-chapter eighty-seven-
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SOLACE
"Ilang minuto ay tumigil ang paggalaw ng kamay niya at dahan-dahan siyang tumingin-"
"YOU'RE UP against someone named Maria?"
Napabaling ako kay River ng magsalita siya. He's crossing his arms while looking at the screen in front. Nakasulat doon ang maglalaban sa ngayong araw. There will be 54 participants for each color. Sa pinakahuli maglalaban ang nanalo sa red at blue group.
As of now, ang mga pula ang naglalaban sa stage. I can see Astro and Cord talking in the same line. Aisling looks anxious behind the ring. Siya na kasi ang susunod na lalaban.
"They did a good job though, sis." nabalik ang atensiyon ko kay Iv na pinag-aaralan ang chart. Naglakad siya papunta sa pinakahuling box at itinuro ang pangalan doon. "Look, they placed you and Leon at the farthest end."
I tilted my head. "Leon?"
The name doesn't ring any bells. Sure akong wala pa akong nakilala na gano'n ang pangalan o narinig man lang. However, I am also not too sure. Feyre enjoys pointing out how forgetful I am in names.
River scrutinized me for a moment. "Of course, hindi mo siya kilala."
Ngumuso ako. Importante ba 'yan para makilala ko?
"Sigurado akong kilala mo naman ang Warbeast 'di ba?" tumango ako. "Mendeleev is their leader and is considered the most fearsome rogue. Their guild is also infamous for the amount of Player kills they acquired. There 7 members of their guild na nakapakasok sa Top 10 PVP Rankings."
So, mamamatay tao sila? Gano'n? Anong nakakaproud do'n?
"Well," tinuloy niya ang pags-story telling. "would you believe it if I say Leev is not actually the top player in the rankings? He's even below the top 5, I gather."
I blinked at River. I don't really know what to think. Ni hindi ko kilala ang pinagsasabi niya at wala naman akong interes sa killing spree nila.
"I'm interested. Continue." seryosong singit ni Feyre. I glared at her and she returned the favor.
"Speaking of," River scoffed. "your lovely rogue is about to enter Top 20."
I rolled my eyes. Ang mga aksidente niya ba naman araw-araw.
"Love to hear that." ani Feyre. "But I'm more interested in Leon."
"Oh~?" biglang sumulpot si Hex sa likod ko at tinaasan ng kilay si Feyre. "Hindi mo naman sinabi sa'kin na may crush ka na pala, pusa?"
"Sino ka naman para sabihan ko, soro?"
"Para sa ano pa ang endearment natin kung nagke-keep ka ng secrets."
Ngumuso si Hex at lumapit kay Feyre na nagsisimula ng kabahan. She even assumed an attack pose para iharang sa fox priest na palapit.
"H-Huwag kang lumapit dito. Bakit ang weird mo ngayon? At anong endearme- AH! Wengya! May wild fox dito!"
Pinagmasdan namin ni River na maghabulan ang dalawa. They eventually vanished from our sights and Iv turned to look at me. Alam kong magkokomento na naman siya tungkol kay Feyre at Hex, at dahil wala akong sagot sa potensiyal na tanong niya, ay inunahan ko siya.
"Ano na 'yong sinasabi mo?"
He seemed surprise by my interest. "Oh... right. It's Leon who has the most player kills. He's one of the reason why they are infamous. Leev, no matter how blood-crazed he looked, does not enjoy fighting, lalo na 'pag walang binatbat. He lose interest easily. Leon, on the other hand, has a short fuse and would kill anyone who pisses him off."
I frowned. "And no one bothered reporting him?"
"Of course, naisip nila 'yon. But he has the influence, dito sa Arth and in the gaming society. He is considered as an important person. Isa pa, you'll be fine as long as you don't piss him off."
"So, siya ang rason kung bakit naging infamous sila?"
"He set an image in the guild and attracted players who enjoy fights. His presence encouraged other members to go on a full killing spree."
Tumango ako. Napasulyap ako sa ring kung saan tapos na ang naunang away at naghahanda na si Aisling.
"And, their leader didn't even bother to meddle?"
"Leev has no interest in his surroundings. He only wants to find people he can spar with." he paused. "Although there was that one time where Leev and Leon fell into an argument because of the stupid massacre a guild member did."
"Akala ko ba wala siyang paki?"
"He still leads the guild, sis. Ang ginagawa ng guild niya ay magre-reflect sa kaniya."
Pinaningkitan ko siya ng mata. "Alam mo, napakachismoso mo din 'no. Paano mo nalaman mga bagay na 'yan?"
He gave me a disappointed look. "I'm called the Anima, Ev. I'm one of the top players. Hell, I'm the top mage."
Umuwang ang labi ko. "Ah. Grabe. Hindi ko kasi nafe-feel, pero wow, sana all."
Sinapak niya ako. I glared at him. Itinuro niya ang stage kung saan magsisimula na ang laban ni Aisling at isang brawler.
"Look closely. I have a feeling Aisling is a good dancer. You need to study how she fights, dahil ang makakalaban mo ay isang dancer."
Tumango ako at mas lumapit sa stage. I excused myself between two largely-built person dahil hindi ko makita nang maayos ang stage. Hinayaan naman nila akong pumwesto sa unahan. Perks of being tall, hay.
May isang parang violet shawl na nakapalibot kay Aisling. Ang kalaban niya ay nakasuot lamang ng shorts at bare-chested. They both don't have any sharp weapons. A fight of raw strength and technique.
The timer started. The event started earlier than usual. 8pm rather than 9:30. Maybe it's because of their rule na the battle will only end once a player dies. I still think it's too harsh, but judging the past fights, the victor and the loser are clearly distinguished.
There are times where attacking first is a good strategy. Pwedeng mastartle ang kalaban mo or you can overwhelm them with your strength. It creates a momentary stun with the brain process at makakagain ka ng advantage sa laban. However, it can also be your demise. Lalo na kapag marunong sa labanan ang kalaban mo.
And that's what Aisling's opponent did wrong.
Sumugod siya kay Aisling na nakatayo lang at nakasunod sa bawat galaw niya. He's actually very fast and has a good agility. Ngunit mas mabilis ang mga mata ni Aisling. She read his every direction and predicted his every movement, kaya bago niya pa maland ang unang atake, he fell flat on the ground.
Aisling kneed his incoming fist back to him. Imagine the strength she had to overpower him. Nagulat ang lahat na nasa arena sa nangyari. The brawler wiped the blood off his swollen lips and stood up again. May bagong determinasyon na sa mata niya. Itinaas niya ang mga kamay at naghanda ulit sa pag-atake. Maybe he was only testing Ais' reflex kanina?
Hindi siya umatake and Aisling seemed to have expected it because she made the first move. She took two steps closer to the brawler, the latter following her movements. Then, on a blink of an eye she twirled and let go of her shawl. A direct hit to her opponent!
Mukhang hindi din ito na-expect ng brawler dahil ilang segundo pa siyang hindi nakagalaw. However, Aisling paid his surprise no mind. She kept on attacking him, landing hits after hits until he realized what position he's currently in. His life is already going half.
The brawler's movements were fast and full of strength. Meanwhile, Aisling's looked so light and was very agile. Nahihirapan siyang suntukin ng kalaban dahil sa bilis ng galaw niya. It really looked like she was dancing, her fists and feet being her only weapon, well, excluding her shawl.
The match ended in no more than five minutes. Nakahiga na sa lupa ang brawler with no more remaining lives and Aisling stood above him, life at 80%.
Nang umalis si Aisling sa stage ay siya ding pag-alis ko sa kinatatayuan. I muttered a silent 'sorry' sa nabunggo ko at hinanap si River sa audience. I didn't have a hard time looking for him dahil nakatayo siya sa gitna ng crowd at napaka-obvious ni Nirvana sa likod niya. Nasa tabi niya si Irusu na nagwave sa'kin.
I refused his offer of bread. Malapad siyang ngumiti sa'kin at nagpasalamat. Kumunot ang noo ko. Why ask me kung ayaw niya din naman pala?
"Maria is a scary dancer." panimula ng kambal ko. "She's one of Warbeast treasures."
"She's not that good." wika naman ni Irusu. "She has good techniques and tricks but if you're good at fighting, she's a lesser threat."
Napataas ang kilay namin ng kambal ko. Ay wow, confident.
"I'm not good at fighting." nguso ko.
They gave me a dead stare before River threw a piece of bread on my face. "Sino niloloko mo? Pumunta ka na nga do'n. 'Di ba ikaw na ang sunod?"
I frowned. Oo nga pala, I'm going to enter that dreadful stage na. I bid them goodbye and walked to my guildmates. Pinaulanan nila ako ng goodluck at 'patayin ko daw hanggang hindi na mabuhay ng reincarnation' naman sabi ni Feyre. Suggestion naman ni Voldmir ay 'ihawin ko daw hanggang level 1' at sabi ni Minerva ay 'sirain ko daw ang buong building kasi hindi siya nakasali sa event'. Hindi ko pinansin ang tatlo sa buong pag-uusap at umalis na lang.
I am positioned at the right side of the arena. Nasa harapan ko si Maria na may dalang something sa kamay niya. She's tilting her head while studying me kaya medyo nai-intimidate ako.
"WOHOOOO! GO SOLACE! IPAKITA MO SA KANILA KUNG GAANO KA KAGALING TUMAPAK NG TAO!"
I almost choked at hearing Feyre's voice. Mukhang narinig din iyon ng buong arena dahil natahimik ito sandali bago umulan ng sigaw.
"OMG! PLEASE STEP ON ME PO!"
"NOOO! SA'KIN PO HEHEHEHE! FAN NIYO AKO SIMULA PA DAY ONE!"
"AAHHHHH! ATE SOLACE, SO PRETTY AND LAKAS!"
I glared at Feyre. Ngunit ang aforementioned player ay kasalukuyang sinasakal ng mga guild members ko kaya pinabayaan ko sila. I turned to look at Maria who's staring at me while smiling. Creepy naman this girl.
"May we have a good fight, slayer." nakangiting sabi niya.
I awkwardly bowed my head in response. "I-Ikaw din."
"WALANG'YA, SOL! AYUSIN MO NAMAN ANG SAGOT MO! HUWAG KANG MAGPA-CUTE! SABIHIN MONG EXCITED KA NANG ILAMPASO- TANGINA, ANONG GINAGAWA NG MGA NPC NA 'TO?"
Napatingin kaming lahat kay Feyre na kasalukuyang hinahatak ng dalawang NPC palabas ng arena.
"Player Feyre, because of the amount of reports that came in, you are temporarily banned from the arena. It will only be for the duration of this battle. Our greatest apologies." biglang wika ng announcer.
"WHAT?! ANO?! BAKIT! LANGHIYA, SINONG MGA INUTIL ANG NAGREPORT SA-"
The door to the arena closed but I can still faintly hear her shouts. Ibinalik ko ang tingin kay Maria at akmang hihingi ng tawad nang makita ko siyang nakatitig sa direksiyon ng pintuan.
"It confuses me. What did Leev see in her to be so interested? She has a foul mouth."
Natigilan ako. Is it just me or I detect annoyance in her voice? Still, I tried to smile. "She's a skilled rogue."
Bumaling siya sa'kin at natahimik ng saglit. Ilang sandali ay ngumiti siya at napatingin kaming dalawa sa timer na magsisimula na. I unsheathed my sword and readied myself. May puwersa niyang binuksan ang bawat fan.
Dancers. Agile and has good flexibility. It's possible that she can jump or stand in my sword dahil sa light weights nila. I can also expect her to be super fast dahil isa siya sa mga top players. So what is better? To attack or to wait?
Kung susundin ko ang battle ni Aisling, attacking first might not be good. However, when the timer started and the battle ensued, I found myself on the way to attack her. Mukhang nagulat din siya sa ginawa ko, ngunit agad din iyong nawala.
Nakatuon ang mata ko sa paa niya. Nang makita ko itong gumalaw sa pinakamaliit na paraan ay agad akong yumuko. A harsh slap of wind is what I felt on my back. I slashed my sword towards her stomach area making her step back. Agad na nagpalakpakan ang audience. I gave them a brief glance, confused at their reaction.
"The White Slayer strucks!" sigaw ng announcer.
Something flashed on the screen. A replay of earlier events. Ipinakita doon ang mabilis na pagtakbo ko sa direksiyon ni Maria and her immediately having a defensive stance. Ngunit, nakita niya ata na masyadong mababa ang pagtakbo ko kaya itinaas niya ang magkabilang fan and she clapped them together, at that point, I crouched down and slashed her stomach. Doon siya napaatras.
Maria's face twitched a bit. Ibinaba niya ang twin fans bago ito muling itinaas at ipinalipad papunta sa'kin. I dodged the ones I can and deflect the others with my blade. The fans her using are really strong, dahil nakaya nitong hindi masira sa espada ko.
She jumped and twirled mid-air. May lumabas na tiny needles mula sa mga fan niya and I raised my sword above my head to avoid them. Although mayroon pa ring mga nakalusot. When she landed, I run as fast as I could and dropped the sword on her head.
Even though I caught her off-guard with my speed, nakaya niya akong depensahan. Her knees buckled as she tried her best to overpower my sword with her fan. Kalmado pa rin ang itsura niya kahit na nahihirapan siyang itaas ang blade. I pushed it even closer, making her stagger a bit.
And then, her knees gave out and she dropped. My sword slicing her right arm. Ilang sandali siyang hindi gumalaw.
I raised my head and tuned out the cheers. Nakatinginan ko si River at Irusu. Irusu was looking at me like he was proving his point na weak lang si Maria. River had an unreadable look on his face, kaya nagdadalawang isip akong tumalikod.
But the announcer instructed that I maintain a distance with the fallen player. Kaya naman tumalikod ako. At doon nga nangyari ang hindi ko inaasahan.
I fell forwards when I felt a piercing pain on my back. Para itong hiniwa. Natumba ako sa kanang tuhod at itinusok ko ang sword sa ground to support myself. I cursed under my breath at another wave of pain. Lumingon ako at doon ko nakita kung anong nangyari.
Maria stood behind me, right arm lost. Her left arm is raised and there's blood in it. My blood. I am also pretty sure there's a really large wound in my back because I can feel the cold gush of wind and I heard my armor broke earlier. Napamura ako sa isip. How sharp is her fan even?
Still, I stood up. The pain was unbearable because it burns. Ngunit, it's not making me impossible to move. Isa pa, the match won't end if none of us dies. So either I fall or she dies. And I refuse the former.
Maria looks even more scary now. Kahit na itim ang suot niya kanina, it wasn't that special looking. However, now, black smoke emitted from her armor dress at parang pinapalibutan siya nito. Not to mention she had that bloodlust look, Feyre and Maria's guild leader often possessed.
"Now, we have the same wounds. Isn't it more fun when blood's present?" aniya. Gusto kong umiling. "May I have this dance, slayer?"
Maria bowed, folding her remaining arm in her chest.
"Whoo! Is it just me or did the tension increase?! My dear players, here comes the black swan of the beasts, finally fighting against the white slayer of the central. Will it end in another beast slaying or will the monster's dance succeed?"
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-chapter end-
[NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW]:
I can't believe it. My ultimate... deflected?
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