Well... yes, but not in the way they thought

The party took up positions behind the cover of the overgrown plant life. As I went to a good location, I peaked forward at the target of our ****, however I could not get a good look. The party advanced stealthily, myself following just behind. The order had changed, Oliver going to the front with Grutrod and the two girls in a double file line. As the odd one out I was once again in the back of the line.

Once we entered the clearing, I began sensing something strange. There was an almost thickness to the air, like it was much more humid, but not quite the same. I could not quite figure out what this was, but luckily, I was not the only one to feel it.

Natalia shivered, "The mana is far denser here, something isn't right."

I nodded and whispered back, "I feel it too."

Looking around, I began to get a sense of déjà vu, though I couldn't quite place it. It seemed like something was most certainly wrong though, as the party readied themselves just outside of a large clearing. As they charged forward, I followed, and finally figured out why it was familiar.

It clicked as we ran past a stump grown at an odd angle. It had grown so much that I wasn't able to recognize it, but it had only been a few hours since I was here. This was where I fought Scar. As we entered the center of the clearing, what had once been the cave of the great bear was now immensely overgrown. Vines covered it, and sapling trees sprouted out of cracks in the rock.

Grutrod gave a battle cry and charged to the entrance, trying to lure out the bear. As I would expect due to my knowledge of... events, it did not show up. After a good minute of yelling with no response, he lowered his war-hammer that he had been swinging above him, and scratched his head confusedly.

He turned back to Silvia, "This is the right place, ain't it lass?"

She shared his perplexed expression, "Yes, I was certain this is where the bear king had gone to."

It became apparent that the monster I had hunted in the late night to early morning had in fact been the target of this hunt. I didn't quite know how to act, so I just awkwardly stood somewhat at the ready while I waited for them to make a decision.

Oliver was quick to volunteer, "I can go in to lure the beast out."

Silvia was quicker to shut him down, "Absolutely not! You remember this monster, and you should remember what happened the last time you volunteered to lure out an enemy!" I was under the impression that the event in question was when he lost his arm.

I decided that I would attempt to solve this mess, "Then allow me." They all turned to me shocked. "I have a tough constitution, magical shields if need be. Oliver, you also saw my duel with Lana, you should know its near impossible to kill me."

The three looked to him with a questioning expression, and he shrugged in response. "I suppose I trust that you shouldn't be in immense danger."

I nodded in acceptance and began walking into the cave before the others could speak in opposition. I heard Natalia questioning Oliver about my duel as I walked deep into the darkness within the cave. Once I was sufficiently deep so that they would not be able to see me, I quickly worked on a plan.

I had to be fast, so I didn't have any time to try for a complex plan. I felt it would not be great for them to simply lose the bear, they would spend a long time searching for a threat that does not exist. So, I would make a fake bear, or at least something that could have killed it. However, I wasn't going to use one of my newly made creatures from my domain, opening a gate would take too long and be too exposed anyway.

I cursed to myself as I used Immaculate Creation. 'It's a pain to lose more maximum mana. I guess I'll get it back soon as long as it goes to plan though, and it will finally let me see what an "Abomination" is like.' I readied myself, figuring out the finer details of my plan as I proceeded to summon the Abomination.

The creature matched its description. Looking at it, I would guess that the creatures made from my failed ritual were also abominations. It was a large lump of flesh, with multiple limbs rising up as well as a "head" shaped like a flower bud, with rows of teeth lining the inside. Vertebrae lined the outside of its limbs and neck, making them into boned tentacles. It planted a few of the limbs and lifted itself, revealing its mode of movement as it did an awkward crawl towards me.

I smiled to it, impressed at what I saw. The creature towered over me, much more imposing than the spirits had been. 'This thing definitely fits the bill for a bear killer. It definitely won't get drawn to me due to resemblance with the spirits either. Honestly, I am slightly concerned as to if they will be able to handle it, I did spend ten mana on this thing.'

I made sure to give it its commands before proceeding, "You will pretend to chase me out of the cave when I give the order. Then, you will battle the people outside, pretending to be a raging beast. Make sure not to kill any of them, and try to let them win, if possible, without hindering yourself to an unbelievable amount." It bobbed its head in acknowledgement, 'That should do. If they are still losing, I can use God's Blade or such. I would rather this be more a test of them, but I would not like to loose the investment.' "Good. Now, when we reach the entrance of the cave hit me so I go a ways away, but only to launch me, do minimal damage."

With that, I was ready to proceed with the plan.