1:50 PM
Meanwhile, Danilo and Jake were on guard as Venus chanted in an ancient language, carving something into a small piece of wood using her blood. The inscription read:
ᜊᜈ᜔ᜆᜌ᜔ᜅ᜔ᜋᜎᜒᜄ᜔ᜈᜓ,
"To stalk the evil."
She gently placed the inscribed wood on the ground.
Danilo approached Venus while Jake remained on watch.
Venus: "This is the last totem."
Venus's group had been moving around the town — even beyond its borders — placing similar totems.
Danilo: "What exactly do these things do, anyway?"
Venus: "This is how we Panggulo track our enemies. I've infused this totem with a spell — it reacts to any kind of ill will from an Aswang the moment they shift into their corrupted forms. It'll alert me when that happens."
Danilo: "Heh, didn't know something like that even existed."
Venus: "Honestly, this is my first time using this kind of sensing totem. I'm usually deployed to fight the Encanto… not corrupted beings."
Venus chanted another illusion spell over the totem, rendering it invisible to the enemy's eyes.
Venus: "With this, it'll be invisible to them."
She sat down on a nearby rock, visibly tired. Danilo noticed her labored breathing and furrowed his brows in concern.
Danilo: "Exhausted already?"
Venus: "Yeah… Every time I use a spell — both the illusion and the sensing totem — a part of my soul's essence gets drained. I need at least five hours to recover."
Venus lit a cigarette and took a drag.
Danilo: "And now you're smoking? That'll just wear you out more."
Venus: "Actually, it's the opposite. This is a soul cigarette. It helps me recover lost soul essence and shortens my recovery time to just one hour. Though… this is something only Engkata like me can use — those who wield Pektus or soul magic."
She exhaled a thin stream of smoke into the air.
Venus: "After this, I'll need to identify what kind of curse is spreading in this town… and find a countermeasure against it."
Then, a memory flashed in her mind — something Andaya had told them earlier that day.
[Flashback]
10:10 AM
Venus: "Wait… if this is a Ban-Se command, isn't this kind of mission supposed to be exclusive to the Pato and their elite units?"
Andaya: "Welp, that makes two of us — I was wondering the same thing."
Venus:"Then we need to go back and ask them direct—"
But she was cut off by Andaya.
Andaya: "But I do know one thing. In the past missions I've taken involving Corrupted beings, I always went solo—no one ever stopped me. But this is the first time someone forced another company to join me. They said it was for training, to give others real combat experience… and they even issued a Ban-Se command so I couldn't refuse."
Venus: "Wait… tsk."
She wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Before she could gather her thoughts, Andaya changed the subject.
Andaya: "We're already here, anyway—so we finish what we started.
Andaya then proceeded to explain what they needed to do.
Andaya: "Venus, Danilo, Jake — your group is in charge of figuring out the curses spreading in this town, and how to counter them."
[Present]
2:30 PM
Venus proceeded to give tasks to both Danilo and Jake.
Venus: "While the other group is gathering information in town about the incident, I want you two to do the same — but instead of staying in town, head to Mt. Igcoron. Look for anything that might help us move this mission forward. I'll investigate the curse on my own."
Jake simply nodded, but Danilo looked uneasy. He didn't want to leave Venus alone.
Danilo: "We don't want you going alone. Andaya only said we're in charge of figuring out how to deal with the curse — not that you had to handle it by yourself."
Venus replied with confidence in her voice.
Venus: "I appreciate the concern, but I'm already a Panggulo—second only to Andaya on this mission. I can take care of myself."
Danilo still hesitated. Even though her rank was above theirs, he didn't want to leave her unguarded. Eventually, he gave in and handed her a small spherical vial containing holy water. Jake followed by giving her a small dagger.
Danilo: "This is called Luzbrasa. Use it if you get into trouble."
Jake: "And take this."
Venus didn't say anything — she just nodded, quietly accepting both the vial and the dagger.
With concerned looks, Jake and Danilo started to move, leaving Venus on her own.
6:21 PM
Meanwhile, after nearly three hours of searching for the missing kid, Ramel found a lead near the town's marketplace.
He adjusted the collar of his shirt, activating the mechanism that transformed his attire into that of a police officer. With his new disguise, he approached a vegetable vendor who was tidying her stall.
Ramel: "Excuse me, ma'am. I need to ask you a few questions."
The vendor stopped what she was doing and looked at him.
Vendor: "Oh, sure, Officer. What do you want to ask?"
Ramel: "I'm Officer Ramel, currently assigned to this area."
He continued.
Ramel: "Have you come across any information about this missing kid named Tasyo Estenosa?"
He showed her a poster with Tasyo's face on it.
Vendor: "Oh, you're a bit late, sir. He was found five days ago."
Ramel was surprised.
Ramel: "What happened?"
Vendor: "Well, let's just say it started about a month ago. That child came running around here, shouting that he saw an Aswang kill a woman. It stirred quite a commotion. Naturally, we were all curious. Some of the other vendors and a few local tanods tried to calm him down and coaxed him into telling us what he saw. Eventually, we convinced him to lead us to the exact spot he was talking about."
Ramel: "And what did you find?"
The vendor's brow furrowed in concern as she recalled the memory.
Vendor: "But when we got there… there was nothing. No bloodstains, no body—absolutely no trace at all. After that, the boy went missing, but the Tanods found him five days later, looking completely broken."
Ramel thought to himself:
Ramel: [I didn't taste anything sour. She's telling the truth—at least from her perspective.]
Ramel: "Thank you for your cooperation."
Vegetable Vendor: "If you'd like, I can ask my son to show you where he lives, Officer. My son and Tasyo are actually friends."
Ramel: "That would be incredibly helpful, thank you."
Vegetable Vendor: "Son, could you please guide the officer to your friend's house?"
The boy gave a quiet nod and began to lead the way.
As they walked, the vendor's son looked up at Ramel, his voice small and filled with worry.
Vendor's Son: "Is my friend going to jail, Officer?"
Ramel looked at him, confused by the question.
Ramel: "Why would I do that?"
Vendor's Son: "Because ever since the incident, he's just been staring out their window… and sometimes, he starts drooling really bad—like, scary bad. Like he wants to eat us."
Ramel's expression shifted as the boy spoke, alarmed by what he was hearing.
Ramel softened his voice and reassured him.
Ramel: "Don't worry, kid. I'll handle it."
The boy smiled, then pointed ahead.
Vendor's Son: "That's Tasyo's house."
Ramel: "Thanks. Here, take this candy—and head back to your mom, alright?"
The boy nodded, gratefully accepting the candy before turning to leave.
Ramel stared at the house for a long moment, then clenched his fist.
Ramel: "This is bad."