The rest of the afternoon continued as planned. Alfonse’s group helped put the villagers inside the dungeon before joining up with Roy and Marth. The sun was about to set when the fighters were fully ready for combat.
“Hawk, since you’re going to be using a bow, I need you to take a vantage point far away,” Marth pointed at trees far from where they put the booby trap. “I also need you to keep an eye on the surroundings, we don’t want other monsters to come in while we’re fighting the red bear.”
The knight captain then turned and looked at Alfonse, “I need you to put two of your men at our rear. I need our escape route to be safe if things go south.”
“Sure, you got that,” Alfonse looked at his group before singling out two members, “Derek, Conrad, can I have you take this duty?”
“Yes, sir,” Conrad immediately answered, prompting Derek to do the same.
“Well, that’s it for the preparation,” Marth heaved a deep sigh. “Now, we just need someone to bait that beast.”
“I should do it,” Robb raised his hand. “No one is faster than me, so it makes sense.”
Marth nodded at the young man, “Good luck. We will be waiting for you.”
As Robb made his way deep into the forest, the fighters laid in wait amidst shrubbery and tall grass on both sides of the booby trap. On one side, Roy waited alongside Marth and his group, while Jack and Alfonse’s group was on the other.
No one spoke a word, nor did they even dare breathe too loud. The only thing Roy could hear was the rustling of leaves, the fluttering of birds, and the buzzing of insects.
Minutes soon passed and the sun fully set beyond the horizon. As the sky transitioned into a mix of orange, crimson, and deep blue, Roy heard a rumbling. He looked to the right slightly without turning his head, only to see a dust cloud forming beyond the trees.
The rumbling grew louder with thuds and roars mixed in between. Soon, a young man appeared from within the dense trees as a colossal red bear was chasing after him. The beast did not care for branches or trunks as it uprooted one tree after the other.
Robb kept a pace that the red bear could keep up with, leaving around ten meters between the two. As the young man zigzagged amongst the wooden spikes, the beast did not care at all. It just stomped on them as if they were twigs on the ground. Even as the spikes left the beast’s leg wounded, it did not slow down. In fact, it chased the young man with primal rage in its eyes.
As Robb came close to the trap that they had so meticulously set up, he jumped above the leaves, dirt, and branches. The red bear soon followed after him, running on all four. When it stepped on the booby trap, the branches that the men had so meticulously placed cracked and the beast’s front leg slipped inside the trap.
“Roar!”
The beast rolled backward as it cried in pain. Its front paw had gaping holes that were dripping with blood.
“Forward!”
With a scream from Marth, the fighters from all groups ran toward the injured beast. Fred raised his shield and charged at the red bear, just as he reached it, he activated his barrier skill and pushed it to the ground. Roy and Robb ran immediately after and attacked the beast from both sides.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
With each slash, Robb’s sword left a deep gash on the beast’s hide. His speed and strength were through the roof, as he slashed and thrust at its front thigh.
On the other hand, Roy’s sword was too dull to injure the beast's skin from the first strike. He had to slash at the same spot multiple times before blood finally trickled.
The men attacked the beast while the latter was still dazed by the poison. The red bear flailed around with uncharacteristic weakness. Even Hawk was launching one arrow after the next at the beast’s body. Each projectile left a gaping hole as it pierced through skin and flesh. Finally, he focused his eyes on the beast’s face. He nocked the arrow and with a swoosh, the projectile was sent flying to its destination.
In less than a second, the silver arrow reached the beast’s face and penetrated its giant eye. The beast cried in pain, slamming both front paws on the ground with telluric force. The ground bellowed as a cloud of dust was raised. The beast’s cries turned silent.
Seeing this opportunity, the men continued their charge and attacked with even more fervor. Just as they reached its chest, the beast opened its one eye.
With a massive swipe of its paw, the bear sent the men flying. Brian, Thomas, Tyler, Daven, and Jack all tumbled dozens of meters on the ground before crashing into the trees. Jack’s whole body was battered as he coughed up blood; the rest of the men were not doing much better.
The beast stood up on all four before opening its mouth and letting out a bloodcurdling roar. Roy felt his whole body tense up and paralyze from a primal fear. It was as if his body knew that the beast in front of them was their natural predator.
As all the men were stunned and paralyzed, the beast raised its paw skyhigh covering the moon. Just as its front leg was hurling down like a meteorite, a golden glow appeared from Alfonse.
“Holy Blessing.”
The golden light seeped from Alfonse’s hand and merged with Fred’s barrier, making it even bigger and stronger. The beast’s paw clashed with Fred’s skill for a second before the golden barrier broke into specks of light. However, it had already done its job as the beast’s attack lost all of its momentum.
With the beast’s strike neutralized, Roy and the other men regained control of their bodies. Marth and his group took the lead and charged once more.
Marth’s sword glinted with a green aura before he struck the beast’s front leg. His sword cut through fur, skin, and flesh, making the beast growl in pain. Clark followed immediately after him and plunged his sword into the wound Marth had opened.
The beast raised its wounded leg and stomped on the ground, but the two men were faster. They ran below the belly of the beast before slashing at its hind legs.
With the beast preoccupied with the fighters slashing at it from all sides, Roy took out his Moon Staff and activated his spell. He used a portion of his mana to create a medium-sized fireball before launching it at the beast’s face.
Boom!
The red bear whimpered as its face was engulfed in flames. Fire burned off its fur and flesh before it collapsed into the ground. In the meantime, the fighters did not waste the opportunity as they plunged their swords and spears from all sides.
Even Jack and the rest of the injured men stood up and returned to the battle. They slashed and thrust at the beast’s flesh in a frenzy, soaking the burned ground with thick red blood.
The more injuries the beast sustained, the weaker it became. Its attacks became slow, weak, and clumsy. On the other hand, the fighters were headstrong, not losing tempo in any manner. Jack and Hassan cut through the bear’s front leg’s flesh, showing its bone. Robb then pounced and slashed clean through the sturdy bone with his silver katana. The red bear’s paw rolled on the ground, its size was almost double a normal man's.
With the beast almost dead, Roy could already see victory in his mind. However, he knew that these were the most critical moments and that he needed to be focused.
Just as he clenched his staff, intending on throwing another fireball, he heard a whistle from the trees behind them. He turned around only to see Hawk gesturing at them with a pale face.
“John! John’s men are here!”