Chased by Two Warriors

Before meeting Darka, Jagat first came to Ki Wardiman's house to convey the task Mandana had given him. A messenger from Tantra was to deliver a secret message to Darka.

And if there was a problem, Jagat could go to the warrior post in Daha City, Kediri, and ask for help.

Gendis was just a good listener when Jagat told her about his experiences. Including the time he fought a female demon.

"Calon Arang was the most powerful demon in Java hundreds of years ago. But since he was vanquished, no one has been able to match his greatness."

"Does that mean that what I faced yesterday was no match for Calon Arang?"

Ki Wardiman slowly shook his head. He said that Calon Arang once wiped out a village simply because the young men of the village would not marry his daughter.

"How cruel."

"The woman you are dealing with is probably a follower of his teachings. Or a disciple of his. I don't know. They've disappeared since Singosari took over."

"And it looks like they've reappeared this time."

"Forget about Calon Arang. Now, how are your abilities progressing? It seems that Mandana has asked you to be a spy for them. It seems Mandana is taking advantage of your strengths, my son."

"It seems so, Ki."

Several guards from the Tantra Submission soldiers could be seen walking back and forth in Ki Wardiman's courtyard. As promised, all of Ki Wardiman's household needs had been met. Five warriors from various martial arts schools who had joined the Mandakini clan were also seen.

Jagat's heart was at peace. He could leave Gendis in peace.

"Take care, Kakang. May your journey be granted by the gods and all your affairs go smoothly."

Jagat's finger slowly lifted and cupped Gendis' chin, allowing their eyes to meet in the stillness of the twilight. Gendis felt a warm vibration in Jagat's gentle grip, as if a promise was implied between the touches.

They embraced in the twilight. It created a magical atmosphere that seemed to stop time.

Gendis slowly released the embrace, but her arms remained wrapped around Jagat's waist, feeling his heartbeat quicken. Jagat smiled, his eyes filled with a tenderness beyond words. He moved a little closer, closing the distance between them.

"Take care of yourself," Jagat murmured in a low voice, as if sensing every tremor of emotion in the woman.

Gendis nodded slowly, her hands still clasped tightly around Jagat's waist. Her beautiful eyes were full of hope, though clouded with doubt and fear. Jagat gently took Gendis' hand, then kissed the back of it.

Gendis lifted her face, her soft lips smiling fondly. She felt warm under Jagat's gaze, a place where she felt safe and loved. They moved their faces closer together until their lips finally met in a meaningful kiss. It was as if the world stopped spinning for a moment and there was only the two of them and the love that was growing between them.

When the kiss ended, Gendis still had her eyes closed, feeling the throbbing vibrations of romance fill her entire body. Jagat rested his forehead on Gendis', and then they parted with a wave of Jagat's hand.

Jagat spurred his horse toward the village of Hilir Segra, near the river that led to the coast of Tuban. It was only a three-hour ride, but it seemed very short to him.

There was none of the prejudice that would later befall Jagat because he had known Darka for so long as a member of the Wisesa.

They met in a tavern inside the inn. Earlier, through Tantra's spy network, Jagat had sent a message for this secret meeting.

"Is it true that the new job offered by Wisesa is kidnapping children?"

"That is true, Jagat. But I'm not involved."

"How can you not be involved?" Jagat's voice began to rise. He wanted Darka to open up more, but something seemed to be keeping him from speaking.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jagat glanced around the tavern. All the tables were filled with customers. The villages near Tuban were always crowded with visitors.

He just hoped he wouldn't run into any more problems here, like Nyai Nanta's unknown person.

"Unfortunately, Gunung has been destroyed. The children have been freed. The leader is dead. The book has been stolen."

"What? Who stole it?" Darka remained unmoved, and it wasn't long before Jagat slapped him.

Plaak!

Jagat didn't do that without a reason. He was just baiting the reaction of the guests here, and the strangeness was immediately apparent to him when he caught a glimpse of something wrong.

At a table in a straight line in front of his desk were two guests. A couple. Probably a warrior couple, since the woman had her back to him.

And the man in front of her had locked eyes with Jagat, but he quickly looked away.

"Damn you, Darka! You set me up!"

*Crash!

The table was knocked over as Jagat's foot kicked down. Darka fell, the table on his body.

The woman with her back to him immediately reacted by looking at Jagat's desk and at that moment she caught a glimpse of his figure.

Druwangi?

She was the female warrior who had attended the warrior gathering for Mandakini yesterday. One of the warrior couples from the Brantas River. Why is she here? And the man in front of her was not her mate.

Jagat had already jumped back until he stepped on the stairs to run into the hallway of the inn. He aimed for the large window at the end of the hallway and then jumped back down.

The fragile window shattered as Jagat broke through, and he stepped on the railing to continue his escape into the square courtyard in front of the inn's tavern.

Jagat was no longer paying attention to the situation behind him when a soldier yelled at the female warrior chasing him.

The Thousand Step Style played its part this time as he ran through the village streets. A shadow on the ground alerted him to the fact that the female warrior's friend was also following him.

The shadow jumped, and moments later, the ground Jagat was standing on shook violently and he fell.

This was the Rolling Earth move of the Mountain Alas leader.

Jagat rolled to the side to balance his body and said, "So it was you who stole the Mountain Alas Book.

The swordsman's face was still hidden by the darkness of the night, but as he stepped forward, his face with shoulder-length hair was clearly visible. His face was pale and dirty. He was also at the swordsmen's meeting yesterday.

What's going on here? Why are they in this village?

Soon, a scarf was snatched from above. It belonged to Druwangi, the warrior who had chased him first.

Jagat dodged backwards while rolling and jumped back to the tree beside him and then ran over it. This was to avoid the ground rolling kick that the warrior had delivered.

After passing a few trees, a scarf suddenly cut off his escape route and sent his body tumbling downward.

Jagat was immediately surrounded on two sides. He couldn't run, for the other direction was nothing but tall bushes.

"I am here on the orders of Mr Mandana. What do you mean?"

"Mr Mandana you say?" Druwangi attacked with a turn of her shawl, releasing a swirling wind. Jagat was caught in the vortex and his breath seemed to be helplessly choked.

"Druwangi stop!" Her friend scolded loudly, pushing Jagat's body until she was caught in the vortex herself.

"Aaargh!"

"You fool!" shouted Druwangi.

She was forced to pull back her shawl until her friend collapsed to the ground. His friend seemed to be in excruciating pain.

As Jagat tried to get up, his eyes caught a glimpse of several horses running toward them.

"Stop! They are wreaking havoc in Lower Segra! Catch them!"

Jagat saw this chance to escape again, as the soldiers were closer to Druwangi than he was.

The meeting with Darka was ruined just because of those two warriors. It seemed that the white warriors were still not too lonely to unite.

He met Darka because Mandana and the two warriors were surprised to hear that name. It seemed that they had other plans. That was what Jagat hated about joining a group, the hypocrisy.

It was better for him to meet Tantra now and ask for an explanation of the problems. According to Tantra, the post was in Daha City, Kediri. He immediately ran to the horse he had hidden at the edge of the forest.

The next morning, the horse reached only the outskirts of Daha City, which seemed to be very busy with trading activities. His arrival here was obviously very dangerous. He did not know what enemy was lurking. Old enemies or new ones.

He hated crowds like this. His energy had not recovered much after his fight with the two warriors last night.

The soldier post that Tantra had mentioned was on the outskirts of the city. All he had to do was report there and tell them that he was Tantra's messenger.

But just as the post came into view, two soldiers stopped him with spears aimed at his horse.

Jagat dismounted slowly, knowing that these soldiers were only doing their duty.

The sound of clanking metal could be heard from inside the post as a soldier came out wearing the rank bracelet on his arm.

"So we meet again, Jagat Wengi."

The smile of the Bekel who had held him back during the war in Tuban was disgusting to Jagat.

Why was he here?