Facing a huge three-eyed beast, which he mistook as an ordinary bear, involuntarily made him focus on everything in detail in an attempt to find a possible safe way from an upcoming fight with an easily guessable outcome. The giant animal was at least three with a half meters tall (around 12 feet) and indeed looked like a bear at first sight. Fully shaved bear with pumped muscles under thin brown skin. Its disproportionately big paws ended with short claws. They didn’t look any sharp. However, this monster didn’t need them to be – his enormous strength would definitely be enough to rip flesh apart even with dull ones.
Robert gulped while keeping eye contact with the beast. The peripheral vision showed an empty space across slowly flowing water. The river was slightly over two dozen meters wide and didn’t look like a proper barrier. There were only grass and trees along it, but nothing similar to thickets. Rob immediately registered no place to hide and no major obstacles to use. Albeit the latter wouldn’t help at all versus a faster beast that could climb and swim with ease. In addition, Robert interrupted its feast upon the remains of an unfortunate animal.
He didn’t know what to do. Running seemed impossible. Fainting death could lead to a real and, he had to add, quite a stupid one without any resistance. Attempt to kill it sounded even crazier if he took into account his pathetic physique and, on the contrary, monstrously huge frame of the beast. Was there any real choice that could lead to survival? So, Robert just gripped his improvised spear tighter and stood on the place. In the next moment, the bear roared once again before bursting in a sprint towards him. Rob’s hope of a peaceful resolution immediately died on the spot. Focusing on the incoming beast, his mind started to work at full capacity.
Robert, this is your very first obstacle. You need to overcome it! You can do it!... Most likely, the beast will try to bite me at first or ram over me. If it doesn’t work, the overgrown bear may try to slam with the right paw. The claws are more damaged on that side as far as I have noticed, so it has to be the “main” paw. This will be the best possible moment to attack his eyes… Okay, Rob, let’s try!
The thought process took a mere second, but Robert already started to move. His tired body surprisingly forgot about the exhaustion, finding reserves from somewhere inside. Adrenaline rushed to his brain, but he suppressed its clouding effect despite its being a new experience. One thing was to fight using machines, knowing that you are not personally in the frontline, and completely other to face it directly. However, Rob turned his battle mode, as he described his full concertation on the task.
Patiently waiting for a proper distance when the beast couldn’t change the direction, he made a small step to the side at the last moment. His pointed spear was already going for the eye of the bear. Robert could even smell disgusting breath from the monster. In that fraction of a second before impact, he totally felt the bulging raw power of this huge, mutated animal. He saw horrible scars on the furless body as proof of a difficult battle past. Pure coldness in its three eyes that looked on him as prey. Blooded maw with some meat stuck between yellow fangs. Drops of saliva flew out all over the place. Then he blinked.
In the next moment, Robert’s body was thrown away together with whatever plan he had made. He didn’t understand what had happened before heavily crashing on the ground. Then the pain came, blurring everything before his eyes. Rob managed to capture scenery one more time before the beast figure towered him again, now burning with rage.
Despite his fast mind and superior ability to focus, his reflexes were based on a weak body, and that body just couldn’t make much-needed steps in time. The same situation was with the pointed spear. Instead of going for the middle eye, the tip struck into a nostril. However, his thin arms didn’t have enough strength to push it deeper inside the skull. The own inertia of the beast hurt it more than Robert’s attempt. Unfortunately for the latter, it only made it mad. Deadly mad.
Clawed paws hammered Rob’s body, reaping parts of it. The overwhelming pain filled his entire existence, leaving everything behind. It was as universe consisted only of pain and nothing else. That made Robert panic even more, but it didn’t help at all. He turned into the punching bag of furious beast. His very first monster to face in a new world. Somehow, he couldn’t even lose consciousness, feeling terror, distress, and horrible pain. His ankle was broken when the bear stepped on it with its huge weight. Another slam turned him blind on the right eye. He couldn’t breathe normally as blood filled his lungs after a broken rib pierced it. His skull cracked at some point, but that still wasn’t enough to push him into painless darkness. More and more blows came, each tearing something. Soon some bloody droplets made it into his single eye, painting the whole world in red.
Robert didn’t know how long the beast vented his anger. Maybe it was only a few minutes, but it felt like an endless stream of torment. Still, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Smelling mutilated remains of him, the bear just left without bothering to eat its prey. Rob didn’t know if he was even happy or not to be neglected like this. That could help him to stop the anguish, even with the cost of his life. Still, he didn’t want to give up, especially in the beginning.
Fucking bear! I killed tens of thousands of aliens, was summoned by literal God, and was turned in his envoy only to almost die by the paws of fucking bear! Am I that pathetic? Definitely yes. No, not even the slightest chance that I will tell anyone about this. Of course, if I somehow manage to survive. Hope my spirit body will restore everything or the world will face the first envoy in the form of meat paste…
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Lost in thoughts and jokes to make some kind of mental barrier from the overwhelming pain, Robert fell asleep, pushing away the feeling of distress. When he opened his eyes, it was already dark. He was lucky not to be eaten alive during his oblivion because he didn’t even know if it was the next day, or if it had been already a few days. Robert just sighed for his fortune, before finally checking himself. He was a real mess, but that mess was at least in a single piece again. Not only had his broken bones recovered, but even his eyes could see. A torn uniform couldn’t cover a fully dyed red body with lots of marks, visible under light from the local satellite.
Rob made several deep breaths, before trying to get up. Everything hurt like hell, but he did it. Trembling, he made his first unstable step in the direction of floating water. River beach was empty, but even if was not, his dry throat craved for any liquid. Right now, he didn’t care about possibly meeting with another predator. Robert’s beaten body was not in the slightest better than the shaken mind, which only now began to process everything. Memories flashed inside his head. The memories, which he tried to suppress immediately. Despite attempts to joke to rally himself, he just couldn’t. Such an experience was traumatic. Moreover, it opened some deep hidden wounds.
Nope, Rob, you can’t break! You always searched for optimism in even the shittiest situations. Your stupid humor was a way out of your emotions, your stress, your fears… and it helped because you kept being strong in that hell where you lived for so long…
Robert continued to calm himself while ignoring persistently emerging memories of the past. Training centers, where no one saw them as children. Just useful tools to use. It led to faster progress with the cost of unintentional deaths for various reasons. However, still deaths. The awful fact that his parents traded him for monetary benefits. There were some real orphans, but not more than ten percent, making most children look like some kind of property.
They had some free time to watch family-type movies occasionally. Whatever any of his friends were saying, everyone really yearned for warmth, including himself. However, there was none, besides literal flames on the battlefields. Surrounded by losses, constant threats, and huge pressure, Robert made his own mask in self-defense. Bored and indifferent to life outside the bunker, he was joking with others just to pretend that everything was normal. It wasn’t.
That self-made mask crumbled today under the paws of the bear. Almost all, whom he was familiar with, had died together with him in that last wave. The loss of friends hit him hard, but the pitiful conclusion of his life hurt him even more. He was broken from the inside from the beginning, viewing this envoy’s role as some kind of adventure, but it immediately hammered him with a brutal reality. Two strings of tears were on his chicks when he drank water. He pitied himself for some time. He bewailed the loss. He was full of regrets and anger on himself. Still, it didn’t completely crush his perception of the world, but more like shaped it.
Okay, breathe out and pull yourself together, Robert. Your past is still with you, so use it as an experience and not for moaning. Despite your death, you got a second chance. Just try not to ruin it. The main goal for now stays the same – to survive. It’s your choice how to spend this life. Yes, most likely it would be shitshow with apocalypses going around, but never despond. Steel your heart and brace everything with determination. Yes, it might be painful and scary in some moments, but you can overcome it and survive. This body can heal almost from everything, but mental breakdowns will be fatal. No losing heart anymore or you will miss other things worth seeing. You can make it through it, and you will! So, grow some balls and move on. Only being alive can help you find new goals.
Rob ended his self-chearing and looked at the dark sky. Two huge white circles hung there, nearing each other. One was thrice times smaller, looking like a small child following his mother. They were bright enough to make surroundings visible as in dusk, not giving the proper night darkness he was accustomed to. The absence of any wind made everything stand still. Nothing moved, not even a leaf, as if there was no life. The heavy silence enveloped the forest. Only rare screams of birds or maybe animals sounded from a distance. This frozen and calm world made him fall into some trance for a while before he forced himself to awake.
Robert looked at his hazy reflection for a moment before jumping into the water. It wasn’t the best idea to wet all his clothes, or precisely, rags that were left from them, but he definitely had to get rid of the smell blood. The cold water irrevocably washed away all his doubts, worries, and pessimism. Robert spent a few minutes cleaning himself before quickly leaving this turned out to be quite a horrible place for him. The unpleasantly freezing breeze, seeking the way between trees, made him shiver. He had to increase his pace to warm up while continuing to look around carefully. A newly acquired experience raised his caution to the next level. He even tried to check where he stepped not to make additional sounds. Rob didn’t know if it helped, but he hadn’t met anyone during his twenty minutes’ walk.
After making a good distance from the water place, he started to search for a proper tree to sleep. His wounded body was tired and felt completely wasted. Only willpower kept him moving further. Soon, he found what he thought was a possible and safe place to stay for a night. However, it took him another half an hour just to climb at a four-meter height on the tree (13 feet). Overwhelming weakness, hunger, and brokenness had taken away all his already pathetic strength, turning even a simple task into a hard challenge. He somehow managed to fit his body between thick branches, using them as a restrictive cage to prevent him from falling. There was no comfort in that position but at least he felt safe while enjoying so desired and needed rest. However, despite necessity and a huge wish, bothering thoughts disturbed his mind.
This was just a mishap. First from many more that will come inevitably. I experienced some portions of it before, so nothing new. Just need to face it directly without support. Yes, it will be harder, but I need to make up for it with my own strength. I got all the possibilities for that with these blessings and new abilities, especially this crazy regeneration. I can be my own backup, only need not fool around and focus on it. Still, I need to remember that real strength is in mentality, not in muscles or superpowers. Mentality is key to overcoming such mishaps. To overgrow my weakness. To face my future failures with ease. So, now relax, Rob, because tomorrow you have a whole new world to survive!