Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Using their javelins as walking sticks, hunters Ralph and Winters climbed the steep slope. Uphill is followed by downhill, and downhill is followed by uphill.

After climbing several hills along the animal trail, even the old hunter who often walked in the forest was out of breath.

Wolf Town is located at the northern foot of the Golden Summit Mountains. Generally speaking, the terrain becomes higher as you go deeper into the forest to the south. But the micro-terrain is not uphill all the way, but undulating mountain ridges. Walking in this kind of place is the most torture.

Winters, who was carrying a heavy musket, was also sweating profusely. This large-caliber matchlock gun was extremely heavy and bulky. It usually had to be mounted on a support pole when used. It weighed nearly twenty kilograms. Winters carried two poles on his back.

"Sir, beasts usually walk around the hills." Ralph gasped, "The beast was probably frightened by the people returning from the church, so he panicked and chose his way."

Winters propped up his knees and tried to calm his breathing rhythm. He nodded but did not speak. He really couldn't say a word now.

"That beast must be even more tired. It can't run very far!" The old hunter started walking forward, leaning on his javelin.

Winters gritted his teeth and followed suit.

There were fewer and fewer traces of destruction in the forest. The giant bear was running rampant when it first escaped into the forest. Even Winters could recognize the damage caused by that rough action.

But the deeper we went into the forest, the fewer broken branches and shrubs there were, and the paw prints became shallower.

It was obvious that the pace of the giant beast was slowing down, its violent mood was subsided, and it was gradually returning to its original behavior pattern - moving stealthily in a strolling manner.

Tracking became increasingly difficult, but the beast could not escape the hunter's eyes.

Ralph clung to the traces of the giant bear and used his hunting knife to cut marks on the trees as he walked to mark the direction for those who came after him.

Through a forest of white oaks, the giant bear disappears into a small river. Winters felt nervous, but after the hunter crossed the stream and inspected it carefully, he led Winters and chased upstream.

The two of them walked one step at a time on the river bank. Seasonal flash floods washed away the soil on both sides of the river, exposing stones of different sizes and shapes under the soil layer.

The forest on both sides of the river beach seemed like a dark, wide cave, with murderous intent lurking everywhere. The force of the current makes the surface of the rocks on the riverbank slippery and dangerous.

Ralph, who was walking in front, suddenly stumbled and almost fell. But he struggled hard and stood firm, and at the same time he let out another painful growl from his throat.

Winters quickly caught up with Ralph. He saw the old hunter clenching his teeth, his nostrils exploding, and all the muscles in his body were so tense that they were shaking.

The second lieutenant quickly realized: the tired old hunter failed to step firmly on the stone under his feet, and his ankle was sprained.

Sprained foot is the most common and troublesome injury. It won't kill you, but it will immobilize you.

The only reason the two of them tracked them all the way here was because of their hunter skills, and Winters knew this very well.

He could no longer see where the ferocious beast was running. If Ralph couldn't move, he could only watch as the beast disappeared without a trace.

Holding Ralph's arm, Winters asked seriously: "Can you still move?"

"Yes!" The old hunter gritted his teeth and replied, "Keep chasing."

After the old hunter stood firm, he continued to walk forward with his legs up. Unexpectedly, he staggered again and almost fell.

Winters immediately supported Ralph, and he said helplessly: "Let's rest for a while."

The ensign helped Ralph slowly sit down on the spot and helped the old hunter take off his boots. The hunter's right ankle was highly swollen, and there were bruises under the skin. It was obvious that he could no longer move.

"You stay here and wait for the people behind to come." Winters made up his mind: "I will chase them alone."

The old hunter shook his head vigorously and gasped: "No, I can't do it alone. When I take a breath, I will tie up my ankles with a cloth, and we will continue to chase."

As he spoke, the old hunter took off a horn cup from his waist, leaned out and scooped some water from the river to drink. The cup had already been brought to his mouth, but the hunter suddenly thought of something. He stopped and offered the water to the ensign with both hands.

Winters was angry and laughing at the same time: "Why does he still do this? Just drink it as much as you want. I will drink it after you finish it."

Ralph stopped refusing. After drinking, he scooped up another glass of water and handed it to Winters. The ensign, whose throat was parched with thirst, drank it all in one gulp and handed the cup back to Ralph.

The hunter leaned out again to scoop out water. As soon as the cup was put into the river, the hunter suddenly froze. He couldn't hold any of his hands, and the horn cup fell out of his hands and was swept downstream by the rapids.

Just as Winters was about to ask about his background, he saw Ralph making a silencing bracelet. The old hunter looked at Winters, shook his head slowly, and then pointed to the pine trees on the other side of the river.

In the eyes of the old hunter, Winters actually saw a hint of panic.

He looked in the direction pointed by the hunter. At first glance, he saw nothing. The next moment, he discovered that what he was looking for was actually under the tree on the other side of the river!

The dark brown fur is a natural protective color in the forest. The beast was lying in the shadow under the tree, as if it were a huge rock that had stood for millions of years.

The foreman of the logging team was not exaggerating at all. He was really a bear as big as a house. The size of this giant beast is so huge that even if it is just lying on the ground, it is a terrifying giant.

Winters wasn't surprised why he and Ralph didn't see it at first, since no one would mistake a rock that big for an animal. Even though it was clear that he was tracking a giant bear, the size of the thing in front of him far exceeded his psychological expectations.

This beast is too big to be called a bear bear. There is no word that can accurately describe this thing. Only the royal eagle raised by the Oathbreaker can rival it.

Can these two muskets really do damage to that thing? The second lieutenant actually felt a little shaken in his heart.

For days, Winters Montagne dreamed of finding this beast. Now he was less than twenty meters away from the vicious beast, but the second lieutenant didn't know how to kill that thing.

Fortunately, the beast was still and seemed to be sleeping soundly.

what to do? Fight or flight?

The hunter and the ensign looked at each other wordlessly.

Winters quietly placed the javelin and saber in his hands on the ground, then took off the two muskets on his body, and also placed them gently on the ground.

In order to avoid waking up the beast on the other side, Winters made every move extremely slowly without making the slightest sound.

The sound of running water, the chirping of birds, the sound of wind blowing branches and leaves...the noisier the background sound of the forest, the more terrifying the silence felt by the hunter and the ensign.

After putting down all weapons again, Winters motioned for Ralph to be silent. He walked silently up to Ralph and took hold of Ralph's legs with one hand and his arm with the other.

The lieutenant took a deep breath, his waist and abdominal muscles suddenly exerted force, and he lifted the old hunter up.

Just as the old hunter was being carried on his shoulders, there was a crisp sound in his bag.

In an instant, the hair on Winters' spine stood up, and Ralph immediately held down his tool bag.

The two of them froze in place, not daring to move. Winters slowly turned his head to look at the giant bear. Luck was on their side, and the beast was still lying motionless under the tree.

The second lieutenant nodded and carried the old hunter towards the direction he came from. He walked slowly and steadily. The old hunter clutched his tool bag tightly to prevent it from making any more noise.

Winters counted the steps silently, and when he counted to five hundred, he found a flat place and put the old hunter down.

"Sir." Ralph didn't even have time to thank him. He knew what the second lieutenant was thinking, and lowered his voice to dissuade him anxiously: "We can't deal with that beast alone. We must not go there alone. Sir, wait until the people behind us come over. Find a way."

"What if that thing runs away before reinforcements arrive?" Winters chuckled: "Don't worry, I'm not that reckless. I'll go over and guard it to prevent it from running away again."

"Then take my foot spikes." The old hunter took out a set of spikes from his tool bag.

The hunter briefly explained how to use it, and Winters turned and left after taking it.

The old hunter was at a loss. He wanted to call Lieutenant Montagne back but did not dare to make a sound. He could only watch the second lieutenant walk away.

Returning to the previous location, Winters retrieved his weapon. The giant bear was still sleeping soundly under the tree, unaware of what was happening around him.

"It's useless to hit such a huge creature on the body. You have to hit the head." Winters silently evaluated in his heart: "I'm afraid hitting the head is not enough. You have to hit a vulnerable place like the eye."

At this moment, Lieutenant Montagne regretted most that he did not bring a cannon into the mountain.

Armed with two guns, Winters found a ford with a slow current to cross the river, and quietly approached the giant bear from the downwind.

Winters was not sure about the accuracy of the musket in his hand.

Different from the two spring-wheel guns that Antonio gave him, which were made by royal gunsmiths, the bores of those two guns were as smooth as mirrors, and they could hit wherever you pointed.

But the muskets in Blackwater's arsenal were cheap, and the bores had not been carefully ground. It must be close enough to ensure a hit.

The closer he got to the giant bear, the more Winters could intuitively feel its hugeness. This giant beast is like the embodiment of wilderness, as if its existence is to demonstrate the power of nature.

The second lieutenant's sanity still existed, and he never thought of solving such a huge thing by himself.

But he couldn't allow himself to let the beast run away and do evil. So when he was about fifteen meters away from the giant beast, he found a suitable tree branch and set up his musket.

He didn't dare and couldn't get any closer.

What follows is waiting.

Waiting for reinforcements.

The distance was so close that Lieutenant Montagne could even hear the giant bear's breathing. At a certain moment, he suddenly had an illusion: the forest seemed to be alive, and its pulse was beating with the breathing of the giant bear.

I don’t know how long it took, maybe a second? One minute? A quarter of an hour?

The heartbeat of the forest paused for a second.

The giant bear under the shade of the tree came to life, like a boulder filled with soul.

Winters' breathing stopped, and his heart suddenly contracted.

First, it moved its body slightly, then the giant bear twitched its nose and turned its head towards Winters.

The distance was so close that Winters could clearly see every detail of the giant beast. He saw the shaggy fur, the high back, the set ears, the dark nose, the cold eyes, and the black eye circles. .

He also saw that the hair next to the giant bear's nose was red, which was the blood of the latest victim.

The man and the beast looked at each other, and Lieutenant Montagne did not hesitate to use magic to ignite the gunpowder in the barrel.

The sound of gunfire broke the silence of the forest, and the recoil caused by the doubled charge almost pushed the second lieutenant down. In the moment when the smoke erupted, he saw the lead bullets flying past the giant bear's cheeks and exploding in the latter's shoulders.

Without any time to regret, Winters immediately switched to another gun.

A blood-curdling roar came from behind the smoke. The fire, loud noise and smoke failed to scare away the ferocious beast. The enraged giant bear roared and rushed towards the tiny human.

So for the second shot, Winters aimed at the giant bear's bloody mouth.

This gun lived up to Winters’ hard work carrying it all the way, and the 35-gram lead bullet accurately penetrated between the giant bear’s upper and lower teeth.

The giant bear's head was knocked back by the huge momentum carried by the lead bullet, and blood sprayed from the bear's mouth. The rampaging giant suddenly fell down, screaming in pain.

There was no time to show mercy. Seeing the giant beast fall to the ground, Winters immediately reloaded the musket in his hand. There was no time to clean the barrel of the gun, so in order to save time, he poured gunpowder directly into the barrel.

But before he could take out the lead, the giant bear that had just been severely injured stood up staggeringly again.

"[Veneta swears]!" The second lieutenant made a quick decision, threw away his musket and climbed up the tree.

At the critical moment of life and death, Lieutenant Montagne, who had never climbed a tree in his life, stepped on the "foot anchor" given by the old hunter, used his hands and feet together, and actually climbed up the tree - although his posture was extremely embarrassing.

As soon as it climbed to a height of two or three meters, the giant bear crashed into the tree trunk. The pine tree, which was nearly as thick as a person's arms, was like weeds in the strong wind under the ferocious beast's force, almost throwing Winters off.

The pine trees trembled but were not knocked down. Winters stabilized his position and immediately climbed higher with all his strength.

The giant bear that hit the tree shook its head a few times and supported the tree man to stand up. It roared and slapped the human with its front paws. The bear's claws made a sound of wind and almost hooked the human's ankle.

The distance between man and bear is only a hair's breadth, and Winters can even smell the fishy stench from the giant bear's mouth.

But at this time, humans had climbed to five or six meters. The giant bear stretched out its front paws in vain, while the people on the tree climbed higher and higher.

Lieutenant Winters Montagne now only has two wishes: first, that bears cannot climb trees; second, that trees are strong enough.

The first wish has been fulfilled, because the giant bear has no intention of climbing the tree. The giant bear, realizing that it could not reach the human in the tree, began to violently hit the tree trunk with its back and shoulders.

And the second lieutenant found that the tree he climbed up was really not strong enough.

As the giant beast struck again and again, the pine tree was beginning to tilt. There was no other big tree within a few meters that Winters could jump over.

He couldn't let it continue to hit him like this - Winters realized - otherwise he would definitely die.

"[Vicious and incoherent swear words]!" Regardless of whether the ferocious beast could understand human speech, Winters shouted desperately to distract the giant bear.

However, the ferocious beast under the tree ignored it and continued to destroy the trees with brute force.

Winters drew his saber and climbed down while chopping the pine branches beside him. The branch hitting the giant bear was as if it was painless to the giant beast, and it was not hindered at all.

Winters went down until the bear was almost touching him.

"Come on!" Human beings are roaring like wild beasts: "Come and kill me!"

The furious giant bear once again stood up and pounced on the humans on the tree.

Winters had been waiting for this moment.

When the giant bear opened its bloody mouth and roared, it pounced on the humans in the tree. The humans on the tree also roared and used all their strength to insert the javelin into the giant bear's mouth.

The human in the tree was slammed to the ground, but the javelin was also deeply inserted into the throat of the giant bear.

The severe pain made Winters' body almost paralyzed. He couldn't even feel which bone he broke. He lay on the ground, unable to move.

The giant bear shook its head desperately, and scarlet blood was thrown everywhere. It tried to pull the javelin out with its front paws, but the barb of the spear head was firmly bitten into the flesh, and the more it pulled out, the more painful it became.

The ferocious beast exerted its upper and lower jaws so hard that it bit the barrel of the gun directly, leaving the tip of the gun in its mouth. The beast panted, growled, and twitched its nose as it approached Winters.

One step, two steps, the heavy footsteps are getting closer and closer.

Winters was desperate.

"In this situation...is there any point in pretending to be dead?" The despairing Winters Montagne suddenly came up with an idea that was quite darkly humorous.

He smiled bitterly, closed his eyes and waited for death.

He could already feel the heat of the beast's breath.

"call out".

A sound broke through the air.

"call out".

Another sound.

Two arrows shot from a 180-pound longbow pierced the giant bear's cheek one after another.

The giant bear was hit by an arrow, and the man stood up, roaring in pain.

"Come on! Beast! Come at me!"

It was the voice of the old hunter.

I originally thought I could kill the bear in this chapter, but it failed.

I posted the foot prick in this chapter. Book friends who are curious about it can open this chapter and have a look.

In addition, a sprained foot is a really painful injury. When I read "Loving Life" in middle school and saw that the protagonist was abandoned after having a sprained foot, I didn't quite understand it. Later, I wore a pair of low-rise hiking boots during my first wilderness trek, and I instantly understood. There are uninhabited wilderness in front and behind, and it will be really troublesome if you sprain your foot. So when I take other routes later, I wear high-waisted shoes and ankle braces no matter what.

Thanks to the book friends who voted for recommendation before;

Thanks to the book friends for their monthly tickets for calmly grieving and fighting the storm;

Thanks to Book Friends Your Life is the Most, Sky Lens, Mi Zao, Flower Planter’s Yellow Rabbit, Kun Kun, felixyf024, Book Friends 161120205936216, I don’t know what they are called, and Jiang Xue Diao Weng for their recommendation votes. Thank you all.