Chapter 14 Reunion?

“I’ll be frank here,” I said with a tight voice, “I have no clue if this is going to work.”

Talia nodded next to me, slightly in a daze as she said,

“You are correct in that. Still, are you really sure I have to just run away if things are going downhill? I don’t feel comfortable with that.”

I gulped. I wasn’t sure about anything up against Mr. Scary Bear. The last few days I have been flirting excessively with luck. Why not flirt some more?

“Heh heh heh” I chuckled nervously. “I think that would be best. I literally brought this on myself, so yeah this is my fight if something goes very wrong.”

I almost choked and asked her not to boot it in that situation, but I held myself in check. It was my request in the first place.

The look she gave me spoke miles of what confidence she had in my plan. Yet, she did not place a better one before us...

Here goes nothing.

The snow crunched under my new fur boots and each step almost made me cringe. Out of spite I guess, each step I tried to talk myself out of going toward the bear.

What was I doing? I gulped as the dark form of the Alpha Dire Bear became larger and larger upon approach. Even the raw scar tissue of the wound that held Xianmou became clear. The sword looked small against that bear... My mouth went dry even with it turned away from me. What was worse, the mere grunts of the bear sent chills up my spine. I couldn’t imagine its roar. Oh, I knew it was going to recognize me instantly.

Still, I took a deep breath, prepared for my role in getting back that sword. Talia motioned for me from behind the large tooth-like rock. The gesture clearly meant to hurry me up. I made a face at her, this was scary enough as it is!

Turning back to the bear, I took a few seconds before I opened my mouth to make a loud noise,

“Squeak”

I slapped my hand over my mouth and shot my gaze to Talia who had her hands up in very confused manner.

Licking my lips, I tried again,

“Heeee-y...Mr. Scary Bear. Looo-ng time no see, eh?”

Immediately the big hulking form of the Dire Bear swung around. Between the stripes on its face sat searching eyes, and upon spotting me those eyes went mad with anger.

Talia was staring at me like I was crazy. Still, I had to say something to the bear.

“Um, I-I know we-e got off to the wrong start. But—“

ROOOOOOAAAAAAAWRRR!!!!!

Spit flung all the way to my feet as I stood there like a statue.

Hick.

I couldn’t form another word in my mouth as Mr. Scary Bear stood up on its haunches. Where it looked all scary but somewhat cuddly previously. It looked just absolutely terrifying right then.

This wasn’t a good idea. I wanted to run for it, but my feet didn’t move! Traitors!

Oh, but the bear’s feet weren’t as rebellious, its front feet slammed into the snow and it strode menacingly towards me.

My eyes were wide. My entire plan crumbled at the aura of intimidation oozing from the Dire bear. Why on good green earth weren’t I scared of it before in the Hem-Iree Woods?!

Before I could further lose myself in the terror of the completely unbalanced show down, a leaf blew past my face. Time somehow seemed to move slower around me. It was almost peaceful. Serene.

With it, I remembered the look on Talia’s face the night before. Those emotions stirred something in me. I had to help her out.

Somehow, I remembered my plan and pulled my body tight in a ready stance.

“Your move, Mr. Scary Bear.” I said.

One direct hit would probably kill me on the spot and this was not the time to consider what would happen in that case with what was going on outside.

In the next second, the Dire bear burst forward.

All I could do was dive out of the way.

In doing so, I felt a rush of wind pressing past me with force. Then I felt something relatively small and sharp hit my hip. It sent me flying and I crashed into the snow.

Coughing, I immediately got up on my knees and gazed up to my Health-bar.

-70 damage, at just a grazing blow? This was worse than I expected. I needed to be far more careful.

The bear growled when it realized it had missed me. Getting up, I motioned for Talia, she needed to act on the next one. This wasn’t going to work if I just tried to dodge the bear continuously.

“Hey you! I bet you dreamed of this rematch? I sure looked forward to it.”

The bear’s eyes narrowed, and I really wondered if it considered my words, that it somehow understood me.

Before I could ponder it one bit further, the Dire bear stormed at me again.

This time, I moved back and dove lower than I had before. The claw swung just above my shoulder with that same rush of air. I gulped as it barely missed me. But then the bear scraped to a stop a meter away from me.

Ack!

Scrambling to my feet, I had incredibly little time to react. Jumping towards the bear’s massive arm, I swung my own arms around it and held on for dear life as it started swinging aggressively to dislodge me.

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I was infinitely glad for the Monster Wrestler skill at that time. Through the swings, I felt like I was just able to hold on, though I didn’t know for how long.

“Talia!!!! YOU HAVE TO HURRY!!!” I screamed with the world swirling through my view.

Four more swings sent me to the edge of my grip. My teeth clenched tight as I barely held on.

Then the bear roared in what sounded like pain. Some hope sprung up in me.

But, then with incredible strength, the bear swung up and I lost my grip as I was flung into the air.

In that moment, I looked down to see Talia struggling with the sword in the Dire bear’s hind leg. It was halfway out, but didn’t seem to want to budge any further.

In my flight up, I could see the bear was about to turn towards her. So I shouted even while spinning in all directions,

“HEY BEAR! YOUR BEEF IS WITH ME!!! Run Talia!”

As I spun around again in the air, I started falling again. Thankfully, I saw her running away from the bear in a dead sprint towards the rocks. I was coming down with speed.

In seconds I would hit the bear. It was going to hurt. Just before I closed my eyes, something glimmered to my right in the snow. I squinted and saw my lost other gauntlet!

What—

I struck the surprised bear with my whole body.

OOooooff

All the air whooshed out of my lungs as I spun off the bear and hit the snow. Groaning, my lead arms pressed up and I looked up at the angry death glare from Mr. Scary Bear looming high above me as it stood on its hind legs.

Momentarily my eyes flicked up to my Health-bar. I had 65 health left from the entire ordeal.

Then the bear swung both its front claws up, clearly preparing to swing down with incredible strength. Bad! It was real bad!

All I could think of was jumping somewhere. So, I jumped into the gap between its legs as those claws struck the area I had just occupied with a thunder clap.

With that respite, I ran with all my might.

Set high-tailing it out of there, I almost ran past the glimmer in the snow. Looking down, I remembered what I saw. My other gauntlet! I dived to it, skidding in the snow. Just short. Whoops.

In an army crawl, I crept the last bit and grabbed the gauntlet. In seconds, I slammed it onto my hand and forehand that had been without a gauntlet.

Immediately I felt the effects of the runes kick into effect. Stone body II and Swift Strike I. Both were uncommon runes. Ones I really needed right then. Just the base +2 agility from the one already improved my odds by a measure. There was more to them, but as I stood up, I turned back towards the bear running my way. The limp in its hind leg slowed it some. It helped that it was running on all fours. It was probably going to try and bite me in half with its gaping jaws, or it was going to have to slow down to take a swipe. I had the slightest of chances to grab the sword.

As it neared, I coiled my right leg, ready to jump to the side with all my might.

The Dire bear’s jaws opened and I sprung to the left.

Somehow its leg still hit me and I careened off from my target landing between its front leg and hind leg. The sword was out of my reach!!

Then I spotted Talia come running at the sword again. This was my chance. I spun onto my knee and lunged with both my gauntlets at Mr. Scary Bear’s jaw. In the impact, both my arms jerked back with the force before I slid under the bears head. I was instantly prepared to keep hammering my fists into its jaw, but then the bear made this odd noise and its head dropped on top of me.

I grunted as its weight half crushed me into the ground, even with the snow I knew just that would leech life from me.

Sure enough, my health was dropping by 5 a second.

I gasped, and grimaced as I struggled to get out from under the head. But, it was too heavy.

With only 20 health left, I was panicking.

Two arms suddenly slid under my shoulders and pulled. I slid out from under the head gulping in breaths, staring at the wide eyed and panting Talia,

“You okay?!” She asked with tension in her voice.

“Yeah... ugh... ugh... you?” I coughed while getting up.

“Yeah.”

I shot my gaze back at the clearly unconscious bear. As if reading my thoughts, Talia said,

“It must have been at its limit with that sword stuck in it for so long.”

I just nodded and rubbed my wounds. It was an incredibly close call. Had it been at its prime... I shuddered at the thought.

“Did you get the sword?” I finally asked.

She affirmed, clearly still dazed from the event. Then she pointed to the right and sure enough, there was my old friend, the sword.

Trudging over to it, I picked it and sighed in relief. This changed things. Gave me a fighting chance.

I turned to Talia and was about to ask something, when she said,

“Are you going to kill it?”

The question was like a slap in the face. I wasn’t ready for it. Still, looking down at Mr. Scary Bear breathing deeply, I shook my head. He was like an old friend by now. Well, an old frenemy to be more exact.

Then I started laughing out of my stomach. Tears started streaming down my face as I couldn’t control it.

“Are you okay, Leo? Hehe, what is so funny?!”

Truth be told, I didn’t have the foggiest idea why I was laughing. And all I could get out was,

“That bear! Hahahahahaha! That crazy bear!”

Talia just started laughing with me by that point.

After a while it slowly ebbed away. The laughter and the extreme tension I had been feeling all this time. At her touch to my shoulder, I smiled and shook my head.

“Let’s go.”

She nodded and we moved towards the forest.

I stopped, a few paces further and checked the ping I received.

[You expertly evaded an Alpha monster more than thirty levels higher than you. Doing so multiple times without being knocked out!]

+1 Agility

+1 Luck

+1 Potential

+1 Reflexes

Monster Wrestler I [Advance] (+1)

Woa, I didn’t think that it was considered that dangerous. Gaining that much with just evading and grappling something. A small smile spread my lips, which reminded me of something. I looked back at the bear and whispered.

“Identify.” Curiosity had been eating at me for a while. Excitement at finally knowing its info bubbled in me.

????

[Monster] Level ??

????

[Extra Info] ??

[??]

[??]

[??]

[??]

[Exceedingly dangerous][Avoid at all costs]

I frowned. With my levels and my gains in perception and insight, I thought it would be enough.

“Alpha Hem Iree Bear? Identify.”

The same popped up. Wow. That was confusing. And what was more, all those extra info slots? That was simply weird. Even the Saber-tooths only had one.

I looked at the bear for a long contemplating moment one more time at the bear, before finally I said,

“Until next time, Mr. Scary Bear.” With that I followed Talia into the snowy forest, but then asked, “So to the Farseeing Eye, I guess?”

She looked back and nodded.

All I could do was hope that this quest I had to do, that it was even remotely possibly for me at my level. Worse was, I had no other players with me.