Norak did not always like lurking in the shadows but this job required it. There are two main reasons why she didn't; one is that she liked being the subject of everyone's adulation, and two, her weapon of choice did not make concealment an option.
She gritted her teeth and continued watching the group. They are now at the foot of the mountain near the locked gate. They were standing close together for a moment, not doing anything but then a small child appeared before them.
Norak wanted to go closer to hear what they were talking about but she was pretty sure the creepy-looking girl in purple could sense her if she got close enough. Even the older girl in black had this dangerous aura that none of the others have.
However, it was the purple girl she was wary of, most of all. That one did not use her eyes so much as she used her other senses. Even at times when Norak was sure that she was sleeping, her awareness kept probing out. That one was a warrior even more formidable than her. When the time comes, she should be the first to die.
Norak tested the edge of her scythe. The thought filled her mouth with a taste not unlike iron. She could taste blood.
Not soon enough for her.
Their group got inside the gate. It confirmed the boss' assumption that they can unlock the bigger gates that were inaccessible for the organization.
She waited.
It was dark when they got out. They went back to town while Norak stayed to investigate the gate.
It was already fading. The energy emanating from it was becoming weaker by the minute. She entered the previously locked gate and was surprised at the enormity of the folded space inside. It was gigantic compared to the smaller ones they used to mine.
The MBCs scattered around were just crumbs. The loathsome group got the lion's share. Still, there was enough here to make it worth her while.
She mulled it over if she should report her discovery to them but then she decided that it will have to wait. The blood crystals are her priority for now.
Tarayon opened a path for them and the group went in with some hesitation. As much as they wanted to hear some real answers, they were afraid of what they might find.
As they got closer to the end of the portal, they noticed that everything was more detailed and felt more real than the previous part of the game.
The grass and other vegetation they stepped on sprang back to freshness as soon as they got past them. It was as if the place rejected change.
Out of curiosity, Ash cut a small branch. As soon as the branch touched the ground, a new one was already in place making it look like it was not cut in the first place.
"Guys, this place is giving me a bad feeling," she told the others. She did not put her sword back in their scabbard.
The others followed suit and got their weapons ready.
The shrubbery kept rustling like somebody, or something, was shaking it violently. Vince poked it with his sword but the movement did not stop.
Very carefully, Ash parted the thick branches of the shrub and they let out an explosive sigh when they saw it was a small deer.
Zone laughed nervously at their paranoia.
Then a creature suddenly lunged at the deer and snatched it before anyone could react.
Ice screamed.
The creature was a huge snake. Its body looked like a tree trunk covered in scales and its eyes were intelligent as they were malevolent. It regarded them as a human would another human.
John shuddered at the thought of a creature that was powerful with the cunning of a human. He aimed the Sword of Indarapatra at the snake.
The huge snake swung its head sideways and flung the deer out of its mouth. The small animal scampered away like nothing happened.
A standoff ensued between John's group and the snake, which reared its head like it was about to strike.
John looked at Ash and shook his head but the teen grimly shook her head and launched herself at the snake before John could even move.
Ora followed the attack with a magical bolt of energy and it hit at the same time that Ash's sword cut the snake cleanly in half.
Like the tree branch before, the snake's severed head was back in place before anyone could even comprehend what was happening.
The dry click in John's gun was swallowed by the scream of Grace and Ice as the snake lunged at them even as Ora and Ash got out of the way.
It was too late when he realized that the Sword of Indarapatra was not working.
The snake crashed into their midst and used its enormous tail as a whip. John protected Ice and the tail lashed at his unprotected back. They were both flung away.
After making sure that Ice is okay, John sprung back to the action to find Zone and Vince trying to engage the snake.
Zone was flailing his Buntot Pagi ineffectually while Vince was swinging at empty air trying to anticipate the snake's line of attack.
Curiously, Ash was at a distance with her arms crossed and her sword sheathed.
He went to her.
"What are you doing here? The fight is over there."
"Obviously, old man. Don't interrupt me, I'm thinking."
"My gun doesn't work anymore."
John dry-fired it twice to show her.
"Take it up with the cat. I'm not your repairman." Ash intently looked at the monster they were trying to fight.
John looked for Ora and found her standing not far away, watching the snake like Ash did.
"The snake doesn't attack when we are far enough. It's like it is protecting something. Tell the boys to stop trying to attack and get away slowly."
"Why didn't you do it?"
Her raised eyebrow was enough to get him going.
He pulled the two boys away and beckoned for Ice and Grace to come over.
The snake immediately dropped its head and slithered back towards the thick shrubberies.
"Just as I thought. The snake wasn't really trying to injure us. It was provoked, that's why it attacked."
"Really? Vince showed her his bleeding finger.
"Really? You're gonna cry about your scratch?" She sneered.
"Then how are we going to proceed?" asked Ora.
"Put away your weapons, let's skirt out of its way and proceed very carefully."
"That's your grand plan? If it fails, we are going to be out there, totally vulnerable. I am not putting away my sword," Vince protested.
"You can fight it then while we go ahead. That's the most useful thing you have ever said. Be bait. I didn't think you had it in you to sacrifice yourself, wetpants."
Ash's gaze was challenging and Vince lowered his eyes but not before flashing an angry look.
"Angry is better than stupid." Ash had a mocking smile that Vince found really irritating.
"That's enough kids. We try Ash's suggestion. We go a little farther from here and try not to rouse any more monsters."
That proved to be more than inaccurate because the next path was barred by a dog that was almost as large as a small horse.
Its muzzle bore several razor-sharp teeth. Its saliva dribbled to the ground in long, thick strings. The grass touched by its excretions sizzled and smoked.
"Acid? Are you kidding me?" Vince looked at Ash like it was her fault.
The dog was looking at them menacingly but like the snake, it was not moving from its spot to attack them.
"We are definitely closer. These creatures are behaving like guards."
Ora looked at John and then at Ash. "You have the Eye, right?" she asked John.
John nodded and braced for the headache that comes from activating the Eye of Bathala.
The whole area transformed before John and the previously lush vegetation became strings of words and symbols. Even the dog is made up of continuously moving symbols emanating from one source.
When he turned it off, the effect staggered him and he fell to his knees. Ora and Ice immediately grabbed his arms to help him up.
"This place…" he panted. "This place is the origin of everything in this world."
"How did you know?"
"The world around us, even us, is made of words and ancient symbols. As you go farther from here, it becomes unnoticeable but as you go towards the center, the symbols appear. I guess you can call the Coder, God."
"So we are at the source code. Amazing," marvelled Grace.
"It appears he has some equally amazing firewall," supplied Vince.
"Firewalls or not, we have to get past it and find out how we can get out of here," said John resolutely.
He turned to Zone.
"You have something in your bag. Something that moves and changes faster than everything around us. Maybe that is something we can use."
Zone was baffled but rummaged inside his bag, nonetheless.
"I don't have anything in here," he said and emptied the bag out.
"You do," John said and picked up an almost invisible strand of hair. It looked silver with a slight tinge of blue.
"The Hair of a Tikbalang," said Ice softly.
John's eyes glossed over and he stopped moving. The hair strand on his hand glowed brighter and he closed his fist over it.
John gasped and shook his head. His eyes looked normal again and he opened his fist. On it was a simple blue earring.
"I saw a half-man half-horse running around the world at impossible speeds. I saw it bowing to a creature made of white light. It goes to every walker in every point in history. It told me to give you this," he offered Zone the earring.
"What does it do? Besides, I don't even have ear piercings."
"He said you'll know what to do when you get it. He said you already met."
"I don't…" Zone began but he tried putting the earring on one lobe.
The blue ear ornament shimmered for a while and attached itself to Zone's earlobe.
"I didn't feel a thing," he marveled.
"Try putting it on your nose," Ash suggested.
Zone's eyes suddenly had that look that John's did and before anyone managed to ask him what was going on, he vanished.
No, he just moved so fast that it looked like he vanished. Their eyes were not fast enough to follow his movements.
John understood as soon as he looked at the codes around them and saw that they parted where Zone was standing moments before and the disturbance followed into the center of the code where the Coder was.
In less than a minute, Zone was back. His hair was pushed back and his eyes had a wild look to them.
"I talked to the Coder. He agreed to let us in."
A door materialized in front of them.