-chapter one-hundred-thirteen-

FINN

Nang simulan naming labanan ulit ang higante ay naramdaman ko na ang pagka-ilang nina Wes at Kairo.

I stepped back to watch the two of them fight. They have different styles of fighting; malinis at mabilis ang bawat strikes ni Wes, while Kairo prefers to attack in a ruthless and torturous manner. Kahit na ilang beses na silang itinapon palayo ng higante ay hindi nawawala ang ngisi sa mukha niya. He lets his eyes roam in the giant's massive body, looking for weak spots, while Wes just looks determined to concentrate on one critical point.

Higit sa lahat, masyado silang malayo sa isa't isa. They fight the same monster but they don't have any coordination at all. Kung nasa harap ng higante si Kairo, pipiliin ni Wes na tumayo sa likod nito.

Napanguso ako. Ito ang unang pagkakataon na makita ko silang maglaban na dalawa lang pero ang pangit. Akala ko pa naman okay na sila kanina dahil tinulungan ni Wes si Kairo. I even told the giant they're okay and now...

I heaved a tired and sad sigh.

"Finn!"

Inangat ko ang tingin nang tawagin nila ang pangalan ko. But the sight of an incoming rock blocked the two boys from my sight. Agad akong tumalon bago pa ako nito matamaan, at sinugod muli ang higante.

Wes made water bubbles that I used as a platform to jump towards the giant's head. Agad dumilim ang paligid nang gamitin ni Kairo ang Underworld, at sa tulong ng shadows, ay natamaan ko ang upper body at noo ng higante ng aking throwdaggers. When I landed on the ground behind the giant, the light inside the cave returned.

So did the giant that bellowed from the pain.

Umikot siya at hinabol ako. The stalactites fell at its thunderous steps at pilit ko naman itong iniiwasan. Biglang itinaas ng higante ang dalawa niyang kamay, at kasabay nito ay ang tunog ng pagbungkal ng lupa bago lumabas ang mga lava rocks mula sa ilalim. I stepped back in surprise, accidentally landing my feet on the hot coal and hissing in pain.

May humatak sa'kin pataas at may isa pang humawak sa bewang ko para tulungan sa pagbalanse. Mula sa malaking bato na kasalukuyan naming kinatatayuan, the lava ground was even more evident and scary.

"You alright, kitten?" tanong ni Kairo na humatak sa'kin.

Tumango ako at kinalas ni Wes ang pagkakahawak niya sa bewang. "Have any plans, Sparrow?"

Dapat siya magplano, siya strategist eh.

"Will act as bait." turo ko sa sarili. Kumunot ang noo nila at akmang kokontra na nang samaan ko sila ng tingin. "You will make bombs."

"Bombs?"

"Mm." tumango ako. "I have exploding kunais. We can deploy it inside Kairo's underworld that will be caged inside Wes' bubbles. Kapag ginalaw niya ang isa, it will explode and cause a chain of explosions due to the shadows that we will link to every bubble."

I blinked when they kept on staring at me. Nakakailang ang titig nila kaya napakagat ako sa ibabang labi. "Or... not?"

Both their stares flickered down my mouth before raising them back to meet my eyes. Iniwas nila ang tingin sa'kin at may binubulong sa sarili. Behind them, the giant's eyes have already centered towards us.

"Choose. Now." pagmamadali ko sa kanila dahil palapit na ang giant.

Tumikhim si Wes at may gana pang pumikit. Hindi pa ba sila nakakaramdam na malapit na kaming mamatay? Papunta na dito ang giant, oh.

Kairo gave me one of his cunning smiles, eyes teasing. "Alright, kitten. Namangha lang ako sa sinabi mo." he reached out to pat my head. "You never fail to amaze me-"

"Us." putol ni Wes na sinamaan ng tingin ng isa. Hindi niya ito pinansin at ngumiti sa'kin. "I'm so glad you're alright, Finn. I was worried-"

"We were worried." Kairo corrected, scoffing at Wes who rolled his eyes. "Bigla ka na lang nawala kaya sobrang nag-alala ako-"

"Kami." muling pagputol ni Wes. Beside him, Kairo poked his tongue to his cheek, a sign of irritation. "Kaya kailangan na nating makaalis dito at makabalik sa kaibigan mo-"

Mabilis kong hinawakan ang ulo nila at sabay kaming yumuko nang bumuga ng apoy sa direksiyon namin ang higante. They both stiffened, their breaths hitching at the sudden movement. Nakaalis na sana kami kanina kung hindi sila panay kuwento. Ayan tuloy at malapit na kaming masunog.

Sinulyapan ko silang dalawa at doon ko lang napansin na sobrang lapit pala ng mga mukha namin. Kaya siguro hindi sila makatingin ng diretso sa'kin. Pero hindi naman importante 'yon dahil kailangan na naming gawin ang plano. I hope they can reschedule their talks for later.

"Kairo." tawag ko sa katabi na kanina pa lumulunok. " Underworld."

Sinunod niya naman ang sinabi ko. The giant was temporarily blinded by the darkness and I summoned the shadows to guide us to a possible hiding spot. Isang narrow at madilim na corner iyon dito sa cave. Kairo deactivated his magic and the giant looked surprised that his food was gone. Sa bandang kinanggalingan nina Kairo ay may naririnig akong yapak.

"Tangina, nasaan na ba 'yong dalawa?! Ang bibilis ng mga gago kung tumakbo, kala mo naman last supper na ang handaan dito! Pero, in fairness ha, ganda ng mga chandeliers nila dito-" Eura's loud chatter was cut off when she saw the giant. "Putangina, Louise! May higante!"

Hinampas siya ng kasama sa likod. "Gaga. 'Yan kalaban natin, tanga."

"You're becoming like Eura each day, Louise." komento naman ni Fern na nagpakita sa likod ng dalawa.

Beside me, I heard Kairo sigh, muttering about having loud and dumb friends. Pero napangiti ako sa pagdating nila. It just shows that they were concerned about Kairo that they followed him in here.

The giant, now sensing them as current enemies, started to attack. Kahit na panay ang mura at hiyaw ni Eura ay malaki pa rin naman ang damage na binibigay niya. Louise and Fern acted as the core fighters in front of Eura, attacking the giant with speed and strength. Hindi halos makagalaw ang higante dahil sa bilis ni Fern, mga critical hits ni Louise, at magical damage ni Eura.

Sinulyapan ko ang dalawang lalaki na nakahalukipkip at malayo sa isa't isa. They're both strong individuals who ranks inside the leaderboard, but partnered, their fighting style is weak. Walang-wala sa tatlong babae na mahigpit ang coordination.

"Kairo, Wes." agad kong nakuha ang atensiyon nila. "Let's make them."

Tumango silang dalawa at pumwesto sa magkabilang gilid ko. I tried to move to Wes other's side para sila ang magkatabi pero tumayo din si Kairo at umupo ulit sa kabilang gilid ko. Wes shot him a glare and I felt like a bad villain between them. Nang subukan ko muling lumipat ay hinatak nila ako paupo.

"Stop moving already, Sparrow. You don't want to sit beside the cunning fox that bad, huh?" ani Wes na inilingan ko.

Gusto ko lang naman magkabati sila.

"Baka naman sa'yo may ayaw." Kairo fired back, pulling me towards him. "Don't sit too close to him, kitten. Baka pumangit din ugali mo."

Nagmula ba talaga kay Kairo 'yon?

Wes made a water bubble like I commanded before responding with, "Mas pangit ang ugali mo sa'kin. A lot of people can testify to that."

Wala naman silang pinagkaiba...

Inutusan ko si Kairo na gumawa ng underworld at ni-cage namin 'yon sa loob ng bubble, after inserting my exploding daggers inside. Habang ginagawa niya 'yon ay nakakasagot pa siya kay Wes.

"At least I can handle interpersonal communication. How about you, who can't even talk to strangers?" sabay ngisi ni Kairo.

Ngumuso ako habang abala sa paggawa dahil may sariling mundo na sila. Pinapatamaan din ba ako ni Kairo? I can't talk to strangers too.

"It's not that I can't, but I won't. There's no need for communication if it isn't that important."

I tied the bubbles together with my shadows, making a chain in between that will explode at a single touch. Sinulyapan ko ang naglalaban sa labas at ni hindi pa bumababa sa 90% ang life ng giant.

"Oh, because your time is too precious to be wasted on mere humans like us?"

"Kung ikaw lang naman ang human na 'yan, yes, my time will certainly be wasted."

Pagkatapos ko i-tie ang lahat ng bubbles at icover sa shadow ang iba ay nilingon ko ang dalawang lalaki na nagpapalitan ng masasamang tingin. Upon my attention, their eyes returned to me, the previous hostility around them now gone.

"Finished, kitten?" Kairo asked.

Ngumiti ako at tumango. "Ingay niyo."

Tumayo na ako at hindi pinansin ang gulat nilang reaksiyon. They're so noisy but they don't even fight well together. Tahimik akong sumilip muli sa labas at sinenyasan si Wes na ipalabas ang bubbles na nagawa namin. The water bubble was transparent so Kairo's dark magic inside was visible, at dahil nga madilim ang loob hindi nakikita ang dagger. If the bubble bursts at the giant's touch, it will activate the underworld and the shadows that will make the daggers explode.

"The two of you should help Eura," utos ko. "And protect each other."

Si Kairo na aalis na sana ay biglang lumingon sa'kin. "Ha?"

"Help Eura. Protect Wes."

"Sparrow, I don't need protecting, especially from him-"

Pinutol ko ang sasabihin niya. "Protect Kairo too."

Bago pa sila makapagsalita ay itinulak ko na sila palabas. Their hostile presence served as a threat to the giant who quickly turned our way. Mukhang nabuhayan naman sina Eura nang makita si Kairo, dahil ibinaba niya ang flamethrower at ngumisi.

"Oi, oi, ano 'yan? Anong ginagawa niyong dalawa diyan? Kayo ha!"

Fern raised one brow. "So my previous assumption was true, something is going on between you and Wes-"

"Kasama namin si Finn!" sigaw ni Kairo sa kanila.

Louise pouted at that. "Sayang."

"Hoy, Louise, anong sayang?!"

I giggled, watching how Kairo and Wes' face crumpled in distaste. Mas lalong lumayo ang distansya nila sa isa't-isa. I never knew teasing was this fun before.

But... having them as partners would be really good. Their fighting style, no matter opposite, can work well together. Mas may damage sila kung maayos ang pakikipaglaban nila ng sabay kaysa isa-isa. Kaya nga gusto ko silang magbati, dahil mas magiging malakas ang atake namin kapag kaya nilang magtulungan.

Kairo activated his underworld again, which caused a series of profanities from Eura. Nang muling lumiwanag ang kuweba ay nagkaroon na ng malalaking itim na bola sa paligid ng higante.

"Hoy, ano 'yan?!" sigaw ni Eura.

"Tangina, ang ingay-ingay mo. Kahit siguro nasa labas ka, maririnig ka pa rin namin!" reklamo ni Kairo na lumapit na sa kanila. "Those are bombs."

"Bombs? Like Depore's bombs?" Louise asked.

Matagal bago nakasagot si Kairo. "...Oo. Parang gano'n nga-"

Kairo's words were cut off when the giant moved, its massive elbow touching the ball behind, causing it to explode. The chain of reactions on the different balls then happened, at mahigit limang pagsabog ang narinig namin. The tremors inside the cave and the vibration of the giant's cry made the stalactites fall and break. Even the turtles had to hide inside the lake because of the tremendous impact.

Nang matapos ang pagsabog ay nasa 70% pa lang ang HP ng giant. I clicked my tongue, wondering why the damage is so low even for such a high attack. Pero hindi ko na masyadong naisip iyon nang makita ang galit na mukha ng higante.

It stared straight towards Eura's group, like they did the attack and insulted him.

But before the giant could move, I flew.

Una kong itinapon ay ang dalawang exploding kunais sa paahan niya, at mula sa previous damage, ay napaluhod ang higante. I summoned the shadows that crawled at its feet, chaining the giant to the lava ground it made. Then with Wes manipulating a portion of water from the lake as a stepping stone, I jumped towards the giant's head, forming a large shadow hand and punching it straight. Napaatras ang higante dahil doon. I threw a kunai at his neck and braced myself to jump and attack his eye, when I heard a warning shout.

"Fuck! Kitten, move!"

Huli na ang sigaw ni Kairo dahil natamaan na ako ng kamay ng higante. Itinapon ako nito sa likod niya, at hinawakan ko ang ulo para hindi masyadong masaktan. The shadows helped cushion my fall. Back there, I could hear my friends' continuous attacks to the giant. One of Wes backup plans was that if a high magical attack wouldn't do, then we can tire ourselves out by a series of critical attacks that can potentially weaken the giant.

Itinukod ko ang kamay at tuhod para pigilan ang sarili na mahulog sa dagat na nasa harapan. I remembered this as the place where I met the turtles, at siguradong sa ilalim ng dagat na 'to ay ang escape gate. Now I can really understand why it's made. With a monster this strong and sort of invincible, minsan nga ay hindi rin masamang tumakbo.

Mahina akong napadaing at sinapo ang mga sugat sa balikat ko. Nagdudugo ang mga hiwa na gawa ng matatalim na stalactites na nahulog. There were multiple cuts in my palms, but they were not bleeding as much as my arms and thighs. Buti na lang din at sinangga ko ang ulo dahil baka ano pang mangyari dito.

I tried to feel for my magic energy and found them almost depleting. I haven't practiced one of those meditating techniques that Caspian taught to improve magic consumption control, and I've used an ultimate before two extreme magic skills. It would be quite a while before I could use my magic as freely as I want again. Titingnan ko kung may nagbebenta ba ng rejuvenating o replenishing potion dito.

Sinubukan kong tumayo at napapikit nang maramdaman ang matinding sakit sa hita. When I looked down, I found a piece of crystal impaled on my right thigh. The heat from the burning lava beside my feet was making me tear up from pain. Napakahapdi!

"Sparrow! Are you alright?"

Itinaas ko ang kamay nang makitang papalapit si Wes sa'kin. His loud voice gathered the giant's attention so I signalled a warning. Luckily, Kairo had already pulled him out of harm's way, telling him some insult probably from the way Wes' rolled his eyes in irritation.

Staring at them and finding their eyes on me, I gained the courage to pull the shard of crystal from my thigh. Impit akong napadaing at napaluhod sa isang tuhod dahil sa matinding sakit.

They called my name in a worried tone but I held my hand again to stop them from coming. I took a deep breathe, ignoring the pain, and stepping forward. Nang matapakan ko ang nagbabagang lava ay agad akong napatalon sa kabilang bato at napaupo sa lupa.

Yumuko ako at napapikit sa matinding sakit. Lalo na at napaupo pala ako sa isa pang shard ng crystal na agad bumaon sa paa ko.

"Sparrow!"

"Kitten!"

I looked up just in time to see the giant aiming to squash me to pieces. Inatake nina Louise at Fern ang kamay niya pero wala man lang nangyari at patuloy lang ito sa pagpunta sa'kin. From the corner of my eye, I saw Kairo and Wes running towards me. Sinubukan kong tumayo pero walang lakas ang paa ko.

I couldn't... stand.

The fist of the giant hit the earth, causing another tremor and for my world to turn black.

Nang muling lumiwanag ang kuweba ay nakita ko ang sarili na nasa harap ng lawa. The swimming turtles from underneath almost made me forget the pain I was feeling but my friend's worried shouts for my safety made me look back. Hindi ako makapaniwala na halos nabiyak na ang lupang kinatatayuan ko kanina dahil sa atake ng higante. The lava spread even wider.

Mabuti na lang at nagamit ko ang shadows para mateleport ako agad.

"'m here!" sigaw ko kahit na hindi ko alam kung maririnig ba nila.

Thankfully, Eura who was actually positioned near me heard my voice and almost teared up when she saw me. Nakakaawa siguro ang itsura ko ngayon. Lalo na't dumudugo ang braso at hita ko, at may nakatusok pang crystal shard sa paa.

"Hoy, mga hinayupak! Okay lang si Finn!" naiiyak na sigaw niya sa apat na mukhang nakahinga ng maluwag.

The giant who heard Eura's shout turned to face us, stepping even closer. Supposedly, I should look up at him but my eyes were pinned on its reflection on the lake.

What I saw wasn't the giant.

It was a beautiful man with the most dazzling eyes.

"Anong..." mahinang sambit ko.

Then I remembered the name of the city.

The city of dreams.

-chapter end-