anghabaa na ng story na 'to ahsgjags
-chapter one-hundred twenty-one-
THIRD PERSON
Right now, what she needs isn't Finn but Sparrow.
The boss was large and intimidating, lalo na nang kunin nito ang malaking espada na mas matangkad pa kay Finn. She poured her heart out earlier, and now she has to store those emotions again so she could fight.
The snake slithered down her arms biting into her finger to become a dagger once again. Until now, hindi alam ng lahat ang tungkol sa second weapon niya since hindi naman niya ito ginagamit unless she's desperate or in big trouble. And the dagger goes back to being a snake, hiding in her sleeves after it's used. Kaya aside kay Maki na kasama niya doon, at sa mga nakapansin na nanatiling tahimik, her second weapon remains a secret.
The boss slashed the sword to her direction, making Finn jump back a bit. Patuloy ang pag-iwas niya sa bawat atake ng kalaban. It's not because she can't fight back, but that she needs to study the span between his attacks. Kung gaano ito kabilis, kung may pattern sa direksiyon at kung gaano kabigat ang bawat atake.
It was the rush of adrenaline within her and the calmness that the sparrow possessed that helped her fight. Yes, the one who ruined her life is just somewhere around here and she should display how hurt and in pain she is, but would her anger save them all from this game? Would it be their escape?
No. Kahit gaano pa kalaki ang galit niya kay Sapphire, hindi siya ang dapat talunin sa pagkakataong ito. She can be dealt with afterwards. But right now, this boss and the promise of leaving alive with her friends is more tempting than anything. And Finn has a lot of practice against game bosses to take this with a sane mind.
Nakakatulong din kahit papaano na mag-isa siya. She feels weak and her magic energy is limited, but she only has herself to worry about.
And if she burns in the fight and they arrive too late, the boss would be easy to defeat by then. Makakaalis pa rin sila ng buhay.
Nasira ang sahig na natamaan ng espada nang muling umatake ang boss. He gave a grunt as he tried to pull the huge blade from being stucked on the ground, and Finn used it to get closer. She ran through the blade, jumping towards the man with the help of her shadows, and throwing two explosives kunai at its head.
Napaatras ang boss sa atake kaya ginamit na pagkakataon ni Finley iyon para bigyan ito ng malakas na sipa sa mukha. Before she could fall down on his other side, Finn attached her dagger to a shadow chain and threw it at the boss' neck. Napahiyaw sa gulat at hapdi ang kalaban, pero hindi iyon pinansin ni Finn.
She used the shadow chain to flung herself upwards, delivering four kunais around the head. Pero isang malakas na pwersa ng mahika ang sumabog at ipinalayo siya. The boss looked angry now, the HP bar above its head blinking as it decreased a bit. A discrepancy in its full HP bar seemed enough for him to feel angry.
And for some reason, that made Finn pissed.
Hindi nga siguro nakaka-3% ang damage na nakuha ng boss na 'to, tapos may gana pang magalit sa kaniya? Naghintay lang 'to buong magdamag sa last city tapos 'pag nasaktan, ganiyan agad? E siya nga, sinaktan siya ng sinaktan sa nakalipas na mga city, hindi naman siya nagalit ng ganiyan ah? Oo siguro kanina at noong naglaban sila ni Marcella na pinalabas niya ang galit niya, pero karapat-dapat lang naman 'yon.
Kaya anong kinagagalit ng boss na 'to sa 3% damage? Finn is already huffing in anger at the display of unfairness.
With her anger, she summoned dozen of daggers above the boss. She activated the rain of daggers before becoming one with the shadow. Isang skill kung saan pwede niyang imanipulate ang shadow at magteleport o gumalaw na isang anino lamang.
Shadows danced through the confused boss as daggers rained down on him. He let out a loud wail, swinging his sword around in an attempt to get rid of his attacker. Ngunit sa pagkasurpresa niya ay nagkapira-piraso lamang ang kaniyang upper armor bago nawala ang mga anino at umalingawngaw ang pag-ubo ng isang babae sa kaniyang likod.
However, when the boss turned around to search for his opponent, one of his eyes was stabbed.
Tumilapon si Finn at tumama sa isang pillar nang magpasabog ng electric force ang boss. She cried out in pain, a few tears welling in her eyes at the impact. Dahan-dahan siyang dumausdos sa sahig, habang pinapanood ang pagpapanic ng boss dahil wala na ang isang mata nito. And its HP bar was already going down to 90.
Blood dripped from his eye sockets. Balak naman talaga ni Finn na saksakin ang dalawang mata niya para mas magka-advantage siya. The boss wouldn't know her presence because of her benefit, and without his eyes, hindi na talaga malalaman nito kung saan siya nakapuwesto.
It was a good plan. She considered the exploding magical force and thought that she'll counter it with her shadows. Ngunit bigla nitong itinaas ang kamay at pumitik.
Finn heard the roaring of the ground and the clashing of hooves first before the stampede of bulls appeared. Sumasakit na ang buong katawan niya pero pilit siyang bumangon para makaalis sa dinadaanan nila. They were coming and leaving in different directions and the boss continued on swinging his sword upwards. And she figured that it was the key to summoning these bulls.
"'Ray!" daing niya nang tamaan siya ng nag-uunahang toro papunta sa kaniyang direksiyon.
Finn stumbled to the side falling down, but quickly crawling to the side when she noticed another set of bulls coming in. Hindi sila tumitigil sa pagdating at ilang beses na siyang natamaan. She couldn't stand properly because of the cuts in her thigh, and the deep wounds in her back and stomach due to the bull's horns. Nagkasira-sira na rin ang tela ng damit niya dahil sa mga ito at dahan-dahan ng bumibigat ang talukap ng mata niya.
Her vision was swimming and she's two seconds from fainting. Ang tanging magagawa niya para pigilan ang stampede ay atakehin ang boss para pigilan ang pagpapaikot nito ng espada. Of course, this wasn't a boss she can handle alone again.
So Finn was taken aback when a chakram cut through the air, hitting the sword and stopping the whole stampede. Sunod ay ang sampung paglipad ng chakram mula sa iba't ibang direksiyon. Tumama ang mga ito sa katawan ng boss kaya muling bumaba ang HP niya.
But Finn was already glancing at the darkness that coated the sides of the room. Bakit siya tinulungan ng babaeng 'yon? Bakit hindi na lang nitong hinayaan na mamatay siya?
A creak in the door made her turn around, eyes widening and the glimmer of hope burning in her heart. But when the person entered and Finn took sight of the familiar hair and hateful eyes, her breathing hardened.
On the other side of the gate, Wes was thrown aback after the hunter's strong attack. Kahit na ginamit niyang pangsangga ang tubig ay nakakuha pa rin siya ng kaunting damage mula dito. He glanced at Kairo, noticing that he's already fighting another large hunter. Dumidilim ang paligid nito at lumalabas ang hunter na may mas maraming sugat kaysa sa huling nakita. Si Oliver naman ay kasalukuyang nakikipag-away sa clone ni Marcella.
A flurry of shadows passed his vision and he was quickly put in alert, glancing around for any sign of Finn. When he saw her face among the other clones, he was a little disappointed. Gusto nga niyang nakikita ang mukha ng babae, pero gusto niya naman na totoo ang taong kaharap niya.
He had no time to prepare for the attack that happened next, but thankfully, Kairo was in time to drag him from the burst of shadows that left Finn's clone. Sa isang iglap ay nakikipaglaban na ulit ito sa kanila at nagdadalawang-isip ang bawat pagbalik ng atake nila. It's just too hard to swing your blade at a person you want to protect and cherish forever. But then they had to remember, that in order to see the real one, they needed to defeat the fake.
Sa kabilang banda ay kakatapos lang patayin ni Dierran ang hunter na humarang sa kaniya. Sapo ang balikat ay napasulyap siya sa gate. It's closed now and he thinks Maki has slipped to the other city already... when he heard his cry.
Startled, his head snapped to the side of the gate, where the hunter was looming over Maki. Nakahiga ang binata sa lupa at umaagos ang dugo mula sa hita niyang sinaksak ng dagger. Halatang hindi siya makatayo dahil hindi komportable ang posisyon at kapag sinubukan ay mas lalong madidiin ang kutsilyo.
Dierran quickly moved, running towards them to stop the mallet from slamming down, but someone beat him into it.
The flames burned as it fought back against the hunter's weapon, and Marcella grunted as she tried to force the mallet upwards. Napamulat ng biglaan si Maki nang hindi maramdaman ang pagtawag sa kaniya ni kamatayan, at akala niya'y nasa langit na talaga siya nang makita si Marcella sa taas at pinoprotektahan siya.
Then someone dragged him off the ground and he was face to face with a serious Dierran.
"Shit!" bulalas niya nang maalala ang utos. "Believe me, malapit na sana ako at makakapunta na sa next city pero tinulak ako ng bruhildang Carly na 'yon at," he gestured at his bleeding thigh. "Sinaksak pa— Ouch!"
Parang maiiyak na si Maki. Biglaan ba namang hinugot ni Dierran ang kutsilyo sa hita niya kaya sino ang hindi sisigaw sa sakit?
"You need to go back in there. Can you stand?"
"Pipilitin. 'Langhiya. Warning naman next time."
"We're not exactly in a position to give warnings. Kailangan nating magmadali," Dierran helped him stand up. "Mauna ka na do'n at tutulungan ko si Marcella dito. Once we get rid of all these hunters, we'll follow."
Maki nodded, watching as Dierran left to support Marcella. He tore his shirt off, bending down a little to wrap it around his bleeding thigh. With a lick of his lips, he pulled out his axe and went towards the gate.
Bago pa makapasok si Maki ay nakatitig lang si Finn sa babaeng kakadating. Mag-isa lang si Carly na pumasok dito kaya sobra siyang kinabahan. At kahit gusto niyang tanungin kung anong nangyari ay nakatuon na ang atensiyon nito sa last boss.
"If we defeat that, makakalabas na tayo, 'di ba?" tanong nito habang nanginginig ang kapit sa lance na hawak.
Finn gave a short nod, trying to stand up herself and wincing at the wound in her thigh. Pinag-aralan ni Carly ang kabuuan niya bago suminghal.
"Ayan kasi't sobra kang nagmamadali! Alam mo bang hinihintay ka ng mga kasama mo at alalang-alala sila sa'yo?! Pero anong ginawa mo? Nauna ka dito at iniwan sila dahil kahit na anong preach nila na selfless ka, ikaw pa rin ang pinakaselfish na tao dito!"
Kumunot ang noo ni Finn sa pinagsasabi nito. Napakalaki na ng problema niya kay Sapphire kaya sana huwag na siyang dumagdag pa. She already has the boss to deal with, she doesn't need another loudmouth to nag her when they don't even know anything.
"Ayan! Deserve na mangyari sa'yo 'yan! Nag-uuna-una ka kasi kaya ayan at napahamak ka! Kung akala mo ay tutulungan kita, pwes, nagkakamali ka. Parehas lang tayo na nandidito dahil gusto na nating makaalis."
"Don't need your help." Finn said through gritted teeth, breathing harshly as she took a step. "And don't talk as if you know things. You don't know me and you don't know what's happening."
"Alam ko! Nandito ka lang naman para mauna na sa'ming lahat at iiwanan mo kami!"
Her loud and irritating voice took the boss' attention. Sa isang iglap ay pumihit ito paharap sa kanila at itinapon ang espada. The two girls ducked down, with Carly emitting an ugly cry, before the sword pierced the gate just as it slowly opened. At umalingawngaw sa buong silid ang boses ng bagong-dating.
"Jusmeyo marimar! My goodness! Ano 'yan?! Kasayang welcome naman ito!"
Finn almost let out a relieved sigh, her shoulders relaxing, when Maki appeared. When his eyes landed on her, they widened and he took a step forward.
"Finn! Nagaalala kami sa'yo at talaga nga namang nakakapag-alala ang sitwasyon mo ngayon—"
He was cut off when the boss jumped on front of him, its large hand wrapping around the hilt of the sword and its eye staring right down at Maki. Napalunok ang binata. It took a tense second before the boss brought his sword down, with Maki only avoiding it as he sent a rush of air, redirecting the sword to his left. Maki made a smooth slide under his large body, running stealthily to escape the boss' next attacks.
Sinulyapan ni Finn si Carly. "Let's help him."
Nagdadalawang-isip pa sa panahong 'yon ang babae. She stabbed Maki in the thigh and pushed him aside so she doesn't know if he's harboring anger or resentment towards her. Nakakatakot din ang boss at sila lang tatlo ang nandidito. Her current hope, the sparrow, is short of commission dahil sa mga sugat at pasa nito. But she guesses that it can still be used as a shield.
Tumango na lang siya at nanginginig na hinawakan ang lance. Finn put her palm on the ground, letting the shadows crawl towards the man's body, gobbling him whole. Si Maki na abala sa pagtakbo ay sandaling huminto para gumawa ng tatlong magkakasunod na air slicer at pinapunta sa boss. The shadows were attracted at the rush of air and it covered the attack, hitting the boss in a powerful combination of magic.
Sunod na umatake ng sabay si Maki at Finn, slashing and throwing their weapons with perfect coordination, that one would say they're trained as partners. Maki helped Finn up to deliver attacks after attacks at the boss head, to limit her use of magic. But the two of them were pushed out by the burst of power from the boss.
Nasa 87 na ang HP nito.
Just then, naramdaman nila ang pagtaas ng tensiyon. The hairs in their body stood up at the sound of crackling, and no more than a minute, they were standing on electrocuted ground. The floors were sparkling in electricity and only a few spaces were free for them to move around. The electric current traveled through the whole room and small balls of sparkling electricity floated all around, threatening and dangerous.
Just then, four minotaurs appeared from the pillars and started walking towards them.
Finn took a deep breath, wincing at the shot of electricity that dived painly on her wounds. Nanghihina niyang kinuha ang throwdagger at pinanood ang paglapit ng dalawang minotaurs. Handa na siyang labanan ang mga ito.
Ngunit bigla itong lumiko papunta kay Maki. Finn was about to warn him, until he showed that he was aware and he purposely made them come to his direction.
With a slow chuckle, Maki held on to his magic and axes. This may be suicide but he can't let those two ugly minotaurs fight Finn. She's weak and with the currents around, she's not going to fight well. Maki can handle them himself and let Finn rest for a minute.
Ngayong nakita niya na gaano kaseryoso ang nangyayari dito, sana nga makarating na ng mas mabilis sina Dierran.
He looked for the other minotaur, a little hopeful that the ugly frog would take it on. Ngunit biglang tumambol ang puso niya nang makita ang pagtulak ni Carly sa kaibigan niya at ang paglapit ng boss sa kanila.
Kaagad na gumalaw ang mga paa niya at susugod sana siya doon kung hindi lang lumitaw sa harapan niya ang dalawang minotaurs.
"Shit!" he cursed, jaw clenching as he drove his axe deeply on the monster's chest.
Kailangan niyang matapos ang labang ito ngayon para matulungan na si Finn.
A deep growl left the boss as it hurried towards the fallen sparrow, sword raised and ready to kill. Nangingig na pinanood ni Carly ang paglapit ng boss. Hindi naman niya sinasadya ang nangyari. She was trying to fight the minotaur when his skill activated, making her lance slip and she fell down. Napahiyaw siya sa sakit nang dumaloy ang kuryente sa paa niya at natakot nang biglang sumugod papunta sa kaniya ang minotaur.
Terrified, she ran and accidentally pushed Finn towards the section of the room where balls of current loitered around. Isang napakasakit na hikbi ang lumabas kay Finn nang dumapo ang tuhod niya sa bola ng kuryente at bumaon sa bukas na sugat niya ang pagdaloy nito. When Carly looked back to the minotaur behind her, it was already dead with the shadows leaving its body in a haunting trail.
Alam niyang kailangan niyang tumulong dahil kailangan si Finn para makaalis siya dito, pero natatakot siyang gumalaw at mapunta sa kaniya ang atensiyon ng boss. If it ever attacks her, mamamatay siya!
Finn shouted in pain as an invisible force made her lower her face to the ground. Naipikit niya ang mga mata nang kukunti na lang ay makukuryente na siya. She can hear Maki's desperate struggles to stop his three-in-one fight, and she can also feel Carly's hesitance and guilt behind her.
For a moment, she wanted the peace.
But then a loud and anguished cry filled the whole room.
Nawala ang kuryente at ang bagay na nagpayuko sa kaniya. But when Finn raised her head, she stilled. A drop of blood touched her cheek, and the terrified but opened eyes of a young girl met hers.
A small gasp of horror left her mouth as she watched Carly be impaled on the boss' sword.
"I don't want some lowly mouse getting the praise and attention," Sapphire's voice filled the tense air. "It will either be the queen or the sparrow. No exceptions."
-chapter end-
kay maki lang rurupok