Iron Powder and Spellcasters Chapter 128

   Chapter 128 Fighting the Bear

   Using the javelin as a walking stick, the hunters Ralph and Winters climbed the steep slope. Uphill is followed by downhill, and downhill is followed by uphill.

   After going over several hills in a row along the animal path, even the old hunter who often walks in the woods is out of breath.

  Wolf Town is located at the northern foot of the Jinding Mountains. Generally speaking, the further south you go deeper into the woodland, the higher the terrain. But the micro-topography is not all the way uphill, but undulating mountain ridges. Walking in this kind of place is the most tormenting.

   Winters, who was wearing a heavy musket, was also sweating profusely. This large-caliber arquebus was extremely cumbersome. It was usually used on a support rod. It weighed nearly 20 pounds.

   "Sir, the beasts usually walk around the mountain." Ralph gasped and said, "The beast was probably scared by the people returning from the church, so he panicked."

   Winters braced his knees and tried to calm his breathing. He nodded but didn't speak. He really couldn't say a word now.

   "That beast must be more tired, it can't run very far!" The old hunter leaned on the javelin and set off to continue walking.

   Winters followed through gritted teeth.

   There are fewer and fewer traces of destruction in the woodlands. The giant bear just ran into the forest and ran rampant. Even Winters could recognize the damage caused by that brutal action.

   But the further you go deeper into the forest, the fewer branches and bushes are broken, and the paw prints become lighter.

   It was obvious that the giant beast was slowing down, the frenzy was fading, and it was gradually returning to its original behavior pattern—moving covertly in a rambling gesture.

   Tracking became more and more difficult, but the beast couldn't escape the hunter's eyes.

  Ralph clenched the trail of the giant bear tightly, and as he walked, he cut a mark on the tree with a hunting knife to indicate the direction to those who came later.

   Through a white oak forest, the trail of the giant bear disappeared into a small river. Winters was nervous, but after the hunter crossed the stream to check carefully, he took Winters and chased upstream.

  The two walked deep and shallow on the river bank. Seasonal flash floods washed away the soil on both sides of the river, and exposed stones of different sizes and shapes under the soil layer.

  The forest on both sides of the river beach seems to be a dark and wide den, with murderous intentions lurking everywhere. The force of the current makes the surface of the rocks on the beach smooth and dangerous.

   Ralph, who was walking in front, stumbled suddenly and almost didn't fall. But he struggled hard and stood firm, while another painful growl came out of his throat.

   Winters hurried to catch up with Ralph, he saw the old hunter grit his teeth, his nostrils exploded, and his muscles tensed to the point of trembling.

The second lieutenant    quickly realized that the tired old hunter could not step on the stone under his feet, and his ankle was sprained.

   Swollen feet, the most common and most troublesome injury. It won't kill you, but it will immobilize you.

   The two of them tracked all the way here, relying on the ability of hunters, and Winters knew this.

   He could no longer see where the beast ran to. If Ralph couldn't move, he could only watch the beast disappear without a trace.

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

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

   After the old hunter stood firm, he continued to lift his legs and walked forward, but he swayed again and almost fell.

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

  The second lieutenant helped Ralph to sit down slowly and helped the old hunter take off his boots. The hunter's right ankle was swollen high, and the skin was bruised, apparently unable to move.

   "You stay here and wait for the people behind to come." Winters made up his mind: "I'll go after it alone."

   The old hunter shook his head vigorously, panted and said, "No way, I can't do it alone. When I catch my breath, I'll put a cloth on my ankles, and let's continue chasing."

   Said, the old hunter took off a horn cup from his waist, leaned out and scooped some water from the river. The cup was already close to his mouth, but the hunter suddenly thought of something. He stopped and gave the water to the second lieutenant with both hands.

  Winters laughed angrily: "When did he. Mom still do this, you can drink it happily. I'll drink it after you finish it."

  Ralph no longer refused, and after drinking he scooped a glass of water and handed it to Winters. The ensign, who was so thirsty with thirst, drank it and returned the cup to Ralph.

  The hunter leaned out again to scoop the water. As soon as the cup was put into the river, the hunter froze suddenly. He didn't hold one in his hand, and the horn cup was thrown downstream by the rapids.

   Winters was about to ask about his origins when he saw Ralph make a silent bracelet. The old hunter looked at Winters, shook his head slowly, and then reached under the pine trees on the other side of the river.

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

   He looked in the direction the hunter pointed. At first glance, he saw nothing. The next moment, he found 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, and the beast lies in the shadow of the tree, like a huge rock that has stood for thousands of years.

   The foreman of the logging team is not exaggerating at all, it is really a bear as big as a house. The size of this giant beast is really too large, even if it is just lying on the ground, it is a frightening behemoth.

   Winters didn't wonder why he and Ralph didn't see it at first, because no one would think of a rock that big as an animal. Even though he knew 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, and no word can accurately describe this thing, only the royal eagle raised by the oathbreaker can match it.

   Can these two muskets really do damage to that thing? The second lieutenant's heart was even a little shaken.

   For days, Winters Montagne had dreamed of finding this beast. Now he was less than twenty meters away from the beast, but the second lieutenant didn't know **** it.

  Fortunately, the beast is currently motionless and seems to be sleeping soundly.

How to do? Fight or flee?

  The hunter and the second lieutenant looked at each other wordlessly.

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

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

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

   After putting down all the weapons again, Winters motioned for Ralph to keep quiet. He walked silently to Ralph, grabbing Ralph's leg with one hand and Ralph's arm with the other.

   The second lieutenant took a deep breath, his waist and abdomen muscles suddenly exerted strength, 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 cold hairs on Winters' back stood up, and Ralph immediately held down his tool bag.

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

  The second lieutenant nodded and carried the old hunter towards the direction he came from. He walked slowly and steadily. The old hunter clung to his tool bag, not letting it make any more noise.

   Wintersmer counted his steps, and when he counted five hundred he found a flat spot and put the old hunter down.

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

   "What if the thing ran away before the reinforcements came?" Winters chuckled: "Don't worry, I'm not that reckless. I'll guard it and don't let it run away again."

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

The   hunter briefly explained the usage, and Winters took it and turned to leave.

  The old hunter was at a loss. He wanted to call back Lieutenant Montagne, but he didn't dare to make a sound, so he could only watch the Lieutenant walk away.

   Returning to the place just now, Winters retrieved his weapon. The giant bear was still sleeping soundly under the tree, ignorant of what was going on around him.

   "It's useless to hit such a behemoth on the body, it has to hit the head." Winters silently estimated in his heart: "I'm afraid hitting the head is not enough, it has to hit the vulnerable place like the eye."

   At this moment, what Lieutenant Montagne regretted most was not bringing a cannon into the mountain.

  Carrying two guns, Winters found a shoal with slow currents and crossed the river, and approached the giant bear silently from the downwind.

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

   Unlike the two reed guns that Antonio gave him from the hands of the royal gunsmiths, the two guns were smooth as mirrors, so you could shoot wherever you wanted.

   But the muskets in the Blackwater arsenal are cheap, and the chambers are not carefully ground. You have to get close enough to guarantee a hit.

The closer    was to the giant bear, the more intuitively Winters could feel its gigantic size. This giant beast is like the embodiment of the wilderness, as if it exists to demonstrate the might of nature.

   The second lieutenant's reason is still there, he never thought of solving such a huge thing by himself.

   But he also couldn't allow himself to let this beast run away. So when he approached the position about fifteen meters away from the giant beast, he found a suitable tree branch and set up a musket.

   He dared not and could not come any closer.

   The next thing is to wait.

   Waiting for reinforcements.

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

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

   The heartbeat of the forest stopped for a second.

   The giant bear in the shade of the tree woke up, like a boulder that was infused with its soul.

   Winters' breathing stopped, and his heart tightened suddenly.

   First moved his body slightly, and the giant bear twitched his nose and turned his head to Winters.

The distance was so close that Winters could see every detail of the beast. He saw the unkempt fur, the high back, the ears that were raised, the dark nose, the cold eyes, the black eye rims. .

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

   One man, one beast and four eyes met, and Lieutenant Montagne ignited the gunpowder in the barrel with magic without hesitation.

  The sound of gunfire shattered the silence of the forest, and the recoil generated by the doubled charge almost pushed the second lieutenant down. At the moment when the gunpowder was sprayed, he saw the lead bullet flying past the giant bear's cheek and blasting off at the latter's shoulder.

   Too late to chagrin, Winters immediately switched to another gun.

   A horrific roar came from behind the gunpowder smoke. The fire, loud noise and smoke failed to scare the beast away, and the enraged giant roared towards the tiny human being.

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

  This gun did not live up to the hard work that Winters had to bear all the way. The 35-gram buckshot accurately hit between the upper and lower teeth of the giant bear.

  The giant bear's head was hit backwards by the huge force of the lead bullet, and blood foam spurted out of the bear's mouth. The rampant behemoth suddenly fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

   didn't have time to show mercy. Seeing the giant beast fell to the ground, Winters immediately reloaded the musket in his hand. He didn't have time to clear the chamber, so he poured gunpowder directly into the barrel to save time.

   But before he had time to take out the lead, the giant bear, which had just been badly wounded, staggered to his feet again.

   "[Vinetta's swear words]!" The second lieutenant made a decisive decision, threw away the musket and climbed up the tree.

   At the juncture of life and death, Lieutenant Montagne, who had never climbed a tree in his life, stepped on the "foot stick" given by the old hunter, using both hands and feet, and actually climbed up the tree - although his posture was abnormal.

As soon as    climbed to a height of two or three meters, the giant bear slammed into the tree trunk. Nearly one person hugged the thick pine wood in the fierce beast's mighty force like weeds in the gust of wind, almost throwing Winters off.

   The pine tree trembled, but was not knocked down. Winters, who had stabilized his position, immediately tried his best to climb higher.

   The giant bear who hit the tree shook his head a few times and stood up with the tree man. It roared and waved its front paw fan at the human, and the bear claws carried the wind sound and almost hooked the human ankle.

The distance between    and the bear was only a millimeter, and Winters even smelled the stench from the giant bear's mouth.

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

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

   The first wish has come true, because the giant bear has no intention of climbing trees. The bear, finding that the human in the tree was out of reach, instead began slamming its back and shoulders violently against the tree trunk.

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

  As the giant beast rammed again and again, the huddled pine tree was beginning to lean. And there was no other tree within a few meters that Winters could jump over.

   couldn't let it keep bumping like this - Winters realized - or he would die.

   "[Incoherent vicious swear words]!" Regardless of whether the beast could understand human words or not, Winters desperately shouted to distract the giant bear.

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

   Winters pulled out his saber and crawled down while chopping down the pine branches beside him. The branches fell on the giant bear, and when it seemed to the giant beast to be painless, it was not hindered in the slightest.

   Winters went all the way down to where the giant bear could almost touch him.

   "Come on!" Humans are also roaring like beasts: "Come and kill me!"

   The raging giant bear stood up again and swooped towards the humans on the tree.

   Winters was waiting for this moment.

  When the giant bear opened its **** mouth and roared towards 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 on the tree was slapped to the ground, but the javelin was also deeply inserted into the throat of the giant bear.

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

   The giant bear shook his 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 bit into the flesh firmly, and the more it pulled out, the more painful it became.

   This fierce beast slammed its upper and lower jaws so hard that it snapped the barrel of the gun directly, leaving the tip of the gun in its mouth. The beast gasped, growled, and twitched its nose toward Winters.

   One step, two steps, the sound of heavy footsteps getting closer.

   Winters was in despair.

   "This situation... is it still useful to pretend to be dead?" Winters Montagne, who was desperate, suddenly had a dark humorous idea.

   He smiled wryly, closed his eyes and waited to die.

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

   A sound of breaking through the air came.

   again.

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

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

   "Come on! Beast! Come at me!"

   is the voice of the old hunter.

   I thought this chapter would kill the bear, but it failed.

   I posted the foot tie in this chapter, and book lovers who are curious about what it is can open this chapter and take a look.

   In addition, a swollen foot is a really painful injury. I didn't quite understand when I read "Love Life" in middle school and saw that the protagonist was abandoned with a swollen foot. Later, when I crossed the field for the first time, I wore a pair of low-waisted hiking shoes, and I understood it instantly. The front and back are uninhabited wilderness, and it is really troublesome once the foot is slashed. So I will wear high-waisted shoes and ankle pads no matter what.

   Thanks to the book friends who have voted for recommendation before;

   Thanks to the book friends for their calm grievances and monthly passes for vindictive storms;

   Thank you book friends for your life, Sky Lens, Rice Dates, Yellow Rabbit from the Flower Gardener, Kun Kun, felixyf024, Book Friends 161120205936216, I don't know what it's called, and Jiang Xue Diao Weng's recommendation ticket, thank you all.

   (end of this chapter)

Chapter end