8.1 A PACK AND A PROMISE: In which former friends meet (and also enemies)- A dire question is answered- And all become dust and ash in the shadow of the leviathan

  Beyond all fear, there is only courage most sublime. The kind that can move great mountains at will. The kind that can defy fate itself. The kind that can even smite the gods down. It is that rare courage that will always leave an indelible mark and make mortal men into legend. Quite unfortunately, Tikum Kadlum does not have any of that courage. Nor is he legend material, but who knows, he might have stolen a few of those before. He is, after all, a sneak thief and an all-time scoundrel.

  "Gi-atay!" cried the Black Dog, as he dropped on all fours, cowering from the destruction that Amburukay's spell wrought.

  Around him, the world shook and dust and devastation ruled. The choking smell of burnt flesh dominated the air as rocks and debris flew up high. Howls turned to cries of panic and then into terror as the manghihiwit's magic exploded into a shower of coruscant energy.

  Tikum stood up, cursing himself. He did not have the will to move mountains, he did not have the power to defy fate, nor was he foolish enough to fight the gods. But in that moment, Tikum Kadlum knew he had to go through the Bone Gates, simply because of one single purpose in mind. He stared back at Amburukay, as the manghihiwit herself struggled to stand, collapsing from the power she unleashed. She was still getting used to regaining her powers. But for now, her targets were temporarily down.

  Unfortunately, the pair knew that the fight was far from over. Things were just starting to heat up. And that the manghihiwit's magic would never truly end Gadlum's witch-dogs. They had to be locked up back to the other side of the gates. Amburukay looked up, grunting in pain. Tikum wanted to be at her side, but she shook her head, pointing at the Bone Gates.

  "I'm betting the whole farm on this plan of yours..." She breathed out heavily.

  "I thought you sold that-"

  "Shut up. Go and save Ukok or I'll cripple you. And whatever you do, don't fucking fail, Tikum!"

  "Good advice."

  He paused, eyeing the shadow-fiends around them. With Amburukay's current state, it would only take one of the gadlumanon to end her days. But she still urged him to continue on.

  "Go!" she said, slight anger in her tone. "I'll hold them back. Do not waste my sacrifice, cur! Go!"

  Tikum stared a moment longer before he nodded, watching her face veiled with pain.

  "I won't," he said. And it was a promise.

  As Tikum began his approach, he started to gain speed with each step. This was it, he thought. This was his chance to bring the fight to his former master. He ignored Sri Kihod's conjurations as they started to reform around him bit by bit. His goal was to reach the threshold between realms and disrupt Kihod's machinations.

  All over the ground, missing limbs began to coalesced back in place. Other pieces of body parts of the shattered gadlumanons also began to jerk into vitality. But Tikum continued on towards the portal. He had to save Ukok. He had to before it was too late.

  As Tikum Kadlum dashed through the Bone Gates of Gadlum, a thought came to mind. No cold spear of dread would ever pierce his soul this time. He would fight to the end. He would fight for Ukok until his final breath. And he knew that it was not rare courage that lit his heel to action, but love of the greatest kind.

  Yes, Tikum had done wrong before. He knew of it. He knew along time ago that there was the right way and there was the wrong way in all of this. And Tikum knew well enough too, that right that moment, he was the right kind of wrong to face Sri Kihod.

  ***

  On the edge of a crag somewhere in the midst of Buglas, two women of strange talents conversed. One sat with a smile on her face, while the other stood brave against the wailing winds. The first one, had her long hair tied into a bun. And even though she had a crooked nose it did not mar her fierce beauty. Her gilded earrings danced with the breeze, complementing her arching thin brows. She looked like she was twenty-five or thirty harvests old but she was far older. Surprisingly, not a wrinkle covered her features- a true deathless, one of the few perks of being the emissary of the devata of magic, Halmista.

  "That is all there is to his message," the other woman, an ati, respectfully said. But the smiling maiden ignored her and remained focus on the scenery before them.

  The ati bit her lip and instead studied the woman at the edge of the crag, wanting to figure her out before all turned to dust. She was dressed in a black tunic embroidered with golden filigree, matching her red pants that were tied together on the wait by a white lubid belt. If she was what the former timawa told the ati about, then the woman in front of her was a bit of a disappointment. But Tikum seemed adamant that the woman join their cause... So, the ati patiently waited.

  The thing about her that easily caught the ati's attention was what hang on her belt- a peculiar dagger it was, glimmering like a fish fin as it reflected the sun's light. Even its handle was ornate enough to rival the best blades forged in Bo-ol for the most famous bagani or the most extravagant datu.

  "Nice, things are getting hairy..." the woman said to no one in particular while watching a flock of fairy-bluebird take flight from the canopy below the crag. She clasped both hands, a smile edging her lips. "Against all the odds they try... Do you think they'll survive?"

  "What will survive?"

  "The flock of tigmamanukan." Si-an Usong sighed, seeing that the ati woman was not paying attention. She nodded, further down, toward the landscape in front of them. "I think they won't..."

  The ati perked up as the frantic flock flew close together just above the verdant forest below them. It was soon evident to her that they were being chased by an old hawk-eagle. The bird-of-prey was tenacious as it tailed the flock, diving deep in the thick forest with them. For a span, there was only silence as though the battle of life and death was a matter of the imagination. But then, the flock burst through the canopy in a shower of leaves. The ati thought their pursuer would follow through but instead of tailing the more agile fairy bluebirds the predator spread its vast wings to ascend the skies and catch the thermals.

  "Maybe not," the ati finally said. "But they will try."

  "Yeah, I guess that's the only thing they can do."

  As the wind blew beneath the bird-of-prey's wings, it reached the cotton clouds above.

  The sitting woman snapped his head up. It was a matter of time for the flock, she nodded to herself. Soon enough the predator would swoop at the four little birds and pick them one by one until the gray-feathered hawk-eagle was the only one left soaring the free skies.

  "So you want me to help you by working with a babaylan and her bagani sister fight off the creatures from the dark realm?" she said to the ati behind her, transfixed on the fight for survival of the fairy-bluebirds.

  "I will also be at your side, Lady Usong," Jurah answered, enduring the lashing gale. Dressed in a white, voluminous malong, the ati stood against the buffeting winds, holding on the leather strap of her satchel as tight as she could.

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  "Oh, that's reassuring." Si-an Usong turned to her with a smile. "But can you fight? You know, swing the sword... hurl a fireball? We might get rough with this Lord of Manghihiwits you speak of."

  Jurah bowed her head. "As of now... Not yet. But I can defend myself." She hugged the brown satchel bag closer to her chest. "I am verse in the healing arts as well and-"

  With one hand, Si-an Usong swung herself in the air to land upright to face Jurah. Agile as a tree-dwelling macaque, the woman then somersaulted, shifting her weight so that she would be at the precarious edge, eliciting a cry from the surprised ati.

  Jurah sighed. "I am versed in healing but if you fall... no healing salve will undo it. So, please be careful next time, mistress-"

  Si-an Usong spread her arms before doing another exhibition of her agility, bowing to Jurah to punctuate it. "And you're also an outcast, right?" she said as she brushed off the leaves of grass on her pants after sitting for so long. "Oh, wait. Looking at your reaction, you haven't exactly told anyone yet have you?"

  Jurah sighed again. "No. But–"

  "I've meet and fought with some Ati clans before. A long... long time ago of course. And they've always struck me as the kind that chose the tribe first before anything else. Always tight-knit. You know, always about the clan... Finding you without a tribe behind your back is just a dead give-away."

  "Pardon, but I do not think my past needs sharing or explaining."

  "Now, that just got me a wee bit curious about it." She smiled. "Care to share?"

  "I–"

  "–am just kidding," Si-an Usong said. "Why're you so uptight... loosen up a bit, ati. If what you say is true, then it is best to face the possibility of this realm ending up at the hands of gadlumanons with a wide smile. I mean, humanity is not actually that good either. By the way, is it just me? Or is our odds really that bad?"

  Jurah was about to tell her off, but she stopped herself. She did not need to explain her past to anyone. "Yes, Lady Usong. I guess we could have asked for better odds than this. But Tikum said, you wouldn't like it any other way."

  Si-an Usong smiled. "How, so?"

  "Cause you're strong..."

  "Accurate."

  "And that you like challenges. And there's no better challenge than saving the world from utter chaos. And no better challenger than you."

  "The manling admitted all of that? Are you lying... You should know I strongly dislike liars... More so than disrespectful people."

  "Strong. Yes, he did say the exact word. And if I may add, quick-witted as well."

  "You're starting to sound like a person I like to be my friend, mistress Jurah... But you're weirdly respectful even for me. Too respectful. Makes me want to think that you're compensating for something."

  "I am merely doing what is right. I am only saying what is true. And-"

  "The thing about right and wrong is it's a problematic notion. Maybe this world needs changing. And what makes you think we'll be doing what's right and not what's selfish. You and I are buruhisans, we gain more with the gate's opening. And I kinda like magic... after all, I serve the devata of the arcane."

  "Tikum also said you'd say that. And that you'll walk away after. So, he said that you should do this because-"

  "Because?"

  "You owe him. He told me that he saved you from a minokawa. He said, you will lie about it and insist that he didn't save you. But Tikum said... He did!"

  "Hahaha. What else did the manling say?"

  "He said, it would be better if you come with me and talk to the sisters of Raguet as soon as possible."

  "Not really convincing as he thinks it is. But I have one question before I decide..."

  "I will try to answer it as best as I could, Lady Usong."

  "I'm not the easiest to track. Your journey must've been ardous. So, how did you find me, puyang?"

  The ati was caught off-guard by her last word but continued on.

  "This..." Jurah handed her the wakwak stone.

  Si-an Usong lit up. "Oh, my... I guess you are telling the truth about Tikum." She inspected the magical artifact. "This could track anything that's not trying to hide with magic. Very helpful in finding lost things too." She smiled. "I guess, I'll need to pay the manling back."

  "Thank you. I'll introduce you to our other companions."

  Jurah paused as their other party members approached them. Dressed in a green-dyed malong with a moon and a sun pattern covering it, the babaylan walked towards them with the magnanimity that afforded her social rank. Her long and gray hair was neatly braided and held tight together by a head-wrap made of blue and black beads of varying sizes. Over all, she would have commanded a very imposing facade but a nasty purple bruise covered the side of her eye, making her wince every time she relaxed her face.

  "Is it settled?" Karas met them, face in a deep scowl as though she just endured a very heavy bout of drinking and was now doing her best to face the hang-over that entailed most fun sessions with a barrel of basi. "We've takin' too much time already." She adjusted the gilded rings on her wrist before crossing her arms and turning her head to the last member of their party. "We have to go now, Tihol."

  And by a glance, Tihol contrasted Karas' imperious aura as the warrior casually walked with a piece of roasted chicken on one hand and dragging a lacquered kalasag on the other (strangely enough, the shield was shaped like a bird's feathered-wing). Karas' sister, a renowned bagani on her own right, also sported various nicks and scratches herself.

  A full-set of jet-black lamellar bone armor reminiscent of that of the Horohan guards faithful only to the Makaporos nga Datuk of Madia-as protected Tihol's broad chest and muscled shoulders. She also had a variety of armaments; a fire-hardened bankaw here, a kampilan with an ivory handle, a normal flail and a very old longbow there... all haphazardly strapped on the bagani's back.

  Si-an Usong smiled at the two. "Don't worry... Mount Loan isn't going anywhere," she said, pointing in the distance at the mountain peak that pierced through the whitest clouds they had ever seen. "And we'll all have a chance at saving the world. Bash some gadlumanon skulls and all that."

  "Hmmm. This'll be fun," Tihol said to her sister after eyeing the new-comer. The babaylan was about to scold her when she raise a hand to halt her sister. "I am ready, okay?" The bagani quickly took and slung a helmet on her head made of some great beast's bleached skull, genuinely looking like the infamous Butcher of Buglas. "I've been itching for a fight. I guess it'll be with gadlumanons then?"

  Si-an Usong smiled at her. "You sound like someone I'll like to be with... if I was in a pinch."

  "Yeah? Name's Tihol by the way." She offered her bandaged hand. "So, you're fighting with us?"

  Si-an Usong smiled and shook the bagani's hand. "Usong. Si-an Usong." She then offered her empty hand to shake Karas' but the shaman was not having any of it. "Okay... Not sure about fighting just yet." She turned back to the bagani. "So, you're Tikum's friend too?"

  "Who the fuck is he?"

  "Exactly!" Si-an Usong brightened.

  Tihol scratched her helmeted head and smiled when she realized her mistake. "Been hearing his name and I still don't know why I should give a fuck about him. I don't really know... His name sounds familiar though-"

  Karas growled at Jurah, cutting Tihol and Usong's conversation off. "When this is over... I get to do whatever I want with the sorceress! And nothin' will stop me. Even you, Jurah of the Og clan!" She pointed a finger on the ati. "You might have nursed my sister and I to health, but the manghihiwit will kneel before me when we meet again."

  Jurah felt a pang of worry clung to her heart. For now, both the sisters of Raguet still had their memories scrambled. But snippets of them were coming back, especially those with strong emotional attachments. Soon enough, they would remember everything. And that did not bode well for the thief, Tikum Kadlum. The ati hoped it would not complicate their plans to save Ukok. Time was already running out for them as it is.

  "Sure," Si-an Usong answered as sh walk passed her. "But better check it with the gadlumanons first. They prolly wouldn't budge off that easily".

  Karas followed her with her dagger stare, grumbling about the haughty woman.

  "You must be the baylanon." Si-an Usong gave her a courteous nod and the fakest smile she could muster (that one smile you plaster on your face when you want to strangle someone after). "A bit grumpy and a bit too young. But damn... I can sense that you're just like me." She gave her a grin when she noticed the shaman's face twitch. "An emissary of the devatas and a very strong buruhisan as well."

  The babaylan sighed. "I don't know why we had to stop for you," she said. "But I hope you won't waste our time anymore."

  Jurah walked between the two. "Pardon me, but we must do it now, Lady Usong." She pointed at Mount Laon a few thousand leagues away from them as a pillar of light shot-out from the side of the volcanic mount, clearing the thick mist around it and impaling the heavens. The wind burst around the immense column of energy, whipping the trees near Mount Laon and sending a tremor underfoot.

  "Ah... shit!" Si-an Usong spat and took out Silver Fin from her side. "So, this is the company Tikum keeps?" She shook her head. "Say, one thing about Tikum fucking Kadlum, say he really did it this time."

  The puyang, babaylan, and bagani shaded their eyes as a radiant flash brighter than Liadlaw's divine light pulsed from the pillar of energy in Mount Laon.

  Karas turned to Jurah. "Do you feel that too?"

  "Very much so, Lady Karas."

  "Even this far."

  "Yes, it is, after all, one of the God Gates," Si-an Usong said as she turned her back from the light, knelt down. "Tikum's really a moron for letting it come to this point. I guess, I'll need to pull his ass out of trouble this time," she whispered something as she wrote symbols with her knife. "Good thing... I have a few new tricks off my sleeve."

  With one fluid motion, the devata's emissary tore through space and time with the Living blade called Silver Fin held firm on her hand. "Let's show our friends what new things you learned!" she said to the weapon as it whirred to life.