“All set! Ready to go!”

“Wait. You’re leaving already?”

“Yup!” Triggs’ sister answered as she zipped her big suitcase. “I’ll just take a shower, then I’ll leave after.”

“I thought your flight was tomorrow?”

"Yes! My flight is 10 AM tomorrow, Triggs. 10 AM!” the sister replied. “I need to be at the airport as early as 6 AM, so I need to stay in a hotel near NAIA*.”

“6 AM!? Why do you need to be that early!?”

“Triggs! You’re acting like you’re not a Filipino! We may be late for everything else, but never for our flight! And besides, you know Metro Manila - a mere 5-kilometer trip can easily turn into a 3-hour adventure!”

“You’re right,” Triggs realized. “The traffic there is an absolute nightmare.”

“Now, you get me,” the sister replied. “By the way, where are you going, Triggs?”

“I’ll just head to a nearby Sari-Sari Store* to buy something.”

“Okay! Just make sure to return before I leave, okay?”

Triggs nodded his head.

After that, he walked out of the house and went straight to a nearby mini convenience store.

“Hello!? Is someone there!?” Triggs yelled at the front of the store. “Pabili po! [May I buy something, please?]” he yelled again.

Not long after, the store owner came to assist Triggs.

“Oh, Hey!” the owner greeted. “Well, you came just in time. I was just getting ready to close the store. By the way, what do you need?”

“Uhm… Do you still have Red Oars Beer?”

“Oohh, having fun tonight? How many do you need?”

“Uhm… I need 1 case of 1-liter Bottles.”

“Okay. I got you, Buddy.”

The store owner went to the storage room of the store. A while later, he returned with the case.

“Here it is, Bud. I chose the cold ones for you.”

“Thanks! But uhm… Can you wrap something around it? I - I just don’t want to…”

“Wait a minute!” the store owner uttered just before Triggs could finish talking. “Are you still a minor!?”

Defensively, Triggs replied. “No! I’m already 20!”

“Then why do you want me to cover it?”

“Uhm… I just don’t want my sister to…… You know what? Nevermind. How much is it?”

“750 Pesos.”

“Here,” Triggs uttered as he gave the owner a 1,000 Peso Bill.

The owner returned the change.

Triggs grabbed the case. “Thanks po,” he uttered before leaving the store.

A while later, Triggs finally reached the front door of their house. Before entering, he had to stick his head in the gap of the door to check if his sister was in the living room.

“All clear.”

Triggs carefully sneaked in like a mouse trying not to be discovered by a cat. He successfully reached his room without his sister noticing him.

“Damn it, Kuya Otto. Why do I have to do this for you?” he uttered under his shaky breath.

He slid the case of beers under his bed. He then waited for his sister to bid farewell.

Not soon after, someone knocked at the room’s door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Triggs! I’m about to leave.”

Triggs opened the door to talk to his sister.

“Hey, Ate.”

“My Taxi is already waiting outside. I’m about to go now.”

“Oh, okay! Let me help you with your bags,” Triggs offered.

Triggs assisted his sister outside their house. The taxi is already waiting there. Triggs helped put the luggage inside the car. After that,

“I’ll send a message once at the hotel. Okay, Triggs?”

“Sure.”

Triggs’ sister couldn’t enter the taxi; she stared at his brother worriedly.

“Do you want me to say a long-ass farewell message or what?” Triggs joked.

“Triiiiggss…. Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”

Stolen story; please report.

“I told you, Ate, I’ll be alright. Don’t spoil your vacation worrying about me.”

“Okay! Just don’t forget to update me every night. A simple call will do,” the sister said.

Suddenly, she changed her mind, “Never mind! I’m going to call you every night. Make sure to answer it.”

Triggs sighed. “Okay, okay! Whatever makes you at ease.”

“Thanks, Triggs! I’m about to go now.”

“That’s the second time you told me that,” Triggs joked again.

“I’m sorry,” the sister said after a short giggle. “See you, Triggs!” she uttered as she entered the taxi.

“Bye, Ate!”

The Taxi finally left.

Triggs went back to his room. He brought out the case of beers under his bed. Then, he grabbed a notebook from his drawer.

The paper rustled like leaves as Triggs flipped the notebook pages, trying to find an inscription in it.

“Found it.”

He moved a few steps backward to make a clear space.

“UNO MODO ITERUM!” he chanted.

A portal opened inside the room.

Triggs grabbed the case and without further ado, he stepped into the portal.

Once again, he was transported to the middle of the garden, beside the Hanziel Tree.

Otto was already there, waiting for Triggs.

“Yow, Man! Nice to see you again!” Otto greeted. “Hey. Sorry if you can only use a One-Time Incantation. Don’t worry, someday you’ll get to use a real Word.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Triggs replied. “By the way, I brought what you asked for!”

Triggs handed over the case to Otto.

“Nice, nice! Thanks, Man! You’re the best!” Otto said. “So, are you ready now?”

“Yes. Where are we heading to?”

“Just follow me.”

“Okay.”

They walked through the hallway until they reached the other plaza. Facing the Central Door, Triggs and Otto went to the door at the leftmost part.

Soon as they stepped foot in front of the entrance, the door magically opened, revealing a spacious chamber inside.

Otto and Triggs entered the room.

Triggs set his gaze on the left side of the room, there he saw different kinds of weapons in all shapes and sizes. Swords, spears, daggers, clubs, maces - everything was neatly displayed on a crystal rack.

On the right side were equipment - different armors, helms, and pauldrons were aligned fashionably.

Moving his sight forward, Triggs saw large crystals aligned horizontally at the very end of the room. As they moved closer, Triggs noticed something inside each crystal.

“Are those?”

In front of them was a collection of monsters encased in the crystals. Each of the monsters was displayed in different poses and they were arranged like they were collectible action figures.

“Cool, right? That’s our collection,” Otto boasted. “By the way, welcome to the arsenal. Everything battle-related, we keep it in here.”

“Oh, I see…” Triggs mumbled. He is still occupied by the display of creatures in front of him.

“Did you slay all of these?”

“Yup,” Otto answered as he put down the case of beers in a corner. “Those are the creatures we fought throughout the years.”

“Cool,” Triggs’ reaction.

“Come, look at this,” Otto urged Triggs. He was pointing a particular creature at the leftmost side of the collection.

Triggs went to see what Otto was referring to.

“It’s called a Kimat,” Otto said.

“It looks like a regular white dog to me,” Triggs replied. He was describing a dog-like creature that looks like a Pomeranian with an uncurled tail.

“Oho! Don’t be fooled! That boy gave us a tough battle!” Otto stated. “That creature - if it gets angry, will transform into a dire wolf the size of 5 Dobermans!”

Triggs was intrigued.

“Not only that! It could even summon a thunderstorm just by howling, and a single bark can produce devastating shockwaves!” Otto narrated like a drunk uncle boasting about his experiences at a children’s party.

“I believe that might be a bit of an exaggeration,” Triggs’ comment.

Otto scratched his head and uttered, “Ahh… Yes. I just made that up. But seriously, that creature can emit electrical charges. That’s why we had a hard time defeating it.”

“Still… very cool,” Triggs replied.

“You can see the other creatures we slayed here; we have the Tiyanaks, Wakwaks, Berberokas, Manananggals…” Otto stated as he walked Triggs along the display of creatures.

Triggs noticed something, “I think something is still missing.”

“And that’s the reason why I asked you to buy me those beers,” Otto responded.

Otto then walked towards the messy part of the room where things were somewhat cluttered in one area. He returned to Triggs with a big sack on his shoulder.

Otto dropped the sack on the floor. Out rolled the head of the Oeproa.

Triggs was amazed to see the creature still fresh and moving, “It’s still alive?”

“Yes. But it won’t last long,” Otto replied. “We need to preserve it with my crystal before it starts to rot.”

Triggs agreed. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Nah. I brought you here just to observe. Just sit back and relax.”

Otto went to the cluttered area again, then he returned with a big clay pot. He removed the body of Oeproa from the sack and put it inside the pot, together with the head.

Without further ado, Otto started his ritual.

2 bottles of Red Oars Beer were grabbed from the case. Using his teeth, he removed the metal cap of the bottle. He poured the liquid inside the pot until the bottles were empty.

“I think 2 bottles are enough,” Otto uttered. “We need to wait for 3 hours. It’s part of the process.”

Triggs nodded his head.

Otto grabbed another beer, opened it, and drank it for himself.

“Hey! You can get one too,” Otto offered.

Triggs politely declined, “Thanks. But I don’t think I will.”

“You don’t drink?”

“Occasionally, but unlike before, I now do it just for fun.” Triggs explained, “Back then, I used to be a heavy drinker because alcohol was my only escape. I used it to avoid my problems, hoping it would drown them down.”

A drastic change of mood happened inside the room after that.

For a moment, Otto became silent, staring at the empty corner of the room while sipping his beer.

Moments later,

“Hey. How about we have a duel while we are waiting?”

“Huh!? Why so sudden!?”

“Come on! You are now part of this group. And as a member, we need to know if you’re reliable in battle.”

Triggs was not prepared for the challenge.

“How about this - to make it fair, I won’t use any Word in our battle. I will also let you choose which weapon I’ll use.”

“Well, thanks for the handicap,” Triggs replied. He was a bit hesitant. But like the stubborn man that he was, he accepted the challenge anyway.