SEVENTEEN
1200 Words
MARCELINE GRAY
WEST OF TRANMERE
It has been almost two months and she is getting nowhere. Nagsisimula na rin siyang mainis and was moments away from ripping the scroll apart. The town of Tranmere was contained by a barrier magic similar to that in the Mount of Terrors that contained the monsters from within. Hindi niya mapigilang magalit. How could they? They treated her clan like monsters and put a barrier around the place para hindi ito makalabas. Instead of solving the problem, pinapalala lang nito ang paglalagay ng barrier sa lugar. The virus was deadly. At kapag hindi ito napuksa, it might mutate and develop into something undefeatable.
She has to let them know. It is not just a simple virus. Alam niya iyon. She saw one of the villagers, decaying. As if life has been seeped out of them. And it is highly contagious. That's the reason they put a magic barrier instead of killing the virus.
Galit siya. Galit na galit. How could they treat the villagers like that? And she's even more frustrated that she couldn't do anything. She stole the assassin's scroll but there was nothing inside it. It was useless. Kaya naman naglalakbay siya ngayon patungo sa taong nagsabi sa kanya tungkol sa scroll. She has to confront that man.
There was one problem though. She has to pass through the lair of elves before she could reach the seer's home. Elves are nasty creatures. They mastered the art of disguise. Anywhere near their lair, it's a rule to not trust anyone, even your companion. The first time she went here, she brought the feathers of a magical bird that lived in the forests of Tranmere, Ygdris. Elves were scared of Ygdrises.
Ngunit dahil hindi siya makapasok sa Tranmere, hindi siya makakuha ng balahibo ng ibon. Ni hindi niya alam kung nabubuhay pa ang mga ito matapos makulong sa magic barrier kasama ang mga taong napaektuhan sa bayrus. But she has to go back to that old seer. She has to ask him why the scroll isn't working or maybe ask him how to make the scroll work.
She has been walking for several hours and she has finally reached the mouth of the forest. The Elvian Forest kung saan naninirahan ang mga elves and of course, many forest wraiths. She would rather wish to encounter an elf rather than a wraith. Wraiths are the nastiest creature she's ever seen so far. The last time she encountered one, she nearly lost an arm. It was a water wraith. It was hard fighting with an arrow pierced into her leg.
But before that, she fought a sand wraith. But that was easier. Because Katharine was with her. She smiled to herself. Katharine was strong but she doesn't know how to use the full potential of her powers yet.
She couldn't help but wonder how she is. She owed Katharine her life that night. She knows she's excellent at archery. Alam niyang sinadya siyang patamaan nito sa binti. If it wasn't for her, wala siya sa kinaroroonan niya ngayon.
She sighed and walked inside the forest. The old seer's house is at the center of the Elvian Forest. And it would take her half a day to get there. She doesn't have that much time. She has to get there as soon as she can.
So she used her power. Sa una'y bola lang ito ng tubig. Hanggang sa nagkaroon ito ng hugis. Maya-paya pa'y naging hugis kabayo ito.
It neighed and she smiled at herself, satisfied. With her time at the Assassin's Fortress, she learned the art of discipline and patience. Ginamit niya ang natutunan niya para gumawa ng mga gumagalaw na bagay gamit ang kanyang kapangyarihan. She mastered making inanimate objects at first hanggang sa natutunan niyang gumawa ng mga bagay na gumagalaw. She started by making small animals, but big enough for her to observe its details. Hanggang sa nakita niya ang mga kabayong tubig. She spent most of her time in her bathroom, trying to make water horses. And when she suceeded, iyon ang ginamit niya para makatakas noong gabing iyon.
She rode the horse and gently tapped it with her heel. Nagsimula itong tumakbo.
"Hiya!" She gently whipped the rein dahilan para mas bumilis ang takbo nito. Forest wraiths won't be able to stop her. Kaya mas binilisan niya ang takbo.
It took her only three hours to reach the old seer's hut. May mga usok na nagmumula sa maliit at pulang tsimenea nito. Plants bloomed around the hut and the entrance was filled with vines. This place, whatever the seer did, is free from elves from the wraiths. For some reason, hindi na sila lumalapit sa bandang ito.
Agad siyang pumasok at natagpuang nakaupo sa lumang silya nito ang matanda. He was writing something on an old piece of parchment. Hindi niya maintindihan ang sulat na iyon but she thinks it's an ancient language used by Faeries.
"You did not tell me this is blank," she hissed as she threw the scroll to his table. The old man didn't as much look at her and continued writing.
"Your one eye sees, but your other doesn't," tanging sabi ng matanda. Napakunot ang noo niya.
"How do I get this work?" Tanong niya sa matanda. And that's when he looked at her. She gulped when she stared back at those white orbs.
"The scroll was a sacred item. Of course, it only works for the rightful owner."
She slammed her hand on the table. Ngunit hindi man lang natinag ang matanda.
"You told me to it's the way to cure my village!"
He folded his hands on the table. "And I did. It's the cure."
Napapikit nalang siya ng mariin. "How do I make it work?" she said sternly.
"The Mount of Terrors," the old man said, his white eyes stared back at her. "The Death Carver is one of those mountains."
"What does it got to do with it?"
"The Death Carver can answer your questions."
Kumunot ang noo niya. "Are you telling me that I should go to the Mount of Terrors?"
Tumango lang ang matanda.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
The seer rested his chin on the back of his palms. "The barrier has a small crack. Small enough for you to get inside. The monsters lurking inside the mountains don't know about it. You can use that."
"And how am I going to find where the Death Carver is?"
The old man just scoffed. "They are everywhere in that mountain. You'll know when you're there."
She gulped and grabbed the Assasin's scroll from the old man's table and went to the door.
"And more thing," he called dahilan para mapahinto siya at mapatingin sa matanda.
"A question for a question," he said.
Her brows furrowed. "What?"
"The Death Carver," he said, "asks a question in exchange for your question. Be sure you're prepared for it."
A question for a question, she thought. How bad could it be?
If that's the only thing that could save her village. And she will stop at nothing. Even if she has to go to the monster's lair.
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- Writer
