Narration: Fei
As the fight between different squads ensues, the aswang lieutenant and I fly overhead while she barks orders on her communicator. I could see an immediate effect as some aswang paused from the fighting hearing new orders. Some are confused but ultimately retreat from their opponents. The tikbalang are taken aback by the retreat but nonetheless take the opportunity to destroy the undead and extract the bombs from all over the city.
We see the sky distort around an area of the city. As we closely enter, Dalisay stops.
“I know this spell. Herodotus traps his victims before he claims them by cutting off the area to a different level of reality.”
“How do we get in?”
“You don’t.”
I pause and think for a moment. “Can you turn on your communicator?”
Dalisay pauses in confusion, but she decides to follow my request. She turns on her device and I enter it and disappear back into the Static.
Narration: Riz
Finn and I fight off the undead while we take cover behind the Jeepney from the fire breath attacks of the maneater. Herodotus then draws a twisted twin-barrel shotgun with leech-like protrusions and fires green shrapnel at the Jeepney causing it to rock back.
Finn looks at me, “How tough is this jeepney?”
“Tough enough to survive most anti-vehicle munitions.”
“How did your uncle---?”
“Don’t ask. Gives me a headache.”
“I am going to recall my spear. Hopefully, Fei has reached her point by now.”
Finn calls upon his spear which ports back to his hand.
He throws it through the Jeepney window at Herodotus’ shotgun, destroying it.
The beast roars as he slams his staff on the ground creating a green shockwave that pushes everything even the Jeepney away. Finn retrieves his spear and resists the attack. He charges at Herodotus and they spar with long-range polearms.
I get on the Jeepney and activate its defense system by pushing some buttons. The Jeepney’s hidden guns fire at the undead devastating them.
Finn starts getting the upper hand on Herodotus now attacking more aggressively at him.
The beast yells, “YOU. PERISH. NOW. HIBERNIAN!”
“I am not the one losing the fight.”
Finn jabs his spear into Herodotus’ side and wounds him.
The maneater roars and ports away into his last undead minion. It explodes as he reappears. Herodotus channels all the corpses nearby, activating their implants causing them to detonate. The bodies disintegrate, but a torrent of green energy motes starts getting absorbed by him. He starts becoming bulkier and even more monstrous from his transformation.
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Finn hurls his spear at the monster. It bounces off of him. Finn is caught by surprise as he gains his spear back.
“Am I losing this fight now?”
“Finn? Any more ideas?”
“Kinda tough to think in the heat of the moment.”
As Herodotus advances, I try to fire the Jeepney’s weapons at the monster but they bounce off of him as well.
Finn slowly backs up as Herodotus prepares for a fiery attack from his maw.
“I feast in glory,” he arrogantly declares.
Suddenly, I see the TV screen on the Jeepney explode as Fei bursts out to stand with us ready for battle. “Took you long enough.”
“How are you both fairing?”
Finn replies, “Not great.”
The maneater shoots green flames yet again. I port sideways, while Finn slams his spear to make his light shield. Fei phases through the flames and rushes to Herodotus. That’s some guts right there.
The Maneater attempts to slam Fei with his burning fists. He misses and Fei slides underneath the monster. She turns and jumps on his back, where she phases her arm through his body...and rips out his heart. Goddamn. The maneater coughs acidic blood, as he stumbles. Fei jumps off until he twists his body 180 degrees and grabs her. He throws her at a car, which she phases through but ends up becoming corporeal and smashes into an electronics store.
“Fuck, didn’t she rip out his heart? Does he have more?” I thought to myself.
The maneater stands up and rushes me. I try to port behind, but he twists once more. I port back to the front again. Suddenly, his back opens up with a mouth and shoots more green flames. I teleport to the side but he swiftly does a sweeping kick that I am too slow to dodge. I can’t believe I just said that. I trip and fall.
The maneater attempts to step on me, but Finn attacks him from behind catching his attention. I see Fei walking out with her torn hoodie holding a plasma screen TV monitor. She runs to us. The maneater claws at Finn who blocked his assaults with his spear.
Fei rushes by Finn to Herodotus. She dodges his burning attacks and jumps into his maw whose mouth is erupting in green fire. Though on fire herself, Fei touches the screen of the TV to activate what seems to be a portal. The beast tries to close his jaws on Fei with some of the teeth cutting into her body. She concentrates as she contorts into the TV.
Herodotus goes wide-eyed when he contorts as the TV inside his jaws causes him to be sucked into it. He and Fei disappear entirely with only a wrecked TV screen falling to the ground.
I could only say, “Holy Shit.”
Finn yells, “Fei!”
We ran to the wrecked TV. I notice the sky warping back to normal.
Finn frantically tries to turn on the TV but to no avail. I sigh and put my hand on his shoulder.
“Sorry about Fei,” I said.
We both remain silent until my phone starts ringing.
I answered my phone. “Can I call you back, I am in the middle of…”
The phone explodes as Fei in a mangled and wounded state reappears from the phone landing on me. She then throws up. Happy to see her back but does she have to do that? “Eugh.”
Finn goes to hug Fei in her messed up state. “Reckless again, Lass…”
Fei shrugs while she slowly tries to re-adjust herself. “Sorry, but it worked didn’t it?”
I ask, “Where’s Herodotus?”
Finn starts snapping Fei’s mangled body back together to make it easier to heal. These guys are weird even for me. But I am glad they were around.
Fei responds, “Hopefully, gone for good in the Static.”
Finn quirks a brow, “Didn’t expect you to go through bringing someone into your realm.”
“Herodotus was dangerous. I don’t think we could easily defeat him other than vanquishing him to some place where he can’t endanger lives here.
“I am not sure how I can write this in the report. Not to mention how you got here.”
Fei replies, “Finn, No need to know right now. Let’s just take it easy for now.”
He asks, “What about the bombs?”
A fellow member of the tikbalang tribe ports before us, catching us all by surprise.
“The bombs are disarmed and the aswang are retreating.”
I raise a brow and look at Fei. “I suppose you had something to do with the aswang retreating?”
“Riz, can we just rest for the moment? Besides, your cousin is waiting for you right?”
“Shit, yeah.” I look at the tikbalang. “Tell others that I will join them after I take care of a few things.”
The tikbalang nods and ports out.
“If you are able, you deserve to at least observe the parade,” I tell my new friends.
Finn and Fei look at each other and then nod to me.
I can see Fei look up above. I look at her direction to also find that the lower half of a body joins the upper half of...a manananggal? I could see her vaguely nodding with approval before disappearing on the rooftops.