“You’re no match for my Hubot!”
The birdlike creature bobbed and weaved against the naga’s attacks, the serpent’s jaws missing their target.
“My naga is more than a match for your pithy aswang. Naga! Bind it@”
The serpent coiled around the Hubot, suffocating the aswang. No matter how much it tried, it could not escape.
“I win!”
“No fair! I demand a rematch!”
“No one likes a sore loser.”
“I just need stronger creatures! Let me go down to the earthworld and I can get a Tamyaw or a Mameleu!”
“How is a Mameleu going to beat me? It lives in the sea.”
“we can have a water battle! Aren’t Magindaras the ‘aswang of the sea’? It will work perfectly with that.”
“Hmm that actually sounds like a good idea. I mean there’s nothing else to do.”
The Udtuhan nodded their heads in unison.
“Let us go to the earthworld and get our new captures.”
=———————————-=
In the zenith of the skyworld the Udtuhan watch the goings on of the earthworld.
And thus they grew bored,
The skyworld holds no entertainment for them so they choose battle to be their pastime.
The Udtuhan’s power is immense, their enchantments strong enough to bind lesser beings to their will.
It is because of this that some Udtuhan journey to the earthworld and the many layers above and below to collect beasts and spirits to use in their engagements.
Each Udtuhan that participates has their own specialty:
The Fang collects the different aswang in the darkness of the worlds below. Their collection includes Hubot (Their personal favorite), Yanggaw, Mangkukulam, Balbal, and their strongest, the Aswang sa Kalibonan.
The Stone prefers the elementals of the earth and those spirit that inhabit it. None can flee against the Nuno’s powers or the Caranget’s will. The Stone’s journeys center around the planes of the middleworld (Including the earthworld) The Lamang Lupa are as strong as mountains, earning them the title of most powerful Udtuhan.
Not to be undone, the Slither and their serpents train to defeat all their foes. The Naga are some of the most powerful spirits not just in the earthworld, but the skyworld as well. The Slither is known throughout the skyworld as a being with immense power. In times long past they would cause mischief amongst the gods, yet the gods could not catch the wily Udtuhan.
And then there was the Feather.
Known to many as a weaker Udtuhan, they nonetheless were able, in their journeys, to tame a powerful Garuda. Many believe it was nothing but luck and it showed in their choices.
None knew the true power of the Feather as they only see them using the Garuda.
But they will soon know.
=—————————————-=
The four Udtuhan, the Fang, the Stone, the Slither and the Feather. Decided to test each other’s prowess in a battle.
They all agreed the venue for the fight would be a small island in the earthworld, uninhabited so they would not be disturbed.
They planned their strategies ahead of time. The Udtuhan were not enemies in the regular sense, it was just pride that drove them.
Only to be the best that ever was, was each one’s goal. While the rest were strategizing the Slither descended to the earthworld.
They had heard tales of where the imprisoned naga first rampaged before being stopped by the Almighty. The stars of the Skyworld still struggle to share the firmament with the beast.
The Slither stood in front of the mounted where the Naga was stopped and raised above the stars.
It was strange that the Slither would go to the earthworld while the Naga was trapped in the Skyworld.
But this decision came with thought.
The earth.
They needed the earth from the mountain to temporarily free the Naga from its imprisonment in the stars.
The power of the Naga would be enough to decimate their opponents.
The Slither waited until the sun set in the horizon.
They took a whole cliff, such was the power of the zenith of the Skyworld and raised it high, far above the moon, momentarily stunning the moon eaters. They pointed the cliff, dwarfed by the form of the Naga and recited the spell.
“Naga, feel my power! Bend to my will!”
The magic of the Udtuhan made even the stars shudder. They made way for the Skyworld’s child, the incantation ringing through their bodies.
The Naga laughed, gouts of flame dancing around its mouth.
“Stupid, stupid skychild. Your hubris is not surprising but still clouded by your foolishness.”
The Slither replied, “Feel my power! Bend to my will!”
“You may be powerful in your domain, but here, higher than the clouds of Skyworld, you are nothing!”
“Bend to my will!!!”
The Naga realized that it was able to move from its prison, not by much but enough to stretch, the first time in centuries.
“What magic it this?!”
“I summon you with the earth from your home!”
The Slither underestimated the power it would take to quell the Naga. The cracks in their formalready starting to show.
Again, the Naga laughed.
The Slither felt the full weight of the Naga’s power.
And they burned.
“Stupid, stupid Skychild.”
The Udtuhan fell to the earthworld, crashing like a meteor.
=——————————–=
Then there were three.
The news of the Slither and the Naga spread fast among the denizens of the zenith, but that did not dissuade the other tree from their battle.
The Stone, the Fang and the Feather agreed to wait until the blood moon to settle their rivalries.
This gave them ample time to prepare.
The island was small enough to have the sea surround its perimeter. This meant that the aquatic beasts were still on the table.
The Fang carefully ruminated on the coming battle. They surveyed their collection.
Manananggal, Magindara, Yanggaw, Bangil, Sipay, Wak-wak, Hubot, Korokoto, Kiwig, Tiktik.
They were all bloodthirsty beings, ready to sink their teeth into their enemies. The problem was the Laman-lupa had no blood.
The aswang were at a disadvantage.
What good would claws do against pure stone?
They waited and thought of power.
Blood.
It is in their blood.
They collected their aswang rom the Balete tree they used as a portal to the Skyworld.
The Udtuhan spoke into the minds of the aswang.
“You must be hungry.”
The Fang took a sharp stone and slash their palm.
“Time to feed.”
As soon as the celestial fluid touched the tongues of the aswang, they transformed.
The Manananggal’s wings raidiated light.
The Korokoto and the Kiwig grew to gigantic proportions.
The Wak-wak’s tongue expended to form a whip.
The Tiktik went from a small bird to a form reminiscent of an eagle, its feathers sharp enough tp cut even the toughest stone.
The ritual drained the Fang of some of their power, but in their mind, it was all worth it.
If nothing else,
They would be victorious.
=———————————–=
The Stone preferred to spend their time in the earthworld, finding kindred spirits in the earth above and below.
They hated the pretentiousness of the zenith.
True, they were more powerful than those below them, but that was no reason to be lording over the other beings.
What the Udtuhan didn’t know was that the Stone did not bend their creatures to their will, unlike the other three.
In a strange way, they were their friends.
The Udtuhan would even say ‘tabi-tabi po’ when walking by the Nuno’s mound.
To be honest they did not care about winning. If anything they would like to leave the Skyworld and join their friends, living days away with stories from beneath the earth.
But they had to keep their thoughts hidden.
The Udtuhan are known for their power.
And how they wield it.
The Bato-bato sensed that their friend was deep in thought.
“What bothers you, stone?”
“I think the next battle will be our last.”
“Will you return to the Skyworld?”
“No, I don’t think I will.”
==————————————————–=
The Feather and their Garuda sat among the clouds.
“Okay now we know what to do. The Fang is inconsequential, their aswang too weak to do any lasting damage,” said The Feather.
“Their only beings capable of flight are their manananggal, hubot and Tiktik. The Stone cannot fly at all.”
“We win through a war of attrition.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“Then we play our hidden cards.”
“Ahhh it is time to use them?”
“Anything to win.”
=——————————=
The blood moon hung high in the sky of stars, the Laho finishing its meal.
Strangely there were no humans with their gongs.
Thus, everything turned red.
The Udtuhan took their places, the Feather on a cloud, the Stone on the island and the Fang near the sea.
There were no referees, no adjudicators. Just battle and blood.
The Fang let out their first weapon, the dazzling gleam from the Manananggal’s wings surprising the two opponents.
It dashed to the Bato-bato and was able to take a big chunk out of its shoulder.
The Bato-bato recoiled in pain. It tried to swat the Manananggal, but it was simply too fast.
Before it could fly and take another swipe, the Garuda, with a kris, slashed at it.
The blade seemingly had no effect, the Manananggal positioning itself to attack the Bato-bato again.
The Feather shouted to the Fang, “What did you do?! These creatures are blasphemous!”
The Fang replied, “There are no rues here! Stand and fight with your pitiful birds.”
“We have no choice,” the Garuda’s voice boomed. “Let them free.”
The Feather nodded and glowed.
From the heavens descended an iridescent peacock. It ruffled its feathers and embraced the Garuda.
In an instant they became one.
The new beast opened their beak and a bolt of energy blasted out, hitting the Manananggal.
The smell of burnt flesh floated over the island.
The Stone bade the Bato-bato to retreat.
They called the Nuno who appeared by the island’s side. The Stone counted on its curses to keep the newly fused Garuda-Mra Bolawan away.
The Fang cursed at the heavens. They had no way to defeat their new foe.
Without any other recourse they summoned a kiwig, an aswang that usually took the form of a large boar, but because of the spirit-blood it had grown to titanic proportions.
It was so large that its head poked through the forest cover. Size was its only advantage as the speedy Garuda deftly escaped its fangs.
The Nuno had no effect against the two powerful beings and retreated into the earth.
The Stone knew they had nothing that could match the two Udtuhan’s power.
They did not want their friends to hurt anymore so they did the only thing that made sense.
They surrendered and took their earth spirits away from the carnage.
The Feather and the Fang remained in a stalemate.
The Garuda could not be hit but the Kiwig brushed off the bird’s attacks because of its thick hide.
“Enough of this.” The power of the Feather suffocated the surroundings.
Out of the heavens a titan flew, bigger than the island of their fight.
This is what the Slither tried to tame.
A celestial being.
The Minokawa.
The Garuda flew into the Minokawa and fused with its power.
The island disappeared in an instant, a beam of pure energy purging the land.
And it was thus that the Feather, said to be the weakest of Udtuhan, found victory.
It would not be their last battle.
More and more Udtuhan witnessed the great battle and even more wanted to participate.
The tale of the Slither did not weigh on their minds. They saw how powerful the Feather and the birds were.
They all went and sojourned to the vast cosmos, making beings bend to their will.
The Stone never returned to the Skyworld while the Fang licked their wounds, preparing for another skirmish.
No Udtuhan knew how the Feather was able to tame a celestial creature as powerful as the Minokawa.
But the secret was now being chased by the beings of the zenith.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the description in The Remnants of the Great Ilonggo Nation. Sebastian Sta. Cruz Serag.
Udtuha Illustration by Ike Vincent Pritor
https://www.instagram.com/i_vin_pen
of Jump Jet Comics https://www.facebook.com/jumpjetcomics
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