"Oi wake up!!!" Luke violently thrusts his elbow snapping William off his near-death fright
"You're still alive?" As William regained his senses he noticed the rapid regeneration of Luke's burnt flesh
"I don't know how but thank god. I wasn't ready to die without ever getting laid- Ow! Okay okay now is not the time for jokes,"
William yanked his hair, and they descended through the towering trees which came to be possible by his technique. The minuscule explosions he made through his palms propel their bodies from ever meeting the ground. Luke grabs ahold of the tree but they quickly move upon seeing the searing flames of the undead reaching their spot
"Watch out!!!"
Luke tried to flee by running in the opposite direction only for these two to encounter the eye of the beast along with its fiery breath. The size of the bear expanded and the only clearing they had was obstructed by the palm of the beast. Was this their end? Death by flames? Just when their fates were nigh impossible to escape from a miracle appeared
"Graaah!!!" The undead bear finished charging its breath
"I guess this is it," Luke sighs as though he accepts his fate upon meeting the eye of this fierce and horrendous beast
"This is the first time I'd agree with you," William's Order was spent, and even utilizing the remainder wouldn't be enough for a foolproof getaway
'Well fuck guess this is my last ride... looks like accumulated karma finally went up and say hi for the very first time. This feels like shit, and the worst part is, I drag the half-brother of Ryan. Ironic ain't it? I never get to see his death but I have a front-row seat in his less fortunate half, as for regrets? I should've burnt all my secret stash, now when the cops investigate my house they'll find all my porn,'
"Wait a minute... I can't die like this!!!" Luke shouted with all his might but even his voice hardly mattered when the undead bear spewed its flame or so he thought
"I agree! You can't die... It hasn't even been a month. Where the hell do you think I'd get a cheap ass place to lodge,"
They felt the full pressure of the heat but the two were baffled as their flesh had yet to feel the stinging sensation of it all. They opened their eyes and glimpsed a silhouette standing before the flames holding an umbrella to thwart the flames. Somehow they survived and as the bear noticed its enemy remained standing it drove its paw forward
"This is Grave Keeper Codename; Arthur speaking, I've finally come in contact with the undead rebel. Proceed with the evacuation of the unwanted baggage. Cancel the search party I've found the last civilian and your cadet on my six,"
As the present crisis was averted they finally came to their senses and saw the identity of their mysterious savior. It was anyone's guess but out of everyone they could assume within the student-faculty the one present was the counselor. The air surrounding Alexander was awfully heavy and his persona of a composed warrior overshadowed his usual self
[Copy that Lord Arthur! The stage is yours. All of our forces and the civilians have retreated. You can begin your extermination]
"With pleasure," The moment he hears the confirmation he throws his ear pierced he lunges forth knocking the colossal bear when it was about to stand
"Graaaah!!!" The bear suddenly flickers and ghastly flames ooze from within halting Royce's advance
The bear quickly hastily went back on its feet and Royce remained afloat slowly descending with the use of his umbrella. "You're somewhere around the threshold of threat level III? So thats why those kids are having a hard time. Too bad I'm different,"
"Grrrrrrrrrgh!!!" The bear growls before it sends a weakened fiery breath in exchange for having its charge lowered
"Why aren't you so feisty? Very well... I'll play with ya. Better not die so easily! I've hardly ever been able to use this," The undead's ghastly breath was banished with a mere swing of his umbrella which turned into a blade upon receiving his Order
"First blade; Rifjud,"
He safely landed on the trees and leaped once again as the rebellious undead ruling these woods deemed him a threat. Thinking Royce was its prey mid-air it would shortly regret giving him that chance as he gained a clear view of his foe. The undead paid no heed to his acts and charged for a powerful breath but that attack was far too weak
"Well, you aren't that bad... a little decent I'll tell you that. Armed with both sturdiness and firepower. Too bad it takes a bit of time,"
He swung his blade with the application of his Order creating a projectile in the shape of a cut intercepting the breath. Instead of moving the undead remains still and charges another but then it soon realizes that his attack went through. It was the very first time this colossal ever faced harm where it felt the instinct it lost upon death began to return
"You're still alive? I didn't hold back since I'll be getting paid for this subjugation... how odd this truly is. Are you perhaps related?"
The vibration of his sword was low but the undead's enhanced senses felt the menacing tremors it possessed. It was natural for animals to be more discerning of their surroundings unlike humans as they remain in touch with nature. Every day they fought to survive, scoured for food and met various faces, so it was reasonable that they knew whether the presence was a predator or a prey
Alexander sends forth another slash and this time it cuts the bear's skeletal frame deeply rendering it immobile. "Looking at you at a much closer distance it seems I'm right! You are tied with those maniacs. I can feel the aura of a Grave Robber. You're not a rebel at all, you're nothing but a Ghoul,"
"Oops! It seems I've been caught red-handed. Since there's no hiding it it's better to get rid of any obstruction. I've already garnered enough corpses, for the master, now all that's left is you!!!"
The sparks of the bear's eyes vanished signaling the loss of the soul's control and the appearance of strings within its joints. It rises from its slumber and drives its paw with a never-before-seen speed regardless Royce remains unfazed. The threat level increases jumping its rank from III to V in an instance whilst lowering the fiery charge of its breath
"Well, ain't this a change pace? That last bout was a snorefest. You better put my money's worth cum I'm just getting started," The Forest could hardly contain these two atrocities and even the seal the organization placed was nearing its limit
'The array is breaking... it seems they didn't expect anything higher than level IV. The kid's also gonna get swept if I take any longer. Oh well, I guess it can't be helped. I finally got the organization's eyes away from me but I guess it's inevitable. I'll just have to hide that kid a lot better so he won't get swept by the recent power struggle,'
"Puehahahaha! Is that all you got? Where's that arrogance now? Hey, I'm talking to you!! It's rude to die when I haven't allowed you,"
Royce was thrown to the ground and the undead bear kept striking again and again creating a massive crater in his spot. The array was withering and the Keepers outside were panicking as Chaos began to seep from the cracks. But that all changed with a flicker and the sudden outbursts of Order filling the entire forest and repairing the seal
The bear took flight upon receiving the fullest force of the discharge of the seals embedded in Royce's body. "This aura... gaaaah! It's too strong! How come? I never received any word that one of the great lords was here. Just who are you?"
"Do you think I'm dumb enough to reveal my name? Why would I even bother wearing a disguise? It seems the rumors weren't all fake, I've been trying to find any leads of the Grave robbers. It feels so great knowing that one is residing in this small little town I coincidentally chose to visit,"
Royce appears in the undead bear back before it can even land and sends out an energy blade. Although it was powerful the bear managed to escape upon changing the location of its lifeline allowing it to prevail. He dodges its flurry of attacks as its body finally burns furiously sending flames from all directions as a means of survival
"So in the end you'll catch me? That's unacceptable! I rather die than suffer as a captive. I deny such humiliation!!!"
Royce had the upper hand but even he couldn't have predicted his foe's tricks as the corpses in the woods were to explode. "You think I wouldn't know? I noticed it from the get-go but you intentionally kept pushing me away from those kids. What will it be then Grave Keeper? I used my puppet as a medium to control the chaos stored within the corpses. Choose! It's me or their lives-"
"You talk too much," He didn't hesitate to eviscerate the undead along with its lifeline severing its ties with the Robber and putting it to rest
'It's not like I can catch you anytime sooner if I did... I undid my seal so the geezers probably know my coordinates by now. If I did catch you then I'll have to hand you over to the organization. Since I've been excommunicated there's no shot they'll let me in on the deets so I'll choose the next best thing,'
He rushes back outside where he sees William and Luke boarding the ambulance where they're being treated by the Keepers. "Although I wasn't by their side I've been keeping tabs on them with the bug I planted on Luke's backpack. That boy William didn't give a good impression so I think the kid's chances of him accepting my offer are high. Since their lives are safe and secure how bout I smoke a few cigs some donations are gonna enter my account,"