The atmosphere of the Duchy of Karang Asem looks so calm and quiet. The night air, which feels cool with a gentle breeze, seems to imply peace. Rangga or the Sacred Eagle Warrior really enjoyed the atmosphere in the silence of the night with Pandan Wangi. They had been living in a large inn for the past two days.
"You should have booked two rooms, Kakang," said Pandan Wangi rather curtly.
Rangga just kept silent while his eyes stared out of the window that was wide open. For the past two days Pandan Wangi has always grumbled annoyed because Rangga only ordered one room for the two of them. Rangga could understand that the girl felt uncomfortable being in the same room with a young man who was just a friend. But Rangga has his reasons for ordering a room for the two of them.
"It's impossible, Pandan," said Rangga in his earheard Pandan Wangi's grunts that didn't stop. But the Sacred Eagle Warrior's gaze remained unmoved from the wide open window.
"Why can't it be? Aren't we enough to reserve two rooms?" Pandan Wangi replied in an annoyed tone.
"Indeed..." Rangga sighed somewhat indifferently. He still didn't look away. His eyes kept staring at the crowd that was starting to appear outside. The crowds he rarely enjoys at night, unless he happens to be in a city.
"Then why did you only rent one room?" "Because I already told you that you're my wife to
the owner of this inn," said Rangga calmly, holding a smile on his lips.
"Damn!" snorted Pandan Wangi.
"Remember, Pandan. We came here for one purpose. And I don't want to attract people's attention yet," Rangga tried to explain.
"I do not understand what you mean?"
"We came together. If we rent two rooms, of course we can attract people's attention. I don't want us to get into trouble before we know what the Lohgender Commander is looking for me for. You have to understand, Pandan. After all, we're not doing anything here, are we?"
"But, you can admit that I'm your sister, or anything else, as long as it's not that!" Pandan Wangi replied, still disagreeing with Rangga's reasoning.
"Perhaps I could have done it under other circumstances.""Other how?"
"I can claim you as a younger brother when I already know why Commander Lohgender is looking for me. Meanwhile, until now, we don't know anything. Is he an enemy or a friend? I only intend to guard against all possibilities."
"If that's your only excuse, I can take care of myself!"
"I believe, moreover now that you have mastered the Dragon Geni Sword and the powerful Dragon Sewu Art. You are no longer a weak girl who always asks to be protected."
"Ah never mind!" said Pandan Wangi. He realized that he would not be able to win arguing with that young man. "Now, what are your next plans?" Pandan Wangi's voice began to soften.
“Investigate the duchy.” said Ranga. "Didn't you already do that last night?"
"Last night I just looked around from the outside. The guard there seemed very tight. Soldiers from the Limbangan Kingdom seem to have started arriving at the Duchy of Karang Asem," said Rangga.
"Possible"
"Ssst...'" Rangga interrupted Pandan Wangi's words
quickly while crossing his fingers at the corners of the girl's lips.
Pandan Wangi immediately fell silent. The eyeshe grinned feeling the tip of Rangga's index finger touching his lips. Immediately he pulled his head back. Suddenly his heart was pounding so hard. I don't know what he is feeling right now.
"You stay here, close the window after I get out," said Rangga in a low whisper.
Pandan Wangi yetAs soon as he opened his mouth again, suddenly the body of the Sacred Eagle Warrior had jumped out of the window. Still filled with question marks, the girl immediately closed the window after observing the situation outside for a while. He tried to strain his ears sharply, but heard nothing but the sound of people's conversations bustling outside the inn.
Meanwhile, Rangga, who had briefly heard a suspicious sound on the roof, immediately jumped up to the top of his lodging room. His eyes, as sharp as those of an eagle, caught a figure of a black shadow flashing swiftly from one roof to another. Rangga immediately followed him from a considerable distance.
The Sacred Eagle Warrior's body movedlight as cotton in the wind. Bouncy beautiful following in the footsteps of the black shadow. For a moment Rangga's forehead wrinkled, as soon as he saw the black shadow he headed towards the residence of the Duke of Karang Asem. Rangga immediately threw his body into a large and leafy tree when the black shadow stopped on a tree near the duchy wall. The man who was wearing all black seemed to be observing the situation.
"Hm..., who is that person? Does that mean he's near the duchy fortress?" muttered Rangga in his heart. Her sharp eyes watched the black shadow that
middle he was after.
People in clothesThe black body bounced again through the high and sturdy walls of the duchy fortress. Rangga immediately jumped to follow with a light motion without a sound. A body being followed then sneaked into the wall of the house, then crept closer to a window. It seemed that the light of the lamp shone out as soon as the window was opened. With one light movement, the figure clad in black jumped inside. Ranga quickly approached.
"The bedroom..." Rangga whispered to himself.
From a small gap, he could see the state of the room. A man dressed in black was looking at him. But his body turned his back to the lamp, so it was rather difficult to recognize his face. Rangga turned his attention to someone who sat with his back to him.
"Hm..., I have to use the art of differentiating motion and sound," Rangga muttered to himself.
***
Inside the large and beautiful room, a man dressed all in black slumped in a chair facing a round table of white marble covered with silver. Opposite him sat a man in rich clothes, a fat and muscular body. That man is Adipati Prahasta.
"What are you doing here?" asked Duke Prahasta.
His tone was clearly displeased.
"I want to ask your responsibility, Prahasta," saidthe man dressed all in black. His voice is small and smooth, but conveys menace and cruelty.
"What responsibility?" Duke Prahasta glared. "Strengthening the duchy by bringing in soldiers
from the kingdom."
"I didn't do that. Commander Lohgender who
sent messengers to bringsoldiers from the Kingdom of Limbangan. I don't know about that problem!" Adipati Prahasata's voice was clearly strained.
"You are a duke, you are in charge here, not Commander Lohgender!"
"A Royal Lord is more powerful than a duke. He can act in his own way here, if he thinks things are not right."
"Don't talk too much, Prahasta! I came here just to ask you to take back the Limbangan Kingdom's soldiers!"
"Impossible!" snorted Duke Prahasta.
"You have to do it,Prahasta. Or. ugh!"
Suddenly the man in black waved his hand. A glimmer of green light rushed toward the window, then as fast as lightning his body jumped through the window. Adipati Prahasta immediately got up and approached the window.
Rangga who managed to avoid the sudden attack threw his body into the air, and at the same time his feet hit the ground, a figure covered in black immediately attacked him quickly. The Sacred Eagle warrior again threw his body into the air, so that the black-clad man's attack escaped him.
The man in all black realized that his opponent was not just anyone. Without wasting much more time, he immediately jumped out of the way over the high wall fence. His movement was very fast, and didn't make the slightest sound, a sign that he had a fairly high level of intelligence.
"Whoops!"
Rangga immediately threw his body after the person in all black. In an instant, two figures immediately disappeared behind a tall, thick and sturdy wall. Meanwhile, Adipati Prahasta was speechless, unable to
do nothing. The two shadows moved very quickly as if they had just disappeared without their appearance being known beforehand.
***
The man dressed all in black disappeared without a trace when he arrived at the Tarik Forest. Rangga continued to chase deep into this dark and dense forest. The knowledge of distinguishing motion and sound that he mustered was unable to find traces of the person dressed in all black. Rangga stopped his pursuit. He stood still while his eyes kept looking around him. The atmosphere of the forest which was only lit by the moon which was not so bright, made Rangga's view somewhat obstructed. A moment later his head was lowered to examine the ground around him, trying to find traces of the footprints of his prey.
Suddenly Rangga was surprised when suddenly he realized that he was surrounded from all directions. He turned his body to look at the ten people dressed all in black who flashed quickly out from behind the bushes and trees. Each of them had drawn weapons in their hands.
"Attack...!"
"Yeah...!"
Loud screams so loud were heard accompaniedthe jumps of bodies clad in black clothes attacked the Sacred Eagle Warrior. The exciting battle in the middle of the forest was inevitable. Silver light flashed from all directions enveloping Rangga's body.
Rangga, who did not know the exact strength of his opponents, was still jumping, dodging to avoid the attacks that came in succession. He didn't even once strike back, but suddenly there were shrill screams followed by the fall of two
black body smearedblood.
The Eagle Swordsman's sharp and well-trained eyes could see clearly even in the darkness of the night. Two of his opponent's bodies collapsed by unexpectedly fast slashes of machetes and swords from behind. Three people with drawn weapons appeared suddenly. Two of them, their weapons were drenched in blood. The three of them immediately entered the battlefield. Rangga immediately threw his body into the air away from the fight. It was clear that the three people were soldiers.
One person with a belt depicting jasmine flowers, is clearly from the Limbangan Kingdom. And two more people can be confirmed soldiers from the Duchy of Karang Asem. Not long after, it appeared that the three people had the upper hand. One by one the bodies dressed in black fell down in a pool of blood.
"Retreat...!" there was a small shrill scream.
Immediately, the remaining four black clothed people jumped up and ran away. Their bodies vanished under the cover of this Forest of Pull. The three men, who turned out to be Arya Duta, Balungpati and Welut Putih, immediately put their weapons back in their sheaths. They took a breath for a moment, then rushed to Rangga who was just standing under a large tree.
"Are you all right, Kisanak?" asked Arya Duta after being in front of Rangga.
"No," said Ranga, smiling. Even without their help, he was able to finish off the ten men dressed all in black. But Rangga did not want to disappoint the three people who had gone to great lengths to help him.
"Who is Kisanak, and why did they clash with the troublemakers?" asked Arya Duta again, he did not recognize who Rangga was.
"My name is Rangga, I don't know why those people
attack me." he said.
"Where do you live?" Balungpati asked.
"I am a wanderer, I have no fixed place to live." said Rangga sounding calm voice.
"Hm, in that case, it's best to quickly leave this Forest of Interest. It's too dangerous for someone who walks alone, especially at this time of night." Welut Putih suggested.
"Thank you," Ranga said with a smile. "May I know, who are Uncle these three?"
"I am Arya Duta, and these are Uncle Balungpati and Uncle Welut Putih. We are here carrying out the duties of the Lohgender Commander," Arya Duta explained.
"Whatthe task is to look for the Sacred Eagle Warrior?" asked Rangga while hiding his surprise.
"Correct!" said Arya Duta surprised. "How did Kisanak know?"
"Incidentally, yesterday I met two envoys from Commander Lohgender who were tasked with looking for Uncle three. The two envoys were from the Kingdom of Limbangan," said Rangga.
"Oh, who are they?" asked Arya Duta.
"They claim to be royal courtiers. If I'm not mistaken, their names are Punggawa Garulungan and Punggawa Paringgan."
"Ah, they are courtierschoice of Commander Lohgender," sighed Arya Duta.
"Surely the situation in the Karang Asem Duchy is getting worse, Gusti. To the extent that the Gusti Panglima sent two selected courtiers here," said Balungpati respectfully.
"Yes, apparently Ayahanda Lohgender has sent troops to the duchy," sighed Arya Duta.
"Excuse me, if I may ask, why is Commander Lohgender looking for the Sacred Eagle Warrior?" asked Rangga fishing.
Arya Duta described the situation and problems currently being faced by the Duchy of Karang Asem. His suspicions were about the involvement of martial arts figures
which was the same as Commander Lohgender's suspicions, making the Commander of the Limbangan Kingdom task them with looking for the Sacred Eagle Warrior. Until Arya Duta finished telling his story, he had no idea that the person he was looking for was actually in front of him.
Ranga just nodded her head for a moment. He now fully understood why the Lohgender Commander was looking for him. Apparently there are serious problems facing the Duchy of Karang Asem. The duchy was indeed still under the rule of the Limbangan Kingdom.
"We have been in the Tarik Forest for ten days," Arya Duta continued. "But we actually clashed with a mob of troublemakers, including the one Kisanak fought earlier... I'm sure those people have something to do with the current situation in the Duchy of Karang Asem, and their nest must be in the middle of this forest."
"Sorry, Uncle. If I may give a suggestion. It's best if you three don't look for the nest of the troublemakers first. It's best if you three go back to the Duchy of Karang Asem," said Rangga.
"Kisanak...!" snapped Balungpati."You know who you're dealing with, huh?"
"Sorry, Uncle. I'm just giving a suggestion. Because yesterday afternoon, if I'm not mistaken, the Sacred Eagle Warrior that Uncle is looking for was in the Duchy of Karang Asem."
"What...?!" Arya Duta, Balungpati and Welut Putih were gawkingcan't believe it.
"I am a traveler,I know the figures of martial arts jungle. The Sacred Eagle Warrior is staying with his sister at the Cagar Ayu Inn," Rangga said, smiling inside, then continued. "I know the Sacred Eagle Warrior very well. He'll definitely want to help quell that mob of troublemakers."
"You're not kidding, Kisanak?"Balungpati still doesn't
believe.
"Trust me, the sister of the Sacred Eagle Warrior is nicknamed the Death Fan. I don't think they will stay there long. If the three Uncles don't meet soon, they might not see each other forever."
"What's your guarantee?" said the White Welut.
"Neck! I will not leave the Forest of Pull. I will replace the task of the three Uncles to find the nest of the mob," said Rangga firmly.
Arya Duta looked at Balungpati and Welut Putih alternately.
"The three uncles have helped me, and now I will return the favor by looking for the gang's nest," continued Rangga.
"All right, Kisanak. If you try to make fun of me, don't say I'm cruel if I cut your throat!" said Arya Duta not kidding.
Ranga just smiled and nodded her head. Without saying much more, Arya Duta immediately asked Balungpati and Welut Putih to leave the place. For a moment Rangga watched the departure of the three people who were looking for him. He now understood exactly what was happening in the Duchy of Karang Asem.
"Do you believe what Rangga just said, Uncle Balungpati?" asked Arya Duta after they left the Tarik Forest.
"It seems he can be trusted, Gusti. A wanderer knows more about the world of martial arts than us," said Balungpati.
"We'd better go straight to Pagar Ayu Inn, Gusti," added Welut Putih.
"Okay, if it turns out that he lied to us, go back to the Forest of Pull."
***
Pandan Wangi, who was alone in the room, became unsettled. His mind was filled with lingering feelings of anxiety. Even though he was sure of Rangga's abilities, the uncertainty over the condition of the Duchy of Karang Asem always made his mind never calm when Rangga went out.
The sound of knocking on the door startled Pandan Wangi. His eyes stared intently at the door which was knocked repeatedly. His hand immediately groped for the white steel fan tucked into his waist. Then slowly he stepped toward the door.
"Who...?" asked Pandan Wangi loudly.
"We, from the Karang Asem Duchy, want to meet the Death Fan!" came a voice from outside.
Pandan Wangi gasped in surprise. Hastily he opened the door. Three people were standing at the door of his inn. Standing in the middle is a young man with a belt depicting jasmine flowers. And two more people dressed in duchy warriors.
"Is the Miss who is nicknamed the Death Fan?" asked Arya Duta.
"That's right," said Pandan Wangi, his voice a bit restrained."May we meet the Sacred Eagle Warrior?" "Honey, he's gone."
"Where it goes?"
"I don't know, he just saidif you want to go out to see the atmosphere of this duchy," said Pandan Wangi, explaining in no detail.
"Then, fine, we will wait in front," said Arya Duta as he turned around.
"Uh, wait a minute!" Pandan Wangi replied.Arya Duta undostep.
"What do you mean, the three of you are looking for the Sacred Eagle Warrior?" Pandan Wangi asked.
"How is it, Uncle?" Arya Dula asked for the opinion of two of her companions.
"It's better to explain our real intentions, Gusti." said Balungpati.
Arya Duta immediately explained what he meant after getting a nod from Welut Putih. He also explained his encounter with a traveler who told him that the Death Fan and the Sacred Eagle Warrior were at this inn. Then after exchanging pleasantries for a while, the three of them left Pandan Wangi who was still frozen in the doorway.
"Oh!" Pandan Wangi was surprised as soon as he turned his body.
Unbeknownst to him, he was lying on the bed. His lips smiled looking at Pandan Wangi who was approaching him. The girl glanced at the window that was still closed. He had closed the bedroom door and locked it tightly.
"Where did you come in, Brother?" Pandan Wangi asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"That..!" Rangga pointed to the open ceiling of the room
"Damn!" Pandan Wangi snorted "What if it rains later?"
Rangga didn't answer at all, immediately his body shot up. Just an instant later, he was back lying on the bed. Pandan Wangi looked up briefly. The roof of this room has been closed neatly again.
"Just now there were three people looking for you, Brother." Pandan Wangi said
"I know, and Iwho sent them here," said Rangga calmly. His lips still curled into a smile.
"Why don't you just come clean?" Pandan Wangi asked, not surprised anymore. He had already guessed.
"Not yet," said Rangga calmly. "Now they are waiting out front.""Come on, I'm going to sleep first."
Pandan Wangi glanced at Rangga with his backhis. The girl was so confused herself. This room only has one bed. If Rangga had slept there, then where would he sleep...?
"What is it?" asked Rangga feeling Pandan Wangi's hands shaking his body.
"You sleep downstairs!" Pandan Wangi snapped, frowning.
"Cold, ah! Just sleephere." Rangga patted his side.
"Brother!" Pandan Wangi exclaimed excitedly. His eyes bulgedwide.
Rangadon't care. He was snoring again. Pandan Wangi could only grumble in annoyance. The girl was confused because so far she had never slept with a man. For a moment he took a deep breath. Drowsiness attacked him more and more.
"Uh! Don't be stupid." he snorted indignantly.
The girl immediately lay down beside Rangga who had his back to her. He shrieked in surprise when Rangga turned around, and his hand stretched over his chest. Pandan Wangi tugged at Rangga's hand. His face so flushed red. His chest suddenly pounded.
Pandan Wang jlooked at the sleeping king. While the cold wind seeped in from the cracks in the bamboo wall. Pandan Wangi shuddered coldly, and without realizing it his body was getting closer to the young man beside him. The young man's breath was warm on his flushed face.
"Sis..." Pandan Wangi called softly. "Hmmm..." He just mumbled incoherently.
Pandan Wangi let out a long sigh, then slowly his eyes began to close. He didn't care anymore about Rangga's hands that started to mischievously hug his body. The girl felt warmth creeping up her body.
In his sleep his lips curved into a serene smile.
***