"Oh, by the way, why are you folks going to Stahlingrad? I mean, I do get the gist of going to the Clan Steelrun, cause, you know, they're the most renowned clan for steel making."
Chattering down the road, Caerowd, the coachman, told them some in-flight gossip he had heard throughout his days ferrying the people to and fro various cities in Himlond. "Course, you cannot forget the strongest of them clans:
Clan Beorwyn..."
At this, though gone unnoticed by the coachman, Lewis saw Simon slightly flinching. This proved to him that there was a connection with Simon and the so-called 'strongest' clan. "...Once they used to be the closest of friends, y'know, Clan Steelrun and Clan Beorwyn. But this all stopped with the death of Lady Diametria, the wife of Chief Magnus Steelrun..."
Caerowd obviously continued talking, but Lewis was not listening. A loud explosion could be heard coming from his head as he began putting the pieces together. Oh no, please let it be a wild hypothesis...
Simon looked up, his expression frowning. "I would prefer if you do not delve–"
Roar!
Meh, meh, meh!
With loud cries, the Himlar goats that were pulling the carriage stood on their hind legs, frightened out of their wits. Thrown to the front, Lewis and Simon pulled themselves out of the pile they found themselves in. Rubbing his head, Lewis angrily turned to Caerowd, fuming. "What the fuck on earth was–"
Roar!
Eyesshrinking, he found the answer to why the goats were panicking:
A giant bear stood before them, covered in a spiky brown carapace. Blue gem-like eyes glared at them, anger visible. Snarling, it smashed its paws into the ground, causing a shockwave, knocking the carriage, them and all, into another pile. Appraising it, Lewis's face grew grim:
Name: Glamrock Bear
Age: 30 years
Strength: 200
Agility: 137
Intelligence: 106
Mana: 256
Stamina: 146
Skill: Hardened Carapace
Tier: 4
Abilities: Shockwave (9/15), Mineral Gluttony (10/10), Basic Earth Magic (10/10), Earthen Healing (5/5), Bloodfine Senses (7/20)
Holy crap, what the fuck!? Why on Earth is a beast of this power here!? I thought this was a safe path!?
Confused, he turned towards Caerowd, only to see him passing his pants in fear. "Brother I ain't getting paid enough for this shit! I'm out!" With one last look, Caerowd dashed away, fearing for his life, leaving behind his two cowering goats.
"Shit, why is a Glamrock Bear here!? And is it wounded...?"
Only then did Lewis see it–
Large gashes dotted the bear's body, blood flowing like a river. One of its paws was gone, ripped out of its socket. Panting with great fatigue, the bear looked at them, hunger visible in its eyes. With one final Roar, it pounced on them.
"Shit, if you wanna go, then fight me like a man!"
With another roar, Simon took out his Hammer, now blazing a faint golden fire. "Since when could you do that!?" Eyes wide, Lewis was shocked to see the Hammer lighting up in flames. Shrugging his shoulders, Simon replied "Eh, since a couple of months ago. Looks cool right?" With a silent thumbs up from Lewis, they charged into battle.
Swinging his hammer, Simon smashed the bear's face, causing one of its eyes to pop out and land near the bushes. Crying in pain, the Bear released rock lances from its paws, only to have them intercepted midair. "Phooh! Meet the new and improved Crossbow Mk 3 (This time with primitive homing)! I did not have time to research gunpowder, so...yeah..."
Rubbing his head, Lewis returned back to the battlefield, once the bear recovered from its stupor. Shaking its head, its one remaining eye showed vigilance at the Human's weapon, its instincts telling it to beware of it. With a quick swipe, it threw mud at Lewis, transforming into dust midair. Blinded, Lewis stepped to the side, brushing the dust as quickly as he possibly could.
Meanwhile, Simon and the bear engaged themselves into a battle of epic proportions. As they battled on, Hammer against paws, the bear grew increasingly afraid, for despite being a whole tier higher than the shorty, he was terribly wounded from the previous fight. Knowing he had to defeat the Dwarf as soon as possible, it collected as much of its remaining energy as possible, and began vibrating with tremendous speed.
"GRRAAAAAWWW!"
Boom!
With a large boom, it struck the ground. A shockwave of enormous proportions emerged from its fists, shattering the trees, the ground, even the very air itself, until everything within a 250 m radius got destroyed.
Panting, he dropped to the floor, his tongue drooping from his mouth. Just when it was relieved to see its prey dead, his ears twitched. Turning his head up, he was shocked. Gliding through the air, he saw the Human carrying the shorty with him in what appeared to be...wings???
Unable to believe what he was seeing (and being too tired), he resigned himself to his fate. With a loud cry, the Dwarf lunged from the air, his hammer now burning brighter than the setting sun.
Graaaawwwr... (Ah, I wished I had given her my Flymon last spring...)
With thos final thought, he felt himself go dark, as his head exploded everywhere...
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Click, whirr...
Watching from the hills, its one mechanical eye recorded everything it saw. Seeing the bear defeated, it turned around, first its waist, then its legs.
With loud thumps, it returned back to where it came from. Its enemy defeated, it could now focus on its prime directive.
Whirr, click, rumble...