Eternal Winter's Reign - Book 2 - Chapter 17 - A Man and a Bear (Patreon)

                                                                    Alexander North

To start off, the frozen one clearly has powerful claws and speed that doesn’t match its size. So I think it’s safe to say that those are two of its specializations.

Since most frozen ones seem to specialize in certain things. Like the wraiths and their speed and blade limbs, or the brutes and their large size and powerful physical strength.

But considering that this is going to be one of the strongest frozen ones I’ll have ever faced, not to mention the frozen one that I fought before being knocked out half a year ago having a magic-like power letting it create and manipulate shards of ice and energy, I doubt that’s all this thing can do. And to make an actually usable plan, I’ll need to know what this thing can actually do.

So I pull a knife out and throw it at the frozen one in a flash of movement that I find the frozen one’s eyes matching before it moves its head to the side, just barely dodging the knife. It then lets out a rather angry roar, glances back once at the crystal, and focuses on me again without moving.

Interesting. The thing really doesn’t want to leave that cavern. Not one bit.

In that case, maybe I can try to make use of that…

I don’t know if frozen ones need oxygen to breath and live, so sealing it in there and waiting for it to suffocate probably won’t work. Not unless I want to end up waiting for days. Especially if I end up not even succeeding in fully sealing it without realizing it.

One possible weakness could be the crystal itself, but…

|Damaging the crystal would be ill-advised.|

Thought so.

I purse my lips before turning my attention to the wall of ice that’s spread thinly into the tunnel I’m in right outside of the cavern. Then I pull my fist back and smash it into the ice, only to grunt when it doesn’t so much as crack the ice.

Looks like caving in the cavern is a no as well.

Guess there’s nothing to do but fight it head on.

I turn back to the frozen one, who seems to be tilting its head at my actions. Like it had a small amount of intelligence. Enough to know that me punching a wall probably looks strange.

After studying it for several more seconds just to get some more idea of its movements, which aren’t many since it isn’t moving much, I sprint straight into the cavern, making the bear let out a loud roar and charge directly at me as well. Then we both pull back our clawed hands – or in its case, paw – and strike directly at the other.

And I’m sent skidding backwards from the force of the hit, the bear proving to be a bit stronger than me. Although not too much stronger.

Good.

It’s also only a little faster than I am.

I can do this.

The two of us begin to clash repeatedly with me losing out each time, but since all of the wounds given to me by the bear, all of which are minor wounds, are healing not too long after taking them, I just continue fighting. The bear on the other hand isn’t healing from its even smaller wounds, proving that the thing seems to be best at physical strength and speed and not its healing.

We continue trading blows for a while, myself using up my energy to heal while it slowly gets more and more injured. But right when it’s looking like I’m going to be winning this fight, a bright pale blue light begins to shine from the frozen one, making me jump backwards to avoid it.

To my surprise though, when the light fades, the creature is perfectly fine again with all of its wounds closed up.

A healing power? That wasn’t what I was expecting. Not from a large bear with that sort of strength and speed.

I narrow my eyes on the frozen one while clenching my claws into a fist and unclenching them again.

Guess this fight is going to be one of attrition now. Its healing versus my regeneration.

Might be a close fight. But I have more energy, albeit not by all that much, and my healing is faster and automatic.

I sprint towards the frozen one once more with my claws raised to strike.

Running away is always an option if I fail.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After who knows how long fighting the creature-

|You have been fighting for thirty-nine minutes and forty-one seconds.|

-I find myself panting in exhaustion with just half a point of energy remaining standing on the other side of the cavern from the frozen one, near the tunnel entrance. And the frozen one seems to have even less energy than I do now. To the point that it’s no longer fully healing itself.

|The creature is estimated to be focusing its healing on critical wounds only now to preserve its energy.|

Thought so.

Which means I should have an advantage now that it’s injured and not fully healing.

I sprint at the creature once more, making it actually flinch this time before I once again reach my claws out towards it, to which it tries to counter. But this time I pull back right when we’re about to hit each other. And thanks to its injuries, the thing isn’t able to react quickly enough, instead stumbling forwards and leaving the back of its neck wide open for me to attack.

Just like any other time I got to strike directly at it though, my claws only go partially into its neck, the creature’s skin and body being too tough in general for me to slice through with ease.

The frozen one jerks its head upwards, making me jump back to avoid being hit by its head. Then another flash of light shines from its neck.

This time I make use of that light to rush forwards, targeting its legs this time as I strike at them, opening my eyes the moment the light goes away. And the frozen one clearly isn’t expecting it as I manage to cut straight into its ankle before moving around and climbing up its body while it’s dropping its weight slightly from the injury.

The creature lets out a loud roar while reaching around its back, but I ignore it to climb up onto the center of its back and quickly drive my claws straight into it. And instead of moving away after hurting it, I pull my claws out and stab them right back into the same wound three more times until the frozen one finally collapses.

No more heals then?

|The creature’s energy is beginning to fluctuate. It is suggested that you take the crystal and leave immediately.|

I blink at that warning before ripping my hand out of its back once more and jumping straight off in the direction of the crystal. And without any hesitation, I grab the thing, rip it off the ground with a crack, and run straight towards the tunnel entrance.

Then I sense the energy in the bear frozen one pulse once, twice, and on the third time, a loud explosion echoes out from behind me. As if all of the bear’s remaining energy was used to self-destruct.

The explosion ends up sending me flying through the air, further out of the cavern. But since it’s weakened from the creature not having much energy to begin with, I make it through with just a few burns as I find myself lying on my back at the nearest bend in the tunnel leading to the cavern.

Still with the crystal cradled in my arms.

Victory.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those of you who are reading this on a website that is not Patreon, please stop. You're reading a pirated version. Instead, if you would be so kind, please click on the table of contents link below and go to my Patreon instead. Or even read it off of Royal Road, which is free.

Discord Invite

Top Web Fiction

Table of Contents