The trick.

The whole crowd surged around Jake like bees, their faces where all blurring together like raindrops as he felt his life flashing before his very eyes. 

He was so tense and distraughted as he relay himself with the countless bodies, his mind just kept on reeling from the sequence of disasters that had befallen him. In just a day!

First, he lost his dream life game to his silly friends. A game that he had spent years working on. Secondly, he died. He died in an accident and transmigrated into freaking strange world. 

But jeez! That was only the beginning. Now, he was a victim of some kind of brutal slave trade, forced to march alongside with some hopeless captives. And to make matters worse, the only person he thought was a friend had suddenly vanished into thin air. Just like that!

"Could things even get any worse?" Jake whispered to himself. A hint of frustration weaving on his face.

The people in the line kept on wandering towards his direction as the slave masters ordered them. 

The slave masters barked orders, and the line of captives shuffled forward, heading towards a desolate region that was pockmarked with some kind of caves and holes. 

With their ugly faces that were painted with skeletal designs…..they herded the skinny captive guys like animals, pushing and prodding them, as if they where some trucks.

They beat them with their whipe, punch them with a fist, kick them at their butt and the worst of it. They would slice off your head if you mess up. Shit!

'Where's Mia?' he whispered to himself, desperation clearly creeping in his nerves.

"Hey you!"

A voice cut through the chaos, making Jake's heart skip a beat. He turned and looked towards the direction of ths sound and damn! It was one of those skeleton-faced men that bellowed at him.

They where three actually. Although, the three of them seems to be discussing something, maybe something about him. 

They have been sturking their gaze on him, and pointing hands at him. He didn't know why, but jeez! He was very sure he had been quiet all this while. He hadn't scream, cry or even yelled out. So, why the hell was he called? 

"I'm talking to you, snail." the man roared again, his voice was laced with malice, as he took a menacing step forward.

"Snail? Seriously?" Jake's eyes narrowed as he heard them called him snail…. 

What kind of insult was that? Was everyone around here cursed with a penchant for creative insults? Huh?

Jake question himself as he behold the huge guy massive frame walking closer. His features suddenly seems to be twisting into a grotesque scowl. The man really looks bigger as he came closer and fuck! He didn't look so human at all!

Although, he had human features, like the hands and legs, But it was his ears that truly caught his attention–so slim, pointed, and it was utterly inhuman.

His features where really different from that of a human, although, he had some similarities. His ears look so slender and pointed upwards like those ones in fairytale movies. Also, his nose look like ummm.... Jeez! Really don't know what it looks like but fuck! It didn't look human at all.

What kind of being is…..

"I'm talking to you, and you dare keep me waiting?" his voice shattered Jake's reverie, making him flinch a bit. His tone was so harsh and his face almost seem like it would soon tear apart if Jake says somethings stupid.

But he did anyway….

He forced a smile, hoping to placate the beast in him.

 "Umm... sorry, man. I answered you, actually. I just didn't want to scream it so loud, so... you know, you wouldn't have to slice my head off."

He giggled.

The man looked at him with shock. His face went purpling with rage as he lurked his eyes with his. Was he kidding?

Jake spoke back at him without even a sense of fear. What made him more furious was the fact that he was smiling, it just fueled his anger the more. Was he joking here?

"How dare you?" he thundered at him, his massive hand closing around Jake's neck like a vice.

"Aghhh!"

"Aghhh"

Jake's choked out as his feet left the ground. The man lifted him with so much ease, his legs went flailing wildly like a puppet on a string.

"Hey! Please, put me down! I didn't even insult you!" Jake begged, but the man's grip only tightened the more.

"Shut up, brat!" he roared at him, increasing the momentum with his hands, his fingers where digging deeper into his neck so bad. "You think you can play smart here? Tonight, I'll skin you alive and feed you to the birds!"

Jake eyes widen in terror. He swallowed hard as the man word resounded in his head. Skinning his body to the birds, if there was a metaphor for that, it definitely means death. Jeez!

And fighting back wasn't an option here. He was a weakling. Even with this heavyweight champion body of his. He knows it was still hopeless. He had no idea how to defend himself, how to throw a punch or land a kick. 

All of that was wonderful but damn! He was completely useless with it. He can't do that! He was a weakling, and he knew it more than anyone.

'Alright Jake, you're smart. You gat this. Think something, something smart, not stupid. Jeez! Jake just think! think, think, think, think something!'

He silently pleaded, his eyes was getting screwed shut out of concentration due to the tension.

The pain from the man's grip was so suffocating, but Jake somehow forced himself to focus. 

A normal human couldn't lift a 250-pound man with one hand, could they? The man's strength was really unnatural, his hands was just like vice grips that refused to relent despite the time spent.

Jake's eyes suddenly snapped open again, a spark of realization seems to be igniting within him. 

'This man, is it a man? I'm not sure. So, this creature, isn't human. And that knowledge might just be the key to my survival.' Jake pondered.

"What are you thinking? Planning to run?" the man sneered at him, looking at him menacingly. Jake shrugged, a mischievous glint flashing through his eye as he gaze at him. 

"Nah, I mean, if I wanted to run, would you let me?" he posed a ridiculous question at him.

"Of course not! Why would I?" The man snorted.

"Because, you're a man. And a man shouldn't be afraid when his fellow man is running." 

"What?"

"Unless you want to keep proving how scared you are of me... by chasing me." Jake pressed on, his tone was clearly dripping with sarcasm. His trick seems to he working and the guy was clearly falling for it…..

"Awhh?" The man asked in confusion, he was so confused with the puzzle that Jake was smashing on him.

Jake's grin turned creepy.

 "Look, dude, the only way you can prove you're a man–and not a lady–is by putting me down and watching me run. How's that?"

The man's grip on Jake's neck suddenly faltered, his eyes widening in surprise at it. He dropped Jake to the floor, his mouth hanging open in amazement at it. It actually felt like a spell was cast on him. Guess, Jakes trick worked!

For a moment, the felt stupid for doing that, but then his expression shifted to one of pride. By dropping Jake, he wasn't scared. He had just proven his manhood. That was it!

Jake's legs hit the floor with a thud, and he stumbled back, gasping for air. He held a trees behind to stable himself. And then, he dusted himself off, trying to smooth out his tattered clothes. Although, they where still stained with the mud sand.

Jake sauntered up to the giant, a goofy grin was still plastered on his creepy face. How he summon such courage still remains a mystery to him. He was such a genius.

"Congrats, bro! You're now officially a man!" He extended a hand, and to his very surprise, the moron reciprocated the handshake. He actually thought the giant guy would grab his hand smash him on the floor. But damm! The guy was so dummy too.

He took a step back, his eyes where darting towards the other slave masters as well. Although, they were busy hauling some massive looking stones now. They where doing that, to cover the holes, preparing for any impending rain ahead. 

Jake continued to back away, one slow step at a time.

The giant guy was just there, watching him like a slug, he was still wearing that awkward smile. Maybe he was basking in his newfound masculinity; feeling like a man now. Such a jerk!

Jake seized the opportunity, turned around, and boom! He zoomed off.