The horses were getting restless as they moved closer to the cave. They made faint snorting noises and their bodies tensed up.
It looks like we have to walk by ourselves from this point on.
Alaric gave a hand signal, telling everyone to dismount.
The entrance of the cave was narrow and the pathway was filled with sharp rocks that weren’t ideal for the horses’ hooves so leaving them outside was the best option.
As soon as they stepped inside the cave, the temperature noticeably went up.
The smell of the air inside reminded Alaric of a musty abandoned house. There was also this distinctive smell of urine mixed within, making him scrunch his nose.
There was no lighting inside so everything was dark.
“Light up the torch,” Alaric whispered.
Aldrin who was holding the torch nodded and lit up the torch.
The flickering flame lit up the cave and revealed what was inside.
Sharp stalactites hung above them with pointed tips dripping with water.
The walls near the entrance of the cave were covered in green moss, giving it an ancient and untouched impression.
The group carefully treaded the cave. This time, Galanar was positioned at the front. The Elite Knight’s eyes were narrowed into slits as he warily observed the dark path ahead.
Meanwhile, Alaric’s hand was already on the hilt of his sword. His feet were positioned in a way that he could easily react to any situation. This was a habit he had formed during his days as a soldier under the crown prince.
At that time, his life was always hanging by a thread. He was in a constant state of danger that he had unconsciously created this habit.
At this moment, a violent roar shook the cave and made the group flinch.
They were a bit startled by the sudden noise.
Galanar slowly took out his weapon, a broadsword that was five-foot long and a width of about two feet. From a glance, it looked like a huge chunk of metal.
He then made a series of hand gestures, informing the group that he had sensed the presence of the creature.
“Aldrin, give me the torch.” Alaric stretched out his hand.
Aldrin didn’t know why he asked for the torch, but he handed it to him without asking any questions.
Once he got the torch, Alaric made a throwing motion, aiming for the direction that was pointed by Galanar, before throwing it.
Everyone watched in surprise as the torch flew across the other side of the cave and revealed the huge creature hiding in the darkness.
The torch struck the beast’s body before it fell to the ground.
The beast opened its huge mouth and issued another ear-piercing roar.
ROAR!!!
“Prepare for battle!” Alaric shouted.
“Yes, my lord!” Everyone answered in unison, their eyes flashing with seriousness.
It’s indeed a Spiked Grizzly Bear. From its size, it looks like an adult male.
Alaric furrowed his eyebrows as he took in a deep breath. With his current strength, his sword wouldn’t be able to penetrate deeply into the beast’s skin even if he used all his might. His battle experience would be useless here because of the overwhelming difference in strength.
The Spiked Grizzly Bear didn’t immediately attack them. It sized them up as if it was studying its prey.
“When I count to three, we will attack the bear,” Alaric muttered, his eyes narrowed as he firmly gripped his sword.
Everyone nodded silently as they adjusted their posture.
“One…”
The air seemed to grow heavy as Alaric started his countdown.
“Two…”
Everyone tightened their muscles in preparation.
“Three!” As soon as Alaric’s voice fell, the group moved simultaneously, lunging at the bear in different directions.
Startled by their sudden attack, the Spiked Grizzly Bear was half a second slower to react.
Galanar took this opportunity to swing his massive broadsword in a diagonal cut that made the air produce a keening sound.
Swoosh!
The bear was struck by his sword, leaving a deep wound on its chest that made the bear emit a pained sound.
Grr!!
The others were a bit slower, but their attacks also connected, creating small wounds on the beast’s huge body.
We are barely wounding it! Only Galanar’s attack was able to deal substantial damage.
Alaric frowned.
The huge bear was furious after being wounded. It pounced at the nearest person which was Henry and swiped its sharp claws at the old Knight.
Seeing this, Henry immediately lifted his sword to deflect its claws while moving away from its range.
What a strong monster!
Now that the bear was preoccupied with Henry, Galanar sent another attack, stabbing the creature’s neck with the pointed edge of his sword.
The bear didn’t die immediately after having its neck stabbed with the broadsword.
It wobbled and walked a few more steps before it fell to the ground with a heavy ‘thud’.
“Move away! Be careful with its spikes!” Rigor shouted at the group as he pulled Alaric to the ground and lifted his shield to cover him.
The Knights quickly dove to the ground when they heard his words.
Just then, the sharp spikes on the bear’s back suddenly shoot out in all directions.
Suu! Suu! Suu!
One of the spikes missed Aldrin by a few inches. A little bit more and his stomach would have been punctured.
“Is everyone alright?” Henry rose to his feet and looked around.
Alaric was about to respond when he felt something warm dripping by his face.
Feeling alarmed, he hurriedly grabbed Rigor and saw a spike sticking on the latter’s left shoulder.
“Rigor, you’re injured!”
“Argh!”
Rigor dropped his shield and groaned in pain.
“Are you alright, my lord?”
“How can you ask me that when you’re the one who is injured?” Alaric helped him carefully remove his armor. He then grabbed his medicine kit and took out some bandages and herbs.
Alaric handed a cloth to Rigor and said.
“Bite through it. I will make it quick.”
Rigor nodded and put the cloth in his mouth, sweat trickled down his face.
With a quick pull, Alaric removed the spike.
A pained groan leaked out of Rigor’s mouth who was biting on the cloth.
After pulling out the spike, Alaric chewed the herbs and spat it out. He then smeared the herb paste on the open wound before wrapping it tightly with bandages.
The Knights watched Alaric’s practice movements with surprise. His hands moved like he had done this over a hundred times in the past.
Not even a minute had passed when he completed the first aid.
“Thanks.” Alaric patted Rigor’s injured shoulder which made the latter hiss in pain.
