The tree nearest to the armored bear was torn apart, with little to no effort. The monster roared in pain and anger, searching for whatever had dared to provoke its wrath.

"It's not like we were expecting it to be taken down with just shot," Heather grumbled.

Selene stood several feet away from the woman, holding up the rifle and waiting for the creature's attention to be directed towards Chelsea's group.

Claire breathed in slowly, trying to keep her emotions in check after witnessing such a massive creature move so quickly. Looking at her hands, gripping the pistol, she noticed that her hands were trembling in fear. "Keep yourself calm. At worst, you'll be eaten, but then come back. It's nothing like what could happen in the real world." Gripping the weapon tighter, her eyes went back to the monster, which had spotted Chelsea's group.

"Good," Heather whispered. Turning her head slightly towards Selene, Heather said, "Get ready to shoot that thing."

"I got it," Selene nodded.

Aside from the sound of the bear crashing through the brush, there was nothing else. The noise was loud enough to cover up the sound of their breathing, which helped to allow Heather and Selene to communicate with another.

A flash was seen as the rifle shot out towards the bear. Instead of the rear, the laser burned the spot just behind the knee of the left rear leg.

Stumbling from the laser attack, the bear took longer to recover compared to the initial attack.

"Just like I thought, the joint isn't as armored compared to the side," Selene nodded her head. Aiming again, she fired another shot.

The armored bear roared in pain from having its other rear leg injured. It prevented the monster from being able to get up and kept it grounded on the forest floor.

Heather signaled towards Chelsea. After having received some kind of order, she ordered, "Move in... but keep your weapon aimed at the thing."

Claire moved closer, the barrel of her weapon directed at the head of the bear. Her eyes flickered to see Chelsea's group beginning to move closer to the monster, though slow enough to keep the thing between the two groups at equal distance.

Seeing how the other group was moving, Claire understood that they didn't want to attract the creature at their group by moving too quickly. Even though the bear was injured and looking to be unable to move, it didn't mean the bear didn't have the capability to lunge at them.

"Claire, make sure not to shoot unless you're told," Heather reminded her. "This is where things can get dangerous."

"A cornered creature is always the most dangerous," Selene added to Heather's words.

Keeping her finger far from the trigger, Claire nodded. "Understood."

"You're doing good. Just don't let this make you think everything is going to be okay." Heather began teaching Claire. "The only reason why that thing was taken down to the ground so easily is due to Selene's skills at detecting the weak point."

"Yeah. That thing took Emily's shot as though it was nothing, meaning the armor is thick enough to handle weapon fire." Selene muttered. "I could only imagine if we had met this thing with our traditional rifles."

As the two groups slowly approached the bear, the smell of burned fur could be smelled. There was a mixture of iron wafting in the air from the bleeping wounds on the bear.

The bear growled menacingly at them, both paws slightly raised as though it was uncertain about which group to attack.

Claire couldn't help but stare at the monster's fur, which was a mixture of black and brown with patches of moss growing on it. "It's as though the fur and moss act as a camouflage," She noticed that the pieces of moss were on areas the bear had rubbed itself against on the tree.

"Pay attention, Clarie," Heather hissed.

Redirecting her attention to the monster, Claire felt her face heat up in embarrassment. "Yes, Hea...,"

Lunging towards them, the armored bear aimed directly towards Claire as though sensing her distracted mind. It's left paw rushing to end the girl's life, the claws whistling through the air like a cloak of death.

Eyes widening, not expecting the creature to make an attack, especially one towards her, Claire smoothly aimed her pistol at the head of the thing while jumping back to make some distance.

Her finger pulled the trigger, firing the laser and striking the bear just below its chin.

Even with the attack, the bear didn't react and completed its swiping motion. The claws swept past where she had been standing moments ago.

Able to maintain her calm, she adjusted her aim and fired two more shots at the bear's head.

Several more shots attacked the knees of the monster, slowing its ability to follow Claire's retreat.

"Maintain your position! We can't let it keep doing what it wants!" Chelsea shouted at everyone. Yelling at Claire, "Keep giving it distance!"

"Understood!" Claire continued hopping back even after the monster had ceased its attack. Now that the mobility of the thing had been dealt with, it was vital for her to get back into a proper location to not attract the thing's attention again.

Their circle widened slightly from the attack, each of them giving space between them and the creature in anticipation of the same thing that happened to Claire happening to them.

Alternating, Selene fired her weapon after Emily fired several shots.

Holstering her pistol, Claire reached for her rifle. One hand reached behind her, while the other brushed back, her brunette hair that impeded her vision from having retreated.

Sticking the butt of the rifle against her shoulder, she quickly aimed at the spot she'd been aiming before. After Selene and Emily had fired their weapons, Claire pulled the trigger on her own.

Now that her heart wasn't racing at a million miles per hour in her chest, Claire was able to hit the monster in the right eye.

"Nice shot!" Heather congratulated her.

Immediately after, a laser shot struck the bear in the other eye.

Claire's eyes flickered to see that Hannah was aiming her own rifle at their target.

Both Chelsea and Heather concentrated their attack on the back and chest of the creature, respectively. Their pistols were doing the job of keeping the bear continuously distracted even if the gun wasn't able to do any significant damage. The burning of fur was the extent their attacks could inflict.

"Our attacks aren't doing anything to it," Claire felt frustrated, firing off several shots at the things head.

When she pulled the trigger and aimed again at the eye, she felt surprised by the loud roar of pain.

Blood streamed down from its eyes. The repeated and concentrated fire from Claire and Hannah began to take effect on the creature. Trying to lash out, the bear stumbled forward onto its arms due to its knees locking up and preventing it from moving forward.

"Keep it up!" Chelsea yelled out as she made an adjustment to her pistol.

Aiming at the creature, Chelsea fired a continuous beam of light at the armored bear.

Shortly after, the same action was performed by Heather.

Not wanting to let the bear recover, both Selene and Emily kept their attacks concentrate on the monster's legs. However, they had to maneuver to get a better view of the beast after the beast tried to attack them.

Running to a better position, Claire was now closer to the animal but still far enough away to be able to dodge any surprises.

The rifles powerful blasts were doing a great job with eliminating the sight of the bear.

Claire noticed that Hannah had moved to stand close to her. With skilled precision, Hannah's attacks were hitting the thing's eyes more often than Claire's attacks.

"Looks like someone needs to gain more experience," Hannah teased her friend, commenting on the difference in skill.

Claire snorted in reply but remained silent, not wanting to get distracted.