Warmth Beneath the Dusky Skies

04, Converging Fates

"Marice!"

Katherine grabbed the panicking vendor and took to the skies. Marice hung on to her friend's shield and followed suit, avoiding the dog's maw by a hair's breadth.

"Nooo!" the vendor cried as her trike's containers scattered across the street. "My sidecar!"

Activating Stellar Glare, Marice peered down at the tree in the corner lot and saw a large owl staring at Katherine and the vendor. As its body started to swell with demonic ether, she realized what was about to happen next.

"Kath, move!"

And sure enough, the owl let loose a devastating electric blast, tearing the air with crackling intensity. However, Marice noticed the spell's trajectory a second too late as the blast scored a direct hit on Katherine's shield and sent her careening to the ground.

Wincing, she crushed two homunculus bottles in her hand to summon a pair of golem puppets. She used the mage-type golem to slow down her fall with its innate levitation ability, while the warrior-type golem blocked another incoming blast using its shield. The owl was about to fire a third blast, but Katherine put an end to that with a single shot of her ether rifle.

As the owl fell to the ground, it reverted back to its humanoid form and scurried behind a wall before she could fire another shot. Katherine used this opportunity to pick up Marice midair and hightailed westward.

"Wait," Marice said, looking down at the port district, "where are we going?"

As if to answer her question, a spread of elemental projectiles rained down on their direction. But with a burst of speed from Katherine's thrusters, they were able to give themselves some breathing room from their pursuers.

"A-A-Are you two involved in something shady?!" the vendor asked, clinging on Katherine.

"What? No!" Marice replied. "We just arrived from London yesterday!"

"Then why are those aswang chasing you?!"

She grumbled. "See, Kath? I knew it! I knew that girl's bad news all along!"

"But we can't just leave her alone!" Katherine replied. "You already said that as much yourself!"

She gestured behind her. "Exhibit A: why a good Samaritan's lifestyle is a load of crap!"

"Oh, come on! We've had worse than this!"

"Shut up! Mind filling me in on your plan?"

"Sina's already at the scene, so we just have to keep these guys busy until Liza and your mom gets there."

"So we're just gonna have to play ball with these guys, huh?" She looked over her shoulder. "That said, this is already far enough!"

Katherine then stopped and made her descent, releasing Marice on the water. "Just making sure I won't hit anything!"

Marice gestured at the vendor, who just finished climbing aboard Katherine's shield. "Then why did you bring her along?"

The vendor suddenly grabbed Katherine, shaking her shoulders. "Ah! Y-You have to take me back! Please take me back!"

She sighed. "A little too late for that I'm afraid."

Four of the shapeshifting aswang finally caught up to them, transforming from their respective bird forms. The most human-looking among them hovered forward, his bat-like wings generating a hot gust of wind in each flap.

"Finally tired of running?"

Facing the aswang, Marice began to cast Umbral Possession on her mage golem. "You guys are clearly just stalling for time. Now that you got our full attention, mind telling us what exactly is your endgame here?"