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-chapter sixteen-
"Let's see right here right now. If your face is not only just a decoration and if you fight. Battle me."
[Town Central, City of Gaea—]
A LARGE blue field surrounded us. Sabi ni Feyre ay para iyon na hindi lumabas ang skills at makadamage ng nanonood na players. I thought it was only a one-on-one fight pero mukhang quantity and numbers ang plano nila. Their party versus our party raw. So the three of us stood side by side while there are five of them in front of us.
"Unfair, don't you think, grammarly? I don't really care about rules but..." Feyre gave a lopsided grin. "your dislike is showing."
"You're just one player missing more, no-charisma." sagot nito.
"Ha? Bulag ka din ba? Kita mong tatlo lang kami."
"What about handsome guy behind yours, then?"
Mabilis na napalingon kaming tatlo. Nandoon nga si Hiraeth sa likod! Nakatayo siya at blankong nakatitig sa'kin. Parang hindi nito alam ang nasalihang gulo. He's not even a member of our party!
"Uh... he's not really..." tiningnan ko siya gamit ang nagtatanong na mata.
Hiraeth nodded. "I'll fight your fight, elf."
Kung wala lang kami sa ganitong sitwasyon, napakacool na siguro marinig ang sinabi niya. Pero napamaang lamang kaming tatlo. Is this guy serious? We stared at him blankly until the girl spoke,
"Let's readying then. I show all of them just how beauty you only are." nakangisi nitong anunsiyo.
"Nabobobo talaga ako sa babaeng 'yan..." bulong ni Feyre sa tabi.
"That's rude."
She gave me a blank look. "Music to my ears."
Napailing na lang ako at napatingin sa labas ng field. People started to flock like we were rare displays in a museum. Namukhaan ko pa ang mga lalaking pinagtanungan ko kanina. Nandoon din ang grupo ko sa Wolf Quest pero mukhang hindi na nila ako nakilala.
"So, paano 'to?" tanong ni Feyre. "Who will host this fight? Paano natin malalaman kapag nanalo na o natalo?"
That made me question, "Is it alright to fight within the city?"
"Yes. As long as we have this item, a defense field." sagot ni Hex sa'kin.
Tumango ako. That's nice...
Tumawa ang babae. "When someone deaths inside, of course!"
Before Feyre can utter an insult, I decided to speak. "I see. So our battle will be decided when the opposing team dies. Fun, isn't it, Feyre?"
She smiled evilly. "Again. Music to my ears."
Sa isang iglap ay nawala siya sa tabi ko. Hex immediately gave us distance and chanted a spell. Inihanda ko ang espada at pinanonood ang mga kalaban.
Feyre appeared behind them like a ghost. Ang dalawang dagger nito ay tumaas at bumaon sa leeg ng dalawang lalaki. Malakas silang napadaing at natumba sa mga tuhod. Bumababa na ang kanilang HP dahil sa poison na kasalukuyang sumasalakay sa katawan. The feisty girl glared at us and her nose flared.
"Cheaters!"
"Nope," sagot ko. "Just players."
We stared at each other. Bago pa siya makausal o makakurap, mabilis akong tumakbo at umatake. She shrieked loudly and jumped back. Pinukol niya ako ng masamang tingin.
"Oh come on, where did your guts fly off to?" Feyre asked out loud. "Come on, show the people how Solace is not just physically beautiful but strong too."
Sabay kaming napatingin sa gawi niya. Hawak-hawak na ni Feyre sa leeg ang dalawang players. Sinasakal niya ang mga ito gamit ang kadena. Their complexions were turning pale. Kalaunan ay unti-unti silang naglaho. They met their death at the hands of our ever bloodthirsty cat.
"Can fight you guys alone~" mayabang na tugon ni Feyre.
The girl was already burning with anger. "Ano ba ang tinatayo-tayo niyo diyan?! Fight them!" sigaw niya sa tatlong kasama.
Mabilis na gumalaw ang mga kasama niya at pinalibutan siya. She readied her staff and chanted a spell. A blazing red lava appeared below me. It grew larger and hotter by each second. Napansin iyon ni Feyre kaya nilusob niya ang babae. However, the enemy rogue cut her way. Naglaban ang dalawa. A battle between whips and chains.
"Sol, you need to get out of there!" Hex shouted. "That lava will blow up and burn you to ashes!"
I tried to take a step back from the burning lava, but it followed me. Frowning and thinking that it will vanish if I defeat the mage, inatake ko siya. Their leader, Calvin, who was actually a warrior, came to her defense. Tuwang-tuwa niyang sinalubong ang espada ko.
The lava under my feet was beginning to burn. Sa sobrang init nito ay parang naliligo na ako sa pawis. Malakas na tumawa ang babae habang nakatingin sa'kin.
Behind her, Feyre was busy. I can tell that she wants to come to my rescue, but the enemy rogue's whips were too fast and it always catches her when she tries to escape. Hex can't do anything because he specializes in healing - kaya ang nagagawa niya lang ay ang istabilize ang HP ko.
"Bye-bye." The mage smiled and flicked her staff.
Pinilit kong iblanko ang mukha kahit na sa loob-loob ay natatakot ako sa mangyayari. Maybe I should jump out when it blows up. Or maybe I won't die... I mean I have good endurance. Hindi ko nga masyadong nararamdaman ang lava. Pero baka sobrang sakit na nito kapag sumabog?
"Bitch, her armor will handle that weak fire!" nakahirit pa si Feyre.
The enemy mage laughed. "Maybe that however what happen if armor of hers burn out? Hindi ba't mawawalan na siya ng suot?!"
"Itagalog mo na lang kaya- aray! Kinakausap ka? Kinakausap ka, ha, whipgirl? Napaka-ano mo."
Amidst some of the people's protests outside because of my situation, may ibang humalakhak dahil sa sinabi ni Feyre. Seriously, that girl won't hesitate to roast or insult you even on extreme and crucial situations.
A splurge of fire burst upwards. The once burning red circle was gone and it now looked like a fountain of lava. I could hear some cries and shouts from the audience. I could also hear the mage's maniacal laugh. Pero, weirdly, wala akong naramdaman. I couldn't feel the heat or my HP points dropping insanely. I couldn't feel the death that was supposed to fetch me. Nothing. There was nothing.
Ganito ba talaga kalakas ang endurance ko?
The large show ended with me still alive in the middle of the fight. Narinig ko ang pagsinghap at pagkagalak ng mga manonood. Hex breathed a sigh of relief and Feyre gave me a thumbs up. Salungat sa masasayang reaksiyon ay ang nabaluktot na itsura ng mage. She looked like a raging bull ready to pounce. While I looked like some innocent civilian encased in a blue shield-like box.
The same familiar box as the one used when I was lost in the forest.
I gave Hiraeth a subtle glance. Kibit-balikat lamang ang isinagot niya nang magtama ang paningin namin. Pasimple akong tumango so that he could see my gratitude. Then without further ado, I attacked their swordsman.
Hindi nito napansin ang mabilis kong pag-atake kaya medyo nawala ito sa balanse at natumba. The same time his butt touched the cement ground, I lunged at the still-shocked mage. She shrieked when my sword came in contact with her stomach, making her health drop down to 75%.
Kaagad namang nakabawi ang warrior at inatake ako. I defended myself against his upcoming strikes while keeping an eye on the mage. Nakita ko ang pag-atras niya nang i-slash ang sword sa enemy warrior. I saw her trying to activate a skill when I crouched down to evade an attack. And when she's about to flick her staff, I kicked Calvin in the chest and slashed her staff causing them to lose balance.
Ngumiti ako nang sabay silang bumangon at samaan ako ng tingin. Gamit ang kanang kamay ay nagmotion ako sa kanila na lumapit. Nagpalitan sila ng tingin at nagtanguan. The warrior went to her front and she started activating her skill again. Then, he attacked me - although, on my perspective, real slowly.
Subtly, I activated my frenzy skill and slashed my way through him. He fell on the ground with a lower than half HP. Mabilis akong nakalapit sa mage at inatake ko siya ulit. She was screaming so loud as she tried to defend my attacks with her staff. At obvious na hindi nito kaya ang atake ko dahil may namumuo ng crack dito.
Para akong sumasayaw habang nakikipaglaban. I parried all of the warrior's strikes and kept the mage from activating any skill. I twirled and striked. I crouched and kicked. Until I wasn't the one on the defensive anymore and I massacred them with my hits.
I could feel my warrior self chanting joyous songs. I could feel it rejoicing when their HP reached their limits. And I never, not once, felt tired from all the rhythmic movements I did until they both vanished and there's no one to fight anymore.
I glanced at Feyre who was now standing and panting. Nakahawak siya sa cloak niya at parang hinahampas iyon sa dibdib. When our gazes met, she gave me a huge smile and another thumbs-up. Ibinigay ko ito pabalik
It was a solid and quick victory.
Nagulat na lang ako nang marinig ang hiyaw ng mga tao. They all shouted and cheered like it was the end of the world. And when the defense field slowly vanished, they all ran towards me making me jump. Mabilis na pumalibot ang limang kasama ko at hinarangan ang mga players na pilit na lumalapit.
I gulped at the chaos that formed. People pushed each other to get close to our circle. Hindi sila natinag ng mga insulto ni Feyre, pagpapakalma ni Hex, pakiusap ni Priamos, pagbanta ni Minerva na ihahampas sa kanila ang gitara at sa madilim na mukha ni Hiraeth. Speaking of him, there's little audience on his side - possibly because of the expression he's wearing. So medyo effective din ata siya.
"I think you should hide..." bulong ni Feyre sa'kin.
"Yeah... I agree," sagot ko. "Saan ko kayo hahanapin?"
"Maghunos-dili kayo pwede! Tangina, ano ako bodyguard?! Gusto niyong isunod ko kayo doon sa taong nasa cathedral?! Pusanggala!" she then turned to me. "Bilisan mo na... gutom ako..."
I'm about to ask her again when Hex told me to hurry up because he can't hold them anymore. Mabilis akong yumuko para matago nila at inactivate ang singsing. When Feyre saw that I was gone, agad silang nagdisperse. Umulan ang pagkabigo nang makita nilang wala na ako. I walked away from them and hid myself in a nearby alley.
Pagkatapos ng ilang minuto ay muli akong sumulyap sa labas. Umaalis na ang mga tao at nagsisimulang maghanap. Nakita kong medyo nag-aaway si Feyre at Hiraeth sa hindi malamang dahilan. Hiraeth looked dangerous as he tried to look around the place. Gumagalaw ang panga niya at matatalim ang mga mata. Kumunot ang noo ko. Ano kaya ang problema niya?
Inayos ko ang cloak na suot at itinago ulit ang sarili doon. Pupunta ako sa diner. Malaki ang tyansa na doon pupunta si Feyre, lalo na't sinabi nitong gutom siya..
However, I was wrong.
"Elf, so you were here."
Muntik na akong mapasigaw sa gulat nang lumitaw si Hiraeth sa harapan ko. His dark expression slowly turned soft. The next thing I knew, his arms were around me and I was being hugged by him. Strangely, it felt warm and comforting. And there's also that certain beating in my chest that I couldn't point out.
"Elf..." he whispered in my ear. "I take back my words. You should cover yourself up. I hate their eyes on you."
Natigilan ako sa sinabi niya. Hindi lang sa salitang binitawan, kung hindi dahil sa boses at tono ng pananalita niya. He sounded so dangerously possessive that it made my heart clench a bit. Ang weird!
"Yo! Sol, let's sign up for our guild - wait, what are you two doing?"
Nang marinig ang malakas na boses ni Feyre ay bigla kong tinulak si Hiraeth palayo, pero hindi man lang siya gumalaw. When I could see Feyre nearing us, I pushed him again. Hiraeth grunted but let me go. Feyre narrowed her eyes and looked at us with suspicion.
"Magpapalista tayo ng guild..." nakataas ang kilay niyang sabi.
Tumikhim ako. "N-Narinig ko nga."
Naningkit ang mga mata niya. "Hmm..."
"Anong nangyayari dito?" tanong ng bagong-dating na si Hex. He glanced at Feyre. "Anong nangyari sa'yo? Bakit ang pangit ng mukha mo?"
Inirapan lang siya ni Feyre at tumawa ako. Naglakad ako palapit sa kanila at tinapik ang balikat ni Hex.
"May nakita kasi siya tapos naiingit. Hug mo din daw siya." I whispered only to Hex but Feyre, surprisingly, heard it.
"Hoy! Hoy, Sol, anong pinagsasabi mo diyan?!"
"Wala akong sinabi, Feyre. Huwag pairalin ang imagination natin..." I gave a hearty chuckle before walking away.
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-chapter end-
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1. Make a legacy with my friends.
[NEW!]:
2. Make a guild with them.
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[NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW]:
"We need a name for our guild." I announced.
"Feyre and Bitches."
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