How To Avoid Doom Flags? : A Guide By Lee Felix

First Flag - Don't Get Hit By An Arrow

I'm not dreaming, he belatedly realized. And this... this isn't fake, either.

The forest was real. The Prince was real. The assassins were real.

And Felix had just drawn them back with all his yelling.

Crap!!!

They didn't get far, the Prince stopping abruptly and forcing Felix to do the same as men cladded in black suddenly blocked their way. Frantically looking around, panic began rising in Felix's chest when he realized they were now surrounded by actual ninjas who were seemingly out for blood. 

The Prince bent down, picking up the nearest branch he could find. It wouldn't do much against the actual swords the assassins were wielding, but it was already better than nothing. Time seemingly came to a standstill as one of the men suddenly stepped forward – obviously the leader, then.

"Prince Hyunjin," he greeted flatly. "If you and your companion surrender to your deaths, then we will make them swift and painless. We are all aware of your skills as a warrior, but you are unarmed, and your companion is frail and powerless – the hopelessness of your situation should be obvious."

"Erm, fuck you too?" gawked Felix. "Who're you calling frail and powerless, dickhead? I bet I can break your face in!"

The leader shifted a bored, yet slightly agitated gaze toward him, obviously annoyed by his foul-mouth. But what could Felix say? He was scared for his own life, he wasn't about to mince his words. So, with all of the courage he could muster, he suddenly stepped forward and, with as much momentum as he could gather, he kicked the nearest rock smack in the man's face – and hit him dead in the eye.

"Aaargh!!!"

The leader stumbled back with a cry of pain, and Felix's unexpected move instantly opened the hostilities. However, in his surprise, the leader had dropped his weapon, and Felix promptly picked up his sword before shoving it in the Prince's hands.

"You'll be unarmed—"

"They said you're a good fighter, so get to it!" snapped Felix, already on the move again.

Just because Felix didn't take pleasure in fighting didn't mean he wasn't good at it. He'd taken Taekwondo classes for years, and he'd also done some kickboxing for a while. Of course, those skills weren't entirely helpful when it came to avoiding actual swords, but it definitely gave him the advantage he needed in close combat.

While Prince Hyunjin – that was what the leader called him, right? – began quite literally tearing through the ninja ranks with admittedly admirable skill, Felix began punching his way out of the fray. He wouldn't last for long, so he needed to run away the moment an opportunity presented itself. As he kicked another ninja right in the face, the man collapsed, unconscious – and Felix immediately noticed the bow he was holding and the stack of arrows on his back.

His eyes widening in glee, he immediately picked up the bow, armed it, and fired an arrow at the nearest enemy.

This is just like in video games, he tried to reason, pointedly ignoring the fact that those were all lethal blows he was landing. Just like in video games, Lix – they're just NPCs, this is fine—THIS IS FINE!

It was not, in fact, fine – but he could deal with the moral aftermath once he wasn't in the midst of fighting for his life.

Felix managed to take down six of them but, when he lifted his seventh arrow, he realized he no longer had any targets to aim it at – all of those who'd tried attacking him were down for the count. Still, there was still some fighting happening and, now a bit curious, he turned around to look in the Prince's direction. He was dressed almost exactly like the ninjas attacking them, mask and dark outfit alike, Felix now noticed – surely how he'd managed to escape from them in the first place.

Contrarily to the assassins, though, he was powerful. He cut them down left and right, his opponents falling with barely any opposition, powerless in the face of the hurricane that was their target. It was... mesmerizing, really. A dance in its own right, graceful and deadly. Felix was a bit ashamed of how he ended up doing nothing but bear witness to the spectacle, unable to bring himself to intervene – but soon enough, the Prince was done, and the last of the assassins fell.

He immediately spun around, looking in Felix's direction, and appearing surprisingly relieved when he found him still standing.

"Are you alright?" he asked, running up to him.

(Felix tried his best not to glance at the blood now dripping from his blade.)

"I'm okay," confirmed Felix, a bit shaky from the adrenaline. "You?"

The Prince merely nodded, taking a cursory look around. "We shouldn't stay here any longer. I believe this was all of them, but it is ill-advised to linger in a place of death such as this. Let us go at once—"

"Watch out!"

Felix didn't think, didn't even blink – the moment he noticed the leader he'd taken down earlier aiming an arrow at the Prince's back, he moved. Shoving Hyunjin aside, Felix took his stance and fired his own arrow without even breathing, hitting the leader right in the head.

Pain exploded in his lower abdomen.

What?

Felix had hit the leader – but he'd also taken the arrow meant for the Prince in the process. He could only stare, frozen, at the actual arrow now protruding from his stomach, blood already spilling out. He brought shaking fingers to it, unsure of what to do – but then the pain fully it him and, with a sharp gasp, he collapsed.

He could hear the Prince shouting beside him, yet he couldn't make out any of the words, as if he was plunged under water and sinking deeper... and deeper...

Huh, mused Felix as, through blurry eyes, he noticed the Prince finally pulling down his mask. Why does this jerk have to be so pretty...?

It was stupid, really, to die for the sake of someone he didn't even know, but there was some comfort to be found in knowing he wasn't dying alone, at the very least.

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Yo! Soooo remember that fic giveaway I did a couple of months ago? Well, here's the final result! I present you the fulfilled request of the giveaway winner: a HyunLix fix set in the Joseon Era!

Please keep in mind that I'm not entirely familiar with this part of history and most of my knowledge stems from the few historical dramas I've watched. As such, some things may divert, so please don't come for my head because of it. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride, because there are a LOT of surprises in store for everyone xD

I don't know when I'll post the next chapter, probably in two or three weeks from now, but it'll definitely be my longest fic as of yet. So stay tuned, and make sure to leave a comment! Your support is what motivates me to write! <3