Lockeroom's Pandemonium

Chapter Thirteen: Denouement of a Fire God

Silver knew how difficult is the orientation of the game he was forced to play. The rules may have been simple: to kill a player for a level up, and to survive the everyday without being eaten and feasted by different beasts. It was just that simple, that he only need to do is to survive.

Surviving.

That word has been repeatedly ringing in his head ever since he realized he was a player of this game.

However, thinking about surviving is easier compare to doing it in reality.

Surviving is, perhaps not anyone knew, the most difficult thing that a person can do. That it maybe too simple to enunciate, to say SUR-VI-VING without any glottal hindrances, but the real surviving is much more hard, much more complicated to execute.

And he realized it, the moment that he was thrown into the Lockeroom Island.

He felt the ringing pang of pain in his shoulder when they hit the opposite corner of the nest-like branch they were hiding into. THANKS (with sarcasm) to the wind of the beast who’ve attacked them, the pain in their body was slowly, strongly seeping into their muscles, making them writhe in pain, to feel indescribable, unwanted panging sensation.

“O-Ow, my body,” Alina muttered.

Silver knew that the wind that hit them was not just a normal wind. When it flew towards them, he managed to take a split-second glance of it. He was certain, he saw a swirl of wind whose color is green, with sticky frothing texture swirling towards its epicenter.

As the sky turned black, the screeches of the bird-like creature started to invade their hearing senses. The high screeching pitch, the coarseness of their voice as they squawked, and the careless flapping of their wings—all of those sound invaded Silver and Alina's hearing.

Silver stood, suppressing the pain he is feeling from the after damage of the Harpy's attack.

“I think the wind of Harpies had poisoned us,” concluded Silver.

As Alina stood up, face is squinting, she started to pull the strings of her Airbow.

Both of them saw how the Airbow gleamed white light in the center, where its arrow should have been loaded.

Instead of just wind, the center of her Airbow were slowly gathering particles of light, webbing and concentrating towards the center, revealing their vulnerable bodies, yet, revealing also another unexpected thing—power, magic, Call of the Angel's Purgatory.

Silver saw how Alina harshly bit her lip. In order to disregard the pain that is trying to overcome her and her strength, she managed to channel the pain in her lips. Her body was quivering in weakness as she is constantly pulling the string, that if the weakness in her body invades, the whole energy in the Airbow would dismantle.

Silver knew how Alina wanted not to waste the attack that she is preparing. She needs to release it with a decent power.

That is why Silver knew as well that the pain and weakness in her body would not—never— be able stop her.

It was a brave act, and he was recognizing it.

As the swathe of Harpies started to attack, diving, edge of the beak are sharply pointed towards them, Alina released the string along with a painful grunt.

The center of her Airbow started to cause clamor—it erupted, as if it was a mouth of a volcano whose magma bursted into the heavens of the world. It created a huge, cylindrical shape of bright light that goes towards the heaven, attacking and pulverizing the once solid (and horrible) body of the Harpies.

Another set of screeches was heard. But this time, it was a screech of pain and death.

Alina almost fall down from standing. It was good that Silver was looking at her—instead at the surprising power that the airbow released—that is why he was able to catch her weakening body.

“Are you okay, Alina?” asked Silver.

Alina nodded, though squinting. Sooner, a drop of red liquid spilled out of her nose.

“You're bleeding!” Silver told, panicking. “s**t, what do I need to do?”

He started thinking, yet, his mind cannot go straight as the crooked screeches of the bird continued to bother the sky.

“I am okay, Silver.”

“But, you were poisoned!”

“You are, too.”

As Alina told that, the pain on Silver's back started to become more hideous than before. He was trying to suppress it, yet, just like Alina, the pain was too strong that it was impossible for them to ignore.

The throbbing on Silver’s back were as if hundreds of bees decided to stung him. It was too hot, burning as if he was lying on an overly heated pan. Yet, he knew he cannot do anything about it, for it was what they received from the unexpected attack of the winged beast.

As Silver heard that the screeches were nearing, he let Alina lie on the corner.

“Rest,” he said, “I will take care of them. Just make sure you are okay. I will come back as soon as I can.”

He then stood up, turned his back to Alina, and welcomed the circling flock of harpies in the sky.

He gripped his flaming vine whip.

If only I could all turn you to a roasted chicken, I would be glad to do that. But I know I can't, Silver thought.

But then before he could shadowstep towards the beasts, a small hand grabbed his ankle.

As he look, he saw Alina. Her face is full of anxiety and concern. He saw the pain that is flowing in her body just by looking at her face. He knew he had to find immediate solution to the poisoning that the Harpy gave to them.

For if ever they disregarded it, the end of their life would be today. And it would be irreversible.

“Promise me you will come back,” Alina said in low, coarse voice.

“I promise,” he said. “I have to take care of you. You need to survive.”

“No, Silver. I am fine. I can manage it. What I wanted is for you to come back. To be safe. To make sure you'll be back in one piece . . .” she breathed one deep air, “ . . . and to make sure you will be back, alive.”

Silver smiled. His heart, even though pounding in fear and nervousness, were fluttering from the concern that Alina has given to him.

He then showed his flaming arms.

“I will be back, alive,” he promised.

Then, in a blink, Silver disappeared from where he stands. What was left at Alina's front was the swirl of shadow that was then being dragged by the wind.

Not a second to break, Silver was now in the middle of the Harpies’ flock. Few of the beasts were flustered as they saw one bright man—with fire on his arms—popped in their front.

For Silver, this was a suicide. Entering the den of the enemy in an obvious fashion was the most crazy thing that any living man would do.

But then, he did it anyway.

The Harpies who saw him, screeched in order to tell the whole army about his unexpected barging. Yet, before they could raise their voice, the flaming whip had already cut their neck in a clean, sharp, and deadly fashion.

As soon as the flame touched the Harpies' necks, it immediately crawled into their body, causing them to flap their wings into panic—even though their heads were already gone.

He saw one of the whipped Harpy falling downwards. Yet, before it could fully fall, it managed to touch one Harpy randomly flying in the sky.

One single touch: that is the only thing that the ember of the Fire god needs in order for them to creep and destroy everything.

As the single touch was managed by a dying Harpy, the other Harpy immediately grow into flame. It panicked, flapping its wings too hard and rapid, causing it to touch another harpy, setting them into fire as well, then being in panic too, until the system repeats.

Until the single flame turned a wildfire in the forest of the winged beasts.

In the middle of the burning sky, few Harpies managed to survive, and struggled. Few of them as well saw Silver just standing, looking at the whole surrounding, secretly mesmerized by the power that his whip had caused.

Then, the Harpies screeched and dove towards him, sharp beak was pointing for a thrust.

Silver felt their incoming presence. Two in his left, four coming from the right, and another two at his back.

Despite the pain that he’s feeling because of being poisoned, he still managed to smile—a wicked one.

Then, as they were only few inches away of him, Silver suddenly burst in shadow. The only thing that was left in the air, is the swirl of the shadow in the wind, and the body of the Harpies who accidentally stabbed each other by the use of their own pointed beaks. They released a weakened guttural cry, but Silver added hell to them.

He slashed his whip towards the cluster of the poorly pierced Harpies. Then, in no second, the flame ate their bodies along with their cries.

Another Harpy dove towards him. He then whipped it again straight to its beak, causing it to be divided into two while its body was burning.

Now, the sky were looking as if it was a hell. The once beautiful, blue sky were now brightened with red fierce of an ember flame. It wasn't blue anymore. It was bright red.

It may look magical, or fascinating, but Silver saw it as his own horror—because just for the sole purpose of the game, he have to do these hideous acts.

Another flock of Harpies was about to attack him. They were rapidly flapping their wings, jetting towards him, angry, thirsty for revenge.

He then prepared himself.

However, before the Harpies could reach and attack him, a beam of bright light hit and corrupted them.

Silver was shock for a minute, for the light was just a few centimeters away of his face.

The once loud screeches suddenly turned low and dead.

When he looked at the direction where it came from, he saw Alina standing, struggling, yet continuing to fight.

Her face is filled with dirt, sweat is trickling at her nape, chin and neck, eyes are carved in tiredness. Yet, she pulled the Airbow's string again.

She then turned her back away of Silver, and shot the Harpies who were flying at the opposite direction.

The forest is starting to be in fire as well.

The once fresh and green leaves were now burning, turning into bright red. It slowly creeps from green leaves, down its stem, then to trunk, then to the ground.

And the whole forest ablaze a wildfire.

And Alina was in the danger of being burned as well.

“Alina!” shouted Silver.

As he was about to shadowstep towards Alina, his eyes widened in horror.

Something—or someone—caught Alina.

Not a second to pass, the Harpies’ claws slashed towards the supposed to be place where Alina should be standing. Then they screeched, and flew in disappointment.

“A—Alina!” Silver shouted.

He immediately shadowstepped towards the nest-like branch of the tree. But it was already burning. He cannot saw any Alina standing, nor any trace of her.

A while, what he saw was shadowy figure secretly looming at Alina’s back. Until the shadow began to snap, and Alina was eaten by it.

He does not believe that Alina was dead. No, he did not bought that thought.

He felt that Alina wasn't attacked by a shadowy beast. It wasn't a beast's skill or doing. He knew that someone—a player—managed to grab and abduct her.

But for what reason?

He was too filled with panicking thoughts. His mind swarmed with questions and reasons why Alina was abducted, or how did that skill happened to be out of Alina's sense, or where did the abductor hid Alina?

It was a lot of question.

And the place filled with swooshing of flames along with screeches of ugly birds, made him hard to focus, hard to think of answers.

Then a brutal force hit his back. A screech he heard, and a bloody eye he saw, making him realize that a Harpy managed to land a blow at him.

He was falling too fast, too hard. Yet, he cannot do anything but to let the wind and the gravity drag him. His mind was too filled, yet fuzzy. His alertness went blunt, making his body function too late.

Until he fell on the ground, thumping loudly, bones are breaking.

He thought he was dying.

Yet his mind are still working, still running.

He can see the burning trees, the flying Harpies, and a man—with a grim features—staring down at him, smug in his face, shaking his head as if he knew Silver was now a nonsense player of the game.

His eyesight spun.

He saw a large woman wearing bubblegum pink dress standing beside the grim-looking man.

Then he heard a familiar laugh.

A familiar shrilling tune of laugh.

It was the dark clown, clapping, entertained with what is happening.

“Welcome to our special game: Hide and Seek,” he said.