EVERNA Ring of Fire

DABONGSANG Part 2

“Mainland! Dabongsang City has been looked!”

The sound of sailors on the main mast of the ship made Nirya aghast. He reacted quickly, running from deck to helmsman platform where Arumi always stood on standby.

Nirya immediately spoke to Arumi, “We still haven't entered their shooting range, ‘kan? We must first dock here and continue the journey by land..!”.

But Arumi interjected in a calm tone, “We docked at the port of the city.”

“Hah? Are you crazy?” shout Nirya. “Do you think those criminals will let the battleship of Jayandra Kingdom dock?”

“If all the information we get about Dabongsang and its history is correct, we will enter without the slightest interruption. Leave it to me, Nir. Arrow troops, standby!”

Before Nirya had protested, Arumi had already run towards the bow. The girl was ready with a bow and arrow in hand, ready to act with her troops in case of unexpected things. Not want there to be a conflict that does not need to explode again, Nirya chose to go to the deck near the cabin-cabin of the ship, just to see the state of Sthira.

“Sthira! Sthira, out! We have to get ready!” Nirya knocked on the door of the officer's room, but there was no answer at all.

Nirya jerked. He tried to push the door, which turned out to be directly open. No need to hunch, one look it is certain that Sthira is not in the room.

As fast as lightning Nirya climbed onto the deck and exclaimed towards Arumi, “Arumi, Sthira is not in her room! Lest he has left the ship!”

“What!?” Arumi had no power to hide her shock. “But the sword is still on me!” He pointed to the large mandau of Sthira hanging on his back.

“Crazy, desperate for that guy! Did he go alone to Dabongsang?”

“For sure, because yesterday when we almost reached Sasanda, the island where Tubar’e Mountain and Dabongsang City are located, Sthira is still in her room, meditating all day to restore her health, ‘kan?”

Nirya. “True too. I think Sthira wants to prove to us that he deserves to be a reliable and authoritative leader of the group. He must have considered our actions to leave for Dabongsang without his consent to be tantamount to trampling on his wife. So, Sthira is determined to complete this ‘side’ mission alone, if possible there is no need to trigger the eruption of Mount Tubar’e.”

Arumi held her bow firmly. “Basic stubbornness! To death Sthira would not believe Barong's words that Rainusa was weak and needed Wiranata to recover! Watch out if I find him later.” Suddenly Arumi pointed towards the bow. “Awas, Nirya! Be alert! We are entering the port area!”

Realizing the situation is starting to be precarious, Nirya alerted her chain twin. But the weapon was not he pointed, so as not to trigger misunderstandings from the figures who were watching them from the towers of Dabongsang Port.

The problem is, the appearance of the supervisors is very suspicious. They were not in uniform and looked furious. Their eyes could not be seen from the ship that had just entered, like a group of wolves were targeting a cow.

Surprisingly, none of the “sigala”s were archery, let alone storming forward. No one's ringing a danger sign or anything. In fact, it could be that the warship that came was aiming to attack Dabongsang City. Almost certainly, all warships of any kingdom in Antapada came to eradicate the criminals in this lair.

Even when Jayandra's battleship docked at the low dock, no criminals came forward. Nirya was completely inexhaustible, her face continued to be astonished to see this unusual gelagat.

“Alright, we will both get off the ship at the earliest,” said Arumi while carrying all the weaponry. He carried two swords, a bow and a holster full of arrows.

“Are you sure, Arumi?” ask Nirya. “Don't we better bring the troops?”

Arumi replied, “Ya. I've prepared some soldiers disguised as freight forwarders to tag along with us.”

“But, which I still don't understand, why are we left docked?”

“Try to remember again. Rainusa is Jayandra's colony, ‘ right? According to rumors among the people, Jayandra had conspired with the Dabongsang Gang to place I Gde Bakangga on the throne. Wiranata is deliberately held hostage in this city so that Dabongsang can use it to control the puppet king, Bakangga, and still maintain good relations with Jayandra.”

“So you already knew from the beginning that we would be left docked here?”

Arumi shakes. “I don't know. I'm just speculating based on the information.” He moved to the side, about to go down the ship. “Surely me and the rest of the crew have been secretly on guard from unexpected possibilities. Fortunately my speculation is right, so we can be a little more calm to carry out the next plan.”

Arumi then conveyed orders to the Pinissi captain to always be on standby to guard the ship with its crew. Then he was with Nirya and some of Jayandra's soldiers in disguise left the ship and walked down the dock.

Suddenly Nirya gasped and exclaimed, “Awas!”

At the end of the pier, there were a lot of people moving very fast and gathered there. The large horde was clearly blocking the group consisting of two warriors and a team of soldiers. The obstacles that are average-looking that are clearly unfriendly, ready to attack at any time.

Nirya was also ready to swing her chain kerambit. “Hold it, Arumi! Don't attack them! Better those who advance to this narrow pier than we are ganged up on the mainland!”

Whether Arumi will obey or not, now Nirya is entrenched, maybe much better to follow the way of Sthira, taking the road to infiltrate secretly in Dabongsang. But Arumi definitely disagrees with Sthira's way.

And now, Arumi's mistake must be paid very expensive, through bloodshed that can erupt at any time.

Dabongsang Pier will probably be the place of departure of Nirya and Arumi to the afterlife today.

\==oOo==

As expected of Nirya and Arumi, Sthira had indeed secretly gotten off the ship and swam to the shore of Sasanda Island. After drying her outer clothes to dry enough, then Sthira walked down the grove of trees along the coastline.

Sthira is unarmed. His current appearance is quite gallant, but tends to sangar and “misput” due to the new devastating battles he went through. The thin beard scattered on his chin also reinforced the impression of the roar. Capitalizing on it all, Sthira managed to enter Dabongsang City without any obstacles.

However, the further Sthira walked in this city, he continued to frown. Because, of all the cities he had visited, there was nothing more slum, more messy and more uninhabitable than Dabongsang.

The houses built at the foot of this mountain are mostly made of wood or stone, with the shape of carelessly and far from the word “indah”. In fact not a few also looked “ houses directly so” made of broken sea vessels. The source? Either from the ships that were wrecked in the waters near Sasanda Island, or the ships of the victims of the Dabongsang pirates who had been too damaged to float in the water again.

The messy and full-fledged impression is described from the placement of buildings in this city. The houses were made to look as if they were built in piles, filling the slopes of Mount Tubar’e. Stages of wood were also built to extend, functioned as a road in front of each house, there are also stairs that connect each level. So, the area at the foot of the mountain is the center of the city, the gathering place of the most elite, powerful and prominent criminals.

So, it is in the center of the city that Sthira explores, spends time. Because according to logic, this must be the most ideal place for the headquarters of Dabongsang, the supreme leader, the mayor and the head of the largest and strongest gang in the city of these criminals. The city centre is also ideal for the most important activities, including, for example, holding a king hostage.

Because the information obtained from Barong is very minimal, it is only natural that Sthira is now hunting for more information. With his lightning fist, Sthira just “press” the information of a powerful criminal. And now, he came to the place of the largest source of information and buried in Dabongsang, the Lapo Ktodong Drinking Store.

Just a step he entered this teak-walled building, Sthira's breath felt tight. This place is crowded with humans and demons. The body odor of those who rarely bathe is combined with the smell of their breath mixed with the smell of liquor. It's almost like a bunch of ****s crammed into a cage of double mud puddles.

Not only the smells, sights and noise in this place also make Sthira sick. Most of the criminals here are having fun, as much as possible, as if tomorrow will never come. They mingle with comfort women, not infrequently also who gamble, drink or sing loudly with a discordant voice.

Actually Sthira was somewhat tempted to participate in the activities he saw. Maybe he had done it all in Kalingga, to entertain himself while he was still a soldier. However, a more severe sense of disgust than he had ever felt before reminded him of the main purpose of his arrival in this city.

So, only one thing Sthira was thinking about right now. How do I get information in this bad mood? Remember your experience, Sthira!

A moment later, Sthira's face turned bright. He then walked slowly while continuing to observe the surrounding atmosphere.

“Hai, handsome! Want to have fun?” greet a comfort woman. But Sthira ignored him. Another woman flirtatiously touched Sthira's shoulder. But when the hand was about to touch the chest of the field, Sthira immediately blocked the “hand naughty” and twisting it.

“Douh! How rough!” Comforter woman pain is not artificial.

Sthira quickly let go of her check and turned around. But a man of great stature, looks lush but impressed strong and sangar confronted him.

“Hey, boy! How dare you be rude to my woman!” hardik the small-eyed but thick-lipped man.

But Sthira just stood there. His gaze was straight, glaring at the big moat.

“Heeh?! How dare you glare at me? Well, you must be a newcomer, huh? No one under this sky glared at Paju Gulak, my master executioner Dabongsang then still had eyes after!”

Put a bored expression, Sthira just said, “I don't have time for a blank bluff. I happen to be bored, so I challenge everyone here to fight empty-handed.”

Paju Gulak quipped, “There is a bet, ‘kan?”

“Sure. Place your bets. If I win, all the betting money will be mine. If I lose, please try to take my money, my eyes, even my life.”

“Agree!” exclaim Paju. But the fattener was even inching backwards. “All, give room! I want to see the fun first. Who wants to be the first to try the boy?”

A bald man bare-chested and burly advanced. “I, Habo will give this snot a lesson!” Habo left a few pieces of money on a comfort woman who acted as a bookie, then advanced face to face with Sthira.

Source image of building reference in Dabongsang City: Waerebo Traditional Village in Manggarai, Flores. Source: Google.