Chereads / TEMPEST IN THE LAND OF SEVEN ESTUARIES / Chapter 5 - A Flood During the Drought

Chapter 5 - A Flood During the Drought

Adanu Raksa is scratching his head, not knowing what to do. He is not actually the disciple of Ki Bayanaka to begin with. All he knows is using his sword. He even doubts any of the disciples of Ki Bayanaka could clear this kind of issue.

 

"Have you tried to hunt that shaman?" he asks.

 

The Chief shakes his head once, and then heads inside his house. Not long, he comes back by bringing one poster.

 

"We are just peasants. We could only put a bounty on the shaman's head," he says as he shows Adanu Raksa the bounty poster.

 

"He looks too young for a shaman. Who drew this picture?" Adanu Raksa asks.

 

"He is too young to be a shaman, indeed," The Chief affirms. "The village thugs tried to hunt him. But a few of their men had died horribly in the jungle, and so they abandoned us. They left without telling us whether they had met with that shaman or not. So we back to where we started, not getting any solution to clear this issue."

 

Adanu Raksa's face contorts, knowing it was actually his doing to make those thugs leave the village. If only he didn't kill a few of them, surely they would still be searching for that shaman by now.

 

He looks at the poster for a moment. As an exchange for the few thugs he had killed, he can only think about hunting that shaman by himself.

 

"Can I have this poster? I'll try to look for this man for a week. I can't promise anything, but you can forget about the reward," Adanu Raksa offers.

 

"Sure! Sure!" The Chief replies with a hopeful face. "No need to be so modest. I know one of Ki Bayanaka's disciples can clear this problem without much of a hassle."

 

Adanu Raksa sighs, realizing what kind of trouble he just gets after using the great hermit's name for his personal issue.

 

"I'll take my leave then. Thank you for the meal."

 

After leaving The Chief's house, he goes around the village, trying to observe the situation a bit. He is confused not getting the slightest clue from where to start.

 

The village is quite remote. After questioning a few villagers, he learns about the existence of Karang Labu Village in the south, which can be reached by 2 days of walk. And there is also Langsana Village in the east, a day's journey away.

 

He has no choice but to leave Kulonsewu and heads to the east. He descends from that hills, heading to villagers' paddy fields on the valley.

 

But then, he finds most of the farmers' paddy fields in a state of severe damage, as if it had just been hit by a flood. It's so strange because the farmers are having a drought issue at the moment.

 

"What happened, Sir?" Adanu Raksa asks the few farmers.

 

But all the farmers shows a confused expression, until one of them gives an answer.

 

"My son said, there was a sudden flood before the dawn. It was short but look what it did to my paddy fields. "

 

Adanu Raksa is scratching his head, getting even more confused with the situation in this village.

 

Soon, his attention is averted by the commotion of the other farmers. He rushes to them, trying to find out what is happening.

 

The farmers seem curious about what they have just found when plowing the mud after the flood.

 

"What is this?"

 

"Could it be a monkey that was carried away by the flood?"

 

"Not so much like a monkey, if you ask me."

 

"It was swept away by the flood. It's natural for it to be like this."

 

None of those farmers knows what are those creatures exactly. But Adanu Raksa's facial expression turns so serious. He knows for sure those carcasses are the forest demons he always encounters during the night.

 

Immediately, he leaves the paddy field, and examines the river towards the upstream. There is still water flowing albeit too shallow, not enough to irrigate the farm.

 

He keeps checking the river into the hillside, getting deeper into the woods leaving the Kulonsewu village. Until then, he begins to find more carcasses of the forest demons.

 

"Is this why they didn't come after me last night?"

 

It only becomes even weirder for him. If the demons didn't come after him due to the flood, then it shouldn't be an issue for the evil spirits who are able to fly in the air.

 

He keeps investigating the odd situation around that village. But until it's so late in the afternoon, he doesn't' get much clues.

 

Afraid those demons would come again looking for him on the night, he opts to take some rest before the dark comes.

 

And again, he falls asleep even after the sun sets, and only wakes up later on due to the commotion from the village.

 

"What's that?"

 

It's actually the commotion created by some villagers by knocking their bamboo sticks in a hectic way, a kind of warning to tell the others about the occurrence of something bad.

 

"Don't tell me that the demons are now attacking Kulonsewu village?!"

 

He runs so fast down the hill. He jumps toward a tree below and lands on one of its branches. From there, he sees most villagers are gathering in front of one house.

 

Immediately, Adanu Raksa jumps past a house and lands on the village's main road. It startles a few youngsters, and they immediately surrounds Adanu Raksa by pointing their sharpened spiky bamboos at him.

 

"Who is he?"

 

"Where did he come from?"

 

"Could he be that young shaman?"

 

"No, wait! He is not the shaman!"

 

Fortunately, that commotion also attracts the attention of the village chief. "Hold down! Put down your weapons! He is an honorable guess at our village."

 

Those youngsters put down their spiky bamboos, and Adanu Raksa rushes over The Chief.

 

"Chief, what's happening?" he asks.

 

"It's another possession. Please come with me," invites the chief.

 

"Another possession? Didn't they tie the girl?"

 

"I don't know."

 

Upon reaching the house of the girl who is being possessed, they find the girl breaking free from her parents.

 

The girl is quite beautiful, with body only covered by a single long cloth from her breast to thigh. But, she looks in trance, having messy hairs and widen mad eyes, and her mouth wet by saliva.