-chapter fifty-

THIRD PERSON

The forest was calm.

May mga labanan na nangyayari at paminsan-minsan na pagsabog, but it was calm.

The sky above was crimson red but the trees below it were free and calming.

So when a dark shadow loomed over the whole forest, the calmness was destroyed.

Isang pagsabog ang nangyari. It wasn't the explosive kind - iyong gumagawa ng malaking apoy o di kaya'y gumagawa ng sunog. It was an explosion of magical power, accompanied by the player's weapon, that happened in the forest.

It first appeared on Finley's feet. Ang pagtaas ng anino papunta sa kamay niya kung saan sampung kunai ang nakapalabas. When Louise flicked the knives towards Finn, she used the Dancing Shadow Daggers skill to defend herself. Finn was covered in a mild-shadow cocoon and the ten daggers danced around, letting the shadows take control of them and defending Finn from the raining knives.

However the power that Finn compressed in that small space must have burst out, exploding into the dark forest and throwing all of the daggers and knives in a circle around her.

Napasigaw si Eura nang makita iyon at agad siyang yumuko nang makita ang paparating na kutsilyo. Louise was standing there, frozen, at hindi alam kung anong gagawin. Talagang akala niya ay clone lang ito at hindi siya nagtaka nang makitang malakas. Since all of Finn's clones were very hard to kill.

Napapikit na lamang siya nang makita ang isang kunai na lumilipad papunta sa kaniya. But a minute went by and there was no pain.

Louise slowly opened her eyes, confused. Doon niya nakitang nasa lupa na ang dagger at hindi man lang siya nasaktan.

Hindi lang siya ang nagtaka.

The daggers and knives flew in the forest, killing the clones and striking the trees. Ngunit sa hindi malamang rason ay hindi nito natatamaan ang ibang players.

The throwdaggers and knives just passes their body or falls before it hits. Wala ding epekto ang shadow magic na dumaan sa kanila.

Hindi nila alam na ang markang ginawa sa kanila ng kanina'y naghahasik ng lagim ang nagpa-immune sa kanila sa mga atake.

Now Finley's number of kills once again changed. From five hundred, it reached seven-hundred clone kills, making a three hunred kill gap between her and Marcella.

Who was currently seething, by the way.

"That girl." Marcella said between her gritted teeth. "Gusto daw na lowkey pero tingnan mo nga naman. Nangunguna pa nga sa ranks."

"'Di ba, Marcella? Kung sinong tahimik at powerful kung makaasta, ubod naman pala ng yabang. Naiinis talaga ako sa batang 'yan." sang-ayon ni Amnesia.

"Why? Because that kid managed to defeat you, Amnesia?" a man codenamed Darkness said.

"Chamba lang 'yon!"

Marcella tuned their conversation out and stared at the kill-count board. What would the other players think once they saw Finn's name there? Lalo na ang makitang sumusunod lamang ang pangalan niya sa babae?

There were already rumors forming after their battle at the Magus Arena. That draw -  while that wasn't a winning result, it was an unexpected one. Pinakita no'n sa mga tao kung sino ang pwedeng makipagsabayan sa isang kinikilalang reyna ng mga laro.

For the queen of games to have a draw with an unknown player, isa iyong palaisipan sa lahat.

Now, Finley is ruining Marcella's life by placing herself at the top. Kailangan niyang maabutan ng clone kills nito o magtatanong naman ang mga tao sa kakayahan niya.

"Pero, grabe, ang akala ko lang talaga noon si Sparrow lang ang makakapagsabayan kay Marcella. Kasi kahit na hindi gano'n ka kilala si Sparrow, dahil sa mysterious aura niya, she's as strong and powerful as Marcella."

"Tama ka. Pero, 'di ba si Sparrow naman may pinakamataas na number of subscribers? She's already reaching twenty million, while Marcella's still at eighteen."

"Guys, naisip niyo ba. Paano kung si Finn si Sparrow?"

Natigilan ang dalawang lalaki nang sabihin iyon ng kasama. Kairo watched them from the branch of the tree, humming in amusement at that statement.

Hindi naman pala bobo lahat ng players dito, he thought.

"Ha?!" binatukan ng malaking lalaki ang kasama. "Anong kabaliwan ang pinagsasabi mo diyan? Hindi pwedeng maging si Finn si Sparrow kasi-"

"Kasi ano? Sige nga. Hindi naman natin alam mukha ni Sparrow except sa buhok niyang maitim."

"At itim din ang buhok ni Finn!" the third boy pointed out.

"Oo! Tsaka misteryoso si Sparrow at gender niya lang alam natin. Kung kaya ni Finn na makipagsabayan kay Marcella at maging gano'n kalakas, malaki ang posibilidad na si Sparrow siya!"

Kairo mentally praised the boy for that. Kung wala pa 'tong alliance, ininvite niya na.

"Tanga! E 'diba nga sabi ni Dylan hindi daw sila maayos ni Finn, pero friend ni Sparrow 'yon!"

"Tama, tama." the third one agreed. "Hindi nga sila friend."

Kairo scowled at that. Sino ang Dylan na 'yan at paano siya naging friend ni Sparrow? Sigurado naman siyang hindi ito kaibigan ni Finn o matagal niya nang alam.

"E paano nga tayong nakakasiguro na si Sparrow 'yon! Tsaka siyempre kung totoo nga ang sinabi no'ng Dylan, e'di itatago pa rin naman ni Sparrow ang totoong identity niya. Hindi siya tanga para sabihing si Sparrow at Finn ay iisa!"

The third one nodded. "May point ka rin. Tama nga naman."

"Ah, basta! Hindi ko alam kung sino ang Finn na 'yan pero siguradong black horse siya."

"Bahala ka din. Malakas ang kutob ko na si Sparrow at Finn ay iisa!"

Kairo watched in amusement as the third boy just sat there and nodded, undecided. For an outsider who doesn't want to straight-up assume or believe just one side without facts, it really is a hard thing to do. Hindi mo alam anong papaniwalaan mo.

Ngunit isa lang ang tiyak sa lahat. Sparrow or not, Finn is a monster in this game.

The said monster was actually trying to decide whether to say sorry or actually kneel and plead, dahil sobrang in-shock si Louise at limang minuto nang hindi gumagalaw.

"Hayaan mo na 'yan, Finn. Babalik din 'yan sa katinuan." saad ni Eura na nagmamadali nang mamatay ng clones.

Hindi niya kasi talaga lubos na maintindihan kung bakit mas mataas ang rank ng tamad na Theodore na 'yon.

"But..." Finn stepped closer to Louise. Niyugyog niya ang balikat nito. "Hello?"

"Ano 'yan, bahay, tapos sasabihin mong tao po? O 'di kaya dadagdagan mo 'on the other side'?"

"Friend not moving."

"Hawakan mo nga kung cold para mabenta nating ice."

"Ampucha, Eura!"

Finn took two, quick steps backwards when Louise suddenly sprung to life. Wala namang interes ang mukha ni Eura habang nakatitig sa kaibigan. Louise was about to shout some complaints when her eyes landed on the small rogue in front, whose eyes are wide in surprise.

"Hindi ka clone!" sigaw niya sabay turo kay Finn.

Umirap si Eura. "Sa tingin mo? May clone bang gagawa nito?"

The female rogue gestured at the trees around them, all with a knives impaled on them. Hindi siya makapaniwala sa nakitang outburst of magic power kanina, at mukhang wala lang ito kay Finn. Napakalakas siguro ng energy nito para gano'n. Si Caspian lang ang nakita niyang may super lalim na energy well, parang 'di nauubusan ng fire magic 'yon eh.

"Eh kasi nga 'di ko alam, akala ko clone! Kasalanan mo 'to, Eura, kasi ang ingay mo."

"Tangina, ba't ako? Hoy, naghahanap lang ako ng clones na mapapatay kasi ang bwisit na tamad naunahan ako."

"Kaya nga! Tinutulungan kita eh!"

Finn decided to step in the argument in case they get into a fight. Sa inaasta ng dalawa, hindi na siya magugulat do'n. Napakawarfreak nilang tingnan.

"Theo?" tanong niya.

Eura scowled and pointed at the ranking board. "Tingnan mo, Finn! Paano 'yan naka three hundred kills? Isa pa si Ate Depore na walang ibang ginawa kung hindi magpasabog!"

"Know where Theo is." tugon ni Finn.

Eura grinned. "Nice! Saan ba siya banda? Gusto ko makita kung anong ginagawa niya. I can't see him fighting."

Si Louise naman na kanina pa nakatingin sa taas ay napasinghap. Tinawag niya ng dalawang beses si Eura pero inignora lang siya nito, so she threw a pebble at her.

"Aray!" Eura glared at Louise. "Anong tanginang problema mo?!"

"Bibig mo need holy water. Pero, teka nga, hindi naman ata umaalis si Theo sa kinaroroonan niya. It's a single location kill."

"Tapos? 'Di ko naman sinabing gumagala siya, sabi ko hindi ko siya ma-imagine na nakikipaglaban!"

"Ayusin mo kasi kuwento mo!"

Finn doesn't understand why every person Eura meets gets into a verbal argument or banter with her.

Para tumigil ang dalawa ay nauna na siyang maglakad. Since Finn has marked Theo, it was easy finding where he is located. Mukha ngang hindi talaga ito umalis sa dating posisyon kasi nasa mismong lugar pa rin siya nang pinagpasukan nila kanina. Just a few trees away from the gate stands Theo's lair.

It was a clearing with about five trees surrounding it. May nakikita silang pigura na nakahilig sa isang puno, at mukhang si Theo nga ito.

"Wait." pigil ni Finn sa dalawa nang mauna silang maglakad.

"Bakit?"

"Trap."

Nanlaki ang Louise sa sinabi ng babae. Her instincts tells her to follow and believe every word the girl says. Pero 'di siya makapaniwala sa sinabi ng babae. The clearing looks harmless and she couldn't detect any traps, but Finn was able to find it?

"Grabe. Hanga talaga ako sa'yo!" Louise praised.

Eura looked proud. "That's my baby. Tama 'yan, Finn. Ipakita mo kung gaano lang kami ka-peasant sa harap mo."

"How did you know it was a trap?!" Louise excitedly asked.

Finn, once again, thought that Kairo's alliance was a bunch of hyperactive and overly-friendly players. Siguro ay gano'n ang mangyayari kapag isang wirdo ang lider.

Itinuro ni Finn ang isang karatula sa puno. Hindi niya alam kung paano ito nagawa ni Theo. It was similar to a wooden plank which has ice carved to form words. May nakasulat dito na: 'May trap.'

Nawala ang kaninang pagka-excited ni Eura nang makita iyon. Even Louise's smile turned into a frown.

"Ano 'yan? A-Anong- Oh my god, ang sarap talagang itapon ng lalaking 'to sa ilog." singhal ni Eura.

"At least marunong siyang magwarning 'no?" Louise wondered. "Siguro alam niyang hindi capable na magbasa ang mga clones? Iba din ang intellect ng isang 'to."

"Ano bang klaseng trap 'yan-"

Eura's question was immediately answered when a clone walked by. Dire-diretso itong naglakad sa sentro nang biglang may lumabas na ice axe sa bawat gilid - the blade used was Theo's arched, cleaver dagger. Hiniwa nito ang clone sa dalawa bago bumalik sa kung saan sila galing.

"Oh, wow. Kaya pala sitting pretty lang siya do'n at nauunahan ako." Eura added.

"Tara." anyaya ni Finn at nauna.

They avoided the center of the clearing where the blades must be commanded to attack. Dumaan lamang sila sa gilid at nagtago sa mga kahoy para puntahan ang nakahigang si Theo. Five crystal-like, ice cubes were floating around him, circling him and glowing from time to time.

Finn looked around the place. Hindi lang ang clearing na 'yon ang ginawan ni Theo ng trap, dahil nilagyan niya ang buong paligid nito, save for the tree he's currently resting in. Kaya naman pala nakakapasok siya agad sa rankings, kasi lahat ng clones na dumadaan dito ay awtomatikong namamatay.

That's just the trap. Hindi pa siya gumagalaw niyan para makipaglaban.

Agad na binatukan ni Eura si Theo nang makalapit. The boy glared at her and sat up, as if he already knew they were coming and prepared for it. Siguro'y hindi siya natutulog at nakikinig lang sa paligid.

"Hindi ka goods pakasalan, Eura. Ganito ka manggising sa asawa mo." Theo greeted.

"Kasi hindi naman ikaw asawa ko."

"Ba't ba kayo pumunta dito? I am complaining, yes. Except for Finn." Theo stared at the girl. "How is your condition?"

"'m fine."

"Gusto lang malaman ni Eura kung bakit nauunahan mo daw siya, eh tamad ka naman at tulog lang ang alam mo sa buhay. Dahil wala kaming magawa, pumunta kami rito para mag-imbestiga." Louise explained.

Theo narrowed his eyes at him. "I think you're like Sapphire and Eura who are too energy-consuming to talk to. Pero hindi ka nga lang baliw."

"Mabait ako."

"Hindi ko tinanong." Theo glanced at Finn. "Congrats. You're just a few clones from completing the city."

Tumango si Finn. Hindi nga lang siya sigurado kung mauuna siya sa next city nang hindi sila kasama.

Right now, there's a threat.

Suddenly, there was a creepy tune that rang in the whole forest. Ang square na nasa taas ay gumalaw ng ilang sandali bago ito nagpatay-sindi. Then, there was a deep voice issuing an offer.

It occurred to Finn that these might be one of the rare times where they could actually talk to the developers or game admins.

"Hello, rogues! I deeply congratulate each of you for arriving at the tenth city. This is a huge accomplishment after everything that you've been to. Every one of you has probably learned a lesson about friendship, lies, and the different sides of humanity. Three cities from now, you will be completing half of this game."

Biglang lumitaw ang kill-count board sa may square. Now the clone kills are rewarded with points.

"And so, we have a special event for all of you! The revolution flag in this city will not only be used by one person or their alliance, no, for all ten players who manages to rank themselves in the board fully gets the benefit! Now, you are not ranked by your clone kills but your kill points. As you can see, clone-kills are equivalent to one thousand points..."

Finn was surprised when June's name suddenly replaced Eura at the tenth spot.

The voice was filled with mirth. "And ten thousand points are given for player kills."

The bloodfield has just began.

-chapter end-