Fighting in the Dark

If what Sangkih said is true and there will be an attack from Majapahit, then it can be assured that the village of Majapahit will transform into a new power in Java.

Moreover, the majority of Raden Wijaya's supporters are people who once served Singosari. Names like Nambi, Lembu Sora, and Arya Wiraraja are an assurance that Raden Wijaya is supported by formidable individuals.

Jagat Wengi was caught in a dilemma. He didn't know where to turn anymore because much of his current life depended on his work in Kediri.

Hope arose when Kediri seized power from Singosari. His life slowly began to improve. Book orders increased to meet the needs of the panewu in training their soldiers.

"Brother Sangkih, is it true that Majapahit is growing stronger?" Jagat Wengi asked.

"Majapahit is just a name, Gendal. What matters most behind that name is influence and power. That's what's important."

Sangkih repeated the names he had heard earlier from the two soldiers.

"I see that you seem melancholic. What's really on your mind?"

"It's nothing, Brother Sangkih. What will happen to this school if the students don't return here?"

Sangkih did mention that most of the students here had become Majapahit soldiers.

It was later revealed that the grandmaster of this school was a loyal supporter of Singosari. Gayatri, Kertanegara's youngest daughter, asked him to support her husband, Raden Wijaya. Without hesitation, the grandmaster agreed and mobilized all his students.

Sangkih was assigned to guard the school while the mission was carried out, as the collapse of Kediri intensified the rivalry among martial arts schools.

Previously, the rivalry was not apparent because Kediri, through Sabrang Panuluh, was able to suppress it. Each side could control themselves. However, now several schools were attacking each other, often resulting in casualties.

The grudges of the past were still carried by the current generation of martial arts schools. Fortunately, Sawung Bumi School was relatively new and didn't carry much past resentment in Java.

However, considering the current situation, anything could happen. If schools of the same white faction couldn't cooperate and reconcile, then what about the schools of the black faction?

And this situation certainly favored them because there was no definite security. It had been almost a month since the Mongol attack on Kediri, but the security situation was still uncertain.

Even the wandering warriors who didn't belong to any school had disappeared without a trace. Jagat Wengi despised them for always acting justly but failing to reflect on themselves.

Humans would never truly act justly because reason and desire would always accompany them. What existed was hypocrisy. They would pretend to be right but would actually harm others.

"We were once attacked by one of the black factions when we first established this school."

"What is their name?"

"The Poison Kala School." (1)

Jagat Wengi had heard that name before and had shared a table, enjoying tuak with them. They would sometimes even try to steal books to increase their school's power.

Apparently, the school had enemies. Jagat Wengi had to stay one step ahead if he wanted to steal that book. If Poison Kala was involved, then the book must be incredibly valuable.

In the dark and cold atmosphere of midnight, slowly creeping around the Sawung Bumi school, Jagat Wengi began to execute his plan.

He had been at this place for three weeks, and it was time for him to end his disguise.

The main building, which Sangkih referred to as the grandmaster's residence and his own, turned out to be just a large empty room with no furnishings.

The oil lamps were left hanging empty, their purpose unused. He had to rely on the torches outside for illumination. There was no moon or the usual sounds of animals visiting the front yard.

There was only one door inside the building that possibly led to a room. All the walls were made of sturdy teak wood, a dark brownish-black color.

This feeling was truly oppressive. As a white faction, why did they choose black as the color for their building? Jagat Wengi complained silently, leaning his back against the wall as he walked.

Continuing to regulate his breathing to remain unheard, he sidestepped towards the room's door. He was certain that Sangkih's ears were highly trained to listen. And he believed his infiltration skills were sufficient to overcome them.

Upon reaching the door, he gently pushed it, only to find it blocked by a wooden beam inside. Jagat Wengi could sense a small gap from the outer side of the door leading inward.

He took a long iron tool with a hook-like end, with a long string tied to the other end.

He put his precision and patience to the test. For three weeks, he had observed Sangkih entering and exiting this room, always securely locking it from the inside.

The hook made its way in and successfully caught the obstructing beam inside. With a thread from the outside, he slowly lifted it. So delicately and with utmost care.

As some of the beams were lifted, he pushed the door inward. The resulting gap was wide enough to fit Jagat Wengi's hand, which immediately grasped the hook's end.

He successfully entered the room as he had obtained the beam securely in his right hand. And then began the search for a cabinet, a hidden keyhole, or any place that could be used for storage.

However, the small room only had a single bed. No cabinets or hidden keyholes. His eyes were well-trained in the darkness, and Jagat Wengi was certain of that.

There was nothing here!

A glimpse of a foot was visible from under the door crack. Shadows of countless movements could be seen outside the room. Could it be that the Poison Kala's people had also arrived tonight?

This was an incredibly unsettling coincidence, especially considering they were using the same technique as him: the iron hook and string. Did all thieves employ such techniques?

Jagat Wengi swiftly rolled silently towards the floor beneath the bed, waiting for the other thieves to enter. He knew that this hiding place was not entirely safe but at least it would buy him a moment to think.

He regulated his breathing and heartbeat, ensuring they couldn't be heard by the four thieves. If their martial skills were inferior to his own, Jagat Wengi might be able to defeat all four of them at once.

And when one of them lit a torch for illumination, Jagat Wengi realized that these four individuals were no match for him. They couldn't see in the dark, a crucial skill for a thief.

He redirected the light from one torch to the extinguished torch in the room. In an instant, the light reflected four shadows on the walls.

The four individuals scattered across the room, waiting for the enemy to emerge from hiding. But Jagat Wengi patiently waited for them to approach again. Fighting three people simultaneously in an open space would be a foolish strategy.

In reality, the three individuals simultaneously looked inside, and a flash of a machete surrounded Jagat Wengi's eyes from all directions. If that were the case, Jagat Wengi would punch the face of the enemy he had captured in his sight.

*Thud!

He stumbled, and at the same time, Jagat Wengi's body emerged from under the bed. The first thing he aimed for was to grab the bedsheet and forcefully swipe it towards the torch without looking at the other two thieves.

He tore a part of the sheet to cover half of his face from the thieves. Regardless, he had to keep his identity hidden from his enemies.

He had successfully extinguished the torches, and fighting in the darkness was Jagat Wengi's last resort to incapacitate the remaining two enemies.

However, his estimation was wrong. These two enemies were skilled enough to fight in the dark. There was a faint glow remaining from the torch, and for a practitioner of the Dark Eye technique, it could trigger their eyes to see objects in their surroundings.

Jagat Wengi's incorrect estimation made his situation even more difficult, especially since his two opponents now wielded weapons, pointing them towards him. One of the adversaries he had struck regained consciousness.

"Who are you?"

The enemy's question went unanswered. The entrance was still tightly closed and blocked by his fallen enemy's body. There was no other way except to seize the machete from one of the adversaries he had successfully knocked down.

He baited them with his body movements, creating just enough space for himself to penetrate and roll towards the machete lying on the floor.

*Clang!

He successfully parried a strike from one opponent just as he grabbed the machete. The other two machetes swung towards him. Once again, Jagat Wengi's speed in wielding the machete was put to the test. He almost simultaneously blocked both strikes.

*Cressh!

One of the strikes hit his arm, and Jagat Wengi cried out in pain as he stepped back, leaning against the wall. He intentionally did this to limit the movement of his three enemies and to make the wall behind him his ally in the fight.

One machete was forcefully thrust, and Jagat Wengi's strategy successfully lodged its blade into the difficult-to-remove wooden wall.

Before it could be dislodged, Jagat Wengi's kick landed freely, and his machete quickly moved in another direction to parry.

However, this didn't mean his thigh had a good defense. Once again, he was struck. Jagat Wengi fell with one leg touching the floor.

His neck was moments away from being slashed by the enemy's machete.

*Creesh!

"Aaargh!"

The scream actually came from the enemy. His machete had pierced the opponent's chest, and blood splattered on Jagat Wengi's face.

A mysterious helper had suddenly arrived to assist Jagat Wengi.