Chapter 34 – Gleam To The Rescue.

A bewildered ant skittered about while charging into a cloud of dust. A massive explosion just rocketed the entire place with her companion within. Amidst the debris and swirling dust, it was hard to see what had happened. However, after a moment of chaos, the dust settled, revealing nothing resembling bronze armor. Where a large beetle monster once stood, there was now nothing more than a gaping hole filled with debris. It seemed as if the two monsters that had clashed had been evaporated by the strange twilight that ensued.

“ ( ˶°ㅁ°) “

Panic struck Gleam as she searched through the rubble, desperately calling out for her companion. Rusty was nowhere to be found amidst the wreckage. She scuttled around frantically, her tiny form darting between rocks and debris, hoping to find any sign of him. As she searched a strange feeling started to sink in of the possibility that her companion could have died. While their adventure had not been long, he was the only thing that she knew within this strange world and fear gripped her insect heart.

But just as despair threatened to overwhelm her, a faint glimmer caught her eye. Further away from the blast zone, among the rubble, she spotted a piece of metal sticking out. It resembled the bronze that Rusty was composed of, so she hurried over to investigate.

There, partially buried beneath a pile of rocks, lay Rusty’s battered and dented helmet. Gleam’s heart skipped a beat as she carefully unearthed it, revealing the familiar bronze surface beneath. She poked the hamlet with her antennae while still panicking as she desperately tried to wake her companion.

“ (ó﹏ò｡) “

Gleam gently prodded the helmet, hoping for any signs of life from her bronze friend. Rusty was not a creature made of flesh and bone, but there were some indications that he was still alive. His monster core was still intact but cracked in a few places. Then, thanks to her mana sense, she was able to feel a faint amount of magical energy emanating from the helmet, not something a lifeless object would possess.

After making this realization she felt relieved and quickly began to carefully dig Rusty out from beneath the rubble. It was not an easy task for the small white ant, but with unwavering stubbornness, she started yanking the larger rocks to clear the way. Luckily, there wasn’t much to dig through, and eventually, she was able to free his metallic head from under the rocks. However, this was not the end of their troubles as some trouble lurked close by.

“ (O_O)! “

While the beetle Rusty had faced off against had been defeated, they had not cleared out the entirety of their foes. Many of the lesser monsters of the same type still remained and had finally decided to return to the main cavern where the explosion occurred. They instantly noticed the white ant and the metallic helmet with it. Instantly, they began to advance, menacingly clacking their mandibles. Gleam realized the danger instantly and quickly started lifting the bronze helmet; she needed to escape.

With all her strength, she hoisted it onto her back and tried balancing it with her limbs. This was not an easy feat but somehow she managed to balance it. Soon after she scurried away as fast as her small limbs could carry her. The monsters could sense that their prey was escaping and gave chase. Their lumbering forms crashed through the rubble as they pursued Gleam and the helmet she was holding.

Despite her size, Gleam was surprisingly nimble and darted between rocks and debris with surprising agility. She led the pursuing monsters on a frantic chase through the cavern while her monster heart pounded with conviction. She did not look back but the clattering of mandibles and the thudding of heavy insect legs was right behind her. It urged her to run even faster but things weren’t looking good.

As she raced through the darkness the sounds continued to pick up. It was painfully obvious that the large beetles were starting to catch up. Normally, she was able to outrun them or just climb up to the ceiling to avoid their attacks. The problem was Rusty’s helmet; it slowed her down tremendously, and it was clear that she wouldn’t make it back to their lair at this pace.

She started looking around for any potential areas she could escape to. Luck seemed to be on her side as Gleam spotted a small crevice in the cavern wall up ahead. Without hesitation, she darted towards it, hoping that it would provide a means of escape. The pursuing monsters were gaining on her, and this seemed like the only path to safety. However, just as she was about to sprint towards the narrow opening, a large beetle appeared from a different side passage to block her way.

“ ( ˶°ㅁ°) “

With no other options available, Gleam skidded to a halt, her antennae twitching nervously as she sized up the new threat. The massive beetle, larger than any she had encountered before, loomed menacingly in front of her, its sharp mandibles clicking together ominously. Gleam knew that she couldn’t outrun this creature, nor could she hope to defeat it in direct combat. But she refused to give up.

There was still some hope left, and she charged forward. Perhaps she would be unable to reach the crevice, but there were other tunnels nearby. If she could slip past them, her escape could continue until she found a safe spot to hide. Thus, Gleam dashed towards the massive beetle, hoping to evade its snapping mandibles. However, to her shock, the helmet she was trying to protect was struck and flew up into the air, right in the direction of the pursuing group of beetle monsters.

“ (ó﹏ò) !“

She could do nothing but watch as her friend flew in the direction of another monster’s mouth, which was opening. The trajectory was set, and there was nothing she could do about it. However, while in mid-air, something strange happened. There was a reaction within the helmet, and something emerged from it. Before the monster could devour it, a metallic hand shot out, delivering a smack to its face instead.

The hit was enough to force the monster to retreat and the transforming helmet fell to the side. Gleam wasn’t sure how but her friend was restoring his metallic body and more of it began to emerge before her eyes. Things were happening too fast for her to comprehend, but she could sense a surge of magical energy emanating from Rusty. The bronze armor began to reshape and reform itself, pieces of metal knit themselves by some unseen force.

The transformation was quick but not quick enough. The monster beetles weren’t willing to wait for their enemy to restore himself and attempted to halt this process. She knew what needed to be done and quickly let forth a loud screech to get everyone’s attention. The piercing screech echoed through the cavern, drawing the attention of both friend and foe alike. The beetles instantly disregarded the strange piece of armor that landed nearby and instead lunged at the white ant.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As the monsters closed in on her, Gleam remained defiant. She danced and dodged around their attacks, her movements swift and graceful. Despite their size and strength, the beetles struggled to keep up with her agility. While she was capable of casting spells, they proved ineffective in a direct confrontation like this one. Her mind needed to stay focused on gathering mana, an impossible task during such a frantic battle.

Gleam displayed a valiant effort to protect her companion, but she was nearing the end of her endurance. Running through the caverns had depleted most of her stamina. There was no way for her to continue dodging and weaving around these beetles indefinitely, and inevitably, they closed in on her. The largest one charged forward in a blind rage, its mandibles spread wide and aimed directly at her head.

Things looked bleak for the small white ant that had run out of stamina points. Once depleted, she found herself unable to move. The large adversaries weren’t stopping and she would surely get chomped by their sharp mandibles. But just as the monstrous beetle was about to deliver the final blow, someone appeared to intercept it. It was Rusty, his body now restored and grabbing onto the monster as it attempted to charge forward.

There was something different about him, his body exuded a strange gray flash of light before his body seemingly sunk into the ground. Gleam was aware of her companion’s fighting style and this was not something that he usually did. Despite appearing sturdy on the outside, he lacked mass within his hollow body. Ordinarily, the sheer bulk of these creatures would knock him back, yet somehow he resisted it.

The sight before her was rather vivid: the monster had been halted by his sheer strength, and now the beetle was being lifted into the air. The beetle struggled against Rusty’s grasp, its heavy form thrashing wildly as it attempted to break free. However, Rusty grip was firm and Gleam could see the chitinous insect armor being dented by those metallic fingers. Then with a sudden flipping motion, the monster was hurled into the air and landed on its back.