A pale but audible scream echoed throughout the area as Gideon dashed between trees, not even bothering to look back at the small swarm chasing him. Although they were not fast enough to easily catch up with him, the sheer number of them could work wonders, especially for the Fire ants, which could travel tree by tree to surround the area while the others advanced to the possible route he would take. They are silent while shaking their antennae to locate their prey. They could corner him if the situation did not change slowly but steadily. It had only been a matter of time.
"Give me a break!" screamed Gideon as he jumped through the roots of the trees that were blocking his path. His gaze darted around, ensuring the safety of his escape.
The swarm of Fire ants gradually covered all of the routes he would take, leaving him with only one direction to run, the only direction where Fire Ants could not gather at the time due to being eliminated by unwelcome visitors just ahead of the route. Despite the fact that Gideon had no idea why the Fire Ants were not heading in that direction, he decided to flee to that route and follow the patches of forestry road trail, hoping to find a way out.
Gideon was halted, however, by a massive tree that blocked his path; in front of the tree were two routes that led in opposite directions.
"Where should I go?" he wondered aloud, but before deciding, he looked back and saw the swarm closing in on him.
Ten armored giant insects surrounded the area, closing and opening their pincers and wiggling their antennae as they advanced on Gideon, aiming to catch him.
"Fuck it," Gideon yelled as he bolted to the left path and never looked back.
His massive predators, on the other hand, banded together to pursue him. With such precise movement and no signs of slowing down. The chase went on for a few minutes, with no one stopping even for a moment to rest. Unlike the Fire Ants, who could still run a few more rounds, Gideon, who had just run the longest distance he had ever run in his entire life, was already losing strength. His legs began to shiver and his running speed was slowing; if this chase continued, he would lose all of his strength and collapse from exhaustion.
He had nowhere to go, and they could detect him due to the Fire Ants' dependable antennae. He had no choice but to run, run, run until the end.
"Move, damn it! This isn't the time to get tired! Move your ass, You fucking softy!" Gideon screamed in panic as he forced his own legs to move. But, knowing full well what his own capabilities were, his eyes began to fade, especially when he noticed the other Fire Ants already waiting for him ahead of his route.
And as his legs finally lost their last ounce of strength. He fell due to roots in his path and landed on the dirt trail, losing all of his options for escape. He did not move and remained in his position for a few moments, chasing his own breath. As he did so, the Fire Ants surrounded him, eventually catching up with him. However, as he raised his face again, his expression remained calm as he looked around him.
The next thing he did was stand up, pick up a pebble nearby, and face the direction where he expected the predators chasing him to appear. The looming despair in his eyes faded, and a gentle smile appeared on his face, fighting the fear that gripped his body. When the Fire Ants arrived, Gideon clenched the pebbles in his palm and stared directly at his foes. However, unlike in previous near-death experiences, his eyes were steady and his arms were not shivering.
In the face of imminent danger, his face remained calm, without trying to fool himself into doing so, forcing it into himself so many times that it eventually became a part of him. Despite his great weakness, he faced death multiple times and escaped each time. He wasn't aware of it at the time, but those events had an impact on him.
He cocked his head to the side. "I'm numb... and tired..." he thought to himself as he raised his hand for a throw. "I've been tired of running since the day I arrived in this stupid world! I'm not going to die here, I'm going to survive no matter what!" He hurled the pebble in his hand at the head of a Fire Ant approaching him.
A crisp sound was made as the pebble flew and landed on the giant ant's head. The projectile did nothing but flinch the ant, giving Gideon just enough time to pick up another pebble from the ground. He looked around and noticed the other Fire Ants coming down from the trees to catch him. Regardless of the hopeless situation he was in, his eyes were searching in every direction for anything he could use to escape, with unwavering resolve in his eyes.
With a pebble in his hand, he raised his hand. "I've got one for everyone; who wants to take the second shot?" he asked, a gentle smile on his dirty face. "Please come one after the other; I can't serve more than one at a time!"
The Fire Ant that had received his first pebble walked toward him, its pincers poised for a tight grip. The other Fire Ants followed it, all at once approaching him.
"Oh, a returning customer, can't get enough after the first taste, am I right?" Gideon said as he crouched and smiled, looking at the possible route to take if given the opportunity. He clenched his fists, bracing himself for another round of chase. "But I'm afraid that this time, first timer first!" And threw the stone at the Fire Ant which was approaching from the direction he was aiming to go.
When the pebble landed on the ant's head, it flinched for a split second. That risky throw didn't hurt the armored ant, but it did give Gideon a brief respite from the crowd. This gamble, however, did not go well for him. Despite being faster than the Fire Ants, the unexpected arrival of more Fire Ants brought him to a halt. Another ten Fire Ants joined the chase, and two of them appeared exactly where Gideon was attempting to flee.
Gideon's eyes widened as he saw the arrival of the monsters jeopardizing his last hope. His sprint had already begun, he couldn't stop it, and he was running right into the pincers of his impending doom. "No," he said to himself, staring at the massive red pincers that were about to seize him.
He closed his eyes in anticipation of his approaching demise and thought to himself...
"Is this the end?"
However, before the Fire Ant could reach Gideon with its huge pincers, a small framed shadow emerged out of nowhere and struck the giant ant's neck with a dagger. It happened so fast that the Fire Ant didn't even have time to respond.
A skill that allowed the user to close the distance between herself and her target enough to reach it with her hands, allowing her to perform a quick and lethal attack. However, the attack's lethality and accuracy were solely determined by her mastery of the skill and physical capabilities. The skill, Lethal Jump.
"I found him."
The sound of something heavy falling to the ground was followed by a soft and comforting female voice. Then there were a few moments of silence. Hearing those sounds, Gideon, who was waiting for his death, opened his eyes. His gaze was drawn to the ground, where he was greeted by the lifeless head of the Fire Ant that was supposed to be biting him. The next thing his enlarged eyes saw was a pair of black, pointed boots, and based on their position, the person in front of Gideon was facing the same direction as him.
He raised his head to properly see the back of the person who had just saved his life; for a brief moment, his gaze was drawn to the hands holding two daggers with engraved serpents on the black handles of each dagger; but not for long; due to her small size, he had already reached the head of the person in front of him. Her hair swayed as she moved her head to look at Gideon on the side of her face, her gem-like violet eye dwelling on him, she didn't say anything, all she did was narrow her eyes. Vien Rendizer, a Class D adventurer and the party's rogue.
Gideon's first human encounter since being transported into this world.