The bear's eye was bleeding, but he hadn't managed to destroy it. Every time it tried to approach, he would throw a rock or a branch toward the bear, aiming for its eyes. The bear itself had learned that chasing him was useless and tried to run, only for him to follow behind the bear.
He had learned a few things. First, his hearing was coming back as he could hear the sound the bear was making. That meant the bond between him and the chest plate was working since he focused on healing his ribs, and his ears were healing independently. It also explained why his ribs hadn't shattered when the bear struck him. It wasn't as durable as metal, but at least it was strong enough not to get utterly destroyed. The second was the armor. It had fixed quite quickly; he had underestimated how quickly it would.
The bear's wounds were also closing; his were healing way faster than him.
The path they were taking was familiar; he only really noticed it when he saw claw marks on a tree to the right. He veered off the path slightly, reaching down to pick up the sword he had left behind when chasing the deer.
He focused on what little Chi remained in his storage to his ears to follow the sound the bear made. The sound got louder than before and made it relatively easier to follow.
He could hear another bear growling and hear the familiar sound blaring from the other bear, but he remained hidden as he climbed up a tree to get a better view. The familiar bear with holes was battling another bear; even its kind seemed to dislike it.
The sound emanating from the bear grew as the other bear backed away; the sound was horrible but not comparable to before. It would make sense since it had to use Chi to heal, especially considering he had struck it in the eye with a rock. The eye already healed as it had it open; the only way someone could tell it had been injured was the blood-stained fur.
The other bear growled and seemed hesitant to approach due to the sound. Charlotte would jump down the tree, and the bear with the holes turned to the sound almost immediately. This momentary distraction allowed the other bear to move in as the sound weakened, and it moved in.
The bear would jump on top of the other, biting into its neck and trying to hold it down; the sound grew in volume and intensity, making the bear freeze up and let go as the bear pushed it off and clawed the side of the bear. The sound weakened as it clawed the other bear, but before it could bite into the disoriented bear, Charlotte tossed another rock, hitting it in the face.
That moment allowed the other bear to recover as it stood in its hindlegs and brought its front paws down on the bear, dropping them to the ground and running his claws down the bear's side.
The bear once more blasted sound in all directions, disorienting the bear and biting it in its neck as the two wrestled on the ground, clawing and biting each other. Charlotte stood on the side, letting their Chi and stamina regenerate; despite the damage the sound bear received, he had no doubt it would win the fight. Its body was just more rigid and more potent.
The battle had lasted a few minutes; there were a few close calls for the standard bear. He would interfere each time it looked like it was about to lose. The fight ended when the sound bear managed to bite into the throat of the other bear and rip it out.
The sound bear, though, came out with wounds littering its body, blood flowing down its fur onto the ground. Charlotte would put his hands together, and he apologized in his head for using the bear in such a way.
The Sound bear looked at him with almost palpable hate, not that he minded. The bear had nearly killed him.
He grabbed the sword's hilt, focused his Chi on his hand, and approached the sound bear. It would stand on its hind legs as sound emanated from its holes. It wasn't enough to disorient him, just enough to annoy him.
He wouldn't be a fool and rush in; the bear could be baiting him.
He had learned a valuable lesson from the fight the two bears had: whenever the sound bear attacked, it always had to stop the sound it made. I couldn't focus enough to do both, not that he would try to get close again.
He was only a few meters from the bear as he held the sword instead of swinging it, though he had a better plan. The sound bear remained standing, looking down at him; he pretended to dash forward, the sound intensity growing in that second, before quickly moving back and tossing the sword towards the bear's chest.
With the Chi he got back, he had enough strength to toss the sword at the same speed as an arrow.
The sword easily went through the bear's chest, stabbing quite deeply into it. The only thing left out was the hilt and guard of the blade. The bear would fall on its side, trying to move as blood pooled out onto the ground.
Charlotte approached the bear slowly, making a weak growl as he did so; he had to admit seeing this made him feel guilty; he put his hands together and prayed for the bear to have a good afterlife.
He could feel the moment the bear died, as there was a sense of eerie silence. No birds, not even the wind rustling was left. He had a sad smile as he crouched down; he had to remain strong.
He slowly pulled the sword from the chest of the bear. He had to harvest the bear's meat quickly; he didn't want other hunters showing up. Since the bear was at stage two, the bear's meat would have Chi.
The second stage involved spreading your Chi through your body, strengthening it from the skin to the blood vessels. It differed from simply focusing it on your arm to give you temporary strength. You couldn't use the Chi of others, so you first had to make a storage. The bigger you could make it, the better. Although everyone had a limit, it differed from each person.
He could cook some meat here and take the rest with him. He hadn't brought anything to carry the meat with him, so he would have to take as much as possible.