With two objectives down, a new sense of confidence settled over Jonah and Vanessa. They moved quietly through the forest. Shard walked in front to find the way. Nyx kept its blurry cloak around them, making them hard to see.
Suddenly, Jonah stopped. "Got a signal," he said. "It's big and wild."
"Definitely our bear," Vanessa confirmed, a grim smile touching her lips.
As they got closer, they heard fighting. Bushes crashed, angry growls came, and steel clanged. They looked through thick ferns and saw a small, messy clearing. In its center was their target: the Armored Crag-Bear. It was more terrifying in real life. It was a mass of muscle and anger, like a train. Its thick, hard skin had many small cuts.
It was not alone.
Against the Bear were Draven and his partner, Kaelen. Draven's glowing greatsword pulsed with impressive power, but his face was sweaty, and his clean uniform was ripped and muddy
"Just stand still, you stupid pig!" Draven roared, clearly frustrated. He was used to overwhelming his opponents with a single, devastating blow. The bear, however, didn't seem to care about his noble lineage or the size of his sword.
"Draven, its hide is too thick!" Kaelen shouted, dodging a swipe from the boar's massive tusks. "We need to aim for the joints! A weak point!"
But Draven wasn't listening. Pride, and the knowledge that Jonah and Vanessa were somewhere in the same forest, clouded his judgment. He let out a battle cry and charged, his greatsword blazing. "I am Draven! And I will not be denied!"
He swung the glowing sword down in a strong curve. It hit the boar's side with a very loud CLANG, sending sparks everywhere. The hit was incredibly strong, powerful enough to break rock.
The sword hit the bear's skin and just bounced off. The skin was incredibly hard.
The bear was angry from the hit. It charged Draven head-on. It lowered its head and hit Draven with great force. There was a loud crunch. Draven flew backward and landed in a heap ten feet away. His manifested greatsword flickered and vanished. His pride, and likely several of his ribs, were shattered.
The bear snorted, turning its angry red eyes on Draven, who was lying on the ground and groaning. It scraped the ground with its foot, getting ready to charge again and finish him off.
"We have to help him!" Vanessa hissed, readying a spell.
"Wait," Jonah said, his eyes narrowed. He wasn't looking at Draven; he was looking at the bear. Its hide was tough, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was what lay beneath it. "I need its essence intact!"
If the bear was killed by some explosive spell, its essence might be damaged or corrupted. This was his one chance to get the final piece for his new Progeny.
He devised a plan on the spot, the same way he used to plan scavenging runs in the Undercroft: assess the target, find the weakness, and execute with brutal efficiency.
He turned to Vanessa. "I have an idea. Can you blind it?"
Vanessa didn't question him. She nodded sharply. "Phase one: Distraction."
Her hands moved through the air, and six small, very bright balls of Light Lances appeared around her. She quickly moved her wrist, and they shot forward, not at the boar's tough body, but right at its face.
The lances exploded in a series of brilliant flashes. The bear roared in pain, shaking its massive head. It was temporarily blinded, stumbling around the clearing in rage.
"Phase two," Jonah muttered, focusing his will. "The Trap."
He summoned Nyx, not beside him, but directly in the boar's stumbling path.
The Glimmerwing Striker appeared just as the blinded boar rushed forward. The animal, unable to see, crashed headfirst into Nyx's shell. The hit was massive, shaking the ground, but Nyx's shell stayed firm.
Nyx immediately buzzed its wings, releasing its thick cloud of Disorienting Dust. The sparkling powder wrapped around the bear's head, making its senses even worse.
The beast was now blind, stunned, and trapped.
"My turn," Jonah said, a grim look on his face. "Phase three: The Finish."
He came out from cover, running low and fast like a scrapper, not like a strong fighter. He held a rock he'd found. This rock had a sharp edge. He knew how to use it much better than any sword
The bear was moving wildly, trying to shake Nyx off. Its senses were totally confused. It had a lot of power, but it was uncontrolled and could do nothing.
Jonah moved so fast that even Vanessa was surprised. He quickly slipped in under the bear's wild tusks. His movements were plain and effective, not at all like fancy sword fighting. He saw the weak spot he'd noticed before, a small area of softer skin just under the jaw where the thick hide didn't quite meet.
With a final surge of strength, he drove the sharpened rock deep into that spot.
There was no explosion or bright flash. Only a tearing sound and a last choked gurgle from the bear. The huge creature trembled and fell, its life ending right away. The move was harsh and effective.
Jonah stood over the huge, dead body, breathing heavily. He dismissed Nyx, which was dented but still whole. He first knelt down and quickly cut out the heart, completing the exam's main goal.
Then, more importantly, he put his hand on the bear's warm side. He felt a powerful, grounding pull of earthen energy. A choice came to his mind. He grinned, feeling a wave of victory.
[Armored Crag-Bear Essence (Earth, Defense, Strength) Acquired]
He stood up, holding the bear claw in one hand, its essence now swirling safely in his mental workshop. He looked over at Draven, who was being helped to his feet by his partner, Kaelen.
Draven's arm was hanging at an odd angle, but it was his face that was truly broken. He stared at Jonah, then at the dead bear, then back to Jonah. His face showed a mix of surprise, disbelief, and intense shame.
He, Draven, with his mighty greatsword and noble blood, had been swatted aside like an insect.
And he had just watched as the "weakling" from the Undercroft, the "scrapper" with his "weird pets," had taken down the very same beast with nothing but teamwork, strategy, and a sharp rock.