The bear howled at me in intimidation, twisting its neck from side to side. Though it had been a distance away, I could still see a cloud of steam from its mouth dissipating into the air.
Though I ordered my legs to stand, move, and do absolutely anything, they resolutely refused me. At best, I could only manage a series of jolty twitches.
Despite the fact I couldn't move, I spotted Agawa and the rest out of the corner of my eye. Unfortunately, they had the same idea as me. They wanted to use the bear's feast as a distraction to escape.
The only issue: the distraction had no longer been a distraction. A fact they couldn't see, given their angle on top of the turned-over carriage. I guess they thought the beast's roar was just some random thing it did during eating.
Cautiously, they inched their way toward the back and readied to hop off.
Luckily for them, the bear was focused on me while emitting an imposing aura. That all changed when the idiots on the carriage echoed a series of loud thuds after one of them slipped off.
The bear let out a curious growl and snapped its neck towards the back of the wagon, exactly where Agawa and friends had so kindly rang the dinner bell for it.
Lowering its stance, it began stalking over to them all while they still hadn't noticed how much they screwed up.
"Idiots!" I griped, regaining a bit of strength in my body. My desperation must've overwritten my fear.
I couldn't let things end this way. Not after we'd finally gotten free. Not after we survived! I wasn't sure about that gray knight, but I could definitely fight some random wild animal! Even if it was some kind of mutant grizzly bear!
Though I stumbled along the way, I sprang to my feet and gritted my teeth.
By inhaling deeply, I tried to relax my muscles and dull the pain that I'd been suffering from. Even after my attempt my wounds still hurt like hell, but whatever. Pain wasn't necessarily new to me, given I always found myself in the middle of skirmishes with other delinquents.
Ready to take my stand, I searched for the sword at my waist. Frustratingly, the multiple impacts must've shifted my holster since it was now at my back. Still, eventually, the palm of my hand landed on the muddied hilt.
I tightened my grip around it and pulled my hand outward, drawing the blade for the first time. I pulled the blade to view, seeing my reflection in the pristinely preserved steel. My eyes, though clearly weary, were determined and resolute. I was fully prepared to draw the first blood.
The fools that I'd been working to save gawked at me, confused by what I'd been doing.
Agawa profusely shook her head "no" and gestured for me to stay put, but there was no way I could. She had no idea what had been lurking around the corner to kill her if I hadn't intervened.
The bear had almost been upon them, so I shouted a war cry. "C'mon you porcu-pansy! How 'bout a pleasant beating?!" I grinned widely, hiding the fears that had been building up within me. It was made easy since the dread the bear exuded couldn't even compare to the gray knight from earlier.
Once again, it snapped its head, focusing entirely on me.
"Yeah, that's right, big guy, "I egged it on, "come over and let's brawl a little..." I started tauntingly beckoning with my free hand.
The beast let out a gruff growl and turned away from where the group had been. Once they'd seen why I did what I did, Agawa looked at me with the most pitiful look. Like hell, I wanted her thanks, though; I just hated the idea of them dying to some glorified porcupine.
Stepping toward me, the bear left the road. With every step, it crunched more fallen sticks and pine needles before silencing them underneath its massive paws. Between each of its husky pants was a guttural growl that chilled your body to the bones.
Before the beast came too close, I remembered the lemming lying deathly still between us. I'd have no problem leaving him there if I knew he'd been dead, but I had no clue whether the fodder had kicked it yet or not.
"Tch, useless until the end, huh?" I clicked my tongue in frustration.
While staring down the bear, I inched away from the lemming as quickly as possible. It'd irritate the hell out of me if I had to protect him because he was in the crossfire.
pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ Step after step, I moved further and further from the lemming while avoiding instigating a premature charge. I'm not sure why I knew it'd rush me if I made a fast movement, but I had a gut feeling. It was like I understood the creature like I was glaring at a wild beast as one myself.
Once I'd gotten the lemming out of harm's way, my dance of death went full swing. The bear and I circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. As we nearly shifted positions, I gained a view of the tree line Agawa had now been in.
We met eyes, and I aggressively nodded toward the new burden on the ground. She gestured back with a hand signal and nodded. Though we were clearly in agreement, I felt a tinge of worry that she'd misunderstood what I wanted.
I mean, it was obvious what I was asking her to do, right? I wanted her to run over and pick up the lemming while I distracted the thing. I even gestured at him, so there was no way she could have misunderstood me, right?
With our plan in place, I could finally let loose. "Come on!" I hoarsely shouted, swinging the blade recklessly in the air as intimidation.
I had no clue how to use a sword, but I'd used baseball bats before. The premise would probably be the same, I think. All I needed to do was take a swing and knock some heads around.
Though I still quaked in fear, I could feel another feeling quivering in me. It had been even more powerful and incessant than the dread. So much so that it overwrote my common sense to run like hell. I was filled with overflowing excitement!
The prospect of defeating such a massive foe appealed to my dominant nature. Whenever I found myself in a new place, I'd always wanted to assert myself by throttling the baddest and strongest of whatever group I could find.
That said, what greater prey could I find over a huge grizzly?
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter