Barboza and his men went through the thick bushes as they pursued Kalipulako's children, howling like dogs in heat as they ran. The rotund Mortez struggled to keep up. His aching short legs made him pause a couple of times. It was killing him. He wanted a much needed rest but his pride was on the line.

  "They're splitting up," said one of the crewman that led the chase.

  "Mortez, follow me," Barboza said. "We're going after the woman."

  Mortez only cursed under his breath. He hated running. He was simply not built for the task but he was in no way going to disobey an order even if it came from Barboza.

  Their quarry was fast and agile and she knew how to get through the thick greenery.

  Mortez, on the other hand, wasn't as swift but he was definitely thick... so there was that. And the fact that he and Barboza wore an armor as heavy as half a keg of rum made it difficult for them to catch up. But luck was still on their side.

  The woman whom Halang identified as Kalipulako's daughter, Malaya, took a nasty fall when she lost her footing at the side of the slope. Her scream was cut short as she slid and rolled like a log. She finally stopped at the base of the hill.

  "Bless the Virgin," Mortez ejaculated. "Thank you for the miracles!"

  Malaya tried to crawl but she couldn't. She was a couple of yards away from her grandma's pavilion. She only had to get out of the treeline and help would have been close at hand. She tried to stand again but pain crossed her ankle. It was either broken or sprained. The side of her head was in pain too, so much pain that she felt dizzy.

  "Gods, I have to stand," she said to herself as the world spun around her.

  Malaya propped herself up, face covered in anguish as she put weight on her left ankle. "Help me!" she cried as she fell back down. She was hoping her grandma would hear her. She was hoping the gods would grant her plea.

  "Someone...anyone? Help..."

  Only silence answered her call. She tried to stand again but fell right back for the second time. She thought of giving up but she remembered what she said to her father. Right then and there she decided against it. Against giving up.

  She was gonna make this through she convinced herself. She took another painful step to salvation and fell back down. It was not going to be that easy...

  Mortez caught up with Barboza and the two slowly approached their quarry. He slowly exhaled as he noticed that Barboza was relishing every moment. As though he was going to do something regrettably horrid, thought Mortez.

  "See, there's really no use in running," Barboza said to Kalipulako's daughter.

  Mortez gave a satisfied chuckle in between his puffing. It didn't sound or looked convincing.

  Barboza took the woman's foot and dragged her closer. She yelped and tried to hold on to the thick clump of dried shrub that littered the base of the slope but it was useless. Barboza was simply too strong for her.

  The replacement captain of Victoria turned to Mortez with eyes alight with malice and lust. "Where's the others?"

  "Dunno, master Barboza," answered Mortez.

  Barboza sighed. "What I meant was call them, soldier!" He made his command sound more like an insult.

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  Mortez gave half of a salute and started shouting for his fellow soldiers. His high pitch voice echoed back.

  Barboza grabbed the woman. And what he saw made him smile. She was beautiful. A little too young, but nonetheless...

  He touched her face, caressing it slowly. His hands snaked down her chest but the woman fought back. He grabbed her by the neck and threatened her with a slap but she fought on, clawing and scratching at Barboza's face. He used his strength to subdue her, overpowering her once again.

  "You still wanna fight?" He slapped her so hard her head snapped back.

  The woman struggled feebly, kicking her way out of his grasp. He cursed as he struck her once again. Stunned and hurt, she finally halted. Victoria's captain smiled.

  The fall must've hurt her, thought Barboza. He slapped her to her senses a couple of times just to be sure.

  "There, be a good girl or I'll claw your pretty face off, little savage." He turned to Mortez. "You got any rope with you?"

  Mortez shook his head. "Nah, sir. Never thought we'd need one."

  Barboza shook his head in dismay. "Ah, well, come here and hold her."

  Mortez leaned and pinned the woman's hand as Barboza unclasped his belt. He was about to do a most regrettable decision but someone spoke to break the tense moment.

  "Ah, yes... glad to see one again after a long long time," Manang Sabtano said in her native tongue. "I have to say I'm a bit disappointed though. But don't you worry it's a small disappointment."

  The foreigners turned towards her face full of surprise. Without warning, Barboza leaped with his keen cutlass towards her but the old woman already had the red powder on his palm ready. She blew it off towards the pale man's face, catching the man off-guard.

  The red cloud of alchemical compounds fresh from her apothecary covered his face. He tried to hold his breath but it was too late. He already inhaled so much of it.

  Barboza struggled as he choked on it. Worse was his face started to burn.

  "Like that small birdie?" Manang Sabtano said with a satisfied grin on her face. She turned to the other man.

  But Mortez was swift this time around as he took his blade and struck the old woman with the hilt of his sword.

  Manang Sabtano cried as she fell down hard. Then, Mortez closed the distance between them, raising his blade.

  "Ya' filthy witch!" Mortez roared. "What didja' do to my captain?" He drew closer to her as the old woman crawled away in fear.

  But before Mortez could punish the heathen, excruciating pain crossed the back of his head. He turned and saw the younger woman with a bloody stone on her hand.

  "You little bitch!" he said, uncontrollable fury in his voice. He slapped her and she fell back. Then, he raised the blade to finish the filthy bitch, swinging it down in a violent arch towards the injured maiden...

  The vicious swing made the blade sing as it sliced through the air and bite flesh. Black blood splattered the green foliage as the headless body fell on the ground twitching.

  Mingming groaned in disgust as Mortez head lolled its tongue at him fully detached from his rotund body. "Shit, that was close."

  The Daragangan leader dropped his sword to his side with a sigh of relief, giving the groggy Malaya the warmest smile he could manage. No one was going to hurt her. He promised his sister, Angga that.

  Mingming wiped his sweaty face as the pale man's body twitched. Surely he was dead. Then, Mingming caught himself thanking the devatas. He really thought he was not going to make it. His bad knee was about to give in after running so hard on the hills and down the slope when he heard Malaya and her mother cry. He really thought it was the end of them. He cursed himself as pain ran through his leg when he tried to put his weight on it. But things were not over for him yet.

  Mingming looked around and recognized movement in the shrubbery above the slopes. They were not alone. There were more silver-wrought men out there.

  Behind him, two of his Daragangan arrived and flanked his side, armed with spears. They took their favored fighting stance as six armored men poured between the trees, their cutlasses reflecting the light of the harsh tropical sun.

  "You all want to fight?" Mingming said as he kicked the pale man's bloody head off the ground towards his friends. The Daragangan leader raised his blade at them. "Cause I'll give you a real one!" His men howled in salute.

  Then, a pale man with a curled mustache covered in red powder, joined the other silver-wrought warriors on the slope. He was cursing but the Daragangans only smiled in defiance.

  Mingming shook his head. He was probably the enemies' leader. The man proceeded on spitting commands to his underlings. There was a sense of viciousness in his actions as he directed them towards the three Daragangan warriors.

  Even though outnumbering them, the silver-wrought men did not rush for the kill. A moment passed and time seemed to flow like fluid as Mingming and his men stood and waited. Ready to defend Pulaco's daughter from the wolves of Old Espa?a.