Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 32: Chapter 28: Bear-dger

Read chapter 32 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Chapter 28: Bear-dger Chapter 28: Bear-dger The bear-dger barreled towards Allie and Holly in a frenzy. Alex thought he would have to watch them get trampled over by the beast, as he knew he wouldn't be fast enough to get there and push them out of the way. But the two girls weren't helpless. They each dove in different directions, the animal threading between the two of them and slamming againt a tree a few feet beyond. The entire canopy shuddered slightly, but the tree held firm. "Take the small ones. I'll distract the big one for now." Alex called out as he ran forward. The beast had already turned around when Alex was upon it. He groaned and gritted his teeth as his still injured arm protested the rapid movement he was subjecting it to, but that didn't stop him. He brought the spear in his right hand up and jabbed. The beast couldn't back away because of the tree and failed to swipe the weapon with its claws. The spearhead pierced the creature's fur stopping at the shaft. It wasn't very deep but it was enough. "Ha!" Alex yelled as he twisted the spearhead and pulled it back. It was a move he had learned when watching Devon fight the badgers just minutes earlier. The guy was surprisingly deft at the weapon and Alex took to mimicking him. The twisting action lacerated the puncture wound further as Alex withdrew. The beast roared in rebuke. "Badgers and kobolds and bears, oh my," Garret yelled out just as he arrived. He came barreling through the leaves of a low hanging tree branch and rolled along the ground as he landed. He was obviously messing around with his ‘ring of mad-hops’ once again. Alex refused to call the item by that name, but it didn’t really matter what he wanted, it was Garret’s item. "That thing the den mother?" "No idea, just help," Alex shouted without turning away from the beast. He backpedaled as the thing recovered and took a swipe at him. He couldn't take advantage of the full spear's reach with his injury as he had to hold the weapon in only one hand. He was forced to choke up on the shaft to have control of the thing, sacrificing its length compared to the others. Against the smaller badgers, this wasn’t a problem, it still gave Alex a longer reach than the beasts. In this instance, it was an issue that Alex was going to have to keep in mind during the fight. It was better than the sword he still had sheathed on his hip. Alex had no confidence in his ability to not chop off his own leg with that thing. The large badger again rushed forward, this time at Alex, forcing him to also dive to the side in a dodge. He rolled back to his feet easily, his arm sending new jolts of pain through his body which he ignored. Garret was on the thing once it scrambled to a halt. A thrust from his spear brought a new wound to the creature’s hide. His higher strength had his spear piercing twice as deeply as Alex could manage. Garret got it low on the shoulder and then pulled away to avoid the counterattack. Alex also got a jab in on its flank during the distraction and jumped back to gauge their handiwork. It's not enough. He thought. While Alex was opening up his wounds with the twisting maneuver he learned from Devon, they weren't that deep. Garret's were deeper, but not that wide. All the muscle, fat and fur were matting over the creature's wounds and were quite effective in stopping the bleeding. They were doing damage, but nothing lethal. He looked over to Holly and Allie, they were already finishing off the "little" ones and could start helping, but how much? "It's not bleeding. We aren't hurting it enough." Alex called out. Garret dodged another swipe, only barely. His agility wasn't like Alex's. If the others went in for attacks, would they be fast enough to avoid getting killed in return? He didn't know. "Should I build a fire for you?" Garret shouted over the beast's grunts. “What?” “That’s how you killed the first one.” Garret smiled at him. Alex shook his head in annoyance. Burning the thing like he did to