The hubbub surrounding the harvest festival had yet to subside even as the full moon began to peek over the horizon. Only a scant few revellers had chosen to retire for the night, among them a guest servant and a sunanate soldier. The two figures made their way back to the inn across the way.

Badra swung open the door to their room and ushered Alicia inside. Yet as he stepped over the threshold, his legs trembled, and he went backwards again. His hands instinctively fumbled for his rifle, for Barong welcomed their return with open arms—or, more accurately, open claws.

"Sugeng enjing!" Barong greeted them with a cheerful tone, but its appearance was far from nurturing; claws flexed and a predatory gleam in its eye, like a hungry bear sneaking around on two legs.

Alicia flinched, though not as terrified as the Nusakencana spy. She swallowed hard before speaking, "What in the bloody Hades are you up to?"

"Don't be so surprised, my dear! Wisesa and I were just arguing about my return to the world." Barong's orange energy form chuckled. "After all, it's been three centuries since I was last able to prove my trustworthiness, after being trapped by black magic."

"Suit yourself," Wisesa interjected lazily from his place on the bed. "I'm already hated everywhere, so whether you wander around or not makes no difference to me."

Badra chatted in a high-pitched voice, waving his hand at the bespectacled girl to move back towards him. Barong shortened its distance from the two figures, and Badra immediately thrust his long-barrelled rifle forward. The yelling grew ever more persistent!

"Dinnae shoot, Kenthol Badra! Barong has turned over a new leaf! Ah... eh...," Alicia was confused. "B-Becik. Barong..., becik? Wisesa, did I say it right? Dinnae just lie there, Wisesa! Help calm him down, for the sake of Silent Divine!"

Wisesa straightened his back and let out a loud yawn. However, he still wanted to savour Badra's horrified face. His grin pronounced that. Although Barong had endeavoured to convey Alicia's entreaties multiple times, how could Badra believe it? He had not been alive three hundred years ago when Barong was still the Patron of Lands, not the Eater of Men.

So Alicia rummaged through her waist bag and found Orb safe and sound, chirping to its wielder. With Orb in hand, Alicia turned to Badra, urging Barong to once again use the gift of understanding all tongues to sway the spy once more. Though Badra's legs still quivered like lute strings, he slowly lowered his weapon, temporarily setting aside his desire to cause chaos in the city and switch sides.

The tiger in armour chortled in delight. "Oh, it worked! Good job, Kalimasada!" it praised

But the white glow of Orb illuminated Barong, which in turn emitted a chirp. Perhaps next time, it would be wise to ponder before hastily engaging in actions that may incite commotion.

"Elah, I was looking forward to seeing him piss himself first," Wisesa lamented. He then climbed out of bed, stretched, and assumed a cross-legged position in front of others. Everyone resumed their previous positions. Now that it was clear that Wisesa was the predicted magic weapon of Alas Purwo Sunanate, Barong had the freedom to roam the chamber without any compulsion. There were times when it stared at Badra for so long that the man broke out in a sweat. Barong waved its hand and its most sincere smile in good faith, but the man inched closer to the exit instead. Barong should never force himself to smile—its teeth and fangs were already protruding out of clenching snout.

Only when it chose to shrink its shape to Kitten Barong, did the spy gleam with astonishment, and now he wanted to squish its chubby form. It should have appeared in this form earlier!

"Cut to the chase, Miss Crimsonmane," Wisesa began the deliberation. "You said you already knew what form the shaman Bathara Kala had taken. I bet you smiled confidently when you said that."

How did he come to know that?

Alicia smacked the carpeted floor with both palms. "Ushabti!"

"Ushabti?" Barong shook his head.

Wisesa seemed to understand what Alicia was thinking. His interest in lingering with her waned. "Stop being ridiculous, Alicia. Just explain it!"

Alicia's cheeks ballooned like twin blimps before she released a long, exaggerated exhale. "Hear, hear. I suspect Bathara Kala was sealed in an ushabti, a miniature clay statue from the country of Aaru. According to their customs, these figures are usually crafted to serve the dead."

The lad's face contorted. "Huh? A servant in the afterlife?" he sputtered. "What in Durga’s soul is that? What, they don’t have gods in the afterlife that they still need servants there? Damn, I guess Aaru’s gods are as abstract as your idol. That's really too bad for anyone born there!”

"Don't be so quick to judge, Wisesa," Alicia dismissed him. "Every practice has its own sets of convictions, ye ken!"

Huddled in place, Wisesa held his ground. "Doesn't change my opinion of how pathetic they are to need servants in the form of clay minions."

"You're talking too much nonsense, Wisesa, shut up!" Kitten Barong backed Alicia up this time. It chided in Wisesa's ears. "Let her conclude her explanation!"

"What? You shut up, illegal tenant!" Wisesa puffed out his chest.

"You know I won't shut up," challenged the mini orange tiger energy. "And you know damn well I can silence you at any time if you don't respect this girl's words!"

The two united beings cracked up in an argument. However, their petty squabble proved short-lived when a soft voice called out to them, and bleary eyes sealed the lips of both. "Wisesa, Barong...," Alicia implored. "Could you just for once, please, let me finish my sentence, so we can quickly formulate a plan, steal Bathara Kala's body, and save the day? You don't have anything to lose if this annoying battle doesnae continue, do you?"

Wisesa and Barong locked eyes. Both of them took a breath. Even more miraculously, Wisesa cross-legged upright like a statue of a model disciple! Barong followed suit, slowly entering the lad's body. The smile that bloomed on the bespectacled girl's face was a gift to them both.

"Thank you! I promise I'll be quick with my pure boring magic trivia." Alicia started back on her theory, her mind conjuring up images of a desert town, its people, and their funeral rites. "So, you've heard of ushabti. They're actually statues to accompany spirits on their journey to the afterlife. But Aaru’s practitioners of the art of Sand and Time utilised these dolls for other purposes: as prisons for evil magi, supernatural entities, and even, it is said, ungodly gods! Now, you may ask, why do I assume this? Simple. The Sunan of Alas Purwo himself confirmed it. The sealing spell with ushabti is the same spell as the sand cube sealing spell, which originated in the region of desert countries as mentioned by Barong and Wisesa's wee scunner da. Aaru is one of those desert countries and fits the description of its mystical art perfectly. Imagine a seal inside a seal!"

The lass' magical trivia concluded. To Wisesa's surprise, he found himself intrigued. A tinge of it, at least. Perhaps he should learn to listen more instead of dismissing others' words so quickly. "So, the seal is small. It should be easy to carry," he nodded.

"A portable prison, the most convenient in the world of thaumaturgy!" beamed the bespectacled girl.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Good. We already have a plan." Wisesa stood up, addressing Badra before the self-styled warrior left the room. Their conversation was brief, but it seemed to involve a request.

Alicia was somewhat dazed. "Wait, what, what plan? We haven't discussed it yet!"

"I have a better idea than any of your suggestions. I know this neighborhood, you know?"

"And your idea is...?"

"Later. We'll wait for Badra to return. For now, I'm going to take a bath."

***

The inn room was a hodgepodge of supplies, with a tray of eggs, yam pieces, and a coconut positioned on the table. Amidst this apparent disorder, Wisesa sat, dressed only in cloth pants and a black blanket, tinkering with a small heater Badra had provided to melt the wax. He scratched his palm, letting a few drops of blood fall into the molten wax, and poured it into an oval-shaped mould with a wick of string.

Wisesa's eyes found the crimson-haired lass fixated on the candle. She was wondering what kind of spell required blood and wax. She knew better than to interrupt him, though. He had yet to reveal his plan, and she was curious to see what he had in store.

"Still remember Surawarahika Bathara Waning Patom?" Wisesa asked Alicia.

Alicia was pensive for a moment. "Och, the pig god of your people, aye?"

"Your memory’s sharp," Wisesa complimented. "Our pig god, the god of fame and prosperity. He can smell the source of a person's wealth even when it's invisible. It is said that all he has to do is rub himself against logs or the walls of houses for gold to fall from his body. However, according to the Girahites, Waning Patom is not a bringer of good fortune, but is instead nicknamed the God of Rogues."

The Crimsonmane girl's nose wrinkled. "You want to infiltrate the palace as... a pig?"

Wisesa pointed his index finger.

"Uh, alright. I guess that's... a decent script."

"Decent?" Wisesa jerked back slightly. "Are you underestimating me? If you've got something on your mind, just out with it!"

"Hm. I mean, among all the animals that might be more nimble, I see pigs as a... rather queer selection, perhaps? Then again, I thought the royal palace couldnae be entered by magic?"

"Why don't you just go ahead and ask Waning Patom to make the spell so you can morph into a flying squirrel or a blazing horse?"

"I'm just asking...," Alicia sulked.

"Whether I'm a pig or a giant ain't important, alright? What matters is the magic. All I gotta do is dig down to where the magic vault is, rub up against the container holding the ushabti, and we're in business! Easy, isn't it? The dangerous mage Bathara Kala is already within my grasp; a smooth, almost effortless heist!"

"Ah, the Knowledge of Waning Patom, huh...?" Barong emerged from Wisesa's belly button. “It's been too long since I've seen him. A god of prosperity, but also one of vanity. As the pig of prosperity, there's always a self-insert in his spells, so please do understand, Alicia. Even everything that smells of wealth will be described as a pig here."

After a while, the pink wax in the mould had cooled down. It was placed in a small clay bowl in the centre of the foodstuffs.

“And what’s with all these scran again?” Another question from Alicia.

“Well, pigs love eating them, don’t they?” Barong replied. “Hm, how do I put this? The user’s mana will be drawn to all the foods, to be later sucked into other loka where Waning Patom resided. By the time your ritual concludes, these foods will render dry or empty.”

“An offering, eh? Mana with the taste of scran! How unique!” Alicia clapped his thighs in delight. A new magic trivia gained after she delivered her own; she called it a successful trade. But Alicia still believed Wisesa also had something in store. “You haven’t told me how to enter the palace without being seen.”

“Is it because you actually care about my plan or you just want to hear a thaumaturgical lullaby from me?” Wisesa suspected.

“Can’t it be both?”

Wisesa rubbed his nose, shaking his head. "I have a Knowledge for that. My body can send out signals that disrupt the mana sense of the practitioners there. The Knowledge, however, only lasts ten minutes at most."

"Perhaps with Orb's blessing, it can be longer!" Alicia was convinced. Orb did not seem to mind.

"In that case, let's get on with it! Give me Orb's blessing, and then we can cast the spell."

Alicia gasped. Her mouth trembled in disbelief. "W-we?"

"I believe my common tongue is still clearer than that weird accent of yours."

"I cast a spell...? S-seriously? Wisesa, are ye serious?"

"Huh. Of course, I'm serious. I pity you because you've always dreamed of wielding real magic, haven't you? But without Orb, that's all it is, a wishful thinking. This spell requires two people, but it's my mana that will bear the brunt of the ritual, as I'm the one who will initiate it and turn into a pig. Your mana will be drained when you manage to connect with me and become my guide during the transformation. And that's why you must also cast the spell."

"Oh, like me and Orb!" Alicia got even more excited, holding up her Arcane orb.

"Yeah, I'll let you use that trope."

"Did you hear that, Orb? I'll be 'you' and Wisesa will be 'me'!"

"Okay Alicia, that's enough pawning."

"Yeah, sure! Anything! Anything to do magic! I love you, Wisesa!"

"You know what? Forget it. Badra! Be my guide—"

"Ah, no, no, don't! Please!" Alicia shook the lad's hand. "That's not an expression of love like for lovers or anything like that. Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Yes, I know what you mean. That part was just for that little guy you met this afternoon."

"W-Wisesa! I never said that to him! I’m still not qualified!" The colour returned to the face of the Crimsonmane lass.

"Still, that phrase made my ears burn." the young man said. "Forget it, missy, just give me the might of Kalimasada!"

Arcane blue threads injected points into the lad's body. He relished this sensation of tranquillity and joyful heartbeat. Only, he kept his feelings to himself, too shy to reveal them to Alicia. That would make him addicted.

Wisesa rose from his seat and gestured for Alicia to sit near the tray. A match was lit to ignite the wick of the candle. "As long as I'm a pig, keep this candle steady with all your life."

"What happens if the candle goes out?"

"I die."

Alicia gulped.

"Not really. I just turn back into a human, and my pig form along with the perks will disappear."

A piece of paper was handed to Alicia, bearing the words of a spell in a foreign language.

"Read this spell along with me," Wisesa instructed.

Suddenly, the man lightly stripped off his trousers. Alicia choked on air when the black tendrils of his pubic beard were glimpsed!

"Oi, M-moron!" screamed the girl, jerking back. One hand covered her entire reddened face. "W-w-what in bloody Hades are ye doing?"

Wisesa merely glanced down as if seeing his exposed member wiggling freely on the streets of Yawadwipa was a normal habit. "I'm attending Camelot's summer nude party—of course, performing rituals! What else could it be?"

"Put yer clothes back on, ye bloody pervert!" snapped Alicia.

"What? I can't do that!"

The two of them argued again. Anyone in this strange group seemed to have time to spare for verbal sparring.

"Liar! What do you mean you can't?"

"This spell requires me to be naked!"

"Stupid requirement!"

"Then go complain to Waning Patom yourself!"

Alicia groaned. Her mind was already scattered with frustration, she did not even dare to take a little peek. Her head kept shaking. Badra watched from behind the door, surprisingly, regarding the sight as an antic.

"Well, I can't read spells like this, Wisesa!" said the lass in frustration.

"Don't make excuses!" chided the lad, "Missy, you just need to focus your eyes on the paper!"

"But what if I accidentally look—"

"Well, don't look at my ding-dong, Ding-Dong!"

Inevitably, Alicia looked down at the tray; her eyes lingered only on a piece of paper that was no longer than the length of the bowl. A sudden impulse asked her eyeballs to roll upwards before Orb flicked her with an electric shock. When the humming of Wisesa's throat came out, she knew it was time for her to chant.

And so the long-awaited moment arrived. Wisesa slowly uttered the incantation, allowing the stunned Alicia to acclimate to the unfamiliar words. Wisesa prostrated himself briefly—his mouth still chanting the sacred words—and then slowly straightened his back, raising his hands before lowering them to grasp the black cloth on his back and kissing it several times.

Alicia's eyes were still glued to the paper, unable to bear witness to the spectacle of the naked Wisesa performing his dance, growing taller with each attempt to stand. Orb and her conscience forbade her from indulging in such displays.

However, she felt a stirring within her as the repetition of the incantation increased. Her hands moved on their own, sensing a beckoning to surrender as they trembled near her ears. Her body swayed left and right. An unfamiliar flow of mana possessed her and it did not come from Orb. Her foreign tongue suddenly became fluent in the mantra, and her eyes fluttered on their own. A connection had been established between Alicia Crimsonmane and Wisesa Rukmamenggala.

Badra snapped again to the room because the mantras intensified and so was the quaking floor. Wisesa resembled a madman; His tense body tugged at each other. Alicia, on the other hand, was already lost in the movements of tilting left and right like a possessed. Both of them were indeed possessed.

The lights flickered, and the utensils fell to the ground. To Badra's astonishment, none of the occupants scurried out to complain.

The localised earthquake lasted for three minutes before the room went dark and the shaking subsided. When the lights returned, Alicia woke up from her trance, and a black pig moved its head in all directions.

Rubbing her eyes, Alicia sensed dizziness and exhaustion all over her being. She had just performed the Orbless spell for the first time, thanks to Wisesa's guidance. Her eyes fixed on the pig in front of her, she could not help but chuckle in amazement. "What the... Wisesa, is that you?"

The pig squawked, then scampered out of the room, passing Kenthol Badra. []