All it knows is blood.
Manib looked at the valley littered with the bodies of his warriors. Too many bagani had succumbed to the battle with the beast and he knew it wasn’t over. His men were able to wound the buso long enough to give time to the rest of the villagers to escape but he knew it would be back.
He crouched and picked up the remnants of a warrior’s gindua armor. The ragged edges of the abaca strips that they used for inner protection were soaked red. Sibulan, that was his name. Manib remembered that he saw him during the last festival and he was playing his two stringed kuglong. Sibulan never meant to become a warrior, but there were no other options when the buso struck.
Manib clenched his bolo. How many more would have to die before the buso was finished? The priestess said that it was a warning from the other world. The great demons were sending their messengers to wreak havoc on the worshipers of the just.
He didn’t believe that the gods would be so cruel to leave them alone. Manib had always respected the creators, Macoreret, Domacolen, Macaponguis,Tiguiama and all the rest. He knew they wouldn’t forsake his people in their darkest time.
Manib walked to where his remaining men were gathered. They had their weapons and were prepared to die trying to save their families from the buso. He saw a few of his sons in the crowd and he knew that it was no time to falter.
He prepared his voice and shouted as far as the last man could hear “We will never allow this creature to destroy what we have. This agent of Darago, brother to Colambusan, Comalay, Tagamahng, Siring and Abac will fall to our swords! We will fight until its blood runs through our blades!”
His warriors responded with a loud shout. His bagani would never consider retreat as an option. There was a second of silence before they drew their weapons and charged at the wounded beast’s hiding place.
This buso may know blood, but his warriors were also used to spilling it.
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*Bagani is the name of the warrior class of the Bagobo people.
*Colambusan, Comalay, Tagamahng, Siring and Abac are names of demons in Bagobo cosmology.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Bagobo Buso myths.
Buso Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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