For a moment, wala akong ibang tunog na narinig maliban sa kaluskos na nanggagaling sa shadows na unti-unting nilalamon ang paligid nito. Then there was the subtle whisper of the wind as something like wing beats sound in the distance, it was coming from deep within the woods. Ilang saglit lang ay lumakas lalo ang hangin hanggang sa hindi nalang ang mga dahon sa mga nakapalibot na puno, kundi maging ang maninipis na sanga ng puno ay sumasayaw na kasabay ng hangin.
I spread my feet shoulder length apart nang sa gayon ay 'di ako tangayin ng hangin. Whatever it is approaching us must be wielding the wind like a storm to produce this much reaction, and I have a feeling of who it might be.
There's just one person in this god forsaken school powerful enough to produce hurricanes at the slightest twitch of a finger.
Pilit kong tinanaw ang direksyong pinanggagalingan ng hangin, nang malaman kung ano bang nangyayari. Walang gaanong liwanag sa kakahuyan dahil sa naglalakihang mga dahon na nahaharangan ang pagpasok ng liwanag mula sa bilog na buwan. Pero nang sa wakas ay masipat ko kung ano bang nangyayari ay nanlaki ang mga mata ko. There is Sky, of course, commanding the winds to maneuver himself afloat, and he is chasing a huge winged horse. It was gray in color, the size of a shire horse, with the wingspan twice its body's length.
The Granian.
The wind grew stronger the closer they get, and I was wrong. It's not just because of Sky, but also the granian, whistling with the creature's fury. Because it is angry, I realized in a daze. It is obvious in the way it moved its body; sharp and forceful, its wings stroking the air so powerfully that it is causing mini tornadoes.
At patungo sila sa direksyon namin, kung saan nakapwesto kami sa isa sa mga malalapad na sanga ng puno approximately 50 meters above ground. May oras pa para makalipat kami sa ibang puno at iwasan ang granian, pero mukhang wala parin sa sarili niya si Amethyst at kasalukuyan paring hinaharap ni Anderson. It will most definitely topple us to kingdom come.
Kusang kumilos ang katawan ko bago pa man ako makapag dalawang-isip sa kahihinatnan ng actions ko. I created a tall wall of flames to separate us from the beast, wondering all the while if it's enough to stop it. Pero hindi na dapat ako nagsayang ng oras sa pag-aalala, because a huge, hairy, golden something bulldoze through the forest. Mula ito sa kaliwa, with a huge glacier of ice chasing behind it.
"What in the fuck." I hear Blair mutter in bewilderment.
The Re'em.
It resembled a giant ox with its golden hair and protruding horns. The giant Re'em is now completely frozen inside an iceberg, in the middle of the woods. Dahil doon ay kinailangang mag change course ng granian para maiwasan ang malaking glacier, but the slightest delay allowed one of its pursuers to get the drop on it. And it wasn't Sky, but Lestrad who struck.
And wasn't that impressive? Nagawa niyang pantayan ang bilis ng isa sa pinakamabilis na flying creature sa mundo by running on land, whereas both the granian and Sky were flying. Nang matigilan ang granian ay pabalik balik niyang tinalon ang katawan ng dalawang magkalapit na puno hanggang sa maging level siya dito, grabbing one of its giant wings and using the gravity to drag it down with him, slamming it through the same glacier it tried to avoid. It produced a deafening crack from the point of impact, spider webbing through the glacier until it shatter.
Sa kasamaang palad ay nakalaya ang re'em from its ice prison, and it did not roar in anger. It simply turned its neck towards its attacker, with its head lowered and shoulders hunched, pawing the ground with its front hooves that sent dirt flying behind and over its back. Nakatayo lamang si Frost sa ibabaw ng isa sa mga ice pillars na ginawa niya, waiting for the re'em to attack.
"Look's like the task themselves found us." Agassi says. He's shifting where he stood, seemingly not sure what to think of the circumstances.
"Ano pang hinihintay natin? We won't be getting any granian hair or re'em blood by standing here." Blair appeared on my left, watching the chaos bellow us.
The re'em decided that moment to charge, and Frost shift his stance, left foot forward and right arm moving down in a sharp motion, the beginning of ice crystals forming and cooling the air exponentially.
"Hold on." I held my arm up to stop them nang mapansin ko ang mga taong nakatayo sa isa sa mga puno.
And Rage chose that moment to reveal himself, descending from one of the low hanging branches,wielding his curved dagger.
"Now!" I jumped off the branch in a free fall, igniting flames at my feet to help boost my dive, my twin blades at the ready, with the hilt warm with my magic and the metal practically vibrating in anticipation. I really love how sentient weapons could be when you put enough magic in it.
Isa nanamang glacier ang nabuo sa harapan ng re'em, smaller this time, just big enough to stall the re'em when it shattered upon impact. Sabay kaming umatake ni Rage mula sa magkabilang side, pero mukhang nakuha ng apoy sa paanan ko ang atensyon nito. it swerved its head to the left in my direction, parring my blades with its enormous horns. Bahagyang nanginig ang braso ko sa lakas ng impact ng magtama ang espada ko sa sungay nito, but focusing on me left its right side wide open for Rage, his dagger digging deep on its flank and dragging down to slice it open.
Blood spills.
We jumped back as it shook its head wildly, the wound on its side flowing freely and staining the grass red. Naghahanda akong umatake muli when two slim arrows shot past me at lightning speed one after the other, and the arrows hit its mark, piercing the re'em's horns and pining it heavily to the ground. Agassi must have exponentially increased the arrow's gravity since the impact was so great that it created a mini crater.
"Re'ems are rare, almost extinct. No need to kill it." Agassi lectured, giving emphasis on the word rare and glaring down at us. "Go get the blood, then we'll let it go." He added imperiously when none of us moved.
I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes so hard even I know it looks ridiculous. I've always known that Agassi is a pompous brat, but he's a pompous brat who made sense. So I guess that's fine or whatever.
The re'em is still raging, clawing its hooves on the ground and twisting its body to try and get free. Agassi simply slapped a hand on its body, increasing its gravity, and it dropped clean to the ground, clearly not able to support its now too heavy body.
"Oh that's cool. But does it only work when you touch them? Seems inconvenient." Rage and I are gathering the blood into a small vial para sa aming grupo nang lapitan ni Frost si Agassi, who eyed the other in obvious distrust.
"No, but it's easier." Maikling sagot ni Agassi nang ilang minuto ang nakalipas at nanatiling nakatingin si Frost sa kaniya, naghihintay ng sagot.
Agassi doesn't look too happy talking with a Lacx... interesting.
Inilalagay ko na sa bulsa ko ang vial nang makarinig ako ng ingay sa kabilang direksyon, o mas malakas na ingay, considering hindi naman tumigil ang tunog ng paglalaban magmula kanina. Nakalipad nanaman ang granian, tabingi at halatang may bali ang isang pakpak nito dahil sa paghilang ginawa ni Lestrad kanina. Gayon pa man ay pinapagaspas parin nito ang magkabilang pakpak nito, pero mukhang may kung anong pwersa ang pumipigil dito. Both Lestrad, and Blair were standing by one of the branches near it, with another person I faintly recognize as Sola Pavlov, each holding a bunch of hair in their fists.
"We've got the fucking hair, let it go!" Lestrad was shouting.
At noon ko lang napansin si Sky, seemingly standing on nothing but air, both hands up in a fist. Siya ang tumitigil sa granian na kumilos by using pressurized air from all sides to trap ito. He eased his fists, and the granian reared, standing on its hind legs with the forelegs off the ground, its wings flaring wide and breaking some unfortunate branches on its way.
It finally beat its wings in preparation to gallop away, free from any restraints.
Huli na ng ma-realize kong patungo ito sa branch kung saan namin iniwan si Anderson to deal with whatever was happening with Amethyst. And with how fast and pissed the granian is, there's no way they can move away on time. I can barely see the silhouette of Anderson with how dark and high up they are, but she was standing there, right hand up in the air, her palm facing the approaching granian.
I could hear Blair screaming for her to move out of the way. But it wasn't necessary.
Nang unang beses kong makita sina Anderson at Amethyst during the entrance exam, the two of them fighting those monsters side by side like a well oiled machine, I thought it was the later I should be careful about. Amethyst was the intimidating one with the muscular body and shadow abilities, while Anderson was the dainty looking white witch after all.
But after being in class with them for a week, after talking and watching them interact with others and each other. After what I am witnessing now.
I wasn't near enough, but I could've sworn there was blood on the palm of Anderson's hand. Her palm was also emitting a soft, red glow so I couldn't be sure. The same faint glow can be seen on the granian's body, not just outside, but it seem to run through its veins, starting from its chest. It is the granian's blood that's glowing.
The granian stopped dead in its track, body stiff and unmoving. Then it exploded.
It isn't a normal loud explosion either. It is silent. Slow. The faint glow on its veins strengthen, then blood ran out of its eyes, its nose, its mouth, until blood is everywhere. It is torture. And the granian was still silent, unmoving, but alive. Then the glowing veins exploded, slowly, but all at once followed by its whole body.
I thought it was Amethyst I should be careful about. I was wrong.
Blood and guts rained down on us. At dahil mas malapit si Anderson sa granian kumpara sa amin, she is completely covered in blood while we had the time to move out of the way.
"I will not let anyone hurt Dark." Her airy voice, once sweet if a little vacant, now sounds so terrifying in the deafening silence of the forest.
It was the way she smiled sweetly with eyes that promised death, the way she looked so innocent and defenseless until you realized, far too late, that she was a predator and she's out for the hunt.
[September 21, 2022]