-chapter one-hundred twenty-two-
THIRD PERSON
"'N-nong ginawa mo?" Finn asked, almost breathless, as Carly's dead body hung in front of her.
Sapphire looked down at her, not even showing a spark of guilt. "If you die, it's in Marcella's or this game's hands." lumuhod siya sa harapan ng babae at hinawakan ang panga nito. "Finley, you provide me with entertainment. If that girl kills you, ano 'yon? Namatay ka ng dahil sa isang weakling kahit na sinubukan kitang basagin sa nakalipas na cities? I told you, it's either you or Marcella. The heroine for this game."
Finn scoffed, weakly slapping her hand away. "Nasisiraan ka na."
"Please, that girl's just a burden. You should be glad I got rid of her." nakangising sambit nito bago naglakad paalis.
Sa kabilang bahagi ng gate ay hawak-hawak ni Eura si Gavin at pilit itong hinahatak paalis. His fist was bleeding red, and he looked like a beast uncaged. Kapag pinagpatuloy niya ang pag-atake sa hunter, baka tuluyang bumigay ang katawan niya.
She cursed, glancing at their previous battleground, and was glad to see Marcella and Dierran butting heads with the annoying hunter. Bumagsak si Gavin sa lupa at agad niya itong pinainom ng nag-iisang healing potion na mayro'n siya. Kung alam niya lang na mangyayari 'to, she should have bought more.
"We need to finish the hunters quickly before the clones get even more irritating. If they continue to distract us as we fight, we won't get out of here so quickly." humihingal na tugon ni Fern.
Kakatapos lang nilang patumbahin ang isang maliit at matabang hunter. Fern's hair was already messy, and Louise's face is caked with blood. Nakahilig na rin siya sa katawan ng kaibigan habang hinahabol ang hininga.
All around them, the players were busy fighting for their life. Kahit saan na lang lumalabas ang mga clones na nagcha-challenge sa mentality nila. Ang iba ay 'di na makagawang lumaban ng maayos kapag nahahagip ng tingin nila ang dating mahal sa buhay na ngayo'y balak silang patayin.
"Ilang hunter ba ang natitira?" tanong ni Oliver na lumapit sa kanila. He was wincing as he tried to step closer. Dahil sa sugat na nasa lower leg niya.
"Around five." Fern replied, searching the place. "They're very hard to kill. The other's one too small to even catch."
"Hindi ba natin pwedeng ikulong na lang ang hunter na 'yan?" kunot-noong tanong ni Eura.
"Sobrang liit at bilis para makulong, Eurs." sagot ni Louise na kumuha ng malalim na hininga. "The Blood Vanguard are currently trying to catch it as we speak."
Eura bit her lip, trying to find a certain boy. When it comes to spotting and trapping small things, Kairo is dependable. He's smart and fast to do that. Kay Finn lang naman hindi gumagana ang skills niya.
But she hesitated when she found him in the middle of a stressful fight. Kasa-kasama niya si Wes at kahit na may linya siyang pangbiro, their current situation isn't really to be joked about. Halatang-halata ang paghihirap sa tatlo habang kala-kalaban nila sina Finn at Depore.
The combination of shadows and exploding darkness were enough to make the battle dangerous, not to mention that they're fighting people who means a lot to them. Kunot ang noo ng dalawa habang dume-depensa sa mga atake at binabalik ang sakit na nakukuha nila. Right now, all they see is the twisted madness of this situation, and all they really want is to get out of this game, have a bath, and fucking relax for once.
"Eura."
Nilingon ng babae ang paika-ikang si Oliver. The man shot him a timid smile before talking in a weak voice, "Pwede bang ikaw muna kay insan? Ako na magbabantay sa kaniya." tukoy nito kay Gavin.
She dragged her gaze behind the man and froze when she saw Caspian's serious eyes. Umaapoy ang isang kamao nito habang nakatingin sa direksiyon nila. Bago pa makasagot si Eura ay bumagsak na si Oliver sa paanan niya, at napasinghap siya nang makita ang iilang karayom na nakatusok sa likuran niya.
"Go, I'll take care of them." ani Fern at tinapik siya sa balikat.
With Louise on her side, Eura gathered all her courage and faced off Caspian.
Hinatak ni Fern ang dalawang katawan malapit sa kaniya at ginamit ang mahika para gumawa ng barrier sa pagitan ng papalapit na clones. The fake versions of Gavin's friends and her own banged the barrier, trying to get inside. But Fern held on to her magic, biting her lower lip and letting out a quiet snarl as the pressure of their attacks increased. Nang mawala ang barrier ay naitapon sila palayo ng hangin ni Oliver.
He sheepishly smiled, meeting Fern's eyes. "Don't worry," kumindat siya. "Andito pa ako. Pakikuha lang ng karayom sa likod, please. Masyadong masakit at 'di ako makagalaw. Bakit ba kasi ang lakas ni insan dito."
With a roll of her eyes, Fern quietly obeyed, pressing a little hard to make Oliver groan in pain.
A few meters away from me, Marcella and Dierran were fighting the hunter with the mallet.
Pagod na pagod na sila at mukhang wala pang balak na mamatay ng hunter. It was swinging its weapon with full force. Panay ang pag-iwas nina Marcella at Dierran, gano'n din ang subok nilang pag-atake. Marcella's battle with the elf hunter was already annoying, dahil sa bilis ng galaw at skill nito na mangstun, now she has to fight against this monster that doesn't know when to give up.
Sinenyasan niya si Dierran na umatras sandali bago nagpakawala ng apoy papunta sa hunter. The wave of flame burned the monster whole, and suddenly, the earth it was standing on was broken into different pieces, striking him. Marcella striked her sword dagger sideways, a sharp slice of flame cutting through the earth pillars, turning into small rocks tgat exploded in the hunter's body. Isang napakalakas na hiyaw ang pinakawalan nito.
Hindi na nila mabilang kung ilang minuto na silang nakikipaglaban. They all have one thought - to get out of here and finish the last city. The desperation clung at their every strike. The longing and wish to go home evident as they continued their attacks.
Sacrifice and death were no longer an option for them. Malapit na lang sila sa kalayaan, kaya pipilitin nilang lumabas dito ng buhay. Para sa kanilang sarili, para sa mga nakilala nila sa laro, at para sa mga mahal sa buhay nilang naiwan sa labas.
The cries of the rogues filled the whole place as they struggled against the mental and emotional distractions of the clones and the physical strain the hunters brought.
Pikit ang mata nina Wes at Kairo nang patayin nila ng sabay ang clones ng dalawang babae. They quickly averted their eyes, not sparing the fallen bodies a glance and turning to the two players fighting the most annoying hunter. Abala rin sa pakikipaglaban ang nasa paligid nila. There were only three hunters left; the one with the mallet, a transparent-teleporting one, and the little but fast ball of annoyance.
"Dierran," tawag ni Kairo sa lalaking agad sila nilingon. He cocked his head towards Wes, adding, "Let's corner them all towards the gate and use our ultimates together."
Mabagal na tumango si Dierran. "What about that little hunter?"
"I'll take care of it." presenta ni Wes. "But make sure that the other two are already there."
"Ako na bahala sa nagte-teleport." napatingin sila kay Oliver na nagsalita. Sa likod niya ay kakatapos lang nina Eura at Louise sa laban kay Caspian. "O kami na."
"Alright." Kairo nodded. "Three minutes tops."
"'Ge."
After Oliver's verbal agreement, Wes only gave a short nod, jogging towards his other alliance members to give a hand. Sumama sina Fern, Gavin, Louise at Eura kay Oli para itrap ang nagte-teleport na hunter, na kasalukuyan rin palang nilalabanan ni Liam. Kairo joined Marcella and Dierran, his other members in the Reaper's Oath keeping the clones away with Glory's supervision.
With their daggers and resolve, the rogues used all their strength and magic to push the hunters towards the gate. Nang matapos ang ibang clones ay sumali na sa laban nila ang iba pang manlalaro. Together the thirty-six rogues who were left in the twenty-fifth city struggled to survive.
A flying wave of water hit the large hunter. Nang makita ni Kairo ang maliit na bolang tumama dito ay sinenyasan niya ang mga earth-magic users na gawin ang cage. The earth came alive, rising upwards and creating dozens of pillars that caged the three hunters inside. There was the possibility of the other hunter escaping by teleportation, pero nakapuwesto na ang ibang rogues sa pwede nitong puntahan. After fighting it, Liam has successfully perceived where the hunter spawns. Limited lang naman ang pinanggalingan nito.
Not that there were any time to escape, because as soon as the hunters we caged, fire erupted from the ground. The lava coated the bottom pillars, as flames started burning inside, causing the monsters to howl in pain. The largest hunter growled, slamming the mallet towards the solid rock, forcing them to break. Ngunit nang tuluyan itong magiba ay siya ring pagulan ng ice sa kanila at ang pagkulong sa kanila sa tubig na unti-unti silang kinukunan ng hininga. Once the water vanished, exploding chasms and dancing shadows entered the broken cage, further damaging the hunters.
Then Marcella rushed towards it, holding her sword high and true. With a swing, the flames came crashing down, destroying every last bit of enemies on her way.
Sandaling natigilan ang mga rogues. Habol nila ang hininga habang nakatitig sa malayang gate na nasa harap. The sounds and cries of victory touched the tensed air and Dierran raised his dagger, shouting to everyone else.
"To our lives and freedom!"
The rest of the rogues howled their agreement, and even though in pain or exhausted, they charged towards the gate. Agaran nila itong binuksan at dali-daling pumasok sa next city.
There they are, at the last city. There's only the gate and the boss blocking their way to life and happiness.
But the moment they stepped on the next city, they realized hell wasn't over yet.
Sunod-sunod ang paggalaw ng sahig na kinatatapakan nila. It jumped up in vibrations, causing them to lose balance or even fall. Their eyes fell on the large man at the center of the room and their hearts dropped at the blood that dripped off its sword. They saw the dead body of Carly, a hole evident in her chest where the sword strucked. Hindi napansin masyado ng Blood Vanguard ang pagkamatay niya kanina, dahil sumama ang sugat na mula sa Bond Link sa mga natamo nilang damage sa pakikipaglaban.
Sunod na dumapo ang mata nila kay Maki na duguan na ang kaliwang braso, at akay-akay si Finn na sobrang...
"Fuck." Kairo's curse was like acid as he took on her situation.
Eura stifled her cry, her shoulders slumping. Gavin took a step forward, horror in his eyes, while Oliver had to take a deep breath just to calm himself. Wes, whose eyes fell at Finn after entering the city, had blood dripping from how hard he was clenching his fist. Even the others, who weren't that close to the girl, they could feel pity and pain for her.
Finn couldn't almost stand. Electric sparked at her right leg and there was a deep cut on her thigh. Her clothes were ripped on the stomach, with multiple bleeding wounds. Halos hindi na niya mahawakan ang isang throwdagger dahil sa walang-lakas na ang dumudugo niyang kamay. Her right arm fell limp on her side and she was taking deep, harsh breaths. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were hooded. There was blood on her cheeks and mouth, and her lip was busted. And like before, the shadows that left her body were uncontrolled and in a frenzy.
The boss swung its sword towards the weakened duo. Ngunit hindi tumama ang muling atake nito dahil agad na pumagitna ang umaapoy na sword dagger ni Marcella.
Halos lumipad ang puso ni Maki sa saya nang sumugod sila lahat at tumulong sa kanila. He adjusted Finn's position, para mas maging komportable ito dahil talagang nanghihina na ito. After being slaughtered with the horns of the bull, the electric currents that crawled through her skin and bit her wounds, and after trying to escape the boss' merciless attacks after it killed Carly, she couldn't stand properly anymore.
Sapphire watched as every last players poured their desperation, anger, pain, and hope to the boss. Pagkatapos ng malapit sa isang oras na paglaban ni Finn sa boss, its HP finally went down to 80. And now, with the continuous attacks from the other rogues, it was steadily going down.
Nakikita niyang lahat ng mga naglalabang rogues ay malapit ng mareach ang limit nila. The battle against the boss would be easier if their strengths and magic were not used. Kahit sa kilos nina Marcella, Kairo, at Oliver ay sobrang bumagal na. The queen's flame wasn't burning as brightly as before, and it kept on flickering from time to time.
Sapphire briefly wondered if completing the game was near impossible. And if the players could only take on the boss and die.
But her eyes fell on Finn and she watched her stand at the knife's edge again. It was one of the special functions in the game - the Power Switch. Kung saan ang magic power na mayroon ang isang player ay pwedeng maconvert into magic energy kapag ubos na ubos na nila ito, which will lead into what they call berserk. Iyon ang nangyari kay Finn sa thirteenth city, kung saan ang nag-uumapaw na magic power niya sa panahong 'yon, na mas sobra sa energy na mayro'n siya ay naging hudyat sa power switch na mangyari.
Unlike what they believed however, berserking doesn't cause memory loss. The player's are conscious while fighting, but it's their own emotions that causes them to forget. Kaya naaalala ni Finn ang nangyari, na talagang lumaban lang siya kina June at Marcella at na hindi dahil sa pagkawala niya ng kontrol na namatay si Renée.
Now, Sapphire has observed how Finn's magic were depleting but she still wants to use every bit of her shadows. And she's well aware that her power would switch sides soon.
It was another successful beta-test for her, however. That means the function is going well if it's been used twice now. Ngunit, kailangan niya rin itong makita sa iba.
She leaned on the wall, humming, as the boss' HP went down to 50%. Napangiti siya nang umatras ang mga players dahil sa kakaibang tensiyon na namuo sa silid.
"Back down." Wes warned, his eyes narrowing. "Something's coming."
"Ano naman 'yon?" Eura asked, curious.
"Something bad, perhaps. When the boss reaches a certain level like this, may mga nangyayaring masama. Either they will unleash an ultimate or some horrific skill."
Just as Wes finished his warning, a loud growl came from behind the boss. Their curses filled the air as a large dragon appeared, its scales burning in lava while the head had blue horns that spiralled upwards. The tail was large and long, with its tip having the shape of a spike that was green with poison.
It moved, and Gavin was threw away at the slap of its tail.
"Shit! Gavin!"
Ang sigaw ni Eura ang nagpa-angat ng tingin ni Finn. Her breathing hitched as she watched Gavin on the wall, bloodied and limp.
Agad na tinakbuhan ni Eura ang lalaki at tinulungan itong makatayo. Saktong paglingon niya nang marinig ang sigaw ni Maki ay nakita niya ang pag-atake ng mabilis na anino sa katawan ng dragon.
The shadow hit the dragon's body, making it stagger a little back, before exploding and surrounding the whole room in darkness. When the light gained dominance over the room once again, the dragon's other wing was already gone. Nakatayo si Finn sa tabi nito at nakatalikod sa kanila.
Their eyes stayed on the sparrow that struggles to fly.
With her head ducked down, Finn stood powerfully. Shadows burst from her back, creating the shape of a wing.
A wing of sorrowful shadows from a flightless sparrow.
-chapter end-