Broken Sword's
Ch. 08: Baramun the General

Fang complained inwardly. Her body is like a toddler! But she's almost Gana's age. Swinging his legs, Fang's dark bead discovered a dark aura that passed through the aari.

The demon race?

"Dad, why is there a concave arch in the sky?"

Fang asked after Gana finished mowing all the grass in the rice field and brought herself to sit in the shade of the tree.

Taking a pitcher of water, Gana poured water on a bamboo glass for Fang to drink and then brought the son to sit on his lap. "The sunken arch is the protective barrier of the region in which we live."

Fang asked as if he wanted to know and learn many things. "Why is there arai? Will there be a battle like the one exemplified by the uncles at Uncle Luhan's house party?"

"There is no battle. This arai serves to temporarily restrain or seal the talent of race beings who have divine power or magic to be unable to bully the natives"

"Is this arai eternal?"

Gana sighing. The kids love to ask. But he patiently explained.

"not eternal. Once every fifty years there will be a magician who comes to repair and renew the protective arai. Careful"

Fang drank water to the point that his clothes were wet. Gana took the handkerchief that was placed in her pocket, cleaning the remaining water on Fang's body.

"It has. Dad stop drying, my neck hurts!" Fang tries to get up from Gana's lap.

Gana folded the handkerchief and pocketed it back. "Hush, I wipe the water very gently."

Fang did not dare to be naughty. In the past this trick managed to make Gana feel guilty and stop approaching her, just because it is often used finally known if she pretends. Staying seated on Gana's lap, Fang leaned his head over Gana's chest.

Soon this body is two years old. Fang, who wanted to escape the watchful eyes of two protective parents, could not go anywhere alone. Children are very rare, not a few abductors will approach. This concern is what makes every household that has children will be careful to raise their children.

"Dad, where did the witch come from?" Fang opened the conversation again.

Gana fanned Fang with a wide hat made of woven bamboo, "the witch came from the upper region of the land of Gollum."

"Upper region? What'sthat?"

"Just ask her! On your fifth birthday, I'll let you go to kabupeten school, save this question for your teacher to ask."

***

At night after everyone had gone to sleep, Fang threw down a blanket and slowly climbed down from the bed. Walking lightly, Fang stopped as Gana moved to flip over.

Opening the door of the room, Fang picked up his cotton jacket, the appearance of a dark aura passing through the border arousing his curiosity.

In the darkness without lighting, Fang walked alone. Ignoring a series of crickets, Fang stood right at the end of the aisle.

At the outer line a group of demon races were gathering and digging the ground. Squinting his eyes, Fang saw that what the demon race planted was some kind of red stone.

Whatisit?

Fang sat on the ground, crossing his legs, his brain forced to recall all the information from the books he had seen and read. All sorts of shapes and colors of stones he had seen, none of them were similar to what the demon race had planted.

Fang's small figure attracted the attention of one of the demon races. He said to his colleague, "hey look, isn't that a human child?"

All the gazes now looked at Fang.

There was no fear, Fang got up, patted the remaining dirt on his pants, then smiled brightly. "Hi!"

"He's not afraid?"

"This kid is really human? Why not fear our appearance?"

"Wine. The kid saw what we were doing?!"

Rough thump jerking protective arai. Fang retreated on reflex. The devil looks offended now.

"You buried the red stone. You guys plan to destroy the protective arai?"

The five demon races that were discovered were getting ugly expressions. One of them took out a fireball from the palm of the hand, throwing it toward Fang but the fireballs bounced off. The protective arai was still functioning, Fang widening his smile even more.

"This child! Who are you?!"

Bara, the leader of the demon group came forward to ask. His terrifying expression looked even scarier as he came and lashed out at the protective arai.

The nearby Fang was finally able to see the entire demon face. She was! Fang knew this demon. Baramuni. One of the demon king's trusted generals who will destroy the arai and take over the lower region.

"Baramondie?"

This time five people were shocked. "Boss, he knows who you are!"

The shocked embers slightly bowed, a sharp gaze unsheathed as if wanting to hole Fang's body.

"Where do you know my full name?"

Fang's bulging body advanced, bounded by a thin line of arais as a boundary, Fang made a strange, intangible pattern. The five pairs of eyes were so focused, and their expressions grew uglier.

"Damn. WHO ARE YOU REALLY!"

The satisfied Fang turned away. Her encounter with the demon had opened up a hazy memory that Fang had forgotten about.

"HEY YOU! BACK HERE!" Baramun kept lashing out at the protective shield, two concealed horns appearing above his head. The four subordinates of Baramun had also shown the authenticity of their bodies.

Soon the sun will rise. Unable to stay for long, the five demons had to return. But they made a note, the toddler they had met just now had to be caught! The secrets and plans of their race had been known unknowingly.

"When is the entrance to the lower region opened?" Ask Baramun.

"Next year. Exactly five years schedule the entrance to there open."

"Burta, come back and picture the boy's face. Next year we'll go back and arrest him. The demon lord would definitely want to ask him about some things."

Flying away from the direction of the rising sun, five pairs of wings flapped towards the corner of the valley.

***

Fang pushed the door of the room. Fortunately, both of his parents slept well. Taking a middle position, Fang pulled the blanket and continued to sleep.

Half an hour later, Aira woke up. The chicken kept at home was crowing, nudging Gana awake, the husband and wife rushed up and prepared.

The season of plowing the fields is the busiest time for farmers. Aira served in the house to sow seedlings until sprouting shoots while Gana would go down to the rice fields to flip the soil.

The sleepless Fang rubbed his eyes, summoned Aira and was taken to bathe and change clothes.

"Well, why is there so much muddy ground on the bottom of your pants?"

Fang fell silent. It was too dark when he came out of the house so Fang didn't pay much attention to the streets. "Mother, new pants?"

Aira chuckles. "You want some more pants? This month I've sewed three clothes for you, still less?"

The tickled Fang tried to dodge, his laughter filling the house. Gana who took wood for cooking joined in and bathed her son together.