Part 2 (3)
By noon the whole empire was in effervescence. The messengers of His Majesty Batang V were wandering across the crowded streets of Ekule, Okala, and Okunde while reading aloud the imperial command.
Like all other inhabitants of the land, Babida the lumberjack grasped the imperial message, which was in line with his day plan, except there was a gratification on top of it: public acknowledgment and money. The logger wasn't a big fan of fame, however, he would have been silly to ignore the imperial financial incentive and increase his wealth.
He wore his wartime armor composed of two steel bracelets, silk trousers, a tusk necklace, and his herculean ax of one hundred centimeters long for a weight of around five kilograms. Then barefoot, he left his cabin and trekked to the center of Ekule where groups of courageous warriors who answered the call of His Majesty Batang V, were being formed.
The logger joined the battalion of civilians. Set and alongside the imperial soldiers and army veterans, they began to walk toward the north gate of the imperial city Ekule with one clear target: the newborn Monster that dwelt above the hill adjacent to the next village, Okunde.
Extremely boosted by the ancestral song of victory: The Makossa, they pledged to climb to the summit of the Forbidden Mountain and abbreviate the Beast's days.
"Oh Loba, God of the gods, sharpen the blades of your children and guide them to the dean of the beast. Shall fear never get hold of them and shall they be victorious, Amen," they sang over and over.
On their way, they met warriors that were coming from Okala in the west. Together they mixed and formed bigger groups of civilians, imperial soldiers, and army veterans. Under a bright moon, they finally arrived in Okunde through its south gate.
There they found organized bands of military and nonmilitary combatants that they assimilated and together they constituted a massive regiment of one thousand men of honor under the command of the local Governor, His Highness Kola II, a cousin of the Emperor Batang V.
Kola II was forty-two. Two years older than his next of kin, Emperor Batang V. Previously he served as the Superior Commander of the imperial forces before being promoted to the rank of Governor, the second highest position of power in the empire.
He had well earned his nationwide reputation of "Heart of a Tiger" after he choked with his bare hands a hungry tiger that was about to attack him and his pregnant wife Ana.
The incident occurred while the spouse was grilling gorilla meat, almost every Sunday afternoon, in the backyard of the couple's mansion in Okunde village. Kola II was sitting on a wooden chair in the corner and was admiring furtively the culinary talent of his wife while consuming the local alcoholic drink: the Kai-Kai.
Then unexpectedly a two-meter-long and three hundred kilograms tiger jumped over the house fence and landed in the compound.
Kola II was seized by panic as he saw the fawn directed itself toward Ana's position. He abruptly got off his chair, making thus the fabric wrapped around his left shoulder to untie and fall on the ground. He was left topless and with just underpants.
The then ruler of Okunde was physically blessed by the ancestors of the Batang people. He measured one hundred and seventy-five centimeters high for ninety-five kilograms. He was endowed with impressive biceps, enormous thighs, and well drawn six packs on his stomach.
Paralyzed by fear, the pregnant wife leaked water. She looked in the direction of her husband and whined: "Kola, save your unborn child!"
Enraged, Kola II ran toward the big cat, and with the momentum generated by his race, he grabbed the tiger by its throat, pushed it against the fence, and then pressed its neck with savage strength. The wild animal suffocated and died without even rendering a single claw.
All this while, Babida the lumberjack stood in the middle of the troops like a good warrior. He followed to the letter the instructions of the superiors who themselves were obeying the commander-in-chief, Governor Kola II. The woodsman always kept his initial position in the ranks and sang in unison war songs with his comrades. Disciplined, he never took any initiative of his own.
Kola II welcomed the men of honor coming from the imperial city Ekule and the village of Okala to his unit of command Okunde. He then ordered them to rest and recuperate from a long journey that began earlier in the day after taking a well-deserved dinner he had organized for them.
He thereupon visited each of the tents built in Okunde's garden by the region's assigned soldiers for the exceptional circumstance and since everything seemed to be alright, he wished a good night to the warriors and went back to his headquarters as a group of local women came in and commenced distributing food and beverages.
Flatbread, spicy toasted bush meat, and guava juice were abundantly dispatched to the soldiers. They ate all of the exquisite repast. Finally, it was time to sleep, so the superiors therefore split the combatants into small units and attributed each unit a tent. Babida the lumberjack who had been waiting for that moment so exhausted he was, wasted no time and rushed to slumber.
The night went by hitch-free...
"Two volunteers, two volunteers!" A man shouted while running toward the center of the improvised barracks in Okunde's garden. The warriors woke up as the sun was rising.
"Two volunteers, two volunteers!" The man reiterated louder.
"His Highness Kola II requests two brave scouts who will go to the Forbidden Mountain and spy on the movements of the Monster," he said.
"Me!" A voice emerged from the troop.
"Great! Who are you?" The Governor's emissary asked.
"Babida," he responded.
The Governor's aide de camp paused for a moment, pretended to clean his right ear with his index finger, then said: "Sorry! Can you repeat?"
However, the volunteer did not have time to answer. The officer anticipated by making an assumption.
"You mean Babida, the lumberjack?" He asked.
"Yes!" The voice responded.
"By jingo! The killer of the Monster of the Forbidden Mountain is back among us," he exclaimed.
Warriors stepped out of the tents and flocked in big numbers toward Babida's position. They were startled by the revelation.
"Yes, it's him. He's a little bit older but on my ancestors' head, I swear it's him." A senior warrior affirmed after he glanced closely at Babida's body.
"I am going with him to the cliff." An acute voice resonated, stopping in the meantime the crowd's excitement. The soldier was a teenager.
The rest of the troop looked at him bewildered but no one protested or expressed reserve. They approved in silence the rules of wartime.
"Well, who are you?" The Governor's messenger interrogated.
"Bodo," the youngster replied.
"How old are you?" His Highness' emissary asked.
"Sixteen," the young lad asserted.
"Well, both of you, come with me!" The Governor's emissary told Babida and the young warrior.
The two warriors shadowed the emissary who was heading to the headquarters of the Commander in Chief, Governor Kola II.
"Your Excellency, you will never believe who is one of these devoted servants of the empire," the messenger declared to the Ruler of Okunde.
The latter was surprised by the unexpected announcement.
"Oh really? Well, are you referring to the older warrior right here or the youngster over here?" The Governor questioned his assistant while pointing with his head, at Babida and Bodo who were standing in front of him.
"I have to say the lad here was still a toddler fifteen years ago. So he would not have been able to decimate the Monster of the Forbidden Mountain. That's being clarified…"
"No need to continue with your development, Polo. I know who this brute force of nature right here is. He is Babida, the lumberjack. Even the herculean ax he is holding in his hand is enough evidence," Governor Kola II deduced marvelously.
"Now, both of you, listen to me with the utmost attention! Take this little plastic bottle with you. It contains a precious liquid provided by Iyô, the god of deep sleep. I obtained it in exchange for my manhood. I relinquished my ability to impregnate a woman but it's fine, I am the father of ten kids already. I did this for the sake of our land," Governor Kola II told the two scouts with an air of great seriousness so they could understand the importance of their mission.
"Find a way to drop the mystical liquid into the beak of the newborn Monster and come back safe," The Commander in Chief instructed the two scouts.
"Your wish is our order, Your Excellency!" Babida the lumberjack stated. He then took the magical potion and slid it into the right pocket of his silk trousers. He tapped on the youngster's back to signal him to follow him and they both left the Governor's headquarters, en route to the Forbidden Mountain.