A series of croaks, groans, and three consecutive thuds set off as Hanz, Barbara, and Carlo rolled out of the Doortal. They landed on the top of a cliff that overlooked the entire city which was a vast, modern-looking island with an overgrown tree at the center. The tree was so huge that the treetop was swallowed by the clouds above.
"I don't know about you but I am not going through that portal again!" Carlo protested as he helped himself up.
"Stop whining and open your eyes, you guys." Hanz was already on his feet feasting his eyes on the beauty of Balete City.
"This isn't Balete City. This has to be a mistake." Carlo couldn't believe what we has seeing. Before the city was destroyed, it had a lot of structures made of wood and dirt. Now, almost everything in sight was either made of concrete or metal.
Barbara stood next to Carlo, her head slowly panned the area from left to right. "Did I hit my head or something?"
"Listen, we have to go back." Carlo croaked as he smoothed down his red-and-white striped sleeves.
"Go back? Seriously, Carlo? I thought you said you're not going through that portal again?" Barbara crossed her arms and clicked her tongue.
"Stop it, can't you see that huge tree?" Hanz pointed at the distant tree. Half of its silhouette from the middle down was covered by a concrete jungle.
The two paused as they squinted their eyes. "What happened here?" Barbara's jaw dropped. "This has to be some sort of illusion. I can still remember how the diwata destroyed everything and I mean that literally."
"Do you remember when we were living underground when it rained so hard that it flooded—we were forced to climb back to the surface only to see all the dead people?" Carlo reminded Barbara but he was too occupied with the view that he didn't bother looking at her.
Hanz looked uncomfortable with the conversation so he looked down and saw his shoe untied—he bent down and tied it.
"Our parents... all they did was to protect us... they didn't deserve to—" A teary-eyed Barbara was interrupted.
"I... I don't want to hear it." Hanz stood straight and massaged his forehead.
Carlo's father was a soldier who died at the frontline, while Hanz's mother, who was the city treasurer, was best friends with Barbara's mother. They fought bravely in the war but their lives were taken by the hands of the diwata.
"Sorry." Barbara sniffed.
Carlo observed as Hanz offered Barbara his handkerchief. He cleared his throat and put his hands on their shoulders.
"This is amazing! I thought Balete City was done for good but now the streets are buzzing with people. Let's walk around." Carlo was apparently trying to lighten up the atmosphere.
"Let's ask around first. See what happened here." Hanz suggested as he fixed the black coat that was draped on his shoulders.
"But wait, can we go to the ringsmith first?" Carlo said as he pointed at his big ears with a forced smile.
"Come on, let's get that ring of yours fixed!" Barbara enthusiastically pulled Carlo's arm.
"Alright. Sounds like a plan," Hanz agreed and they all started to walk down toward the busy street that was connected to the cliff.
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"Wow! It's like we're inside Willow's backpack. There are so many stalls and shops to shop at." Barbara, amazed, couldn't contain herself with how much the city improved since they were last here.
"I bet the ringsmith is somewhere around here." Guessed Carlo.
"I think we'll get there faster if we ask for directions." Barbara faced Hanz as if she was trying to convince him.
Hanz replied with a subtle nod.
"Alright, I'll save you the trouble." Carlo bit his lip as he carefully chose a random person to ask. "Ooh. Let's try asking this girl. She looks friendly." Carlo walked toward the girl nearest to him and poked her shoulder.
"Ahkk!" The girl in the long, blue dress screamed. She turned around and her long, straight, black hair swayed. As she moved, the smell of freshly picked lavender imbued the air.
Hanz and Barbara looked confused as to why the girl felt the need to scream.
Carlo took a step back. "I didn't mean to scare you, miss. I was just gonna ask for directions." He apologized. He stared at her beautiful, brown eyes.
"Ugh. Why would she scream like that?" Barbara whispered to Hanz as her eyes rolled.
"Shh. Relax." He whispered back.
"It's alright. I didn't mean to scream either. Pardon me." The girl responded to Carlo.
Carlo scratched his head. "Heh. I wasn't... I wasn't startled, actually. I was—-" he was stunned and cheeks as pink as a rose.
"Sorry, you were... what?" The girl saw Carlo's disproportionate ears and also noticed his ring. "You look like you're having trouble with your ring, are you looking for the ringsmith?"
Carlo did not answer. He was clearly in a trance.
Barbara leaned toward Hanz's direction and whispered again. "Looks like Carlo's in love." She said then winked at Hanz.
Hanz responded with furrowed eyebrows and a stern look. "Stop it." He mouthed.
"Carlo? Speak up!" Barbara stepped closer to him and gave him a nudge. She chuckled when she saw Carlo's mouth wide open. "Oh, I am so sorry, Miss...?" She turned to the girl and asked for her name.
The girl then realized that Carlo was blushing hence her cheeks also blushed out of embarrassment. "It's Imelda." She raised her right hand to waist level.
Barbara shook Imelda's hand. "Nice to meet you, Imelda. I'm Barbara," she cleared her throat, "this is Carlo and over there is Hanz. We didn't want to bother you we just-"
"Her hair..." Carlo mumbled.
Hanz covered his face with his palm.
"Carlo shut up. I'm trying to help you here." Barbara whispered to Carlo's big ear. "Sorry about that, Imelda. Carlo's ring has been acting up hence the ear. And now it's affecting his brain it seems."
Carlo finally moved. "Affecting my brain... wait, what?" He shook his head.
"Finally!" Barbara exclaimed. She stepped back to where she was originally standing.
"S-sorry for troubling you. I just... I just wanna ask if you know where the ringsmith's shop is?" Carlo muttered while staring at the floor but occasionally made brief eye contact with Imelda.
Imelda's dimple showed when she smiled. "Of course, I know. You're not too far now actually..." She turned around gracefully and tiptoed to get a clearer view of the street. "...once you reach that corner and look to your right, you'll see the shop's sign." She added.
"Corner then right..." Carlo repeated while gesturing his hands to memorize the instructions.
"You don't have to memorize it. You can't miss Fidget's shop because it's packed with people complaining about their rings." Imelda explained.
"Woah! It's that bad then?" Barbara butted in.
"Yes. It's been a week now. I just hope that mine doesn't malfunction because..." Imelda paused. "Nevermind... You should get going. The line is long so you better hurry."
"Thanks, Imelda!" Barbara and Carlo waved at her while Hanz simply nodded.
Imelda nodded back with a smile on her face and started walking away.
"The line is long, she said. Are you sure you want to go there first? Gertrude must be waiting for us." Barbara mentioned while all three of them proceeded to follow the direction that Imelda gave them.
"You're right. I can just have my ring fixed after we meet her." Carlo stopped walking.
Hanz shook his head and grabbed Carlo by the arm. "No, we're fixing it now." He started guiding Carlo to the ringsmith by pulling him.
"But Gertrude is waiting for us." Carlo insisted.
"Just do as I say." Hanz continued walking. "And by the way, what's up with Imelda?" Hanz almost snorted. "She's pretty isn't she?"
Barbara couldn't hear them; she was too distracted by all the shops that they were passing by.
"Yes. But she's not my type." Carlo answered with pouted lips and crossed arms.
"You should have seen your face. Barb and I could tell that it was love at first sight."
"Darn it! Was it that obvious?" Carlo's palm covered his face and he started walking voluntarily.
"Heh." Hanz smirked. "Get your ring fixed and ask her on a date."
Carlo didn't answer and continued walking. Hanz stopped and watched Carlo walk by him. Barbara wasn't paying attention so she bumped into Hanz.
"Ugh. Watch out!" Barbara snapped at him. "Hey, I can see the ringsmith's shop from here."
Carlo looked back at Barbara. "Where?"
"There, beside the blacksmith's shop!" She pointed.
His eyes followed where Barbara was pointing at. "You're right! I see it now. Come on!" He hurriedly went to the front of the shop.
"The line is shorter than I imagined," Hanz commented. "I honestly thought that the line would be so long that people would be standing out front."
"Me too." Barbara agreed.
The three arrived at the ringsmith's shop. Carlo went straight inside and looked for the owner.
"Excuse me!" Carlo raised his hand in hopes of getting the attention of whoever the owner of the shop was.
A small elderly man with a belt full of wrenches, pliers, and other tools, walked toward Carlo. His baggy eyes were barely open. A very young girl with a notebook and pencil followed him.
"Interesting..." He went for a lap around Carlo as he observed him. "Both arms all the way to the hands... Typical Kapre smell... hmmm... Not disguised enough I see..."
The girl was writing everything the elderly man was saying.
"Did you write all that down, Zoey? Interesting... Interesting..." he talked to her without even looking. He made one more lap around Carlo and stopped in front of him and so did the girl. "...ears are not disguised as well. Curious... very very curious... write it down, write it down..."
"Should I write 'cuwious vewy vewy cuwious' too, Uncle Fidget?"
"Oh, dear... Oh dear... no sweetheart. Exclude that!" Fidget exclaimed with a finger raised in the air. "Heh! Exclude that, indeed."
Zoey scribbled what she wrote.
"Excuse me sir, but-" Carlo, confused, spoke up.
"Uh tut-tut.. don't call me that. Name's Fidget. Get used to it."
Carlo rolled his eyes. "Okay, got ya, Fidget. But what's wrong with my ring?" He asked.
"Your ring just needs a few touch-ups. Can you take it off?"
"T-Take it o-off? Like now? Here?" Carlo took a step back but his foot did not land fully.
Barbara walked toward Carlo. "It's alright Carlo. If he's gonna fix it, you gotta hand it to him." She patted his back and then stood next to him.
"Smart... very smart girl... Very smart indeed!"
Carlo looked around. He could see not less than ten people looking at him. Hanz also went in to support Carlo and tapped his back twice.
"Go on, buddy. It's alright. It's not the first time they're gonna see a kapre." Hanz reassured him.
Carlo nodded and gulped. He seemed nervous but he started taking his ring off slowly. As his ring was being taken off, Carlo started to turn.

His legs were the first ones to turn. Then his head... torso... finally, his arms. His gigantic legs almost hit Fidget. He missed but his foot hit the chair behind him which created a loud thud. The pieces of the chair scattered on the floor. Carlo, who was 7 feet tall, stood there motionless.
"It's alright... don't fret, accidents happen... don't fret indeed! Let me get this fixed right away!" Fidget immediately took the ring from Carlo's palm and ran behind the counter top and started working on the ring. Zoey, with her note in hand, followed him.

Hanz stared at Carlo's humongous head and he stared back at him. "Hey! Stop staring at me like that." Carlo pleaded and tried to cover his body with his big arms.
"I'm not looking. I'm just happy that we got help." Hanz gave Carlo a thumb's up.
"You got this, Carl! Just sit tight and wait for Fidget to finish working on it." Barbara cheered on.
The sound of metal banging and clunking resonated in the background.
"This should do the trick. It's done! Your ring is done, young man. It is fixed!" Fidget waddled his way back to the trio as he held the ring in his hands in the air like carrying a birthday cake.
"That's quicker than I expected. Are you sure it's fixed?" Carlo asked.
"Dare not doubt my capabilities, young man. I mass-produced these rings." Fidget explained.
Carlo without hesitation, took the ring from Fidget and he gave one look at it. The ring shone and reflected in his eyes.
As the tiny ring came close to his gigantic finger, it started to get bigger to accommodate the size of Carlo's finger. When it reached the appropriate size, Carlo slid it in, and immediately his whole body started turning into a human's.
"H-How do I look?" Carlo asked his two friends without looking at them. He seemed embarrassed and unsure about what they were going to say.
"You look like a human! Indeed, you do!" Fidget commented. Fidget's usually rapid way of speaking changed into a much slower one. He was calmer.
"He's right. Looks like your ring is fixed." Hanz answered.
"Wait. Is that supposed to happen?" Barbara took Carlo's hand and let Fidget look at it. "This." Barbara pointed at the back of Carlo's hand.
"You mean hairy?" Fidget squinted.
"Yeah."
"Very observant. Well, the hair was on his arms before, right?"
Barbara hesitated to answer. "I guess?"
"And now it's only hairy on the back of the hands. The ears are good, yes? And the stench is gone!" Fidget uttered rapidly.
"I still don't get it." Barbara sighed.
"Excuse me. Why can't he get a full disguise? You fixed the ring, didn't you?" Hanz respectfully questioned Fidget.
Fidget and Zoey stared at each other. "Young lad... Every time you fiddle with that ring, there will be consequences. Payment, if you will. But I managed to keep the consequences to a minimum."
"He's not wrong." Carlo twisted and turned his arms in front of him. "I kinda like my new look anyway. It makes me look more manly." He added as he flexed his biceps.
"Oh! Isn't that Imelda?" Barbara said loudly and pointed toward the outside of the shop.
Without looking, Carlo jumped behind Hanz and hid himself. "Tell her I'm not here."
Hanz rolled his eyes and sighed. "Not so manly now, are you?"
Barbara laughed hard. "G-got you!" She could barely say a word. "She's not even... not even he-he-here!"
Carlo stood straight and took a deep breath.
Hanz cleared his throat and immediately Barbara understood what it meant.
"Uhm..." she inhaled and bit her tongue to force herself to stop laughing. "Alright. Alright. Sorry, okay? I'm just happy that your ring is fixed. By the way, how much do we owe you, Fidget?"
"Owe, you said? No, you don't owe me anything dear... The Council takes care of the fees." He turned around to face Zoey. "Alright, Zoey. Go ahead and see what's wrong with the next customer."
"Okay!" Zoey strutted away.
"Thank you so much." Carlo addressed Fidget.
"Anytime, boy. Anytime." He replied and waved his hand.
"But before we leave, Fidget. Can we ask you a question?" Hanz inquired.
"Sorry, child. I still have a few customers to tend to." Fidget turned around and almost took a step.
"Last time we were in Balete City, none of these existed. What turned a barren wasteland into a beautiful city?" Hanz insisted.
"Can't take a no for an answer?" The small, old man faced Hanz. "Silly, young lad, that's not your real question, is it?" He crossed his arms.
The trio was confused by his answer. They all stared at each other and then at Fidget.
"You really don't know, do you?"
They all shook their heads side-to-side.
"It's the diwata."
Barbara tilted her head. She thought that Fidget misunderstood the question. "Our question was not who destroyed Balete but how it was rebuilt."
"Not so smart now, dear. I just told you." Fidget took a deep breath and pulled his pants up.
Hanz and Barbara shared a look.
"Why would they fix something they destroyed many years ago? I don't get it." Hanz was struggling to understand. It's uncharacteristic of diwata to offer gestures of peace to the Tree Dwellers. They have been at war since the beginning of time.
"Looky here, children. I have lots to do. I'm sorry but that's all I have time for." Fidget was becoming agitated.
Barbara pulled the two boys away. "Thanks, Fidget! Bye, Zoey!"
Fidget nodded and Zoey waved goodbye.
"At least we now have something," Barbara whispered as they walked out. "I still don't get it." She added in her normal voice.
"I don't either." Hanz rubbed his chin with his right hand.
"My brain hurts," Carlo said with his head slumped forward.
"Let's just go to Gertrude so she can brief us about the Academy. We can find out more about everything else later." Hanz exhaled.
The street outside the ringsmith's shop was bustling. There was a distant shouting that came from where most of the stalls and shops were.
"Thief!" the owner of the bakery screamed. "Somebody!"
From a distance, Hanz could see a young boy running away from a group of people who were chasing him.
"Hey, there's a thief!" a random shopper who was walking near the trio exclaimed.
"Should we help?" Barbara asked the two.
The boy was running toward where Hanz, Carlo, and Barbara were standing. In Hanz's perception, the time slowed down. By the looks on his face, he seemed like he was going to intervene.
"Hey, you!" One of the chasers pointed at Hanz. "Get the thief! Don't let him get away!"
Hanz looked at the thief's hands and saw nothing but a bun. "Are they chasing him this seriously just for a small piece of bread?" Hanz whispered to himself as he watched the boy, in slow motion, run past him.
"What the fuck were you thinking?" The chasers stopped to catch their breath in front of Hanz. "For a second..." he paused. "...I thought you would help us."
"Hey, chief. I think we lost him." The other chaser said.
"You don't need to chase him. Here," he dropped a bunch of gold coins on the street floor, "that's his payment."
Barbara and Carlo looked at each other.
The baker finally caught up. "You idiot, why did you stop?" he hissed as he hit one of the chasers on the head with the rolling pin in his hand.
The other chasers huddled up to protect the guy that was hit on the head.
"Calm down, boss! This gentleman just paid for the bread," one of them uttered.
The baker's eyes widened and looked at Hanz from head to toe. "If that's the case," his left eyebrow raised, "get the money and let's go back to the bakery."
The group of chasers along with the baker started walking away.
"Well that's one way to deal with it, I guess." Barbara crossed her arms.
Hanz looked behind him. Down the dark aisle, he saw the thief hiding—staring at Hanz.
He nodded and so did the boy who looked thankful for Hanz's help.
"Alright. Let's do what we came here for," said Hanz. The trio started walking out of the marketplace.
"Welp. If I ever get hungry, I'll remind myself to steal and make Hanz pay for it." Carlo joked as they moved.
Hanz and Barbara laughed.
End of Chapter 2