Gideon ultimately made the decision to keep going and search for any water sources he could find. He was able to go more quickly because there were less wild creatures nearby, with the exception of the Garavons who persisted in following him. He discovered some deep rivers, but instead of drinking from them to satiate his gradually growing thirst, he avoided them out of extreme dread and instead searched for shallow running water like small springs, but he failed to find any.
When he came upon an animal that was blocking his route, his journey came to an end. Unlike other animals, such as deers and rabbits, which fled when they spotted Gideon, this animal was stomping one of its back legs in anticipation of an attack while looking at him with hostility in its eyes.
"Oh hello there, Little Piggy," Gideon said, tightening his grip on the wooden branch, which was almost as thick as his forearm.
From a distance he could make out an animal he knew. An animal like a wild boar with thick, dark skin and upward-facing, sharp tusks. The boar's impressively muscular thighs were the only thing different. Additionally, it featured a row of sharp, brown furs on the top of its back that could penetrate anything that came in contact with them. Its hefty steps and snorts could be heard as it stood between the huge trees and prickly, long grasses. The Bristle Boar.
On the other hand, this boar was still extremely young. It was so little and frail that it seemed to be easily knocked over by a wooden branch; it hadn't even reached two feet in height. This little wild boar simply wandered off from its sounders. Even for a predator who lacked the strength to overpower tougher creatures nearby, a seemed to be a wonderful potential target.
But it wasn't just about appearances. Despite its modest size, it belonged to one of the most aggressive and dangerous types of wild boars in the forest of Etveya. It had no fear, and one of its favorite foods was human meat.
On the other side, a number of Garavons were just passively observing Gideon as he moved away from the juvenile wild boar. Without uttering a voice or twitching a muscle, their eyes shifted between the two. Their expectant golden eyes shone brightly. While scouting the area for danger, these Garavons had been following him and had never left him alone. They did not react in a wary manner when they observed the wild boar, demonstrating that they did not view it as a danger.
Gideon, though, was another matter. Without pausing, the little boar lunged towards Gideon. Despite being surprised by his minuscule attacker's unexpected ferocity. He hopped away from its straight line path, and when it came to a halt, Gideon never hesitated to fight back.
Gideon screamed, "Shadow Strike!" and smashed the wooden branch he was holding to the boar's head. The collision of the wooden branch and the tough skull of the boar made a harsh sound.
However, in contrast to his predictions, the boar made no response to the attack—not even a blink. Instead, it only glared at Gideon while snorting furiously.
"It happened differently in my imagination," Gideon said as he drew the wood branch and looked at the boar indifferently. "Well, I'm not sure what to expect anymore; a boar this small? seriously? Man, I should have gone to the gym while I still had the chance."
The Bristle Boar slipped one of its back feet to the ground as it started to get ready for retaliation.
When he saw it, Gideon's expression remained unchanged. He simply scanned his surroundings for anything that may help him fight back. He walked back and stood in front of the nearest white boulder, his gaze fixed on his smaller adversary.
He waved his hands around. "Come here, Little Piggy; don't you want to stab me with those cute little fangs of yours?" He picked up a small stone and hurled it at the enraged boar. "What are those things called again? Tusks?"
As if the boar recognized it as a signal, it charged toward him with such surprising speed that Gideon was taken aback. However, before the boar could reach him, Gideon leaped out of the way, leaving the boar to charge at the massive boulder in its path. The pained squeal of the boar was accompanied by the sudden movement of the boulder it collided with.
"Why is everything in this world on steroids?" Gideon asked as he stood up and swung the wooden branch he was holding toward the boar's head. "Meteor Smash!"
Once more, the boar's squeal could be heard. It didn't move, though, and continued to look enraged at him. Once more, the boar stomped one of its rear legs, and then Gideon was absolutely taken aback by what transpired. The brown, spiky bristles on top of the boar's back started to glow bright green and progressively got larger, along with its pointed, razor-sharp tusks. Its tusks and bristles turned venomous and more lethal, as indicated by the hue, and were capable of killing anyone unlucky enough to be struck by them. A skill that all members of the same species share... 'The Venomous Point'.
The initial instance of magic since he arrived in this forest. And it was done by a creature that seemed to be a frail animal.
"I knew magic existed in this world!" he exclaimed, attempting to transform his fear into excitement. His main method of combating the fear that was coursing through his veins as he realized how dangerous the situation was. Gideon took a proper stance and looked at his approaching foe. Another large boulder stood behind him. "Imagine being murdered by a fucking prickly piglet."
Once more charging at him was the wild boar. Gideon, on the other hand, chose to run rather than jump away from his adversary. The young boar reached the initial shift as intended and sprinted blindly to his position, but the rapid turn made the second charge challenging to manage.
The boar came right towards Gideon, but he stepped out of the way and diverted its course, sending the animal into a final collision with a boulder. The boar shrieked in agony. Gideon simultaneously flung his wooden branch and then lifted the closest boulder with all of his strength and threw it at the boar. The boar, however, positioned its body so that the boulder landed on its back. The chunks of the boulder tumbled to the ground as it struck the spiky back of the boar.
"What kind of fucking back do you have!" he screamed as he watched what was happening in front of his eyes.
The defeated boar bolted away from Gideon before he could react, moving so quickly that he was unable to catch up. He was left with no choice but to watch as it slipped away from him. He was in complete shock as his mouth fell and his eyes widened.
After a few seconds of staring at nothing, he moved and shook his head slowly. "Well, there goes my dinner; the bacon escaped after attempting to kill me," he crouched to pick up the fallen wooden branch. "Yep, tasteless fruit for dinner," he laughed to calm himself down.
Then followed the raucous cackling of the Garavons who were watching him from the trees. Gideon was encircled by twenty of them as they chuckled at the outcome of his battle. Some of them were yelling and swaying the branch they were on while gazing at Gideon.
Gideon, on the other hand, who had grown accustomed to their company, shrugged and placed the wooden branch on his shoulder while staring at the Garavons, who were laughing at his failure. "Good job, Gideon. Even monkeys are mocking you now." He began to walk away from the sight, his eyes narrowed and disoriented. "I have to get out of here before more of them come back," he said, licking his cracked, dehydrated lips.