Marcus stepped out from behind a rock. He walked into the open. He held his nail-bat in one hand. He stood there. He looked at the beast with a challenging expression.
The bear beast lifted its huge head. It let out a loud roar. It was a sound of its power.
Marcus just smirked.
"Come here, you bastard."
'What is this idiot doing?' Ivan thought. He gripped his spear tightly from his hiding spot in the bushes. 'The bear beast is not the same size as him.'
Marcus shouted again, his voice a raw challenge that echoed in the clearing. "I'll make you pay! Making me stay awake all night to protect my camp! Come here, you piece of shit!"
That was the final invitation. The bear beast lowered its head and charged. It ran across the clearing. Each footstep was a heavy impact that shook the ground.
Marcus did not move. He watched the monster get closer. As the beast came near, he raised his free hand in a sharp gesture.
"Arrows, FIRE!"
From the high branches of the trees, three shadows moved. Lyraena, Lucinda, and Orion started shooting arrow after arrow. The shafts flew through the air, a quick volley aimed at the beast's head. Most of the arrows bounced harmlessly off its thick skull. One from Lyraena, however, struck the beast just below its eye. It roared in pain and annoyance. It raised a massive paw to shield its face. Its charge slowed for a critical second.
That was the opening.
Marcus swung his nail-bat. He put all of his strength into the blow. He aimed for the beast's exposed side. The bat connected with a dull thud. The rusty nails bent against the beast's hide. The wood of the bat splintered. It did almost no damage. The beast's body was like armor.
Marcus's eyes widened for a fraction of a second in disbelief. He jumped back. The beast, enraged, swiped its claws at the air where he had been. The claws cut deep grooves in the dirt. It turned on him, ready to strike him down.
On that moment, David and Thomas jumped in from the sides. Thomas threw his spear. He aimed at the bear's face. Hopefully, its eyes. The beast turned its head at the last second. The stone tip scraped across its cheek. It left a shallow, bloody line. It was not a serious wound, but it was an insult. The beast roared and spun toward Thomas.
David charged in. He slammed his makeshift shield against the beast's leg to draw its attention. The beast kicked him without even looking. David flew backward and crashed into a tree. The shield was cracked down the middle.
"Those guys never heard of a plan," Ivan muttered to himself. "Let's fight on their style."
He, Leonardo, and the twins also jumped into the battle. They burst from the bushes. They were four more bodies to distract the monster. They were fast. They dodged the beast's first clumsy swipe. Ivan slid on the mud. He stabbed his spear into the beast's back foot. The spearhead scraped on bone but did not go deep. The beast roared and kicked backward. Ivan had to roll away to avoid being crushed.
Kalvin and Kevin moved together. Kalvin faked an attack from the front. The beast turned to him. Kevin came from the side. He drove his spear into the beast's thigh. The beast roared and spun around. Its massive arm hit Kevin and sent him tumbling across the ground.
The fight became chaos.
Up in the trees, Lucinda saw an opening. She drew her bow. She aimed carefully. She fired. The arrow flew true. It hit the beast in the shoulder, sinking in a few inches. It was the deepest wound yet.
The beast roared in pure fury. It ignored the fighters on the ground. It slammed its body into Lucinda's tree. Once. Twice. The thick trunk shuddered hard. Lucinda cried out. She lost her grip and fell from the high branch.
Ivan did not think. He ran. His injured thigh screamed in protest, but he ran. He got under her. He braced himself, and she crashed into him. The force of the impact knocked all the air from his lungs. They both fell to the muddy ground. He had broken her fall.
She immediately stood up. She helped him get to his feet again. "Thanks," she said. Her eyes were already back on the fight.
Lyraena jumped down from her tree. She landed lightly on the ground like a cat. She ran at the beast. It swiped at her. She slid underneath the attack. Her body was low to the ground. As she passed under it, she drew a knife. She slashed a long, shallow cut across its belly.
The beast howled in pain. It spun around to crush her. Orion, also on the ground now, threw his spear like a javelin. It hit the beast in the side. It distracted the monster for a second. Lyraena used that second to escape.
The beast was wounded. It was angry. It was surrounded. It let out another deafening roar. It began to spin. It was a whirlwind of claws and fur. Its arms swung out wildly.
Romana was too close. A claw caught her shoulder. It ripped through her clothes and skin. She cried out and fell back. Jomana immediately pulled her away from the fight, her face a mask of anger.
The beast pushed them back. And back. It was a relentless force. It swiped its claws. Thomas tried to block with his spear. The beast snapped the wooden shaft in two. It stomped its foot. The ground shook. Leonardo and the twins fell to the ground.
It charged at the fallen Leonardo. Lyraena moved like lightning. She threw a powerful kick at the beast's side. It did no damage, but it made the beast turn its head. It gave Leonardo time to scramble away.
The beast was now focused on Lyraena. It lunged at her. She dodged left. She dodged right. She was a blur of motion, but she was being pushed back toward the edge of the clearing.
Marcus, recovered from the first hit, roared and charged back in. He smashed his nail-bat against the beast's back. The beast ignored him. It was obsessed with the agile girl it could not catch.
They were all pushed back to the edge of the clearing. Their group was broken. Their spears were broken. The beast stood over them. It was ready to finish them all. There were no more plans. There were no more options.
Ivan scrambled back. His spear was gone. He looked at the faces of his friends. They were tired, bloody, and scared.
'Fuck it,' he thought. His hand found the smooth firework in his pouch.
He pulled out the red firework.
He aimed it not at the sky. He aimed it straight at the monster's head.