Bab 8: Weapon of Silat

After taking his oath, Moku led the orcs to the hill behind the Dawnmist Tribe.

The hill was conical in shape with flat land on top, it was covered by vast green meadows. With a height of 200 meters, this hill looked like a green caping.

Moku used this hill as a place to hide, practice and experiment.

At first, he was still doing these things in his tent, but his routine of training and experimentation was getting more and more insane, this then forced him to move to this hill before the other tribesmen chased him away.

He named this hill Green Caping.

Currently, Moku was sitting cross-legged on the ground, in front of him 15 orcs were also sitting cross-legged and facing him.

They had been sitting like this for half an hour but Moku still hadn't opened his mouth.

The orcs just stayed silent and ignored Moku who seemed to be thinking about something. They waited to see how their new chieftain would fulfill his oath.

Moku was thinking the same thing too.

After knowing in more detail how the mage eradicated the old orc tribes, Moku did a shadow battle in his mind.

But no matter how many scenarios, strategies, and moves Moku couldn't imagine the orcs being able to defeat the mage.

There were two reasons.

The first reason is the lack of information.

Moku didn't know the range of the mage's spells and how quickly he could use them.

He also noticed that there were strange terms used by the Shaman when he saw the mage cast his spell, such as '2 constellations' or '4 constellations'.

Moku had asked Boku what the Shaman's words meant, but Boku didn't understand either, the same thing happened with the other adult orcs.

The second reason is beyond reason.

If the power of a mage's spell was like what Boku had described, then they already had the power of a god.

If the mage was required to first cast a long spell or create a complex sigil in the air then the orcs had a chance to get close.

By turning the fight into a melee fight, they could interrupt and stop the mage from casting his spell.

But the mages in Boku's story didn't have to cast lengthy spells or create elaborate sigils in midair, they simply chanted the name of the spell and swung their arms to unleash a power capable of destroying an orc tribe in the blink of an eye.

No martial arts technique or evasive movement pattern could save them from the wall of fire and the rain of lightning swords.

The only way to survive a mage was by avoiding them or sacrificing another orc to escape the same way the young orcs who had survived the previous extermination did.

Fighting mages was like fighting nuclear missiles with fists. Knowing this Moku became increasingly desperate.

Currently, the only way Moku could think of to counteract this was by using the orc's body regeneration abilities to train until their bodies become like iron.

But this took a very long time, and 20-30 years of non-stop practice.

Before that, they would also need to hide themselves and not make a fuss like they've been doing all this time.

Even Moku, who has been doing this kind of training routine for 3 years, had to release his secret martial arts technique just to face an Orc like Goku.

At least this possibility was better than none at all.

"Huufft" Moku sighed.

It seemed that knowing their enemy's strength or not knowing it was the same thing. Moku had finally settled on training the orcs as he planned last night.

"My brothers.

I have sworn before all of you and I will keep that oath.

However, this cannot be done without your help.

That's why I want you to do what I tell you and fully trust what I give you.

Do you guys dare to follow me?" Moku spoke loudly and smiled showing his confidence.

Right now what the orcs needed was a glimmer of hope. Moku wasn't about to crush that with his almost desperate face.

The orcs looked at each other. Zalthu as the eldest orc answered.

"Moku you've said what it means to be a true orc and you're right about that.

Orcs are fighters.

Orcs will die in battle.

We don't want to rot to death in our tent.

If we're really going to die, at least let us hit the nose of that arrogant human mage!"

"Yaaaahhhh!!!" All the orcs raised their fists to the sky.

The orcs didn't need Moku to cheer them up, they just needed a glimmer of hope and a chance to fight evenly.

They didn't care if they had to die just to deliver one blow to their enemy.

They just wanted a new path to become stronger.

Moku nodded, it seemed that in this world he would not be alone anymore.

"In the previous Palaka between me and Goku, you have seen how I fight.

The steps, punches, kicks, and locks that I performed are called the silat way of fighting.

Silat is a fighting style that is achieved by bringing yourself closer to nature. The goal of the Silat fighting style is to imitate nature itself.

Every silat movement is required to be simple, fast, flexible, precise, and to paralyze the opponent.

Silat not only trains your muscles and strength, but it also trains joints, flexibility, mind, and spirit.

This makes silat unique and the weapons used for it are unique too.

Is there anything you want to ask?" Moku explained.

"Moku, what do you mean by spirit?" Kagan raised his hand and asked.

"The spirit is something that is invisible but exists and it is who we really are.

Spirit is something that makes us know who we are.

The spirit is the soul that God breathes into our bodies.

Spirit is us.

Every living thing has a spirit, but most of their spirits are confined within their bodies.

The spirit that is confined in this body is unable to act and is ultimately controlled by the body." Moku replied.

Actually, every martial art has this element in its practice. But only Silat really deepens its knowledge of the soul.

This is because Silat believes in the existence of inner power.

At first, Moku also believed that and this made him very happy. He thought that inner strength was the key to achieving his dreams.

But after delving deeper, Moku found out that the inner power his teacher was referring to was probably the power of the human will.

It was the same with a mother who was able to lift a large pillar to save her child who had been crushed.

Or a husband who was able to run very fast to save his wife who was about to be hit by a car.

In order to protect the body from injury caused by activities that exceed its limits, the brain will lock the ability of the human body.

But strong willpower can make the brain let go of the limitations on the body.

That power is the power stored in the human body, not magic power or anything like that.

In special military forces training, the soldiers will be exhausted continuously until the brain gets used to it. So that it will make the brain release the body's abilities that are locked slowly.

Moku continued his explanation.

"Silat has some unique weapons. Some of them are not even made of hard materials.

For example this cloth.

Hehehe..

You've seen me practice with this cloth right? And you think I'm crazy" Moku smirked.

The orcs bowed their heads in shame. They remembered seeing Moku frequently playing with the cloth.

The cloth in Moku's hand was white, with a smooth texture and thick. It had a length of 1.5 meters.

Moku smiled at the curious orcs who were looking at the cloth in his hand. This is 'Songket', the fruit of his work that Moku was very proud of.

(A/N: see Para Comment to know what real songket looks like)

While practicing silat with Datuak nan Sabatang, he was not only taught martial arts but also culture.

One of them is this traditional cloth. Moku learned to weave and make looms from scratch. At that time Moku felt that what he was doing would not be useful in his life.

But Datuak nan Sabatang said 'As high as the crane flies, it returns to the puddle too'.

Moku, who was used to his teacher's proverb which was difficult to understand, just nodded and continued to learn to weave.

When Moku competed in MMA abroad, the Songket cloth he made by himself became a cure for his homesickness.

When Moku saw the patternless Songket cloth in his hand, he thought back to his hometown. Now Moku wouldn't be able to go home again.

But he would make a new home in this world.

"This is Songket. This cloth is very strong and it can be a dangerous weapon," explained Moku.

The orcs didn't understand what Moku meant, all they saw was a soft and smooth cloth. There was no sharp or hard edge to the cloth, the orcs did not understand where the dangerous side came from.

Moku looked at the confused orcs and smiled.

"I will show you how to use it. Vakgar stand up and come forward." Moku stood up and pointed at one of the orcs.

Vakgar had the second largest body after Goku. His left canine was longer than the right. He only wore pants made of animal fur and there were long burn marks on his chest.

Vakgar stood up and walked forward, his face even more confused with what Moku wanted.

"Vakgar give me your strongest blow!" Moku ordered.

"Huh?" Vakgar was getting confused.

"Just punch me! Are you afraid?" Moku smirked sarcastically.

"Tsk! Don't blame me if you get hurt" replied Vakgar angrily.

"Yaaahkk!" Vakgar punched forward with his right hand. The fist shot quickly towards Moku's forehead.

Moku smiled, shifted his shoulder, and wrapped Vakgar's fist with the Songket, turned around, grabbed both ends of Songket with both hands and slammed Vakgar to the ground.

BUMM!!

Vakgar's massive body slammed heavily onto the ground, and the air from his lungs jolted out of his mouth. His spine nearly cracked when he hit the hard ground.

Moku wasn't finished yet. With Vakgar's wrists still tied, Moku turned his body onto his stomach, released the Songket from Vakgar's wrists, wrapped it around Vakgar's neck, and pulled both ends of the Songket tightly.

Uugghh!

Vakgar was suffocating, he tried to release the Songket which was tightly wrapped around his neck, but the knot was too strong. He tried to turn his body, but Moku's weight held him from above.

When Vakgar was almost out of breath, Moku loosened his coils.

"haaaah hah hah hah" Vakgar was able to catch his breath again.

"That's one way of using the Songket, another way is like—" Moku spoke while helping Vakgar to his feet.

After Vakgar stood up, Moku backed away, and flicked one end of the Songket, when it was about to hit Vakgar's face Moku quickly pulled the end he was holding.

The tip of the Songket lunged like a whip and hit Vakgar's face.

BUUM!

Vakgar felt like he was hit hard on the face and his body was thrown backwards.

"—that!" Moku finished his speech.

"Any question?" Moku turned around and asked.

Bam!

Vakgar's body landed on the ground, his nose broken and bleeding.

The Orcs' mouths fell open, their eyes wide.

'Damn! That thing is dangerous,' they said to themselves.

Seeing that no one asked any questions, Moku continued his explanation.

"The next weapon is this little curved knife"

Moku took out a small knife from his pants. The knife was made of animal claws glued to wood as the handle. The hilt of the knife had a hole for finger insertion.

"This knife is called Karambit. It can be used to stab and tear the opponent's body. Anyone wants to come forward for a demonstration?"

(A/N: see Para Comment to know what real karambit looks like)

The orcs gulped. They glanced at Vakgar who was still sitting unsteadily. They knew that the weapons Moku was carrying only looked harmless on the outside.

"I want to try," Viggu raised his hand.

"Good! Come forward" Moku instructed.

Viggu walked slowly with nervous steps. He wasn't afraid of fights, he was just afraid of fights he could never predict.

He felt like he was walking in the middle of the night in the forest, even if there were no ghosts or beasts, he would still be frightened just by hearing the sound of branches snapping.

Viggu arrived in front of Moku.

"The karambit is a fast small weapon, so this knife is used as a secret weapon—" Moku explained, he then tied the Songket around his waist and tucked the karambit inside.

"Krambit is used to carry out surprise attacks that are unknown to the enemy-" Moku explained and asked Viggu to hit him.

Viggu didn't say anything and immediately launched his strongest punch.

Similar to Vakgar, Moku only moved his shoulder to avoid Viggu's punch, held his hand by the wrist, took out the karambit, and slashed at Viggu's neck.

"Every attack from the Karambit is the enemy's last breath" Moku spoke in a flat tone.

Viggu knelt down and held his bloodied neck.

Moku came closer and pressed hard against the artery in Viggu's neck. When the blood showed signs of stopping, Moku started stitching up Viggu's wound.

The orcs' eyes widened.

Viggu was not a weak orc, in a one-on-one battle Viggu could even defeat Vakgar.

However, Moku injured his neck with just one strike.

"From these two weapons did you notice anything?" Moku asked.

"These two weapons are dangerous" Swa raised his hand and replied like a diligent school student.

Moku glanced at his brother who was saying something obvious, "Anything else?" Moku asked again. Swa just looked down embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.

"Both weapons are invisible or unexpected by the enemy," the clever Mige replied.

"That's right, these two weapons cannot be predicted by the enemy. Even though they have melee attacks, their uniqueness can make us approach the enemy without making them wary" Moku explained.

"Mages have powers that we can't imagine. We can't predict what spells they will cast, for that we must be able to approach the enemy without their knowledge.

You must have both of these weapons and you must learn them. I will give each of you a Songket cloth, but for the karambit, you have to collect the materials and make it yourself."

After that, Moku explained the other Silat weapons.

Like Galah, a stick-shaped weapon made of steel, wood, or bamboo.

Gada or Mace, A blunt weapon made of steel or hardwood, such as a bat that has thorns and spikes around its sides.

Stick or Toya, a stick weapon with an adjustable length made of rattan.

Spears, and sticks made of bamboo, steel, and wood sometimes have feathers around the tip close to the cutting edge of the blade.

Moku didn't know if this was fate or just a coincidence, but Bog forest had almost the same plant species as the tropical forest in his hometown.

Like the rattan plant that thrived and climbed the trees in the Bog forest.

Rattan in the Bog forest had a diameter of 5-10 cm, making it a suitable base material for making spears and toyas for the orc's large body.

There were still other weapons commonly used in martial arts such as kriss, cleaver, machete, sickle, and rencong. But the main ingredient was iron, Moku knew how to make them but he couldn't make them.

Just like you know palm sugar is made from sugar cane, but you don't know how to turn sugar cane into sugar.