The Musafir
Tapa Balian Billed
MANTINGAN took a deep breath and said, “Say why the heirloom is so important to your group.”
Kartika smiled widely because she felt that she had managed to convince Mantingan. After that, he started telling stories.
The heirloom was named a Pair of Moon Swords in the Middle of Night Silence. Because his name was too long, the people called him a mere Pair of the Moon Sword.
A pair of Moon Swords, as the name suggests, are two warring swords. And just as arms in general, each other can not be separated. If separated, the ability of the weapon will be reduced by more than half.
“The pair of swords is always kept by Tapa Balian. He never used it for a second. Always tucked away in a chest, tightly locked by a powerful magic spell. Careful, because however heirloom almost can not be defeated by anyone.”
The mantle scrunched his forehead. Could it be that if the Pair of the Moon Sword in the Midnight Silence was an heirloom that made the Straight Swordsman invincible even though he was eventually defeated by a warrior who really did not know his name?
“Tapa Balian knows very well how different the heirloom is if it gets back into the martial world.”
“Until back in?” Mantings cutting. “It means ...”
“True.” Kartika back cut. “A pair of Moon Swords has once raced the martial world.”
Kartika mentioned that the heirloom had destroyed the college in full. All members were slaughtered, except for him and a number of other students who were running errands outside the college.
With wet eyes, Kartika explained, “However, when I returned to college, I saw a large mountain composed of the heads of all the inhabitants of my college. Blood welled up everywhere, like the sky had just sent down a torrential rain of blood. I don't know what else to do. My spirit of life disappeared without a remnant. I decided to commit suicide by beheading at the top of the mountain, joining the fellow brothers and sisters who had left in an unjust way. But when I was standing on the mountain, with the blade of the sword stuck to my neck, I felt a huge fire of vengeance, so big it felt like it would burn my body at that moment. I cancelled the intention. If I end my history there, then I'm the biggest loser ever. By dying, I will not be able to demand justice for the unprovoked massacre that befell my college.”
The mantang nodded his head. He has understood. Kartika also understood that Mantingan understood his words, so the explanation stopped there.
“You must have gone through painful moments.” Such was the response of the Mantingan that could be said to be completely unempathetic. “But only if the story you tell is not a mere fairy tale.”
Kartika opened her eyelids for a moment, before returning to her sad-looking charm. Both shoulders are down. His eyes are getting watery. The words of the Mantingan had so disappointed him.
“Should I tell you that in the end I and the remaining students set up an underground network under the guise of puppet dancers. Our network was quite successful, as we had the ability to kill from a long distance and full of silence by using foliage-mover magic. Slowly, we begin the hunt for the Straight Swordsman, he is the only person responsible for all the injustice that befell my college.”
Deep in his mind, Mantingan was quite surprised. His guess is not wrong. A pair of Moon Swords is indeed an heirloom belonging to the Straight Swordsman. And the story of a great white college that he destroyed alone was the college where Kartika and his men took shelter.
If Kartika did tell the truth about her story as one of the students from the college, isn't that unfortunate? It is inconceivable how sliced the woman felt when she saw the heads of her fellow brothers stacked in such a way as to form a mountain. Mantingan began to feel that his words had been quite excessive. But if his words can be retracted, Mantingan still will not do it. However, the outpouring of hearts from an underground network swordsman is not completely trustworthy. There is always interest behind their words. If you are not really wary, then the consequences can be very bad.
“Anyone knows that the Straight Swordsman cannot be defeated by any swordsman. Although our society holds a very deep grudge, we still do not act foolishly by challenging it openly.”
Mantingan nodded his head, simply showing that he no longer thought of the story as a mere booze.
“Our long wait came to an end when a swordsman from Javadvipa came to us to offer cooperation in order to stop the lunge of the Straight Swordsman. I challenged him to prove how much he was capable of, and I lost on the tenth exchange of skill. No one has ever beaten me that fast, even an opponent who had defeated me during battle practice required a hundred skill exchanges to be able to completely defeat me.” Kartika smiled faintly with empty eyes, as if she was remembering the exact event she was telling. “With the great power of the swordsman and the vastness of our secret network, the Straight Swordsman can be defeated. I don't want to tell you about how the swordsman can defeat the original Straight Swordsman who can't be defeated, you can ask your teacher yourself.”
The mantle scrunched his forehead. “Why my teacher?”
“For it was he who had defeated the Straight Swordsman. It was he who seized the Pair of the Moon Sword in the Silence of the Night then handed it over to Tapa Balian to be guarded exactly.”
The mantel was surprised. Now it can be re-imagined the broad smile of his teacher when he does not answer his question about who has defeated the Straight Swordsman. Mantingan knows how deserts have done something that should be impossible!
“Then why do you intend to steal it?!” Mantingan almost went up black. “You know that the heirloom weapon will re-dazzle the martial world!”
“It is precisely because of that that we have to seize it!” Kartika hardens anyway. “Because of that weapon Tapa Balian is being held captive at the moment! If you want to save Tapa Balian, along with the martial world, you must work with us to seize the weapon!”
Stupefied mantle not play. “Why is Balian taken prisoner?!”
