The Thousand Mask Warrior

Crib

Karsan carries two gandhewa or bows. The first Gandhewa he sashes across his shoulder. Gandhewa is slightly longer than the other gandhewa and is made of bamboo shoots, although he also has other bows made of ori bamboo.

In his hand, he grasped a bow made of pliable wood. Usually, the wooden slats used as gandhewa materials are flexible raw materials so that they can be cut into semicircles such as wulet, walikukum, and secang in addition to berleyan.

The arrows hang in place a long round shape of bark draped around the waist. The arrows were different from Chinese or Ottoman Turkish style arrows whose arrows used triangular shaped metal. This Javanese style arrow is a tucked wood tip or with metal that is also taper without indentation and the size of the arrow rod is much shorter.

Although Karsan is a Malay who comes from the island of Samudra, his archery style is strongly influenced by Java, especially the Mataram kingdom.

Gandhewa alone is a form of Mataram warrior style consisting of three parts, namely clench; bow handle made of sonokeling wood, lar; slats found on the left and right of the clutch, and kendheng; a bowstring made of cowhide.

While the arrow has four parts consisting of deder; namely the stem of the arrow that can usually be made of wood or bamboo, bedor; that is the arrowhead of metal or the wooden rod itself that is tucked, wulu; that is the feather at the base of the arrow from the feather of a bird or entok and turkey, and nyenyep; the very base of the arrow where tucked on the gandhewa rope.

The arrows of Karsan which in Javanese is called thumbs are made of old bamboo shoots that he repeatedly rubbed with hazelnut oil so that it is dark and smooth. This was very necessary for the arrow to escape from its bow smoothly and nimble.

Hearing the gun eruption in the distance, Karsan immediately understood that Betawi reinforcements had arrived. He looked at the three daggers and gave a sign that he would face the reinforcements as they had planned. Kesuma, Mahendra and Sasangka nodded almost simultaneously.

Karsan traded his wooden gandhewa for his bamboo gandhewa. Gandhewa bamboo is made from ori bamboo. There is an absolute requirement for a gandhewa of ori bamboo, the material must be more than seven years old in order to be clayy and strong and unchanged in terms of shape and flexibility.

Gandhewa Karsan is longer. He also prepared a throw that was a little longer than the other arrows because from the corner of his eyes he had seen a puff of dust from some horses down there.

There Pratiwi is seen on the saddle leading the leading horse Betawi army consisting of approximately six or seven people. Karsan sure it must have been this group of help more. Katilapan and Narendra must have managed to block some other parts.

Karsan pulled one arrow out of his pocket. Pull the gandhewa rope, pointing it upwards. He felt the direction of the wind and arranged the pull of his kendheng. Letting his arrow fall by itself, according to the laws of nature

Arrow is released.

Pratiwi heard the whirring of the arrow above his head. With one hand in control of the horse, the other plucked the keris without its lukes.

Stems of arrows slid past the Pratiwi keris, just touched it a little then fell into the foot of one of the Pratiwi's men's horses.

The horse neighs hard and throws the rider. Suddenly the rest of the horsemen stopped their horses, including Pratiwi who shouted giving the order, "Down, leave your horses!"

Without waiting for the follow-up orders all came down and unsheathed their weapons. They took shelter in the trees but still crept up into the hills towards Karsan was, including the horseman soldier who fell thrown from his horse earlier.

Pratiwi jumped lightly from the top of the horse and stuck his back behind the tree. He smiled, put his keris back in and picked up the bedil that was sown on his back.

When his men looked at him, he gave a sign to keep going up. "That guy's after me. From the beginning he thought of cutting off the head of the snake to make it die" he told his soldiers.

This is answered with a simultaneous nod.

It is true that Karsan is indeed targeting Pratiwi. He thought of dismissing the soldiers, or at least making them think of advancing when their leader was killed. But it is true that Pratiwi is a capable young warrior woman.

Pratiwi smiled.

The soldiers were seen walking up a sag. Karsan could have shot them freely, but he wanted to try once again to stick one arrow into Pratiwi's body.

The bow is stretched back. The arrow is ready to be released.

DAR!

But Karsan was not hurt.

He looked up and immediately looked down. Karsan cursed, "Sial! The woman is capable also in using bedil," he told himself.

He threw his bamboo gandhewa that had been broken in two, one of his favorite bows.

Pratiwi himself has returned to fill the bedil with incredible speed and prowess.

You could say the shot was very precise. It was Karsan who was lucky that Pratiwi's shot hit the bow, not his body.

Karsan realized that.

He took his wooden gandhewa. But their distance is too far. He must approach if his arrows want to reach the target.

Kesuma appeared behind Karsan. "Kar, are you okay?" he said in a low voice.

"Compose, Kesuma! The pratiwi shot. Nice shot. I had to attack him" he told Kesuma.

Kesuma who immediately lowered his head then noticed the other figures that were sluggishly approaching their place. He pulled his dagger. "You sure you can face Pratiwi?" abugn.

"I have to get close, Kesuma. He broke my bow, while this wooden bow had a limited distance. You take care of this place from those soldiers. I'll take a detour, "without waiting for Kesuma's approval, Karsan slid down.

DAR!

The sound of Pratiwi's gunfire was heard again. Thick smoke billowed from the muzzle of his bedil.

***** the lead hits the thicket of bamboo trees just beside Karsan. Karsan gasped and cursed. "Damn, shit! That woman is great, too" he said. But there was a bright smile on his lips. A worthy opponent, he thought.

A thumbs up was placed in his gandhew. Karsan ran down quickly and when he felt that the distance was enough, he pulled the bowstring and raised his head.

Pratiwi is not stupid. It had already left its original place behind the tree, leaving behind a puff of smoke of fire powder from its bedil. He knew that Karsan must have hunted for his existence by referring to the smoke he produced.

But a pair of sharp eyes Karsan had seen the muzzle bedil Pratiwi behind a tree.

SEEET!

Detached mesh targeting shot.

The arrow peels off the bark and almost hits Pratiwi's face.

Realizing that the enemy's arrow shot did not hit him, Pratiwi fired his rifle back.

DAR!