UNEDITED. TAMAD LANG HAHA. PAGPASENSIYAHAN NA NINYO ANG GRAMMAR.
DENISE
Everything was already set. The first match was between Scithe, a girl slayer and Kram, a berserker. Kram was a boy. Isa itong laban sa pagitan ng mga players na nagmula sa warrior class. Nakaupo na kami sa bleachers ng duel arena. 1500 golds ang ibinayad namin upang mapanood ang laban. Because there are three matches scheduled for today, 4500 agad ang ginastos namin. Hindi na ako nanghihinayang sa pera dahil alam ko naman na worth it ang mga laban na ito.
May mga NPC rin sa loob na manonood sa laban. Kram and Scithe was checking their weapons and items before entering the arena. Maraming NPC ang nagsisigawan. They were cheering for the both of them. Cheering was the NPC's purpose who are watching them.
Isang napakalaking axe na may kumiking na asul na bato sa gitna ang bitbit ni Kram. Sword naman ang kay Scithe. Sa gitna ng handle ng sword ni Scithe ay may isang kumikinang na kulay pulang bato. Those stones are the source where they could release their Mana energies.
May makikita rin na blue gem stone sa bow ko kaya nababalutan ng kulay asul na liwanag ang bawat arrow na pinapakawalan ko. We could replace those stones if we find another one. Nakadaragdag din ito sa lakas ng Mana power na pwede naming ilabas. Magkapareho lang ang level nina Scithe at Kram. Level 15.
Lahat ng players ay nagsisimula sa blue gem stones. Sinuwerte lang si Fire na makakuha ng rare item sa invasion kaya kulay pula na agad ang sa kanya noon. May natanggap din siyang yellow gem stone sa Cathedral Restoration pero hindi pa niya ito ginagamit. Naghahanap pa kami ng master crafter para gumawa ng mas malakas na weapon para sa 'min. Fire was always trying to support us that's why his level was lower than mine. He always serves as defense. Hindi ko alam kung saan kinuha ni Scithe ang pulang gem stone na gamit niya ngayon. Siguro sa invasion din. Mas malakas ang pulang gem stone kaysa sa blue gem stone. Pareho lang sila ng level pero kitang-kita na mas lamang si Scithe pagdating sa weapon na gamit niya.
But this is not just a battle of power. This is a battle of strategies. Kung hindi sila marunong dumiskarte, matatalo pa rin sila kahit sila pa ang pinakamalakas na manlalaro. They should use their power wisely.
May NPC na nag-aannounce sa lahat ng mangyayari sa loob ng duel arena. That NPC was sitting inside the function room which was visible to all of us because it was covered with a clear glass. He was a cute guy who was wearing headset with a small microphone. May isa pang announcer na babae at katabi niya.
"Are you ready to witness the first match between Scithe and Kram? The fight will start after five minutes. You still have time to enter the duel arena and watch the match," the NPC said. Tiyak na naririnig ng lahat ng tao sa town ang announcement na 'yon. May ilang players na humabol para manood ng laban nina Scithe. Ito ang unang laban na mangyayari sa duel arena. Tiyak na curious silang lahat.
Makalipas ang limang minuto, ipinakilala ng announcer sina Scithe at Kram nang pumasok silang dalawa sa arena. Seryoso silang dalawa at halatang walang balak magpatalo sa isa't isa. Tiyak na hindi nila hahayaang makalamang ang kalaban nila. "Let the duel begin," the announcer finally said. That's what I'm waiting for. Matapos sabihin ng announcer ang mga salitang 'yon, lalong naalerto sina Scithe at Kram. Hindi agad sila sumugod sa isa't isa. Pinapakiramdaman muna nila ang bawat isa. One wrong move and they will be in a disadvantage. I was watching attentively. I was studying their every move. Kailangan kong malaman kung madali silang makasasabay sa 'min sa mga party quest. Our moves must be compatible with each other.
Hinawakan ni Kram nang mahigpit ang hawak niyang axe. Dahil tiyak na mabigat ang armas niya, mahihirapan siyang gumalaw nang mas mabilis. May advantage pa rin si Scithe pagdating sa pabilisan.
Scithe composed herself. Naglalakad sila at paikot-ikot sa loob ng arena. They're not blinking an eye and were looking to their opponents seriously. Kram swung his huge axe in the air and it was directed towards Scithe. Ito na ang hudyat para magsimula silang gumalaw at umatake. Isang malaking asul na liwanag ang lumabas mula sa palakol na halos humati sa hangin ang lumabas mula roon. I never taught that he was capable of using that technique even though he's meters away from Scithe.
Scithe jumped to avoid Kram's attack. She ran towards Kram. I wonder if she could also do such technique. A wind slash. Ihinanda ni Kram ang sarili sa pagsugod ni Scithe. Hindi siya tumakbo at pumorma para atakihin si Scithe. Scithe continuously hit Kram with her sword while Kram dodged it with his axe. Makikita ang asul at pulang liwanag sa hangin na nagtatagisan ng lakas. Maririnig ang matitinis na ingay ng mga nagbabanggaang metal.
Halatang nahihirapan si Kram dahil mas malakas ang Mana energy na lumalabas mula sa sword ni Scithe. Pero hanga ako kay Kram dahil kahit nahihirapan siya hindi siya nawawalan ng pag-asa. He was trying his best to hit Scithe with all his strength but because Scithe was careful on her every moves, she could easily dodge his attacks. Kitang-kita ang malalaking butil ng pawis mula sa mukha nina Scithe at Kram. Napapangiwi sila dahil sa lakas ng puwersa ng bawat isa. Scithe had no choice but to step back because of the groundshaker strikes and blows Kram could release. The announcers were reporting everything that they could see. Sumasabay sa ingay ang mga NPCs na nanonood sa laban. Seryoso naman kami habang nanonood.
Lumayo si Kram upang iwasan ang counterattack slash na gagawin sana ni Scithe. Kaunti pa lang ang nababawas sa mga Health Points nila dahil pareho silang maingat. Pero mas lamang si Scithe sa health points. Scithe played with her sword. I know she was planning something. Tila iniinis niya si Kram upang mawalan ito ng kontrol sa sarili. Kram looked at her irritatedly. Kinagat niya ang hamon ni Scithe kaya agad siyang tumakbo sa kinaroroonan ni Scithe. Buong lakas na binuhat ni Kram ang malaking palakol niya at ihinampas kay Scithe. She started to spin her sword in front of her she was making a whirlwind of slashes. Halos lumabog si Scithe sa kinatatayuan dahil sa malakas na paghampas ni Kram ng palakol sa kanya. Scithe leaped away from Scithe then she charge forward from his rearview. Akmang sasalagin ni Kram ang atake ni Scithe pero tumalon si Scithe nang mataas patungo sa likod ni Kram. She swung her sword and strike him in his side.
Halos mapasigaw nang malakas si Kram dahil sa sakit. Kitang-kita ko ang dugo na lumabas mula sa tagiliran niya. Marahas na hinila ni Scithe ang espada niya na may bahid ng dugo ni Kram. Halos kalhati ang nabawas sa health points ni Kram. Hindi pa nakakahuma si Kram sa nangyari pero muli nang umatake si Scithe. She started to strike him again in every part of his body. She really plan to knock him down in an instant. Buong lakas na hinarap ni Kram si Scithe kahit nahihirapan siya. With Kram's remaining power, he strike her with his axe. Bumaon ang palakol niya sa balikat ni Scithe na napasigaw nang malakas. It pierced through her light armor. Pero bago pa man mabawasan ng tuluyan ang health points ni Scithe, naglaho na si Kram dahil naubos na ang health points nito. Tiyak na diretso siya sa Resurrection Hall. I felt bad for him. Duguan si Scithe pero kaya pa niyang tumayo. She was holding her injured shoulder. Nakangiwi si Ice sa tabi ko dahil sa nasaksihang laban.
"Gross," maarteng sabi niya dahil halos makita na ang buto ni Scithe. But it will automatically heal when she was teleported outside the arena.
"Scithe won the first match. Congratulations!" masayang sigaw ng announcer. Scithe was teleported outside the arena. She probably received her reward. Nadagdagan din ang experience points niya. Mamaya ko na lang siya kakausapin. I'm still waiting for the second and third match.
Tatlong manlalaro na nasa loob ng arena ang umagaw sa pansin ko. Nanonood din sa laban. I saw Sky, Zero and Queen in the opposite side of the bleachers. Magkakalayo sila. Kampante silang nakaupo sa mga puwesto nila. I wonder why they are here. I'm sure they are not spies. Maybe they just wanted to know what's happening inside this arena.
The announcer said that the next match will start within fifteen minutes.
"Sino sa kanilang dalawa ang pipiliin mo?" tanong ni Fire.
"Scithe," sagot ko. Tumango si Fire.
"For the next match, Angel versus Athena. They both came from the bard class," the announcer said. Hinihikayat niya na manood ang ibang players sa arena. Ipinakilala ng announcer ang mga maglalaban. Angel and Athena walked inside the arena. Their harps were almost in the same levels. They were both in level 16 too. Parehong kulay asul ang gemstones nila.
"I wonder where we can get those gemstones. Ang swerte mo naman Fire," bulong ko kina Fire at Ice. Ngumisi si Fire.
"It was a rare item. Pero may impormasyon akong nakuha na tiyak na magiging interesado ko. Nagtanong ako sa mga NPCs na nasa town pero may kapalit ang bawat impormasyong ibinibigay nila. I exchanged my blue gemstone for that information. They don't know if this is a myth but they said that the most powerful gemstones and weapons can be found in the Lost City. Gold gemstones and legendary weapons to be exact. May mga treasures din na tiyak na malaki ang halaga," bulong ni Fire sa 'kin.
Sabay kaming lumingon ni Ice sa kanya. That information piqued our interest.
Tumawa nang mahina si Fire dahil sa itsura namin dalawa. Tiyak na tila kumikinang ang mga mata namin dahil sa mga sinabi niya. "Don't get too excited. Wala pang kahit na sino ang nakararating sa Lost City. Sabi ng mga NPCs na nakausap ko, kahit nasa mapa ang Lost City, wala pa talagang nakakatunton sa tiyak na kinaroroonan nito. Maraming mapanlinlang na halimaw ang nagbabantay sa lugar na iyon. Inililigaw ng mga ito ang mga players para hindi makapunta sa Lost City. At hindi pa rin ako sigurado kung totoo nga ang sinabi ng mga NPCs tungkol sa mga weapons at gemstones. Tiyak na mapanganib ang lugar," he explained.
I immediately checked my map and search for the location of the Lost City. It was in the South outside the Town. Mukhang may kalayuan nga ito. Maraming burol at kagubatan na kailangang daanan. Hindi magiging madali ang pagpunta sa Lost City. Ang problema, hindi rin tiyak ang lokasyon nito sa mapa. Mukhang tama nga ang sinasabi ni Fire. But it was challenging to my part. Ngumisi ako sa kanilang dalawa kaya umiling sila. Alam na nila ang iniisip ko.
"Huwag ka munang magmadali, Zeus. Let's spread some rumors, first. Ako na ang bahala para makakuha tayo ng mas kapaki-pakinabang na impormasyon," nakangising wika ni Ice.
I frowned. "Huwag mong sabihin na ipagkakalat mo sa ibang players ang mga nalaman ni Fire," naiiling na sabi ko sa kanya.
"Hindi ko sasabihin na may mga halimaw. Sasabihin ko lang na may mga ginto at armas sa Lost City. We need to test the water first. And they will be the sacrifice. Natitiyak ko na ang ilan sa kanila ay kakagat sa mga nalaman ni Fire. The weapons and treasures are surely tempting for them," she said mischievously. Well, I will just stick to her plan.
"Saka na natin ito pag-usapan pagkatapos ng mga laban," I said. Bumalik ang atensiyon namin sa dalawang babae na nasa loob ng arena. Magsisimula na ang laban. They were too sexy with their dresses but I'm sure this will not be a simple cat fight. Pareho ang ability nilang dalawa. Tiyak na mahihirapan sila dahil alam nila ang kahinaan at kalakasan ng class na kinabibilangan nila. This will be hard for them. Kung sino sa kanilang dalawa ang sanay na sa paggamit ng armas nila, siya ang lamang.
Nakaporma na ang dalawang manlalaro sa arena. They were holding their harps tightly in their hands. We need bards for support too especially when we are attacking dungeon masters. Mostly, the bard's role is to keep their teammates alive throughout the battle inside the dungeon. They could boost damage on their opponents or healing rate for their teammates. They could also boost their teammates speed which was very helpful. They will be a good partner in battle. They can easily combine their attacks with other players.
"Let the duel begin," sigaw ng announcer. Magagaan ang bawat kilos nina Angel at Athena. Tinipa na nila ang kanilang mga harps. They could produce mild sounds or even destructive sounds if they wanted. They could also stun their opponents for a while through their music.
Matinis na ingay ang pinakawalan ni Angel. Her harp produced blue soundwaves that was directed to Athena's direction. Athena ran away to avoid the soundwaves that may cause damage to her. Habang tumatakbo si Athena, tumitipa rin siya sa harp niya. She was running in circles around Angel. Napalilibutan ng soundwaves si Angel na patungo na ngayon sa direksiyon niya.
Angel she moved her fingers across the strings. She let her harp face the ground. May soundwaves na lumabas mula sa harp na tumama sa lupa. She used that soundwaves to jump higher. She jumped away from Athena's soundwaves which collided and explode.
Angel landed behind Athena. Naalerto si Athena nang maramdaman niya ang presensiya ni Angel sa likod niya. Agad na tumipa si Angel ng nota upang atakihin si Athena. Nang humarap si Athena sa kanya, muli siyang tumalon patungo sa likuran ni Athena. She flawlessly hit her with her destructive music. That music produced a soundwave that pierced Athena's armor and stomach. Athena screamed in pain. Makikita ang dugo mula sa nasugatang bahagi ng katawan niya. Bahagyang nabawasan ang health points niya. But it was still in green color.
Athena strummed her harp with full determination to give the favor back to Angel. She could heal herself but not fully. She didn't bother to heal herself because Angel was ready to attack again. Halatang walang balak si Angel na bigyan si Athena ng pagkakataon na magpagaling. Athena released destructive sonic waves to hit Angel. Kung mas malakas lang siguro ang mga level nila tiyak na malaking damage ang magagawa ng mga atake nila sa kalaban.
Angel used music to shield herself. She again moved in high speed. She was ready to attack Athena again. She was running towards Athena. Hindi niya napansin ang musikang ginawa ni Athena. A music that was strong as a storm was produced. She was crushed by that melody. She dealt a larger damage than Athena. Bumagsak siya sa lupa at nabitawan ang hawak na harp. Hindi niya ininda ang sakit ng sugatang katawan. She pulled herself together and ran to get her harp. Tiyak na dehado siya kapag hindi niya nakuha ang sandata niya. The announcers were excitedly commenting on how good Angel and Athena were. The duel arena was also lively because of the NPCs and other players cheering for them. Halatang nag-eenjoy silang lahat sa laban.
Napansin ni Athena ang ginawa niya. She strummed her harp once more. She released soundwaves that can electrify Angel and tried to stun her for a while. Napansin din ito ni Angel. Mabilis siyang tumakbo sa kabilang gilid ng arena upang umiwas pero hindi siya tinitigilan ni Athena hangga't hindi siya tinatamaan. Angel was running for her life while trying to get a chance to grab her harp back. Nasa gitna ito ng arena. Angel was running towards it. Athena noticed it so she targeted Angel's weapon. Tiyak na mawawasak ang weapon ni Angel kapag hindi siya gumawa ng paraan para pigilan si Athena.
Athena released a destructive sonic waves that could destroy her weapon. Malapit nang tamaan ang weapon ni Angel pero mabilis siyang tumalon patungo sa harp niya. She rolled on the ground but her shoulder was hit by the sonic waves. Napangiwi siya dahil sa sakit. She moved her fingers across the strings. Bahagyang nadagdagan ang health points niya na kanina ay kulay orange na. She was not healed fully but it was just enough for her to move. She stood up and lookd at Athena seriously. I could see in her eyes that she was determined to bring Athena down from this time on.
Angel started to strum her harp. She produced a music that seems to come from heaven. It was a pure and blissful harmony that could deceived all of us. Sa totoo lang, hindi ito magandang musika. It was actually a very dangerous techniques. Naalerto si Athena dahil alam niya kung ano ang musika na ito. It was a music that flashes a heavenly light. It could possibly damage and stun Athena.
Hindi na naiwasan ni Athena ang pag-atake ni Angel. Huli na nang maglabas siya ng sonic shield. Hindi na niya naiwasan ang nakasisilaw na liwanag na lumabas sa kinaroronan niya. Her health points were down into half at hindi rin siya makagalaw. She was stunned for eight seconds. It was enough for Angel to hit Athena continuously with destructive music. Huli na ang lahat kay Athena nang makawala siya sa stun spell ni Angel. Athena already vanished into thin air with Angel's last final destructive blow.
"Wow! That was amazing! The winner for the second match is Angel! Congratulations," sabi ng announcer na kanina pang pigil ang hininga dahil sa nagaganap na laban. Angel was teleported outside the duel arena.
"Nanghihinayang ako kay Athena," naiiling na sabi ni Fire. "Bakit kasi may limit ang number ng party members? Sayang siya," dagdag niya. I sighed. That was an awesome fight. They're both good.
"Kuya, hindi lahat ng bagay pwede mong makuha. Tandaan mo 'yan. Makuntento ka na lang kung ano'ng meron ka," natatawang sabi ni Ice. Napailing kaming dalawa dahil sa pagbibiro at sa hugot niya. Lunch break na sa duel arena kaya mamayang hapon na ang susunod na match. Naglakad na kami nina Ice at Fire palabas sa duel arena.
Nakasalubong namin ang grupo nina Zero. "Zeus," tawag ni Zero sa username ko. Nagtatakang tumingin ako sa kanya.
"Let's talk," seryosong sabi niya. Nagtataka man, tumango ako sa kanya. He said that he will be waiting outside. Ano naman kaya ang pag-uusapan namin? I instructed Fire and Ice to meet Angel and Scithe outside. Pumayag naman silang dalawa. Humiwalay ako sa kanila at pumunta sa lugar na sinabi ni Zero.
Nakita ko na seryoso lang siyang nakasandal sa isang puno. He was looking at the whole town's view. Nasa mataas na bahagi kami ng lupain. Tanaw na tanaw mula sa lugar na ito ang buong Alkia.
"What is it?" takang tanong ko sa kanya.
"Phoenix will fight on the next match, right?" he asked.
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" takang tanong ko.
"No matter what happen, choose him," seryosong sabi niya. Kumunot ang noo ko dahil sa sinabi niya. Phoenix was a mage.
"Why should I? Depende kung ano ang kalalabasan ng laban niya," seryosong sabi ko. Phoenix was against another mage, Virgo.
"Trust me. Choose him. Hindi na ako maaaring mag-accept ng bagong member kaya sa 'yo ko ipauubaya ang lahat. I need you to watch over him. Huwag ka na ring magtanong. I will explain everything later," seryosong sabi niya. Lalong kumunot ang noo ko.
"I can't say yes. But I'll try to consider it," seryosong sabi ko sa kanya. Tinalikuran ko na siya. Hindi ko na hinintay ang sasabihin niya. I wonder what he's up to. Bakit kailangan niyang sabihin sa 'kin kung sino ang dapat kong piliin? What's going on?
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TO BE CONTINUED...
Yay! Ang tagal kong mag-update haha.. Medyo masakit kasi sa utak. Thanks sa lahat ng nagbabasa nito <3 Lovelots..