In an instant, several figures rushed towards the towering giant bear. The beast, feeling a few small things strike its legs and belly, felt a twinge of pain.
It roared in fury, raising its paw to swipe at the attackers. The two closest figures were sent flying, crashing to the ground and lying motionless. A wave of anxiety rippled through the onlookers as two guards swiftly moved in to carry away the fallen children.
In their very first encounter, two of their companions had already been taken down. The rest of the group hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances. Clearly, they were stunned by the sheer size of the bear, a foe unlike any they had faced before. The weapons they used to strike the bear's body had felt like hitting solid rock. Defeating such a creature seemed an almost impossible task.
Meanwhile, Udo was on the verge of tears. She had already planned a strategy to deal with the bear—"keep a safe distance and shoot its eyes out"—but the dense fog had made it impossible to execute. She gritted her teeth, preparing to rush in when a hand grabbed her arm.
"Don't panic, the sun's up," came Ryan's voice.
"What sun?" Udo shook off Ryan's hand, "Let go of me!"
Ryan stuck out his tongue and made a face before running off.
Udo wanted to be angry but couldn't bring herself to do so. She looked up and saw the sun rising over the eastern horizon. The fog began to dissipate, and with it, her opportunity to put her plan into action. "You think you're the only one who noticed the sun is out?" she muttered inwardly.
As the fog cleared under the sunlight, the bear realized that the ones attacking it were a group of mere children, and it could hardly believe its eyes. How could these tiny creatures with their frail bodies dare to challenge it? After all, it was the king of the valley!
With a mighty roar, the bear stood up, its massive form rising like a mountain out of the fog. Its roar, distorted by the ironwood muzzle in its mouth, became even more terrifying and fierce. The bear noticed the wounds on its belly, chest, and legs, inflicted by the children's attacks, which had drawn a bit of blood. These injuries were insignificant, but the fact that they had been caused by mere children who had ambushed it was an unprecedented humiliation.
The children quickly regrouped into attack squads of three or five, surrounding the bear in a diamond formation. Slowly, they closed in, looking for an opening. The bear swiveled its head, analyzing the situation, before it struck first.
With a deafening roar, the bear lunged at the three or four children closest to it. Its massive paws slammed into the ground, causing the earth to shake and sending rocks flying like projectiles. The bear's enormous body crashed toward the children with terrifying speed, filled with bloodlust.
The children, trained from an early age in hunting, immediately recognized the danger. They scattered in every direction, narrowly avoiding the bear's deadly charge. Seizing the moment, the other children attacked, their swords, axes, and hunting spears striking the bear's massive body. But the bear had been waiting for this. It sprang back, twisting its bulky body with surprising agility, and lunged at the children who had come too close.
In a flash, the children were thrown into disarray, tumbling, flipping, and dodging in a frantic mess. The bear's enormous paw slammed down where they had just been standing, shaking the ground and scattering rocks and dirt in all directions. The children were stunned, frozen in terror at the force of the bear's attack.
The carefully planned assault had failed, and the bear roared in fury. It reared up, towering above them, and with another bellow, it raised its front paws to the sky, proudly displaying its immense power to the helpless children.
Suddenly, the bear felt a sharp pain in its chest. It grunted and lowered its head, only to see an arrow sticking out from its white fur. The arrow had been deeply embedded into its body.
A figure leapt toward the bear, and it felt an excruciating pain in its left eye. The bear howled in agony, its chest and eye both sending waves of pain throughout its body. The attack had been so fast, so sudden, that the children around them could hardly follow the action. By the time they recognized it was Ryan, the cheers had already begun.
The bear collapsed heavily to the ground, but quickly scrambled to its feet, its pain-fueled rage pushing it into a frenzied attack.
Meanwhile, Udo, standing at a distance, drew another arrow. The bear, now facing her, was moving slower. "Perfect!" she thought, nocking the arrow and releasing it. The arrow struck true, hitting the bear in the already-injured left eye.
The bear let out another deafening roar, its massive body charging toward Udo.
Udo quickly dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the bear's charge. But someone else was faster.
Skinny Stick, using his superior speed, rushed in front of the bear, planting his hunting spear in the ground at an angle. But the bear's body, moving like a wrecking ball, trampled over him in the blink of an eye.
A collective gasp came from the onlookers, but then cheers followed as Skinny Stick flipped back onto his feet. The bear, meanwhile, collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. The spear had pierced its abdomen, the tip protruding from its back.
Fatty Bull, a little slower, arrived next, swinging his ironwood club with full force. Ryan, now following behind, aimed for the bear's neck with his dagger. But the bear's tough hide resisted the blow, and the knife only sank in slightly.
Fatty Bull's club came down hard, hitting the bear in the back of the head.
The bear, enraged, reared up again and swung a massive paw behind it. Ryan dodged, but Fatty Bull wasn't quick enough. The bear's blow sent him flying through the air.
Another arrow struck the bear, this time hitting its remaining eye.
"Fatty Bull!" Udo screamed, rushing to help him.
Fatty Bull, battered and bleeding from numerous wounds, rolled several times but managed to get back on his feet, smiling despite the pain.
"I'm fine!" he grinned, though his body was clearly in agony.
"Everyone, get back!" Udo shouted, helping him to safety.
With both of its eyes now blind, the bear charged forward, its jaws wide open, determined to tear apart the children before it.
"Watch out!"
"Udo!" Ryan yelled as he rushed toward her.
But it was too late.
Just as the bear's massive jaws were about to close in on Udo, a loud crash shook the earth.
From the dust and chaos emerged an ancient figure, standing tall and proud as if he were an immortal warrior from the ages past. His right hand gripped the bear's chest fur, and with ease, he lifted the massive creature off the ground, holding it on his shoulder like it was weightless.
The bear's lifeless eyes hung from its head, its power drained and broken.
With his left hand, the old blacksmith reached down and gently ruffled Ryan's hair.
"Did you get scared, little one?" The old man's voice was kind, and his wrinkled face beamed with a warm smile.