8. Annoying Trip 1

Illeon's Point of View

I first stopped at a small rice paddy in the village I passed by. I absent myself in class and I didn't even bother to make an excuse letter for all the subjects. As I living here in this mortal world, kicking and starting a new life, I started to change my personality. Changing my soft behavior which only messing with me in my old world.

I am no longer the Heart who is emotional and vulnerable, weak in learning, and cheerful. I am no longer the old Heart who was close to people. Now, I'm the one who stay away from them. I am now the one who act like they were nothing in piece in my life.

Because of the overwhelming wonder while waiting for the porridge I ordered, I decided to open the envelope given by the Torpin.

I do not understand what he is referring to in the letter. {El cheapo}.

What is El Cheapo he is referring to?

In my study of two years in this world, el cheapo is a branch of business which is based here in the country. And it is very widespread in every island of the Philippines. This is the well-known business of the mysterious businessman. And this business pertains to the sinful lifestyle of man. But even if I know the meaning of the letter, it still does not specify the true intention of this letter.

He gave this to me, as if he has some strings that will pull my back to him.

"Miss, here's your porridge." I thanked her.

BEFORE I REACHED the area of 'Karo de Kabayo', a large village that looked like a city of tribes and it was also the center of the neighboring areas of the village had steal my attention.

I turned my way to see and there, I saw a detour, there was something wrong with a quick shortcut to it. It is still under repair due to the fault caused by the earthquake that hit last month.

But the case is, the sign board was damaged. It triggers my alertness. Something is not right in this place. I grabbed my revolver hidden in my thigh. I might be weak of my power loss but in this world, material weapons are the tools for battles.

I raised the warning tape and went inside, but before I could stepped forward, my doldrums ringtone stopped me. I picked my phone in my pocket while alerting my ear for each sound it received.

" Trevor?"

Trevor's sudden call realized my absence in thinking, but I hanged him up. I turned my way back, but it was a wrong move due to the sudden bone arrow went to hit me, that I gladly blocked. I expanded the circumference of my ability, but I sensed no sounds except by the nature. There no unusual behavior surrounding the environment. As if this bone arrow, which is stuck in the soil, is an old laid trap.

And Trevor second call intercepted my thinking. I picked his call. And then his nag put away all the cases that I faced in this day. He's more like a girl than me when he keeps nagging. To stop him, I ended his call, and kneel to have a closer look to the bone arrow. There were no symbol placed on it. Nor the origin of it.

Is this just a coincidence?, or, did the Augustians came here long ago?

When I tried to pull it, another bone arrow shot in my place, I readied myself, and rolled over. Then it sent consecutive times that I rushedly made my move. I ran away from the hits. It really did follow my steps, it keeps shooting of where I placed. It seems this road have already activated its detection.

A semi-bamboo tree is in front of me, and the unexpected happen to exist, the bamboo tree suddenly changed a figure, turning into large crossbow with more than ten bows loaded. What the heck!.

I let my guard off. And never expect the worst. So careless of me.

It is too late for me to drop out. I need to end this thing. If this road is a detour, surely, there are plenty of bones hiding behind this bamboo tree. No wonder this is a silent place.

Some of the curse of the Augustian also planted here. I might discover something more interesting other than this thing. As what I read from my old habits, the Bamboo Curse is not that kind of strenuous, yet, it is very steep to end it.

A curse bamboo is very tricky and it is full of scheme. During day, the bamboo is more like a shrub tree, tricking the sight of the eyes, but when it detects a prey, it began to sprout largely. It slowly growing as if the prey that it sensed was its sun.

The bamboo curse is a carnival curse of a green system. When an infected bamboo never taken care of or cured, it will damaged the environment that surround it. Slowly killing the substantial substance of the soil that will also infect the other plants and forming a new tricky hybrid.

And speaking of the hybrid, when I shot it with my revolver consecutively, I angered the curse. I gritted my teeth, I didn't bring much bullets with me. This battle will be not that easy. I have no knowledge towards coping the stress plant.

My bullets is almost lost a count. While running in circle, away from it's outburst, I searched for a usable tool for a way to defeat it. But then, couldn't used the plants that I see everywhere. As what it range to its outburst, certainly all were now infected.

So I didn't have a choice but to pick the bones, I did stop smelling the strong smell of the bones. A strong smells means it came from a human. It is signed in Augustia Kingdom, means, the human was assassinated by a curse.

But as just what I expected, the bone changed it color, from bloody white to complete black. Means, it is ready to drown me in darkness. And drowning by it, is not a good thing, it will give a inhumane power that will let the holder suffer in thirst of death. Thirst of experiencing a painful death.

However, a sudden presence reside the area, and in just a glimpse it ended the bamboo curse swiftly in a seconds. And slowly the plants everywhere began showing its dying sign. And it was killed by the masked blue man who stopped in front of me, and he was shocked to see what I was holding.

Yeah, the bone arrow, I'm really a grief. It was ready to succumb my system but he stopped it, by stealing it from my hand. And just how he surprised me, I lost him just like that.