032- A TOUCH OF FIRE
"This mountain seemed... dead.", kumento ko habang paakyat kami ng Beta Team sa itaas ng Mount Tretos. Si Rios ang nanguna sa'min.
I protested at first, for the reason that he just recovered earlier from his wounds na natamo niya sa pakikipaglaban sa sarili niyang ama na si god Ares. And oh, I wonder how the god Ares is doing now?
"Malayo pa ba, captain?", one of the girls in our team asked while catching her breath. Kung tutuusin, halos kaming lahat ay pagod na sa pag-akyat sa Mount Tretos. It's pretty steep at medyo malubak yung daanan so I'll say it's rather, challenging.
After the incident earlier---which we mistook that normal lion of Nemea from the ancient, monster-spawned Nemean Lion that the hero Heracles defeated during his first labor, we thought of various ways to possibly kill the beast once we finally encounter it.
"Halt! Children of the gods!", sabay-sabay kaming napaatras as we immediately summoned our divine weapons nang may hindi inaasahang humarang sa'min. Malapit na sana kami dahil natatanaw na namin ang bukana ng kweba.
"Identify yourself.", I calmly stated as I eyed the intruder. A Centaur. One of the creatures mentioned in the myths. It had the lower body of a horse, but its torso, arms, and head were of a normal human. Nakalugay ang kulay kayumanggi nitong buhok na hanggang balikat and he had that rugged look on his face. His eyes gleamed bronze and he also carried a large sword on his right hand.
"Daughter of Venus. I am Magnus. A descendant of Chiron, the wisest and eldest of the Centaurs and son of the Titan Cronus and the oceanid Philyra. I stand infront of you as an ally, for I bring news.", he bowed down before me kasabay nang tinginan namin ng buong Beta Team. I creased my eyebrows before returning my gaze to the Centaur.
"How can you be an ally when you just stated that you're a descendant of Chiron---", he immediately cut me off.
"This is not our battle, daughter of Venus. We were simply sent here to aid your mission.", he continued which made my eyes widen. Kumalabog ang puso ko sa narinig. Why did he call me a daughter of Venus? I'm not Roman. Venus is the Roman name of Aphrodite.
"We? There are more of you? Who are you talking about? And who sent you here?", I asked, nabalot ng kuryosidad ang buong katawan ko. He narrowed his gaze at us before he spoke.
"The Legatus Legionis of Legio CXVI: Olympia.", napanganga kaming lahat sa sinabi nito. My hands trembled.
T-That's impossible. The Legion of Ancient Rome never reached the 116th. I've never heard of that Legion name before.
"I can see from the look in your eyes that you don't believe me.", he stated at napailing as he let out a hiss. Si Rios ang humarap sa kanya.
"We're done playing games here. Step away, or I'll deal with you myself.", banta nito dun sa Centaur na nakaharang sa'min. Nang makita niya si Rios ay bahagya itong yumuko bilang paggalang which made my eyebrows crease.
"Son of Mars Ultor. It is an honor to be in your presence.", the Centaur, Magnus greeted. Rios instantly scoffed.
"My father is the Greek god, Ares. Not his Roman counterpart.", apila kaagad ni Rios as he took an offensive stance pero wala manlang naging reaksyon ang Centaur.
"You seek to kill the Nemean Lion that dwells in the cave on top of this mountain. However, I can assure you that whatever you seek, has already been retrieved.", kaagad kaming kinabahan sa sinabi nito. Sumingit na ako.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Prophecy of Fates
Fantasy"You are fated to end the reign of the gods." After discovering the appalling truth behind her birthright, Ahlkria ends up in a position far from the reality she once lived-in and believed. Exploring places where she thought to have only existed in...
