Rogue Wars Online

Chapter Twenty-Three: First Match

I blinked. "I see. Oo nga."

Caspian's smirk fell and he quietly chuckled. "Oo nga? Pft. You sound really arrogant there."

"Pero 'yon ang totoo."

"Tama ka diyan, my baby Finn. Mas arogante nga ang isa diyan na akala mo tahimik, sa loob lang pala ang kulo."

Hindi na ako masyadong nagulat nang pumwesto si Depore sa tabi ko at may kagat-kagat ng tinapay. Binibigyan niya nang masamang tingin si Caspian na blanko na ulit ang mukha.

"'Di ba, Finn? 'Di ba?" Depore started to nudge me.

"Hindi ko gets." sagot ko sa kaniya.

"Arogante ba si Caspian?"

I stared at the boy in question. "I don't know. He boasts from time to time."

"See! He's arrogant!"

"But you sell yourself a lot too, Depore. Hindi ba't lagi kayong nagpapabida ni Caspian-"

Isang kamay ang biglang tumakip sa bibig ko. Depore was already out of her seat. Ngayon ay isang malamig na ngiti na ang pinapakita niya sa'kin.

"Finn, where did my adorable baby go?"

Hindi ko na siya sinagot. I don't know why they kept defining me as 'adorable'. I want to be at least intimidating. I can't imagine Marcella being threatened by someone 'adorable'.

"You should let your adorable baby go or she'll turn into a beast." komento ni Caspian at tumayo. "Isa pa, kailangan na nating pumunta sa Arena. The league will start."

Binitawan ako ni Depore at tumalon-talon. Sometimes her actions make me forget that she's older than me. She looks and acts like a kid.

"Oo nga pala. Tara na, Finn!" she cracked her knuckles while laughing under her breath. "Gusto ko nang magpasabog."

Nauna siyang umalis, skipping in her every step. She's humming under her breath. For some reason, I'm afraid for those unlucky players who will fight against her.

"Sometimes she scares me."

Napatango ako sa sinabi ni Caspian.

The Magus League is the obstacle every player must go through in order to proceed to the next city. Tanging ang mga manlalaro lang na may mastery sa kanilang magic ang pwede sumali. There is no definite deadline nor time for the League. As long as you're qualified, you can register for a match and have some rest after it.

The thing is, you won't win the League just because you won a match. A rogue must have three consecutive wins to finish the League. Ibig sabihin, kahit na nanalo ka ng dalawang beses kung natalo ka sa susunod, you have to restart. Kaya naman, okay lang na hindi ka agad magregister pagkatapos ng unang match mo, you can train more.

Well, that is if you don't prioritize time a lot.

Before the main arena, there's the lobby. Nasa likuran ng front desk ang rules ng League. Players lined up in front of it, ready to register themselves for the match.

Napalingon-lingon ako sa paligid. I thought some rogues would rather watch and observe before plunging themselves into a match, but the case seems to be different now. Siguradong dahil ito sa nakalipas na araw. Hindi na sila pwedeng magpaligoy-ligoy lang sa mga syudad.

We're still in the sixth city and we've been in this game for a week. We have a lot more cities to finish.

"There's a lot..." mahinang komento ko.

"Mm." Caspian nodded. "Stay close to me so you won't get lost."

I quietly followed him, while staring holes at the back of his head. Really, he could fight Baste for the second father role in my life.