"There's an important task you must complete to quickly realize our dream of building a kingdom," said Bagas Dipa.
"What important task is the Chief referring to?" asked one of his subordinates.
"You must help me find seven virgin girls to sacrifice, so I can obtain extraordinary knowledge from the Demon King of Mount Kerinci." His nine subordinates looked at each other.
"Within two weeks, you must find those seven virgin girls and hand them over to me!" Bagas Dipa continued.
"Excuse me, Chief. Won't we arouse suspicion among the villagers if we bring the girls to this hermitage and hand them over to the Chief?" Bagas Dipa simply shook his head and smiled.
"Don't worry, my brothers. We'll build a small hut in the western valley of Mount Kerinci. It's a place untouched by the villagers and won't arouse suspicion. You just have to bring the girls there later." His nine trusted men nodded in agreement.
******
A horse and rider pushed through the undergrowth between the trees in the forest. Judging by the way he rode, it seemed the rider was no ordinary person. In the dense forest, filled with bushes and trees, and in the darkness, as night had just fallen, the horse he was galloping still seemed to be out of the woods and in the darkness of the night.
"Looks like I'll have to keep galloping. Who knows, maybe there's a little more space up ahead, less dense than the trees and bushes here," the rider muttered to himself as he continued to gallop.
"If I'm forced to spend the night here, I could sleep comfortably in a tree, but this horse will definitely be threatened by the wild animals in this forest," he muttered again.
The rider's suspicions were correct, for not long after he had galloped his horse, he and his horse seemed to have entered an area devoid of trees except for small bushes. He stopped his horse for a moment, then looked around, as if searching for the most comfortable place to rest for the night.
Suddenly, his eyes caught a glimmer of light not too far ahead. The light was somewhat low from where he and his horse had stopped, as it was on a relatively low hill.
"That looks like torchlight. Wow, that means there's a settlement up ahead. Hmm, I should head there," he muttered, then slowly moved his horse down the hillside.
The torchlight wasn't as bright as a lamp, but as the rider approached the torchlight, he revealed the figure of a handsome young man wearing a white sleeveless shirt and white trousers. Around his waist was a yellow cloth belt, as was his headband. Around his wrists were rolls of black cloth, and on his back was a tiger-headed sword. This young man was none other than Dezo Wilis, the Andalas Tiger Warrior.
Before arriving at the torch-lit place, in the previous episode (Commotion in the Land of Minang), it was told that when Dezo first descended the mountain, he stopped in an area called Agam. It was there that the warrior first performed a good deed by helping the local residents from the oppression of a Duke named Gopal Kaliang.
The Duke was given power by the King of the Pagaruyung Kingdom to lead the Agam region. The feud between Dezo and Adipati Gopal began when Dezo successfully rescued a beautiful girl named Seruni, who was being forced by some of Adipati Gopal's men to join the Duke's residence and become his tenth wife.
Because Dezo thwarted his plan, Adipati Gopal challenged him to a life-and-death fight. In the fight, Dezo was overwhelmed by Adipati Gopal, who was indeed aided by an evil creature in the form of a giant bat.
However, Dezo ultimately managed to win the fight, killing both the Adipati and the evil creature in the form of a giant bat with the Andalas Tiger Sword and the warrior's signature blow.
The Commander of the Pagaruyung Kingdom offered Dezo the position of Duke for his services in saving the region from the cruelty and atrocities of Duke Gopal. However, Dezo declined, stating that as a warrior, he must wander after descending the mountain, spreading goodness wherever he may find himself.
Before leaving the area, a villager presented the warrior with a horse to continue his journey.
The bright torch wasn't just a single one; there were several others around the building, a small shop. Besides selling food and fruit, the shop also served tea and coffee. The shop was quite spacious and long, with some of the benches and tables made of woven bamboo and rattan.
Dezo dismounted after arriving beside the shop. After tying his horse, he entered. It was quite crowded with people sitting around enjoying hot coffee or tea, as night had just fallen.
Dezo sat in the far right corner of the lounge chair. A short time later, the man who owned the shop approached him. "Excuse me, sir, what would you like to order?" the stall owner asked.
"Just a cup of hot coffee and a plate of snacks, Uncle," Dezo replied with a friendly smile.
"Okay, sir, please wait a moment, okay?" Dezo simply nodded, and the stall owner returned with a cup of coffee and some small pastries.
"I don't think you're from this village?" the stall owner suggested, placing the warrior's order on the table.
"Yes, sir, Uncle. I'm from Mount Pasaman. My trip to Java ended up staying here at night. What's the name of this area, Uncle?" Dezo asked back. The stall owner sat down on the bench next to him.
"This small village is in the Sungai Penuh area, located north of Mount Kerinci, sir," he said politely.
While Dezo and the stall owner were chatting happily, several people on horseback suddenly stopped in front of the stall, lashed their horses casually, and then entered. Several people who were enjoying their hot coffee rushed out of the stall as if on command, as if they had recognized the people arriving on horseback.
Six people immediately sat down on the left side of the stall.
"Sudan, quickly provide us with food and drinks!" shouted one of the six horsemen who had just entered. The stall owner, whose name turned out to be Sudan, hurried to where he was preparing the food and drinks.