At once Semar sprang from the bushes, and with his sacred hand, he sliced through the air and cleaved into Barong's arm. The grip of the orange hand, which had ensnared Alicia, slowly dissipated, seemingly returning to Barong's regenerated limb.

"Curse be you, Semar!" in Yawanese, Barong bellowed with great fervour. "You shall die for this!"

Barong launched claw after claw at Semar. Strangely, none of them seemed to make contact with the folds of the old man's robe. Semar leapt once more and turned his back, thrusting his buttocks squarely on the beast's snout.

BRAP!

A thick, yellow cloud enveloped both the young man and the tangerine spirit. Disorientation wracked within Barong—Wisesa, more accurately. The stench of Semar's flatulence was so potent that it proved indiscriminate to fill both the nostril of the body and the "nostril of the soul". The spirit writhed before shrinking and sinking into the depths of Wisesa's abdomen. Soon enough, the lad roused and fled the scene, coughing and retching.

"You old fool! Where's your common sense?" Wisesa railed, still choking on the smell. "You've been eating too much pork!"

Just as he finished expelling the last of the gas from his nose and mouth, Semar was upon him again, tugged at his ears, and forcibly dragged him toward Alicia, as though guiding a reluctant water buffalo by its nose.

Speaking of Alicia, she, too, was coughing after her encounter with Wisesa's "spiritual pet."

Semar's hand drew near Alicia's face as well. At first, she dodged, but the village chief's hand was more nimble. Alicia also fell victim to Semar's ear-pinching. The two of them were led some distance away from the precarious hut, which seemed on the verge of collapse.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, Ki Semar! Let go of my ear!" Alicia felt a sense of mortification at being paraded in such a demeaning manner, like a naughty child by their mother.

The old man paid her no mind. Alicia sensed his disappointment in her, and it weighed heavily on her conscience.

"Ha ha! The spoiled girl finally got what was coming to her!" Wisesa jeered. "Gonna cry, Princess? Eeaghhh!" Semar twisted his ear even tighter to silence him.

Finally, Semar's strides came to a halt. He seated the two teenagers before releasing their ears and adopting a cross-legged position himself. He sighed, closed his eyes, and gathered his composure before words escaped again from his mouth, "What is wrong with you two?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with her!" Wisesa sneered, pointing at Alicia. "That shameless wench just barged into my room without permission!"

"What? What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you!" Alicia retorted. "Why is it so easy for you to use such foul language?"

"If someone barges into my private space, what do you expect me to do? What's wrong with you?"

"You made me do it! What's wrong with you?"

"I never forced you to enter my room! What's wrong with you?"

"That's not what I meant, you bloody idiot! What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with—"

SLAP!

Semar stirred, and both hands went into action. The smack landed hard on both heads.

Alicia protested, "For the sake of Silent Divine, Ki Semar! Stop hitting me!"

But another blow was delivered to her head, and Alicia fell silent, her eyes glazed over.

"Don't speak beyond what I ask," admonished the old man. His stooped body had been bent forty degrees, and he had lost his jovial demeanour. Both teenagers could see the twitching of his nose—a sign that he was not in the mood for jokes.

"Listen to the old man, Westerner!" Wisesa mocked. "Stop with all your nonsense."

But Wisesa's words earned him a slap as well.

"Fuck is wrong with you, Old Man Semar? I stood up for you!" Wisesa exclaimed, anger flaring in his eyes.

But another slap silenced him.

"I don't need your defense!" replied Semar. He shook his head before continuing. "Since you cannot be reasoned with, let me decide who has the right to speak. Starting with you, Miss Alicia!"

Alicia looked at Semar in surprise. Her lips were sucked inward, no words coming out.

"You know, I expected more from you," he added. "I told you not to go near Wisesa's place, let alone stalk me, didn't I?"

"S-sorry, Ki Semar," Alicia bowed her head; perhaps to avoid being seen with her moist eyes by that bastard Wisesa, and another endless argument ensued. "I just doubt that Wisesa will reveal everything to you."

A frown appeared on the face of the man before her. He shook his head and looked up into the trees, hoping that a bird or squirrel would bear witness to how agitating the lass's words were. "This wench," he said, "I already told her last night that I stole her magic ball!"

"It's your fault for not sounding convincing!" Alicia retorted.

"What? So is it my fault now if everyone thinks I'm always lying?" Wisesa said with a sneer.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The old man's threatening hands were lifted again, and the two teenagers forcefully sealed their mouths on their own. But their scowling at each other was eternal. Semar then turned to Wisesa, "You, again, o Wisesa Rukmamenggala, Are you so brain-damaged that you want to kill a girl?"

"Old man, can you just drop that common tongue—"

"Don't change the subject!" Semar smacked Wisesa again. "Let Alicia also hear how heartless you are!"

"Heartless!" Wisesa yelled. He once again, did not seem to take those words well to heart. "It wasn't me, okay? It was the bastard beast that resides inside me! The beast that you 'farted' on that I became a victim too! It's also her fault for making me faint when I warned her!"

Alicia immediately replied, "Pardon me—"

Another slap for the girl.

"Don't you dodge, Wisesa," Semar retorted. "You know that's not what I meant, child."

"Then what?"

"The Knowledge of ¹Dhemokan Durga."

"Wait, old man. You saw it too?"

"Durga?" It was not Alicia who opened her own mouth, but her curiosity. "You mean Durga, the famous Grand Magus from the Republic of Svarga—”

Semar beat her again, and Wisesa jumped into the girl's bullying. Not accepting this, Alicia slapped Wisesa right back; her intentions were futile, as Ki Semar managed to stop the fight before it even happened. A bonus slap for both of them, of course.

"Yes, I saw it, Wisesa," the old man said, "I saw it in the bushes since you fell out of your hut."

"And you blame me if this brat dies while you watch on? Yes, of course, put it all on me. 'If people suffer, then I am', right?"

Wisesa needed time to calm his anger, Ki Semar thought. He turned his gaze to Alicia. Though her awkwardness was palpable, the old man could not help but feel that a scolding was in order for her actions. At the glimpse of Semar's eyes on Orb, Alicia hugged it even tighter. After all, the bespectacled lass could never know a person's intentions when looking at a glowing globe rich in Divine Grace, no matter if that person was a nobleman in his golden days (or a tired hunchback in the darkest hours of war). Semar opened his mouth, his tone softening.

"A magic orb that contains the power that leads to One of All Truths, the Origin of the Gods, Kalimasada. No wonder you’re frantic to death, searching for it."

"K-Kalimasada?" Alicia was confused.

"It's what they call Arcane around here."

"Why is it called Kalimasada?"

"Because the might was first recognised through the first holder in ancient Lojitengara, Kalimantara. That was long ago, when Lojitengara was still hundreds of kingdoms in hundreds of islands."

Alicia made a mental note to add this piece of trivia to her book.

Semar turned his attention to Wisesa. "Now, apart from this young lady being a brat, all this strife is because of you, Wisesa. Why did you steal what did not belong to you? What was the point of taking the Kalimasada heirloom if Kalimasada did not give you its blessing?"

Wisesa refused to answer. "None of your business."

"What if the gas in my stomach says otherwise?"

Alicia sighed. There was only a simple, understandable rationale for why Wisesa was fixated on Orb so.

"Ye want to take out that monster Barong with Arcane might."

"That's insane!" Semar was taken aback. "How many times have I warned you against forcibly removing Barong? You'll die right where you are!"

"Wouldn't that be better for everyone...," Wisesa muttered to himself.

"Fool!" bellowed the old man. "Taking your own life doesn't reflect wisdom or virtue. If you live, it means you still have a chance to experience the joys of life."

"Oh gods, please spare me your lecture for the hundred and sixty-ninth time! Yes, I'm counting, Old Man Semar. Joys, my ass! As long as this unhinged being resides within me, I live only to experience the horrors of life."

"Do ye even ken what ye're going to do with Orb to get rid of Barong?" asked Alicia, her eyes filled with a mix of concern and confusion.

"I-I... I don't know! But I can figure it out on my own. I don’t need your interference. It's not like I don't have all the time in this world!"

"Of course, you didnae think it through. Idiot."

"Damn you, Westerner—"

"Never mind!" exclaimed Semar again with a tone up an octave. "Listen, you two! That fight never happened, and it must never happen again, do you understand? It's none of my business if you want to use Kalimasada here, Miss Alicia. People here won’t dare with the owner of Kalimasada. But please, if you must use it, use it cautiously! You still don’t draw attention to unnecessary people. And especially for you, Wisesa! No one should know that you are yesterday's Barong. Both Pulomas and Alas Purwo will hunt you down alive if they find out!"

"Ye ken that Wisesa is Barong?" asked Alicia.

"Yes, and thanks to you, I'm not in the mood to talk about it further."

"Once again, please forgive my mistake!" Alicia humbly bowed her head.

Wisesa's response was rather different, however. "Whatever, old man." He then whispered to the bespectacled lass. "I'll get your ball!"

"Wisesa!" Semar snapped once more.

The young man said no more. His ferocious gaze had said it all.

"If everything is sorted out..." Semar rose from the ground. One hand rested behind his waist. "Let's go back to the village. Wisesa, since your hut is destroyed, you will stay at my place."

"What?" the lad exclaimed. "There's no way that's going to happen! I'll fix this Western wench's vandalism, as long as I don't stay in your place."

Alicia just shook her head, trying to restrain herself as Orb directed.

"Wisesa, my place isn't that bad, really.”

"Don't insist. I’d rather sleep in the house with a hole in it. It's not like someone wants to rob me."

Alicia's lips almost parted, "But you're the robber yourself!"; Wisesa was already looking at the girl's sullen face as if he had guessed her response. However, Alicia had at least learnt something new today: having a square-go with Wisesa was more dangerous to her lifespan than with magic. She still wanted to live long and die of old age.

"But the pigs still need to be taken care of," said Semar.

"Yes, yes. I never forget my duty, old man. I'm going to the village."

The three of them walked back to Tumaritis. Wisesa kept a little distance from Semar, who was infected by his new "foster child", Alicia Crimsonmane from Caledonia, Camelot— although his incessant voice disguised in the wind, threatening to take Orb from her.

Emerging from the depths of the woodland, their footsteps ventured onto a broader trail that wound its way towards the village. Not far away, they could hear the distant screech of horses, their galloping loud and inching closer. A septet of horsemen coming from behind, they reckoned. Before long, the chorus of hooves and screeches was punctuated by a calling for the headman.

"Wisesa," Semar addressed. "See who they are. My vision is not that well anymore."

The lad retreated. He caught a glimpse of the approaching horsemen before reporting back to the village chief.

"They're enemies." []