Amel

“Nnnnrhh” An Insaniac Bestial bear moans as I impale it with a mana-sword. The lifeless body of the beast lay on the ground. I drive the sword through its skull, Withdraw it and thrust again. And again! Once more! Another.! Not enough!

As I impale the corpse, all I can think about is that man with his malicious words, Noah screaming at me. And Vivian’s advice -  Do what we can before we pass the torch on to the next generation. I can’t be like her. I’ve realized. My resolves too brittle. Even after Vivian was kind enough to share something as personal as the reason for fighting, her words have fallen on deaf ears.

Sob

“You impure savages!” The words of the man I saved echo in my head. I saved you from those beasts, and this is how you repay me, and my kind!

“Aaargh!” The B.bear’s belly ruptures as I punch through and it’s inside spill. The air is filled with the scent of raw blood.

“Raaaar!”

The cries of a beast from a distance. I leave the remains as it is and head for the source of the outcry.

As I near the beast, I hear the pleas of a man, “Somebody help!”

The same man who paid my help with derision. A B.bear nears him and all he does is crawl on the ground and yell for help. His legs have been crippled so he can’t run, not that he’d be able to outrun a B.bear.

He hasn't noticed me yet and I don’t think he will be able to see me amongst the blanket of trees. I should help him, shouldn’t I? Wait-

Maybe I can just let the B.bear finish him off. If I save him again, what’s the guarantee he’ll be grateful? He might even spew insults again. I wouldn’t help him. He hasn’t seen me, so he wouldn’t die thinking I let it happen. Moreover, his death means one less wicked person. Isn’t that better than having someone like him roam about and spread more hate? He is- He is the kind worth killing.

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Vivian

“Hyaaaah!” The blood of a B.bear splatters on my clothes and face as I shoot it at point blank range. Some of it trickles to my mouth. It tastes sordid. I spit it out and wipe any traces of blood off my face.

Another young B.bear advances at me from behind. I make a swift turn and slice its head off with my Mana-sword. It darts a distance before coming to a halt.

“Two in a row.”

“Raaar!” A full-grown B.bear’s grunts. I hurry to the scene.

“Help! Aaaahh!” A man grovels while a B.beat walks at him. I recognize the man, he’s the same man who Amel saved! The beast is playing with him, If it wanted to kill him, it would have already done so. Unlike the other beasts, this one’s not infected. I can tell. An Insaniac Beast won’t play with their feast. But why has it attacked a man? Normal B.bear’s usually don’t attack humans unless provoked. Maybe the man’s done something to instigate anger. Or the B.bear couldn’t handle the grief of its cubs getting infected and is now on a rampage.

Never mind the cause. For now, I have to approach with caution. My Ceasium-chargegun is exhausted so I can’t use it anymore. I pick up a rock and proceed with light steps. When I get close enough to the bear to hit it with accuracy, I throw the rock at beast. A direct hit on its ear. The bear growls, shaking its head furiously. Now made even more berserk, it shrieks and charges at me.

A swipe with its left paw. I duck and roll, then swing my sword, but it only shaves some of the beasts fur. Then, it lunges. I sidestep and kick its abdomen, which makes it give out a blaring roar. The B.bear circles around me with its eyes transfixed on me. I take up a defensive stance, making sure my face is well guarded and I’d be able to fend off any assault on my upper body. The beer heaves as it agitates its head and proceeds with the offence. When it’s close enough in my sword’s range of attack, I bound forward, swing my sword at (or pretend to) but let go of the weapon right when the B.bear’s at arm’s length. The beast’s jaws grind the decoy and I uppercut it which leaves it stunned.

Before the beast recovers from its stupor, I pick up a sharp fragment of my reduced sword and thrust it through the bear’s skull. My right hand bleeds against the tapered edges of the shard.

Blood drips from my hand as I walk away from the man without an exchange of words. He says something under his breath. All I do is flash him a glance and he flinches. As I continue to walk away, I spot Amel amongst the trees. After I wave at him and call his name, he comes out of his cover.

“I see you’ve already taken care of the beast,” he comments without acknowledging the man’s presence.

“Yeah,”  I tie a cloth round my wound, “It was a tough one.”

“I would’ve helped you but I arrived only after you killed it, haha.” He jokes and scratches his head. A lie. He reached before I did, I saw him when I arrived at the scene. I won’t question him about it though.

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