-chapter three-

LEALIS

"UH..." umatras si Rae at kinapa-kapa ang kamay ko. "Sino ka?"

The woman continued scrutinizing us, her face getting uglier as she tried every possible expression on her face. Halos mapatalon naman kami nang bigla siyang sumigaw, as if her voice wasn't loud enough on its normal volume.

"Eh?! Sandali, hindi ka si Sol? Kamukha mo siya. Pero... kung titingnan mabuti," she leaned closer to Rae, eyes narrowing. "You don't really exude the same charisma as her. Hmm. May nakikita rin akong Hiraeth sa'yo."

Humakbang siya paatras at sabay silang bumuntong-hininga ni Rae. My twin was probably relieved the strange woman has stopped studying him. Hindi pa natapos ang babae at dinaanan kaming pito ng tingin. Nang dumapo iyon sa'kin ay agad na lang siyang lumitaw sa harap ko, kaya napatili sa gulat itong si Risu sa tabi ko. She's fast!

"O! M! G! Ang ganda mo!" mangha niyang sigaw. "You look like Sol and Hiraeth combined. Halaa, wait-shit. Ibig sabihin nito may kaagaw na si Sol sa posisyon ng highest charisma."

I frowned, confused. Sol? That sounds close to my name.

Uncomfortable at our close proximity, itinulak ko siya palayo. The woman grinned, relaxing her posture. Pabalik-balik ang tingin niya sa'min ni Rae habang tumatawa. "Nako! Kung bobo lang ako, iisipin ko pang anak kayo no'ng dalawa! Mabuti na lang isa akong henyo!"

How strange. Iyan din ang pinagsasabi kanina ni Quatro na mukhang boy version ng babaeng 'to. Mga self-proclaimed matalino.

"Bakit parang naiinis ako sa kaniya na hindi?" Risu wondered out loud. "She feels like a kindred spirit."

"Talaga. Parehas kayong baliw, eh," tugon ni Quatro na pinaniningkitan ng mata ang babae. "Basta ako alam ko, kaiinisan ko 'yan. Palagi lang siguro kami mag-aaway."

"Like Mama?" Ella inquired, nibbling on a bread.

Ngumiwi si Quatro na parang naalala ang latest argument nila ni Tita Feure. If remember correctly, it's about the broken van that Tita refused to scrap.

"Mga bago ba kayo dito?" tanong ng babae at kumagat sa mansanas. Kanina pa kain ng kain ang mga tao sa paligid ko. "Arthur told us there were newbies at low-level pa ang gears niyo. Beginners nga yata. Anong level na kayo?"

"Hala grabe," bulong ni Rae sa'kin. "Magkaparehas kami ng pangalan, 'bal."

Tumango ako. Mukhang trend ngayon ang magkaparehas na pangalan at attitude.

"Level 7," si Ansel ang sumagot. "We got killed by a Stone Giant."

"Level seven, huh? That works..." bulong niya at napakurap-kurap. "Huh? Stone Giant? But they're Level 33 beasts. They shouldn't be attacking low levels like you."

Naramdaman ko ang tingin nilang dumapo sa'kin. The woman followed their line of sight. Ilang minuto siyang napatitig sa'kin bago tumango-tango. Why do I feel a bit insulted about that?

"Yes, yes. I understand," inilagay niya ang kamay sa baba. "Mabuti na lang at sinanay na ako ni Sol diyan. Hmm..." naningkit ang mata niya sa'min. "Since you're all at Level 7, wala pa kayo sa First Quest 'no?"

"First Quest?" tanong ni Vys.

"When you reach Level 10, lalabas ang Wolf Quest. You have to kill the Wolf King to complete the quest. Kailangan niyo itong matapos para makapili kayo ng jobs niyo and get some main weapons too if you're lucky enough. Ang jobs ay parang specific class mo. For example, nasa ilalim ako ng class na rogue. But I'm wielding chains as my main weapon and have a more different attribute than other rogues, kaya ang job ko ay chainmaster. It makes your attribute-point allocation much more easier and specific."

Kumunot ang noo ko nang nagpalabas siya ng chart kung saan nakalista ang bawat class at jobs. She started wearing a glass, while holding a stick as she explained which job she is under the rogue class. Pinagtitinginan tuloy kami ng ibang players.

"Required ba talaga ang magsuot ng salamin?" Risu wondered.

Nagkibit-balikat ako. "Siguro." For weird people like you.

Pumwesto si Ella sa tabi ko. "Oh! 'Yan ang sinabi ko sa'yo, Leis. Ang tungkol sa mechanic."

Right, the jobs and class. Maganda naman ang sulat-kamay nitong babae pero sobrang liit ng mga words kaya 'di ko mabasa ng maayos.

"Saan makikita ang First Quest?"

The woman glanced at Rae who asked. "Kailangan niyo munang makaabot sa Level 10 tapos pupunta kayo sa shop ni Aeron, ang blacksmith, para ma-activate ang First Quest."

Napatingin kaming walo sa isa't-isa. That's three more levels, which will be quite easy without considering me attracting even more high-level monsters. Kailangan na naming magpalevel-up kung gusto naming makuha ang First Quest ng maaga.

"We should get going now," Rae ordered before turning to the chainmaster. "Salamat po sa information, Miss..."

The woman waved her hand dismissively, smiling. "Just call me Feyre, the best, amazing, and most mischievous rogue in the whole of Arth!"

Nagpakawala siya ng napakalakas na halakhak na nagpablanko sa aming mukha. Ang mga manlalarong dadaan sana ay pinili na lang ang mahaba ngunit tahimik na daan. I guess the woman had enough shame on her face because she stopped when she gained no reaction from us. Which is, frankly, a surprise since I assumed Quatro and Risu will have fun with her.

"Anyway, I'll help you finish your First Quest," kumindat siya. "Don't worry, kids. I know the best place to hunt experience points."

Kumunot ang noo ko. She's going to help us? May kailangan ba siya sa'min?

"Why do you want to help us?" matapang na tanong ni Quatro.

Feyre, her name sounds familiar, narrowed her eyes at our mage. Sa pagtitigan nila ay parang nawala pa ang iritasyon ni Quatro and the woman's eyes softened. Strange.

Feyre tilted her head. "Who knows? Something about your group makes me want to help," she paused. "Oh no. Siguro talagang isa akong good samaritan o anghel? Tataas na ba ang charisma points ko nito? I just need fourteen more so that I can reach a hundred. Nakakainis naman at ako lang ang tanging miyembrong below 100 ang-"

The moment she reverted from sane to arrogant, nagsimula kaming maglakad palayo sa kaniya. Kahit na almost makakaalis na kami sa plaza e hindi pa natatapos ang pagrereklamo niya. Ni hindi nga niya kami namalayang umalis.

"Should we really leave her behind?" Ella kept on looking back at her. "She just wants to help us at may alam rin siyang magandang lugar para makapataas ng level natin."

I thought over the level of sanity in this group for a moment before choosing to stop, "Ella's right. It's best to accept her help."

Dahil sa sinabi ko ay tumigil sila at napabuntong-hininga. Sinulyapan namin ang babaeng kina-calculate kung paano makaangat sa charisma level sa guild nila.

"Hoy!" sigaw ni Quatro. "Sasama ka ba o hindi?"

Huminto si Feyre sa pakikipag-usap sa sarili at bumaling sa'min. Sumimangot siya nang makita ang distansya ngunit sa isang iglap ay nasa harapan na namin siya. Her insanity in speed is similar to her personality. Parang si Tita Feure lang.

"Woah!" Risu exclaimed, her eyes shining. "How did you do that?"

"I'm one of the fastest players in this game, duh," pagyayabang nito. "And this top player will show you the ropes of the game!"

WE REACHED Level 10 in such a short time. Totoo ngang matataas ang EXP na binibigay sa lugar na pinuntahan namin. Whenever a high-level monster shows up, Feyre is there, ready to kill them. Napakalaki ng tulong niya sa'min na pagkatapos no'n ay magkahalong mangha at inis ang nararamdaman namin sa kaniya.

"Hello there, Aeron my man!" malakas niyang bati papasok sa blacksmith shop. "I miss you!"

This was one of the many instances where Feyre becomes weirder. Lahat na lang ata ng description for an oddball fits her. Aside sa addiction niya sa mansanas at pagtawa kapag natatamaan ng dugo, she talked to every NPC like they're her player friends.

"Feyre. What brings you here?"

Halata ang gulat sa mga kasama ko nang sagutin ni Aeron ang babae sa kaswal na paraan. I was also taken aback. Did the NPC just call her by name? And answered like a human?

There sure are a lot of strange things in this game. From an NPC game-master to an odd rogue to a... bugged NPC? They should only call us by 'Player' unless they're pre-instructed with the players' names. Isa pa... the structure of their sentence also sounds too casual for an NPC. Or am I just overthinking this?

"Is that normal?" tanong ni Ansel. "I've never seen an NPC behave that way before."

"Maybe they're game masters," Ella whispered.

"See these players here? Bago sila," tinuro kami ni Feyre. "Kukunin na nila ang Wolf Quest."

Napatitig sa'min si Aeron. Nagtagal ang tingin niya sa'kin kaya medyo naging unkomportable ako. There was a slight recognition in his eyes, which I tried to ignore. Dahan-dahan siyang tumango at may lumabas na quest notification sa harap ko.

▪▪▪

Kill the fifty wolves in the Eres Forest to summon the Wolf King. You must defeat the Wolf King to proceed to the Blacksmith.

Requirement: Party with at least five (5) members.

▪▪▪

"Alright! Mauna na kayo," pagpapa-alis sa'min ng babae. "Diretso lang kayo tapos hinto kayo sa grass plains. Nandoon ang mga wolves. Makikipagchismis muna ako dito kay Aeron."

Hindi na niya kami pinansin at nakipag-usap nga sa NPC. Rae just gave up on the strange turn of events and led the way for us, which eventually made him pout because we almost got lost so Ansel took the lead.

"Ano kaya ang trip ng babaeng 'yon?" Risu asked no one. "Talaga bang wala na siyang magawa kaya tumutulong na lang siya sa iba?"

"Have you seen her level? Man! Napakataas ng 77 para sa'tin." manghang wika ni Ansel.

Natigilan ako do'n. Quatro also stopped as he thought it over. "Wait-Paano kung tumulong lang siya kasi Level 7 tayo at Level 77 siya?"

He voiced out my thoughts which made the rest silent. Except my twin, who was looking at everything with absolute wonder. It didn't take so much time for us to confirm that possibility. Natahimik kami. She totally looks like someone who will do that thing, lalo na't walang ibang dahilan para tulungan niya kami.

"Guys, nandito na tayo-!" Rae exclaimed as Ansel stopped, showing us the grassy plains. Dahil hindi siya naging leader, announcer na lang. "Ano na naman ang panibagong chismis niyo?"

"We were wondering if tumulong sa'tin si Miss Feyre dahil 777 ang number," Ella answered.

"You mean ang level natin at level niya?" tanong niyang nagpatango sa babae. "Hm. Makes sense."

"Mas magma-make sense kung habang nagchi-chismis kayo e may napapatay kayong wolves," nagulat ako nang makita si Feyre na nakaupo sa malapit na bato. She was nibbling on a grass that had me frowning. "Mga bata talaga ngayon, palakuwento. Pero tama nga kayo, aside sa kamukha ni Sol ang dalawang 'yan ay dahil rin sa Level niyo. Hindi ba maganda? Hehehe. Lucky seven!"

"You're weird."

I bit back a chuckle after hearing Vys blunt remark. Minsan na nga lang magsalita ang isang 'to, walang pigil pa.

"Thanks," ngumisi si Feyre. "Why don't you go and fight? Let's see if you people are worth helping."

I sighed, preparing myself. My friends would be pissed at those words. Nang sulyapan ko ang mga kaibigan ay nalulunod nga sa inis ang mukha nila. Never bruise the ego of a competitive gamer nga.

Quatro's eyes twitched. "Really. Maghintay ka lang diyan, tanda. We'll show you how this is done."

"Watch us end this in five minutes," Rae added, cracking his knuckles.

Napailing ako. She had to say it in front of these two prideful people who would rather drink chili sauce than admit defeat.

When I glanced at Feyre, I grimaced. Bored na bored ang mukha niya habang kinakalikot ang ilong.

"Okay. Show me your worst," aniya at bumulong-bulong sa sarili. "Pesteng mga bata 'to ah. Five minutes daw! Aba't ang yayabang. Parang hindi lang namatay sa stone giant eh. Hay nako, siguro masasama ugali ng mga magulang nito..."

Sumunod na ako sa mga kasama dahil ayokong marinig ang mga reklamo niya. I have already noticed something about her. When Feyre starts complaining, expect it to go on for a long time. Naaawa ako sa mga guildmates niya.

"Positions!" Rae ordered, stopping at the center of the wolves. "Stop once it reaches 48."

We all gave our affirmations. Kasama ni Rae sa harap si Ansel. Nasa likod naman ako at si Ella. Risu was chilling behind us, counting the grass. Quatro and Chae positioned themselves at the left, while Vys fought solo at our right.

The wolves started retaliating at Rae's first attack. I pulled out five arrows before firing them at five close wolves. It's not a fixed skill of my character, but rather a real skill I mastered after being an archer in all our past games and also having archery as my main sport. Shooting multiple arrows is not a hard thing for me to do.

Nang makaabot sa forty-eight ang napatay na wolves, tumigil kaming anim, dahil wala namang ginawa si Risu, at hinayaan si Rae na pumatay sa dalawang natitira. As his sword struck against the last wolf, making every other wolves in the plains vanish, we were instantly on our guard.

Pinakiramdaman naming mabuti ang paligid para sa isang malakas na presensiya. If it's the king of wolves, then he has the presence of a monster boss.

"Center left," anunsiyo ni Vys na nakapikit ang mata.

Rogues have the highest perception, with the rangers trailing after. They have three main attributes, kung saan doon nila kailangan i-center ang points: stealth, concealment, and perception.

We followed the direction he shouted. Rae assumed a fighting stance, holding his sword front and upward, while Ansel stepped in front of him. Ella produced four mini bombs beside me, while Vys took out his daggers. Hindi ko na kailangang lumingon para malamang natutulog na naman ang priest namin. Chae took a step forward, hiding Quatro who was busy with his staff.

"Bakit ba isa lagi ako sa target," nakangising wika nito. "Siguro dahil ito sa gwapo kong mukㅡ"

"Because you're weak, duh," either gising si Risu o nagising sa kayabangan na narinig.

Kokontra na sana ang mage pabalik kung hindi lang nagpakita ang Wolf King sa panahong 'yon. Gumagalaw ang lupa sa bawat hakbang nito. Nahawi ang mga kahoy nang lumabas mula sa gubat ang isang napakalaking wolf. Its height is as tall as all five of us together, and it has a monstrous build. Ang mata nito'y puno ng galit habang nakatingin sa'min.

The silence and tension remained for a few minutes before the wolf charged, its every step made the ground jump.

Naunang umatake si Chae. The silk in her sleeves stretched longer and sharper. She jumped forward, slicing the silk in the wolf's arms. The wolf cried out in pain, growling as it tried to catch her, but Vys was quick to throw the daggers at the wolf's other arm.

Following that were the siblings' bombs and fire attacks that stunned the Wolf King. Sunod-sunod rin ang atake nina Vys at Chae kaya hindi makagalaw ang halimaw sa kinatatayuan. Every time a gap in their attacks gives hope to the wolf, Rae would strike his weapon at its lower body, and Ansel will defend any incoming attacks on them. We didn't need any screamed orders in this type of battle dahil ilang beses na rin kaming naglalaro na ganito.

I straightened my raised arm and prepared my next shot. This arrow was the one that Rae won from the Celestial Wheel. It was a bit hard to use with my Beginner's Bow since it's a big bigger and higher in level. But then, it's alright for this type of monster. A beginner's arrow can only produce limited damage against a monster boss but an A-ranked arrow can pierce through thick skin.

The wolf let out a loud growl, stunning both Vys and Chae who went for an attacking dive. Mabilis silang naheal ni Risu. Rae slashed at the wolf's right ankle and Ansel pushed the wolf's left foot back. The wolf tried to capture the frozen Vys and Chae but Ella threw a series of bombs in its outstretched hand.

I smiled, as the wolf's head was directed straight at me. Just the perfect position.

Ipinikit ko ang isang mata. I waited for the perfect target spot in his forehead before letting go of the arrow, watching as it cut sharply through the wind and landed just between the wolf's eyes.

The wolf stopped its struggle as the last of its HP dropped. It staggered a bit before falling to the ground with a loud thud.

▪▪▪

Congratulations! You have finished the Wolf Quest! Rewards are sent to your bag.

Proceed to the Blacksmith to select a job.

▪▪▪

Nang mabuksan ang bag ay nanlaki ang mata ko sa nakitang reards. There was a whole lot of gold, 30,000 in total, and several MP and HP potions that varied from regular to large. May special crystal stones at barks for equipment upgrade.

There's even a loot at the place where the wolf vanished!

Nagkatinginan kaming walo at excited na dumiretso sa loot. Kinuha namin ang mga kailangan, while praising Rae for being a lucky bastard. Maraming B to A-ranked equipments and gears na drop ang wolf dahil sa kaniya.

Masaya kong kinuha ang isang A-Ranked Angel's Bow. May kasama itong arrows na may controlling effects for 30 seconds. This is a good addition for my Celestial arrow na ang ability ay magpierce through sa matitigas na bagay.

Natigilan ang pagsasaya namin nang marinig ang isang palakpak.

"Nice! Paano kayo nagkaroon ng gano'n kagandang coordination?" Feyre had a wide grin on her face. "Walang'ya, kami nga ang tagal na namin pero puro away lang kami sa quest."

"Magkaibigan na po kami mula pagkabata," sagot ni Ella.

"Hmm... Kaya pala kaya niyong makipagsabayan kahit na walang direct orders. I would praise you now pero sorry at hindi kayo si Sol-"

"Feyre."

Natigilan si Feyre nang marinig ang kalmadong pagtawag sa pangalan niya. Curious, we looked towards the person who called.

Sandali akong natulala sa ganda ng babae. Hanggang baywang ang haba ng puti niyang buhok. Her facial features are soft, pure and innocent. Mapupulang labi, matangos na ilong at napakagandang asul na mga mata. The aura she has is even more breathtaking. It's filled with tranquility and a power that is longing to burst. Hindi ko maalis ang mata sa kaniya.

"Shit. I think I'm in love," usal ni Quatro sa tabi ko na tulala rin sa babae.

Scratch that, mukhang kaming lahat ay hindi maalis ang mata sa kaniya.

Ang blanko at striktong mukha ni Feyre ay napalitan nang naiiyak na mukha. Napaawang ang labi ko nang makita siyang lumapit at yumakap sa babae habang humahagulgol. Sobrang close ata sila para magawa iyon ni Feyre o sadyang makapal ang mukha niya. Parang hindi kasi dapat hinahawakan o kinakausap ang babae.

"Sol! 'Yang pesteng kakambal mo tineleport ako kung saan-saan! Hayaan mo na ngang patayin ko 'yan!"

Oh. So this is the girl that Feyre has mistaken Rae for earlier. Pinag-aralan ko ang mukha ng babae at nakita nga ang similarity niya sa kakambal ko.

Isang blankong tingin ang isinagot ni Sol. "Didn't you already try to kill him in his sleep?"

"Oo! Pero nakakainis naman kasi ang car brand na boyfriend niya at palaging nakiki-alam!"

"Husband. At siyempre, it's his duty to protect my twin."

Umaktong nagsusuka si Feyre sa narinig.

"Hoy, pusa! Saan-saan ka na naman ba nagpunta ha?! Hindi mo alam kung anong problema ang dinulot mo!"

Nagulat kami nang may lima pang tao na lumapit sa kanila. Ang sumigaw ay isang mage ata. May fox ears at tail kasi siya ㅡ a mage get-up.

"By problem, he means-" dagdag ng lalaking walang suot na tsinelas at mukhang palaboy. "Nasaan na ang mahal kong pusa?! Paano kung may masamang nangyari sa kaniya? Hindi ko kayang alagaan ang mga devil spawns namin!"

"Akala mo ba po you're an actor na with that dramatic tone?" tanong naman ng isang babaeng may dala-dalang gitara.

Kumunot ang noo ko. Eh? Hindi ba't siya ang nagpatugtog ng rock song sa parade.

"Hoy, Minerva. Tumahimik ka kung ayaw mong maging Cerberus food. Paborito pa naman no'n ang mga conyong brat na tulad mo."

Nakasimangot silang tiningnan ni Feyre. "Ano ba ang ginagawa niyo dito? Okay na ako kung si Sol lang at Vesta ang susundo, pero kayo? Balak niyo bang sumali sa biritan? Ang lalakas ng boses niyo, wengya, normal volume niyo ba 'yan."

My face went blank. You're one to talk, Feyre. Mas malakas pa nga boses mo kaysa sa sa kanila.

"Huwag kang gumaniyan, pusa," kontra ng fox mage. "Abot hanggang North Continent boses mo."

"Shouldn't we get going? For Halcyon's party at the Central?" tanong ng babaeng may dala na sniper gun.

Tumango si Sol. "Yes. We have to go. Tutal naayos na naman ang healing problem ni Hex kay Leev."

"Ayan kasi't tanga ka na priest," Feyre stuck out her tongue at the fox mage who tackled her.

Nalaglag ang panga namin sa sinabi niya. Ha? Hindi siya mage? Pero tanging mage lang naman at rogue ang may gusto sa mga furry creatures?

"PRIEST KA?! PUTANGINA. HINDI KA MAGE?!"

Nagulat kaming lahat dahil sa napakalakas na sigaw ni Risu. I cursed her to death when all eyes of the seven players fell on us. Their attention was too intense. It feels like we're a bunch of cubs looking up at the great lions of Arth.

Which won't be impossible with Feyre's skills and arrogance. Siguradong malalakas din ang kasama niya sa guild.

Feyre scratched her head. "Ah. Nakalimutan ko. They're the newbies I'm kind of helping."

I fought a shiver when Sol's eyes centered on me. It was too stunning that it feels terrifying. Mukhang sa likod kasi ng ganda niya ay may nagtatagong halimaw.

"Guys!" Feyre called out to us with a smirk. "By the way, this is my guild, Oddcredibles. The strongest guild in Arth."

Nanlaki ang mata ko sa sinabi niya. Kausap at kaharap namin ngayon ang pinakamalakas na mga player sa larong ito.

At ang pangit ng pangalan nila.

-chapter end-