Rogue Wars Online

Chapter Ninety-Nine: CA$INO, The Seventeenth City

-chapter ninety-eight-

FINN

Ang bigat.

'Yon ang talagang tumatak sa isipan ko habang hawak-hawak si Marcella. I peeked down and saw the shadows covering her body. She was looking at me with a strange expression. There was amazement and regret in her emerald eyes.

It was a bit painful to see the brave self-proclaimed enemy of mine to look so weak, but I couldn't think deeply about it since my arms are aching.

Ang dapat gawin ay hilahin siya pataas, pero siguro'y na-exhaust na ang magic energy ko dahil hindi ko na kayang ma-manipulate ang shadows ng maayos. I felt a hand tapping my back and Kairo sat next to me. There was a click before his double-bladed dagger suddenly extended and it stopped just as it hit Marcella's cheek. A small cut formed because of it.

"Oops." Kairo smiled sarcastically. "Nasaktan ata kita Marcella, but just grab onto it. Finn's too drained to pull you up."

Kahit na sinamaan ni Marcella si Kairo ng tingin ay sinunod niya ang utos. Her hand grabbed the extended dagger and Kairo pulled her up, with the help of her alliance members. Nang maayos na siyang nakatayo sa isla ay sinalubong siya ng isang sampal.

Eura gasped, rather dramatically, beside me, as well as the few other players who saw the scene. To my surprise, tinanggap lang din ni Marcella ang sampal na 'yon. I recognized the girl who slapped as a member of Blood Vanguard, the girl who takes after Amnesia in terms of noise. Another member stopped her when she tried to slap Marcella for the second time.

"Hindi ka ba nag-iisip, Marcella?!" sigaw niyang nagpatigil sa lahat. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, falling down there? Bakit mo pa sinagip si Finn? I thought you were smart, pero mukhang nagkamali ako ng pagsunod sa'yo. Aside from being swallowed by that envy in your heart, you're also irresponsible! Nakalimutan mo na bang mamamatay din kami kapag namatay ka do'n?! Because of that dumb benefit you got, stupid bitc-"

"Stop right there." pigil ni Dierran na pumagitna. "Marcella made a mistake of forgetting, but you don't deserve to call that benefit dumb. Dahil sa past cities, isa ka rin sa nakabenepisyo doon."

I thought the girl just overreacted earlier when she slapped Marcella for falling, but then I remembered that they have a Bond Link. The pain that a member shoulders is shared to everyone in that alliance. At mas malala ito kapag importante ang taong nasaktan, gano'n rin kung gaano kalaki o kalala ang sugat. So if Marcella, the holder of the benefit and leader of the alliance, dies, her members would either face death or a critical condition too.

My hand trembled in fear and anxiety knowing that Wes and Dierran may have died earlier if I was a second too late in saving Marcella. What would I do if they're also taken away from me? Baka... hindi ko na kayanin.

"So you're alright that we almost died?! Bakit niya pa ba kasi inuna ang babaeng 'to?" tinuro niya ako. "I should have just killed you the moment we met. Napakalaking salot ka!"

I blinked at her. Anong ibig niyang sabihin na we met? I recognize her because she's noisy but...

"Do not forget that Marcella didn't fall because of her too. You have no right to blame Sparrow on Marcella's actions." Wes said in a dark, threatening voice.

"Tsaka, maka-kill ka girl, ha. As if naman kaya mo 'tong si Finn, eh 'yong isa mo ngang idol namatay sa kaniya tapos etong lider mo dalawang beses nang natalo. Baka nga isang pitik ka lang eh."

The girl glared at Eura. "Kinakausap ka? Huwag kang sumabat kung hindi ka naman parte ng usapan!"

"Aba! May bibig ako at ininsulto mo kaibigan ko, ano gusto mong gawin, tumunganga lang sa tabi?" Eura fired back. When the girl was about to talk again, inunahan niya ito. "Nagawa ko na 'yon noon at hindi maganda sa feeling, so I don't want to repeat the same mistake."