Chapter 32: Damsel in an Armor

Did I just pull a trigger and kill a beautiful, innocent bird?! I felt sorry for the poor lifeless creature. I just hit it right in its head. Ayoko nang alamin pa kung magkano ang halaga ng ibong iyon. I am sure as hell that it is greater than my three months allowance or even my allowance for the whole year! But it was a relief that Cronus asked me to kill a bird instead of a person... to be honest, hindi ako sigurado kung kaya ko ba talagang kumitil ng buhay. But I am determined and I guess such determination is enough to push me do it.

Tumayo si Cronus mula sa upuan at lumapit sa ibon. The bird's blood dripped from the cage to the floor. "You hit Bacchus in a critical spot. Not bad at all."

Bacchus? He named a bird after the Greek god of wine? Uh, yeah. After all he named a beetle after a Greek hero Hercules. Hindi na dapat ako magtaka kung lahat ng may buhay sa mansion na ito ay ipinangalan sa Greek mythology. Nagulat ako sa sunod niyang ginawa. He dipped his thumb on the blood of the bird and put his thumb on my forehead. Uh, is this some kind of initiation to become part of the mafia?

"W-what are you doing?", hindi ko mapigilang tanong. The blood on my forehead is slimy and kind of gross. "Does it mean that I am an official reaper now?"

He looked at me without any expression except his seriousness. Damn. He is really serious that it frightens me. Baka nagalit ito dahil masyado akong atat sa hinihingi ko.

"Hell no. That's for your conscience. You killed Bacchus who has been my companion in this room for two years now. His blood will haunt you every now and then", he said at bigla na lamang bumunghalit ng tawa.

Can I kill him? I mean how can he laugh like that samantalang halos sumabog na ang dibdib ko sa sobrang kaba dahil sa kaseryosohan niya? Fine. I will offer a prayer for Bacchus later at nang hindi ako dalawin sa pagtulog gaya ng sumpa ni Cronus.

"I feel sorry for Bacchus", wika ko sa kanya. He picked up a tissue on his table at pinunasan ang kanyang kamay. He also offered me some at kumuha naman ako upang punasan ang noo ko.

"Don't. If you want to be a reaper, never feel sorry for whoever you assassinate." He pressed the intercom in the side. "Please bring someone up here to throw Bacchus an also send a reaper whoever is available."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang marinig ang sinabi niya. Did he say THROW? Itatapon lamang si Bacchus after its two years of being his companions in this room?!

"Aren't you suppose to bury Bacchus?", tanong ko sa kanya. If the bird has been with him for quite some time, doesn't it deserve some proper burial?

"Miss Sison, like said, being a reaper means isolation. You don't have to attach yourself to things and people unless they are family members. Bacchus is just a bird who sat there so no need for some burial", wika niya. "Follow me."

Binuksan niya ang isang pinto sa kabilang gilid ng kanyang office. I noticed that there were so many doors here and the door in which we enter lead us into- an open space? Walang gamit doon. The wall was white and there were two doors on the side. Nag-resign na ba ang dating umo-occupy sa espasyong ito kaya bakante ang silid na ito?

"Your Mom will be furious if she will know what you are asking for", wika niya habang nakapamulsang tumayo. Seems like we will stay in this open space for a while.

"I'm sure she will understand", wika ko. Yeah aside from the array of guys that Cronus enumerated who opposed to this, there is also Mom and Khael. Gaya ng sinabi ni Mommy sa akin dati, she doesn't want me to become like her. She admitted taking lives before as part of the mafia.

Tumango lamang siya bilang sagot at bumukas naman ang isang pinto sa harapan namin at pumasok si Hermes.

"Cronus", bati niya sa kasama ko. He smiled at me ngunit napalis ang ngiti niya at nagtatakang napatingin kay Cronus na tila ba may hindi magandang mangyayari sa silid na ito.

"Hermes, I believe kilala mo na si Miss Sison. You've met few times right?", Cronus asked.

"I did Cronus pero bakit? Why is she here? You don't mean-"

"Tama ang iniisip mo Hermes."

"Pero-"

Hello people, I am still here. I don't know what the two of you are talking about. Do you mind explaining ?

"Sandali lang po", wika ko. "Anong meron?" Okay, mukhang chismosa ang dating kong iyon but I cannot follow what they are talking about.

"This room is for testing your physical strength and we have Hermes to test it", sagot ni Cronus. Testing physical strength? This room? This empty room?!

"Dito as in dito?", I asked at itinuro ang sahig. "Without a mat or anything ?"

Humalakhak si Cronus and it pissed me. Nagmana ba siya kay Jeremy o sadyang nasobrahan lang siya sa Enervon kaya sobrang happy niya? Ilang beses ko na bang narinig ang tawa niya ngayong araw?

"Miss Sison, hindi ito PE class o martial art practice. This is a test. Now if you want me to consider your request, show me what you've got. Fight with Hermes."

Sa ilang beses kong pagpunta sa mansion na ito, I have seen Hermes and Eros brawling like there's no tomorrow. Nagbabasagan sila ng gamit sa katawan ng isa't-isa, nagbabalian ng buto at kung anu-ano pa at tuwang-tuwa pa sila sa ginagawa nila. And now, it's my turn to take Eros's place and fight with him.

"Ngunit Cronus!", apela ni Hermes who looks so worried. "Babae si Amber, maybe she can-"

Hindi na siya pinatapos ni Cronus. "Kailan pa natin ikinonsedera ang kasarian Hermes? We believe in gender equality."

I mentally made a face when I remember my PE teacher in Athena who made me fight with Zywon. Kung halos magkalasog-lasog na ang buto ko nang makalaban ko si Zywon, paano na lamang kaya kung si Hermes na sanay sa pagpatay? Right now my mind tells me to give up but my heart which was cold as ice says I can do it. If he got he skill, then I will have a strategy. Skilled people can be beaten when their own strength will be used against them.

"I got it Cronus", wika ni Hermes at hinawakan ang kanyang nakabraid na buhok. "I'm sorry Amber but I have to do this."

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at Cronus. "What am I suppose to do?"

"Don't hold back. Just keep fighting until I say so."

This time I wasn't able to keep my face straight. Hindi ko mapigilang maisip na baka bago pa ipatigil ni Cronus ang laban ay bawian na ako ng buhay. Hermes doesn't have a body like the guys that I saw on TV doing kick boxing and the likes. It is just an average body, not too bulky but I know he got the strength of ten men. Hindi ko mapigilang mapatingin sa sarili kong braso. Pale and thin.

"So, start now."

"I am really sorry Amber", wika ni Hermes. I only nodded at him at ibinaba sa sahig ang dala kong bag. I'm glad that I wore my shorts instead of skirt.

"Don't hold back", paalala ni Cronus.

Huminga ako nang malalim at dahan-dahang humakbang palapit kay Hermes ngunit nakatatlong hakbang pa lamang ako ay sinalubong na ako ng kanyang kamao. I cursed when it almost hit me right in the face if I wasn't fast enough to dodge it. I saw him smirked and again he threw a punch at dumaplis iyon sa tenga ko. Lucky it didn't hit me straight on my cheek.

He lunged into me at pinaulanan ako ng kamao niya. I kicked him in the gut which caused the two of us to stumble down on the floor. He recovered fast at agad na sinipa ako kaya muli akong natumba bago pa ako makatayo. And damn! He kicked so hard! I heard a cracking sound and I am sure that the sound came from my body! Nakatihaya ako sa sahig at akmang aapakan niya ako nang ubod ng lakas but I was able to roll over before his foot land on my body. My survival instincts was on and despite the pain, I got up and gave him a punch which landed on his right eye. Great, that was pretty forceful and I'm sure he saw some stars dahil napaatras siya at umiling-iling.

None of us were speaking at maging si Cronus ay nakatingin lamang habang nakapamulsa. He wore his pokerface again habang hindi iniiwan ng kanyang mata ang palitan namin ni Hermes ng sipa at suntok.

Nagbago ang ekspresyon ni Hermes at muling sumugod sa akin. He sweep my foot causing me to fall on my knees at agad na tinuhod ako sa mukha. Shit! Do you know much it hurts to be hit on the nose with a knee? Nagdilim ang paningin ko and such darkness is enough for me to notice his next attack. I felt a blood dripped on my nose at tumulo pa sa puting sahig. Damn! Hermes wasn't really holding back. When he reached for me again ay dalawang magkasunod na suntok sa sikmura ang natanggap ko at kasabay niyon ay ang paghila ko sa buhok niya. Alright, I always thought that pulling hair in a fight is cheating but that's my only resort to give him pain even though it isn't as much as the pain that he is giving me.

And I guess he is the guy who's the "DON'T-YOU-DARE-TOUCH-MY-HAIR type. He stopped punching me at inalis ang kamay ko sa buhok niya. Inayos niya iyon sa kanyang likod before he reached for my neck and choke me with enough force to kill me within a minute! I struggled so hard and kicked him in "his thing" down there kaya nabitawan niya ako. I punched his face and his lip was bleeding. Good, that was good but my fist hurt too. Sinuntok ko siya sa mukha ngunit nauna na niya akong sipain kaya napatumba ako sa sahig. My body hit the hard floor at dahan-dahan akong tumayo upang sugurin siya but his fist meet my cheek first and it was so strong that it made the whole white room pitch black on my vision.

***

My body hurts like hell and my skin felt like it's being ripped. I felt something cold on my cheek kaya dahan-dahan kong binuksan ang mga mata ko and found Cooler applying cold compress to my cheek. Saka ko lamang napansin na nasa isang malambot na kama ako at wala sa white room.

I got up from the bed but- Aww. My body really hurts especially my waist. Cooler must have know that I'm in pain kaya inalalayan niya akong umupo at pinasandal sa kama. He wasn't smiling and he had a damn serious expression on his face which reminded me of Gray when he is being serious. Kapag ganoon ang reaksyon ng kanyang mukha ay hindi maipagkakailang magkapatid sila.

I swallowed a lump in my throat habang nag-iisip ng kung ano na pwede kong sabihin. Can I say "hello Cooler" o di kaya ay "Hey Cooler, how are you?" o hindi kaya ay... DAMN! I hate his serious face, it's creeping me out. Pakiramdam ko ay isa akong bata na nakabasag ng importanteng gamit and my Dad is waiting for my explanation.

"Where's Hermes?" There. Nakapagsalita na din ako but it doesn't relieve me dahil mas lalo lamang dumilim ang reaksyon ni Cooler nang marinig ang tanong ko.

"In hell!"

Oh, see? He is angry. No doubt.

"Cooler!" I don't really believe that crap. At ayaw ko na hindi ako sinasagot ng maayos.

"Nababaliw ka na ba?", his voice roared on the room at ibinato niya sa tiyan ko ang hawak niyang ice bag. Kinuha ko iyon at inilagay sa pisngi ko na ramdam kong namamaga.

"What?", pagmamaang-maangan ko.

"Don't give me a puppy look Amber because I am not buying it!", wika niya at minasahe ang kanyang noo. You know that he is angry when he is not being cool and believe me, you wouldn't want to mess up with an angry Cooler Vander.

Iniiwas ko ang tingin sa kanya at dinama ang lamig na nagmumula sa ice bag. I have no idea how bad I look right now. I am just sure that I don't look pleasant to the eyes.

"Where's your father? Hindi pa kami tapos mag-usap", wika ko sa kanya, avoiding his gaze.

"In hell too!"

Right. Anong problema ni Cooler kay Hermes at Cronus?

"So this house is called hell now?", I remarked, trying to sound like I'm joking.

"It is."

Inirapan ko siya. "Anong problema mo?"

"My problem? Yang utak mong- argh! Akala ko ba kasingtalino ka ng kapatid ko? I was wrong all along, you're such a dimwit!"

Aba! Hiyang-hiya naman ako sa talino niya. I hate being called stupid, dimwit or other words synonymous to it!

"Correction, mas matalino si Gray and call me dimwit again, you will surely kiss my fist", banta ko sa kanya. Kung ibang pagkakataon ay baka may isasagot ito sa paraang pilyo like he love to kiss my fist. But unfortunately, he is not in the mood to say things like those. Nakakunot ang noo nito and there was this imaginary black smoke around him which tells me that he's not up for segues like those.

"How should I call you then? Boba? Stupid? Airhead? Dopey? Dumb?", singhal niya sa akin.

I raised my brow and was about to punch him only to realize that I can't hardly move. Damn, I feel like I carried 100 sacks of rice! Masakit ang katawan ko na tagos hanggang buto. When I glance at my body, there were bruises and spots that are purplish. At hindi lang iyon isa kundi marami! There were some marks that looks like a hand that gripped on me tightly. Now I am curious if Hermes's fist also left a mark on my cheek.

"Huwag kang ngingiwi-ngiwi diyan na para bang sobrang sakit ng katawan mo, you asked for it, dummy!"

Aba! Kotang-kota na talaga si Cooler sa kakatawag sa akin ng kung anu-ano! Maghintay lang siya na umayos ang pakiramdam ko! I will surely get back to him if that time comes!

"I can still endure it!", wika ko sa kanya. After all these bruises and pain, there's no way for Cronus to decline my request. I will be a reaper whether he likes it or not!

"Amber you don't have to do things like this", wika niya na bahagyang lumambot ang boses. I can sensed that the anger is still there but he was softened a bit. "If you badly want to kill that man who killed your Dad, I can do it for you."

My eyes widened when he said those words. Did he say that be will kill for me? But he said before that he hasn't killed anyone!

"C-cooler..."

"You have no idea how much burden it is to kill someone. It will bother you Amber and it will make you sleepless for nights", nakayukong wika niya.

"Ibig mong sabihin..."

Dahan-dahan siyang tumango sa akin. "Yes. I killed someone. But it was for self-defense. A rival mafia sent an assassin to kill me so I did it. I killed him", wika niya. He sounded like he was really sorry for what he did. "It wasn't the first bullet that I fired but it was the first bullet that killed a person after I fired it. Dati ay mga daplis lang ang ginagawa ko and let a reaper finish the job but there was no reaper that time so I have to do it myself. And ending a life isn't something to be proud of Amber."

I was speechless after hearing his confession on his first kill. "He is an assassin whose job is to kill you so you don't have to feel sorry after killing him."

"Kahit gaano pa kasama ang taong binawian mo ng buhay, it will still haunt you Amber. And I don't want you to experience it. I will do it for you."

Napaawang ang bibig ko dahil sa sinabi niya. Didn't he say that killing doesn't give you a good feeling yet he wants to do it for me?! Can somebody explain to me what it really mean?

"Nababaliw ka na ba Cooler?", hindi ko mapigilang tanong. He had his first kill and willing to do the second for me. Bakit ba ganyan si Cooler? Why does he always do so many things for me at hindi ko alam kung paano iyon suklian?

On our first meeting, he was shot by a robber during our adventure on an island. On the succeeding meetings, he protected me from the mafia as Zeus. He betrayed the mafia for me and my Dad. Tapos ngayon?! Why is he like this?!

Ininda ko ang sakit ng katawan ko at tumayo mula sa kama. "Thank you for your offer Cooler but it's time for me to turn down the role of a damsel in distress. You've done a lot for me and played the knight in shining armor role. Let this damsel wear the armor and bring the sword this time", I said bago pinulot ang bag ko na nakalagay sa paanan ng kama at lumabas ng silid.

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-ShinichiLaaaabs