Nagtweet ako na baka may double chapter, pero andaming nangyari this hapon (aywow conyo) at parang wala ng cells si brain kaya- bitayin niyo na lang ako ples. Hope you enjoy this chapter though. Thank you for always reading, voting, and commenting! I always appreciate your thoughts.

By the way, LB Points means Leaderboard points. Ito 'yong points na nagain nila from completing cities and gaining benefits which would be converted into money once they finish the game. Hehe, fera fles *drools in broke*

-chapter fifty-one-

THIRD PERSON

"What the-" Eura scoffed. "Anong klaseng rule 'yan?"

Eura can't believe it. Naiintindihan niya naman ang pagdivide ng kung sino mang tao na 'yan sa sampung makakarank, para naman may use 'yang ranking board nila. Wala din siyang problema na gawing points ang clone kills nila.

But to issue an offer where killing players will mean ten times the normal killing points?! That's fucking crazy. Parang ini-encourage pa ng larong ito na pumatay ang mga players.

Or was this a test for the player's greed and morality? Kung tatanggapin ng mga manlalaro ang offer na ito upang makaangat sa iba.

"An additional rule." muling wika ng boses. "If a player kills another, the kill points that their victim has will automatically transfer to them. This is what we call the Steal. Have fun, rogues."

"Have fun? Tangina, anong funny sa gano'ng rule?" reklamo ni Eura. "Ano ba 'yan, sobrang boring na ba ng life niyo para sirain 'yong amin?! Okay na eh! Okay na 'yong pumatay lang ng clone, ba't kailangan niyo pang i-upgrade?!"

Napatakip ng tainga si Theo sa nakakabinging sigaw ni Eura. As if her pleas and complaints will be heard, or if it's heard, kung papansinin naman. The rules in this game are set in stone and nothing else could change it.

"Ba't ba di kayo makontento ha?!" Eura was still shouting. "Putangina niyo na may mag-aasawang sampal! Para kayong ex ko!"

"Sabihin mo na nga lang na bitter ka pa, hindi nage-emote ka sa langit na singkulay ng puso mo." Louise interrupted and looked around. "Oo nga pala, nasa'n na si Finn?"

Eura and Theo both froze. Napatingin sila sa dating tinatayuan ni Finn at wala na nga dito ang dalaga. Her lack of presence made it hard for them to notice her disappearance.

Napatingin si Eura sa rankings sa taas. Hindi niya alam kung anong gagawin ni Finn, ngunit sana'y maayos lang ito. The current situation isn't very friendly for all of them.

[Kill-Count Board]
1. Finley Lilliane - 718,000
2. Marcella Maia - 482,000
3. Kairo Shantel - 444,000
4. Jan Oliver - 438,000
5. Vince Caspian - 415,000
6. Glory Mae - 410,000
7. John Dylan - 389,000
7. Dierk Van - 389,000
9. Deanne Portia - 355,000
10. Julianne Evonne - 350,000

Marcella narrowed her eyes at the change in rankings after the announcement. Kitang-kita kung sino ang hindi nag-isip at pinapatay lang ang kung sinong madadaanan nila dahil dalawa ang biglang pumasok, pushing down two players who were constantly in the ranks, lalo na si Eura.

Siguro'y tumatambay lang si June sa ilalim ng Top 10 para hindi talaga masama sa ranking. Ngunit dahil sa panibagong rule, may nadagdag sa points niya at naging parte na siya ng kill-count board. That Dylan guy seems to be worse, lalo na't kaagad nitong nakasama sa ranking si Dierran na consistent.

There really was a difference in the player count already, dahil malapit na sa 120 ang total alive players. Napailing si Marcella at namuo ang disgusto sa katawan niya. She actively distastes people who chooses underhanded and morally wrong decisions. It's disgusting. Hindi niya lubos maisip kung bakit pa nila dudumihan ang kamay kung pwede lang naman paghirapan ang mga bagay.

So if Marcella has to choose between Finn and June, she would pick Finn. But when she regards her as a rival, would such thing ever matter? Or would she just ignore everything as long as it doesn't concern her?

Isang kaluskos ang kumuha sa atensiyon niya. Marcella raised a brow at a disheveled Wes who looked at her in alarm. Nang makita nitong walang kung anong sacrifices sa paligid ay nakahinga ito ng maluwag.

"Wes, bro, wait for me!" Dierran's voice came next as expected. "Bakit ba nagmamadali ka? Hindi naman gano'n kapangit ang ugali ni Marcella para mamatay ng players."

"I deeply agree with you, Dierran. What was Wes assuming?" tugon ni Marcella na nagpatalon sa lalaki.

Dierran placed a hand on his chest. "Nandiyan ka pala, Mars! Nagwo-worry lang 'to because you're in the second place and you're very competitive. Akala namin nagpang-imprison ka na ng mga players."

"Hindi ko alam gano'n tingin mo sa'kin."

"Eh." Dierran waved his hand dismissively. "You know it's not very serious. Ayaw lang din naming makita na magpalamon ka sa competitiveness mo. Even if you're not the top player in this city, you wouldn't endanger the whole alliance and kill innocent players, right Marcella?"

There was an edge to Dierran's tone and a sharpness in his smile that made Marcella nod. Hindi mo nga naman malo-look down ang isang kilalang lider. Dierran may be the most optimistic person, but if you touch the guild or team he's in, you'll be facing hell.

Nilipat ni Marcella ang tingin sa nakatitig na Wes. There was suspicion in his eyes and he looked very wary. Kahit na hindi sigurado si Marcella sa inaakto ng lalaki, she has an assumption.

"I won't kill anyone."

Wes nodded stiffly. "We'll help you kill clones."

Marcella only rolled her eyes. Mula pa noong nagsimula sila sa Armory, kung saan nakita nila si Finn, she was unconsciously under strict observation. Wes has this way of redirecting Marcella's fury with Finn into productive things or helping Marcella achieve her goals without bothering the girl.

Kaya nga hindi niya na ito sinundan noong nakita niya sa Metropolis, o pinansin noong nagpakita ito sa Den. Aside from their battle, Marcella didn't outwardly issue a rivalry with Finn in the Magus City dahil sa strategist niya. It's either Wes takes Finn away when Marcella's searching, or he taunts her that lazying around for the sake of revenge won't result to anything. Kahit na alam ni Wes kung nasaan si Finn ay wala itong sinasabi.

Even if Wes was her strategist, his loyalty lies somewhere else. Marcella doesn't really care about that, as long as Wes is useful to her plans in this game.

Isa lang naman ang gusto niya at ayaw niya lang mawala sa trono. As long as no one stands in her way, she wouldn't care.

"Fine, then. I want to finish this city already." ani Marcella at naunang maglakad paalis. "I'll see you in the next one."

Sumunod si Dierran habang nagpaiwan naman si Wes. He walked towards a tree that he was suspecting since earlier.

"Sparrow."

All Wes heard was a quiet gasp before everything went quiet. Sighing, he circled the tree and raised a brow when he saw Finn. Nakaupo ang babae sa sanga at nakatakip ang kamay sa bibig. Her eyes landed on Wes, widening every second.

Isang maliit ang sumilay sa labi ni Wes. "What are you doing there?"

Finn mentally sighed, knowing she has no power to really escape this boy. "Marcella."

"Hinanap mo siya?"

Finn nodded.

"It's alright. Wala siyang gagawing masama kahit na ganiyan pa ang rule." itinaas ni Wes ang palad. "I promise."

Tinitigan lang siya ni Finn.

"She won't even hurt you. Ang gagawin niya lang ay tapusin ang one thousand clones at lumipat ng city. I assure you, Finn, that Marcella will stay away."

It was almost a promise, but with a more different intent. The wind blew over them, leaves dancing across a promising boy who was staring at the timid girl perched on the branch.

Finn blinked. "Why? I'm a rival."

"I made a promise." makabuluhang sagot nito. "Huwag kang mag-alala dito. Search for the others and check on them."

Hindi na naghintay pa si Wes nang isasagot ni Finn at agad na umalis. The female rogue watched his retreating back, questions raising in her head without fail.

Ngunit isang pigura ang nagpatigil kay Finn. From where Wes was calmly walking, she can see another player creeping in the bush. Nakayuko ito at sinusundan ang yapak ng lalaki, weapon out and ready.

He was a player-killer. He chose this path because he has no other means of survival. Si Dylan ang nangako sa kaniya na dadalhin siya sa labas ng walang kung anong problema, as long as he kills player for him. He feels bad whenever his blade steals a life, but he could ignore those things here.

Pinapaniwala na lang niya ang sarili na clones ang pinapatay niya at hindi totoong tao.

He took a deep breathe, observing Wes from behind. Utos ni Dylan na gamitin nila ang oportunidad na ito para ipababa ang number ng players sa 100, at nagbigay din ng offer si June. Kapag daw napatay nila ang mga taong malapit sa babaeng tinatawag na Finley ay bibigyan sila nito ng hati sa makukuha na pera pagkatapos ng laro.

June's family is also very wealthy and influential outside, kaya hindi sila nag-aalala na baka mascam.

Mahigpita niyang hinawakan ang dagger at nang liliko na si Wes ay aatake sana siya, kung hindi niya naramdaman ang paghatak sa kaniya pabalik. Tumama ang likod niya sa lupa at napatingin siya sa langit. A sharp pain shot up and made him nauseous to the point of fainting, but he managed to see something before he lost his consciousness - black hair tied into a twin bun and the squared box floating amidst the red sky behind her.

It was the monster.

[Kill-Count Board]
1. Finley Lilliane - 756,000
2. Marcella Maia - 535,000
3. Kairo Shantel - 488,000
4. Jan Oliver - 472,000
5. Vince Caspian - 450,000
5. John Dylan - 450,000
7. Julianne Evonne - 430,000
8. Glory Mae - 420,000
9. Dierk Van - 397,000
10. Larry - 380,000

Thirty minutes na lang ang natitira para sa mga naunang nakapasok dito sa city. While most of the players doesn't really care whether they get the benefit or not, hindi nila mapigilan na maging kuryoso sa mga bagong pangalan na pumasok sa count board.

Sapphire rolled her eyes at that. Alam niya kung paano biglang nagkangaroo-hopping ang mga 'yon. Siguradong kumati na ang mga kamay no'n at naisipang mageasy life kaya may deads ng players.

"Hindi talaga nila alam ang beauty sa hardwork." reklamo ni Sapphire. "Mga taong hindi alam na may tinola sa nilaga!"

A player who was trailing Sapphire frowned at that. Hindi niya masyadong naaalala ang quote pero sigurado naman siyang walang tinola iyon. Magrereklamo na nga lang ang isang 'to, mali-mali pa.

Hindi alam ng lalaki na matagal nang naramdaman ni Sapphire ang pagsunod niya. Dakila man siyang madaldal pero hindi siya pinalaking tanga ng mama niya. So she was trying to be as noisy as possible to draw that killer out and probably give them a beating for life.

"Hay nako, super mga bobo lang naman siguro sila na hindi marunong gumamit ng sariling weapons. Like, eww, bakit niyo pipiliing pumatay kung kaya niyo lang naman? It's for weakshits."

Sigurado si Sapphire na naramdaman niya nang gumalaw ang tao pero hindi pa rin ito umatake ilang minuto na ang lumipas. Matapos siyang maghintay ng dalawa pang minuto ay nagdesisyon na lang siyang lapitan ito. Sapphire will just confront them than wait for the incoming attack.

Ngunit nakakagulat ang naabutan niya. Isang player ang nakahandusay malapit sa isang puno. Hindi pa ito patay at tanging nawalan lang ng malay. Sapphire is very convinced that this was the man trailing her earlier.

Pero sino naman ang gagawa nito?

Obvious na ginagawa na ng mga player killers ang lahat para mabilis tumaas ang points nila. One of the trick was killing their fellow players. Ngunit kahit anong gawin nila ay hindi sila laging successful dito.

Caspian placed his palm on the ground, watching the herd of clones in front. Nakatago siya sa isang puno kaya hindi siya nakikita ng mga ito.

"Thousand Flame Needles." mahinang saad niya.

Mula sa lupa na kinatatayuan ng clone herd ay lumabas ang libo-libong umaapoy na karayom. Tumusok ang mga ito sa paa, pulsuhan at noo ng mga clones, immediately killing all of the herds. Caspian stood up and clapped his hands, the flame eating the needle and vanishing into the air.

Naging alerto siya nang maramdaman ang isang lumilipad na dagger. He summoned his needles, creating a web among them to act as a shield, and raised it to the direction of the flyinf dagger. However, to his surprise, a black kunai came flying out of nowhere, hitting the dagger and throwing it to the other side of the forest.

"Putangina! Bitawan mo ako!"

Isang malakas na daing ang narinig niya pagkatapos ng mura. Mabilis na lumapit si Caspian sa pinanggalingan nito at natigilan ng makita si Finn.

Finn lifted her eyes from the man to stare at Caspian, whose mouth parted in surprise. Her hand was around the man's neck and she was holding him down, ignoring the never-ending profanities that left his mouth.

"Finn-"

Caspian was about to say something, but the man interrupted cut him off.

"Putangina! Bitawan mo ako, tanga! Pipigilan mo pa akong pumatay, kala mo naman kung sino kang anghel, eh papatayin mo rin naman ak-"

Natigilan ito sa pagsasalita nang hampasin ni Finn ang likod ng leeg niya. The man's eyes quickly closed and he fell on the ground, face-first. Umayos ng tayo si Finn at tinanguan si Caspian bago tuluyang nawala muli.

The numbers that the player killers were consistently raising were halted recently. Caspian is now very certain that it's all because of the small rogue, jumping across trees and running around the forest to stop them. Dahil nga sa ginagawa ni Finn ay malapit na siyang maabutan ni Marcella. Her clone kills have been slowing down because of the new responsibility she set.

Ngunit hindi naman talaga ang rank ni Finn ang inaalala ni Caspian, it was time.

Finn was the first one who entered which means her time is most likely to end earlier.

Higit pa sa dalawang-daan ang kailangan niyang patayin at mahigit dalawampung minuto na lamang ang natitira.

Dylan gritted his teeth when Larry was pushed out of the kill-count board, the known loud-mouthed Eura replacing him. Kanina pa ito nangyayari. Hindi na umuusbong ang mga pangalan nila sa board. And no close friends of Finn, who June specially ordered to kill, were gone from the rankings.

Nang masabi ang bagong rule ay napakaganda ng laro nila, ngunit hindi pa nga nagthirty minutes but they were already being attacked.

"Tangina talaga." sabay sipa ni Dylan sa isang bato. "Gusto kong patayin kung sino man 'yang-"

Natigilan si Dylan nang makita ang isang malapit na kaibigan ni Finn. A tall man with brown hair and a bright grin. Hindi ito sinama ni June sa lista ng mga lalaking kailangan nilang patayin pero hindi naman siguro siya magagalit kung pagti-tripan ito ni Dylan. Kaya kinuha niya ang kutsilyo at tahimik na inatake ang lalaki.

Dylan's dagger was pointed towards Gavin's back, ready to stab him. But the boy suddenly turned around and offered a punch to Dylan's face. Napakalakas nito na parang iikot na ang ulo ni Dylan. Fucking hell. Akala niya ba weak ang taong 'to pero bakit ang lakas makasuntok?

"Hala, p're, hala sorry. Nagulat ako kasi bigla kang dumating." paghihingi ng paumanhin ni Gavin. "Shit, okay ka lang ba?"

Dylan laughed awkwardly, slapping Gavin's helping hand away. Puta, nakakahiya. Isang weak player ang nagawang suntukin siya ng ganito kalakas.

"Hindi naman masakit." natatawang pagsisinungaling niya. "Pero ang lakas mo manuntok ah, boxer ka?"

Joke lang naman sana ni Dylan 'yon. Kaya bakit,

"Ah, oo." Gavin answered, looking shy. "Nagbo-boxing kasi ako tapos trip ko sports. Sorry talaga."

Dylan's irritation increased at that. So this man was new to the game, kaya ang hina niya, but outside he's probably a freaking jock. Mga aroganteng hangal na hindi naman marunong sa math.

"Bakit mo ko tinitingnan ng masama?" tanong ni Gavin. "Galit ka talaga 'no? Gano'n ba talaga kalakas ang suntok ko?"

Kanina pa ang gagong 'to sa suntok niya ah, Dylan thought.

Hinigpitan niya ang hawak sa dagger na nasa kamay. Napakadali lang na itaas ito para isaksak sa gagong lalaki.

"Stay away."

Isang malamig na boses ang nagpatigil sa kaniya. Gavin looked to the right side where he heard the voice. Finn stepped out of the tree lines and calmly approached them, eyes fixed on Dylan and watching all his actions.

For a small rogue, the pressure and tension Finn brings was very high.

For someone who looks that adorable, the icy glare she currently has was terrifying.

Dylan smirked, staring at the monster of a rogue. Ngayon alam niya na kung bakit tumigil ang pag-angat nila sa rankings.

With a show of him spinning the dagger in his hand, Dylan tilted his head at Finn. "Hey there, baby girl. Diba sabi ko sa sunod na pagkikita natin, papatayin na kita?"

-chapter end-