ALL NOVEL 4: Gambit (1)
Tom wished for nothing more but to deny the existence of the four-legged [Ankra Beast] as it threw itself into a headlong charge in his direction. That philosophy had served him well in life up until the bearded man came knocking on his doorstep.
Deny your problems long enough and they become the past.
Unfortunately… that strategy wasn’t as effective when a giant killer rat with shark teeth was on its way to bite your head off.
His panic reached its crescendo, the same boiling point that prompted Tom to pull a shotgun on the bearded man despite knowing he could die, the same manic energy that had helped him blow an armed criminal’s head off.
But that did not mean that he would suddenly gain the finesse of a man used to combat. His adrenaline skyrocketed as Tom chose flight over fight, first attempting to outrun the [Ankra Beast].
His first few steps and almost resulted in a stumble, but thankfully he managed to recover at the last second, sprinting with the guile of a teenager… which… he was now. According to the system, anyway.
That would explain why he wasn’t winded as he sprinted for a straight minute without knowing what direction he was going in, whether it was deeper into the forest or towards something even worse.
A trickle of optimism began to flow in his heart, so Tom decided to sneak a quick glance behind.
That was a mistake.
Twenty meters had separated him from the beast before but now… there were only ten.
This wasn’t working.
Thankfully, Tom hadn’t lost his rapier in the pandemonium that had ensued after his confrontation with the [Ankra Beast].
He couldn’t outrun the beast. He wasn’t skilled enough to outmanoeuvre the beast in a direct confrontation.
Was this it then?
The beast would catch up to him in another minute, maybe even faster. He knew his own luck well enough to know that help was not coming— whether it was in this world or his own, that part didn’t seem to change.
That bearded bastard had promised him a new life of opportunity, where he could be something more… something greater and he was going to be ended by an oversized rat.
How fitting.
Tom didn’t want to die though. It took him two lifetimes to figure it out, but he finally understood. He wasn’t the smartest man to ever walk the mortal plane. He wasn’t the strongest. Not the wittiest. He wasn’t the ideal pick to explore a new world,
But…. he didn’t have to be.
The bearded man, or rather the [Divine System] or whoever’s words he was quoting, called him a Fool because his motivations and desires were so contradictory. Not a hero. Not a ruthless killer. Not the chosen one.
He’d saved the girl back then because she, in Tom’s contradictory jumble of a head, was worth saving. Perhaps even worth dying for.
Because he’d seen a part of himself in her.
His reasons were neither noble nor selfless. He’d chosen to save her life simply because he wanted to.
One could even call him selfish.
That’s right, he was selfish.
Right now he didn’t have to be the best. He just had to be good enough. This was a second chance at life, in a new world— how many back home would die for such a chance? A desire began to coalesce in Tom’s heart, making him yearn for even one more breath of air, one more second— for in this life, he would do what he should’ve from the start.
Be himself.
The next couple seconds went into a cursory scan of the surroundings— besides the tall trees and the occasional patch of shrubbery that was too thin to hide in, he saw nothing of note.
His mind was replaced with clarity, a single-minded determination to survive dominating his thoughts as he searched for a way to survive.
A crazy idea made its way to his mind. One he would normally never consider.
But it could work.
And there was no time for a better one.
This was it.
‘If I’m gonna die, it’s gonna be on my own terms,” he snarled under his breath, before reducing his tempo by a notch.
Tom had angled his face so he could barely see the [Ankra Beast’s] trailing figure behind him.
It covered distance rapidly, likely thinking that Tom had finally run out of steam. In all honesty if he were still in his old body, he likely would have by this point.
10 meters…8 meters….6 meters…5 meters… now!
When the beast came within five meters, Tom let out a roar and began to sprint with every fiber of his being, angling himself towards the left, but only slightly.
Tom’s chest burned from the exertion, part of him wishing he’d exercised more back on Earth.
He blazed forth, inching closer to his target without looking back. A wide tree was his target, its height easily exceeding a mature Oak Tree by three times, and its trunk way broader than the norm, roughly around half a dozen meters.
Instead of running, he threw himself forward when there were only three meters separating him from the tree’s base.
The landing was rougher than he’d expected but he grit his teeth and huddled behind the tree. A second later, he was back on his feet, his back against the rough tree bark.
His gambit was based on the assumption that the [Ankra Beast] wasn’t the most gifted in the [Mental] department. Instead of calling for reinforcements, the damn thing had been chasing him in a straight line and had already fallen for his first ruse. If he had mistaken overconfidence for limited intelligence though, he was fucked.
Tom had made sure that he was in the beast’s blindspot and now the only thing left to do was wait.
His heartbeat quickened, his grip on his rapier tightened as he waited with the guile of a hunter.
The rhythm of a speeding pair of hoofbeats echoed in the background. The [Ankra Beast] was nearing.
Don’t flinch. Let your instinct guide you.
Tom took a deep breath. There would be only one shot at this.