ADILAGES
THE RANGDA 2
After handing over the “cleansing” business to the local police, Gerry and Rania returned to the southwest car.
“Honey, Devina's body we can't find at the scene of the crime,” said Rania with chin support. “Forced now we follow the crazies' lead.”
“Ya, there you go.” Gerry occasionally looked at the beautiful girl next to him while driving and looked back to the front. “Local police already consider this a case of mass poisoning, and the victims are already buried without autopsy.”
“Ck, their base does not want to bother dealing with supernatural forces, even though the real evidence is in plain sight.”
“Ya. The important thing we follow first is this ‘Rangda’. If our assumption is correct, we will arrive in time to save Devina – if she is still alive.”
Rania nodded. “So, the new volcano above the island is..”.
“I know exactly, we ‘kan are going there. My hunch says, this will be the ‘ hottest’ raid we have ever done together,”, Gerry said.
For a moment, Rania caught a glint in the eyes of her partner. Usually it's a look in the eye when Gerry is eagerly handling a case full of challenges. But hunch Rania said, there is something different in this one sparkle.
\==oOo==
After a long car trip to Ujung Kulon, police detectives Rania and Gerry hire a speedboat and sail the Sunda Strait.
“Look, that's ‘mountain above the island’,” Gerry said as he pointed towards the two volcanic islands far ahead. “And ‘mountain young’ definitely means only one, Mount Anak Krakatau.”
Rania nodded. “Yap, make sure the place we go first, then make sure the weaponry and so on are ready. But I feel bad, like something's stuck in my stomach.”
“Lho, what is it?”
“Si ‘Rangda’ and his troops... Are they real leak? Looking at the results of their work in Merak, I think we also need troops to face them.”
“Free,” replied Gerry who here seems calm-quiet. “Large forces are not a guarantee. We need the right tactics. Enter silently, knock out enemies one by one without them realizing it.”
“Well, it is not a respectable way, but for the safety of the hostages, I think this is the only way,” said Rania finally.
“Yes, that is,” Gerry said without turning his head.
Surrounding Mount Anak Krakatau, the two detectives decided to dock on one edge. Previously they had seen binoculars and found a cave at the base of the mountain slope.
Very carefully Rania follows Gerry up the slope. Although it was able to confirm via the internet that this volcano was not active, still the heat was very pronounced. Rania became more worried, is it really like this, or is this due to abnormal activity in there?
Even stranger, no one seemed all the way, let alone the so-called “Leak” Squad and the women of the abductees. The further Rania and Gerry stepped inside the cave, the hotter and more stuffy the air. Until they arrived in the most extensive and hot cave section on Mount Anak Krakatau. With slow steps, they sag.
Seen at the end of the cave, a woman in costume and in a strange hair style was standing on her back to the “tamu” and facing a magma pond. He was impressed to be busy with his business, completely unaware of this “ancaman”.
When Rania entered the firing range of the gun, suddenly the target said, “Please wait a moment. Besides, you're not going to shoot that thing.”
“Depends on your answer,” says Rania. “Say, are you the one called ‘Rangda’?”
“Yes, I'm him. But I am also the person you are looking for,” the woman said as she turned around.
How surprised Rania saw the beautiful face she knew through the photo. “K-you... Devina Mananta?” tanyakanya.
The strange woman tilted her head and said, “Hmm, I remember always being called by that name. But my name is now Shinta Devi, heir to Queen Leak, Lord of Fire, Poison and Dark Spirits, Rangda.”
Rania riveted. His lips and his entire body were shaking violently. His mind flashed, stringing the pieces of fact into a single conclusion. “J-so, y-you let yourself be kidnapped as an alibi, taken to Peacock then with your troops slaughter all the members of the gang of human traffickers, as well as the hostages and innocent people?”
Shinta Devi's tone was even very relaxed. “Oh yes, of course. We don't want any witnesses, ‘ do we? After all, it seems that the Leak Army isn't here to play around with you. Hmph, you useless women, maybe they are not at home with this hot and often active Anak Krakatau.”
“T-but... I don't understand, why can you be that cruel to a fellow human being? Wouldn't it be much easier for you ‘to just disappear’ and go to this place, finish your business here?”
“Indeed easier so. But there is still one less than this ‘ritual’, which is ‘virgin’ blood for keris re-forging material. The hostages, none of them are virgins, nor am I. So, the only way to get fresh blood is to lure a virgin girl to this place, and she is..”.
“... A-I?” Rania pointed to herself.
“True, my smart partner.” While saying so, Gerry slammed the handle of his gun on Rania's nape. The girl collapsed on the ground, but did not faint. Glasses fell. “Removing a gang that has been useless at the same time lure you to this place, once clutching the oar, two-three islands exceeded already.”
Rania groaned in pain, especially when Gerry kicked the gun in his hand all the way. That's a sign of betrayal from a man who has deceived her with love. The pain when Shinta Devi slashed the base of her arm with a threaded blade dagger called kerispun is not as painful as Rania's heart injury at this time.
“Well, holy virgin blood has smeared the blade of Keris Mpu Gandring. Stay submerged in this crater, and the forging is completed again already.”
“What do you mean, Rania?” Gerry playing the game. “Of course yes! Just think, who do you think arranged everything until now? Me! Gerry Kusnandar's! I, who should have risen to the rank of two if not for my partner, the brilliant detective Rania Giselda!”
Want it to feel Rania hit these two trappers, but the pain was like being stabbed by a tent peg from the skull to the nape of her neck drained her strength. It seems that he cannot.
Gerry continued, “Well, with the end of the history of the ‘police perfect’, I will have no trouble covering up the case of Wardhana, the abduction of Devina, the massacre at Merak and many others. The important thing is the rewards are worth it, much better than rising the ranks and ‘eat salary’ only.”
Rania doesn't want to hear any more explanations. It's just trying to store energy, looking for loopholes to act on. Her eyes were fixed on Shinta Devi's hazy image. Rangda's heir is moving Keris Mpu Gandring with a magic object, telekinesis. The dagger floated down into the bubbling hot magma, as the mariner muttered spells.
“I will soon get the main prize,”, Gerry said as he approached Rania. “And I want you to be my top witness before you leave for hell, ‘sayang’.”
One hard kick of Gerry landed on Rania's waist, almost breaking the girl's ribcage. Gerry picked up Rania's glasses which had been cracked on the ground and put them in a rough patch in front of Rania's eyes. “Let's see clearly the figure of your life-plugging angel.”
With a clearer view now, Rania saw Devi pulling out Keris Mpu Gandring from inside the magma pool. The shape of the keris is now very different after being forged with magic, the blade is blood red with a kind of orange-colored jewel shaped like lightning adorning the middle. However, the luk-luks or threads on the keris blade did not change, not reduced in the least.
Because it was still glowing and very hot, Devi continued to float the ‘keris baru’ until it landed smoothly on the ground. Rangda-Devi smiled, satisfied with this work.
After believing the weapon had cooled down enough, Gerry picked up Keris Mpu Gandring and raised it to his eyes, as if wanting to show it off to Rania. “Hahaha! And finally! Keris Mpu Gandring regains his power, Red Lightning Prana, a combination of fire and lightning elements combined and multiplied his strength with the blood of his “victim”, including the blood of virgins and kings.”
“The strength of this keris was extinguished for centuries,” added Devi. “Recently someone proposed the use of volcanic magma to represent the element of fire and virgin blood to replace the blood of the king. The magical power of the kris rose, but it was not yet perfect. There is one more element that is lacking, namely electricity that represents lightning.”
Gerry nodded. “Yes, yes, ‘pelistrikan’ business will be easy, just leave it to me.”
Rangda-Devi approached the man while saying, “That's great, our master will definitely be very happy. In addition to abundant rewards, he will also forgive my past failures.”
“Of course. Unfortunately, I have other plans.” With a very sudden and lightning-fast movement, Gerry approached Shinta Devi and immersed Keris Mpu Gandring into the woman's unprotected belly.
“Ahhk, G-Gerry, you..?” Devi's eyes widened, not believing that the deadliest blow she suffered was from the betrayal of her own comrades.
“First, I do not want to share the services of a loser swordsman like you,” replied Gerry, his face is mediocre as if killing is a casual daily job. “I've made the whole Leak Army defect from you and go long before I came.
And secondly, I will use this kris to haphazardly cross the black world, not just to please a mere master.”
“Basic low fucker!” Rangda-Devi flicks his poisonous claws, but Gerry has already plucked the keris and dodged, discharging Devi's only chance of dragging her along to hell.
As life rapidly seeps out of his body, Devi makes one last attempt. He removed the Ring of Rangda, an eye-shaped mirah stone mustika from his ring finger, then threw it towards Rania while exclaiming, “Wear this! Revenge me, Raniaa!”
“Do not hope!” Gerry lunged, wanting to catch the ring soaring in the other direction. Yet someone had preceded him, kicking him to one side.
It's Rania! He risked all the energy he had accumulated regardless of the pain of his injury. The girl jumped up and caught Rangda's Ring in the air.
Without thinking, Rania pinned the ring on the ring finger of her left hand. Suddenly a purple light emanated from the ring and enveloped the entire body of the girl. That was when he felt his appearance change. His clothes and everything he was wearing seemed to vanish, changing into the exact costume Shinta Devi was wearing. Purple-red maroon alloy dress similar to traditional clothes of dancers of Pendet Dance from Bali, without headdress, of course. Rania's cracked glasses changed into a kind of red-laced glasses mask. Miraculously, what Rania saw through it were natural colors, even clearer than with ordinary glasses. The whole process takes place in one second.
Suddenly a voice rang in the mind of the policewoman. I am Rangda, Queen of Purple Fire, Lord of Darkness. For this time, trust me with your celebration and study my actions!
Rania is implying, Please, teacher!
Just then Gerry got up and fired his gun right at Rangda. Very nimble, the super swordsman twitched like a shadow, clearly more alert than before he held full control of his “inang lama”.
“Wah, very good,” Gerry quipped, pretending to be surprised. “I never thought you'd be so agile about dodging bullets.”
Rangda did not answer. He just continued to move quickly without stopping, until his hand grabbed the object he had been aiming for, Rania's gun. Rangda fired the modern-day weapon many times very quickly, reply Gerry earlier. The short-haired man shuffled away, until a single bullet grazed his shoulder.
In pain, Gerry quickly retreated, blood pouring from his new wounds. The man returned to shooting. Although the carrying capacity of the gun is more than the light gun Rania, his more shots cause Gerry to run out of bullets first than his opponent. As an opportunist, Rangda takes advantage of this and puts the last bullet in Gerry's gun, throwing the man's only long-range resistance all the way.
“Cih!” Gerry swearing. “Pistolku! But it's okay, I still have the last gun. Keris Mpu Gandring, lend me your strength, so you can sip as much blood as possible in this ‘party akbar’!
As if agreeing with the ambitions of this new owner, Keris Mpu Gandring exuded his newly awakened magical power from the crystals in his blade. The radiance seemed to smear Gerry's entire body with blood.
Even more terrifying, all those forces formed a new armour for Gerry. A strong but flexible red-orange membrane covers her body, from the neck to the tip of the foot. Not only that, body parts such as the chest, heartburn, neck, lower arms, vital organs and shins and soles of the feet are protected by metal plates that are formed in such a way, following the shape of the owner's body.
Completing “samaran”, Gerry's hair is elongated, reddish and always looks like a blaze. A mask was tightly embedded like glasses, with glowing red eyes.
Seeing the appearance of the opponent, Rangda rebuked, “Who are you? Queen Leak demands you speak!”
The figure ruffled his waist arrogantly, brandishing the new Keris Mpu Gandring form towards Rangda. “I'm nicknamed Cakra, the Red Thunderbolt. I'm a free swordsman, I don't want to be ruled by anyone!”
The Purple Flame Queen brandished her gun straight towards Cakra. “Supply! So you don't distinguish good-bad, black-and-white, right-wrong?”
“Yes! I act as I please, whoever inherits my power will definitely I will – or drop if need be.” Obviously the talk is the spirit of the kris that now also possessed Gerry's body, although it sounds like Gerry's own voice. “Isn't it the same with you, Rangda?”
“Oh, I'm tired of being betrayed, even by my own comrades and troops. And I'm tired of almost always losing to my eternal enemy, Barong. Maybe by changing course, my luck will change as well. And my first job is to root out a mess lighter like you!”