Chronicles of Venandi

Chapter 8

MISSING IN ACTION

And tomorrow arrives. Ah, I am just starting to love summertime! Well, who am I to complain? It's just how nature works. People can do nothing about it aside from just going with the flow. "Well, it's a 'welcome back to school!'"

Like any other usual school day, children from our tribo walk to the Sangguniang Kabataan. Since I'm literally no one at school, I walk alone to the tectum where I clearly do not belong.

Inside, the other Electus are starting to boast about the several improvements in their magics.

"My magic has improved a lot! My water blade made a scratch in a stonewall. If that was to hit a human, I bet they'd be sliced into two pieces!!! I know, I'm amazing. HAHAHAHA!!!"

"Nah, that's completely nothing compared to what I can do! My sedimentary punch made a hole in the ground while I was practicing it everyday during summer break. Inang scolded me for that. Hihi!"

"Everyday? You mean, the hole was made because you practiced in one spot, so the hole on the ground was the result of gradual assault! While you, guys, are focusing on the quality of your magic skills to make it stronger, I, on the other hand, focused on quantity. Well, I can do only so much. I can just shoot three water blades, all at once! Now, worship me, humans! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Their big mouths and loud voices are silenced when the latter Electus is bumped by a figure.

"Hey, just who do you think you are, bumping into me without apologizing after?!" He turns to face his assaulter only to realize that he is raising his voice at Amanikable.

Of course, Amanikable's usual reaction is, "What's your problem, kid?!"

"N-nothing." The kid lowers his gaze and gives way to Amanikable.

The other two kids come to his side. "Hey, you're lucky you got out alive, and in one piece!"

"Yeah, you know, I heard from my friend that Amanikable went on a rampage and beat up three Pugnators! I wonder how true is that?"

"Pugnators?"

"Yeah. They're the ones who are still in the process of becoming a warrior."

"Wow."

As soon as Guru steps inside the tectum, we shut our mouths up, fearing he might scold us this early in the morning. He then starts discussing magic further. Ah, this is so boring. I wonder what's Amelia doing right now? Does she also go to school? I mean, she's the granddaughter of the katolanon so it's not surprising if she doesn't. Wait, the katolanon's place is not that far from here. I can go there!

Before the next Guru sets foot inside the tectum, I walk outside to cut class. If Inang would know about this, she'd be furious! Of course, I'm here to learn about magic, not to cut class. It's not good.

I ask around about where I can find the katolanon's place. Not later, I find myself walking the path to their kubo. Outside, Amelia is doing something. She's praying, perhaps? Well, because she's kneeling while her hands are being raised, then bowing her upper body, all while also chanting words that only she could hear. Plus, she's repeating her actions as if praising some entity. The anitus, maybe?

Well, basically, I have no idea what she's doing, so I call her out. "Psst! Psst! Amelia!"

She tilts her head towards my direction, annoyed, but when her eyes land mine, she is shocked. Even I, myself, don't know why I am here. "Aren't you the boy from yesterday? Venandi, am I right?" She walks to where I am.

"Wow, so you still remember my name! Uh, but, what are you doing, by the way? The raising hands thing?"

She sighs. I must say, even her annoyed face looks cool on her. "I'm praying to the anitus. Anyway, I should be the one asking what brings you here."

"Uhm, he-he! I got bored in class. All they talk about are the four major magics. I don't know, but it's exhausting me. Anyway, it's not necessary for me to learn about those stuffs."

She looks at me intently. "Of course, it is."

"Hello, my magic is different from theirs, remember? I'm a tamer."

"That's correct. It's not the same as theirs, but whatever is taught in the tectum is necessary for all kinds of magic. It's also important for you to know and learn about their strengths and weaknesses, so when the time comes and you get to fight with them in a battle, you would know what to do. I mean, don't you want to participate in the Pagtitipon? If you think about it carefully, you're at an advantage! They don't teach anything about your magic because it's new, so they're basically clueless about what you can do."

She's right. I'm at an advantage, and all I need to do is to stop slacking off. "Hmm, you've got a point. I'm going to do that... tomorrow!" She shakes her head at my declaration. "But today, I wanna show you something nice."

I grab her by the hand. "Wait, I'm not yet finished with my oracion, and I am always to inform grandpa Nuntius if I were to leave the vicinity!"

Ugh, she really doesn't have to. I bet she hasn't broken any rule since her birth. "It's just this once, Amelia, and I promise we won't be long. I don't really get what you're doing, but I'm pretty sure it's boring."

She seems to be hesitating at first, but she lets me drag her into the forest.

At last, we reach the forest, and there stand the four bears and five chimpanzees. "I want to introduce you to my friends!" I happily announce. "The big one over there is Oxsana, but everyone in the forest calls her mama bear, and those cute ones are her little cubs, but they like to call themselves as the "big three"." Amelia laughs. "The one with the darkest fur is Victory. He's the first born. The one covering his face is Stealth, well, you know why." She laughs again. "The other one is Junior. So far, there's nothing peculiar about him." Junior is about to hit me, but his siblings are quick to hold him down. "Okay, okay. There's nothing peculiar about you yet."

That remark has him calmed down. "The other five here are my sparring buddies. Most of my fighting skills are what I learned from them. They're all equally great! Now, first off, is master Bruce. He fights like hell - his moves are so fast and accurate. Not to mention, his punches hurt so much!"

I then motion to the next chimpanzee. "The next one is Lady. Her moves are so fluid and flawless and mesmerizing, and because of that, sometimes I forget how to dodge her attacks! They just come in a blink of an eye." Lady flutters her eyelids at Amelia. "The one eating over there is Grapes." Grapes waves his hand. "Just like the effect of what he is eating right now, his moves are so unpredictable, quite comparable to reading the mind of a drunkard. The last two are Jack and Jill. They're twins, and there's no one out there - I really mean, no one - who could overpower those duo! Unbeatable, I must say, when they fight side by side."

When I look at Amelia, she seems enjoying this. That's good!

After meeting each other and a small talk, we decide to play hide and seek before Amelia goes home. Well, the sun is at its peak, so it's still early. I mean, what could happen in broad daylight?

"Wo-hoo! That was fun!" We all laugh. "Thanks, Venandi, for bringing me here." She smiles at me. The kind of smile that melts someone's heart. Ah, she's just too innocent for this world! "Wait, grandpa must be looking for me! We must hurry home!" She panics.

"Okay, okay. Just calm down! I'm sure he'll understand." Mama bear and the others are long gone. They'll be looking for some foods to eat, as usual. So right now, Amelia and I are walking alone in the woods, when suddenly, someone grabs Amelia by force. "AMEL---ugh!"

I remember someone hitting me hard at the back of my head, and Amelia being dragged away from me. "Amelia..."

***

I am awakened by some suffocating feeling. I open my eyes and see that the animals are around me. "Venandi, what happened to you? Why are you lying on the ground?"

Ah, my head hurts. "Amelia..." I whisper. Wait, Amelia! I suddenly get up when I remember her. "Someone took Amelia!!!"

Ah, I am so dead.