KEEP BUANA (Rise of Darkness)
You Underestimated me?
As it turns out, the steel plate on the dead well serves as a hauling device, more like an elevator in the modern era. When the steel plate touched the bottom of the well, suddenly there was a door that opened on the wall of the bottom of the well. That was the door to the headquarters of the Red Dragon sect. Apparently, the reason the Red Dragon sect is often referred to as a mysterious sect is because it is very hidden, underground.
As soon as he entered the underground door, two guards greeted the two of them with eyes full of probing.
“This person brought a message from elder Shou to convey to Matriarch. Please allow him in!” the girl named Mei explained to the entrance guards who seemed to be about to block their steps.
“Wait a minute, Miss. I want to make sure that he really is not a spy.” one of the doormen immediately asked Gentayu to turn to face back to check after showing the badge of elder Shou.
After being examined and nothing suspicious, the guard allowed the two to enter the base. The base turned out to be very large. Almost as big as a small village. The distance between the ground floor and the ceiling of the headquarters is approximately enough to make the building up to four floors even more.
Inside the headquarters was not stuffy even though it was located underground. Their air circulation is apparently connected directly to the surface through bamboo pipes, which on the surface of the ground are disguised with forest plants.
The lighting inside is also quite good, relying on something that glows very bright inside a large glass tube. It seemed like the light was produced from something extremely hot within the tabunh hanging in the middle of the base sky. It provides warmth as the morning sun.
There are many buildings inside. Unlike the buildings in other villages in that place there are also several forms of buildings with very unique architecture.
Inside the headquarters, there are even some land that is used as a medicine garden and a few food crops. Everything relied on the warmth and light of something that served as a light source inside the tube in the middle of the base sky. Some tree plants also look good timbuh in every house there is.
After walking far enough down the road between blocks, they arrived at a complex of the largest and most magnificent buildings. On his spacious courtyard, many young men and women were meditating, some were practicing martial arts and physique, and some people appeared to be clearing some parts of the courtyard.
Gentayu entered the spacious courtyard before finally climbing the stairs to the large room that functioned as a meeting hall. There is a round table in one corner of the hall, with 12 wooden chairs. Perhaps, that was the place where the sect elders usually held meetings. The rest, the spacious room was only a vast expanse of floor which was likely the gathering place for sect members when a large gathering was held.
Gentayu was asked to wait in front of the hall door on the inner side, but was not welcome to sit down. I was asked to wait standing up. While the girl named Mei went to preach the arrival and intentions of Gentayu to the sect manager. Not long after, a beautiful white-haired woman in a white robe entered the room followed by two middle-aged men dressed in uniforms similar to the woman. There was a small red dragon emblem on his third back.
The woman turned to Gentayu, watching as if she was investigating him from the tip of the young man's hair to the tip of his foot. Then back again from the tip of the foot to the tip of the hair. Gentayu actually felt uncomfortable being treated like that, but he just silenced it. He guessed, this woman was the matriarch or the leader of this sect.
“Are you the young man called carrying a message from Brother Shou?” the woman then opened the conversation.
“True, Mistress. Sorry, Am I talking to the Red Dragon Sect's Matriarch?” Gentayu asked honestly because he did not recognize his interlocutor.
But apparently, the response he received from the woman was unexpected. His face suddenly turned sour and pouted.
‘Am I wrong?’ Gentayu immediately searched and remembered the mistake in his sentence just now. But he did not find it.
Behind the woman, the two men who were accompanying her were seen restraining her laughter and trying to hide it. Something seems wrong, but what?
“Include, I'm Miss Hao Lim. Matriarch of the Red Dragon Sect!” The woman finally introduced herself with an emphasis on the word ‘nona’ in front of her name.
“Pardon my insolence, Miss. Name, Gentayu. Disciple Ki Brajawana, warrior of the Golden Sun. I came because I brought a message from elder Shou.” Gentayu paid his respects as well as apologizing for realizing his mistake in summoning the matriarch.
“Please sit down, Mr. Gentayu” Matriark Lim invites his guests to sit down and chat at a large table.
The large table and the usual use of the sect leaders to conduct the meeting was immediately filled by the four of them in the four different winds. Gentayu sat on the side opposite Matriarch Lim while the two elders accompanying him sat on both sides differently.
After a long sigh, Gentayu began to tell him everything he knew. Starting from the first moment to see elder Shou in front of the inn in Sei Asin city, the night incident when facing the Red Star people, to about Physician Mo who ended up in the hands of the Devil's Coral. All his travels are told, of course, by keeping secret his meeting with Samhuri, the Swordsman of the Poem of Death and the identity of the Swordsman of the Lightning Finger which for him should not be known to others.
“So, actually I do not know how his fate last time. But it seems, the death of Physician Mo who cared for him was enough to explain his fate. However, I dare not confirm it, miss.” Gentayu ended the story.
“Health, just drop these two things.” Gentayu took out two objects by elder Shou. One badge and one small bundle in white.
All eyes present in the room were wide-eyed as Matriarch opened the small bundle.
“ini.. this, it turns out, elder Shou actually managed to reclaim the seal” exclaimed one among the elders accompanying Matriarch.
Gentayu who did not know how to look only at the three higher-ups of the sect with a frown. A seal, what's special? Retaken from whom?but all those questions were not addressed at the meeting.
“One more thing, miss matriarch and the elders. There is other important information you should know. On my way two days ago, I met one of the royal teliksandi. He reported that the Green Bamboo Shoal had been attacked and destroyed by black flow groups. Unfortunately, their next target was this Red Dragon sect". Gentayu sighed before continuing, "And right now they have started moving towards here. It seemed like it had something to do with the seal or whatever the Demon Coral was looking for. I'm sure the old swordsman has some connection with the Demon Hair sect!” instead of asking about the ins and outs of the seal he carried, Gentayu actually conveyed other information.
Gentayu's information managed to wipe the enthusiastic faces of the elders and matriarch when he saw the seal a few seconds ago. Tense faces now adorned each of the sect's higher-ups. It seemed, even the information of the annihilation of the Golden Sun had not reached this place.
“What did you say, Mr Gentayu?” The white-bearded elder asked as if he did not believe the information. I don't know which part.
“Everything I've said is true. Neither about elder Shou, nor about the attack of the black flow group. College of the Golden Sun had even been wiped out before the Green Bamboo.” Gentayu.
“I hope, Matriarch thought of how to defend the sect. My best advice is to evacuate the entire sect. For, facing them was not a wise choice right now given the magnitude of their strength. As long as you guys evacuate the sect, I will head them off. Of course I will need the help of the strongest swordsman to do it.” Gentayu conveyed his views.
He continued his explanation by comparing the strengths of each. Anyhow knowing the comparison of their strength if they were to deal with the black-flow alliance was important. Elder Shou-pun was even seriously injured while facing the Red Star chief. As for the Devil's Coral, his strength was a trickle unable to be faced by Gentayu who easily defeated the head of the Red Star. Even after Gentayu along with the strongest people of the Green Bamboo though.
There was a look of displeased eyes on the moustached elder. Of course he doubted Gentayu's claims of ability and his comparison with Shou elders, Red Star, Green Bamboo and Demon Coral just now. He even thought the young man before him was bragging and making up stories. But he tried to hide his disdain for Gentayu.
“What a no exaggeration to think we are incapable of facing an enemy you say you can tear down, young man. I'm sure that elder Shou was just being cheated on and you just happened to be able to defeat the Red Star group's leader, right? Of course the chairman was already weak from facing elder Shou!” The elder who looked down on Gentayu expressed his doubts over the choice to evacuate from Gentayu.
“Good. Let's prove it!” Gentayu spoke with certainty. He understood the direction and intent of the moustached elder. It is only natural that people doubt his abilities because of his very young age.
Gentayu immediately stood up and saluted the matriarch.
“I'm sorry miss Lim. But I think, proof is the best way for my opinion to evacuate just now. Please, the elders taught me how to defend, or the elders can also teach me how to fight the enemies that will come later..” it is a sentence accepting a challenge from Gentayu on the speech of the mustachioed elder to prove his ability.
The sentence was of course addressed not only to the elders, but also to the matriarch. But Gentayu found information from elder Shou that the matriarch was not the strongest among the sect elders. Then his gaze was shifted to the two elders.
The mustachioed elder saluted his matriarch before jumping after Gentayu who had first exited the meeting room.
Nb. Thank you for all your support..
