Chapter 7: Not a shaman

They arrived in the hospital that was bustling with activity, and were immediately ushered to the emergency room. Some of the reporters actually managed to catch up with them but were immediately barred entry inside so they could relax. Art bought them sandwiches so they could eat as they hadn’t had any food since fighting the bungisngis.

Upon examination, it was seen that all three warrior shaman apprentices had several purple contusions and gashes, on top of other moderate injuries. Mark had a broken wrist. Katie had a swollen dislocated shoulder. Angelica had a couple of hairline rib fractures. Only Joan came out relatively unscathed.

They remained inside the emergency room for more than a couple of hours as tests were run. Healer shamans were also called to check if they had any sigla-related trauma. When it was finally determined that no life threatening injury was present, their doctors finally allowed them to get discharged.

Angelica coughed and massaged her aching right chest as she said goodbye to her friends. She barely noticed the pain until the chest x-rays showed her injuries. They were on their way back from the hospital and the car was a little more quiet. It was already late afternoon, and the sun had begun to set, painting the skies with orange, red and purple hues. The smooth humming of the AC permeated the air, and they were more relaxed as the annoying news media had long since disappeared after leaving the hospital.

“They don’t think she’s a licensed shaman? But how is that possible? She’s really good,” said Angelica, aghast. Their conversation had finally turned to the shaman lady after talking about the reporters at the shaman regional office.

“Of course it’s possible. There could be three reasons. Number one, she’s a shaman apprentice who never passed the licensing exam. Number two, she’s a mangkukulam. Or number three, she’s a late manifester. So which do you think she is?” asked Art, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

“Wait, wait, a mangkukulam? I think we can all agree she’s not. She freakin’ used holy water to subdue the bungisngis. As for being a non-passer, that’s practically impossible. I’ve seen one-star shamans that are less skilled than she is. She could be a two-star shaman at the most. As for a late manifester-”

“You think she’s a late manifester?” asked Luke, turning back to glance at her.

“Well it’s possible? I’ve never seen any late manifesters aside from Kuya Luke, so I’m not sure,” admitted Angelica. “Late manifesters usually display sigla later in life right? So they usually have erratic energies?”

“Close but not quite. Actually sigla or spiritual energy is contained in all objects. That includes humans. It’s just a matter of how high your sigla is. Shamans display higher levels of sigla that allow them to commune with the supernatural even at birth. In that aspect, a late manifester is someone who has initially low levels of sigla but underwent a surge as they aged,” said Art, drumming softly on the steering wheel as they waited for the traffic lights to turn green at a busy intersection.

“It’s like hormones and puberty. But in sigla terms,” said Luke.

“Yeah. But late manifesters usually have advanced abilities even though they lack training. It’s critical to find them at an early stage so they can be guided well. If not, their abilities run amok,” said Art.

“How old did she seem?” asked Luke.

“Probably about the same age as you, Kuya Luke. So around late twenties?” said Angelica.

“Did you notice something else?”

“Oh, come to think of it, when we said we’re apprentice shamans, she said, ‘at least you’re apprentice shamans.’ What do you think it means? At the time I thought she was saying that since we’re at least apprentice shamans, we can fight. But now looking back, what if she’s not officially a shaman or even an apprentice at all?”

The traffic lights flickered yellow then back to green. Art then gently rolled the car forward. “Hmmm, that’s quite the curious observation. What do you think, Luke?”

“It’s possible she’s a late manifester. But how do you explain why she’s good with handling weapons? She needs to have training for that.”

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“Maybe she already has prior training. Military?” asked Art.

“Or maybe it runs in the family. Among the non-shaman individuals, there are some who are trained by their shaman family members,” said Luke.

“That’s true. But either way, she’s not a registered shaman and it is illegal to operate without a shaman license. Anything could go horribly wrong during a fight. We need to make sure the right people are equipped for the right job,” said Art.

“But she’s done nothing wrong. And it’s not like she asked for money for her services,” argued Angelica.

“Even so, that will not fly with the NASS. Going by with what you’re saying, do you think it’s okay for ordinary people to fight violent supernaturals even if all they’re asking for is clout instead of money?” said Art.

“Well, no- you’re right, Uncle Art. But what’s NASS again?”

“National Assholes for Shaman and the Supernatural. It’s a group that monitors shaman activities. They’re particularly allergic to malpracticing shamans like that woman who saved you.”

“Assholes?” sweatdropped Angelica as Luke only chuckled.

“Did I say assholes? Heh, no, it’s Association. National Association for Shaman and the Supernatural. I used to tell Inna Alonzo when she was my student that they’re crazy annoying assholes, now she’s one of them.”

“She’s part of NASS? Isn’t she with the shaman regional office?” asked Angelica.

“Nope, she was just temporarily transferred since they’re short handed. She’s become even more of a busybody than usual,” said Art.

“I don’t think you should be saying that about your former student,” said Luke.

“Does that even matter now? Look Angelica, if you don’t want that woman to be caught, don’t tell Inna anything too much. I told you didn’t I? They’re looking for her.”

“I already answered many of her questions though. But there’s something else I haven’t told her. That woman - I mean the one who helped us - seemed to be talking to someone as she fought. I thought maybe she had some kind of device or earpiece on but it doesn’t seem like it. It's like there's a supernatural being there that we can't see. Like a ghost.”

Art and Luke glanced at each other.

“Are you sure? Maybe she just had a small supernatural with her,” offered Luke.

“I thought so too. But I’m not sure.”

“Did you say she had two weapons?” asked Uncle Art. “Do her weapons look like the standard issue ones?”

“On first look, the bow and arrow looked ordinary, but well I guess not? Even the sword seemed a bit more ornate than usual. But I’m not really good with recognizing great weapons and it was a bit chaotic at the time.”

“Well, there were reports of a young woman and a duende sighted close to the location too. I heard from the reporters,” said Luke.

“What's that got to do with it? Oh come to think of it, Inna Alonzo mentioned that just before Uncle Art arrived. Are you saying she's talking to a duende? But even if a duende is invisible to the ordinary eye, shamans should be able to see it. But there was none,” said Angelica.

“Maybe you did see it. You just didn’t recognize it,” muttered Art.

“Recognize?”

“Angelica, have you ever heard of a duende that can transform into weapons? Did they not teach that at the academy?” said Art.

“Oh that! But they’re very rare aren’t they? Duendes that can transform into weapons? And highly coveted too. There must be less than twenty weapons like that in the Philippines.”

“Yeah, and most of them belong to four or five star shamans. Duendes are very proud creatures so they don’t just allow themselves to become weapons to anyone.”

“Are you saying that shaman lady has one then?” asked Angelica.

“I’m not saying that. But NASS probably thinks so if Inna asked you about it.”

“Why would she have one then? If she lived as an average individual before all of this, how could she have gotten a duende weapon?” said Angelica, clutching her slightly painful chest. The adrenaline must have already worn out and her body was already running on painkillers.

“That’s what I would like to ask too. But of course these are all presumptions. We can only confirm from the person herself. Luke, what do you think?”

“If you give me permission sir, I think it’s time to invite her to your academy. She’ll be just in time. After all, class doesn’t start until after a couple of months,” said Luke.

“Provided we find her, and that she’s indeed a late manifester,” said Art. “Well, just think of it as a mission Luke. Besides, it would be better for us if we can find her faster than NASS.”

“Noted sir. I’ll start looking tomorrow,” said Luke. “Angelica, if you can remember anything else, you must tell me, alright?”

“Sure Kuya Luke.”