-chapter twenty-eight-
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"Sol?! Nasaan ka? Your brother is fighting Astro! The third round is beginning. It's Wolfbane versus Night Growlers!"
[Town Central, City of Gaia-]
THEIR BATTLE was out of this world. They really were worth of their title. Kahit hindi nakalaban si River dahil sa 2nd round siya, ay nakakatayo pa rin ang mga kasama niya against Astro and his two minions.
"I've never seen Irusu fight without my brother..." sambit ko.
"Right," sang-ayon ni Voldmir. "Even back in Project Z, they're always with each other."
Napatingin ako sa kaniya dahil do'n. "You played that game?"
Tumango siya. "Mm. But... didn't really made much progress. You need connections to survive that game and... well, let's just say, they weren't too fond of me."
"Nagquit din ako doon. First and last game to play."
Lumingon sa'min si Feyre. "Nah. That was a free taste. This is your real game."
"Oo na," iginiya ko ang ulo niya pabalik sa direksiyon ng stage.
Astro had a necromancer and a thief by his side. Si Irusu naman ay kasama ang isang priest at isang warrior. Irusu was attacking through their backs and the thief was fighting him from that side. Si Astro naman at ang warrior ang naglalaban. Astro's attacks were powerful and it damaged the warrior a lot. Lalo na't kinakalaban niya din ang skeletons ng necro. Nakakatayo lang ito ngayon dahil sa tulong ng priest.
"Irusu is a scout, right? Hindi ba dapat madali lang sa kaniya ang makapasok sa defenses nila?" malakas na tanong ko.
"He's fighting with a thief. Even though he has incredible stealth senses, that thief is too fast and agile for him."
Nagulat ako nang marinig ang boses ni River sa likod. Even my members seemed shock and they looked at River in awe. Ngumiti siya sa'kin at umupo sa bakanteng upuan na nasa tabi ko.
"Why aren't you down there? Not gonna support your guild?" tanong ko.
He continued to stare at the fight. "When we found out that we're up against Astro, we've already concluded our loss. Our line-up were unmatched for theirs."
Napatingin ulit ako sa naglalaban. "Then why..." are they still exerting that much effort when they know they'll lose?
"V wanted to have fun and see his limit with Astro. Hinayaan ko na lang sila. The guys betted on the time they'll spend and the loser has to buy dinner." paliwanag niya.
Tumango ako at ngumisi sa kaniya. "So you'll lose, huh."
Tumingin siya sa'kin at ngumisi din. "Yes, we'll lose this round. I might also lose this tournament with you."
"Might?"
Ibig sabihin may posibilidad na hindi siya matalo? Pero kung matalo siya this round at manalo kami mamaya, ako ang mananalo sa bet namin.
"Yes, might. Because you are up against Halcyon," lumapit siya para bumulong sa tainga ko. "I saw him and he doesn't seem to be in a good mood."
Kumunot ang noo ko. Ano naman ang connect ng mood niya sa game? Ah. Sa'min niya ba ipapalabas ang inis niya? Well, if he provokes me enough, I think I can do the same.
"I don't really care about his mood. I only care about the results."
Tumawa si River at bigla na lang tumingin sa likod ko. "Hear that, Hal?"
Bumaling ako sa likuran. Halcyon was standing behind me with a dark expression in his face. River smirked at me while I kept a blank face. Aba, ano naman ang connect ko diyan sa mood niya? Why is River teasing me about him?
"Shut up, Rio." he looked at me. "Saan ka nagpunta kanina?"
"Kanina?"
"In the diner. I was talking to you."
Ah. "I went to chase after my friend."
Mas dumilim ang mukha niya. "You went to chase him?"
"Yeah." I obviously answered.
"Why are you pissed off, Hal?" nagulat ako nang marinig ang boses ni Astro.
Whispers started to appear. Nagtinginan ang mga tao sa gawi namin, kung saan nakatayo kaming apat na magkaharap. Papalapit sa'min si Astro. Behind him, his guild name was being announced as the winner. Ngumiti lang si Rio sa mga kasama na nagthumbs-up at nakipagbiruan sa ibang members. I looked towards my guild and saw them walking away. Aba't, iniwan lang ako!
"None of your business."
"You should have entered this round, Rio," sabi ni Astro kay River.
"Nah, don't wanna fight my sister."
Mukhang nagulat si Halcyon sa sinabi niya. "Sister?!"
"Yes, I'm his brother. Sinasabi ko sa'yo Halcyon, one wrong move and I'll kill you."
Nagsamaan silang dalawa ng tingin. Makaalis na nga lang dahil wala din naman akong papel sa usapang ito. Ngunit bago pa ako makahakbang, nahagip ng mata ko si Astro na nakatitig sa'kin. Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay.
"It's a pity I didn't get to fight you, slayer. But we'll have fun next round." aniya. "Now we just have to see if Halcyon can fight you."
"I have responsibilities to my guild," tumitig sa'kin si Halcyon. "Let's have a good fight, later. I will not withhold on our battle."
He seemed more dangerous now. An image I have always seen when I saw him fighting. Ibang-iba kasi ang lalaking ito kapag kaharap ako, parang maamong tuta. And it frustrates me, because I felt like he's not treating me like a threat. So now, my warrior self was feeling happy with the tension of our upcoming fight.
The corner of my lip twitched up. "Splendid. I won't refrain myself on our battle, as well."
Bago ko pa magawa ang pinakacool na walkout sa tanang buhay ko ay tinapik ni River ang balikat ko at humarap sa'kin.
"But please, refrain from creating a large amount of damage. Be mindful, sis." sabi niya.
"I know," tumango ako at bumulong sa kaniya. "Ano ba, Iv, ang ganda na sana ng walk out ko."
"Gawin mo na lang ulit. Okay, one two. A one, two, three..." he paused. "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"
"Anything." sagot ko at tuluyan nang umalis.
Nevermind a cool walkout, imporante makaalis ako dito.
I found my teammates on the waiting room. The next fight was already happening: it was Tiger Lilies vs. Black District. Kami na ang susunod pagkatapos nila. Feyre looked up at me while drinking a potion. She tried to take a peek behind me kaya naman mas niluwagan ko ng pinto.
"Didn't see Hex. Hindi pa siya bumalik?"
Umiling silang lahat.
"Paano mo naman makikita si soro kung nandoon ka sa madilim na alley na 'yon?" tanong ni Feyre. "Ano nga ba ang ginagawa mo do'n?"
"I saw Hiraeth."
"And...?"
Hindi ko pa nga pala nasasabi sa kaniya ang nalaman ko mula kay Hiraeth. Maybe I'll tell her one of these days. When Hex is present too. Since silang dalawa lang din naman ang mas nakasama si Hiraeth. Ang lalaking bigla mong makikita at bigla ding mawawala.
"What should we do about Hex?" tanong ni Voldmir. Galing pala siya sa labas. "The Tigers are starting to win their round and our priest is still not around."
"Hindi na po online si Kuya," wika ni Priamos. "Wait po. I'll log out and ask him."
We nodded and in a few seconds, he vanished. Tiningnan ko si Feyre na nagpalabas ng malalim na hininga. She seemed stressed.
"Was he really that upset? To leave us?"
I've seen Hex' upset countless times. Lalo na kapag nasosobrahan si Feyre. Mas masama pa nga ang mood no'n nang masira ni Feyre ang staff niya. He almost broke down. Nasira din ni Hiraeth ang bahay niya, pero mas galit pa si Feyre no'n.
Wait...
I almost had a mental breakdown when I remembered Hex' stress this past few days. Nagsimula ata ito nang makilala niya kami. His house got burned to ashes, his staff got broken and his money is all spent. May pagkakataon pang nasunog ang buntot niya dahil kay Vesta at Voldmir.
I can't even imagine how Hex dealt with us. Grabeng pasensiya naman 'yan.
"Sol, you okay?" tanong ni Feyre.
"I just remembered that time you broke his staff," ngumiwi siya. "And when his tail got burned," umiwas ng tingin ang dalawa. "We need to kneel and say sorry when he comes back."
And just in time, Priamos appeared in front of us again. He was smiling now kaya parang gumaan din ang loob namin.
"Kuya had to go po dahil may duty siya. Hindi nga daw po dapat siya aalis but when he logged out to check if our doors were all locked, his boss pleaded for him to go to work. At dahil hindi po marunong mag-no si Kuya, umalis siya." he smiled brightly at us. "At! Hindi daw po galit si Kuya, kailangan lang daw pong ilibre ni Ate Feyre si Kuya for one week!"
Humiyaw kaming lahat maliban kay Feyre na ngumuso.
"So, Vesta should join us this round?" tanong ko. "Since Hex is unavailable."
"I'll do... my best..." aniya at nag'fighting' sign.
Hindi nagtagal ay kami na ang dapat na maglaban. It's the third round of the second tournament. And for this round, we're the third guild to have a fight. After this round, the five guilds who can progress into the last tournament will be announced. And the real game will happen tomorrow.
Our three enemies were already waiting for us at the stage. Halcyon, a swashbuckler under the fighter class. Life, an assassin under the rogue class. And lastly, they have a lancer with them. On our side, we have me, a warrior under the fighter class. Feyre, a chainmaster under the rogue class. And Vesta, a sniper under the ranger class.
Nakaharap ko na sila sa prelims. But, that was an entirely different thing than this. They're not like those two guild that we fought a while ago. Their presences were enough to tell their power. I hope it was the same for us. Baka naman para lang kaming clowns na maglalaban sa mga tigre.
Halcyon never stopped staring at me. Kinukunutan ko na siya ng noo pero umiiwas lang siya ng tingin at kakagatin ang ibabang labi para pigilan ang ngiti. Kahit ang mga kasama niya ay napapatintin na sa kaniya.
"The third battle for this round will now commence! It's the Oddcredibles who never failed to show us how insanely strong they are! And they're up against the third strongest guild in Central who ruled the famous FPS game, One Shot One Kill, it's the guild Legalus Bow!"
"This is one of the most awaited fight, partner! We will have a fight-off between Solace and Halcyon! Wow! This is going to be an amazing fight!"
"Yes naman, partner! Kaya let's go and start this fight already!"
The moment he stopped speaking, I immediately lunged for an attack. Hindi ko na hinintay na mauna sila o magkwentuhan pa kami. I ran towards them and striked my sword at the lancer. Nakita ko ang pagkagulat na dumaan sa itsura ni Halcyon nang daanan ko siya. The lancer was slow to raised his shield up. I overwhelmed him with my strength and threw the shield away.
"Woah! An immediate attack made by our slayer! Wala nang patagal-tagal pa sa kaniya!"
I never stopped. Especially when Halcyon went to me and attacked me with his blade. It's happening again. The usual music I hear that makes my body dance. And the unexplainable thrill I'm feeling was back.
I used the lancer's shield as leverage and ran on it to slash my sword to Halcyon, who immediately defended my attacks. Dalawa sila ng lancer ang kalaban ko. Vesta was supporting me from behind. Si Feyre naman ay kalaban si Life na assassin din.
Nagkatitigan kami ni Halcyon while our blades were clashing in between. Pero bigla na lang siyang umiwas ng tingin. Making me push him back. Napatigil kaming lahat nang gumalaw ang mga braso niya at may narinig kaming mumunting tawa.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry but..." he waved his hands. "I don't think I can do this with her. Everything she does is just so beautiful that I can't help but to fall-"
"Hindi kami nagpunta dito para mapanood kang magfanboy! Stop gawking at my sister and start fighting!" narinig kong sigaw ni River mula sa manonood.
But I ignored them, sa iba nakatuon ang atensiyon ko ngayon. I was staring sideways at the lancer who was slowly walking towards Vesta. Hindi ko alam kung napansin ng kasama ko iyon dahil nakatingin sila kay River na nagsasalita. And when the guy threw his lance towards Vesta, I made a run for it. Ngunit napigilan ako nang dalawang espada ni Halcyon na lumabas sa harap ko.
"Move or you'll die. I can't kill you, beautiful elf, but I can stop you from moving. I'll let my friends fight our win," wika niya sa likod ko. "The squirrels aren't important. It's the lion we have to watch out for."
Kahit hindi niya ako nakikita ay ngumisi ako. "Well, I'm not the only beast. You should know, the lions came from a family of cats."
Before the lance can pierce Vesta, Feyre rushed in from nowhere. She threw the two chains she had and encircled it in the flying lance. Pagkatapos ay ginamit niya ang pwersa para mapunta ito sa kaniyang direksiyon. She jumped up and casted the lance on the ground. Her feet landed on the end of the impaled lance. Her bright green-cat eyes gleamed menacingly at us. Umihip ang hangin at isinayaw ang maiksi niyang buhok.
Vesta also didn't waste any time. She immediately looked at the scope of her gun and fired at the lancer, who was slow to held his shield up dahil kay Feyre. Kaya natamaan ito sa balikat at nabawasan ng malaki ang HP points nito.
"Thought you were all preys. Never realized you're a bunch of predators." his voice was filled with amusement.
But I wasn't amused at all. I slightly shifted and he moved the blades closer to my neck. I can't step back because of his body behind me. Kaya ang tangi kong nagawa habang gumagawa ng plano ay tingnan ang mga kasama kong nakikipaglaban.
The assassin caught up to Feyre. Life slashed his big circle-blades at our rogue, who used the lance to counter it. Magaling talaga ang bruhang ito magnakaw, kaya siguro nagka title na Thief. Vesta can't make damage over the lancer because of the amazing defense he has. Ang lancer naman ay tumungo kay Feyre.
Ipinalibot ko ang hilt ng sword sa kamay. He might have noticed the small movement in my hands because I saw him look down from the corner of my eye. At that moment, I raised my sword to move his blades away. Pagkatapos ay umikot ako para itulak siya palayo.
However, was faster! With his two blades, he slashed his sword to my arm and parried my blade with his other one.
Hindi ko alam kung ilang minuto na ang lumipas at naglalaban pa rin kami. Nakapokus na lang ako sa kaniya ngayon dahil sobrang lakas ng mga atake niya. His strikes were always directed at my weakpoints and I could feel my health rapidly draining.
Still, it didn't weaken the enthralling feeling. Mas naging thrilled ako sa nangyari. Mas lalong naging agresibo ang atake ko. Parang naging dalawa na rin ang gamit kong espada because I can always defend against his continuous strikes.
I was too lost in the feeling of battle that I forgot about the fight overall. Bumalik lang ang lahat sa'kin nang itulak ako ni Halcyon sa lupa at kinubabawan. His swords were upon my neck once again and he gestured for me to look at the side. Nanlaki ang mata ko nang makita ang dalawa sa lupa. Vesta was catching her breath as she held her gun. Si Feyre naman ay nakalupasay at nakadapa ang kamay. She even shouted in anger and annoyance.
"Now, what's your move, beautiful elf? Two of your teammates are down and I still have one of my mates," aniya at tiningnan ako ng buo. "You don't look like you can fight back but you were always doing amazing things, beautiful elf. So can you escape from my hold and defeat the two of us?"
Napatingin ako sa kaniya at kay Life na humihingal din habang nakatayo sa likod. He looked beat up. They both looked like it, although Halcyon had more energy to spend. Kahit ako ay mukhang nawawalan na din ng lakas, but I don't want to give up now, right?
I kicked him with the dagger I glued to my shoe. Ang skill noon na may kuryente ay nagpatigil sa kaniya. Mabilis akong tumayo at hinawakan ang espada. I wiped the blood off my lips as I watched them. Halcyon smiled when he saw my eyes.
"You're beautifully feral," mahinang sambit niya habang nakatitig sa'kin. "So exquisite that I can't commit your death."
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-chapter end-
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1. Make a legacy with the Oddcredibles.
2. Win the Game of Governors.
3. Win the bet against my brother.
4. Hiraeth...
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