Upon receiving orders from the commander, the warriors surrounding the bear charged. The bear, in a headlock and missing its right paw, had no way to defend itself. The monster quivered as dozens of spears pierced through its body, causing blood to gush from each wound. The Spearmen, taking the bear's halted body to their advantage, continually thrust their spears in and out of the bear. The sworders ran past the spear users, who poked the bear from a distance, slashing at its skin. Blood covered their faces as they dug deep into the bear, cutting out massive chunks of flesh.
The commander held on to the bear for as long as he could, but his strength was not enough to keep the bear trapped forever. The creature, after being relentlessly assailed by the warriors, dug its fangs deeper into the commander, causing his shoulder to shatter completely and his arm to fail. Taking advantage of the commander's weakness, the bear lifted the commander off the ground. The commander swore at the beast and punched the bear hard in the face with his remaining usable arm.
Blood dripped from the bear's nose, but it did not flinch. The monster growled as the commander's fist shattered under his barrage. His gauntlet creaked, and blood flowed down his arm. The commander cursed some more as the pain overwhelmed him.
The bear looked at him, biting hard into his shoulder. With a violent tug, the bear swung the commander from side to side like a rag doll. His armour collapsed under the pressure. The commander yelled out as he was jolted painfully. His skin tore, and his muscles ripped. Blood spewed from his shoulder as his bone broke. The bear tugged once more, tearing his arm off his body completely.
His blood covered the bear's face, and the monster smiled as the commander's head fell. With a roar, the monster threw the commander to the ground, causing some of his bones to snap.
The monster had brought the commander to the brink of death, but in doing so, it had sustained significant damage. Multiple spears were lodged in its body, and it was covered in dozens of slashes. The bear, ignoring the constant attacks, rose to its feet, towering over the people who attacked it. Roaring, the monsters' remaining three paws began to radiate with even more heat. Its eyes turned from a dark brown to a crimson red, tears of fire running down its face.
The bear's vocal cords seemed to distort as it screamed. It looked to the sky as it roared before raising its remaining paw to the sky. With a fast gust of wind, flames ignited the air. A group of three that stood below it had no time to react, its flaming paw carving through the warriors like they were nothing. Their bodies are split in half, and the heat of the flames scorches their flesh, causing their bodies to ignite into fiery balls.
The warriors around them looked at the charred corpses in shock, halting their attacks. The bear roared, a giant smile plastered across its face. The bear returned to all fours, charging at the nearest warrior. It was a man who stood about six feet three inches tall. The people around him scattered, some falling to the ground as they dashed away from the man.
The man's eyes widened in shock as the monster rushed towards him. The man took a few steps back before tumbling to the ground. He dragged himself across the ground, his body trembling in fear. His teeth clattered, and tears ran down his face. The bear approached him, and it opened its mouth.
Liquid poured down his legs, soaking his pants. The bear looked at him, sniffing at the puddle that formed below him. After taking in the scene, the bear smiled and began to cackle out loud. The man held his sword up towards the bear, but it trembled. The bear brought its hand up before slowly bringing its hand down upon the man.
The man dropped his sword, it clattering against the ground. The bear slowly pushed the man down. His body slowly collapsed against the floor, and his hands tried to pry the paw off of him, but it was of no use. Slowly, the flames scorched his flesh, and he screamed out in pain. The paw continued to push down upon the man's chest, adding more and more pressure.
The man's chest plate began to buckle, and his breathing began to become ragged. He cried out, and more tears flowed from his eyes. The people around him did not help but instead watched as he was slowly crushed like a hydraulic press.
The man screamed a horrid scream, his chest plate caving beneath the bear's weight. The paw reached his chest, causing him to gasp. He coughed violently as the bear continued to press down—the sound of snapping filled the forest as his chest began to concave. He began to choke on his own blood, and his chest gave out. Tears rolled down his face, and his mouth moved up and down, but no words escaped.
The man's body trembled; he kicked out and threw his arms to the side. After a few moments, the man went still, the bear's paw entering his chest. His ribs snapped, and his heart popped like a balloon; the man's lung then gave out, deflating violently.
With a wicked smile on the bear's face, it bit down onto the man's head, ripping it off his body completely.
The bear turned toward the next person, charging at them at a terrifying speed. As they approached, the warrior raised their sword to defend themself, but it was not enough. The bear's head snapped forth completely, obliterating the sword and then crushing the warrior's head. Their brain matter littered the ground. The bear pulled away, blood spewing from its neck.
The creature roared again. The remaining soldiers were frozen in fear, trembling as the bear finished devouring the warrior's head. The bear screamed and slowly walked towards the group. There were maybe a dozen remaining soldiers, and out of that dozen, three of the warriors, two spearmen and one swordsman, dropped their weapons and fled in horror.
The remaining held their weapons out, but none seemed ready to face the creature. Every one of them trembled in fear. The bear walked forward, melting the ground after each step.
The first person in the line charged forth, screaming at the top of their lungs, holding their weapon high. The bear bit at them, but they weaved out of the way of the attack and struck their greatsword into the bear's shoulder, drawing blood that began to melt the sword's metal. The bear roared out, swatting the man to the side. The man lost his sword as he was knocked to the side.
The sword that was implanted in the bear began to melt as lava-like blood flowed from its wound. Flying through the air, the man smashed violently into a boulder. A splash of blood appeared where he landed, dyeing the rock red.
The next person dashed at the bear, a woman around five feet three inches, her skin was light, and she held a spear that was almost as long as she was tall. She jumped at the bear and thrust the spear down upon it.
The bear looked at the woman, gave her a dismissive look, and slammed her on the back. The woman screamed out as her spine snapped. She was pinned against the ground, and her body was turned into a pile of flesh. Blood covered the ground, the bear's massive paws leaving tracks in the grass.
The remaining warriors did not move; they were petrified with fear. The bear charged at them, emitting an aura of death. Fear shrouded them, and with it, many of the remaining warriors dropped their weapons and turned to flee, but it was too late; the bear was already upon them.
With a streak of orange light, the bear's paw cut through the remaining warriors, burning them to a crisp and causing the air to turn rancid with the smell of burnt flesh. Their screams filled the forest as they burned alive, their entrails and flesh falling from where the paw made contact. Their burnt bodies collapsed against the ground, leaving only charred remains behind.
The bear stood in a field of carnage and destruction, surrounded by corpses and flesh. Looking up, it roared, signalling its victory. The only people left alive were the archers who had transitioned to support and medical assistance. The bear looked into the bush where the lieutenant was being given medical attention. The woman was pushing on the lieutenant's chest.
Multiple archers surrounded the woman, helping her tend to the lieutenant. The main healer looked at the bear who approached and spoke out to the other archers.
"Get out of here... you all have lots to live for."
A woman who stood near the scene opened her mouth. "But, my lady... you're far more valuable than we are."
"I will not leave this girl here to die! And I am her only chance to survive, so go, run!"
The nearby archers stared at her, sadness plastered across their faces.
"Yes, my lady..." The archers bowed towards her before turning and fleeing into the forest.
The bear kept approaching the archer and the lieutenant, preparing to kill them as well. It roared as it continued to move. The bear reached them and raised its paw, preparing to strike down upon them. Suddenly, the bear halted as a voice echoed through the forest.
Behind the bear, a man stood, his stance wobbly, his arm missing, and blood dripping from his wounds. The commander had removed his helmet, revealing his old skin and many battle scars. He had dark grey hair and a massive cut across his face. He banged on his chest with his good arm, getting the bear's attention.
"C-come at m-me, you fucking beast!" He yelled out, his words getting caught in his throat for a few seconds as he spoke.
The bear turned instantly, facing the man, who no longer wielded a battle axe but instead held a small knife in his remaining hand. The monster growled deeply before charging at the commander. The commander followed the bear's lead, dashing headfirst at the monster. The two reached the centre. The bear struck out first, biting the commander. The commander side-stepped the beast and delivered a knee straight to the bear's head.
Wailing in pain, the bear's vision went blurry for a moment. The commander, now being towards the side of the bear, grabbed onto its neck before swinging himself up onto the creature's back. The bear roared in anger as the commander straddled it. The commander screamed out as he jabbed his knife into the bear's skull.
The bear roared out in pain, its flames growing stronger, but the commander did not let go. He held on with his legs, squeezing the bear's neck so tight that it cut off the bear's breathing. The bear squirmed as he did this before running towards a nearby tree. That tree was the one next to mine.
The commander continued to stab the bear, creating an unrelenting stream of blood. The bear screamed out before bashing the commander against the tree, causing his remaining intact armour to break. The commander coughed up blood but held on. He brought his arm up again and stabbed hard into the bear's skull. Both of them were now screaming, blood spraying from both of their bodies, with one final slam, and one final stab, both of them fell to the ground.
Watching from the next tree over, my eyes widened as both of the powerhouses stopped breathing, blood pooling below both of their bodies. The tree the commander had been slammed against quaked and then fell, slamming into the tree I rested on. Looking up, my eyes widened as a giant branch fell. Unable to move properly, the branch made contact with my head, causing my mind to go blank and the world to go dark.
Visions of ruined corpses and screamed wails flashed through my mind. After what felt like an eternity, light breached my eyelids, causing them to open slowly. My body felt groggy, and a bright light above me made me feel dizzy.
As my eyes adjusted to the light, one question appeared in my mind.
"Where the hell am I?"