The Aswang and Myrmex are given earpieces by Beatle. Beatle looms before them in the shadows.

  “Why are we doing this?” asked Miguel the Aswang.

  “Kid, that bitch is a genocidal maniac and you’re the only one who could stop this,” said Beatle.

  “You don’t know how that feels,” said Miguel.

  Beatle scoffs and walks away. “Kid. I lived longer than you could dream.” He offers Miguel his eskrima sticks. “These are enchanted.”

  “What’s the mission?” asked Myrmex.

  “Well, boss says he wants you two to capture and imprison the mysterious and enigmatic Monkey Man. You think you’re up for that?” asked Beatle, crossing his arms.

  “Psh,” said Miguel, suiting up. “When this is over, I’m suing.”

  “Good luck with that,“ said Beatle. “Laws don’t apply to higher powers.”

  “Narcissistic bitch,” said Miguel.

  “Trust me. I’m in a position that I really, fucking, abhor,” said Beatle.

  “Indeed,” spoke the Voice in his head, as Beatle scoffed once more.

  “Lawa,” Beatle turned to Lawa. “Make sure you use those mirror eyes to watch over these two.”

  “Fine, man!” smiled Lawa.

  “Dude, are you high?” asked Miguel.

  “Very…” whispered Lawa.

  “What’s your deal, anyway?” asked Miguel.

  “Oh, y’know, Spaniards tortured, raped, and pillaged my entire village. Then experimented on me. A lot…” He gasped. “Goddamn. I hate being a fuckin’ Aswang, man,” he wheezed and began tearing up. “Y’know, I’ve never been discriminating with my violence, man. I’m beginning to realize that everything I fought for was-...”

  Miguel and Myrmex just stared at Lawa with faces of incredible irritation and looks that spoke into the ear, “Really? NOW???”

  “I’m sorry, guys,” said Lawa. “Best of luck, guys…”

  Miguel and Myrmex began jumping from one building to another, leaping around to search for yet another warehouse.

  They both crawl down in tandem down into the warehouse’s windows. Miguel uses his claws to raw a circle and open the glass, pulling out the glass and placing it gently down. The couple entered inside, but the glass falls over, creating a loud shattering noise.

  Several Apemen turn to Miguel and Anna.

  Miguel looks absolutely terrified with sweat dripping down his mask.

  Anna also had sweat dripping down her nose.

  They begin pant hooting like crazy. Chimps began charging and climbing up toward them. The Chimpmen toss metal pipes and beams at them as Miguel teleports around and beats them down with his quick strikes. He activates his flames and burns down several of them. He screams and booms like a freakish animal and beats them down one by one, teleporting around to knock them down. Myrmex grabs one of the beams and slams it into several of the Apemen.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Miguel growls as he is knocked down by the Apemen. Both of them are overpowered as a man with a labcoat and a spinal metallic arm-like tail reaches out for their faces and pull Anna’s face forward.

  Anna smirks. “Fuck, you’re ugly.”

  He smiles and smacks her face away.

  Miguel growls at the Doctor, but is immediately strangled by his claws.

  “The name’s Dr. Claude E. Petmaru,” said the Caucasian man.

  “Do you happen to be called Doctor Unggoy?” Miguel choked.

  “Ever since I was defeated by Mercurio, that is what they call me, yes. But these people tend to die after they call me that.”

  “Okay…” said Miguel, coughing,

  “Question. Where is he?”

  “Who?”

  “The person you work for. The Aswang King.”

  “We won’t tell you noth-...!”

  “No, no! Not the fat moron Lawa! I mean the REAL Aswang King. Miguel Azral…”

  “I’m-... Oh… He’s-?”

  “Indeed. Been studying him for years, but he’s been hidden ever since B-Day.”

  “‘B-Day?’”

  “Breakdown Day. You two haven’t heard of that shit?” He began chuckling. “You two are in serious hot water…” He takes out a glock, and points it at Myrmex’s head. “I used to work wit Unbreakable… But he is such a fuckin’ asshole, believes he’s ABOVE everyone else.”

  “Breakdown Day? What is that?” asked Myrmex.

  “I’m not the one with the gun pointed at his fucking head, bug bitch,” Doctor Unggoy growled. “Who THE FUCK do you work for!?” boomed Unggoy. “Heh… Your eyes wanna die… There’s guilt in your eyes. You plan on getting a cat or some fucking shit?”

  Anna’s eyes twitched. “I-...”

  “Yep,” smirked Miguel.

  Miguel teleports away with Unggoy still choking him, as they both teleport up to the roof. Unggoy sees matter and antimatter itself.

  Miguel growls with a bruised neck and shakes in pain upon feeling the blood drowning his lungs. He charges and tackles Unggoy and knocking him down.

  Unggoy tries to stab Miguel by turning his clawed arm into a spinning fan with a spike at the center. “C’MON!!!” he growled. “You are NOT supposed to be able to teleport… Unless… You’re also half Pantheon…”

  Miguel just teleports around and knocks Unggoy down with a dropkick. He bursts into flames, so he would go back, and Miguel would jump up and dropkick him again. He spins around to dodge the Doctor’s strikes. He takes out a Glock and shoots at Miguel, who maneuvers out of the way and tackles him from behind, punching him over and over again. Meanwhile, Myrmex, who had broken free, is beaten down by the Apemen who viciously try to rip her skin off. She just stayed standing and tough, knocking each critter down.

  Beatle bounces his leg, watching all of this from a screen via Lawa’s eyes.

  “Mmm, those monkeys are hot…” said Lawa.

  “I should go in there.”

  “Not gonna lie, that is stupid. You aren’t allowed to be on this Earth. We both know that. You do that, and we’re all dead. ‘Cept you. Why’d you even get those kids to work for you, anyway?”

  “Convenience. Kid exists in this world and blends in well.”

  “So, you brought him to interrogate the Black Spiral? Who you tryna get him to avoid getting captured by?” asked Lawa.

  “The Black Spiral wants to work WITH him. WITH his consent.”

  “How are you so sure?”

  “Because they need the second Saint King on their side. I trust he boy that he won’t join them.”

  “You trust everyone. That’s your flaw, dumbass,” said Lawa.

  “Yeah. But some more so than others.”

  “What if you’re wrong? What if the boy joins the enemies?”

  “Then all is lost. But by bringing him into the battlefield, he’d see the atrocities both of those guys made…”

  “What if he agrees with them? We all know even the Saint King can get tempted.”

  “I’m counting on that. Why do we trip? To get back up. If he gets tempted, he’d remember what his purpose is in the end. That is the purpose of every known Miguel. We are ultimately beings of kindness. Something the world finds ultimately stupid nowadays. A thin line of hope.”

  “You aren’t using him. You’re teaching him, aren’t you?”

  “Someday, I’ll grow obsolete. The child needs to learn about his fate. To be the second Saint King. When the Aswang King and I would fall one day, he would get back up and finally take Beatle’s mantle.”

  What do y'all think B-Day even is??? Remember. One of these are actually canon.