light spilled from above, revealing a sleeping bear in the middle of it. However, the glimpse of its hulking figure showed this bear wasn’t quite like the others; its size easily doubled the other bears, and a glance at its hind displayed a queer sight—a somewhat long-ish tail protruded with a claw-like edge. This bear wasn’t like the first monstrous bear he saw, so that observation permitted him some relief.
Theron debated tackling it right away, but after a cautious rumination, he elected to go back the other path to see what awaited him on the other side.
Two bears roamed within the hollow opening as Theron’s eyes gawked at their movements, each appearing languid from either exhaustion or starvation. None noticed his skulking figure leaning against the wall, preying on an opportune moment. He willed Lux to strike when both turned their heads away from them. A quick blitz rendered the closest bear innocuous as Lux’s ability ripped the front of its neck off, then proceeded to prance around the other bear, buying time before its only skill went off cooldown. A minute later, both bears lay dead, their blood running on the crunchy soil, with Lux’s growing figure loomed over them.
[You gained 25 experience points!]
[You gained 25 experience points!]
No luck this time. But their experience is still the same.
His extraction netted him essences, but not materias. He noted nothing else worth of importance as he continued down that path, ensuring Lux stayed close behind him. A dead-end stopped their march within the lair, spurning any further attempts of scouring the cave for spoils. Yet, a breeze of air whiffed Theron’s hair right before he turned back, indicating something else existing on the other side. Pushing both hands against the compact fence made of hardened dirt, he grinned when he felt a slight push after shoving against the wall with full force. “Lux…” He motioned his wolf over, “Can you push this with me?”
Despite the discovery, they have yet to make progress to peer through the barrier. Perhaps a hidden switch somewhere? He pondered as he re-examined the previous opening, brushing his hands against the surrounding walls, hoping to find some breakthrough. Nope. Nothing here. He rounded the room twice, each cycle draining his kneecaps as he hunched up and down to increase his search radius. The lack of illumination rejected further investigation, and his mind turned to two possible ideas. The room where the large bear slept, or he needed more force to batter the walls down.
Lux entertained his futile effort by chewing against the hard wall with his fangs, even using its crushing bite from sheer desperation. To no one’s surprise, both ended in complete failure. Lux panted from the exertion, clawing at its fangs, frustrated. Not even an impression this time, Theron noted the pristine wall. Lux had enough strength to bite through walls of dirt, yet this wall didn’t even dent or deform in the slightest.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Ceding the thought of breaking through, he returned to the main room where five dead bears lay. He browsed the scene of carnage again, and, just like last time, came up empty. Hands speckled with dusty dirt, he resumed his path toward where the big bear rested, hoping to find some answers down there.
The massive bear was asleep when their figure breached into the light. Each snore drowned the sounds of their feet as he invaded closer, drawing his wand and preparing to channel his aura. At a glance, nothing in this chamber tugged his eyes away from the slumbering beast. The lack of awareness indicated the bear was hibernating, which meant they were in for quite an arduous battle when he ultimately woke it up. Standing behind the shade of a jagged corner, he felt about his wand as he let his ability loose.
Within the span of six long seconds, the bear spurred awake, sensing something amiss within the chamber. He naught knew how much health this beast had, grimacing upon the possibility of it surviving his entire mana pool. With a roar, the bear jolted awake, its head snapping all around before it saw Lux’s hunched figure on his left. Theron steeled his eyes and held his breath. An explosive charge crashed the wall behind Lux just a few steps away from him. Its deranged fury disallowed any other target other than the first thing it saw, pursuing Lux with an unrestrained madness. Careful, feint a move to your right, then bolt to the left. Theron gave out exact commands to generate enough free space between it and the bear, which worked. The bear snapped toward where Lux indicated, then clawed at the floor as Lux dashed to the other side. However, none expected its sudden tail swipe, catching Lux and Theron both off-guard.
Lux’s whine echoed as its body crashed against the wall on the other end. Shit! Theron cursed as he felt the pain transmitted through their connection; its right front limb’s done for, shit… what do I do? The bear stumbled in its steps as it resumed its assault, a light at the end of the tunnel, a clue about its current state of health. He didn’t know how much life this thing had remaining, but with his mana depleted, no more damage was being done. He forced a command to Lux as the bear’s massive frame crashed into its limping body, grazing Lux by its tail.
It landed with a tumble. With one limb broken, Lux lost its maneuverability and deftness. With its sluggish stance, Theron surmised any further skirmish to be unrealistic, and his mind drifted toward the entrance. Do I run? Or… Shit, I can’t unsummon Lux either, I don’t have mana to summon it back. The bear hobbled toward their presence, eyes drained of all colors but red, with dribbles of blood dripping from its open maw. He noted its slower pace; the passive damage had piled on its bones and muscles, enough to impede its basic movements. Ordering Lux to bound in the opposite direction, they split apart to avoid an overhead crash, then jumped over a horizontal tail swipe. Theron’s leg was caught by its motion, pulling him down mid-jump and tossing him against the hard floor. He groaned from the pain—no broken bones yet, so far—then cursed at his ineptitude. He didn’t jump high enough, even when he saw it coming.
The bear turned its head toward Lux. Both limping, it lurched to strike at Lux’s drooped stance. Lux retreated just far enough to avoid its first strike, but lacked space to dodge the bear’s next tail swipe. Theron cried as he bolted toward the bear’s back, jumping as high as he could, then clawed its thick, bristly fur as he clambered along its length. Brace, Lux! Use your left shoulder! Lux hunkered down, bracing according to Theron’s will, shouldering the next impact, which sent it barreling toward his left. Theron had enough might to hold his position despite the bear’s frantic motion, inching upward with every grunt his mouth exuded, yanking himself up despite the bear’s protests. His hands slithered their way near its eyesockets, sparing no time to clench. Warm viscous liquid trickled his fingers, painting them with slashes of scarlet and tears.
The bear went on a rampage toward where Lux stood. Get out! Theron called out, but both its front limbs had taken too much damage for it to dash away. “LUX!” He shouted, sensing no other option, “JUST KILL IT! USE YOUR-“ No more words needed to be shared as its fangs gleamed with red, contrasting the darkness. Their figures intersected. Lux’s fangs latched onto the bear’s exposed neck first, but the bear’s wild swing caught its torso. Its maw snapped shut, ripping a chunk off the bear’s neck before it flew. Particles of Lux’s innards splattered as it crashed into the wall behind.
Their foe collapsing, Theron let go of his hold and bolted toward Lux’s whimpering figure. Parts of its chest were torn apart, ravaged by steel claws, pieces of its guts dangling atop its soaked fur. Its eyes dimmed, rapidly losing consciousness. “Shit…” Theron brushed its open wounds. What do I do? The potion wouldn’t work on aspects, and he didn’t know if he’d lose Lux forever if it died here.
[You gained 120 experience points!]
[You leveled up! You gained +1 Might, +1 Speed, and +1 Toughness. +1 Free attribute point]
[Your aspect core - wolf leveled up! It gains +2 might, +2 speed, and +1 toughness. +2 free attribute points.]
[Your aspect- Horned Gray Brute Dire wolf, reached a critical condition. It will be unsummoned, and can only be summoned back after you revive it. To revive, you need access to a checkpoint or an essence store.]
[Your aspect core - Horned Gray Brute Dire wolf reached level 5. Evolution to rank 2 is now possible. Visit an essence store to evolve your aspect if you possess a rank 1 evolution stone. Further level-ups are not possible. Additional experience points are wasted.]
In a flash of green light, Lux disintegrated into nothingness. “Haa… Thank… Thank goodness.” He gulped a giant swish of air. Legs losing strength, he sat on the floor, heaving. The evolution thing won his attention for a bit, but he shoved that information until he found the thing called an essence store and then the evolution stone.
[Level 5 reached. You are granted an ability.]
[Necrotic touch: Consume 3 mana. For one minute, all attacks from your aspect will deal additional poison damage. This damage stacks with enemies already affected by Necrotic aura.]
Theron didn’t know if he should be delighted or depressed.