Painkillers (2nd part)
I ran toward the sound of her scream. I used my haste spell, make me ran double of my normal speed. Then I activated my archer vision where enable me to see a few miles away from my bare eyes could see. There was them, I saw Tictac was running with Lily. Cerberus was chasing them, knocking down every trees that blocked it.
Then I looked at them again, they were still running for their life. That was then I saw some movement beside Lily. The bushes and trees seems to be shaking like they were blown by storm. I already near to them when it happen. Lily suddenly floated a few feet high in the air. Her legs did not touched the ground anymore and Tictac came to an abrupt stop.
"Put me down!" Lily scream at the roots that tying her waist while she punched them.
Tictac was trying to help her. He punched that vein-like roots with panic. Cerberus saw that as a chance for it to get them, so it leapt high in the air towards Lily. One last shout from Lily, as she already forgot that we were just in test. I was near with them so I calculated the momentum in me was enough to get me reached her if I just leapt to her since I was running in high speed.
I leapt over towards her and the Cerberus opened its middle mouth at the same time. I flew in the air in high speed and a few second before I faced Cerberus, I reached out my right hand while my left hand holding my right hand bicep. And the second I was in front of Lily, in between her and Cerberus with my hand inside the space of Cerberus opened mouth, near with its canines, I summoned my weapon.
"Justice be my bow."
As soon as I summoned it, the magic circuits in me glowed with golden light. And as the lines connected with my right arm and flOwed to my wrist, golden bow appeared in my hold. The shimmering golden 27 inches bow stuck in Cerberus mouth cause it to keep it open and cannot closed its mouth. I retreated my hand back from its mouth and summoned my arrow.
"Light be my arrow."
A golden light in straight line about 28 inches appeared on my left hand and I used it to stabbed the roots that connected with the roots that tying Lily with its origin that was deep in the forest. I held my arrow with both hand as I hung on it, leave me hanging beside her by the roots. Cerberus landed on the ground as its middle head shook vigorously to take the bow out from its mouth.
I climbed the roots and stood on it as I tried to peel the roots off from her. The right head of Cerberus saw me and Lily were struggling so it charged forward and attacked me. I saw it came to me but I had lose my bow to attack it so I can only avoided its bite. Its canines sank into the roots and the roots began to shake, like it were alive and in pain.
The left head tried to bite me after its 'twin' had failed but before it can move, its head suddenly blew. The explosion make Cerberus thrown aback and the roots was ripped by its right head during its fell. Then another explosion on the roots near me and the roots were cut off and that sent us fell into the ground. The roots that tied on her waist were weak and it was easy for us to peel it off from her.
"Are you okay?" Degu asked as he ran to me.
I looked at him and saw the red light in front of his right eyes,it mean he activated his telescope sight. So it was him who has saved me and Lily. He was holding his Remington MSR where I definitely not interested in as I were more in classic weapon –like my bow for example. Light came to them shortly after Degu, his bent holding his knees as he caught his breath.
"I'm okay. We got her so we better run now." I said and Lily quickly stood and got ready to run.
"Quick! This way." Degu said while pointed to the way they came from earlier.
I looked at Cerberus that was struggling to stand. I reached out my right hand and turned my wrist clockwise. My beautiful golden bow then vanished into the air, leaving its golden glitters scattered inside Cerberus's mouth. I ran behind them after I did the same to my arrow. Degu was in the front line, leading the way and Light was beside me in the last line, behind Lily and Tictac since he was tired.
"Wait." Degu commanded and all of us stopped.
"Why? What's wrong?" Tictac asked.
Degu then pointed to his right and that make both Light and me, gasped. Lily and Tictac did not understand why we reacted like that because they did not with us earlier. We just used this path a few minutes before and we were positive as hell that there was no lake nearby. So Degu and Light were surprised when they saw that lake. And as for me, what shocked me the most was the fact that the lake was not an ordinary lake.
It belongs to witch.
"Nobody walked near that lake and don't peek at the water. Also, never ever run and turned to see it no matter what we might hear." I said and they nodded, abided to my words as they probably realized what that lake actually was.
I change our formation a bit. Lily walked beside Tictac in front row with Light and Degu behind them while I was in the middle of them four. We walked in silence, every single one of us was nervous with each step we took. So far, we were good as no one broke my instruction. But after we passed that lake and walked through the woods again, totally out of the blue, a scream assaulted our ears.
"Gosh!" Lily said while her hand on her chest.
"Don't look back." I reminded them.
We continued our walk with heart banging out loudly inside our rib cages. Then, we heard heavy footsteps behind us. It sounded like we were chased by a horseman. But the footsteps increase like the number of our chaser were increasing behind us. From one to grouped horsemen, now it sounded like we have entire armada chasing after us. The sound then getting closer and closer to us which make some of us fasten their steps.
"Don't look back, don't run." I reminded them again.
We tried to maintain and stay cool but nobody can deny the nervousness was beyond everything. We already leave that lake but the sound still followed us. So we still need to walk as it means the witch already set her eyes on us and one wrong move, we were dead. I really mean it. To fight a witch, we need at least a tanker or a caster since witch had a very high damage. So it can overkill an attacker and definitely easier for it to overkill a healer.
A caster has a lot of spells to at least slowed down the witch while attackers did their job. And a tanker has great armor that can tanked the attacks from the witch while he was being healed by healers. But us, we just have two attackers and three healers. If we were attacked by that witch, without a doubt, one of us will die. Because both healer and attacker have soft life point.
I wish Snow was here.
I shook my head as I realized what I just wished for. Any tanker would did us good. It did not has to be Snow. The sound of the armada stopped but suddenly Light screamed. He was just behind me, so his scream really ear-deafening for me but I did not blame him. Something must shocked him that make him shouted like a little girl in distress.
"Are you okay?" Degu asked as he looked at Light beside him.
"I'm okay. Sorry." He apologized to us.
But then, Light fell and all of us stopped. I did not look back while I stopped but right in front of my eyes, I saw Tictac turned to looked at Light. Lily turned too but since she was not in front of Light, she still cannot see straight to the lake. But Tictac was different. When he looked down to see Light, he accidentally raise his eyes and caught a glimpse of sight of the lake between the trees.
"Run!" I shouted as I saw Tictac had broke the rule.
From the afar, we heard the witch laughed wickedly and she chasing us in the speed of light. We ran for our lives but Light was slightly behind because his knee was bleeding due to his fell earlier. The witch was fast as hell, chasing after us while laughing. I looked back at her and saw the her face. She had a dead human face with blood all over her body. What can I say, creatures in this realm never seems friendly.
"Degu... " Light called out for Degu when he realized that witch just a few feet behind him.
I looked back at him. He not going to make it. I knew by that time, that we were doomed. I had two choice only. We broke the rule so the rest of us can still survived if we let her took one life. But our teamwork mark will critically been cut since we let one of us die just to save own neck. Or I can try to kill her but if she did not die, then it will be me.
"Help!" Light cried out when the witch jumped on him and make them both fell to the ground.
I stopped and turned to Light. I saw the witch chanted her spells and Light keeps healing himself. But that not going to work and Light will die soon, so I made up my mind, if I were going to fail this test, I were going to fail with pride. Thus, I summoned my bow and used all my mana to formed my greatest arrow. My energy overflow out of my left hand and it shaped into an arrow shape.
I were amazed by the bright light it emitted. It looked like an arrow but it has no solid shape. And I could not feel its structure, only can feel the warmth of it against my skin. Like I was holding light, no mass at all. I lay its tip on the arrow rest and nock the arrow on the bowstring. With three fingers pulled on the string, I activated my archer eyes and aimed at the witch's heart. The witch looked at me as she can predict what I was about to do.
She stood from Light and ran to my direction. I aimed again and with a snap, I shot my arrow. It went in light speed, penetrated through the witch's heart and since it was bigger than normal arrow, it almost cut the witch's body into two. The witch shouted in pain. Her body was on fire and the abhorrent witch looked at me in rage. She took a step towards me but then she suddenly in front of me.
I had no time to react let alone to attack. She jumped on me, hanging by my shoulder with her legs on my hip. She then opened her disgusting mouth and bite my carotid. I was born with light as my main element, so my attacks on the darkness creature damaged them a lot more. But they also damaged me more than other creature in other realm. Her darkness creep into me, tainted my blood black and I shouted at the top of my lungs.
The pain was so intense that my whole body spasm and I shook violently. I fell to the ground while the witch perished into the air as my blood poisoned her and did her damaged for her remaining life point. Every muscles in my body contracted and stiffen as my body kept jerking and convulsive. Drool was running out from my mouth and my teeth were clenched. My eyes turned to the back of my head. I lost my consciousness before I could saw Degu ran towards me to stop my seizure.
"Tiny!"
I heard Degu's voice but I was falling into bottomless dark hole. The pain eased slowly and I was relieved. I knew all this just a temporary 'death' since I will woke again in the hall. Then I will need to leave the examination hall early since I did not survive the test. Finally I failed a test. After three years trapped in this place, I finally ruined my own perfect record. I still in the pitch black abyss, could not tell whether falling or only floating there.
Then I felt warmth on the back of my head. Also on both of my hands. Soon, I felt the hardness of the ground on my back. Then, I could sensed the touch of the wind on my damped skin. I was regaining my consciousness again bit by bit, and slowly, I opened my eyes. The first thing that greet me was the dark cloudless sky. And then a face looked at me from above my head.
"Tiny! You're awake? God! You really scared me." Degu said, released my hands to touch my cheek.
"De..." I wanted to call his name but my throat was dried, felt like I had ate sand before I went unconscious.
"You're okay, bud?" He asked in concerned when he saw my Adam's apple bobbed as I gulped down a few times and coughed.
I tried to sit but the pain on my neck shocked me and my body jolted before my head fell back on Degu's lap. I forgot about my wound. It will kept hurting me as long as I was not fully healed by the healers. But after this test ended, it will disappear without leaving a single scar to prove its ever existence.
"You're not completely healed yet. Your life point decreased rapidly, we were scared shitless. But lucky we've three healers. They managed to stop you from dying." Degu said as he massaged my stiff shoulders.
"Whe... where are they?" I asked as I did not see the healers.
"They... well, we were attacked when you fainted. So after we hide here, they lured the monsters to somewhere else so you can rest." Degu said and I was shocked.
Tictac was my friend and Light probably because he felt indebt with me, so they helped me was not a surprising news. But Lily? Having she helping me got me smiled. Maybe after this, I can be friend with both of them again. Maybe this will be the end of the isolation they have put me into before.
"Do you want to rest for some more or are you ready to walk?" Degu asked suddenly.
Of course we need to move. It was dangerous to stay at one place. Maybe that was why they leave me with Degu since he was the only attacker that can protect me when I was unconscious just now. Degu helped me stood and lead the way for me. I looked around us and realized that we were no longer in the forest.
"Where are we?" I asked Degu.
"In the floating city. We exited the forest since it was too dangerous. That forest was too confusing. It changed the path every 30 minutes." Degu explain while he walked slowly beside me.
"That's explain the car mystery and the lake mystery. But how you guys brought me here?" I asked but Degu pouted his thin lips hearing that.
"After they struggled to fight your death, I lifted you up and exited the forest. But that friend of yours, kept bugging me to be in charge of you. So he gave you a piggyback ride in the middle of our journey." Degu answered and my mouth agape opened.
"No way! Tictac said that? And you walked all the way here?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah and yeah. Why are you sound so happy? Do you perhaps have feeling towards him?" Degu asked and I stopped walking hearing that.
"What make you think I'm interested in men?" I asked back.
"Because... " He stopped walking too and looked at me.
"Because I hope you're." He finished his sentence and took my hand into his hold.
"Why?" I asked with heart beating like I just ran 10 laps of the soccer field, really anticipating to hear what a handsome guy like Degu with perfectly sculpted face made by God, wanted to say to me.
"Because I think... I begin to like you... when I saw you at the gate. And when that 'dickhead' treated you like that, I wanted to punch him and protect you from him." He confessed and that make me touched.
Never in my life heard someone that perfect like me in that way. I must be hallucinating after being bit by that witch. I took a step backward as I kept thinking that I was dreaming. My back hit the old building and I just leaned there while shook my head. Degu saw my reaction and that make him close his distant with me and trapped me between him and that sordid wall of the building.
"I'm telling you the truth. When you... when you were attacked earlier, I was too panicked saw you're in pain. I forgot for awhile that this is just a test." He said again and held my chin with his right hand before rubbed my left cheek with his thumb.
I was a fool if I believe in his words. A handsome stud like him sweet talked me only mean one thing, he was a player. He going to play with my heart and when he was bored, he will threw me out from his life like I were not more than a garbage to him. My mind did all the calculation but my heart somehow just did not care. And when Degu leaned closer, I just closed my eyes.
Within a second, his lips met mine. He moved his lips and I respond right away. He put his hands on my waist pull me closer to him until no space was there between us. Our body were on fire as he began sucking and licking my lips while kissing me. I was enjoying our kiss until he shoved his wet appendage into my mouth. I quickly pushed him away and that made him looked at me worriedly.
"I'm sorry, I push you too far. I promised, I won't do it ever again." He said, hoping I did not reject him.
"No. It's okay. I just... we need to find them first, Degu." I said, using the three healers as excuse.
"You're right. I'm sorry. Let's get going." He said and lead the way again.
We wanted to continue our walk but we both froze when we saw Tictac stood while staring at us. He crossed his hands on his chest. I looked at Degu and Degu looked at me with same expression as mine. We both felt awkward realized that Tictac might saw what happened just now.
"Having fun, guys? So now back to business. Lily is missing." He announced, still crossing his hands.
"How? What happened?" I asked.
"I don't know. We're suppose to meet at the fountain but she never come back. Light is searching for her." He answered.
Tictac lead the way to the said fountain. When we arrived, Light just came from between the building to us. Tictac asked about Lily but Light shook his head. Lily was an expert when it came to theories. According to what Tictac said, it was Lily who found out the way when they faced knight of death. So the chances that she already fail was lower than the chances that she was hiding somewhere while healing herself.
"Let's split. Degu and Light, while I will go with Tiny." Tictac said.
"Excuse me, why it always need to be you with Tiny?" Degu disparaged.
"Because I'm healer and he's an attacker, Mr.Dumbass." Tictac countered.
"So what? You're just doing fine just now." Degu still wanted to argue.
"Okay. Tictac is right. Healer go with an attacker. So, Light. Do you want to go with me or with Degu?" I asked Light, in hope he will chose me.
Light without any doubt just chose Degu. He still avoiding me. Of course, after knew 'my real color', he definitely did not want to be friend with me. Tictac smirked at Degu when Degu had no other choice than to uphold with Tictac due to the result. And so did me. I walked beside Tictac to the opposite side the other two took.
"So... you're with him now?" He asked as we walked between the dirty buildings.
"Who?" I asked.
"Who else can it be? C'mon, Tiny. I saw what both of you did." He said.
I stay silence, did not want to answer him. If only he knew that I have feeling for him since the first day we met, he probably would not ask me that. All along it was him I ever wanted, but he just too dense to realized it. He never showed that he knew feeling and never gave a sign that he wanted me too. But when Degu came into my life, he started acted like a jealous wife. And I did not hate it.
"So what if I'm with him?"
"I don't like it." He said.
"Why?" I asked, looking at him anticipatingly.
"I don't like him. 'Cause he look like a player. As your friend, I'm giving you my advice." He said and I nodded my head.
Of course, a friend. What I been thinking about. He was my friend, so it was normal if he did not want his friend to be played. I looked away from him and assure he did not has to worry about me. Then I just left him and went to search for Lily. He chased after me and grabbed my wrist. I turned to him and pulled my hand but he did not let me off, instead, he tighten his grip.
"You don't understand it. I... I really mean it. I really hate it. I hate to see you two together. I hate when I saw you kissed him. I... I hate it even I don't know why. I know it confusing but I really hate it." He said while looking into my eyes, desperately searching for an answer for his misery.
"Do you... do you perhaps... like me? Like like me like you like Lily?" I hasitatedly asked and he looked shocked.
"Maybe." He answered in defeated.
I took a step closer to him. He just stood there watching my move. Then I step even more closer to him, invading his personal space. He was a bit taller than me, so I need to tilted my head to look at his eyes. Those pair of mesmerizing orbs of his, sparkled when I leaned closer.
"What'd you mean by that?" I asked when our faces just an inch away.
"I think I want you." Tictac confessed and I step away from him.
"Want isn't same with love." I said, tried to play hard-to-get and he looked away.
"And I believe Degu felt the same like me." Tictac said without looking at me.
All the playfulness between us vanished in trice. When Snow's words stung, his words cut the flesh of my heart. I did not know whether I were too sensitive or he really mean that I did not deserve to be loved. I were the person that people wanted but never loved. Body that no one can ever resist but a heart that no one can accept. And heard that words came out from someone I loved, gave the most painful cut.
I turned away from him and began to walk. Tictac then followed me without even apologize. He was dense sometimes so I did not blame him. He was insensitive. As I walked while glanced at my surrounding, I notice that we were in the sky. When I looked passed the building, I can see the sky around us. And streets were connected only to the inside of the town.
As I stared at the end of the street, I saw something shine between the squalid buildings on my right side. I glance over it and saw a mirror. Somehow, I forgot that I was ran out of mana, no energy left to protect myself with my spell of protection. So it means that, I can be hypnotized if I was to encounter with the creature that used it.
I bagan to approach the grimmy mirror, leaving Tictac who was busy searching through the area for Lily. It was weird, why there was an antique standing mirror in between the streets of these dirty buildings? But I felt light-headed, I could not think much when I stepped closer to it. When I was just a feet away from the mirror that was calling for me, I saw my own reflection at first. Then the surface of that mirror waved and slowly, another person replace my reflection.
It was Snow.
Or what I thought it was. That male looked like Snow, everything started from his face to his body and style, everything looked exactly like Snow. Except, that male has a pair of wings. White dove-like wings, and that male was floating in the sky. But that sky was bright, not like the sky inside this realm. That male was in the sky realm. Then, that male turned and looked straight into my eyes.
"Tiny!" Tictac pulled me into his chest, burried my face there so I cannot looked back at the mirror.
I did not realized that I was struggling with him to glance back at the mirror before but as we were away from that place, a few building apart, I regained myself. He released his hold when he found that I had stopped struggling. I inhaled his body scent. He smelled strong, sweet, and musky, calming my nerves as I inhaled it. But then I realized what I was doing so I pulled off from him quickly.
"It's okay. You're fine now. I got you." He said, tried to calm me down.
"Stop act like you actually care about me." Finally I said it.
He been nice to me all these time that made me kept falling for him, but not anymore. I realized now how he actually saw me. What I really were in his eyes.
"But I really do. I care about you. A lot." He said when I was about to left.
"Oh yeah?" I asked uninterestedly before I walked again.
"Wait. Why are you suddenly acted like a dick?" He asked as he walked behind me.
"I acted like a dick? And you're not? Even after you said that I don't deserved to be loved?" I asked scornfully at him.
"What? When did I said that?" He asked and I just had enough of his shit.
"Fuck off, Tictac."
"No, tell me when did I said that first." He insisted.
I turned to him and grabbed his collar. I leaned closer and looked up at him. He was shocked by my aggressiveness. But I did not stop there. I dragged him by his collar and pushed him against the building, his back hit the bricks with a loud thud. He glanced down at me with wide eyes. And by the dull light by the street lamp, I could saw his pupil dilated. He was turned on by when I manhandling him like this.
"Tictac Jr is awake." I said after I confirmed that he was excited by sliding my left leg between his legs and felt his semi-boner on my tight.
"What are you doing?" He asked in both confusion and bliss as I rubbed my tight on his dick.
I stopped rubbing on him as I heard his heavy breathing. He looked at me through his half lidded eyes. He has long lashes and a cute pointed nose that make me suddenly leaned closer. He shut his eyes closed when he realized what I were about to do. My lips nearly touched his but I stopped. He was waiting for my lips but then he opened his eyes when I did not kiss him.
"Do you love me? More than you love Lily?" I asked and he frowned.
"Tiny, look... I love Lily, a lot. But I... but my body want you. My body reacted to every touch of yours." He said, looked like he was begging for me to understand him.
"So... do you love me, more than you love Lily or not?" I asked again.
"I... I'm sorry, but no. I love her more." He finally answered me and I kissed him when I heard it.
I kissed him fiercely, ignited the spark between us and set us on fire in a split of second. He responded to my kissed slowly and I pulled him even closer. Our chest met and our hips collided, adding the pleasure to our passionate kiss. We broke our kiss for air. I looked at his blushed cheek and dark shades of red on his ears. His eyes were teary, he was breathing heavily and it took all his self control to say his next words.
"I think... we should start looking for Lily." My world just collapsed when I heard that.
"Stop talking about her." I said and leaned for a kiss again but he turned his face, avoiding my kiss.
"I'm sorry. Lily... she... she's probably waiting for us." He choked a bit to say it.
He using Lily to save himself from falling deeper for me. I can see clearly how his body reacted to me, how excited he was but he all of a sudden talked about Lily. He was straight, but he talked in circle. I can never understand him. He been jealous of Degu but he said it as a friend and then he kissed me back but he was rejecting me.
He then pushed me and began to lead the way to search for Lily. I was left there, struck by lightning. After a few more seconds, I walked behind him, awkwardness filled the air between us. I gulped the slump in my throat. I needed to accept the truth about us. Lily gave him everything he wanted, she has everything that he ever needed. Tictac was walking in front of me, so he never realized tears that silently flowed down my cheeks.
Painkillers
Part 2
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