The ground trembled.
Archer's heart sank as the sound grew louder, each impact sending vibrations through his feet. The sabertooth tiger that had been circling him suddenly abandoned its hunt, running away into the jungle with a panicked whimpers.
"Ah shit, if it's running then.." Archer muttered, tightening his grip on the Mountain Splitting Axe, "...something worse is coming."
The cave-people emerged from their hiding spots in the trees, their faces painted with primal terror. Even Skull helmet, who had seemed fearless earlier, stood frozen with his broken club dangling uselessly from his hand.
"RUN!" Someone screamed in their language. "DEMON BEAR COMES!"
Through the dense jungle, something massive was approaching. Trees snapped like twigs. Birds exploded from the trees in flocks.
Then it emerged.
The beast stood at least fifteen feet tall on all fours, a bear, but scaled up to nightmarish proportions. Its fur was black with streaks of silver, and its muscles rippled beneath its fur. Scars crisscrossed its massive body. But what terrified Archer most were its eyes, they were hungry, and locked directly on him.
[Beast: Titan Bear]
-Bite Force: 25,000 Newtons
-Recommendation: seriously, don't get bitten.
The Titan Bear roared, a sound that physically hurt Archer's ears and sent the cave-people scrambling in all directions. Zara, the Cave-woman that has grabbed archer's attention earlier, grabbed a young child and ran, but kept glancing back at Archer with something resembling concern.
"Small man!" Skull helmet shouted, surprisingly not fleeing. "You fight or run?"
Archer's mind raced. His enhanced Agility stat meant he could probably outrun most of the tribe, but that would mean leaving them to die
Then an insane idea formed in his head.
"EVERYONE STOP RUNNING!" Archer shouted, his voice carrying an unexpected authority.
To his surprise, several cave-people actually hesitated, including Krog(skull helmet) and Zara.
"Listen to me!" Archer commanded, his mind working furiously. "If we scatter, we will all die. That thing will hunt each of us down. But if we work together...."
The Titan Bear charged, cutting off his speech.
Archer's enhanced Agility kicked in. He dove sideways, feeling the displacement of air as tons of muscle and fury passed within inches of crushing him.
The bear skidded to a halt instantly for something so massive, its claws tearing ridges through the earth. It spun toward Archer, but he was already moving.
"THE CAMPFIRE!" He shouted. "BRING BURNING BRANCHES! NOW!"
Tam, the cave-man with the massive afro, actually listened. He grabbed a flaming branch from the campfire and ran toward the commotion. Others followed his lead.
The Titan Bear swiped at Archer, its paw the size of his torso. He raised the Mountain Splitting Axe and....
CRACK!
The axe's blade met the bear's claws in a shower of sparks. The impact sent Archer flying backward, his arms screaming in pain despite his enhanced Strength. He crashed into a tree trunk hard enough to break it
The Titan Bear stood up on its hind legs, towering like a mountain in the jungle. It roared again, displaying teeth that could bite through archer like candy. As it prepared to drop its full weight onto Archer, Tam appeared, thrusting the burning branch at the bear's face.
The beast flinched, its roar turning into a sound that sounded like... annoyance. It swatted Tam away with a casual swing of it's paw. The cave-man flew through the air, crashing into the bushes.
But the distraction he caused was enough.
Archer scrambled to his feet, his Wild Survival knowledge screaming at him. "The fire isn't enough, I Need bigger a threat. I Need trap. I Need..."
His eyes locked onto the cave entrance behind the campfire. It was narrow and reinforced by natural rock formations. The perfect trap.
"EVERYONE TO THE CAVE!" Archer commanded. "MAKE NOISE! WAVE THE TORCHES!"
The cave-people looked at him like he had gone insane, but Zara understood. She started leading people toward the cave entrance, all while waving a burning branch and screaming at the top of her lungs.
The Titan Bear's attention shifted to the group. It dropped to all fours and charged, but Archer intercepted it, striking its side with the Mountain Splitting Axe.
THUNK!
The blade actually pierced through the fur this time, drawing first blood. The bear roared in fury and pain as it spun to face archer. Its massive paw connected with Archer's chest.
Archer flew backward, crashing through bushes and slamming against a boulder. His ribs screamed in agony.
Blood dripped from Archer's mouth as His vision blurred. Every breath felt like knives in his lungs. But he forced himself to stand, using the axe as support.
The Titan Bear approached slowly now, confident in its victory. Behind it, the cave-people had formed a line at the cave entrance, waving torches and making noise, just as Archer had instructed, even if they didn't understand why.
Perfect.
"Hey, ugly!" Archer spat blood and grinned. "I'm not done yet!"
He charged, not at the bear, but past it, toward the cave. His Agility carried him in a burst of speed the bear didn't anticipate. He grabbed a torch from a stunned cave-woman and dove into the cave entrance.
The Titan Bear, enraged by the wound and seeing its prey escape, did exactly what Archer hoped.
It charged after him into the narrow cave entrance.
BOOM!
The massive beast wedged itself into the opening, its shoulders too broad to fit easily. It roared in frustration, pushing forward with earth-shaking force. Rocks groaned and cracked.
"NOW!" Archer shouted. "THE SUPPORT BEAM!"
Krog, who had followed Archer inside, understood immediately. The cave's entrance had a large dead tree serving as a natural support for the overhang. If removed...
Cave-people swarmed the beam, pulling, pushing, chopping with stone tools. The Titan Bear pushed deeper, its claws scraping against stone, its hot breath filling the cave.
"PULL!" Archer grabbed the beam alongside them, his enhanced Strength making the difference.
CRACK!
The support beam splintered. The cave entrance groaned. And then.....
CRASH!
Tons of rock and earth collapsed onto the Titan Bear. The beast's roar was cut short as the entrance sealed, trapping its front half beneath the debris. Dust filled the cave, making everyone cough and stumble.
There was silencer for a moment.
Then, from outside, a pained roar, weaker, but still alive.
"It's still alive!" Someone yelled.
"Of course it is." Archer panted, sliding down the cave wall. "But it's trapped and injured. It'll dig itself out eventually, but by then we'll be long gone."
Archer closed his eyes, letting his head rest against the cool stone. His entire body ached. Blood seeped from a dozen wounds. But at least they were all alive.
Warm hands touched his face. He opened his eyes to find Zara kneeling beside him, her expression a mixture of awe, confusion.
"You..." she struggled for words in her language. "You saved... tribe. You are... strong"
"I'm an idiot who almost got killed by a giant bear" Archer corrected, but smiled despite the pain. "But yeah, I guess I'm a strong idiot."
She didn't understand most of his words, but she smiled back. Then, to his complete surprise, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, a gesture that, even without his Linguistic Expert skill, he recognized as profound respect.
Around them, the surviving cave-people gathered. Krog approached, his earlier hostility replaced by grudging respect. He extended his hand, a gesture Archer suspected he'd learned from watching Archer earlier.
"You... leader" Krog said simply. "Strong. Stinger than krog. Tribe follow."
Archer grappled the offered hand. "I'm not here to take over. But I can help. I'll teach you things that will keep you safe."
From outside the cave, the Titan Bear's roars grew distant. It was digging itself out, but the sound was moving away, it was probably retreating to lick its wounds.
Archer couldn't help but laugh, despite the pain.
[Would you like to use: Daily Sign-in Reward - Healing Cream?]
[Note: This will consume one of your healing items.]
"Yes, please" Archer muttered.
A small jar materialized in his hand, The cave-people gasped, and even Zara jerked back in surprise. The jar contained a glowing blue cream that smelled faintly of mint.
Following instinct, Archer scooped some out and applied it to his worst wounds. The effect was immediate and shocking, his cuts began to close, the pain in his ribs dulled as his breathing became easier.
The cave-people stared in absolute silence. Then, as one, they dropped to their knees.
"Ah shit..." Archer muttered. "I think my God plan worked a little to well"
But Krog spoke, his voice filled with reverence: "Sky... God?"
Archer looked at their awed faces, at Zara's wide eyes, at the primitive people who had no context for systems, inventory spaces, or instant healing items.
He sighed. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"