Of all the climes in places, a soldier could find himself fighting in combat.

Few are as challenging or nightmarish as the jungle.

The oppressive heat during the dry season can sap a man of his strength,

while the humid air and heavy rainfall of the wet season can, in equal measure,

break the spirit of even the toughest men. Jungle rot, rashes, heat stroke, and other such

frustrations aside, the impenetrable walls of jungle foliage serve to make

both navigation and radio communication difficult. If all that wasn't enough to contend with,

the jungle hosts an array of toxic, aggressive, and terrifying wildlife. Then, of course,

there's the enemy, his traps, encampments, and ambushes laying in

weight, perfectly concealed to the eyes of an unsuspecting and weary patrol.

Serving as a soldier in such an environment is an unenviable line of work, but few men are

as proficient and effective in jungle operations as the

elite Philippine Army scout rangers. Tasked with fighting various insurgent groups in the

southern islands of their homeland for over 70 years, there are few perils within the jungle

depths that these men aren't comfortably familiar with. Formidable and cool-headed

as they are, however, even from the ranks of these seasoned, highly capable men, come whispers

of something nefarious lurking in the jungle, an ancient evil that any Filipino has known of

since childhood,

something with an insatiable hunger for human flesh, an Asuang.

I'm Luke Lamanah, and this is wartime stories.

In the early years of the 21st century, the southern Philippines still found itself embroiled

in the long, drawn-out war, dubbed the Morrow conflict.

...