Elven strength

"Why are you smiling? You want to die?" I was really close to cursing but held it in the back of my mind. It would cause unnecessary commotion between the two of us.

"We are going to kill it." What? We are going to kill it? It's a gigantic bear in the size of a hundred men and we are supposed to kill it? How?

"How are we going to kill it? This is madness!" I whispered even though the anger overtook me. I wanted to scream at him, shout it out right into his ear.

"It's not if you are with me. It will take some time, we are going to bleed it out to death." He explained to me and I looked him dead in the eye.

"You know we need to make many holes? One won't be enough, especially when we don't have a lot of time and what if there are other beasts?" This thought took over my mind if there are any other monsters we will die for sure… I don't want to die. Until I will prevent more people from sharing the same fate as mine… It won't be my time to die.

"We will, you are good at running right?" No. No no no no! No! Is he thinking what I have on my mind right now? Is he going to make me a bait? That thing could probably break the trees while running, maybe not because they are completely engulfed in the cold ground. The roots probably froze to the water in the ground.

"No." I had to lie, he surely won't make me run right? Am I going to be bait? I don't want to be a bait…

"I know you are, you caught up to me when we were running away from the mountain." He remembered it… Why did he remember it…

The cold trees seemed to emit the cold from within themselves. A freezing aura around them made everything blue even if it wasn't the cloudless deep blue sky.

"Why are you doing it to me? Why me god…" Another thing that I've said in my mind looking at the elf. This whole dialogue was in my mind? He hasn't actually said that?

He didn't but from the way, he is looking at me… There is no way that I could be mistaken. That's probably what he would say if I said my thoughts out loud.

My own head is creating dialogues? What am I doing? Who even asks questions like that. Am I that panicky? What the hell…

He was still looking at me, I can't look away nor walk away. I gasped loudly and finally accepted that. I accepted that this is the only chance for us to get more food and skin for survival.

"I'm gonna do it…" I sighed at him. There was no fear in my voice, only hatred that was unreadable in it. In the end, a small note of hesitation created a smirk on his face.

"Give me a minute and after that get him to chase you." After saying those words he disappeared behind the trees. I'm supposed to lead him to Estel… Why did I agree to that?

Some time has passed and now sure it is the time for me to actually do something. So… I went behind that bear, right behind its rear.

"Hey, you!" The bear pulsated with the fat surrounding it, the meat. It shivered and he turned around. "Yeah, you! I am talking to you!" I started running and the bear without any thought followed.

Do even beasts think? Or do they just follow their instincts… I honestly don't know but that question didn't leave. Why? Because that giant bear is right behind me! Why am I doing this! Why! Another question even weirder than the one before… How am I outrunning a giant bear!? Oh… He is hitting the trees and that slows him down, what a disappointment.

"Your fat ass can't reach me!" I screamed once again just not to lose him, to make him chase me no matter what.

I was running like this for a time that felt like years. But it wasn't probably even a minute, my legs felt almost numb and when I looked behind… The frozen trees were breaking in half like matches almost. It felt as if he got faster but he didn't, he didn't increase his speed or anything. It just felt faster because of fear.

While running for another ten meters I saw something flash in my eyes. Is that a sign from Estel? I ducked right after the flash appeared and after going behind it, I looked behind. Estel's spear penetrated the bear's throat and in the same moment, he was able to pull the stick out. The bear screamed in pain and ran away in the direction we came from. How strong is Estel? How damn strong is he? He was able to pierce a gigantic bear's throat and take the spear out.

"See? It's not that hard." Since when is it not hard?! His voice seemed as if it actually wasn't even tired at all. Nothing, just like an everyday thing. Piercing bear's throat. "Now we just have to follow the trail of blood and the beast will probably be very exhausted. Let's go." We went on another adventure. This time we don't have to be crouching or running, we just walked on the trail of destroyed trees and blood spilled on the ground.

"Do you really think we can kill it?" I hate asking so many questions but I will do it no matter what. I need knowledge, maybe he will explain a little more?

"Well, we have a great chance you know? The monster will be slowly bleeding out and we will just finish the job. Because of the high pressure in a bear's body, since there is so much blood inside. That wound will flow like a river. Almost there is a chance that we will find a great pool of blood under him." That's really great to know actually. It could be helpful later if I will fight a giant beast with only a spear of something. The chances of it happening are low but not zero.

"While we are walking… Do you know anything about the academy?" Well, the monsters imbued with dark seem very weird… They are really powerful, even the weak ones like that tiger.

"I wasn't in the academy for long but I was still able to learn some stuff. What do you want to know?" So he really wants to answer some questions, that wasn't too hard… That means he probably didn't have problems there.

"What is actually with those dark beasts?" The question made Estel think a little while.

"Hmm… I wasn't there for long therefore I didn't learn much y'know? But I was still able to remember some minor stuff, the question you asked… I only know that they are here for a long time, even before men actually. But how do they truly originate? How were they able to get that power? No idea. They probably teach you that in the academy but I wasn't there for long enough to learn more." That makes me really interested in the academy but I probably will never get there… I can't enter if I don't have any power.

I gasped loudly and started looking more into the blood on the ground afterward. The hoarfrost is still on the leaves with some being covered in dark blood.

"Do you think it's worth going to the academy?"

"It is. It's very worth going there. You will fight people of the same level, learn new properties of elements, and actually many more than that but I didn't experience it. Even though I didn't, I am sure that it actually is a very good thing. I don't know if you knew it but you can actually learn the properties of other elements. As you know, people are better in a specific element or… Anything actually. But you can learn another one if you really know how. That's what they said after the first week and since on the second almost I've already left the academy to work… For you know whom. I wasn't able to grasp that knowledge." He also gasped after saying it. Almost as if it was a scream for help… What a sad man… I wish I could've helped him in any way. "We are close, prepare." This threw me off guard and I almost fell but managed to keep my balance. We are close to the exhausted beast… I need to be ready. There is always a chance of us dying even to a half dead and slow beast but it's still a bear. A giant bear that could kill us with one sweep of his gigantic paw with claws. A scary thought but there is no other way for us to get food.

After a couple of more steps. I saw the bear laying on the ground with its blood gushing out from the neck.