8.4 FLYING FLOCK

  Tikum was battered, hanging on to consciousness, but he suddenly smiled, eyes looking beyond his foe's visage. Sri Kihod noticed it and turned in time to see a winged-creature half his size, swoop down on him with outstretch claws. The sorcerer-king dropped Tikum's barely conscious body as he tried his best to shield himself from the raking talons of his attacker. But it would not stop with one strike. Whatever it was, it was strong and made of magic. It moved with viciousness, circling and swiping at Sri Kihod, lashing at his face, his chest, his back, his arms. But it was not the actions of an indiscriminate wild beast. It attacked with purpose, striking at his points of weakness.

  Sri Kihod fought the darting menace off, only seeing glimpses of it. It was too fast even for him. All he knew was it looked like a bird-of-prey with a woman's face. A familiar face. He roared. It was Amburukay. With her four avian wings, she lifted Sri Kihod up, talons tightly gripping on his muscled neck. It was strategic– careful to silence him. Sri Kihod growled, unable to unleash a spell. He struggled to free himself. Whatever he was now, his foe knew he still felt pain and she would make him feel more of it.

  Down below, Tikum struggled up, hand still bleeding. "Arrogant fool, I was just distracting you," he spat the words at his former master. "Holding you down till Ambu arrive... I know I can't stand toe to toe against you. Huh. But she can! Have fun with her…" He staggered up, eyeing Ukok.

  As he uttered the last word, Ambu spread her wings, straining at the immense weight of the struggling monster. Tikum was not exactly right. Yes, she could stand against Sri Kihod but fights were not all about raw power. After all, it was not the strong, nor the swift that triumph in all affairs in Vijayas, it always went down as to who was cunning and sly enough to get what he wants before the others do. As they clashed, the sorcerer-king pried and broke one of her talon, freeing his neck. But before their master could open his mouth for a spell, she spun and loosened her grip, sending the misshapen creature down the ground. She drew her concentration to one point, and let loose a ball of chaos towards Sri Kihod's core. A loud boom punctuated his crash as his momentum carved out a shallow ditch. But Sri Kihod quickly sprung up, deciding to fight her former pupil strength to strength– not knowing that Amburukay's transmogrified form was not a mesh-mash of parts. The Lady of the Darkest Night would not repeat Asog Kalibutdan's mistake with Salak in Raguet. Amburukay was drastically different from the old shaman's creation. She was built with intention. She was built to win and she had only one purpose at that very moment.

  Jurah came to Tikum's side, doing her best to help him while the others surrounded Sri Kihod.

  "Are you okay?" the ati woman said.

  "This is just a scratch…"

  "You could've waited a little longer for us."

  "I didn't exactly know if you were coming or not…" he said, face pallid and covered in rivulets of sweat. "I'm glad our little gamble worked."

  She inspected his injury. "Okay, it doesn't look that bad. But it could've been worse." She grunted as he dragged him away, placing him near a grouping of rocks thrice bigger than both of them. "You'll live though."

  He nodded back as the puyang took out something from her satchel. "Lucky as they come, I guess."

  Jurah whispered a prayer before attending to him. The medicine she cobbled up wasn't the most potent, but it would have to do.

  "This'll hurt, okay–"

  Tikum screamed in pain before she can finish. A few breaths later, he gritted his teeth as Jurah hastily bandaged his wound.

  "Hey, don't close your eyes. You need to be awake, Tikum. Were not exactly on safer ground and you lost too much blood. Mistress Usong!" She called out. But Si-an Usong was busy with Sri Kihod to even spare a glance. Jurah turned back. "We need to take you away, Tikum."

  He shook his head. "I need to rescue Ukok first."

  "You're not clearly in shape to do that and Mistress Usong said, the Living blade was having a hard time cutting through this space." She gestured at Gadlum in its entirety.

  "So, it learned something new?"

  Jurah nodded, catching what he meant. "It can open doorways, but she told us Silver Fin only works within the Human realm. As long as we're connected it would work. So, it is in our best interest to leave as soon as we get Ukok, if the Bone Gates closes on us we'll be stuck here for good. Not even a living blade from any other devata could help us. Wait, where is she?" Jurah tried to look for her, but she was no longer there.

  "They followed you?" Tikum said, getting a better look at Tihol and Karas.

  "Yes." Jurah nodded. "Not exactly how you planned it. But they did. Princess Mendang's soldiers should be at the foot of Mount Laon as well. We couldn't fetch them all using Usong's portal, but they've been marching since I left to find Usong." Her words were cut off as Tikum succumbed to unconsciousness. Jurah slapped him gently on the face. "Hey, hey... Don't do that again. Keep talking to me."

  "I need to free Ukok."

  "Yes. Yes, you will. Now, I need you to press this down. Can you do that?"

  "Huh. Like I have a choice." He groaned as she staunched his bleeding hand. Then Jurah blew a pinch of fine black powder straight to his nose, making him wince as it went straight to his system, numbing most of the pain in his body in a span of a second.

  "Just don't let go," she said. "I'll be back, okay? I'll be close. I just need to prepare the spirit-calling ritual, so I could help you out of here. Do you understand? Stay awake, okay?"

  Tikum nodded, closing his eyes the moment Jurah started her magical summoning.

  Amburukay readied herself for the final blow, seeing the closest stone spire to drop and skewer the sorcerer-king. She had to end things now. No more talk. No more chance for Sri Kihod. She would swoop down and throw him to his death. But as she flew higher to gain more momentum, the sorcerer-king won the struggle between them, freeing himself. With hands suddenly glowing green with witch-light, he attacked. A second later, she felt a concussive blow that sent her crashing down the ruins.

  Sri Kihod, on the other hand, landed on the ground, hands and feet digging through Gadlum's lifeless earth. "A magical bracelet?" He studied the thing that fell away from Amburukay, eyeing it a second longer. It fed on chaos– no use for someone like him. He smiled before turning the black tikbalang's mane into embers with a fiery breath. "You should have not forgotten your discipline, Amburukay. I would not have had the chance. That could've easily have been the end of me. If only you were more precise."

  In the dust and debris, Amburukay staggered up, flexing her wings. Her transformation still held up, but she felt weakened after losing one of the magical relics. Not an ideal situation for her. She took her time, nursing her injuries.Or those she was aware of. There was no use in letting impulse dictate her actions. Not in this situation. After all, this was going to be a long day no matter what. She shifted her weight and felt pain in her abdomen and when she tried to move again, she instead spat out blood. Not a good sign at all. She cursed, tasting the lapping tongues of defeat. But this was not over yet. No, she told herself. Not even close.

  "And who are these people, my pupil?" Sri Kihod said, watching other women stand defiantly against him.

  They were a motley crew, but he was sure they were strong. He could taste it in their aura. One of them was even favored by the many gods of Vijayas. While the other smelled of a devata. Or perhaps a demi-god's quintessence. Something of that nature. He smiled with all his teeth. It must be a living blade, he guessed. Things had suddenly began to complicate as the group slowly closed in on him, undaunted by his malicious presence.

  "They're here to cut the head of the snake," Amburukay answered, steadying himself. "They're here to stop you, my dear master."

  "And you're here to lead them? Have I not taught you a lesson before? What I took once… I can take again. Our first encounter was just a playful gesture to let you see the difference between the flea from the dog." Sri Kihod smiled. "But if you persist, then you shall be the final lesson." He swiftly sent a thin needle-rod beam of magic at the witch. Amburukay barely dodged away from it. Behind her, a blinding flash followed by a huge explosion that tore through the ruins, decimating the gadlumanons hiding behind them.

  "Again, why are you here?" he said.

  "I'm here to fight an asshole. And I think I'm winning."

  "More and more, you sound like Tikum." Sri Kihod laughed, as he conjured a new magical shield. He admired its protective glow. He was right about the tapol. It still had its limitations, like all things. It could only nullify magic for a short span. And that was all he needed.

  "This will be fun!"

  In a split second, he noticed that the rest also sported them. Tikum and Amburukay must have thought this through. It was hard to find the ingredients to make a tapol na tawas after all. It was admirable, but it was not enough to halt his purpose. Nothing would. All he needed to do was avoid them– attack from the distance and disarm them swiftly. Then, the rest would be easy.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Fight you say?" he said, turning to Amburukay. "Why do that when you could join me? I have seen the future. Under my tutelage years ago, I have hinted you of an age without magic. A time when all buruhisans are powerless. A time when even the strongest of us... bow down to weaker men. It will be a time of danger for all humanity when that day comes. Worst things than the gadlumanons will assail us. But I shall resist that future! We can still do it, Amburukay. I can teach you how to save us. I know the way. All you need is to follow."

  She gritted her teeth. "Work your words of enticement on someone else! I'm here to take my daughter back. You could either give way. Or you shall be made a part of it."

  "Are we not of the same blood. Do they not know?" Sri Kihod addressed everyone within hearing distance. "Are you not all buruhisans?" He addressed everyone, chin raised high. "Are we not the stronger race? Will this blindness of yours not be lifted? Could you not see the benefits of my actions? Benefits you'll soon reap if you just let me help you."

  Amburukay flew up again, slinging a couple of hex at Sri Kihod and hitting her master straight on. But the arcane barrier he manifested was a lot stronger than she thought. It only drowned most of the power, turning it into a counter-attack of his own. Magic rebounded back at Ambu, slowing her reflexes down. As she flew away to regroup, her former teacher masterfully weaved another stronger hex of his own, flinging it at Amburukay.

  She weaved away from it, flying low and trying his best to avoid both the incantation and the ruins in front of her. But as she expertly maneuvered through the maze. The spell unfolded like shards of glass, expanding like a net to envelope her, ultimately binding her wings and grounding her forcefully. She crashed in a heap of stone and rubble.

  "I'll kill you!" Amburukay screamed as she struggled to free herself from her master's spell. This was it for her. Helpless, Sri Kihod would finally impart his final lesson to her. She eyed Ukok above them, enclosed on a crimson crystal of pure magic. This was not how it should end. She whispered a curse. "I'll kill you over and over again if you hurt my daughter!"

  "It's less threatening if you're on the verge of defeat." Sri Kihod approached her, but he stopped midway, seeing something come for him at the corner of his eye. He raised a hand to wave off a pair of conjured gauntlets from Karas, deflecting the momentum of the gilded fists and sending them spiraling up one of the Gate's pillar. He turned his attention to the gray-haired woman, who stood above a fractured monument.

  "Know your place!" he said before breathing out fire at the babaylan's direction.

  Only a quickly conjured magical shield from her patron devata of the wind saved Karas from the fiery stream coming out of Sri Kihod's maw. The arcane barrier funneled the fire away from the babaylan, giving her an opening for a counter spell against the monstrous manghihiwit. But it was a mere distraction. Just a ploy to be exploited. Sri Kihod closed the gap between them, snatching away the tapol na tawas from Karas before she could call her gods. He raised his hand, but quickly halted as Amburukay broke away from her magical binding. Exploiting the opportunity given by the babaylan, the manghihiwit broke free and sent a spell of her own. The black lightning zig-zagged towards her former master, but this time it only struck the ground where the sorcerer-king stood, unbalancing Sri Kihod and making him miss Karas.

  "Wait your turn, woman!" he said as he conjured a black obsidian spear. "We will continue your lesson after I end your friends' lives."

  "She's not my friend," Karas said.

  "Silence," the sorcerer-king answered, as he sent the spear-like hex arching down, striking the ruins just before Amburukay. The place shook as the distilled magic inside it created a powerful explosion that blew the Lady of the Darkest Night away, leaving a huge burning crater behind her. Sri Kihod tried to follow through and do the same thing to the babaylan, but Karas was already up in the air, thrown by her sister Tihol.

  With her vantage point, the babaylan called forth levin bolts to pin the Lord of the Manghihiwits in place. The smell of burnt air followed the white flash that came down all over the sorcerer's body. Sri Kihod staggered to a halt, a pained look covering her face.

  "You do not tell me what to do, manghihiwit," Karas said as she landed in front of the master of sorcerers, crackling lightning flowing around her. "A man playing like the gods? Blasphemy! You should know your place!" Her voice transcended that of a mortal's tone with every word she uttered. "Kneel before the devatas!" she said with finality.

  "Oh, I know my place already," Sri Kihod whispered. "And it is to secure the greater good. Always the greater good for our kind. And now, yes, I will crush those who oppose me. All of my enemies shall fear my name. And you will be my example."

  Karas nodded. "Then, it is settled… Your place is on Sulad. I pity you fool. May the death-god welcome you with his eternal embrace." She extended her hands, letting tongues of electricity extend towards the manghihiwit's exposed neck. "Do you have any last words, pretender!?"

  She lashed at the sorcerer-king with a chain-whip made of coursing energy from the devatas. Sri Kihod was sent reeling as her electrifying magic wound around him, sending him to the ground with its successive pulse. She expected him to plead, to cower, to surrender, but his face did not betray any emotion. He only eyed her as though he was mildly irritated. As though she was nothing but a gnat waiting to be squished.

  "You all fight for the wrong reasons," Sri Kihod intoned, not even trying to free himself from the magic binding him. "Long have we acted as guides for the unworthy when we should have led! You know what I mean!" He eyed Karas. "Always secondary figures… carefully bred as tools and expertly purged if out of line. All untapped potential. All distorted by expectations. All controlled and yoked by responsibilities that we should have cast away a long time ago. I can give you the freedom that only power can give." He dispelled the levin bolts with mere brute force. "Today I can do that. Today you could too."

  Karas took a step and fled away from Sri Kihod the moment he manifested a black spear made of chaos energy on his hands. The sorcerer-king smiled, watching the babaylan flee for cover. "Running. Always an excellent strategy."

  "Totally agree!" Si-an Usong agreed as she looked down from a portal a hundred feet above Sri Kihod with hands akimbo. As the sorcerer-king looked up, Si-an Usong opened another portal beside her, dropping a gargantuan boulder ten times the size of the misshapen manghihiwit. It fell down on Sri Kihod, sending dust and debris up high.

  "Did you all miss me?" Si-an Usong smirked, spinning Silver Fin on her hand and admiring her own handiwork. "I guess he's not as strong as you'll thought–" Her words were cut off as a staff of light made of black energy, pierced through the dust and straight to Halmista's emissary.

  Only her instinct saved Si-an Usong from the hex as she closed the portal where she was perched. Then, with her Living blade, she opened a dozen doors in space around the massive bulk of the sorcerer-king. This was her trump card and she knew that what she was about to do couldn't be stopped by even the most powerful buruhisan. She opened a couple more portals just to be sure, straining herself in the process.

  The minokawa taught her this lesson. She knew that risking things in a face to face battle would only result in her quick defeat. So, like a wily monkey, she attacked and fled from Sri Kihod using the portals, dashing, leaping and slashing at him from the various rifts in space.

  "We are not mere lackeys of the gods," the sorcerer-king said, sending a concussive blow around him to halt Si-an Usong in place for a short span. Then, he closed his eyes as his foe restarted her assault, using unpredictability as her main weapon. "We are more than that," he added a smile edging his lips.

  In a short amount of time, he weaved and spun a spell with his clawed hands. He would not catch the woman with a Living blade even if he was faster. No. She was clearly used to fighting stronger and faster foes than her. He smiled again. But she has yet to fight someone like Sri Kihod.

  The sorcerer-king stooped low. "We should not be lesser... when in truth, we can equal them, given time even surpass those fools," he said as he read the pattern of attacks that Si-an Usong made. "We are stronger, for we do not have to seek weaklings to kneel before us. All we need is to stand together! All the buruhisans together! And we shall topple the devatas in time! The unworthy will see this. And they will tremble. We will rise, only if you let me! We, the buruhisans! We can reach the heights of the heavens. Together!"

  With his final word, the sorcerer-king unleashed a hundred serpentine tendrils, shattering the portals around him and catching Si-an Usong by the neck as she tried to cut his head with her devata-instilled blade. With his inhuman strength, he smashed her down the ground, giving her no chance to conjure another portal for escape. Seeing, the tapol na tawas on her on her, he quickly destroyed it with another quick hex.

  He smiled, looming over Si-an Usong. This was going to be his first kill. "Time to meet your master, slave!" Sri Kihod extended his clawed hand over his foe but before he could crush the life out of her a couple of arrows struck his face, barely penetrating his scaly features. His demeanor shifted, turning dour as one of them drew a bead of blood. He turned towards his attacker, eyes full of fury.

  "Ah, thought you'd have a tougher skin. I guess, you could paint me as mildly disappointed," Tihol said, preparing to let loose another set of arrows from her longbow. She had already circled him, positioning the babaylan on Sri Kihod's blind-spot and letting her sister recover to fight again.

  Tihol's eyes narrowed at her target, bow perfectly aimed at the sorcerer-king. "I may not have magic. But my aim's as good as any bagani." She fired her arrows, hitting him with one right in the shoulder.

  "I do not doubt you," Sri Kihod said. "I feel that your are strong, too." He took and broke the arrow embedded on his tough skin. "So, I offer you this as well… Take the step with me and we shall define strength anew! We shall use it to take back what we have slowly lost. Lend me your ears. Open your hearts. Let my intention come to pass. And I shall have a place for you in the rebirth of the Age of Magic! My lieutenants, my warriors, my guardians! You shall be my left hand if it pleases you. As I create, you shall destroy. What say, you warrior?"

  "Nah, I don't negotiate with monsters." Tihol let her arrows fly again.

  "Sure," he answered, striking her down with one single beam of chaos energy.

  The bagani's perch exploded into black dust, sending her flying and crashing back to the scattered monoliths around them. Before Sri Kihod could gloat, a soul-searing light landed with impact behind him. Then, something viciously grabbed him from behind, pinning him down. He struggled against the being made of pure energy, straining at its force as he tried to stand back.

  He glared at it. "A Taglugar?" His muscles tensed in effort. "An interesting and mildly surprising development." He smiled. Amburukay and her friends were all full of surprises.

  With his brute strength, Sri Kihod staggered the Taglugar back, elbowing it with one of his limbs. But the nature spirit was relentless, holding him back in place and hitting him with a couple of well-placed strikes.

  "Halt this nonsense!" Jurah said, standing in the distance, trying her best to anchor the god-spirit down the shadow realm. "You foretell change. You speak of blindness. You shout out unity. But do you not see that your change will bring destruction to the innocent too! That it'll bring them death. That it will divide us more!"

  "If you cannot see," Sri Kihod said, straining to free himself from the Taglugar. "If you refuse even in defeat. Then, consider what I have said before your spirit leave your mortal shells behind. You will be forgotten. When the pillars that bound us are broken… When the arcane triumphs… When the Bone Gates are torn asunder–"

  "Oh, shut up!" Jurah said as her summon swung its fist at the Lord of the Manghihiwit. It caught Sri Kihod on the jaw, knocking down the proud sorcerer-king flat to the ground.