CONFINEMENT

134 - LARA MANAH PART V

Just as Gus Aji Putra predicted, four archers from the Red Garuda group climbed the trees, while others prepared traps from tree trunks that were made pointed like spear points, like spear eyes,

they did so quickly and tied it between a large log with the weight of a stone tied with a long rope running between the paths.

After completing several traps, the remnants of the Red Garuda group were hiding in the bushes with high vigilance waiting for the arrival of the Bhayangkara who were chasing him.

While Habsari and some of his guards have far left the place.

The hills are getting quieter, only the sound of the animals of the night unpretentious in the dense wrap of fog makes the air cooler.

From the branches of the tall tree, archers from the Red Garuda group continued to observe the atmosphere.

Unbeknownst to the scout, two shadowy figures crept down from the top of the hill, both observing from a distance.

"Arsana, did you see the person on the branch" said one of the shadows who was none other than Aji Putra Cave while pointing at a large tree not far below.

Arsana for a moment was silent looking towards the direction shown by Gus Aji Putra, with a slight squinting of his eyes, Cantrik Resi Giri Waja said,

"I saw it, Gus Aji" replied Arsana half-whispering to the old man beside her.

"Good"

"And there were also two people hiding in the tree branch there." again Gus Aji Putra pointed to a tree branch not far from the path.

Arsana looked back at the direction the old man was pointing next to her,

"Yes, Gus Aji."

"There are four scouts below us." replied the young man back, in Arsana's heart amazed by the foresight of Gus Aji Putra.

"Do you usually use arrows?" ask the old man to Arsana.

With a light nod, Arsana replied,

"Can, Gus Aji."

"I am usually in Griya Manuaba using it when hunting boars" said the young man.

"All right."

"It just so happened that just before we moved in pursuit of the horde that was carrying your brother-in-law, I had picked up some arrows from the battle marks in the old house."

"I feel sure it will be useful" said Gus Aji Putra showing some arrows tied to his back.

"For the bow, you can use the wooden stick you carry." said the old man back while picking up a rope made of animal skin in the bundle of cloth he was carrying.

"This ... tie it to your wand as the bow." said Gus Aji Putra.

Arsana immediately tied the rope extended to him, as did Gus Aji Putra.

The old man looks back to take something out of the bundle he was carrying.

"You apply all the arrows you hold to this liquid,"

"Be careful! don't get exposed to your skin because the liquid is a plume from a mixture of snake and frog blood."

"The reaction is very malignant if exposed to the skin."

"The skin can blister."

"It is not until a few seconds that the poison will work and be fatal, even a cow will collapse if exposed to the liquid even a little." said Gus Aji Putra holding out a small roof of bamboo while explaining to Arsana.

"Well, Gus Aji."

For a while the two men prepared a simple weapon in his hand while keeping a close eye on the target situation. Arsana is seen dipping the tip of the arrow on the bamboo roof given by Gus Aji Putra.

The atmosphere returned to silence, the gust of the night wind was enough to give a bone-chilling coldness in the hills.

Suddenly Gus Aji Putra gave a warning to Arsana,

"It's time, Arsana."

"Bhayangkara forces are less than half Li approaching towards us."

"We must immediately paralyze the archers, so that our entourage does not have too much trouble later."

The young man was bearded with what Gus Aji Putra had told him, he tried to sharpen his hearing but heard nothing but a gust of wind.

"You put two scouts on the tree branch, while I'll take care of the others" Gus Aji Putra said.

"Wait a cue from me before you attack him" he concluded back as it passed from before Arsana.

The young man simply nodded while looking at Gus Aji's son who was slumping down the hill towards the branch of a tree that was far away near the path, while he began to move slowly closer to a large tree not so far below, where two scouts were there.

Cold sweat pouring out of Arsana's face, the young man looks lame.

Suddenly there was a shrill voice of an owl breaking the silence of the night.

"Is this the time?" murmured Arsana, the young man looked nervous but he strengthened his heart and approached his target, from his hands slashing arrows through the leafy leaves.

'Crass!'

'Crass!'

Two arrows shot towards the tree branch,

"Ohhhhh!" a voice screamed with a bang something fell from the top of the tree.

Arsana immediately ran from her place, saw her target fall and tried to get up, quickly the young man attacked the two people nearby using a dagger he was holding.

The two people with limb bodies tried to give resistance, he said, but the poison effect of the arrow that stuck in the body both made his movement slow down and it made it easier for Arsana to complete his task even after that he fell sitting with a trembling body.

In the end the two men were seen groaning for a moment and motionless silence died after Arsana's dagger pierced their bodies.

While near the path of Gus Aji Putra also throws two arrows in one shot, after that the old man was seen jumping with a pedestal of a tree trunk in front of him while slapping his keris towards the throat of the person who was hit by his poisoned arrow before the two scouts fell to the ground.

The old man's movements were so fast, that the two victims had no time to give a fight.

Seeing that his target was lifeless, the old man dragged the body of his victim behind a thicket before leaving the two to where Arsana was.

"How, did you finish it?" gus Aji Putra whispered as he approached Arsana.

The young man was stunned by the arrival of Gus Aji Putra who did not feel his presence,

"Already, Gus Aji." replied Arsana slightly quivering, the young man looked nervous with a slightly pale face.

"Arsana, what's wrong with you?" ask the old man back.

With a sigh and a slightly raucous voice the young man replied,

"I'm fine, Gus Aji."

Gus Aji Putra's gaze looked at the young man's face in front of him.

"Is this the first time you've killed anyone?" asked the old man, but Arsana was still stunned with a blank look, her face bowed with regret.

Seeing what had happened to the young man nearby, Gus Aji Putra tried to console him,

"Here you go, it's natural to feel guilty."

"Because this is the first time you've killed."

"But all of that is for your good and your safety, in a battle like this, there are only two options, you are alive and those who are dead or vice versa" Gus Aji Putra said as he patted Arsana on the shoulder.

The young man's face looked up and momentarily looked at the old man before him, he nodded and his hand plucked the leaves and rubbed the bloodstains on his arm.

***

"Report Ni Mas, the path ahead of us is deadlocked" a man told Habsari.

"Are you sure there's no other way?" the woman asked her men, her gaze cold on the person who had just brought the news.

"True Ni Mas, in front of us there is only a deep enough abyss."

"Indeed there is a bamboo bridge, but I see it is fragile and collapsed with age" replied the man again.

With a huffed face, the woman again said.

"How long would it take if you fixed that bridge?" ask Habsari.

"Perhaps before dawn we can finish it, Ni Mas." replied the man back.

Habsari stared one by one the remains of his bodyguards, not less seven members of the Red Garuda who were still with him, while the other members were divided under the hill to resist the movement of the Bhayangkara who were chasing him.

"Hurry and help him fix the bridge."

"We don't have much time."

"Three others remain alert in this place." Habsari orders the remaining members, his view did not escape to the body of Muhibbin who was still unconscious.

The members of the Red Garuda group rushed to carry out the orders of Bendowo's eldest daughter and some were on standby to guard the place as the direction of the woman.

***

'Crass!'

'Crass!"

'Acchhh!'

"We were attacked ..."

"We're under attack!" yelling one from behind the bushes.

Some people were seen scattering out with sharp weapons in their hands.

'Kraaaakkkk'

A large log slid towards the men. The crowd scattered to avoid the traps he made himself, a rowdy atmosphere occurred on the hillside.

Seeing his plan fail, one of the men shouted.

"Make formation!" the strangulation was hard and the men turned their backs to protect each other.

A shadow leaped towards the people, nimbly kicking some people quickly and before long the fight took place.

The machete sabetan of those people was easily avoided by the black shadow.

"Continue attacking!" shouted one of the men back who was apparently the most senior person among the group.

Those people continued to surround and switch positions attacking the black shadow in front of him.

"What is just like this the ability of the very famous Red Garuda?" screeched the black shadow as it continued to leap and thrust its kick at the people before him.

The men were none other than the remnants of the Red Garuda group commissioned by Habsari to head off the pursuit conducted by the Bhayangkara forces of the Coast Country.

"Form the Urang Capit formation."

"But the man to the precipice!" shouted the leader of the group, the members of the Red Garuda also carried out the movement as the leader said.

The shadow of the man began to be cornered to the edge of the gorge between the paths of the hills, but he calmly returned to attack, kicking the ground towards the besiegers, he said, just contact some members of the Red Garuda was uprooted.

Seeing the unbalanced fight between the black shadow and the Red Garuda members, someone from the bushes started to fidget.

"Nurse ..."

"Gus Aji Putra is in trouble." murmured the man who is none other than Arsana. The young man seemed worried about the situation in front of him.

"Where are the Bhayangkara, why did they come so long ago?" mumbling back.

While in front of him there is still a fight between the Red Garuda group and Gus Aji Putra. The old man still looks calm even though at first glance he is cornered by his attackers.

'Crass ... '

'Craasass ... '

Sabetan keris in the hands of Gus Aji Putra continues to search for his target, the old man looks agile in his movements, the old man looks agile in his movements, he jumps and moves from one body to another as a focus while levitating kicks and occasionally stabbing his weapon at the target.

"You think that gnawing at me using that formation will make it difficult for me?" exclaimed Gus Aji Putra while continuing to attack those who surrounded him.

"Don't listen to him, let's keep attacking!" pekik the leader of the Red Garuda group saw his men began to struggle and lost their fighting spirit after some of his colleagues rode the ground in front of Gus Aji Putra.

The man leapt towards Gus Aji Putra, his machete sabetage continued to flutter towards the old man, but Gus Aji Putra was able to avoid it easily.

Seeing that his opponent could dodge easily, the man grew increasingly angry, his machete sabetages were getting faster, but all that was again avoided by Gus Aji Putra.

The other members of Garuda Merah do not stay silent, they throw arrows to break the concentration of Gus Aji Putra. Now that the old man was starting to raise his vigilance, he jumped dodging the rain of arrows aimed at him.

Seeing that, Arsana who was a little away from the arena of fighting began to lash out and help Gus Aji Putra. The young man was seen attacking the archers with his baton in hand, some archers now turning their attacks on Arsana.

Gus Aji Putra who realized Arsana's presence was increasing the speed of his attack, the old man's face changed, he was worried about the young man who had just helped him.

"Arsana, why are you attacking? it is not that I have told you to wait in a safe place." exclaimed Gus Aji Putra to the young man who helped him while continuing to move to fend off the attacks of the Red Garuda group.

"I can't stay silent to see Gus Aji being attacked by them." replied Arsana while occasionally giving a fight with his staff.

The two turned their backs and repelled the attack of the Red Garuda group.

Suddenly a boisterous voice approached the battle,

"Groan!" shouted one of the people at the group who had just arrived.

Seeing a group of people coming to attack, the concentration of the Red Garuda gang split, they welcomed the attack.

The entourage apparently the Bhayangkara had arrived at the place, the clinking of sharp weapons was heard along with the moans of some people who began to collapse under the attack of Bhayangkara.

The condition of the narrow path where there is a gaping chasm on the side, plus the atmosphere of a pitch-black night makes it difficult for both sides, not a few Red Garuda members were injured as well as the Bhayangkara.

A fierce battle ensued between the two groups.

Sometime after the battle, the Bhayangkara were able to turn things around, the remaining members of the Red Garuda began to be desperate, and it was also seen that Gus Aji Putra could defeat the leader of the group.

Seeing the leader being killed in the hands of the old man, the remnants of the Red Garuda got down to their fighting mentality and easily the Bhayangkara subdued them.

Some people who are no less than the count of the finger dropped his weapon and gave up, it appears the Bhayangkara began to curl up and tie the remnants of his opponent.

"Turn on the torch and collect our wounded members." one of the Bhayangkara orders his comrades.

"Gus Aji, are you okay?" asked the man back while approaching Gus Aji Putra.

The old man shook his head with a smile.

"I'm fine."

"My old bone can still handle it" said Gus Aji Putra as he set his gaze around the place, the bodies of the perishing members of the Red Garuda were seen lying on the path.

"Soldiers, I ask you to give a proper funeral for all of them is no exception" said the old man, however he was a former member of the famous army in his golden age.

"I will continue my pursuit of the remnants of the mob up the hill" said the old man again.

"I'm coming along, Gus Aji." Arsana's sergeant as he set his gasping breath.

Gus Aji Putra nodded his head and said,

"But I hope you're not being as reckless as you were."

"With your attitude like that can harm you and your partner" the old man told Arsana.

"I'm sorry, Gus Aji."

"I thought Gus Aji needed my help" replied Arsana regretfully.

"That's it, you don't have to think about what I say."

"Let's go to save your brother-in-law" said Gus Aji Putra smiling as he patted Arsana on the shoulder.

The two also stepped down the path while the Bhayangkara remained there to help the injured and some buried the bodies of both sides.

*****