Such a sight caused Calestro to think.
"they are still raring to go.."
IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS
IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS
IT HURTS IT HURTS!!
"And I'm here.."
IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS
IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!
"Thinking of.. dying..!"
IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS
IT HURTS IT HURTS..
"Don't..make me laugh..!"
IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS..
"I'm.."
IT HURTS..IT HURTS...
Calestro began to stand up once more, blood spreading out on the surface of his thighs and eventually coating his shins, causing his ascent to be wobbly and unstable, though..
"Ghkk..!"
he succeeded.
IT HURts-*CRACK!*
"I'm..the Son..Here!!"
"G.O.O.D."
—
"L.E.T.S D.O. T.H.I.S."
Seeing the three still standing despite all of the previous blows, a vein throbbed on Hamilvan's bleeding forehead before he tightly gritted his teeth.
"Just..FALL DOWN DAMN IT..!!"
In a lion-like roar of a voice echoing throughout the entire atmosphere of the forest did Hamilvan respond, but Calestro replied by curling his lips into a soft smirk.
"This shall be the last attempt!"
Calestro yelled, voice causing the two bears to slightly flinch and Yenna, situated in a leveled patch not far from the four to lean in, urgency slowly wrapping her heart like a vice.
"Operation; 'Don't Die Yet' Commencing..!"
"R.O.G.E.R." - "AT ONCE!"
————
"..I yelled that with so much conviction.. yet I don't even know how we're gonna survive this.."
— Calestro thought, focus never leaving the stationary Hamilvan.
"..This is dangerous.. No it is very dangerous! I cannot let either of them tank any of those fast and surprising attacks..!
Yet..!"
- Calestro held up both arms, the chains that were wrapped around his palms responding in a soft clang.
"..What will happen if I'm caught off guard..? If I don't want either to tank it for me? Suffering an irreversible injury.."
- Calestro gritted his teeth, hands tightly clutching the chains.
"..wll be worse than dying here..!"
- He yelled internally, before allowing his nostrils to take in some air then his lips to release it with a sigh.
"Papa Bear, Mama Bear.."
- He mutters, catching the attention of the two gigantic statures slouching before him.
"I need.. to make a decision..!"
"Don't attempt to tank any of his attacks.."
"U.N.D.E.R.S—"
"Even if it means I will be hit by it—"
"DECLINED."
Calestro's eyes widened as the monotonous, feminine voice chimed into the command, effectively cutting off his reckless requests.
"It is an order..!"
"I KNOW. THAT IS WHY I DECLINED INSTEAD OF OUTRIGHTLY SMACKING YOU."
- Mama bear rotated her body to glance towards Calestro, posture straigthening for a few moments as she responded in a low, thunderous, snow-like shrill to the young man, sending an icy caress down his spine.
"Hi..Hieek!"
"S.O.N. L.I.S.T.E.N. T.O. Y.O.U.R. M.O.T.H.E.R. . ."
- The guttural, machine-like shrill of the Papa Bear entered the conversation with a slight glance towards Calestro.
"W.E. M.A.Y. B.E. A.R.T.I.F.I.C.I.A.L. . B.U.T. W.E. K.N.O.W. T.H.E.R.E. I.S. N.O. S.U.C.H P.A.R.E.N.T. . ."
Papa Bear's thin, black appendages flailed around like speeding tentacles, with enough force that it left a crater on whatever grassy patch it landed on, while shattering a rock, and severing away the branches of a large tree.
"T.H.A.T. W.I.L.L. A.B.A.N.D.O.N. A. K.I.D."
- Hearing the guttural reply of the larger bear, Calestro found himself pausing for a few moments before a scene depicting of two, faceless, shadow silhouettes came into his mind, leaving as swift as it came.
"Ahahahaha.. I.."
- Calestro trailed off, mouth going agape for a few moments before..
"Hm."
It evolved into a nice, clean; smirk-like smile.
"..I suppose so..!"
*Clang!*
He slammed his right fist unto his left palm, eyes lowering a little to glance at a small necklace wrapped around his neck.
"...Well then.. Papa Bear and Mama Be—"
"HOW LONG WILL YOU BABBLE FOR?"
—With insane speeds, Hamilvan abruptly teleported in between the Bears and unto the front of Calestro, having just a few inches separating their statures. His sword was already retreated backwards, assuming a piercing-like motion with its eventual trajectory.
Calestro's eyes widened, he felt his muscles freeze in place, with no urgency surging through his veins as if the movement was way too fast for his instincts to even detect.
"..Huh..?"
"PIERCE."
With a calm, almost emotionless intonation did Hamilvan launch his sword with a cold, yet eyes-blazing expression.
Firstly, the right shoulder was brought forward, transferring all of the garnered momentum towards the arm.
Next, in a fraction of a second was the right elbow pushed forward, transferring all of the coalescing energy unto the forearm,
Then, the entire arm was straightened by pushing the wrist all the way forward, effectively concentrating every single ounce of energy, momentum, and acceleration into the sword, causing the surrounding air to once again form a shape akin to that of a speeding bullet around it.
With just a millisecond to react, Calestro forced his arms to lift in order to have the wrapped chains on his hands to block the incoming strike. His strength was met with overwhelming resistance as if he was pushing not arms, but a boulder on a small hill.
"Disintegra—!!"
Just then, another scene flashed inside of Hamilvan's mind, depicting that of a.. shadowy silhouette its features obscured by the surrounding darkness, with the fires burning down what seemed like wooden structures around wasn't enough to illuminate his characteristics.
Akin to that of lightning did the memory inside of Hamilvan's head strike, causing a sensation to proliferate unto his head as if his brain expanded for a short second causing his eyes to be pushed out while two burly arms with fingers drilling into his head were attempting to split it open like a watermelon.
"GHHKKKWMRXDI..!!!"
He couldn't help but shut his eyes off while gritting his teeth, so much so that blood seeped out of his gums, and also;
His right arm to depress for a centimeter, causing the energy surrounding his sword to lose its dominant, white-like, with a tinge of blue colour form and devolve into a mere gust of air.
*FWIP!*
*BOOM!!*
*GUSHH!!*
The sound of a sword piercing through something echoed throughout the atmosphere, followed by a resonating ping.
Calestro slowly opened his eyes, feeling a cold.. sharp steel piercing his stomach.
"..!!?"
————
Another powerful burst of air sped by, narrowly avoiding her left ear before leveling the last remaining tree trunks behind her.
After a moment of covering her eyes with her armoured forearms, she gradually lowered it revealing her left ear which was now oozing with blood.
"..Almost..!"
— Yenna squinted her eyes, focusing once more on the four. This time, Calestro's head began to secrete out a red-coloured liquid beneath his jet-black hair, his clothes that were once just coated in dust now were filled with cuts, scratches, and torn off edges.
Apart from his furrowed-eyes, his expression remained blank. Lips unclenched, no smirk, no grit of teeth, not even a single clench of fist.
But then,
"Just..FALL DOWN DAMN IT..!!"
Akin to that of a roaring Lion, a voice, filled with utter desperation, anger and.. agony? Echoed throughout the area.
"..Sir..Hamilvan!"
- Yenna exclaimed, still assuming cover behind a fallen tree trunk while she watched, eyes widening upon seeing the black appendages of the larger bear to collapse unto itself, causing its flailing around to be even more faster, stronger and erratic.
"...! Just..what.."
- Yenna also took notice of the lengthening chains originating from the left arm of the smaller bear, a faint, blue-like glow starting to radiate around it as if a switch had just been flipped.
Lastly, there was the injured Calestro, who heaved a sigh before his lips curled into a soft, smirk-like smile with the chains that were resting on the ground starting to slither upon the raising of his arms.
"Operation; Don't Die Yet; Commencing!"
Yenna's eyes began to form swirls as she stared at the four with an utterly worried expression while sweat was proliferating on her face.
"awawawawawawa..!! I really need to do something..!"
Yenna frantically gazed around, scanning the area for whatever useful object she could lay her troubled eyes on.
"..Nothing..! just..destruction everywhere!"
- She exclaimed, seeing the surrounding area filled with fallen trees, shattered rocks, ruined grassy patches and leveled trunks.
"Wait..!"
- She then fiddled with her waistbelt to examine the pouches for anything worth using, she pulled out a water bottle to which she shook her head and threw away, a small silver rosary with a shape resembling that of an addition sign, a picture of a small boy,
a half-eaten sandwich,
some random glittery rocks she picked up somewhere,
a dead butterfly with colourful wings,
and a withered flower with a good array of colors.
"Aghhh..! I gotta stop picking up whatever I find..!"
- Yenna, using both of her arms began to furiously scratch her head. Afterwards, she continued until most of her pouches were empty.
"..Oh no..! Do I really have n—"
Until, her gloved right hand landed on a scabbard strapped unto her waistbelt.
"..!" - She blinked, "My sword..!"
She hurriedly hovered her hand over the pommel and pulled it out, assuming a stance where the sword was pointing upwards while her eyebrows furrowed in determination..! Though the only difference was;
"..Oh..Uh..Eh?"
. . .
Yenna fiddled with her fingers, grasping the pommel of an.. invisible sword?
"..Wait..what..? where..!"
She then remembered a scene, where she was saluting before a solemn Foryan, until she felt a large chunk of metal collide with her right foot. The pain was enough to result on her jumping around like a rabbit whilst grasping it, or at least that was she wished to do if she didn't care so much about cashiering.
Instead, she just remained there, posture straightened despite visibly shaking, lips curling into a smile wanting to burst out unto a scream as her eyes swirled, a pink hue colorating her face.
"Pri..private..yen.yenna.." - She squeaked out causing Foryan to release a sigh.
As she remembered the interaction, an imaginary arrow pointed at the sword resting on her feet.
Afterwards, when she was tasked with finding the Commander and the missing Calestro, she saluted and hurriedly turned around to sprint towards the forest, face brimming with newfound determination.
This time, another imaginary arrow was pointing at the sword resting beside the feet of Foryan.
Upon the realization; Yenna found herself devoid of vigour, her face dropping into a blank;
Iwant to die.
—Type of look.
"Seriously..Yenna."
- She whispered to herself.
"In these situations.. what does Miss Foryan say to me again..?"
"ooh!" - She blinked, an imaginary lightbulb flickering on her head.
"YENNA YOU FAYCKING BIEATCH..!!"
- Yenna screamed inside of her head as she continued to rapidly scratch her scalp in frustration.
"Aghhh!!!"
"I don't even know what that means..!!"
*slap!*
The lass then brought both palms for a slap on her cheeks before she regained her solemn expression while the reddish handprint on her cheek pulsated subtly.
"Get a grip Yenna!"
"I need to stop them..! But how..!?"
Yenna gulped as her mind raced with possibilities.
"I will only get on their way..!"
*BOOM!!!*
"Kyaaaa!"
The lass then crouched beneath the tree trunk before she yelped out, both hands covering her head.
After a few seconds, letting the tremor subside. Yenna's head peeked out of the tree trunk, only to have her eyes widen again with a gasp as she beheld what the smoke concealed after it had started to dissipate.
————
*Shrill..*
*Clank..*
*..?*
Calestro's eyes slowly began to open, as he felt a chilling metal piercing his stomach.
"..!?"
Hamilvan's right arm, which remained straightened towards the direction of Calestro refused to budge, despite the migrained Hamilvan attempting to pull it out.
Then, a shrill-like, guttural voice roared like lightning throughout the scene.
"O.B.J.E.C.T.I.V.E. S.T.A.T.U.S. . . ."
followed shortly by a cold, mechanical yet feminine voice.
"FIFTY-PERCENT ACCOMPLISHED."
!!!
The sword of Hamilvan, was stuck in between the imploded, destroyed and shattered Torsos of the Bears that were facing the frozen Calestro.
The tip of the sword reached the stomach of the slouched young man after it pierced through the reinforced bodies of the two bears in front of him.
Their stomachs were drilled unto, the hole big enough to reveal wires, cogs and a box-shaped object whirling inside of their bodies while bits and pieces of metal shards were falling from the air.
"P.R.O....T.E..C.T."
- The Guttural voice that resembled a lightning spoke once more, with a long pause mid-sentence.
"SEC....URE."
- Then the monotonous feminine voice chimed in, her intonation softly dissipating away before a momentary silence took place, afterwards, she then wobbly continued.
Before in unison, they declared.
"F.I.N.ISHED!"