There are very few things harder than gutting an animal with a blade longer than its body. It would have been easier if Milas didn't want to keep it fairly intact. Otherwise, he would have chopped it to bits and collected the crystal from the gory remains.
The process took a while but he soon had a crystal in his hand and the headless corpse at his feet. The beast was fairly intact and Milas picked up the body and turned around to leave. He could hear the furious hissing and roaring coming from the cavern.
Milas arrived and saw the serpent retreating to its tunnel while hissing. He looked around and saw the bear staring at him or more specifically the corpse in his hand. The bear looked genuinely heartbroken but it was instantly overshadowed by unyielding rage.
Milas knew that he had fucked up and his initial plan was pointless. The bear charged at him but its rage made it predictable and easy to dodge. Milas leapt aside and ran towards the disappearing tail of the blind snake. The bear was gaining on him and the serpent was quickly fading into the darkness of the cave.
Milas entered the narrow tunnel and stepped on the snake's tail. It turned around to strike and Milas threw the little beast's body into its open maw. The angry snake caught the body and shook its head vigorously. Milas had long since jumped above the serpent and used his hands and feet to hold his body up against the sides of the tunnel.
The whole tunnel shook and small pieces of rock and dust fell from the ceiling. A boom was heard as the shaking worsened and bigger chunks of rock fell. The serpent had stopped mutilating the body in its mouth and decided to swallow. Milas watched the whole thing from above, but he wasn't the only one.
The bear, that was crashing its body into the tunnel entrance, had seen everything. It had paused its attacks when the serpent swallowed what Milas assumed to be its offspring. The bear's eyes became unfocused for a moment before being fixed onto the snake. The killing intent it released made the serpent flinch.
The roar that followed almost made Milas lose his grip and fall. The bear went into a frenzy as it bashed its heavy body against the narrow tunnel and tried to reach the snake. The serpent was smart enough to back away but Milas wasn't going to let it. He climbed all the way to the ceiling and spread his legs to support his weight while he drew his sword.
The bear's constant crashing caused cracks on the ceiling and Milas pushed the blade into it. Large rocks fell when he did that and threatened to knock him down. The serpent was having more trouble as the rocks fell on it and blocked its escape. It tried to reach Milas but he would drop rocks whenever it did.
The serpent was trapped as the bear forcefully widened the tunnel and got closer to it. The snake slapped the bear with its tail which only served to enrage it further. Milas waited for the bear to get close enough to attack the snake before blindsiding it.
The beast lunged and bit into its opponent's body. The serpent was the first to attack contrary to Milas' expectations. The bear looked to be equally surprised, making it hesitate. The snake used the opportunity to wrap around the bear's neck and front limbs.
The bear tried to shake the snake off its body while returning to the cavern. Milas jumped down from his vantage point and watched as the two beasts brawled. The serpent was using its long body to tie down the bear's limbs. The serpent was constricting the bear and suffocating it but its large body was troublesome to handle.
The bear finally managed to get a grasp on the snake and took a bite that pierced the dark scales. Black blood flowed from the wound as the bear bit down with more power. Milas could see that the bear was making a comeback as the serpent was losing its grip. Seeing this, he did what any insane person would, he drew his swords and joined the fray.
Milas appeared behind the two and swung both swords at the back of the bear's legs. The beast let go of the snake as it roared in pain from the sliced tendons. Its legs buckled and the serpent once again had the upper hand. Milas didn't stop his assault as he stabbed one sword into the bear's side and used the other to hammer it deeper.
The bear was losing a lot of blood and the snake was stopping it from killing the pest that crippled it. It let out constant roars and tried to draw more energy from its body. The eyes of the bear turned white like the serpent's and a savage aura burst out of its body.
The serpent tried to adjust its bite but the bear pinned its head to the ground with its front paws. Milas tried to interfere but a casual slap sliced his belly open while simultaneously slamming him against the wall. The bear then focused on the serpent and used its large teeth to rip it to shreds.
The snake could only twist and turn as its black blood made its obsidian scales look glossy. The only thing that kept it alive was that the bear was hellbent on
eating every piece it ripped off. The serpent was experiencing the pain of being eaten alive. It could only stare at the bear that now looked like the personification of death.
Blood drenched its thick fur and dripped down its chin to the ground. The white color that covered its eyes was starting to fade but the snake's life was fading away faster. The bear could feel the previous rush of energy disappearing and decided to finish off the snake. It spread its jaws wider than before to ensure that the serpent's head could fit in its mouth.
The bear saw something at the corner of its eyes but it was too late. It had exposed a part of its body with no hide and it would pay dearly. A sword had pierced its cheek before going through the top of its mouth and reaching the brain. The bear could only look at the furious face of the being that brought death to it.
"I hate it when something makes me bleed." Milas said as he twisted the blade and ended the life of the previously rampaging bear. The heavy body lost support and fell on the snake. The serpent was completely trapped, not that it could move with the injuries it sustained.
Milas looked at his torn leather armour and the claw mark that was rapidly vanishing. He had been forced to drink blood when the bear slapped him like a ragdoll. Milas was angered by the fact that a bear could hurt him that much despite the hellish training he underwent. He was disappointed by the way he had to use sneak attacks like an assassin despite training to use swords so he can kill Deogratius with the same thing he taught him to use.
Milas was only getting madder when he remembered that he is nothing but a slave to Deogratius. He looked at the serpent and his eyes were glowing red. Both swords were stuck in the bear's body so he used the only weapon available.
Milas was breathing heavily as black blood dripped down from his fists. The snake was barely alive and its skull had caved in after the ruthless punching. Milas opened the bear's mouth and pulled out the longest and sharpest tooth he could find. He placed it on the serpent's skull and pushed it partially into the head.
"Punching you takes too long so I have to get creative. Maybe it's better that you can't see the face of your killer. It might provide you with peace or whatever it is beasts get when they die." Milas lifted his foot up and stomped on the fang, which pierced the brain and killed it. Milas used the swords to find the crystals before preparing to leave the cave. He had obtained five crystals in just one day inside the cave despite having two weeks.
"I need to stop making these speeches to beasts before killing them. It is a waste of time." Milas walked out of the cave as the sun rose, indicating a new day.