One Hour to Trowulan, Mojokerto, East Java.
"Hwaaahhh, good morning Jay," Bima woke up and greeted Jay.
"Ah, Bima, you're awake. Come, sit for a while."
"Aren't you tired, Jay?"
"No, I was just sitting here the whole time."
"Hahaha, that's the beauty of having such well-trained horses. You don't even need to guide them."
"Ahhhh, good morning everyone," Loka had just woken up and greeted the others.
"Morning, bro."
"You're up, Loka?"
"Eh, Jay? I thought Bima was driving the carriage?"
"I switched with him in the middle of the night. Poor Bima was exhausted after staying up all night."
"Looks like I overslept. Haha."
"Hello everyone, good morning."
"Morning, all."
My friends were waking up one by one, greeting each other. Even though the sun hadn't risen yet, they were all awake.
"What time is it?" Roro asked, curious about how far we had traveled.
"Five in the morning," I answered.
"Where are we now, Jay?"
"I think we're already in East Java. We'll probably arrive in about an hour."
"That's great."
"Ahhh, our long journey is finally coming to an end."
"Jay, let's switch now. You should rest. You've been on guard all night."
"Alright, Bima. Here you go," I handed him the reins.
"Okay, I'm back in control. Hyaaa!"
(The horses gallop quickly)
"Hyaa! Why is the carriage running so fast?" Yusa felt it was going too fast.
"Bima, slow down!" Loka also thought the horses were moving too quickly.
"Didn't you guys feel it during the night? The carriage moved even faster than this," Bima explained.
"What? I can't hear you clearly, Bima!"
"I said! These horses were running even faster last night while you were all asleep."
"Really? I guess we were sleeping too deeply. I didn't feel a thing," Loka replied.
"Me neither," Roro added.
"Hold on tight, everyone! At this pace, we'll get there even faster. Get ready to see him again. Don't you miss him? Hahaha."
"That's right, ah, him."
"Yes, one of the reasons we're heading to Trowulan is to meet him again."
"Wait for us…"
"Yeah, wait for us…"
"Wait for us at the entrance to the Dungeon, Arya!" I shouted, eager to meet Arya again.
"There it is, everyone! The gate is clearly visible now. Just a few steps more."
"Finally, our long journey will end here."
"No, Loka. It's not ending. Our journey is just beginning!"
After a long and tiring journey, we finally arrived at our destination — Trowulan, Mojokerto Regency, East Java. This place is one of the five locations in Indonesia where Dungeons have appeared.
"Wooowww." Everyone was amazed.
"Wow! This place is so crowded," Yusa said in awe.
"Yeah, there are so many people here," Roro added.
"No wonder we didn't see anyone on the way here except for some bandits. Turns out everyone's already here," Bima said.
Traders around Trowulan shouted out their wares:
Traders:
"Come on, buy... buy..."
"Cheap, cheap..."
"Come, come! Fathers, mothers, little ones, everyone! Come have a look... Cheap, cheap!"
"Look! They're selling over there too."
"You're right, Yusa. Over there as well."
"Doesn't this feel more like a bazaar? Hahaha."
In Trowulan, we saw many players gathered. They weren't just here to conquer the Dungeon; some sought refuge, some to trade, and others were just tagging along. We were amazed at the atmosphere. Unlike the silence and danger of our travels, here was filled with laughter and excitement — a rare sight on the road.
But not only were we amazed by them — they were also amazed by us. A carriage pulled by six horses wasn't something you saw every day. Many of them approached to take a closer look.
Players:
"Hey look! They're riding a horse-drawn carriage!"
"Yeah, and there are so many horses!"
"Haha, I rarely see a carriage like that. Is this the last one?"
"Wow, amazing. Did they rent it? If yes, I want a ride too."
"Wow… wow… wow…" The players were in awe.
"Looks like we've drawn their attention."
"Hahaha, definitely."
"Let's get down."
"Yeah…"
Players:
"Your carriage is so cool!"
"Look, bro! They're riding a carriage, so awesome."
"Yeah, where'd you get it?"
"Can we rent it?"
"Me too!"
"And me…"
All the players asked to rent the carriage. But of course, we refused — especially since it belonged to Roro.
"Hehe, wait everyone. This carriage isn't ours. It belongs to our friend," I explained.
"That's right, it's hers," Bima pointed to Roro.
"Sorry everyone, this carriage is special. I don't plan to rent it out. Sorry," Roro declined politely.
Roro patted one of the horses and whispered something. Soon after, the carriage disappeared.
"Thank you, friends. You've all worked so hard. You may go now and rest. I will call for you again someday. Thank you for the journey," Roro said to her horses.
Hiiii... haaaa... (horse neighs)
Players:
"Huh? The carriage disappeared?!"
"So it's a summoning spell?"
"Whoa! This young lady must be powerful!"
"Hey miss! Join our party!"
"No! Join ours. We'll make you famous."
"Hahaha, you weaklings won't land someone that strong and beautiful. Miss, how about you join us? Just say the word, and we'll grant any request — you can even bring one of your friends!"
"Sorry, I'm not joining anyone's party. I'm happy with my friends. Please don't bother us."
"Leave them alone!" a beautiful woman approached us.
"Tch, her again. Let's go, everyone."
"Disperse, disperse…" they left after being chased away by her.
This woman helped drive away the pushy players.
"Hey, are you all okay?"
"Thank you for helping us. We're fine," Loka replied.
"Glad to hear. You've just arrived, right?" she asked.
"Yes, just now," Bima answered.
"Hey miss, may we know your name?" I asked.
"Oh, sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Amira Galuh, just call me Amira. I'm a player here to conquer the Trowulan Dungeon."
"Nice to meet you, Amira. I'm Jay. These are my friends."
"Hi, I'm Roro."
"I'm Loka, nice to meet you."
"Bima."
"Yusa, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you all."
Amira was a beautiful girl with a kind demeanor, but people seemed afraid of her. We didn't know how strong she really was, but seeing how others reacted to her, it must be something serious.
"Do you have a specific reason for coming here?" Amira asked.
"We actually have some business to settle," I replied.
"Well, as you can see, everyone here has their own goal or desire."
"What do you mean?" Yusa asked.
"You already know about the Dungeons, right? These strange structures that appeared worldwide. There are five of them in the Nusantara."
"Of course, we know that. But what do you mean by different goals for each player?"
"Haha, so you don't know the benefits of conquering a Dungeon? Come with me to my party's camp. I'll explain everything there."
"Should we go with her?" Yusa asked.
"We don't really know this place. Let's follow her. She seems nice," Loka responded.
"Alright, let's go."
"Thank you, Amira."
"Follow me," she said, leading us to her camp.
We walked toward Amira's party camp. When we arrived, there were lots of large tents — homes to the many parties living here.
The west side was for merchants and players trading goods and services — the direction we had entered from. The east was for the party camps, where players rested, slept, and did other activities. These tents had become their new homes.
"So many tents here," Roro said in awe.
"Yeah, and it's cool here. Seems perfect for players to rest," Loka added.
"Exactly. This area was built specifically for players to rest and camp. It's not far from the Dungeon either," Amira explained.
The Dungeon was to the north.
"Alright everyone, please come into our humble tent."
"Thank you, Amira," Loka said gratefully.
"Amira, where are your party members?" I asked.
"I have two teammates. Let me introduce one of them — Lasmana Raharja."
"Hi, nice to meet you. Just call me Lasman."
"Hello."
"And the other one?"
"Lasman, where is he?" Amira asked.
"I think he's out back. I'll get him."
"Thanks, please do."
"Hey Amira, you're back? I was just about to leave for a bit, please don't look for—"
"You…." He stopped in his tracks.
"Him…." We were even more shocked to see him.
My friends and I braced ourselves, ready in case a fight broke out. That face — we'd never forget it. A face we didn't like. A face we'd always remember.
"A…T…M…A…"
To be continued...