Chapter 8 Weapon Of Silat
After taking his oath, Moku led the orcs to the hill behind Dawnmist Tribe.
The hill is conical in shape with flat land on top, covered by vast green meadows. With a height of 200 meters, this hill looks like a green caping.
Moku made this hill a place to hide, practice and experiment.
At first he was still doing these things in his tent, but Moku's routine of training and experimentation was getting more and more insane, forcing him to move to this hill before the other tribesmen chased him away.
He named this hill with Green Caping.
Currently Moku is sitting cross-legged on the ground, in front of him 15 orcs are also sitting cross-legged facing Moku.
They had been sitting like that 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 Moku made scenarios, strategies and moves he couldn't imagine the orcs being able to defeat the mage.
There are two reasons.
The first reason, lack of information.
Moku doesn't know how far the mage's spells are and how they can use them.
Moku noticed that there were strange terms used by the Shaman when he saw a mage cast his spell, such as '2 constellations' or '4 constellations'.
Moku had asked Boku what Shaman's words meant, but Boku didn't understand either, the same thing happened with other adult orcs.
The second reason, beyond reason.
If the power of a mage's spell is like the one Boku told, then they already have 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, they can 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 orc tribes in the blink of an eye.
No martial arts technique or evasive move pattern could save them from the wall of fire and the rain of lightning swords.
The only way to survive a mage was not to run into a mage or sacrifice another orc to escape the same way the young orcs who had survived the previous extermination did.
Fighting mages is like fighting nuclear missiles with fists. Knowing this Moku became increasingly desperate.
Currently the only way Moku knows of is to use the orc's body regeneration abilities to train until their bodies become like iron.
But this takes a very long time, 20-30 years of non-stop practice.
Before that, they should 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, has to release his secret martial arts technique just to face an Orc like Goku.
At least this possibility is better than none at all.
"Huufft" Moku sighed.
It seemed knowing their enemy's strength or not knowing it was the same thing. Moku will train 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?" 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 want a new path to become stronger.
Moku nodded, it seemed that in this world he would not be alone anymore.
"In Palaka between me and Goku you have seen how I fight.
The pattern of steps, punches, kicks, and locks that I do is a silat way of fighting.
Silat is a fighting style by bringing oneself closer to nature. Silat fighting style is to imitate nature itself.
Every silat movement is required to be simple, fast, flexible, precise, and paralyze the opponent.
Silat not only trains muscles and strength, but also trains joints, flexibility, mind, and spirit.
This makes silat unique and the weapons used are unique too.
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 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 arts has this element in its practice. But only Silat really deepens his knowledge of the soul.
This is because silat believes in the existence of inner power.
At first Moku also believed that and made him very happy. He thought that inner strength was the key to achieving his dreams.
But after delving deeper, Moku finds out that the inner power his teacher is referring to is probably the power of human will.
It is the same with a mother who is able to lift a large pillar to save her child who has been crushed.
Or a husband who is able to run very fast to save his wife who is 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..
ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ
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 playing with the cloth like crazy.
The cloth in Moku's hand is white, with a smooth texture and thick. Has a length of 1.5 meters.
Moku smiled at the curious orcs looking at the cloth in his hand. This is 'Songket', the fruit of his work that Moku is very proud of.
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 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 competes in MMA abroad, the Songket cloth made by himself becomes a cure for homesickness.
When Moku saw the patternless Songket cloth in his hand, he thought back to his hometown. Now Moku won't be able to go home again.
But he will make a new home in this world.
"This is Songket. This cloth is very strong and 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 stands up and comes forward." Moku stood up and pointed at one of the orcs.
Vakgar has the second largest body after Goku. The left canine is 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's orders.
"Huh?" Vakgar is 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 hits with his right hand. The fist shot quickly towards Moku's forehead.
Moku smiled, shifted his shoulder, wrapped Vakgar's fist with 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, the air from his lungs jolted out of his mouth. His spine nearly cracked when he hit the hard ground.
Moku isn't finished yet. With Vakgar's wrists still tied, Moku turned his body onto his stomach, released Songket from Vakgar's wrists, wrapped around Vakgar's neck and pulled both ends of Songket tightly.
Uugghh!
Vakgar was suffocating, he tried to release Songket which was tightly wrapped around his neck, but the knot was so 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 Songket, another way like—" Moku spoke while helping Vakgar to his feet.
After Vakgar stood up, Moku backed away, and flicked one end of Songket, when it was about to hit Vakgar's face Moku quickly pulled the end he was holding.
The tip of Songket lunged like a whip and hit Vakgar's face.
BUUM!
Vakgar felt like he was hit hard on the face. Vakgar's 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 was dangerous' they said to themselves.
Seeing no one asked, 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 has a hole for finger insertion.
"This knife is called Karambit. It can be used to stab and tear the opponent's body. Anyone want to come forward for a demonstration?"
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 instructions.
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, tying Songket around his waist, and tucking 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 ask 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 karambit, and slashed Viggu's neck.
"Every attack from Karambit is the enemy's last breath" Moku spoke in an flat voice.
Viggu knelt down and held his bloodied neck.
Moku came closer and pressed hard against the artery in Viggu's neck. When the blood starts to stop, Moku starts stitching up Viggu's wound.
The orcs' eyes widened.
Viggu is not a weak orc, in a one-on-one battle Viggu can win over Vakgar.
However Moku injures 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 obvious things, "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.
Both of these weapons you must have and learn. I will give each of you a Songket cloth, but for the kerambit 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 hard wood, 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, sticks made of bamboo, steel and wood sometimes have feathers around the tip close to the cutting edge of the blade.
Moku doesn't know if this is fate or just a coincidence, Bog forest has almost the same plant species as the tropical forest in his hometown.
Like the rattan plant that thrives and climbs the trees in the Bog forest.
Rattan in the Bog forest has a diameter of 5-10 cm, making it a suitable base material for making spears and toyas for the orc's large body.
There are still other weapons commonly used in martial arts such as keris, cleaver, machete, sickle, and rencong. But the main ingredient is iron, Moku knows how to make it but he can't make it.
Just like you know palm sugar is made from sugar cane, but you don't know how to turn sugar cane into sugar.