A KISS OF RAGE AND FIRE

TWENTY-TWO

MARCELINE GRAY

East of the Elvian Forest

Entering was easy but getting out...not quite. Nagsisimula na siyang mainis dahil paikot-ikot lang siya sa gubat and she always end up in the same spot. Napaupo siya sa isang putol na kahoy na naroon. Hindi niya alam kung ilang minuto or ilang oras na na siyang naglalakad doon. Ngunit kung pagbabasehan niya ang araw, masasabi niyang magdadalawang oras na siyang nagpaikot-ikot sa gubat only to end up on the same spot where she started.

This forest was called the Endless forest for a reason: once you get in, it will be hard to get out. But there's only one way for her to get out. And that is to defeat the elf or elves that was responsible for the endless torture. Ngunit hindi niya alam kung saan makikita ang mga iyon. She'd have to wait for them to show up.

She looked up and she couldn't even see the sky because of the thick canopy. But she could see rays of light somehow finding their way between the leaves of the trees. Napatingin siya sa paligid. It was especially hard to walk dahil sa mga ugat ng puno na halos takpan na ang daanan. Kung hindi siya sanay maglakad sa ganoong klaseng gubat ay ilang beses na sana siyang nadapa.

She took the scroll from her satchel. Binuksan niya ulit iyon. But it was still blank. Wala pa rin siyang nakikitang kahit anong sulat doon. It was useless. The old man told her that the answers to her questions could be found on the Mount of Terrors. Hindi niya alam kung makakaya ba niyang magpunta doon. Or the more important question would be kung makakalabas ba siya nang buhay doon once she gets in and gets the answer she needed. 

But her village is dying. Her family and her friends were there. They're slowly getting erased and she couldn't do anything. Kaya naman agad siyang tumayo at itinago ang scroll. Kung kinakailangan niyang magpunta sa lugar na iyon, gagawin niya. She'll have to get in there first. Saka na niya poproblemahin kung paano makakalabas. 

But first, she had to get out of the damned Endless Forest. And she did not hesitate to pull out the vines, stepped on the mushrooms, and kick the trees around her. 

"Come on, elves! I heard you couldn't take it if somebody hurts your turf," she screamed and continued to violate the forest. And every time she pulls the vine, tumutubo naman ito agad. But she didn't stop. Not until the elves show themselves. Ngunit hindi pa rin nagpapakita ang mga ito. Kaya kinuha niya ang punyal sa kanyang bulsa. 

She did not hesitate to cut the vines and she could have sworn she heard the plant hiss and whine and then it withered. Napangisi siya. She walked towards another tree and was about to cut another vine when something hit her from the side dahilan para tumilapon siya and hit her back on the tree. She grunted in pain and she slid from the tree to the ground. 

Hindi niya alam kung anong tumama sa kanya but it certainly felt like it was a rock. Ngunit nang tumingin siya sa paligid, wala naman siyang nakitang bato. What she saw was an Elf. 

It was about three feet tall. Its hair was of the blackest black. Its nose was crooked and she could see his pores from where she stood. The Elf had big, green, round eyes that stared back at her in distaste. 

Napangisi siya at dahan-dahang tumayo. Finally, an Elf.  

Hinarap niya ito at mahigpit na hinawakan ang kanyang punyal. HIndi niya alam kung ano ang magiging kalalabasan into but come what may. She'll do everything para matalo ito. 

"Took you long enough to show yourself. Scared?" Ngisi niya ngunit mas lalong nanlisik ang mga mata nito sa kanya. Then she saw him curl into a ball. Oh, s**t. Here it comes again. Agad niyang hinanda ang sarili niya sa maaaring mangyari. And when the Elf threw itself to her, agad siyang nakailag dahilan para matamaan ng Elf ang puno na nasa likuran niya kanina. The three shook at lahat ng mga bunga nito ay nalaglag sa lupa. One fruit hit the Elf's head at hindi niya mapigilang matawa dito. 

Mas lalo lang itong nagalit at growled at her. She doesn't know how to defeat the elves. When they were kids, they were forbidden to go into the forest because whoever that goes into the forest could not get out. Nobody ever saw the elves and lived to tell the tale. She planned to break that today. Kailangan niyang matalo ito at makalabas nang buhay. Or maybe not really defeat it but outsmart it. She heard Elves are really fast and strong creatures. 

 The elves are masters of illusion at ito ang ang dahilan kung bakit paikot-ikot lang siya naglalakad kanina. Kaya naman kailangan lang niyang matalo ito and then she can finally be on her way to the Mount of Terrors. But she has to figure out first how to defeat it. 

The Elf curled into a ball again and plummeted towards her. This time, it was faster and stronger. If she hadn't made a shield out of water, the Elf could have punched a hole through her gut. But the impact was still there and it was still painful. She could feel her arms straining to hold against its sheer strength. She grunted as she hit her back again on the tree. But the Elf continued to spin as if trying to break through her water shield. 

She screamed as she tried to push the Elf away but its momentum was stronger and if she doesn't get out there, she would certainly die because of the impact. 

She braced herself. She placed almost all of her strength into her one arm to hold the shield. And used the other to make a weapon out of ice. A huge-ass hammer. She only had a few seconds and before her arm could finally give in, she slammed the hammer into the Elf throwing it across the forest hanggang sa tumama ito sa kahoy. The Elf stopped spinning and grunted in pain as he slid to the ground. 

"How does it feel?" tanong niya rito but the Elf just bared its teeth and was about to run towards her when suddenly, it couldn't move. She looked at it, confused as to what was happening. The Elf seemed confused too. Did she hit the Elf too hard kaya hindi na ito makagalaw? But something inside her tells her something else was going on. 

Labis nalang ang gulat niya nang may makitang lalakeng lumabas mula sa likuran ng puno. He was wearing something out of place. He clearly didn't belong to the forest. But then she stopped. What if it's another illusion of the Elf? 

She stood on her guard. Whatever she sees, she will not believe it. Napatingin naman siya sa lalakeng bigla-bigla nalang lumalabas. She isn't sure how Elves conjure illusions. If this man is an illusion, how the hell do elves do it? Perhaps the Elf had seen this man before and decided to make him part of the illusion? 

Ngunit nagulat na lamang siya nang marinig itong magsalita. "I am really starting to hate these creatures," saad nito hang nakatingin sa Elf. The Elf couldn't move and when she looked at it carefully, she realized the Elf was held by some invisible chains or hands kaya hindi ito makagalaw. She looked at the man. He wasn't an illusion. It was a real person and yet something about him tells her he's no ordinary man. With his long tunic suit, alam niyang hindi nabibilang ang lalakeng ito sa lugar. Lalong-lalo na sa gubat na iyon. And he's strong. She could tell. 

"I've been waiting for one of your kind to show up and here you are," he crooned and walked closer to the Elf. Nakita naman niyang napangiwi ang nilalang dahil siguro sa mas lalong humigpit ang hawak ng lalake sa kanya. 

"Tell me, how do I get out of this forest?" he asked. His voice was low and threatening. As if one wrong answer would send the elf to his doom. But Elves are known to not being able to lie. 

The Elf closed his eyes and the moment he opened them, nag-iba ang anyo ng paligid. It became a different view and then they saw two paths. The man looked at the paths then to the Elf. "Which way to Lancaster?" tanong nito.So he's from Lancaster. That explains the elegant clothes. 

The Elf pointed to the path on the left side. The man narrowed his eyes and then the Elf squirmed. "If you are lying, I swear I will come back here and would love to see you in pieces--" 

"Stop," she said. "Elves don't lie. He's telling the truth. That's the way to Lancaster." 

Napatingin naman ang lalake sa kanya na para bang ngayon lang siya nito napansin. Jerk. 

"That's ironic knowing that these Elves are masters of conjuring illusions," he said and then his eyes traveled to her whole being hanggang sa tumigil ang mga mata nito sa bag niya. He eyed the scroll protruding from her satchel. And then his stormy gray eyes met hers. 

"So it's you," saad ng lalake. 

Hindi niya mapigilang kabahan. She immediately hid the satchel behind her and took a step back. She'll run when she gets the chance. Something tells her that it would be a foolish idea to fight the man. He's clearly strong. Someone so out of her league. 

Ngunit labis na lamang ang kaba niya nang magsimula itong maglakad papalapit sa kanya. She swallowed hard and looked for possible exits.  But then the man was standing between her and the way to the Mount of Terrors. Is this man from the Assassin's Fortress? Did they send him to find her? Is he here to kill her? But he said Lancaster.

"What are you talking about?" tanong niya but she kept on stepping back hanggang sa maramdaman niya ang puno sa kanyang likuran. The man smirked and it was something so beautiful and yet so dangerous. Hindi niya alam kung bakit pa niya napapansin ang mga bagay na iyon when she's clearly on death's door at the moment. She eyed the path that would lead her to the Mount of Terrors and when the man saw what she was looking at, he let another smug smile. As if telling her she could try but she will never succeed. But her hand went to where her dagger is, ready to strike if she needed to. 

"I know you know what I am talking about," saad ng lalake. And much to her surprise, the man took her hand fast as lightning and pinned it over her head. She grunted in pain. Mahigpit ang hawak nito sa kamay niya as it trying to make her let go of the dagger she was holding. 

"Futile effort," he said, "but admirable." She could feel his breath on her skin. Slowly, as if taking his damn time, he took the dagger from her hands and played it on his hands. He gave her another smirk bago siya nito pinakawalan. 

He handed the dagger back to her, much to her confusion. Ngunit tinanggap niya naman ito, though warily. He slipped his hands into his pockets.

"You got some nerve," he said, "stealing that from the Assassins. I bet Jude gave you hell."

Napakunot naman ang noo niya. He's from the Fortress because how else could he kow about Jude? Jude wasn't exactly someone popular. When she looked at hte man carefully, and the way he acted earlier, he could tell he wasn't here to catch her. 

"Who are you?" tanong niya sa lalake. Ngunit ngumisi lang ito.

"I'm sorry, Miss. But you're not my type."

She furrowed her brows, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about.

Tumawa lang ang lalake, seeing her confusion. Wala siyang panahon makipagbiruan dito kaya naman agad niyang itinago ang punyal.

"If you're not here to kill me, then I should go," saad niya ang walked past the man.

Narinig naman niya itong sumunod sa kanya kaya hinarap niya ito. "And I know you did not help me earlier but thank you, still." She offered him a casual smile bago siya nagsimula ulit maglakad papunta sa kung saan tatahakin ang daan papunta sa mga bundok.

Ngunit bigla nalang itong nagsalita, "I'm from the Assassin's Fortress."

Napaharap siya dito at binigyan ito ng tingin. "Are you here to kill me, then?"

But the man just shrugged and looked at her. "Nah. I'm not with them anymore. I just admired your bravery or maybe foolishness to steal that scroll right under their noses."

Wala siyang oras sa kung ano mang sasabihin nito. She has a village to save. Kaya naman hindi na niya ito sinagot at nagsimula na maglakad.

She doesn't know the man and she has no intention of knowing him. Looking at him, she could already tell he's someone prominent. Just like Katharine.

She still has to find out how she could cross the Cursed River without getting her body chunked by wraiths or other creatures.

Ngunit labis nalang ang gulat niya nang makitang naglalakad ito katabi niya.

She looked at the road that leads to Lancaster and then she looked at the man. 

"Aren't you going there?" Turo niya sa isang daan. But the man just shrugged.

"You seem like you're going somewhere more fun."

"I don't think I would call it fun," saad naman niya but the man just grinned.

At hindi niya mapigilang magtaka kung bakit ito sasama sa kanya. The man was mysterious.

And he was dangerously charming too.

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