Cornered Beast

I start by having Pearl drag a few long branches nearby and we use them to layer over top the hole until we have a sturdy bar looking mesh. I start throwing large leaves and dirt on top of the branches grimacing as most of it falls through before I have the bright idea to start taking smaller branches with leaves still on them and gently place them until they're fairly stable. Once the entire pit is hidden except for a small hole near me I start looking for the berries that Slab told me about along with any other fruit that I can find. After searching for a bit I end up finding a giant maggot the size of a potato and cringing I end up throwing it in the hole with a few different fruits and at least seven different types of berries we found in the surrounding area. After finding berries I finally figured out that Pearl could tell me which ones would work based on their smell so after filling the hole with fruit I finally nod and decide its time to enact the plan.

As I make my way towards the clearing where we saw the bearsk I start to think about how stupid this idea is and how badly it could go wrong. After a few minutes I finally arrive in the clearing and see the bearsk sleeping in the pile of timber and leaves its turned into its nest. As i approach slowly the beast snorts before raising its head and looking in my direction with extreme laziness in its eyes before it huffs and lays back down without a worry. As I watch it lay back down I can't help but just stand there in wonder at the fact that this creature can't even be bothered to consider me as a threat before I pull out a rotted fruit I found earlier and chuck it at the bearsk's head. As the fruit lands nearby the bearsk's head shoots up and sniffs once before glaring at me in disapproval before it tries to go back to sleep before a rock follows the fruit and land on the bearsk's neck with a muffled clack. after I toss a few more rocks at the bearsk I get lucky and one nails it on the air and I can hear a bone rattling growl before the bearsk raises its massive body and turns towards me before roaring. As the sound hits me I can feel my entire body lock up before the beast starts to slowly trudge its way towards me, each step leaving a dent in the earth that's a few inches deep.

"Fuck I didn't think that this thing would have a stun skill. C'mon wear off! Damnit! Please!" I begin begging as the bearsk is a few meters away before I can feel my legs regain feeling. As soon as that feeling returns I turn around and start to run towards where the hole is, making sure to continue listening for the beasts footsteps behind me. After a few minutes of running forwards I turn around and throw another rock at the bearsk smiling as I actually hit it in its eye this time. The bearsk roars in fury as my smile disappears at the sight of the the beasts finally picking up speed and charging towards me. I finally start running as fast as I can and realize I can still outpace it barely as I finally see the area where the hole is and Pearl waiting on the opposite side like I told her to.

I sprint around where the hole is and finally reach Pearl before falling to the ground in exhaustion. Once I hit the ground I can hear the steady thumping of the bearsk before a hear the splintering of wood as a tree nearby falls to the ground and the Bearsk appears in the clearing covered in wood pulp, it's eyes holding rage and loathing as it finally see's me and charges forward. After getting nearer I hear a loud crack before a pained growl of confusion comes from the hole as I can see the back legs of the Bearsk barely sticking out of the hole as the entire front half of the bearsk is stuck in the hole at an extremly twisted angle. It attempts to back out but one leg can barely move while the other just succeeds as making the rest of its body get pushed further into the hole. After waiting a few minutes to make sure its stuck before I finally sigh in relief before taking out my cane and rearing it backwards before thumping it down as hard as I can on the bearsk's back. After hitting it I inspect it once again but this time trying to use its new effect and see its health before a bar appears in my vision and I grimace in frustration.

(Stone hide Bearsk Health 1486/1487)

One hit as hard as I could takes one of its health away....This is going to take FOREVER. As I debate if it's worth trying to kill it vs waiting for my help to come I watch Pearl approach and Sink here teeth into the back leg of the Bearsk. As she pulls back I see a yellow liquid dripping from her teeth before I inspect Pearls skills and am surprised to see a new skill.

(Low grade toxin-An extremly weak toxin created after consuming various poisonous creatures or plants, this poison isn't very effective but can cause slowing of reflexes and mild damage if not cured.)

Lucky lucky!! I can't believe I missed Pearl learning a new skill that was so useful and it leaves me wondering if I should inspect all my vassals to see their improvements before deciding that I'll have to do that once I return back to base. As I shake myself out of my thoughts I notice the bearsk's health is now going down a couple points per minute and decide to keep attacking it to speed up the process and in hopes that maybe I'll learn something new. After a few hours of wailing on the poor bearsk I realize that just trying to beat it to death isn't really teaching me anything and I begin starting to imitate skills from some of the games I played before deciding on a move I remember from a kung fu game that had really bad scores. I remember the game because it was so damn difficult due to the moves being based off actual fighting styles and the staff was one of the easier weapons to use with a kind of fluid ideal. As I begin clumsily hitting the bearsk again I flinch and feel bad at the renewed whining of the creature that's all but given up on getting out of the pit it's fallen in. As i swing my cane like I remember the staff moving in the game I have a feeling like I'm on the right track as I continue with the motion until my arms ache. As I finally collapse I see a small notification in the corner of my vision and as I look at it I smile before finally falling into sleep.

{New skill learned! Fluid Strike-After endless practice you've learned one of the most basic moves of staff fighting. By moving the staff constantly you let the strikes flow like water over your opponent using weak yet accurate attacks.}