-chapter ninety-two-

FINN

I don't recall how it arrived to this.

Gavin and I were discussing Sebastian nang pinutol nila Kairo ang usapan namin. The next thing we knew, we were being surrounded. Nakasuot ng mask ang mga kaaway namin kaya hindi ko alam kung saang alyansa sila galing.

Two daggers went flying my way. I took a step back, dodging the blades just in time. One of my opponents grunted in disappointment and attacked. The earth cracked at every step he took, growing into a pillar of hard ground in front of me.

At bigla na lang itong bumagsak.

A shadow cocoon formed over my head, shielding me from the falling rocks. Isang presensiya ang naramdaman ko mula sa likod. I pulled out a kunai to deflect the incoming blade. He used it as a decoy and was aiming to punch me.

Agad akong yumuko para iwasan 'yon, pero mabilis niya akong tinuhod. A small gasp left my lips. Before he could make any other move, I quickly snaked my arms around his neck and shifted our positions. I pointed my kunai at his throat, his breathing coming out harsh.

Nawala ang epekto ng shadow cocoon kaya naramdaman ko ang pagdating ng kasama niya. His movements required a lot of noise, and his heavy breaths were determinants of his location. Dahil hawak-hawak ko pa rin ang isang lalaki, I wasn't able to effectively to block his attack. The blade made a cut on my wrist.

The pain made me wince. Inignora ko muna iyon at sinuntok sa tiyan ang lalaking hawak-hawak ko. Shadows covered my fist and it crawled over the man's body, wrapping around his lower half and making him unable to move. Umikot ako at agad na yumuko nang muling umatake ang ikalawa. He started delivering punches after punches, giving me no time to escape.

I tried to block all his attacks. Nakacross ang dalawa kong kamay at nakataas para do'n. When he took a step forward to make an uppercut, I lost the balance and couldn't summon a kunai. But then I felt something slither down my arm, wrapping around my fingers and biting at the skin.

Suddenly, I was holding a silver dagger in my hand.

My opponent's eyes glanced down. It was surprising. Kilala ako bilang nag-iisang player na gumagamit ng throwdagger. The kunai was my signature. So to notice a silver dagger in my hand is new.

Pero hindi na niya kailangan malaman iyon.

A flash of movement happened and I was already in front of him. Nakatutok ang hawak-hawak kong kutsilyo sa may mukha niya, hovering over the skin.

Nanlaki ang mata niya at agad siyang umatras. Binawi ko ang dagger at sinipa siya. He fell. His right hand quickly summoned a dagger pero inunahan ko siya. I kicked his hand away. His free hand took hold of my ankle and dragged me down, kaya agad kong inikot ang dagger na hawak, punching his face with the dagger's hilt. Walang malay siyang bumagsak sa lupa.

I inhaled deeply, looking around the place. When we were suddenly ambushed, nagkalayo-layo kaming tatlo. Hindi na namin napansin kung saan pumunta ang isa't isa dahil goal ng kalaban namin na madistract kami. And maybe, it's to keep us away from each other.

Nilapitan ko ang nakahandusay na player. I need to know who they are and who they're working for. Aside from the individuals I treat as friends, I am loyal to no alliance in this game.

Anyone can suddenly turn their back on me.

I brought my hand closer to the black mask, only to retract it right away. Kumunot ang noo ko sa nangyari. There was a shock of electricity when my hand came in contact with the mask. Na parang hindi ako nito pinahihintulutang humawak.

But... electricity? Was there such a power in game?

"Finn!"

Napalingon ako nang marinig ang boses ni Eura. She looks exhausted. Dirty ashes marked her face, probably from her own magic. The flamethrower seemed heavy in her hand, a bit of smoke coming out the end.

"Ano nangyari? Okay ka lang ba?" tanong niya nang makalapit.

Tumango ako. She breathed a sigh of relief before starting her relentles nagging. "Tangina, sino kaya ang mga 'yon? Bakit bigla na lang silang lumabas? Wala naman sila kanina, kahit na halos isang oras na kaming palipat-lipat ni Gavin. Tapos kakasulpot lang, aatake na. Hindi ko pa alam kung anong itsura nila kasi parang may magic protection ang mask. Sa'yo din ba, Finn?"

I nodded.

"Tsk. Sino kaya may gawa ng mga 'to? Hindi naman siguro pwedeng si Marcella, kasi hindi no'n aatakehin si Wes. Tsaka wala na si June para awayin ka ulit. Nako, kapag malaman ko lang kung sino 'yon, makakatikim 'yon ng ganti ng isang api!"

"Api?"

"How dare them attack someone like me! They had the audacity to dirty my face! Hindi ba nila alam kung gaano kahirap ang panatilihin ang magandang mukha kong 'to?!"

Tumango ako. Bumuntong-hininga si Eura na mukhang stress pa rin sa nangyari. I can't offer her any tissues or towels since I've been fighting for a long time too.

"Finn," she turned to me with a determined look. "Hanapin natin ang mga kaibigan mong water ang magic. O 'di kaya si Fern. Oo, pwede rin si Fern. Mabilis siyang malocate. Kailangan lang nating hanapin ang isang tao - si Louise. And finding her is easy too. Kung saan ako naiinis, nandoon siya."

"Mm." I agreed and let her lead the way.

Eura has a really unique sense of direction. Kung saan kumukunot mukha niya, doon siya lumiliko. But I wonder if it's really accurate. Marami namang tao na kinaiinisan si Eura. So does she have levels of annoyance for different persons?

Nagulat kaming dalawa nang biglang gumuho ang gusali sa tabi. The top floors was destroyed and there were flashes of movements. Nagpatuloy ang ingay ng gulo sa loob ng gusali. It was a wild fight - with walls crumbling and floors breaking down. Parang kasing-lakas ng mga higante ang nasa loob.

The fight eventually came to an end. Isang lalaki ang nahulog sa bottom floor, his body springing up quickly at the impact. Sumunod sa kaniya si Gavin na gulong-gulo ang buhok. His fist was covered in rocks, smashing the ground beside the body as he landed. Kitang-kita namin ang nangyari dahil sira na ang glass windows ng gusaling iyon.

"Holy shit." Eura cursed, sounding breathless.

Gavin was panting as he tried to catch his breath. The shirt he was wearing was a little ruined now. The sleeves were ripped and his muscles flexed under it. Nang sumulyap ako kay Eura ay doon nakatuon ang atensiyon niya.

Gavin must have felt someone staring at him because his head snapped to our direction. The fury in his face subsided when he saw me. His angry expression calmed down.

"Finn." he greeted with a smile.

Sinagot ko siya ng maliit na ngiti. The rocks in his hand got destroyed as he walked outside. Ginalaw niya ang braso, relaxing the muscles in his arm. Isang mahinang singhap ang narinig ko mula sa katabi.

"Who...?" tukoy ko sa nakalaban niya.

His jaw clenched. "'Yong umatake sa'tin kanina. May sinabing... ayokong marinig."

I stared at Gavin. Iniwas niya ang tingin, avoiding the question I want to ask next. Hinayaan ko na lang muna. Not anything can test Gavin's temper that much.

His eyes landed on Eura and he frowned. "Ba't ang tahimik mo?"

I glanced at Eura. Oo nga pala, kanina pa siya walang sinabi except no'ng nagmura. I saw her eyes flicker from Gavin's abs to his face. Her face flushed in embarrassment.

"Anong ba't ang tahimik ko? Siyempre, tahimik naman ako ah!" she argued. "Hindi kaya ako maingay! At hindi kita tinititigan! Huwag kang feeling!"

I tilted my head. "You're staring at Gavin?"

Mas lalong pumula si Eura at nanlalaki ang mata siyang tumingin sa'kin. Her eyes accused me of betrayal.

"Finn, sabi ko hindi! Hindi ako tumitingin sa kaniya! Ano naman titingnan ko sa greek god niyang katawan? Ang abs na masarap hawakan? Ang muscles-" Eura blinked once. Twice. "Ang pangit ng bestfriend mo." insulto niya kay Gavin na parang wala ito sa harap.

I glanced at my bestfriend. His brow was raised as his amused eyes were focused on Eura. He was fighting himself from smiling, but the slight curl of his lips didn't leave unnoticed. Because I was with Gavin since childhood, reading his microexpressions was easy.

"Saan ba kayo pupunta?" he asked, eyes never leaving Eura.

Hindi ako sumagot kasi hindi naman ata ako ang tinatanong. Eura glanced at me, waiting for an answer, pero inabala ko ang sarili sa pagtingin sa gusali.

"Hinahanap namin si Fern." sagot ng katabi ko. "May kailangan kami sa kaniya. Nakita mo ba?"

Umiling si Gavin. "Sasama na lang ako."

"Na ganiyan? Ayoko nga!"

Wala namang problema sa itsura ni Gavin. Mas maayos pa nga ata siya kaysa sa'min ni Eura. He can just fix his hair and find another clothes. While I can't take off the blood and Eura with her dusty face.

Sabay na kumunot ang noo namin ni Gavin. "Bakit?" we asked at the same time.

Before Eura could answer, a shirt was thrown towards Gavin. Lumingon ako. Magkasamang naglalakad papunta sa'min sina Kairo at Wes.

"Put some fucking clothes on." Kairo ordered.

"May damit naman ako, ah." bulong ni Gavin sa sarili pero sinunod rin ang utos. I felt Eura relaxed now that he's fully clothed.

Kairo frowned. "Eura, parang nasabugan ka ng isang-daang bomba. Naga-audition ka ba para maging multo?"

"Sana nga maging multo para hindi ka makatulog, gago." umirap si Eura. "Anyway, again uulitin ko kasi wala kayong modo, hinahanap namin si Fern. At dapat duo mission lang 'to, hindi pwedeng tatlo, mas lalong hindi apat, at especially walang Kairo na kasama- hoy nakikinig ka ba sa'kin, Wes?"

The three of them looked back at us. Gavin raised a brow, Kairo narrowed his eyes, and Eura was annoyed. Hindi siya pinansin ni Wes at ibinigay sa'kin ang isang damp na towel, while he poured a healing potion at the cut on my wrist.

"Wipe your face with that." utos niya nang hindi ako gumalaw.

I started to clean my face with the towel, a bit apprehensive. Wes has been very forward lately. Kapag nagkikita kami ay hindi na niya iniisip ang mga gagawin. Lagi din siyang malapit sa'kin.

He stopped pouring when my cut has healed. Sunod niyang tiningnan ang sugat ko sa balikat. His hand reached out but another one came forward, dropping the green, healing liquid. Slender and deft fingers wrapped around my arm, pulling me back to their body. My gaze reached Kairo who stood behind me, whose eyes were challenging Wes.

"What are you doing?"

Kairo cocked a brow at Wes' question. "I'm taking care of my friend. Ikaw? Ano ginagawa mo dito? Shouldn't you be with Marcella?"

"Why do you keep on mentioning her when you see me? Ikaw ang sumama sa kaniya kung gusto mo."

"Kairo, stop." pagpigil ko sa potion niyang sobra-sobra.

The wound has already healed but the green liquid is still pouring on my shoulders.

"I'm mentioning her because you're supposed to be Finn's enemy. Paano pala kung spy ka lang? Get closer to Finn and kill her when she's at her most vulnerable moment, huh?"

Wes' hand, who stopped just before my shoulder, closed into a fist. The muscles in his jaw jumped, as he regarded Kairo with the darkest glare possible.

"What the fuck did you just say-"

Wes' growl was stopped when I pushed both of them away. Kinuha ko ang healing potion sa mga kamay nila at ibinulsa.

"Maingay." reklamo ko at naunang naglakad.

"Ha! Ayan kasi't parang mga bobo kayong dalawa." I can hear the smugness in Eura's voice. "Deserve! Kung ako na lang binigyan niyo ng healing potion dahil hello, may sugat din pala ako. At Wes, may pangpunas ka pa ba diyan? Kakapalan ko na ang mukha ko't hihingi."

"Wala."

"Ang sama! E kung si Finn nagtanong, siguradong mayro'n, 'no? Double standard kayong mga lalaki ha. Pasalamat kayo at gagawin ko rin 'yan kaya relate ako."

"Okay."

A tremor made the five of us stopped. Nagpalitan kami ng tingin at napatingin sa paligid. Could it be another ambush again?

Our questions were answered when a shift in the rankings happened. Napasinghap si Eura. The Blood Vanguards has dropped from the first place. And the Lone Wolves have replaced that place.

Napatingin sa'kin ang apat. "Plano niyo 'to, Finn?" tanong ni Eura.

I answered with a slow shake of my head. We weren't a competitive alliance. Nagdesisyon na kaming okay lang sa kahit anong pwesto, as long as it's not the last spot. And that was already Death Crows' place after losing their leader.

Kaya nga wala na akong ginawa pagkatapos nito. As long as we have both territories in hand, we can rest. Kung mawala man ang sa South, the West territory is large enough. And stealing that from us isn't relatively easy. While we don't have a perfect teamwork, each player are marked with their own skills. And the number isn't easy to deal with.

"Eh? Sino naman pala ang magde-desisyon niyan? I can't believe Theo's this ambitious, huh. Mukhang pakitang-tao lang ang patulog-tulog niya."

No, Theo will not plan any of this. There's only one person in the guild who can make such things happen, with the right amount of power to give commands.

The tremor happened again. I frowned, focusing on the source. Mukhang nasa may north siya mula.

"They're on the main territory." Wes muttered. "Hindi ko alam kung paano nila nakita 'yon, pero naroon na sila. It's a territory divided into two, so if they successfully do it, Blood Vanguard would be left with no territories."

"Well," nagkibit-balikat si Kairo. "Wala namang may pakialam kung magzero ang territory niyo. So we don't really have to panic-"

Eura closed her eyes briefly and gave Kairo a tired look. "Nakalimutan mo na ba na si Marcella ang leader ng Blood Vanguard?"

"Siyempre hindi-"

"At mapride ang babaeng 'yon? Not to mention her greed and competitiveness. So kung ang Lone Wolves, na alyansa ni Finn, ang nagnakaw sa lupa niya? Ano sa tingin mo ang mangyayari?"

Kairo's eyes landed on me and understanding flashed in his eyes. "Let's go."

We moved quickly. Hindi nagtagal ay nakaabot na kami sa main territory nina Wes. For some reason, I have a feeling that a blame would be placed on him too. Pakalat-kalat kasi kahit na dapat bantayan niya ang alyansa.

It was a normal-looking place, probably the reason why no one would think it was theirs. Most alliance would place their flag at the center of a plaza or hidden inside buildings. The Blood Vanguards, however, made their flag look like a decoration. Itinusok nila iyon sa pader ng isang gusali - at a blind spot, unseen from ordinary eyes.

The rest of the BV members were wounded. Dierran was not spared and suffered injuries as well. Marcella, the least injured, stood in front of the strong-willed Lone Wolves. Her sword dagger was strucked on the ground and her eyes found mine.

I never thought that the fury in her eyes could burst even more. But it did. And she regarded me with absolute loathing.

"I see." her cold voice enveloped the whole place. "So this was your plan... Sparrow."

Every player turned to look at me, but their stares held no remorse unlike Marcella. Some of them must have got the news of June's truth.

"I stepped out of your way this whole time, but you really wanted a war." she continued. "Okay then, Sparrow. Starting now, I will not hold back. I will give you the war you so wanted."

Pero hindi ko naman hiniling 'yan?

Marcella raised her sword dagger and pointed it at me. "Come fight us. Hindi niyo pa nakukuha ang teritoryo na 'to kaya tingnan natin. Will you be able to steal it from me or will I take your life first?"

The members of both alliances cheered at the sound of war. Itinaas nila ang mga weapon na dala at nagsimula magchant. Natagpuan ng mata ko ang nasa unahan ng Lone Wolves.

I wasn't wrong. Sapphire led the alliance.

And a sinister smirk appeared in her face when Marcella provoked a war.

-chapter end-